Terms of Service (6 page)

“Okay, girls,” Gavin began brightly.  “Hop in and hook those seat belts.  I’ll grab your bags and we’ll be off.”  The girls clamored into the back seat without even giving their father a backward glance or meager goodbye and the door was closed behind them.  “I didn’t think they needed to see that,” he commented to Hannah.  She was standing there numbly, arms wrapped around her body.  She watched as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.  It looked like he tried in vain to control himself.  Hannah watched in fascination as he opened them and sighed. 

“Come here,” he murmured, drawing Hannah into his outstretched arms and cradling her against his chest.  “It’s going to be fine.  We’re going to go have a lovely dinner then I have a surprise for you at home.”

Letting his warmth wash over her, Hannah closed her eyes and drew in his strength.  Before she knew it, her arms were wrapped around his back, her hands hooked over his shoulders.  Somehow, it felt right, but the newness of it forced her to reluctantly draw away.  “Shall I introduce you?”  She smiled a bit.

“I’d expect nothing less of you,” Gavin said.  Then looping her hand through the crook of his arm, he led her to where her ex stood with the stripper and watched.

Chapter Five

It was just after seven when they arrived home.  Hannah loved the sound of the word.  With a little money and a lot of work the place would even start to look and feel like a home.  She smiled as she thought about the changes she planned on instituting as they pulled up to the front door.  Once again, Gavin stopped her as she tried to get out of the car without waiting for him.

“Stop,” he said in mock exasperation.

“I thought it was only in public,” she apologized.

Shaking his head seriously he said, “No.  Always.”  He paused as he tried to figure out how to explain it to her.  “It isn’t about you being weak, or me trying to take away your independence.  It’s about me showing you my respect.  Let me, okay?”

Hannah had accepted the hand he offered her.  As she stepped out onto the cobbled drive, she looked into his eyes.  He was staring at her so intently that it made her shiver.

“Are you cold?”  He wrapped an arm around her.

“We’re ten feet from the door,” she commented.  Then her eyebrow arched wickedly.  “But if I claim to be cold will you give me your jacket?”

Gavin threw his head back and laughed.  “Normally, I would, but for now I was thinking I might start a fire in the study.”  He glanced at his watch.  “Can you have the girls in bed and meet me there in about forty-five minutes?”

She quirked her head to the side to examine him for a moment, wondering what he wanted, gave up, and acquiesced.  “Sure, plenty of time.”  Then, walking as briskly as her body would allow, she herded the girls up to their room.

Half an hour later, after Rory and Zoe had bathed in her enormous tub and been dried in thick towels warmed on her heated towel bar.  They had brushed teeth, combed hair, and put on the palest of pink pajamas, before they climbed onto their mother’s bed to hear a story.  

***

This was where Gavin found them.  He had paced impatiently, watching the clock, wondering what was taking so long before finally breaking down and rushing up the stairs two at a time.

He had paused first outside of their bedroom door, half expecting to hear screaming children objecting to going to bed.  To his considerable surprise, the room was vacant.  With a great deal of trepidation, he managed to drag himself down the hall to her room.  The double doors were flung wide open and they were all on Hannah’s bed, nestled amongst the pillows as she read them a story.

At first he thought he would just slink back down the stairs, but he was quickly enthralled by the sound of Hannah’s voice as she read a story to her girls.  It was a story he had never read before, though he was more than a little familiar with the title:
The Little Prince.
              As he neared the door, he realized she was just beginning the story; he had missed nothing more than the dedication.

“
Once when I was a little boy,”
she began.

That was all it took.  He was hooked.  She read with passion.  As spellbound as he was, he forgot why he had come.  All he knew was he
needed
to listen to her read this story.  It was as though his very life depended on it.  Before he realized it, she was done for the night.

“Okay ladies,” she said affectionately, “tomorrow night we pick up where we left off.”  She gingerly lifted each girl from the bed, wincing at times, then hugged her and spun her toward the door.  “Time to go to your room to sleep.  I have to meet Gavin downstairs.”

Feeling sheepish, Gavin tried to make a hasty retreat.  Naturally he was spotted.  Rory was smiling at him and offered a little wave.  Placing a finger over his lips, he slowly backed away and rushed to the study.  The fire was going really well.  Sierra would be here any time to set up.  He closed his eyes.  And soon after, Hannah would be lying naked on the massage table.  He squeezed his eyes even more tightly shut, trying not to picture the image.  It was no good.  Hannah naked was all he could imagine.  Turning away from the fire, he sighed.

“You wanted to see me,” Hannah said poking her head in the door.

He nearly groaned audibly.  Interesting choice of words.  Of course he wanted to see her.  That was precisely what he was imagining.  Instead he pulled himself together and tried to maintain a professional manner as he grabbed the robe he had lying over the back of the nearest leather chair.

“This is for you.  You’ll need to undress and come back down wearing only that.”  He passed her the robe and watched in surprise as her eyes narrowed.

“Huh,” she began, licking her lips as she prepared to give him a tongue-lashing.  “That didn’t take long.”

“What?”  He asked, genuinely confused.

“I know what you must think of me, the way I negotiated my stay in our terms of service, and my pay, the way I moved in with a complete stranger.  I’m sure you’ll find it hard to believe I’m not that type of girl.”  She folded her arms across her chest angrily.

