Baby Makes Five (A Multiple Birth Book 1) (17 page)

“I know he is blind, and he is your son Mrs. Bradford, but he is very rude. No wonder everyone else quit.”

Cynthia laughed, “Call me Cynthia dear. I know there is no excuse for Liam’s behavior, but before the accident, he was a nice man. His life changed drastically that night, and so did everything good about him.”

“I understand…”

Cynthia stopped and looked at Zola, “I don’t think you do dear. Liam wasn’t the only one affected by the accident. His fiancée Madeline Stevens was in the car. She died, and Liam never forgave himself for her death. It’s not an excuse, but that’s the only explanation I can think of for his behaviour.”

“I am sorry to hear that, but I’m sure it wasn’t his fault surely he knows that,” Zola said sympathizing for the moment with the man who was obviously in pain about the loss of the woman he had loved. She thought of the pictures in the office. “He must have loved her very much, is she the young woman in the photo?” did she just asked that aloud?

“Yes, that was Madeline. She and Liam had been dating since university and were going to be married next month. Maddy had always wanted a June wedding. What made things worst was that Liam was the one driving at the time of the accident.”

She wasn’t sure if she had spoken but she was sure, her lips were in the shape of an O.

“We, Madeline’s parents and I tried to tell him he wasn’t at fault, but he won’t

listen to us. At times, I’m afraid for him. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he would take his life. I just think he would rather give up instead of fight. If I hadn’t promised to go on the cruise with the girls, I would have stayed.”

“It’s okay Cynthia. I’ll take good care of him. You go and have fun on your cruise.”

“Thank you, Zola; you don’t know how happy I am that you have decided to take this job.”

“There is no need for thanks,” Zola said uncomfortably. “I should be the one thanking you for taking a chance on me.”

“Well, thanks anyway. Since I would be leaving in a few days maybe now would be a good time for you to move in.”

“Ah---thank you I think I will.”

***

Liam's lips twitched before forming into a smile. His new nursemaid was a spitfire. He wondered if she was fiery in the bedroom as well.  He recalled how winded she had been after her speech. He wished he could have seen her face. He wondered if she was as beautiful as she sounds or if her skin was as soft as her sweet honeyed voice. He had also waited to see if she would back off like the others his mother had employed.

When she didn’t, he knew he would enjoy having her around.  If he was going to be stuck with an unwanted assistant, he needed one who had the guts to stand her ground with him.  He didn’t want a yes man. As much as he liked her spunk, her tongue was another thing.  Being able to stand her ground was one thing, but being cheeky was another. If she weren't careful, that mouth of hers would be her downfall. He had a feeling he was in for a few cold showers as well.

Zola and her family didn’t move onto the Bradford estate until two days after she was hired. She had begun her role as executive assistant to the insufferable man a week ago. If she had thought working for her ex-boss was being sent back to the days of slave labour, well she was wrong. This man was a workaholic and with that, he pushed everyone around him to work as hard as he. No doubt about it, she was working for the huge amount of money she was being paid.

She took a sip of her coffee and sighed; no wonder the man bank accounts had billions in them. She hadn’t known how wealthy he was until yesterday when she had overheard one of the many suits he had visiting, talking to him about his personal investments. He was the first billionaire she had met, hell he was the first super wealthy man she had met up this close. Nick her ex although his family was rich, she didn’t think they were at Liam Bradford’s level.

She enjoyed her job, what she didn’t enjoy was having the man breathing down her neck every second like a dragon in heat. She had a feeling he knew some of the demands he made were impossible, yet she had always found a way to let him have his way just to shut him the hell up.  When she think she couldn’t accomplish the task, she out does herself and get it done with time to spear. It was her favourite pass time when she got to shock him into silence. Even then he always finds a way to say something that would throw her off guard. Not even his handsome looks can get him off the hook for his nasty attitude. He needed someone to adjust that temperament of his.

Zola was beginning to think Liam Bradford was deliberately trying to get her in an uncompromising position so she could be the seventh of his assistants to go packing. Well, she was made of sturdier stock, and if she was having an off day, her family made her want to keep her back up towards the wall where he was concerned. She put Liam out of her mind as her son and mother entered the room ready to have their breakfast. It was something they had always done if Zola wasn’t working before nine a.m.

              “Morning,” she said, kissing her son as she got up to prepare his bowl of cereal and coffee and toast for her mother.

              “We can wait on ourselves sweetheart; you don’t have to play nursemaid to us,” her mother said accepting the drink.

