To Love a Player (2 page)

"When do you find out?" I asked as we went through the doors of my dorm. He rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "They should be making a decision today."

When we stepped into the elevator, I gripped his shirt pulling him to me. I stood on my tiptoe as I kissed him gently and said, "I might be biased but they would be crazy not to give it to you."

He wrapped his arms around me and bent his head low into my neck, nipping at my sweet spot and said, "Thanks for the encouragement, babe."

We started making out and were interrupted by the elevator doors opening at my floor. When the doors opened, I heard someone clearing their throat. Turning my head with an apologetic smile, I saw Ben's ex Melanie glaring at us. Ben dropped his hands from my side and gave her a sheepish look. I was still amazed at her power over him, even though they broke up over eight months ago. Sometimes I wondered if there was still something there, but Ben would reassure me that since it was a small school, he didn't want to rub her nose in our relationship.

I opened the door to my dorm room to find my roommate dancing around to the radio. She grabbed my hand and I matched her rhythm before twirling away from her. She moved to Ben and I laughed as they pretended to dance seductively together. It was actually pretty comical.

Ben moved away from her and collapsed on my bed, pulling me down with him. He brushed his fingers through my hair and kissed me deeply. I could feel my tension from earlier melting away. He had a tendency to do that with his kisses. It was one of things that I loved most about him.

He groaned as he pulled away, both of us breathless and he whispered with his lips brushing against my ear, "I have to get to class. Good luck with the interview."

I sighed, getting off of him and walked him to the door. He kissed my forehead—his lips lingering for a long time. They moved against my skin as he said, "I love you."

I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck as I kissed him lightly and said, "I love you, too. Let me know if you hear about the internship."

"I will, bye." He kissed my cheek and I heard Marnie shout out, "Love you, Benny boy!"

"Love you too, Marnie!" Ben laughed as he gave me another quick kiss before walking away and exiting through the stairwell. I turned into my room and went to my closet. I thumbed through my clothes and felt Marnie's arms wrap around my waist, her head resting on my shoulder. Some people thought we were weird like that, but in the last three years, Marnie had become like a sister to me. We were female soul mates, as she called it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and I groaned, "Trying to find something to wear for my interview." I gave her a helpless look and she sighed, rolling her eyes as she moved me out of the way and pointed to the bed. I went over and sat while she dug through my closet.

"Okay, try this," she said, tossing me an outfit. I tried it on and she scrunched up her nose, shaking her head and handed me a different pair of pants. I sighed as I changed again and she tapped a slender finger on her cheek. Shaking her head, she turned back to my closet and said, "Ah HA!"

She handed me my black v-neck shirt that looked like it was made out of satin and a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, pairing it with my gray pumps. She beamed as I twirled around and said, "Perfect, now your hair."

A half hour later, I was ready to go. Marnie gave me a warm hug and said, "Good luck! Call me and let me know how it goes!" I nodded, blowing her a kiss as I walked out the door.

2

Mollie

I had followed the directions perfectly and found myself in front of large iron gates. There was a security guard in the little building and I rolled down my window as he approached. I gave him my best smile, hoping my voice wouldn't come out as nervous as I said, "Good afternoon, I have an appointment with Mrs. Kingham."

"Your name?" he asked, and I handed him my driver's license as I replied, "Mollie Black. I'm being interviewed for the nanny position."

His face was blank as he looked down at his clipboard, stating flatly, "Good for you." He was rude, and I wondered if Mrs. Kingham knew about how he treated her guests. I looked at his badge and saw that he was just a rent-a-cop, so he was probably wishing that he was out fighting real crimes rather than checking people in a gate.

"Alright, Miss Black, you're good to go," he said, handing back my ID. He gestured towards the house and said, "Just follow the driveway to the house."

"Thanks," I said, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes as he turned away causing me to shake my head and stick my tongue out at his retreating back. The gates opened and I drove slowly along the long driveway. The enormous house appeared just over a little hill. It wasn't at all like I pictured it to be.

It looked like a normal two story house, except that it was twice the size. The driveway split into two, one way led to a garage that looked like it would hold four cars and the other way looked like it went behind the house. There was a wraparound porch that extended across the front with wide steps in the middle. The house was a pale yellow with white accents on the shutters and the porch. I pulled up in front of the closest garage door to the house and got out. I noticed a sleek looking black Jeep Wrangler Unlimited parked over in front of the second garage.

I took a deep calming breath to stop my nerves. I was aware of whom I was babysitting for, but really wanted this job. I could use the money to pay for the extra art photography class that I was taking this summer. It wasn't apart of my major, but I loved taking pictures and really wanted to do it creatively. I didn't want my parents knowing about it, so I was paying for it myself. Getting this job would help me pay for the tuition and the supplies, plus give me a place to live.

