“Just like that. No meeting, interview, or questions needed.”

  “Just like that,” he said, finishing the last bit of his amber liquid.

  “When do I start?” I asked, finally getting nervous about having a real job.

  “He said you can start tomorrow.” For some reason, my father looked like he had won this argument and it made me nervous. Why would he be so happy about me getting a job finally? I didn’t realize that my father knew Damien and therefore he also knew that Damien was too busy ruling the Underworld to ever be home much. And when he was, he was busy taking care of his own pantheon. My father assumed I would basically be stuck in Damien’s mansion with four kids and no real danger to speak of. After all, who would attack the Damien’s place? The perfect job for his delicate, innocent daughter.

  “So, I’m the Devil’s new nanny.”

  He laughed, a full-bodied laugh like the joke was on me as he stood and walked out of the room.

  “Better than ‘always being trapped in this pile of stone’, right?” floated back to me as he left.

  He didn’t wait for an answer, and I was left standing in the living room, no longer worried about never getting out the house. I had bigger things to worry about now. Like what do you wear when you’re working for the Devil?

  I decided the next day that jeans and a cotton shirt would be best since I’d obviously be working with children. I stood in his ‘parlor’, waiting for someone who was supposed to take me to him. Apparently I was lucky that he was home today. It hadn’t been fun getting through all the security he had outside his main door. Was it really necessary? Who would be stupid enough to attack the devil?

  A seven-foot, red skinned demon in a uniform came to collect me. “Come on, he’s waiting for you”, he said gruffly.

  He was waiting for me? Why had my dad made me think I wouldn’t even meet him?

  Chapter Two

  Damien

  I heard a knock at my office door.

  “Come in.”

  I glanced up as my assistant lead a woman into the room. I inhaled quickly as I caught my first glimpse of her. She was stunning, and I actually caught myself gaping. I quickly shut my mouth before she looked up at me.

  Her pale skin flushed a pretty pink, and she smiled. The dimple in her cheek made heat blossom in my chest. I rubbed at it absently, still caught up in the sight of her. She glanced behind herself nervously and I saw that her hair was long and lush, just slightly brushing the top of her ass.

  “Um. Hello. I’m your new nanny. My–my dad told me that you agreed to hire me?”

  She tilted her chin up slightly, as if trying to bolster her courage against me. I had to give her credit. I knew that people were intimidated by me. In fact, it was an effect that I worked hard to encourage. If I was seen as “approachable” or “nice”, then every demon in the Underworld would be complaining to me about their issues. It was the Underworld, after all. Things were not comfortable here. Nor were they supposed to be. Only the strongest of the strong survived here.

  “Yes, I did. You must be Joseph’s daughter.”

  Looking at her closely I could see that she was nervous, but also that she didn’t want me to know it. She obviously had a stubborn streak in her. That would most likely serve her well here. As long as she didn’t use that stubbornness to try to get her way with him. Her eyebrow arched slightly, making her light green eyes almost sparkle. Her lips tilted up into an almost smile. I could see that she wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. I had the feeling she almost teased me. Apparently, I wasn’t as intimidating as I thought. It made me want to growl at her and kiss her at the same time.

  “My name’s Alexis,” she said with her hand out. I stood from my desk to shake her hand and dismissed the soldier. I couldn’t help noticing her skin was soft, and when she pulled away, I missed the heat. Something was definitely going on. Hell didn’t have cold shifts. “You can call me Damien.” Nobody called me Damien. Not even my mother.

  “Oh no,” she said, flushing. “I couldn’t, sir. Something else, please.”

  “Just D then. We’ll work our way up to Damien.”

  She smiled widely, showing her beautiful white teeth and her dimple. “I can work with that.”

  She was still standing in front of my desk with that heavy looking bag. “Let me get that for you. It looks heavy.” She tried to say no as I took it from her, but I grasped it firmly, taking control of it. “What do you have in here anyway? It’s huge.”

