Chapter 6
Jules
Makeup does a world of wonders when it comes to hiding anxiety, or at least, I hope it does.
I’d made sure to do my makeup when we got closer, so my brand is on clear display when we first meet.
You can’t repeat first impressions, and I’d like to make a good first impression for business.
This is the first time they’re seeing my actual face, after all, so I suppose I should make it a good one.
But wondering what they’ll think of my face isn’t the source of my anxiety.
It's the little girl I’m about to lift out of the car.
I wave at the three very attractive, very charming-looking men waiting for me as I open the back door and move. One of the men is talking to another one as they watch in my direction, waiting to see what I’m going to do.
“I’ve got you, Genie,” I coo as I unbuckle her car seat and lift out the one-year-old.
Yes, I hadn’t told them I have a daughter because it’s not necessary information.
And they might have said no because of it.
I’ve made sure that we have everything we need and having Genie here won’t affect my work. But I wasn’t going to leave her behind.
This is the first collaboration I’ve done since her birth. When she was born, I took a few weeks off and bulked up my content so there wasn’t a lapse in posting. But she has to eat, and so do I. And there aren’t many jobs I can do and still remain anonymous.
Genie giggles as I pick her up and turn to face the men.
The man talking abruptly stops and his eyes widen.
The tall man next to him stares in shock.
The third doesn’t react except to tilt his head toward the other two and apparently ask what’s going on.
I don’t blame them for their reactions. Genie is sort of a bombshell right now.
“You didn’t mention a kid,” the big guy says as I walk toward them with Genie in my arms. He’s definitely taller than the other two. He’s broad at the shoulders and gives off teddy bear vibes that make me want to see if he’s as soft as he looks. I bet he’s a great cuddler.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say, smiling in a way I hope reaches my eyes. “And it won’t affect the collaboration.” I gesture to Bonnie as she steps forward with a bright smile. “This is Bonnie, my nanny. She’s part of the team.”
He looks between us and then darts his gaze back to the man standing beside him. “Is the cabin baby proofed?”
“Not at all,” the man answers. At my look, he grins. “Cash. Nice to meet you, ma’am. If possible, could you give us about an hour and a miracle, and I can make sure your accommodations are up to the standard of a mother and a child?”
I blink, surprised that they’d be willing to go through the trouble. “You don’t have to worry about that. We can—”
“Nonsense,” Cash interrupts. “We can’t have you worrying about the little one getting into anything she ought not to. Ain’t that right, Sawyer?”
The third man, who I assume is Sawyer, nods his head, but he doesn’t look me in the eyes. It’s only as I trace his rugged face that I realize just how cloudy those eyes are, and that he’s looking in my direction, but not at my face. He seems to be listening intently to the conversation.
“That’s right,” Sawyer answers. “How old is the little one?”
It takes me that long to realize he’s blind. “Oh, I, uh . . . she’s just over a year old. Thirteen months.”
He nods. “So, she crawls and walks now. It’s best to take care of the electrical outlets now rather than wait for an accident. I’m sure we have some cabinet locks somewhere.”
“I might have some up in the main house,” the first man says again. At my gaze, he offers his hand to me. I take it, and it’s like my hand is engulfed in a bear claw. “You can call me Oak, Ms. Vanta.”
“Oh, Vanta’s just my handle,” I correct with a smile. “You can call me Jules.”
“Jules,” Cash repeats. “That short for something?”
My face tightens. “Yes,” I reply, but I don’t add what it’s short for, a fact not a single one of them misses.
“Alright, well, we’ll get that working. You can explore if you’d like—”
“I can help,” I try, shifting Genie in my arms. “I didn’t warn you, so I’d feel silly not at least helping. And we brought some of our own stuff for baby proofing, too.”
Cash grins and damn does it light up his face.
Each of these men are as different from the other as I’d expected from their online content.
Where Oak is literally an oak tree of a man, Cash is more slender and only a few inches taller than me.
He’s dressed all in black, cowboy hat, ripped jeans, button down, and all.
He’s decorated with chains and necklaces, a few rings on his fingers that make him feel like he’s straight from a gothic western.
I’ve never seen a cowboy like him, and that makes him all the more intriguing.
“Well, I wouldn’t say no to help.” His eyes trail down my body, openly ogling me. “Or the view.”
I raise my brows. “The collaboration hasn’t started,” I point out. It’s really not necessary to flirt for the cam work. I can get myself prepped as needed.
“I enjoy life outside cam work,” he says. “Don’t you?”
I flinch and he doesn’t miss it. “I don’t get out much,” I reply truthfully. I have a one-year-old, and I’m on the run from my terribly powerful family. I can’t tell him that, but those are both very valid reasons for not going out to mingle with the masses.
“You should live a little,” he purrs. “Oak, Sawyer, and I are looking forward to working with you.”
My eyes flick to Sawyer again where he stands, his eyes focused mostly on my face, but like he’s staring at my nose rather than my eyes.
Of the three, Sawyer is the most casual.
He doesn’t wear a cowboy hat like the others.
Instead, he’s just wearing a baseball cap.
He’s dressed in jeans and boots, but his shirt looks like a t-shirt someone cut the sleeves off of to make a tank top.
Of the three men, he looks like the one who lifts weights, his muscles peeking from the tank top arm holes where I can see those rib muscles only gym bros have.
I must look a little too long because Sawyer tilts his head toward me. “I can see a little,” he offers. “Before you ask.”
“Oh, I wasn’t going to—”
“Don’t mind him,” Cash teases as he elbows Sawyer. “He’s just a little moon blind. Come on and I’ll take you to the cabin. We can look around and see what we can keep that little one out of.”
I study Sawyer for a few seconds more before I nod. “Yeah. Okay. I appreciate you having accommodation for us.”
“It’s my cabin,” Cash says. “I’ll be staying up in the main house with Oak while you’re here to make sure you have room and privacy.
If there’s anything at all you need, feel free to come up that way and knock on the door.
” He meets my eyes. “And I mean anything. Food, whiskey, a good night kiss, whatever you ask.”
I snort and gesture for him to show me where we’re going. “Lead the way, Casanova.”
His grin widens. “Good to know you’re not immune to my charm then,” he says, before tipping his cowboy hat to me and heading in the direction of this cabin we’ll be staying in.
Damn it if the little tip of his black cowboy hat doesn’t add to his fucking charm.