Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Iused the spoon to mix the rice granules with the hot oil so they could toast with an even coat.
Pouring the water in caused a hiss to explode as it mingled with oil.
I covered it with the lid, and peeked at Dalton sitting on the kitchen island.
He shoved another forkful of his meal into his mouth; a Korean rice bowl hosting each of the important portions for a growing child.
He seemed to be liking it, but he was so polite I doubted he’d say anything if he didn’t.
I couldn’t help my fascination at his ease with eating whatever I cooked. The two kids at my last assignment would throw fits when I attempted to give them foods they weren’t used to.
“Are you sure you don’t want some juice?”
“I’m not allowed juice for dinner,” he murmured and sipped his water.
His palate leaned more on the expensive end, but that was okay since they could afford it.
So much wealth surrounded me, it felt weird being in the middle of it.
Dalton had mentioned their summer estate in conversation.
Not only a penthouse in one of the most expensive cities of the United States, but also more than one house?
It was mindboggling to me. But despite all the decadence surrounding me, I kept thinking about the man I’d woken in the arms of and compared him to the man from last night.
They were vastly different. One was frigid, stern, and intimidating, while the other was full of passion, touching me with a shade of desperation.
My cell phone alarm went off, and I hurried to remove the dish from the wall-oven with my mitts on.
Warmth bled through the cotton, and I quickly set the oval plate on the counter.
A plume of steam escaped when I lifted the lid.
The home-made Alfredo sauce on top of the chicken bubbled beautifully.
The chicken’s coloring was perfect, but I still pulled out the thermometer and stuck it in.
“Perfect.” I grinned and pulled the mitts off.
Footsteps echoed down the hall. I expected to see Luke, the housekeeper, round the corner, but Mr. Astor came into the kitchen.
The sight of him sucked the breath from my lungs.
Dios, esta hermoso. He was different from how he’d been last night.
He could have been chiseled out of stone for all I could tell.
I yanked myself out of my admiration. “Mr. Caine, dinner’s ready.”
“I’m done,” Dalton announced, and his chair screeched.
“Take your dishes to the sink,” Mr. Caine ordered, stopping Dalton mid step.
“Yes, Poppa,” Dalton grumbled, lips twisting the slightest bit with displeasure, but he returned to the island and collected his bowl and glass.
Mr. Caine hovered at the entrance.
“Cooking for me isn’t in your job description,” he said.
“I know. I just wanted to thank you so much for taking the chance on me.” I left it at that but my face was so hot it could blister.
He was silent for a beat, and stood as if contemplating entering the kitchen. “Was Luke able to order everything you needed?”
“Yes, sir.”
His gaze settled on me and I dropped mine, unable to hold the intense look. Butterflies burst to life in my stomach.
Dishes clattered against the steel sink.
“Why are you red?” Dalton asked, frowning up at me.
“It gets pretty hot cooking.” I exaggeratedly fanned my face and rounded to hide my embarrassment. I made sure the oven and stove were off. Once the rice sat for a bit, it would be perfectly fluffy.
“I’m going to play video games,” Dalton said.
“Before you go, do you want some chocolate cake?” I grabbed the plate and pulled up the steamed cling wrap from the top. His eyes widened. I recognized the hungry look in his little brown eyes, but before he could answer, his dad spoke up.
“It’s too late for sweets.”
“Oh,” I muttered and wrapped the cling around the porcelain plate, quickly setting it back on the counter. Dalton scowled and tipped his nose up.
“No thank you,” he said to me and turned on his heel to return to his room.
“Goodnight!” I called after him as he disappeared down the hall.
Reaching behind me, I untied the straps of my basic black apron and hung it on the hook hidden to the side of the fridge.
“Your dinner is all ready for you, Sir.” I grabbed the strap of my tote bag hanging on the backrest of the chair. “Once you’re ready to eat, all you have to do is pour the chicken and sauce over the rice.”
I mustered the strength to look at him. He was frowning and looking at my bag.
His gaze scanned my walking tennis shoes and up to the dress that cinched in around my waist. It was modest and covered me to my shins.
Yet I could have been wearing lingerie with the look he was giving me.
I could almost feel the caress of his eyes. Exiting was a need at this point.
“I’m heading out, but I’ll be quiet when I return tonight. Luke already gave me the code to the door,” I said, keeping my eyes fixed away from him.
“Where are you going?” he blurted.
I whipped around. He scowled and his eyebrows furrowed so hard it looked painful.
“My evening classes, sir.” I widened my eyes. “Your secretary and I discussed all of this before you hired me. It’s part of the au pair program. I-is there a problem? I can—”
“No, I forgot we’d hired an au pair. Dalton has had nannies up until now,” he said, stiff.
They were similar, but the program I went through required me to take classes and go through background checks.
“Go.” He swept his hand outward, as if shooing me away.
The lordly way he bossed me around was like a king to his subjects.
“Yes, sir.” I smiled tightly and swept past him.
Picking up my pace once I was out of sight, I almost ran down the hall to escape. I pulled open the heavy door and bolted away, heading for the elevator at the other end. I clicked the button and the silver doors whooshed open.
Back home, I hadn’t been exposed to this level of wealth, even in my last position. She’d been a rich single mom, but the Astors made her seem like she was struggling.
The elevator jolted to a stop and opened to a lobby. I hurried to the security guard who saw me coming and grinned. He’d been so nice since I’d arrived.
“John, can I ask you a few questions?” I smiled sheepishly, waving my phone up to show him. “I looked it up, but I just want to be sure I don’t have outdated information.”
“Of course, gorgeous.” He wagged his eyebrow up and down. The Alpha had made his interest blatantly clear when I first arrived, and I’d gotten lost finding the penthouse.
“What bus can I take to get to the community college?”
“A college girl too?” He whistled. “I can give you a ride there if you want to wait. I’m off in five.”
“I couldn’t—” I was already shaking my head, and he put his hand up.
“It isn’t a bother. I live near there anyway. I’m happy to take you.”
I rolled my lower lip into my mouth, biting it.
“If you leave now, the bus stops will take forever. Look, we’ll even tell everyone here that you left with me so you’re not worried that I’m a murderer.
” The kind smile remained fixed on his features.
Not worrying about being late on my first day would be nice . . .
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“Great.” He grinned and tapped his palm on the podium he’d been leaning against. An older gentleman approached with the same uniform.
“Jakob, you’re here just in time.” John waved his hand to encapsulate me. “This is Isabelle, she’s Caine Astor’s au pair.”
“Fancy, fancy,” Jakob crowed. “It’s lovely to meet you, Isabelle.”
“Just Issa.” I smiled at him.
“I’ll go get my duffle and pull around the front.” John ran off.
“He’s a good kid. Nothing to worry about with that one,” Jakob murmured and shook his head.
“Well, then Issa, I will see you when you return.” He tipped his cap down the slightest bit and strode toward the reception desk across from where the podium stood.
It was the same direction John ran off toward.
A muffled honking dragged my attention to the building’s entrance. John waved from the driver’s side. I hurried through the glass doors and across the cement path, then slid into the opened passenger door.
“I really appreciate this,” I said, clicking the seat belt in place.
“You’re doing me a favor by keeping me company.” He winked at me and exited the roundabout as he revved onto the street. “Besides, I like the company when I drive.”
“Which bus do I take on the way back?” I’d researched different paths, but I wanted to see if what the internet told me lined up with his suggestions. There was seldom only one route in a city this big.
He jerked his chin toward the bus stop. “I’ll point out the bus stop to get on. You’ll only have to transfer once, then it will drop you at the one we just passed.”