  “Oh, just some paperwork, a notebook in case I have to take notes, and some games in case I need something to play with the kids.”

  She was prepared. I liked that.

  I decided to start the tour immediately. “Wow. This place is huge,” she said. The ceilings were thirty feet high and painted with murals of heaven and hell and what I could remember of our history. The Demonical Bible was much different than the ones humans believed to be true, but they suffered from a lack of knowledge. Under my reign, I made sure that the beings of the Underworld knew our true history.

  “Who painted these?” She continued staring up, turning in a circle, in awe of the artistry. Considering I’d lived here for over a millennium, I had basically forgotten about them. I rarely looked up. There was always something to do. Chaos to overrule, demons to induct, angels to slay, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Being the Devil wasn’t as fun as everyone thought it was.

  “I did,” I said, looking up trying to see the murals through her eyes.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, almost as if she was out of breath. My work made her breathless. I suddenly wanted to make her breathless in other ways.

  “Um. Thanks.” I wasn’t used to getting compliments.

  “What did you use?” she asked, squinting as if it would make her somehow closer to the art. I listened to her list all kinds of materials found only in Hell and then some from Earth. When I didn’t answer, she finally looked away from the art. “Um, D?”

  I was enchanted by her. What had she asked me? Oh right. I rubbed the back of my head a little, embarrassed to admit this. “To be honest with you I don’t remember. It was too long ago.”

  She nodded and looked up again. “How could you forget creating that?”

  By her tone, I could tell it was a rhetorical question, but it made me wish I could remember.

  “Let me show you around.” Together we climbed the sprawling staircase in the middle of the foyer. “My wing is on the right,” I said pointing.

  “Why? Because you’re always right?” Her cheeky smile let me know she was joking, and I laughed. Most people were too uptight or nervous to joke with me.

  She glanced nervously at a nearby soldier. There was one posted at the end of every hall, protecting my family and my home in the event someone infiltrated the mansion. They stared ahead like they were trained to, ignoring us as we walked by. They looked like statues, but I knew if anything were to happen they would quickly dispatch the offender. That was something she was going to have to get used to if she was going to work here.

  “As a matter of fact, yes,” I said, laughing as I guided her to the left. “This wing belongs to the kids. Their bedrooms, playroom, library, pantry, nanny room, and bathrooms are over here.”

  “Nanny room?”

  “Yes. This is a live-in job.”

  Her face scrunched in confusion before paling suddenly.

  “I have to live here?”

  “Yes of course. I am not in residence very often. You’re expected to stay here with the kids, tutor the boys, and watch the girls.”

  “I see,” she said, glancing nervously away from me.

  “Is that going to be a problem? Maybe I should speak with your father again?”

  “No!” she vehemently responded, seeming to startle herself with the intensity of her response. “That will be fine. I’ll just…send for my things. I’m sure my housekeeper can pack some things for me and have them brought over.”

  Chapter Three

  Alexis

  Of course. How stupid was I? Did I really think my father was going to let me have a moment to myself? No. He had swapped his castle out for another one. I might as well be Rapunzel in another tower. My dad, oh, he really knew how to grind my gears. He must think he had won this battle. That’s why he had looked so smug after describing the job to me. Well, there was more than one way to exercise my freedom. Now I just had to figure out how to take advantage of it.

  “So, do the kids sleep much?” I asked innocently.

  The corner of his mouth twitched, like he knew I was up to no good, but he said nothing. “Okay. Just ask Sofie if you have a problem and she’ll take care of it.”

  “Who is Sofie?”

  “My personal assistant. She should be somewhere around here,” he said, guiding me to a big blue door and pushing it open.

  A woman sat on the floor tied up in rope as two identical boys pranced around her with the rope in hand, tying her up even more.

  “There you are,” Damien said as if nothing was amiss. The woman looked more than frazzled. Her hair was sticking to her forehead, slick from sweat and falling out of the clip on top of her head. “Why didn’t you answer the intercom?”