              “I know Mum, I don’t mind. I enjoy making breakfast for you and Wynter. Anyway, I have half an hour before I have to walk up to the main house,” she moaned softly not realizing it until her mother spoke.

              “I guess things are still the same? The big bad wolf is still a pain in the rare?” her mother smiled amusingly.

              “Hmmm,” was all Zola could have said, there was no reason to deny what her mother already knew.

              “Give it a few more days dear, from what you told me about the man, he would try to find ways around this once he realizes you are there to stay. He has to accept it eventually.”

                            Zola almost choked on her coffee, her brown eyes sort her mother’s and they both burst into laughter. Her son looked at them as if he had missed something and wanted in on the joke. She walked to where he sat eating his fruit loops and kissed his head, “Mummy has to go to work baby, be good for Nana and stay close to the house okay?”

              He looked at her with grey eyes so much like his father.  

              “Is your bad wolf like little Red Riding Hood Mummy?” Wynter asked so innocently.

Zola had to blink back tears. Her child was so precious and dear to her. She couldn’t think of a life without him.  Shaking her head, she perished the thought, after tomorrow her son would be better. No more fatigue or laboured breaths just the road to recovery. Tomorrow was the day of his surgery.

              “No baby, there isn’t any bad wolf. Mummy and Nana were just joking,” she replied seeing the confusion in his sweet baby face. Her heart ached at the thought of tomorrow. She had tried explaining to him what was going to happen; he had listened then went back to play with his toys.

“It’s going to be okay Zola, we have God on our side,” Zora said as usual in tune with her daughters’ thoughts. Zola nodded accepting her mother’s words for what they were, soothing thoughts.

“Mummy must go now sweetie, stay close to Nana won’t you?”

              “Why can’t I come to the big house, Mummy? I promise not to touch anything,” he said hopefully.

He had been trying to get a look at the big house as he called it since they moved in. His curiosity was getting the best of him.

“I know you won’t touch anything baby, but I want you to stay here. Can you do that for me?”

              “Okay,” he replied sullenly.

              Liam had just finished his second cup of coffee when he sensed her presence. It was the soft vanilla scent she favoured, a scent he was beginning to get accustomed to. “About time you got here,” he snapped. 

              “I—” she was about to apologize then stopped. “I could always go away and come back in five minutes when I actually start.”

              “You do that, and you would be packing and out of here so fast you wouldn’t remember your name. Come and sit and have some coffee,” he commanded.

              “Thank you, but I just had breakfast,” she said gritting her teeth. The blasted man was a torn in her backside.

“I see, suit yourself but for your own good if I were you I’ll cut out that bad habit you have of grinding your teeth, they might all turn to dust someday. Why not do something useful like crack some nuts? I am sure you could find some around somewhere, now sit.”

She knew when not to argue with the jackass, so she sat. It was either that or take a chair and whack him upside the head. The blasted man always brings out the worst side of her yet he always somehow managed to let her realized that she was stronger than she had originally thought. After a week of working with him, she learned that she was a strong woman with a backbone something she thought she didn’t have. So she let him have his way because for every confidence she gained with him she always find herself back wanting to whack him upside the head.  He was trying her patience and maybe giving her a few gray hairs in the process.

                            “I don’t have much for you to do today other than drawing up some contracts and those letters that I left on your desk. When the members of my board come, I want you to sit in and take minutes, let me know when they begin to arrive.”

                            “Yes sir,” she said primly.

                              “Call me Liam,” he said.

                            “Okay.”

                            “Say it,” he demanded.

                            “Excuse me?”             

                            “I know you’re not stupid Azolah, I said say my name.”

                            Pause “Liam,” she whispered.

                            “Tell me Azolah, I am curious to know what you look like,” He said.

                            “Pardon?” maybe she hadn’t heard him right.

                            “I said what do you look like?” he repeated

                            “Human,” she said angrily at him for asking. She didn’t know why, but from the look on his face, she knew he wasn’t in the mood to joke. As if he ever crack any jokes she thought rolling her eyes. She sighed and cleared her throat; why not humour the pompous bastard.

“I am waiting…”

“Black hair, five eight, fat and ugly with crooked teeth that’s about it,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I see, you have issues with your self-esteem do you?” he taunted.

“No,” before he could say anything else, there was a knock at the door; Zola sighed in relief not caring if he heard her. She turned to see a man around the same age as Liam standing there. He walked in looking at their boss then to her.