I walked up the front steps, admiring the front porch. I smiled at the porch swing that was swinging lightly in the cool spring breeze. I imagined reading to the kids on that swing, smiling at the thought. I loved kids. I often babysat a lot in my neighborhood and for one summer, I was a nanny for my neighbors. I was proud of the fact that I was the most requested babysitter in my small town. I smiled proudly at that fact and held tight to my folder that held my references.

I pushed the button for the doorbell and heard footsteps running to the door, along with the cutest little giggle. The door swung open and I was surprised to see Callen standing there holding a wiggling, two year old boy. I pushed back the glare that threatened to resurface as I plastered a fake warm smile on my face. He looked just as stunned and I could tell that he was struggling to speak to me. I smirked, laughing in my head that I had managed to get the suave Callen Grey speechless.

I saw a dark haired woman appear behind him and she greeted me with a wide smile. She shot him an amused look as he continued to stare at me in surprise. Shaking her head at him, she held out her hand as she said, "You must be Mollie, I'm Lacey."

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled. Internally, I was in awe of this woman for her work in the fashion world, but I really wanted this job and I knew that here she was Lacey Kingham, the mom, not Lacey Kingham, the fashion mogul—that didn't stop me from admiring her outfit. She was wearing a sleeveless yellow top with a black flowing skirt, but what threw me was her simple black flipflops.

"Please, come in," Lacey smiled, shoving Callen back slightly and shrugged a shoulder in his direction. "Ignore my brother's lack of manners. Cal, shut the door."

The little boy then smiled widely at me and leaned out for me to hold him. I gave him a warm smile as I took him from Callen's grasp. I tickled his belly as I asked, "And who might you be?"

"Jace," he giggled and I noticed Lacey's eyes sparkle in my direction, giving me a warm look. She held out her hands to take him, but he wrapped his arms around my neck, burying himself in my hair. Her eyebrows went up in amusement and curiosity as she said, "I think you found a new friend, didn't you buddy?"

He nodded, giving me a shy smile as he started playing with my hair. She led me to a small living room, gesturing me to sit in one of the two armchairs while she settled herself in the other one across from me. Jace readjusted himself on my lap, facing me and gave me a big grin. His voice was small as he asked, "Who you?"

"Mollie," I said and he repeated, his L's changed into W's,"Mowwy?"

I nodded and he ran his hand through my hair as he squealed, "Pwetty Mowwy!" I laughed and he kissed me on the cheek. Lacey was watching us closely and I could see the grin on her face. I noticed how much he looked like her, dark brown hair and crisp blue eyes. I wondered what the other two children looked like.

"Okay buddy, let's go find your sisters and play." Callen said.  His eyes were warm as they looked into mine. Jace didn't budge and when Callen tried to lift him off my lap, he clung to me tight. Callen sat on the arm of the chair and leaned in close. I inhaled the scent of his musky cologne as he leaned over me and whispered, "Maybe we can get an ice cream cone?"

Jace's face lit up as his eyes widened. He looked from me to Callen and back to me again, saying, "Mowwy, too?"

My heart melted as I looked into his little eyes, beaming brightly back at me. Callen raised his eyebrows at me and I tried not to glare back. I still hadn't forgiven him for intentionally running into me earlier, no matter how good he smelled or how the closeness of his body was affecting me. His eyes were drawing me into him, so I smiled slightly and looked back at Jace, asking, "How about you save me one?"

He nodded rapidly and held his arms out for Callen to pick him up. He waved at me and blew me a kiss as Callen carried him out of the room. Lacey gave me a look that was a mixture of amusement and surprise."Wow, he's not usually like that."

My cheeks flushed pink and I said, "Oh, well I guess that I have that affect on kids." Lacey nodded, her smile widened and we got down to business. She told me that after my encounter with Jace that I pretty much had the job. She was pretty impressed with how I was with him and how he interacted with me, but still she wanted to give me a proper interview, as she called it.

"How do you know Callen?" she asked and I tried my best to not roll my eyes. I shrugged and tried to keep my voice even as I replied, "I don't really. I discovered today that he was in my marketing class after we ran into each other outside."

"Ran into each other?" Lacey asked, curiously and I cringed, "Well it was more of him practically knocking me down to the ground."

Lacey rolled her eyes and muttered, "My brother can be an idiot sometimes. I'd apologize for him, but I'm afraid that it really wouldn't do any good. He'll just be an idiot again later."

