The Maid's Daughter - S01 E08

Story 3 years ago

The Maid's Daughter - S01 E08

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 8

Shock and distress left Gillian almost speechless. She was

pretty sure she knew where this story was heading, and her

heart bled for Devlyn.

He kept talking, almost as if he had forgotten she was beside

him. “I didn’t know what to do. It was weird and awkward

and wonderful all at the same time. But she was married.

And I knew that.”

“She took advantage of you, Devlyn.”

“Who’s to say? I didn’t waste much time weighing right

and wrong. We undressed and then we…well, you know.”

He fell silent. Gillian felt somehow as if the world had

shifted on its axis. She didn’t know Devlyn at all, not really.

Except to understand that he had a streak of caring that ran

soul deep when it came to women. He was a protector, a

slightly tarnished, but decent knight.

“What happened afterward?”

“She stayed there while I ran back to the house and got the

money. I’d been doing odd jobs around the house for years,

saving up to buy a car for college. My dad believed implicitly

that young men should work for what they wanted.”

“And it wasn’t in the bank?”

“Our house was a fortress. I kept my earnings in a small

wall safe in my bedroom.”

“How much?” Gillian asked.

“I went back and handed her seven thousand dollars in

cash.”

“Please tell me she didn’t take it.”

His mouth was grim. “Oh, yes. She took it. And I never

saw either her or her husband again.”

“Do you think they deliberately set you up?”

“I don’t know for sure. I’ve thought about it a million times

over the years. I think it just happened. And with the money

in hand, they took off. It’s possible she even stayed with him.”

A hint of nausea returned. Gillian knew without Devlyn

saying the words that his first sexual experience had been

tainted with guilt because of the woman’s marital status. He

had been seduced, plain and simple. Even if it truly was a

spontaneous act on the woman’s part, it was a terrible thing

to do to a young boy.

“So what happened when you went off to college?”

A long silence ensued. Then Devlyn sighed. “Honest to

God? I was scared. It occurred to me that I hadn’t used a

condom. So disease was a possibility. And there was even a

chance that I had fathered a child. For months I lived in fear

that she would show up on my doorstep.”

Gillian scooted closer and wrapped an arm across his

chest. “I’m so sorry. She took your innocence.”

“Yeah, but what eighteen-year-old guy wants to be innocent?”

The words were flip, but she could hear the hurt that lin-

gered, even now, more than a decade later. “But you found a

girlfriend eventually?”

“Not a girlfriend. More like a series of one-night stands,

mostly after keg parties.” He covered her hand with his. “I

was smart enough to use protection every time, but that was

about the only bit of intelligence I exhibited. I lost count of

how many girls I screwed the next two years.”

Gillian didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t the only guy

to sleep his way through college. But she sensed that the experience

was a dark spot in his soul. Or he wouldn’t be telling

her in such detail. “You said two years…what happened

after that?”

“I wised up…woke up one day in some dorm room I didn’t

recognize, and I realized that I’d had enough. Three months

later, I met Tammi.”

“Tammi?” He had said her name with affection.

“We met in an upper-level business class. I was doing advanced

work. Tammi was a senior. The professor assigned a

project and made us partners.”

“And you fell in love with her.”

Devlyn’s chest rose and fell as he laughed. “Who’s telling

this story? You, or me? No, I didn’t fall in love. But for

the first time in my life, I had a female friend. It was novel,

but nice. Tammi helped straighten out my head a little bit.”

“Did you ever sleep with her?”

“Once, right before she graduated. But there were no fireworks.

It was a bittersweet goodbye, nothing more than that.

I hear from her now and again. She’s a stay-at-home mom

with three kids.”

The little lick of jealousy Gillian experienced was unfounded,

but real. And at that moment she realized the danger

Devlyn represented. Already he had disarmed her with

his painfully frank recitation. She wanted to hold him, to

make up for the past.

But Devlyn Wolff was a grown man. And he didn’t need

Gillian’s sympathy. What he wanted…apparently…was a convenient

affair.

She got to her feet, wobbling only slightly. “Shouldn’t the

car be here by now?”

Devlyn stood as well, frowning. “That’s all you’re going

to say? After I poured my heart out to you?”

She wrapped her arms around her waist, her stomach

clenching with faint memories of her gastric distress. “You’re

trying to convince me that it would be fun to fool around

while I’m working with you.”

“Did I succeed?” That wicked, flashing grin was back.

