Chapter 7
Stella
“I’m glad you’re feeling better today,” Jordyn said. “You missed one hell of a night last night. Ugh, my head.”
“I’m going up to the buffet. Are you coming?” I asked her.
“You go ahead. I’m just going to sit here for a while and drink some coffee.”
I stood up from my seat, and as I walked up to the buffet, I saw Miles sitting at a table with his friend. He smiled, and I smiled back. My body still trembled from last night. He was incredible and the best sex I’d ever had in my life. He was the fantasy I never thought existed.
As I was walking around the buffet, plating my food, Miles walked up and stood next to me.
“I need to talk to you. Can we meet later?” he asked.
“Sure, of course. When and where?”
“Two o’clock. My suite.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.” I smiled.
“I’ll see you then.” He walked away and out of the restaurant.
I returned to the table and handed Jordyn a banana nut muffin.
“Here, I know they’re your favorite.”
She set her phone down and stared at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just got an email from the manager of our apartment building. The rent is going up four hundred dollars starting next month.”
“What? Why? That place is expensive enough for the whole six hundred feet. I can barely afford it now.” I sighed. “Fuck. I need to find a job.”
We spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the pool, swimming and soaking up the sun. I kept an eye out for Miles, thinking he’d be hanging out at the pool, but he never showed. Glancing at the time on my phone, it was one o’clock.
“I’m going to head back to the room and change out of my swimsuit,” I said as I grabbed my things.
“Why?”
“I’m done with the pool for now. I’ll catch up with you girls later.” I smiled.
When I reached my room, I quickly showered, fixed my hair, and headed to Miles’ suite. I knew why he wanted me to come to his room, and I was more than ready to have a repeat of last night.
“Hi.” He smiled, opening the door.
“Hi.” I stepped inside.
“Can I get you a glass of wine?” he asked, walking over to the bar.
“Sure.”
“Red or white?” he asked.
“White.”
He poured me a glass and handed it to me.
“I need to talk to you about something, but first, I need you to tell me more about yourself,” he said, pouring himself a drink.
“What do you want to know exactly?”
“You’re what? Twenty-seven, twenty-eight?”
“Twenty-seven.” I furrowed my brows.
“Do you have a college education?”
“Yes.” My brows continued to furrow. I wasn’t sure what was going on here.
“Then why are you jobless?” He walked over to me.
“What is with all the questions, Miles?”
“Because I need to know more about you.”
“Why? It’s not like we’ll see each other again after tomorrow.”
“Here’s the thing, Stella. I also live in New York.”
“You do?” My heart started racing.
“Yes. What is your degree, and why can’t you find a job?”
“I was a nanny for a wealthy couple living on the Upper West Side. For the past two years, I took care of their two children while they worked ungodly hours and couldn’t be bothered to handle the daily tasks of raising their kids. One day, while helping the boy finish his art project for school, he decided to go crazy with the glue. It got in my hair, and when his father came home, he was helping me get it out. The wife came home, saw her husband helping me, and fired me on the spot. The story she told her circuit of wealthy friends was that I stole from them and wanted to have sex with her husband. She told me she’d make sure I never nannied for anyone in New York again.”
“You’re a nanny?” His eyes narrowed.
“Sort of. I only took the job because the pay was good, and I needed it to pay my tuition.”
“Tuition for what?”
“My master’s degree.”
“Wait a second. You’re working on your master’s?”
“Yes. From NYU.”
“What is your degree in?” he asked, tipping the glass to his lips.
“I have a BS in child psychology. My dream is to become a licensed child psychologist, so I planned to finish my master’s and then pursue my doctorate.”
“If you have a bachelor of science degree in child psychology, why the hell are you working as a nanny?”
“It’s all I could find when I moved here. The Kensington’s were impressed by my degree and hired me on the spot.”
“Brandon Kensington?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be damned. You were his nanny?”
“Yes. Do you know him?”
“I know Brandon. We’ve done business together. Did you sleep with him?”
“God, no!” I loudly voiced. “I would never.”
“I know for a fact that he wanted to sleep with you. He isn’t exactly faithful to his wife.”
“I know.” I looked down. “I was recently offered a position as a social worker, but I turned it down.”
“Why?”
“Because the system is flawed, the hours suck, the pay sucks, and I wouldn’t have time for school. I have two classes left to get my master’s degree. The tuition is due next month, and I’m going to have to put it off until after I find a job. Plus, my friend that I live with just informed me this morning that the rent is going up an extra four hundred dollars.”