The Nanny

Chapter 1

By the time Queen arrived to Kyrie Emerson's gated mansion, it was already half past noon. Since her Uber driver had arrived late, blamed it on the summer heatwave, and drove straight into traffic, Queen suffered a major setback. She was supposed to meet with Kyrie half an hour ago. She couldn't imagine what he would think of her since she had the audacity to show up late on her first day of work, but she imagined it wasn't anything good as she approached the gate.

Queen pulled her shirt even further past her midriff, brought her hand up to the ringer and then waited for a response. When a woman answered through the intercom, demanding her name and reason for being at the Emerson residence, she responded by saying, "I'm the new nanny, Queen Valentine."

She was met with silence for a long moment. Thinking she didn't hear her, she opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could utter another word, she was granted access to the other side. The gates opened for her, and cautiously, she walked along the driveway, following the path to the double door entrance. It was already opened when she arrived.

"Welcome to the Emerson residence," a woman standing in the foyer greeted. She pointed to the backpack thrown over Queen's arm and gestured for her to take it off. "As a safety precaution for the boys, we must check your bag. I hope you understand."

"Absolutely," she reluctantly said. She handed her backpack off to the older woman and watched her unzip each compartment.

"Mr. Emerson is not happy that you are late. He has to leave soon, so let's hope that he is in a better mood now that the boys are down for a nap." The woman handed the bag back to Queen and began walking toward the grand staircase. She passed it and entered the kitchen instead, making a beeline for the coffeemaker. "My name is Mallory. I'm the one who interviewed you. Usually we don't allow our nannies to start before passing a background check, but Mr. Emerson had some last minute plans, so I called you in today."

Concerned, Queen frowned at Mallory. "This is all alright with Mr. Emerson?"

"You'll be calling me Kyrie."

When Queen looked up at the man who had spoken, her breath caught in her throat. He stood still in the threshold of the kitchen and foyer, posing in all of his glory with his arms crossed over his chest. The stubble along his jaw appeared light and gray, indicating that he had recently shaved. His deep almond complexion was vibrant under the luminescent lights of the kitchen, and his penetrating eyes, as dark as onyx, were staring at her intently.

His slim fit button down exposed the muscles moving in his arms as he adjusted his tie and then moved toward Queen. Her eyes dropped down to his slacks and then the black shoes he was wearing. She wasn't intimidated by him, but she didn't want to look at him either, especially with such cold eyes boring into her.

"I'd scold you for being late, but since the car you arrived in drove off, I'm assuming you require ride share." He didn't wait for confirmation before continuing. "As long as you're employed, you will have a safe form of transportation. I trust you to be in contact with my drivers at all times, especially when you are with my boys."

"What are the hours that I'm needed?"

He glared at Mallory. "You haven't discussed that with her?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could defend herself, Kyrie dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Come to my study," he ordered Queen. She followed at a safe distance as he walked out of the kitchen and made his way through the mansion.

Every wall was adorned with decorative art. The majority of the work had been done with crayons and markers, depicting the boys and their father. It made Queen smile just the slightest as they passed the framed works of art.