“I’ll consider it. You’re a handsome man with a quirky

sense of humor. And I’ll be living in a town where the pool

of eligible men is almost nonexistent. So maybe. But don’t

push. My mother works for your family. I’m not sure how I

feel about that. Give me time to think about it.”

“Fair enough.” He smoothed her hair from her face, making

her pulse stumble. “How about a kiss…just one…so we

can test the waters.”

“I’m not kissing you after I puked my guts out. That’s not

the kind of first impression a woman wants to make.”

“Believe me. Guys aren’t that picky. But in honor of your

meticulous hygiene, how about I avoid your mouth?”

She took a step backward. “No.” Devlyn Wolff touching

her anywhere seemed like a really bad idea.

He circled her wrist with one big hand, his thumb on her

pulse. “Relax, Gillian. I can’t do anything to you out here in

the open.”

But that was a lie. He reeled her in, not stopping until her

breasts were against his chest. She could either crane her neck

to see his expression or rest her cheek on warm, starchy cotton

that smelled like Devlyn. It was no choice at all.

Their heights were a good match. She fit nicely in his em-

brace. “Go ahead and do it,” she said. “You’re making me

nervous.”

He laughed. “Whatever the lady wants.”

Nudging her head to one side, he nibbled his way from her

ear to her shoulder. Gooseflesh erupted everywhere his teeth

grazed her sensitive skin. When her knees began to tremble,

her arms went around his neck for support.

Then it was no problem at all to return the naughty love

bites Devlyn was inflicting. But when the tip of her tongue

traced his throat at the opening of his shirt, he released her

abruptly and staggered backward several steps.

He held out his hand. “I think we’ll call that experiment a

success.” His cheeks were ruddy and his chest heaved.

In the distance a car horn tooted.

“Is that our ride?” Gillian turned, not sure if she was relieved

or disappointed.

Two dark SUVs pulled up at the edge of the field. There

was not much of a shoulder, so the vehicles were partway in

the road.

Devlyn started grabbing up stuff. “C’mon. Let’s not keep

them waiting.”

They tramped across the field rapidly, but Gillian held back

when Devlyn chatted with the drivers. The sun was very low,

casting lengthy shadows across the land. Would Devlyn still

want to show her the property after dark? Surely not.

He turned and motioned. “I can send you back up the

mountain with the guys, but if you feel like it, I’d like you to

join me for dinner with an investor. I stood him up last night

after you played pinball with that tree.”

“I’ll go back to the house.” And do what? she wondered.

Staying at the castle was really an awkward arrangement.

Perhaps she could get her mom to come pick her up for the

evening or ask one of Devlyn’s drivers to take her directly

to her mother’s.

Devlyn frowned, evidently not hearing the answer he

wanted. “Come with me,” he cajoled. “He was really angry

when I didn’t show. You’ll be proof that my Boy Scout good

deed was the right thing to do. And besides…you’re on the

clock, remember?”

“That’s not fair.”

He grinned and opened the passenger door of the car he

was preparing to drive, motioning for her to get in. “Dinner’s

on me.”

She shook her head in mock disgust. “You must have been

spoiled rotten as a kid.”

His smile dimmed. “Let’s just say that I like getting what

I want.”

She slid in beside him, conscious that her only hope of escape

was driving away in the opposite direction. “And so do

I. So one of us is doomed to disappointment.”

Devlyn drove in silence, rethinking his strategy with Gillian.

Perhaps having her at the castle wasn’t the best idea.

His family would be bound to notice if he started having

sleepovers. And Gillian’s mother was not likely to appreciate

the son of her employer hanging around.

Life would be a lot easier if he could simply spirit Gillian

away to his multimillion-dollar rooftop condo in Atlanta.

But the job he had hired her to do was real. And needed to

be done in and around Burton. Which meant that if Devlyn

wanted to explore this surprising and compelling physical attraction,

he was going to have to stay on the mountain much

longer than he had originally intended.

He’d never had much respect for entrepreneurs who allowed

pleasure to get in the way of business. But damned if

Devlyn hadn’t just entangled the two without the slightest

bit of regret.

They pulled up in front of the restaurant in Charlottesville

with five minutes to spare. Gillian fussed with her hair. “I’m

not really dressed for a place like this.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, handing his keys to the valet. “It’s

pretty dark inside.”

“Very funny.”

Horatio Clement was already seated. The man was a longtime

family friend, at least a decade older than Victor and

Vincent. He was a bachelor, had a stock portfolio that would

make Bill Gates weep and was as tightfisted as Scrooge.

