Chapter Five ~
The next morning Amy woke-up up early and
headed to the family’s indoor pool to work off last night's dinner. It would be
easy to forget about watching her health and weight in this lavish setting, so
she would exercise self-discipline to keep in shape.
She used her key card to enter the swimming
room and threw her towel down on the wooden bench, not paying attention to her
surroundings. She remembered Jackson saying he did laps here in the morning, so
she tamped down the guilty conscious and jumped into the pool and did two quick
laps, her long, dark hair flowing out behind her, skimming the water like a
bug. On her third round, she ran into something solid as a rock. She gasped,
swallowing water. She sputtered and choked, coughing pool water out in spurts.
Two strong hands grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her whole upper body
out of the water. When the choking finally subsided she looked up, and her eyes
clashed with stormy green ones.
"I didn't know you were going to be
here." She had known, that's why
she'd come to this particular pool in the first place. Conviction choked her as
soon as the words spewed out.
"Didn't you now?" There was a
glint of something she couldn't ascertain in his eyes. Maybe it was anger, or
disgust? He let her go and she slid to the bottom of the pool, only her neck
and head out of the water.
Amy stood there for a moment, embarrassment
washing over her. “I did know."
"Amy, we’re both adults, and I know
you feel what I feel. I never thought I would feel these feelings again, and to
be quite honest, I really think it's too soon to be feeling them now. Even
though I didn't love my wife in a romantic sense, I was faithful to my
vows."
"I’m so sorry. I didn't mean to
disrespect you. I don't normally act like this. This has taken me by surprise.
I've never acted this way toward anyone, especially an employer. In fact, it's
why I got thrown out in the street in the first place." He stood so close
to her in the water she could feel his heat and she blushed.
"Where did you get thrown out?” He
turned and pulled himself over the edge of the pool and onto the concrete. He
picked up his towel and began to dry his dark hair, which didn’t help her
situation. Her eyes were drawn to his movements like a moth to flame. She got
out of the water too and began to dry her hair, all the while trying to avert
her eyes from the dark, curly hair that matted his chest.
"My last employer harassed me sexually
the whole time I worked for him. I hated it, but needed the job, I had nowhere
else to go. He finally got tired of me turning him down and threw me out."
She sat down on the wooden bench and continued to towel-dry her hair.
"Don't you have family or friends you
could’ve gone to?" She almost laughed at the horrified look on his face.
He slid absentmindedly down on the bench beside her, their previous uneasiness
forgotten for the moment.
"I have a brother. He inherited my
parents' house when they died, but he wouldn't let me stay with him. I begged,
to no avail. He's a drug addict, and all his drug buddies stay with him. They
sit around and play video games all day. As far as friends are concerned, I
don't have any. I left home when I turned eighteen and began working as a nanny
part-time until I earned my degree. I didn't have time for friendships."
She was trying to keep the tremble of self-pity out of her voice, but it was
difficult.
"Where were you staying when you
applied for this job?"
"There's a motel downtown that only
charges $300.00 a month. I know mostly druggies and call girls use it, but I
had no choice. I used every bit of my savings, and even had to sell my car, but
at least I wasn't out on the street like so many others. I was out there for
three days when it first happened, but it seemed like a year. I figured I'd get
another job as soon as I applied, but I was wrong. Those were the worst three
days of my life, and I gained a new respect for those who have to endure it
every day of theirs."
"That’s an awful story.”
"I know, but I only did it for three
days, and I didn't really have to, I was just trying to save my money. That's
before I realized how awful and scary it really is. There are so many people
out there who don't have a choice, and I feel so sorry for them..." She
trailed off as tears welled up in her big blue-gray eyes.
"Are there really that many homeless
people in Utah?"
"Yes, there are literally thousands of
people who have nowhere to go. My heart goes out to them because I know what it
feels like. Lots of them have kids, too. I can't help wondering why the people
who are able to help them don't do more. I mean, I realize that some of them
are on the streets because of bad choices, but that isn't always the case, and
it's those people I want to do
something about."
***
There
was no doubt in Jackson's mind she really felt for them. He decided right then
and there to do something to help them. He was worth a few billion dollars and
there was no reason not to give some of it up. He wouldn’t even miss it.
