Page 9 of Innocent Salvation

“Oh! May I ask what it was that I did wrong?”

“Nothing, it just simply won’t work. I need someone older, less…” He waved his hand at her trying to describe what he meant when he didn’t know how to explain it himself.

“Less what?” Her short movement forward had him itching to step back away from the sweet scent of her perfume which was light and floral and reminded him of hot summer nights.

“Young.”

“You do realise it’s illegal to judge my ability based on my age?”

His jaw clenched in anger at being called out and his tone was flinty when he responded, his own body moving closer now to show his dominance. “I know the law, Ms Goubert.”

“Then give me today to prove I’m good at this job and after that, if I’m not suitable, I’ll happily walk away.”

Sebastian cocked his head. Perhaps he’d underestimated this woman’s backbone. She was beautiful to look at and had an aura of sweetness about her but inside he suspected after this was a backbone made of steel.

“And if I say no?” He hated being threatened and was prepared to throw this woman out on her sexy little ass if she tried.

“Then you’re teaching your niece that hard work means nothing if your face doesn’t fit. That as a woman you can be judged on your looks instead of your abilities.”

Sebastian hadn’t expected that or the wave of discomfort her words evoked. She’d called him out and she was right. If anyone treated his niece in this way he’d go berserk. “Fine, you have today to prove to me that you’re suitable for this position. I’ll be working from home today and if I get the slightest hint that you’re not capable, you’ll be out that door quicker than you can blink.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Sebastian pushed his hands into the pockets of his suit trousers before he turned with a short nod. “Follow me.”

He set Fleur and Snow up in the playroom, which now had a camera linked to his laptop and gave her the schedule of things he expected Fleur to accomplish through the day.

She frowned as she read through it but said nothing, probably not wanting to give him a reason to get rid of her. Instead, he pushed, wanting her to fail so he could be away from her and the lust burning through his veins.

“This is great. We’ll get right to it.”

She turned and bestowed a radiant smile on Fleur before sinking to her knees beside his niece and ignoring him. Her action made him clench his teeth, every inappropriate thought he’d ever imagined flew into his head at her action and he wondered if she’d done it on purpose to try and tempt him. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman had tried to seduce him by getting close to Fleur but when he glanced at her, she was facing away, her entire focus on his niece who was chattering away as if they were old friends.

Sebastian spent the day alternating between reading and re-reading case notes and watching Snow and Fleur on the camera. He wasn’t sure if she was aware of the fact she was being watched but frustratingly she didn’t put a foot wrong. She engaged Fleur in learning in a way that had the child begging to play the game again. She was firm but kind, somehow managed to get his niece to take a short nap after lunch and even made some improvements to the playroom with a number and letter chart.

Now he was in a predicament he hadn’t seen coming. This woman was the best candidate for the position so far, more than exceeding his stringent requirements, and more importantly, Fleur liked her, and she seemed to like his niece. So, he needed to man up and give his niece what she needed. After all, she was what mattered most.

As he walked toward the playroom at the end of his unproductive workday, he knew what he had to do. “Ms Goubert, may I speak with you in private please?”

She handed Fleur a red crayon with a smile of encouragement and followed him out of the room.

He led her into the library and closed the door behind them before he turned to her, letting his gaze wander over her in a purely observant way. “You did well today. Despite my initial reservations, my niece likes you and you engaged with her well. I won’t say I still don’t have some misgivings, but I’m prepared to give you a chance and a trial period of one month.”

Snow seemed to inflate, her smile widening, and she bounced on her toes like an excited puppy which he found rather annoying. “That’s wonderful, I won’t let you down, Mr Alexander.”

“Good. See that you don’t.”

“May I ask what changed your mind?”

Sebastian didn’t have to think about that, there was only one person who could change his mind about anything and that was Fleur. “My niece likes you and her opinion is important to me. In fact, it’s the only opinion that I care about.” He hoped he was making things clear to her but in case he was being too subtle he’d spell it out for her. “There are a few rules involved in your employment.”

“All right.”

“You have the rooms at the top of the house and your own bathroom, but you may use the kitchen when you need. No outside guests will be allowed into my home without my express permission and certainly no sleepovers. Your hours are seven in the morning to seven at night unless I need you to work late because I’m at work. Obviously, you can take breaks throughout the day when Fleur is asleep or resting. You may take weekends off, but I may ask you to work the odd occasion when I need to attend an event. You’ll be given as much notice as I can possibly give you. You’ll dress appropriately with no revealing clothing during work hours. What you do outside of that is your business as long as it doesn’t impact myself or my niece in any way.”

“That’s all reasonable, although I’d like to ask what you mean by revealing clothes?”

His jaw twitched as he was made to explain what he meant when he couldn’t quantify it. Shit, she was dressed in jeans and a pale blue flowered blouse that showed no skin and yet it still made his dick hard. “Nothing too low cut or skirts above mid-thigh.”