Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

“What’s wrong, Ley?” Colton asks. I smile at him and shake my head. The twins roped me into watching a movie after finishing their homework, and normally I would’ve enjoyed it, but today I can’t focus.

“It’s nothing,” I say, even though I can’t drag my eyes off the multiple texts Amara sent me.

Amara: what’s going on between you and Adrian?

Amara: Why was he spotted with Eleanor Williams last night? You know I hate that bitch.

Amara: I thought there was something between you guys? Didn’t you tell me you two had a moment when you had that wine together?

Leia: what are you talking about?

Amara sends me a link, and I pull up the gossip article from The Herald, a newspaper that somehow always knows the inside scoop on every socialite in town. There’s a picture of Eleanor and Thor, his suit jacket draped over her shoulders as they walk together. The dress she’s wearing makes it clear that they were on a date. There’s no way she would’ve worn that to a business meeting. Lately he’s asked me to work evenings, and he told me it was because he’s been taking over a lot of work from his grandfather.

My heart squeezes tightly as I take in the way he’s smiling at her in that photo. Why would he lie to me? Why not just tell me the truth, or just tell me nothing at all? I’m his nanny. He doesn’t have to justify where he goes, so why bother lying?

I bite down on my lip harshly in an effort to suppress the pain I feel. Amara is right. I did think there was something between us that night when he asked me to stay and have some wine with him, but realistically, nothing really happened. He was being nice to me, and I pushed him away. I don’t have the right to be mad after repeatedly rejecting his advances, but I am. I’m pissed off and hurt.

I scroll down, unable to help myself. I shouldn’t read this article if just seeing the photo hurts this much, but I can’t help myself.

Has Eleanor Williams taken Adrian Astor off the market already?

Dear readers of the Herald,

We have obtained exclusive footage or Adrian and Eleanor on a date last night. The pair went to Fleur, one of the high end and exclusive restaurants owned by Astor Corporation, and our sources tell us the two were cooped up in a private dining area for hours.

When they finally emerged, Eleanor was wearing Adrian’s suit jacket. One can’t help but wonder why that might be. Did the zipper on the back of her dress break in all the excitement? It was, after all, an uncharacteristically hot night. There’s no way the beauty needed a jacket to keep her warm.

Adrian Astor is notorious for keeping his distance from women, yet in this photo, Eleanor is clearly holding his arm. Though the ladies at The Herald are heartbroken, we must admit that the two make a nice couple. The billionaire and the heiress are incredibly well-suited, and don’t they look adorable together?

I click the article away and lock my phone, unsure what to say to Amara’s endless texts. Jealousy unlike anything I’ve ever felt before consumes me, starting in the pit of my stomach and spreading until my heart aches so badly my breathing becomes uneven. I’m the one who said I wouldn’t get involved with him, so why am I surprised he’s dating someone else? I could try to convince myself that I’m just angry that he wasn’t honest with me, but that isn’t what it is. I’m hurt. It hurts that he’s moving on when I can’t.

I’ve been pushing him away because I know we can’t be together, not when I’m his nanny and his student, but I’m selfish. I don’t want him to be with anyone else. It’s irrational, but I can’t help it.

I sit up straight when I hear his footsteps in the hallway. Looks like he’s home early today. I bite down on my lip in an attempt to get my emotions under control. If I face him now, I’m sure I’ll lash out in pain and anger, and I have no right to do that.

“Dad!” Lucy says when he walks in. She jumps up and runs to him. “You’re home already!”

He lifts her off her feet and twirls her around, hugging her tightly. “Yep. I missed you. It feels like we haven’t spent much time together, doesn’t it? I still have a lot of work to do, but I thought it would be nice to work at home so I get to see you.”

She nods. “Colt and I already did our homework, so we can’t work with you.”

Thor chuckles, and the sound of it brings a different kind of ache to my chest. It’s a painful kind of longing that I can’t explain.

“That’s okay, sweetheart. I’d be happy if you just read while I sit and work. How about that?”

She nods, but Colton groans. “I’m going to watch this movie with Leia!”

Thor looks our way, but I keep my eyes on the television. I should greet him, but I can’t. It’s irrational, and it’s immature, but I can’t face him. I’m too scared he’ll see straight through me.

“Leia, could you follow me, please? I’d like to speak to you.”

I tense and bite down on my lip as I nod and rise to my feet. I want to leave, but I can’t come up with an excuse that would get me out of a brief conversation, and I’m not willing to come across as unprofessional just because avoiding seeing him right now would be easier for me.

Much to my surprise, Thor walks up the stairs, instead of toward his home office, and I follow him reluctantly.

He holds the door open, and I walk in, suddenly feeling vulnerable. Thor closes the door behind him and pulls his tie off. He lets it drop to the floor, seemingly lost in thought. He’s staring out the window instead of looking at me, and I can’t drag my gaze away as he takes his suit jacket off, placing it on the bed.

His hands move to the shirt he’s wearing, and my heart skips a beat when he starts to unbutton it, more and more of his skin coming into view, until the shirt falls open. He pulls it off, and that too joins the jacket on his bed.

“What are you doing?” I murmur, my voice soft.

He looks at me then, his gaze intense. “Changing.”

I clear my throat and nod. “Should I wait for you outside while you do that?”

He looks at me, his expression unreadable. I can’t tell if he’s angry, or if he’s just unaffected, but something seems off.

“Why bother? It’s not like there’s any part of me you haven’t seen yet.”

I swallow hard as he undoes his suit trousers. He looks incredible, standing there like that, the sunlight illuminating his silhouette. The muscles on his arms are bigger and thicker than they used to be, and the sight of that v-line on his abs has me feeling flustered.

I’m mad at him, and I’m hurt, and every instinct in my body is telling me to walk up to him and show him just how angry I am. I want to grab his hair and kiss him. I want to leave kiss marks all over his chest, so any other woman he undresses in front of knows he’s taken, and I want him to sink deep inside me and tell me that I’m his.

He pulls on gray sweats and a white t-shirt, before finally turning to me. “I will need you to watch the kids for me tomorrow night. I’ll need you to be here all night.”

I wrap my arms around myself as my heart clenches painfully, jealousy settling in my stomach, spreading slowly, until I’m barely thinking straight. He wants me to watch the kids overnight? He’s not planning on coming home at all?

“I see,” I murmur. “I’ll make sure I’m here.”

“Will you, now?” he asks, smiling humorlessly.

“Of course. That’s my job, isn’t it?”

He nods and runs a hand through his hair. “You won’t ask me where I’m going, or who I’ll be with?”

“I have a pretty good idea of who you’ll be with,” I snap, unable to help myself.

“No,” he says. “You don’t.”

I shake my head and take a step away. “Since you’re home now, I’ll be leaving. I’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Leia,” he says, sounding every bit as angry as I feel. What right does he have to be angry with me when he’s the one fucking around?

I slam his door closed before rushing down the stairs. I try to keep my mind off him being with Eleanor, but I can’t. All I can think about is everything I want, everything he’s giving to someone else.