"Come up with a name for a new charity,
and we'll get it started. I'll call my manager and get it setup when you're
ready." He stood up to leave.
"What do you mean?" She wanted to
be perfectly clear about his meaning before she got excited.
"I mean just what I said. Let's start
a new charity to help house, clothe and feed the homeless. I'll put a few
million into the pot to get it started, and then you can take donations. You'll
have to take care of all the arrangements because I'll be busy for the next few
weeks. I have to go to the Middle East to deal with some family issues. I'll
lend you my manager to get it started, and maybe he can hire someone to help
you. We'll just start it and see where it goes, okay?"
Her
heart tripped in her chest and she gasped to take in air. "Thank you Mr.
Masters, you’re the greatest boss ever." She rushed over and hugged him
spontaneously. She realized her mistake as soon as her body touched his. She
pulled away as if burned. "I'm so sorry." She backed away until her
legs met the front of the wooden bench. She turned around, picked up her towel,
and rushed out of the room.
Amy went straight to her room and climbed
in the shower. The whole exchange between her and Jackson Masters had only
lasted about thirty minutes. It seemed like hours. She went through the motions
of taking a shower, all the while trying to banish those steamy green eyes from
her memory. It wasn't easy, and she wasn't really victorious. She decided she
would stay away from him as much as possible. That wouldn't be easy, either.
For one thing, she lived in his house. For another, he seemed to work from
home, which meant he would likely be here most of the time. She sighed deeply
and got ready for the day. The children would be up soon.
She went to the main kitchen and cooked
some oatmeal for the two older children and fixed a bottle for the baby. Her
name was Christina, but Amy had already decided she would call her 'Teenie'
because she was so tiny. Christina was a pretty name, but it seemed more
suitable for an adult. She turned around to get a new nipple out of the drawer
and ran smack dab into Chester. "Chester, how are you?"
"I'm quite fine miss, thank you for
asking. How are you? Are you getting on well with the master of the
house?"
Amy hesitated for a second, turning bright
red. "Uh, yeah, we're getting along just fine. I think we'll end up
clashing a bit over a few things, but other than that it should go pretty
smoothly."
"That's awesome. I think you're just
what he, I mean the children, needs."
"Listen, I wanted to thank you for everything
you got when you went shopping for me. I've never seen so much stuff."
"Oh, it was nothing. Mr. Masters gave
me his Visa card and told me to get everything you would need, and to spare no
expense. The only things I didn't get were those of a...uh, more personal
nature." He was a little red around the cheek area and Amy smiled at him
to ease his embarrassment. "There's a gift card in your bureau drawer for
any of those things you'll need."
"Thanks, I didn't know. Are you hungry
Chester? There's plenty of oatmeal here, and I can throw some bread in the
toaster."
"That’s extremely nice of you. I think
I will have some. Thank you for
asking. Ms. Strumkin never even thought to offer.
"Some people are like that. My parents
brought me up to have manners, and to genuinely care about others." She
ladled a healthy helping of oatmeal into the glass bowl she'd placed in front
of him.
Angie came into the kitchen tugging little
Benji behind her. His diaper was sagging dangerously low to the floor, pulling his
pajamas with it. Amy looked at Angie and said, "Hop on up kiddo, and I'll
get you some oats. You can eat while I change your little brother." She spooned
some into the girl's bowl and swung the stinky little boy up into her arms like
a pro.
Amy made quick work of changing the boy in
the downstairs changing room and hurried back to the kitchen. She wanted to
take the kids out to the play area today and watch how they interacted with
each other. She wanted to know everything there was to know about them.
The children giggled their way through
breakfast because Chester made cute faces at them. Amy liked him a lot. He was
good grandpa material.
Halfway through the meal the baby's cries
could be heard over the monitor and Amy rushed to grab her, change her, and
bring her to the table for her bottle. She slurped and chugged noisily, finishing
the whole eight ounce bottle with gusto.
After breakfast they went out to the play
area, where they stayed until ten o'clock nap time. When Amy took them in for
their rest period they didn't fuss at all. They laid down, even the obstinate
Angie, who previously retorted she was four years old and didn't need a nap.
Amy was headed down the hall to her suite
when Jackson stepped out of his office, right into her path. "Could you
come in for a few minutes? I need to discuss something with you."
Amy automatically turned and walked into
his office.
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