get paid $1,000 every week. All I had to do was pay my bills with the money. I was finally free and independent. Good. I was tired of getting sarcasm from my parents every time I talked to them.
“Welcome, Miss Lucas. I’m tentatively glad to have you on board for the next month.” Mr. Freeman shook my hand. When I looked down at his bright, shining cufflinks, I noticed an inky tip peeking from under his sleeve.
Tattoos? On the senator? Interesting.
“You’re expected to be moved in by next week so we can get Frankie acclimated to her new schedule and work out any kinks.”
“Do you have a lot of kinks, Mr. Freeman?” I quizzed, looking up at him. I liked watching him get flustered with me. I was already in there for at least one month so it wasn’t like he could fire me.
“Xari,” Navy scolded under her breath. A smile stretched across my face at how flushed Mr. Freeman got. He adjusted the knot in his tie even though there was nothing wrong with it. It was, as usual, a perfect Windsor knot that looked like it was secured by the fingers of God.
“What? I’m just playing. I’m sure Mr. Freeman has zero kinks.” I rolled my eyes at my sister and looked from her to Mr. Freeman.
“What the heck have I gotten myself into for the next month?”
“What the heck, indeed,” I laughed. “Who says heck though?”
“I do,” he frowned.
“I know what kind of words you really want to use, Mr. Freeman,” I teased, leaning over his desk. His dutiful cocoa eyes fixed on mine and refused to take a trip down my cleavage. I had it on display too. My floral Chloe wrap dress took a plunge. I made sure it was tasteful but no man in his right mind would ignore my tits.
“Anyway,” he huffed. “I know Frankie will be over the moon.”
“I can’t wait to pick her up from school.” I stood up from the desk and looked at Navy. I had to go shopping with her soon. She was getting stuck in an all-black rut and it wasn’t doing her any favors. The black pencil skirt and black blouse she wore was so plain it was giving me a headache.
Navy was much curvier than me. She had a body most of these girls on Instagram paid top dollar for. It was always hit or miss with her flaunting it the way she should have though. Some days she nailed it with skirts and dresses that cinched her small waist and accentuated her full hips and breasts but other days she looked like she got dressed in the dark. Not everyone could ooze style and luxury like me but if people were going to know we were sisters, she needed to at least dress like it.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen you so happy, Xari.” Nave smoothed my dress at the shoulders.
“I am happy, huh?” I tossed my arm around her and smiled. Even though Navy and I were the same height, I shot over her head a little in the heels I had on. Mr. Freeman’s eye dropped to my shoes then traveled up my legs leaving behind unavoidable heat. “I can’t believe I actually like a twelve-year-old. Frankie is the coolest kid I’ve ever met, to be honest.”
“She is pretty awesome,” Mr. Freeman smiled while looking at his daughter’s picture on the desk. “So, Miss Lucas, I need you to head home and get things ready for Frankie. I’d also like to see the schedule for the week and then the month, which should include all meals you plan to cook so I can budget accordingly.”
Navy gave us a polite smile before heading back to her desk, leaving me alone with her boss. Well, he was our boss now. I smoothed a strand of hair back into my puff and moved closer to Mr. Freeman’s desk.
“Hey, um…do you think you could teach me how to do that?” I asked, keeping my voice down.
“Teach you how to do what, Miss Lucas? I wouldn’t have thought there’d be a thing you didn’t know how to do given your impressive academics throughout school.”
“Can you teach me how to set up a budget? My parents had me set up mock budgets before so the concept isn’t missed on me.”
“Then what’s the problem?” He gave me his undivided attention. His brown eyes held onto mine without faltering once. Trustworthiness dripped from him.