Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“Hey, it’s all good. If you don’t want to dip your stick in her, don’t.”
I try my best to remain civil but the thought of anyone touching Samantha makes me want to reach through the phone and strangle him. I don’t care if he’s my brother. If he lays a hand on her, I’ll kill him.
“Did you see the doctor they assigned you?”
“Why? You telling me I’m sick in the head?”
“Yes, Samuel. You’re a fucking monster.”
“Remind me to never do you a favor again. Do you want me to send her back? I’ll do it.”
What? No. She can’t go anywhere. I won’t let her.
“No. She’s staying but if one more ‘package’ shows up at my door, I’m calling the prosecutor so he can have the judge add more time to your sentence.”
“You wouldn’t. I’m the only family you have left.”
“No more packages and when you talk to me about Samantha, you show some respect.”
“It sounds to me like you might be sweet on the little party favor. Is it true love?”
“I told you to be respectful. Do you want to keep testing me?”
“Jesus Christ, why did I waste my phone privileges on you?”
“Because you have nobody else to call.”
“Goodbye man.”
I lean against the wall and breathe in the night air. I’m all worked up again, and I don’t want to have to explain myself to Samantha. She shouldn’t see me this way. A few deep breaths later, I return to the dining room to find Samantha looking wide-eyed and concerned.
“Is everything alright? I thought I heard you say my name.”
“Everything is fine.”
“Your voice was raised.”
“It was my brother. He tends to piss me off pretty easily.”
“Oh.” She looks down at her lap. “If you don’t want me here, I’ll understand.”
“What? No, I don’t want you to leave.” I kneel beside her chair and take her hand. “I wasn’t expecting you but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you here. Look, I know you didn’t choose this and what your father did was terrible, but I promise you won’t regret being here. I’ll make sure you have everything you need to feel comfortable. Is it me? Are you afraid to be here alone with me?”
“No. You’ve been very nice to me. I guess I just don’t want to get used to this kind of place and then have to go back to the city. I’ve never been a housekeeper before, and I’m worried I’ll disappoint you.”
“You couldn’t disappoint me. I have no doubts about that. As far as going back to the city goes, I won’t have it. You don’t belong in a place like that. Now, should we take that tour or do you want some dessert first?”
“Why are you being so nice to me? You know nothing about me.”
“ I can tell that you’re a sweet girl, but it’s more than that. I think as we get to know each other better, we’re both going to enjoy being here together.”
“I was so scared coming here, and when I saw how big you were, it only got worse. You were so angry when you opened the door that I didn’t know what you would do. You must think I’m stupid.”
“No. You were put in an extremely frightening situation and you faced it. You could have jumped out of that taxi and made a run for it but you didn’t. You rang my doorbell anyway. That’s brave and the fact that it was my door makes me very happy.”
“So am I.” She smiles and her cheeks turn a little pink.
“Alright, so…tour or pie?” I ask as I pat her thigh.
“Tour. I couldn’t eat another bite.”
We tour my office and the library then move to the upper floors of the manor. Samantha peeks into all eleven bedrooms and six bathrooms. I suppose she’s right. This is an awful lot of house for a single man, but I spend my time in all five rooms and don’t really think much about the rest.
“I have to clean them all, right?”
“Not every day. Most will need a good dusting once a month or so. You’ll just need to keep up with the primary living areas the rest of the time. Is that going to be too much for you?”
This façade is killing me. I don’t want this girl to be my housemaid. I want her to be my lover. The thought of making her get down on her knees and scrub my floors leaves an awful taste in my mouth. She should be pampered. When I have my way, she will be.
“I was just thinking about all that exercise. There are a lot of stairs.”
“There’s an elevator to help with that. I don’t want you trying to haul cleaning supplies up and down the stairs. If you feel like it’s too much work, take a break. I’m not expecting perfection.” I say that but how could I expect anything less from her? She is perfection.