I laughed at that. I really liked her, she was not at all like I expected. She was warm, funny, witty, and so incredibly nice, someone that I could be friends with. She touched my knee and asked, "How about we go meet my girls?"

I nodded, standing up and following her out of the room.

It was killing me, wondering what they were talking about. I heard Lacey mention my name and then the both of them laughing. My niece, Elly was watching me intently with amusement in her eyes. I heard them walking down the hall and gave her a look that told her not to say how much I had been pacing. Mollie's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw me, but it quickly went away when Lacey introduced us.

"Callen, this is Mollie. I believe you two know each other?" Lacey said, her voice hinting at a question. I gave Mollie a warm smile as I said, "Not officially."

I held out my hand and Mollie hesitated for a split second before she shook it. The spark between us as we shook hands made the handshake linger a little too long. When she pulled away, her gray blue eyes had an unreadable expression in them as she looked into mine. I could still feel the tingle from her slight touch in the palm of my hand. My heart fluttered as I ran a finger over the spot and I resisted the urge to grab her hand again. That would be weird, right?

Lacey eyed me suspiciously as she turned towards my nieces and said, "This is Mara, she's five and this is Ellyson, she's twelve."

"It's Elly, mom and I'm practically thirteen." Elly's voice snapped and Lacey let out a short sigh as she said, "I'm sorry."

She turned to Mollie and said, "Her birthday is next week." Mollie nodded, giving Elly a small smile while Elly just rolled her eyes and stomped away. I knew that Elly was not happy with having a nanny watching over her every move. I told her that it was either her or me and I would be a whole lot more strict.

Lacey took in a deep breath, shaking her head at Elly's retreating back. She gave an apologetic look to Mollie as she said, "She's not happy about having a nanny. She thinks she's too old and while I understand her not wanting one, she isn't old enough to fully take care of herself along with her brother and sister."

"Well, if I'm chosen then I would make her my helper instead of my charge. That way I can still watch over her, but she won't feel like I am and she could help me out with the younger ones." Mollie smiled and Lacey's eyes twinkled. I could tell that Mollie had already gotten the job. Lacey beamed at her saying, "She'd love that and you already have the job. It's official now, I love you."

Mollie's eyes widened in surprise as Lacey hugged her. I smiled as I saw how happy she was and our eyes met over Lacey's shoulder. I gave her a thumbs up and her cheeks flashed pink as she looked away from me. Lacey let go and said, "Let's take a tour of the house, shall we?"

Mollie nodded as they walked away. I watched them disappear around the corner and sank into a chair next to Mara, who smiled, "I like her, she's pretty."

"She is pretty," I smiled back at her, nodding my head in agreement. I looked up when Elly came back into the kitchen, sinking into a chair next to me. I gave her a stern look as I said, "You need to let up on your mom."

Elly rolled her eyes at me and I reached over, touching her arm as I said, "I know you think that you're too old, but you can't take care of yourself plus Mara and Jace, but you can help Mollie do it. Would you like that?"

Elly's face relaxed as she nodded silently. I could tell that she liked that idea and I mussed up her hair as she giggled trying to get away from me. I smiled at her and said, "You're a good kid."

"You like her, don't you?" Elly asked, studying my expression. I gave a casual shrug as I said, "I don't really know her enough to like her."

"So? I saw the way you were looking at her. It was like this," Elly said, making a googly eyes and I shook my head, laughing. She gave me a knowing look as she said, "You like her, I know it and one day, you'll know it too."

I just laughed, shaking my head. My eyes caught Lacey and Mollie outside in the back of the house, heading towards the pool. I gave a curious look to the girls and Jace and asked, "Who wants to go outside to play?"

"Me," they all sang in unison, so we cleaned up the kitchen and headed outdoors.

My head was swimming as we walked around the big house. Lacey was explaining the rooms and which rooms were off limits for the kids. The house was amazingly beautiful on the inside, but yet it didn't scream "We're loaded! Look at me!" It was very subtle and welcoming, just like Lacey.

She showed me the basement that they have designated as the "Kid Zone" and where Elly and her friends loved to hang out. There was a separated area with a snack bar and I could tell that it had been recently renovated to be more teen friendly. There was a dart board, fooseball table, air hockey, and a pool table next to the snack bar. Comfy plush couches lined the wall and also came out across as a barrier to the more non-teen area. I noticed a stage and Lacey said, "Elly used to put on plays on that stage, but now she uses it for karaoke when her friends are over."

"The snack bar has just about every kind of snack available, both healthy and not healthy. If you're running low on something, just make a note and we'll get it refilled." Lacey explained and continued, "The fridge is stocked with pop, water, and juice. The younger kids either get juice or water, no pop for them, no matter how much they beg."