Devlyn’s job was to cajole him into loosening the purse

strings long enough to invest a healthy chunk of cash into

Wolff Enterprises’ latest expansion…a brand-new headquarters

in Mexico City. With locations already on the West Coast

and in London and Paris, the Wolffs owned a sizable chunk of

real estate…high-tech offices that oversaw a multitude of interests

from railroads to television stations to manufacturing.

Devlyn put his hand at Gillian’s back, ushering her forward.

“Hello, Horatio,” he said. “I was hoping you wouldn’t

mind some feminine company this evening.”

Horatio’s bushy white eyebrows lifted. “Not your usual

style, is she, Devvie boy?” He turned toward Gillian. “What’s

your name, girl?”

She shook his bony hand. “Gillian Carlyle. And you’ve hit

the nail on the head, sir. I’m definitely not his type. But he’s

feeling guilty for running me off the road last night. That’s

why he missed your dinner appointment.”

Devlyn ground his teeth. “I did not run you off the road.

You were going way too fast.”

Horatio snorted. “I’ve seen you drive, kid. I choose to believe

this nice young woman.”

Devlyn had no choice but to sit down and nurse his

wounds. Before he could get the ball rolling, Gillian and

Horatio were thick as thieves, the old man spinning one out-

rageous tale after the other, and Gillian egging him on with

her contagious laughter.

It was going to be a long night.

Gillian hadn’t expected to enjoy dinner, but Horatio was

a darling. He had a snap in his eyes and a tart, wry humor

that kept her on the verge of laughter as they dined on filet

mignon, baby asparagus and giant, fluffy baked potatoes.

Devlyn spoke little, his expression hard to read. At one

point, she stood and excused herself. “I know you gentlemen

have business to discuss. I’m going to visit the ladies’ room

and then call and check on my mother.”

When she returned five minutes later, Devlyn’s face was

a thundercloud, and Horatio had his arms crossed over his

chest. The older of the two waved at Gillian. “I have some

questions for you, young lady. Would you do business with

him if you were me?”

Gillian hesitated. “I don’t know all that much about finances…

but I do know that Devlyn has a brilliant financial

mind. Why else would his father and his uncle give him control

of the company at his young age? My guess is that your

investment will grow rapidly.”

“Or it will disappear like smoke in the wind if this damned

economy gets any worse.”

“You can’t take it with you, sir.”

Devlyn froze. Had Gillian really said that?

For a split second nobody moved. Then Horatio threw back

his head and roared with laughter. “This one’s a pistol, Devvie.

You’d better hang on to her.”

Devlyn, accustomed to smooth-talking his way out of any

situation, didn’t know what to say.

Gillian stepped in like a seasoned negotiator. “With all that

money you’re going to make, I have a proposition for you.”

Horatio eyed her sadly. “The doc says my ticker isn’t strong

enough to take those little blue pills. But I’m flattered, darlin’.”

Gillian actually blushed. “Behave yourself. I’ll bet you

were a lot like Devlyn when you were his age. You loved the

challenge of besting an opponent…the adrenaline rush. But

that doesn’t mean you have to walk away from the table. Say

yes, Horatio. You know you want to.”

The old man took a sip of his seventy-five-dollar bottle of

wine. He stared at Devlyn. “I’ll give you every cent I’ve got

if I can have your little woman.”

Devlyn scowled. “Not for sale, sir. And FYI, that request

is politically incorrect.”

“I’m eighty-six years old. I can say whatever the hell I

want.” But he patted Gillian’s hand. “Sorry, sweetheart. No

disrespect intended. You’ll forgive an old man, won’t you?”

She squeezed his gnarled fingers. “Of course. Now do you

want to hear my proposition or not?”

His eyes twinkled. “Go for it.”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Wolff family is

giving our little town of Burton an elementary school, K–8.

We’ve never had one, and our children, even the youngest

ones, have to ride the bus a long way every morning and afternoon.

Why don’t you donate several hundred thousand dollars

toward the project, and we’ll name the school after you.”

She shot a worried look at Devlyn. “Can we do that?”

He sighed, fully aware that his business meeting had gotten

entirely out of hand. “Sure. But he’s supposed to be giving

me money, not you.”

Gillian waved a hand. “There’s plenty to go around. Now

be honest, Horatio. Wouldn’t you like to leave behind a legacy

that will benefit hundreds of children, maybe thousands

in the long run? And you can be a consultant.”

“Now wait a minute.” Devlyn felt a noose tightening

around his neck. It was happening again. He tried to help a

woman in need, and suddenly his life was flying out of control.

“I just hired you,” he said, pointing at Gillian. “I can’t

afford another employee.”

