Chapter 10
Henley
Gorilla Man & The One-Eyed Snake
When I look up from the paperwork I’m filling out, I find my sister standing in the doorway of my office. “Dilynne? What are you doing here?”
“Am I not allowed to check in on you?”
“No.”
Rolling her eyes, she uncrosses her arms and walks further into the room, taking a seat in the chair on the other side of my desk.
My office isn’t fancy, but when I need to get things done without any distractions, I like to feel comfortable.
My desk is black wood, I have a comfortable chair that I splurged on so my ass doesn’t fall asleep when I sit for long periods of time, and there’s a small couch over to the left that I’ve been known to take a nap on a time or two, especially lately.
“Well, get used to it now. You’re a dad, which means your life now revolves around taking care of another human, so someone needs to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself too.”
“You’re acting weird.”
She shrugs. “Not weird. Just checking in.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I drop my pen to the desk and lean back in my chair. “Well, everything’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah, fine. Is that not good enough?”
“How’s Remy? How’s the lodge? How’s…” She pauses before lifting a brow. “Elodie?”
“Remy is perfect. The lodge is still standing. And you talk to Elodie more than I do, so shouldn’t you know the answer to that question?”
“I actually haven’t talked to Elodie in a few days. She didn’t text me back when I invited her to have dinner with me and Laney this week.”
It’s been a little over a week since the night I came home and got a front row seat to my nanny’s bare ass, but not a day has passed where I haven’t thought about it, or jacked off to the image in the shower.
My sister clearly doesn’t need to know that, though.
“She probably saw it and forgot to respond,” I say in an attempt to placate her. Elodie didn’t mention the dinner invitation to me, so I’m just speculating here, but she also doesn’t seem like the type of person to intentionally ghost someone.
“Maybe. Or maybe I scarred her for life when we went out a couple weeks ago, and she doesn’t want to hang out with me again.”
My pulse instantly spikes. “What do you mean you scarred her?”
“She didn’t tell you what happened at The Charming Bull?”
I lunge forward in my chair. “What the fuck happened, Dil?”
“Unclench your butt cheeks, big brother,” she says with annoyance.
“She’s fine physically. Nothing crazy happened.
She sang on stage during Open Mic Night, and fucking rocked it by the way, but then she sort of had a panic attack after.
I left her for a minute and when I came back, she was hyperventilating in a corner.
She wouldn’t tell me what brought it on, so I was just wondering if you noticed something off with her since then. ”
Jesus Christ. That night she came home, I was so irritated with her being out late that I didn’t think twice about asking her how the night went. No. I was pissed off that I couldn’t sleep knowing she was out, that she looked sinfully sexy in her outfit, and that other men got to look at her.
“You fucking left her alone, Dil?”
Her brows tighten. “She was dancing with some guy and seemed fine. How the hell was I supposed to know she would freak out?”
I push a hand through my hair and blow out a breath. “She hasn’t said anything to me, but then again, our interactions haven’t been…”
“Haven’t been what?” my sister asks with a bite to her tone. “Are you still being a dick to her, Henley?”
“Uh, I don’t know if dick is the appropriate term…”
She tosses her hand in the air, followed by an exasperated sigh. “Jesus. What is wrong with you?”
Do I tell her? Do I confide in my sister about what I realized last week after mine and Elodie’s literal run-in in the hallway? She’s probably the safer person to confide in than the guys at this rate, especially given the shit-talking they’ve done lately.
“Let’s just say that you were right,” I say, low and under my breath.
She cups her ear. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
“I said, you were right.”
“About?”
“Elodie and my…” I cast my gaze off to the side of the room before finishing, “attraction to her.”
Dilynne’s mouth falls open slightly. “Are you joking?”
Shaking my head, I glare back at her. “No. I’m attracted to my fucking nanny, Dil. And I shouldn’t be—”
“She’s an amazing person,” my sister interrupts. “And sweet, and talented as fuck, but she sure as hell doesn’t deserve to be treated poorly by you because she makes your dick hard.”
“I know.”
“How grumpy have you been with her?”
Sighing, I lean back in my chair again and hang my arms over the headrest, staring at the ceiling. “Well, the night you guys went out, I sort of went off on her for being out too late.”
Dilynne purses her lips. “Nice, dickwad. You’re not her freaking dad.”
“I know, she told me so.”
“Good. What else?”