  “I don’t know, hmm, maybe because of these ropes and the fact that your sons are terrors.”

  I flinched back, a bit scared of what Damien’s reaction would be. I was sure it must be a capital offense to speak to the Devil that way. To my surprise, he just chuckled good-naturedly.

  “They are boys without a mother, Sophie – what do you expect?”

  With a snap of his fingers the rope disappeared and the boys, as if transfixed that their toy was gone, turned to their father.

  “Daddy!”

  They ran at him full speed, and he scooped them up one in each arm. “How are my perfect boys?”

  Sofie snorted loudly and stood, brushing herself off and redoing her hair.

  “Hi,” she said, stepping towards me. “You must be the nanny. I’m so glad to meet you.”

  I shook her hand and smiled politely. Up close, she was beautiful, black hair, brown eyes, red lips. “Now they can be your problem,” she said, walking towards the door. “I’ll meet you,” she said pointedly to Damien, “in your office. Some of us have work to do.”

  “Don’t mind her,” he said, setting the wiggling boys onto the ground. “She’s grouchy because she’s been the stand-in nanny for the past two weeks and she really doesn’t like kids. Her skills lie in other areas.”

  I nodded, not sure what to say.

  “That,” he said, pointing to the boy climbing on a tall rocking horse, “is Dante. He’s the oldest by six minutes.” Then he pointed to the other boy, pushing a car while making sound effects across the floor. “That is Drake.” He turned back to me. “They’re four.”

  “They’re cute.”

  “Don’t let the faces fool you. They’re hellions and chips off the old block. If there’s mischief to be found, they’ll find it. I don’t mind much so don’t worry. They can make as much noise as they want. I can’t hear it in my office, and there’s nothing I can’t afford to replace. As long as they haven’t killed each other, you can leave them alone except for their education hours. They’re brilliant for their age, so as long as you can get them to focus, you’ll be fine. The library has all their books and curriculum. If you follow it, you’ll be good to go.”

  “Okay,” I said, wondering if I was qualified to be a teacher.

  He walked out the door to the boys’ room, closing it behind me. “They have their own bathroom inside their room too.”

  He opened a door identical to the boys’ room except it was pale pink, and we stepped inside a nursery clearly for girls. “Here are my princesses.” His voice dropped to a soft octave as he stared into the cribs with pure adoration. Their names were written in calligraphy on the sides of their cribs. One toddler was dressed in a pink shirt with purple shorts, the other was dressed in a purple shirt with pink shorts. “This is Kiya and Kiera.”

  “They’re so cute,” I said, leaning over to see them.

  “Of course they are,” he said with pride. “But they’re my daughters. I’m not so blind to think that they don’t get into their own trouble too. I figure when they’re a little older, they’ll rival their brothers.”

  I laughed. I’m sure my father would have said something along the same lines. “I’ll do my best to keep up with them.”

  “Okay,” he said, leading me out of the room to another door. It was a pale green. “This is your room,” he said, pushing the door open but waiting for me to go in first.

  Talk about an upgrade. It was huge, twice the size of my bedroom at home. “If you don’t like anything, feel free to redecorate.” What could I dislike? The king-sized bed? The space, the full bookcase? I glanced into the bathroom and saw an incredible bathtub begging me to soak tonight. “I want you to be comfortable since this is your new home,” he added.

  I frowned remembering this wasn’t the arrangement that I thought it was going to be.

  “Everything looks perfect. Thanks.” My displeasure with Father was no reason to be ungrateful.

  “One last thing, then I have to get back to work. This radio is for the boy’s room.” It was blue and looked like a walkie-talkie, but there was a small screen on the top so I could see in the room. “This one is for the girls.” It was identical but pink. “This intercom here is so I can call you and if you press here,” he pointed to a black button, “you’ll be heard throughout the house. If you press here,” he said, pointing to another black button, “you’ll be talking to me directly in my office.”