Horatio grinned, enjoying Devlyn’s discomfiture. “I’ll

work for a dollar a day…and dinner once a week with Gillian.

Alone.”

“Five dollars a day, and no hanky-panky with my girlfriend.”

Gillian’s lips pursed. “I’m not your girlfriend. Office relationships

seldom work out.”

“We don’t have an office…unless you want to go to Atlanta

with me.”

“Too far. I suppose I’ll simply have to make do. Thank

you, Mr. Clement. I think we have a deal. But you and Devlyn

still have to agree on the Mexico thing.”

Horatio shook his head. “It’s a sad day when a grown man

has to bring in a female to help shake down an old man. I’ll

be lucky to have enough left to pay for a nursing home.”

Gillian’s face fell. “I certainly don’t expect you to jeopardize

your own health and well-being, Horatio. I was pre-

sumptuous about the school. Close the deal with Devlyn.

Don’t worry about anything else.”

Devlyn sighed. “He’s kidding, Gillian. This poor old man

could buy the state of Virginia if it was for sale. Don’t waste

time worrying about him.”

Gillian glared. “Show some respect to your elders.”

Horatio hopped into the conversation. “Yeah, Devlyn. Kiss

my as—”

Gillian held up a hand. “Enough. Both of you are acting

like children. Sign the darned papers and let’s be done with

this.”

“We don’t have any papers here,” Devlyn said. “This is a

gentleman’s agreement, right, Horatio?”

Horatio stuck out his hand. “Let’s get it over with, boy.

Before she nags us to death. That’s why women are no good

in business.”

Devlyn and Gillian groaned in unison.

Horatio managed to look innocent. “What did I say?”

Devlyn shook his adversary’s hand and waved at the waiter

for the check. “You’re a scoundrel and a crook. But thank you,

Horatio. You won’t regret this.”

Gillian learned a lot about Devlyn that evening. He could

have conducted the same meeting at a boring office in thirty

minutes. But instead, he’d taken the time to wine and dine a

lonely octogenarian. And unless Gillian was mistaken, Devlyn

enjoyed the mock battle as much as Horatio did.

In the car on the way back to the castle, a hushed silence

reigned. Gillian didn’t want to sleep under Devlyn Wolff’s

roof. And did he expect her to occupy the same suite as last

night? The one with the connecting door to his room?

Perhaps agreeing to work with him had been a bad idea,

but what choice did she have? It went against the grain to

mooch off her hardworking mother, and any openings at area

schools would likely only become available at the end of

the year.

“How long have you known Horatio?” she asked, uneasy

about Devlyn’s mood. He was gregarious to a fault, so now

that he was sober and quiet, she had to wonder what he was

thinking.

He shot her a sideways glance, his gaze trained on the road

ahead. “My earliest memory of Horatio comes from my fifth

birthday party. He gave me a pony. Told me that a boy my age

should learn how to ride a horse. I was petrified and determined

not to show it. Horatio drove up the mountain once a

week for six months until he was sure I could handle riding

without getting hurt.”

“He must love you very much.”

“Yeah…beneath that crusty exterior, he’s a teddy bear.

But only in his personal life. He raised hell when he was

still working.”

“Did he ever have a family of his own?”

“He was married…when he was very young. My dad told

me Horatio’s wife died in childbirth. The two men had that

in common, the loss of a spouse. I think that’s why they became

friends outside of the business setting. Horatio never

found anyone else he could love like he loved his wife, so

he’s been on his own ever since.”

“That seems so sad.”

“He’s not a hermit or a miser. He lives life. But he keeps

her memory as a shrine.”

“And your father…I know he and your uncle never remarried,

but did they date at all…or have women friends?”

“If they did, I never knew it. They devoted themselves to

my siblings, my cousins and me, to our safety, our education,

our happiness. It wasn’t always a smooth road. Dad and Uncle

Vic suffered in the aftermath of the tragedy. In ways I was

too young to understand. But they were determined that no

harm would come to us.”

“You were a lucky child.”

“Indeed.”

Despite the fact that he agreed with her, some intonation

in his voice suggested bleak irony. She’d been around enough

to witness his privileged lifestyle. And despite the constraints

of being held a virtual captive on his mountain, it was still

pretty great. The affairs of the Wolffs were generally known

in Burton, but were there secrets to which she wasn’t privy?

“So what about you, Devlyn? Your cousins have started getting

married. Will you be next?”

“Is that an offer?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re way too bossy and stubborn.”

“Pot. Kettle.”

“I’ll give you that one. We do share a few similar traits.