“Hey Liam, am I interrupting something?” he asked smiling at Zola.

“No Mark, this is Azolah Kurtis, my new nursemaid,” she knew he said it purposely to irritate her, and he had succeeded. “Azolah, this is Mark, he is my vice president.”

She shook the hand the other man had stretch towards her and without another word walked out of the office without a backward glance her spine straight as an arrow.  She was at the door when his voiced stopped her. Her body almost snapped into two from the whip that he called a tongue.

“Where do you think you are going?” Liam asked.

“I—I have a few things that need my attention before the meeting,” she didn’t wait for a reply and went to her desk.

                            When the door was closed, Liam exhaled. He’d been holding his breath since she entered the room. He lived for the days when she would come to the house to work. He was beginning to look forward to her sassy comebacks; it always stimulates him when he had these rare talks with her.  That made him sound pathetic, but it was the truth, she was the only amusement he has had in months, and he didn’t even have to buy her any jewelry. His cock had hardened from the way she said his name, it felt like a caress in the wind.

He cleared his throat and asked his long time friend and VP, “What does she look like?”

Mark laughed, “why the interest? She isn’t your type.”

“I didn’t ask for her bra size, just what she looked like,” Liam said impatiently.

Mark sighed, “Mousy, about five-three, curly black hair, light brown eyes, the average body I think, but I could be wrong. It’s hard to notice under her frumpy suit. Smooth dark skin, somewhat cute. I think your mother said she is half-Pakistani half-black. Why the interest? From what I saw of you two, she could barely stand to be in the same room with you.”

“Yeah well the feeling is mutual,” he lied. “I like knowing what the people who work for me looks like. She said she was fat and ugly.”

His friend laughed as if he had said something funny if he did Liam would like to know what it was. 

“She lied, as I said she is cute, and she is not fat, but she isn’t anorexic either.  She could be a size eight or ten. I have to say she has one sexy mouth on her. It reminds me of ripe strawberries and those eyes of hers, I could imagine how they look when—”

“Lay off Mark; don’t even think about it, she is off limits. Last time you dated one of my assistants I was left looking for another.”

                            “Are you sure that’s just it, or you want a taste of her for yourself? Last I heard assistants were a dime a dozen where you are concerned.”

                            “Can it Mark, I am serious. I can’t go through any more assistants. My mother has taken a liking to her; I do not want to be on my mothers’ bad side.” 

“Relax Liam she isn’t my cup of tea. She looks too fragile, and the shy ones were never ones to have my libido go into overdrive. I like my women sizzling and naughty not quiet and mousy.”

His teeth were on edge from the way his friend was describing the girl, but before he could defend the damn girl, he was interrupted by whispered voices. What the hell could be going on now?  He strained to hear what was being said and knew Mark must be laughing at him; he would like to wipe the smirk he knew was there off his face.

                            Zola wasn’t surprised her son found his way here. That it had taken him the whole week they had been here to make the move was a surprise. His curious mind had obviously gotten the better of him. “Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Where is Nana?”

                            “Home, I wanted to see the big bad wolf, does he live in there?” her son asked pointing towards the office door.

                            “Sweetheart, we’ve talked about this, there isn’t any big bad wolf remember?” she asked taking her son by the hand and trying to lead him away from the office. But he was too stubborn and pulled away from her standing his ground. He looked up with innocent grey eyes. 

“You told Nana that Mr. Badford was the big bad wolf like Red Riding Hood. Is he Mummy?” Wynter persist.

                            Sighing she looked towards the closed door and hoped the wolf in question was too busy with his VP to hear any of this conversation. “Oh baby, never let anyone hear you say that. Mr. Bradford is a very nice man; we live in his guesthouse don’t we? Would the wolf let us live in one of his houses?”

When he nodded no she smiled, “see if he wasn’t nice then we won’t even be here.” 

              “So he isn’t the bad wolf?” he asked looking at her with skepticism.

              “No sweetie, he isn’t. It was just a bad joke between Mummy and Nana. It was naughty of us to say it.”

              “Miss Kurtis, get in here!” the wolf shouted. “Now.”

              Zola stiffened oh shoot, had he heard them? If so, this slip of the tongue was it; he was going to fire her. She looked at her son who was now clinging tightly to her leg. She stood there not moving. There was no way in Hades she was going to let this man near her son. “It’s okay baby; there’s no reason to be scared.

“Come on, let me walk with you to the door. You go back to Nana and help her with her yarns okay.” She whispered to the frightened boy.