  That was slightly confusing, but I would do my best to remember it all. “Got it,” I said, vowing to put my best foot forward.

  Chapter Four

  Damien

  “Are you listening?” Sofie said, clearly frustrated. “If you’re not going to pay attention, I’m leaving.”

  “Fine. Go,” I said, brushing her off. My focus was off. I couldn’t get the stunning beauty on the other side of my house out of my head. What was she doing to me? I needed to know more about her. I wanted to be with her. What the hell was wrong with me? I had women falling all over me, I never chased them.

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I could use a day off,” she said, packing her bag and walking out. “See you tomorrow.”

  I didn’t respond. Instead, I powered off my computer. It was rare for me to be home for an evening. I was seldom there, preferring to take care of the Underworld in a hands-on approach. It was why I needed a nanny to begin with. The last conference had brought many issues to the forefront. There was dissent along the south border, mayhem running rampant in the east, and an elderly lesser king looking to promote his son as his replacement. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but I knew his son was a bookish sort with a soft-spoken manner – the Underworld really required strong leaders, alpha types. If a rival saw weakness within a ruler, then he’d challenge him and I would have to deal with the fallout. I thought all this through as I walked, shocked to find my feet had brought me to the east wing. I stood just outside of the boys’ room vacillating. I wanted to go inside, but I didn’t want Alexis to think I didn’t trust her and I definitely didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

  I could hear her inside, she was giggling, and curiosity got the best of me as I slowly turned the knob, inching the door open just enough to see inside. Alexis had her arms up like a zombie and was limping, dragging her leg behind her like it was lame. She was barefoot in her jeans, and her jacket was off, hanging over the back of her couch. Her cotton t-shirt clung to her body, giving me a very clear picture of her curves. A shot of lust went straight through me. What the fuck? She wasn’t even wearing anything sexy. Damn, I apparently needed to get laid.

  “Brain,” she moaned with a believable grimace as the boys ran to the other side of the room. “I need brains,” she said, catching up to Dante in his hiding place and knocking over his block tower. He laughed as she grabbed him, tickled him, and blew a raspberry into his neck. He was positively giddy, laughing loudly and squirming under her assault. Even when she was playing she was beautiful. I shook my head trying to remember she was here for the kids, not me. An innocent, sheltered woman like that deserved to be with a good guy, and I, by nature didn’t fit the bill.

  “Mm, you taste good,” she joked.

  His brother, not wanting to be left out, jumped on Alexis’ back. My muscles tensed, ready to intervene in case he was too rough, or she didn’t like it, but she went right with it, falling over and yelling, “Oh no!”

  “I’ll save you, Drake,” he declared and held up finger guns, making loud explosion noises as Alexis pretended to fall.

  “I’m dying,” she squealed and made a fake choking noise, then stilled on the ground.

  Dante and Drake laughed like they were insane. They caught their breath shortly, and seeing she still hadn’t moved they crawled over to her, concerned.

  “Lexy?” one of them asked tentatively, and looked at his brother. In such a short time, the boys had already christened her with a nickname, a sign they really liked her. Dante looked scared, his bottom lip poking out as he got ready to cry. Then Alexis jumped up and pulled both of them into a hug which started another giggle-fest.

  She was perfect. I had never seen a woman take to the boys so quickly or get on the ground to play with them on their level. Even their mother, Lilith, didn’t play with them. Of course, she was a conceited, shallow, self-absorbed woman more concerned with her looks than her own children. She was one of the most beautiful women I had ever met but her callousness towards our boys had quickly turned me off.

  “You look like you’re having fun,” I said, announcing myself.

  The boys were disinterested, still laughing as they ran to some other toy. Alexis, on the other hand, was still on the floor, her hair, no longer down and around her shoulders, in a ponytail and her jeans already smudged from something.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21