But I have no desire to conquer the world one stock option at

a time. I like what I do…being a teacher, I mean.”

“Some people can’t imagine shutting themselves up in a

room for six or seven hours every day with twenty-five kids.”

“I love them,” she said simply. “And I love knowing that

what I’m doing makes a real difference.”

“And what about your personal life?”

“I already told you. I’ll get married, I hope. I’d love to have

a big family, maybe three or four kids. What about you? Tell

me about your ideal woman.”

“She’s meek, brings me my slippers and agrees with everything

I say.”

Gillian laughed. “It’s amazing you manage to get any female

companionship at all. Of course the money and your

looks account for some of it.”

“I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be. Those are both negatives in my book.”

“Says the woman who was unemployed just yesterday.”

“Wow. You don’t mind hitting below the belt.”

“You’re the one who said I’m not worth chasing.”

“I said you weren’t husband material. No woman wants

a guy who’s going to get hit on by all the PTA and soccer

moms.”

“Was there actually a compliment buried in there somewhere?”

They reached the bottom of the mountain and passed

through the security gates. Gillian felt a squiggle of panic as

they slid shut behind them. No way out…

“I’ll be the first to admit that you’re handsome and charming

and probably the life of the party.”

“But…?”

“I think I’m more suited to a nine-to-five banker with

thinning hair.”

He negotiated a hairpin curve with ease. “Should I feel

threatened? Have you met this paragon of boredom?”

“Not yet. But I have a little time. You still haven’t answered

my question. When do you plan to marry and settle down?”

It was too dark now to see his expression. Tall trees flanked

the road, blocking any ambient light.

“I don’t. The business is my baby. My entire family trusts

me to keep Wolff Enterprises profitable. It’s an all-consuming

job. I’d be a lousy husband and father.”

His words were brusque, the tone flat. Something odd ran

beneath the surface.

“Busy people get married all the time and raise families.

Don’t you want to carry on the Wolff name?”

“I have one brother and three cousins to do that. Drop it,

Gillian.”

She subsided into silence, disturbed by the notion that his

vehement repudiation of marriage and fatherhood was something

more than a bachelor’s off-the-cuff aversion to com-

mitment. But he’d made it clear that the topic wasn’t open

for discussion.

They pulled up beneath a stone portico and an employee

took the vehicle away to be parked in one of the garages behind

and below the main house. Gillian stood uncertainly,

feeling a return of her earlier misgivings. She and Devlyn

had not defined their working relationship. And for someone

who planned her classroom activities to the minute, the lack

of structure was extremely uncomfortable.

He shepherded her inside, leading her without words toward

a part of the house she hadn’t seen in years. “I want to

show you something,” he said. “Maybe it will help you understand

why I want you to work with me on the school.”

The room they entered was lined with file cabinets and a

series of wall safes. Along another long expanse, a sophisticated

computer setup blinked lazily. Devlyn went to one of

the safes in the middle, punched in a code and opened the

small metal door. Removing a box, he motioned for her to sit.

The room was not meant for relaxation. Her only option

was one of two straight-backed office chairs. She perched

there and stared at him. “What is it?”

His face impassive, he extracted a small item and handed

it to her. Her stomach turned over. It was a child’s clumsy

attempt at a greeting card, at least a quarter of a century old.

The edges of the paper were ragged with age.

She bit her lips, opening the missive carefully. As if it were

yesterday, she remembered sitting at the kitchen table in her

house, laboring over the complicated series of letters. “You

kept this? But you were so angry.”

He sat beside her. “After you left that day, I took it home.

For some reason, I found comfort in it. I never showed it to

anyone. I didn’t want to be teased. You think I offered you a

job because you needed one. And I did. It’s serendipitous that

someone with your skills and know-how is available to help

us with the school. But most of all I wanted to say thank you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Devlyn. My mother probably

made me do that card for you.”

“Doesn’t matter. The point is that you reached out to me,

and even though it’s a bit overdue, I want you to know how

much I appreciated it…still do, as a matter of fact.”

He slid a hand beneath her hair, cupping her neck. “I know

all the reasons we shouldn’t get involved. You have weird

hang-ups about your mother working here. I’m not a man

who will give you babies and a minivan…and we face an

appalling lack of privacy for what I have in mind. But fate

has brought you back into my life, and I want you.” He bent

his head and found her lips in a warm, insistent, teasing kiss.

She tried to say his name, but he took her breath with his

irresistible, coaxing mouth.

“Give me a chance, Gillian,” he muttered. “Give us a

chance.”