“Well, last week when the guys and I got together for blackjack, after I came home, I ran into her in the hallway and she had just gotten out of the shower. Her towel sort of fell off and I…”
My sister’s eyes widen. “Oh. My. God. You saw her naked?”
“Just her backside, but yeah.” And the image is permanently branded into my brain.
“And let me guess, you went all Henley on her and walked off.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
She stands from her chair and hangs her arms by her sides like a gorilla, scowling and grunting. “You know, all Henley—grumpy gorilla man.” She lowers her voice. “I’m always in a bad mood and can’t ever let a woman in because I’m too afraid to feel shit.”
I blink at her slowly until she stops. “That was…fascinating.”
She plops back down into her seat, sighing. “Well, it’s extremely accurate.”
“What the fuck do I do, Dil? I have no idea how to handle this. I mean, she’s leaving, for crying out loud. I just became a dad too. The last thing I should be thinking about is my nanny naked.”
“Well, is it more than physical? Do you want a relationship with her?”
I toss my hands in the air. “I don’t know! All I know is that I can’t stop thinking about her and wanting to kiss her.”
My sister folds her lips in to hide her smile. “Oh my God. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“I can tell you’re enjoying every minute of this.”
“Hell yeah, I am! I mean, there are worse girls out there you could fall for. But like you said, Elodie is leaving, and trust me—when I saw that girl sing the other night, she belongs on a stage, Henley. It’s gonna happen for her.” Pausing, she taps the center of her chest. “I can fucking feel it.”
I echo her sentiment. “Her voice is incredible.”
“Agreed. But if all you want her for is sex, you need to keep your distance. That girl doesn’t need to be used by you and find herself sacrificing her dreams for an emotionally immature man.”
My heart is pounding so hard that my entire body is vibrating.
Is Elodie someone I can see myself with, or is my attraction to her just physical? Is a relationship even an option for a guy like me?
I’m thirty-two and haven’t dated anyone seriously in my entire life. That’s not exactly a detail I would want to include on a boyfriend resume.
But I can’t deny that I’m drawn to this girl. I want to know more about her, who she is, and I certainly can’t forget the way she makes my dick react.
And that’s a first for me.
There’s a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Warren pops his head inside. “Hey, boss. The mechanic for the snow machine is here.” When his eyes land on my sister, his smile builds. “Hey, Dilynne.”
My sister salutes him. “Warren.”
“Staying out of trouble these days?” he asks her.
“Never. Trouble is too much fun.”
Warren laughs. “Sounds about right.” Turning back to me, he says, “Should I tell the guy to give you a few minutes?”
“Yeah, I’ll be out in five.”
Warren nods and then shuts the door behind him.
“So, what are you gonna do?” Dilynne asks, bringing me back to my predicament.
“I don’t know, Dil. But please, for the love of God, don’t tell her anything.”
She mimics zipping her lips. “My lips are sealed.”
“I fucking hope so. I am not in the position to promise a girl anything, and besides, I don’t even know if that’s what I want.”
“Well, at least stop acting like a dick to her, Henley. Gorilla man needs to stay locked up in his cage.”
“When the fuck did you start calling me gorilla man?”
She stares up at the ceiling in thought. “Honestly, I think it just came to me today.”
“Then can we erase it from your memory, please?”
She cackles before growing serious. “Absolutely not.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t even know why I asked.”
***
“Are you eating popcorn with a spoon?”
The moment I enter the living room to find Elodie sitting crisscross on the floor next to Remy lying on her playmat, the first thing I notice is what and how my nanny is eating her favorite snack.
Elodie finishes chewing before answering me. “Um, yes. Did I not mention that that’s how I normally eat it?”
My mind is still trying to process what I’m seeing. “Uh, no. You did not.”
Shrugging, she empties another spoonful into her mouth. “Well, I do.”
Sighing, I leave my wallet and my keys on the end table by the door and head toward the living room, taking a seat on the couch before greeting my daughter on the floor. “Hey, little bear cub. How was your day?”
Remy’s response is a toothless smile and coos that I’m sure means something, but no one can decipher. I lift my eyes to Elodie. “You know that’s serial killer behavior, right?”
Elodie laughs as she finishes chewing. “I think it’s actually quite genius.”
“Really? How?”
“Well, when I eat it with my hands—which I’m not opposed to, just don’t prefer—the grease and flavoring gets all over my fingers.
Napkins are essential. But with a spoon, no messy fingers.
” She wiggles her fingers in the air on her free hand.
“If you think about it, it’s kind of like eating cereal. ”