“And just what type of girl is that?”  Instantly, he realized what she was thinking and tried to hide his laughter.  “So, you’re not the type of girl who likes a massage when she injures her back?”  He raised his eyebrows in challenge.

She swallowed.  From the look on her face, he could see this had become one of those awkward moments.  The swallowing?  It was her pride.  “A massage?”  She asked weakly.  “This is about a massage?”

“Yes, Hannah,” Gavin said.  “A woman will be here in a few minutes to give you a massage.”  He watched her emotions radically change and was pleased he was the one pampering her and making her so happy.

Hannah squealed. Never one to hide her feelings, she crossed the distance between them to throw her arms around him and plant a kiss on his cheek.  “Thank you,” she said, wincing some as she pulled back.  “I’ve never had a massage before.”  Then she walked toward the stairs, leaving Gavin to stand there in surprise, lightly touching the spot where she had planted her grateful impromptu kiss.

By the time she returned, Sierra had arrived and set up in the study.  Moments after introducing them, Gavin excused himself so he might enjoy a glass of wine and relax on the patio.  He stretched some before the outdoor fireplace and tried not to think about what was happening in his study and how much he would prefer to be there.  It was no use.  He had seen Hannah hesitantly enter the room wearing only a bathrobe as he spoke to Sierra.

Her bare feet, slender ankles and part of her shapely calves were left exposed beneath the white robe.  Upon seeing him standing there, a shade of pink crept into her cheeks.  He had excused himself then, slipping out one of the French doors onto the patio with his wine.

Scowling at him, Sierra shooed him away as Hannah dropped the robe and climbed under the sheet on the table.  He felt like a naughty schoolboy.  Part of him wanted to give her the massage himself, put into practice his unused skills, and touch her.  He wanted to feel her skin beneath his hands, see it glisten with the oils he would knead into her sore muscles, feel it warm to his touch.  He wanted to hear her moan in pleasure, which was precisely what prevented him from acting on his desires.

How many times today had he had to remind himself she was supposed to be punished and humiliated so he could recover from his divorce, get women out of his system once and for all?  It was no use.  Every time he looked at Hannah, he found himself desiring her, admiring her even.  He sighed.  Glancing at his watch, he realized she was only fifteen minutes into her massage.

Standing, he moved toward the French doors he had exited earlier.  They still stood open.  He couldn’t help it.  He had to at least watch.  Slowly, silently, he slipped into the room and moved to one of the leather chairs near the fireplace.  Careful not to make a sound, he sat and put a finger to his lips as Sierra frowned at him.  He was paying her.  If he wanted to be in the room, he damn well should be able to.  Leaning back, he watched in fascination.

“You are very tense,” Sierra commented as she rubbed the area between Hannah’s shoulder blades, the area that Hannah had so diligently tried to stretch out after her near accident on the stairs.

Emitting a light laugh, Hannah responded.  “I’m not surprised.”  

“Let me know if I hurt you,” Sierra commanded as she pressed extra hard, working to relieve the tension in Hannah’s taut shoulders.

Gavin leaned forward and watched.  Hannah’s knuckles tensed.  She was most definitely in pain.  He could see her bottom lip as she bit down on it.  Still she refused to complain.  Instead, she lay there and took what was being dealt.  He was fascinated.  This was a woman who wouldn’t easily be broken, probably because she was used to hurt.  He sank deeply in his seat.  He really needed to ponder what he had seen.  This could change everything.

***

It was their second day living together, one day before Hannah would be expected to report to Gavin’s office for work.  She felt the need to accomplish as much as possible in what time she had.  Rising early, she showered and woke the girls for breakfast.  To her delight, there was plenty of food in the kitchen.  Normally on a Sunday, she would cook a big breakfast of eggs, home fries, toast or cinnamon rolls, and hot chocolate.  She smiled.  There would be time for it next week.  Now she had to grab some cereal and find the nearest Lowe’s or Home Depot.

There were at least a few items she knew she needed immediately.  Walking purposefully around the store, she picked up the spackle she would require to fix the holes, some sand paper, and the spackle spreader thingy.  So what if she didn’t know every tool’s proper name.  She had watched enough home improvement shows she knew what she was doing.

Finally, she and the girls were in the area which would require the greatest amount of time: the paint department.  Initially she had hoped to go with something similar to the beachfront homes she had cleaned as a teenager in Wilmington, but she knew Gavin’s house was far too formal for her to simply wainscot the walls and paint a shade of pale sky blue.

Frowning, she thought about how her room should be Gavin’s.  If she did a nice enough job on it, maybe he would be able to use it when she left.  Smiling, she picked a tinted Venetian plaster.  She’d make this room grand enough to be the master bedroom as it was intended.  Confident in her choice, she moved to the next aisle and found curtain rod assemblies and curtains.  After a trip to
Bed, Bath and Beyond
she’d really be in business.

As she went through the checkout, however, she began to fill with one nagging doubt.  She wasn’t entirely certain of her ability to install the plaster.

“Wow,” the woman running the register exclaimed, “I’ve heard this can be a bit tricky.  Are you doing it yourself?”  She gestured to the plaster.

Biting her lower lip, Hannah answered, “I’m not really sure yet.”

“Well,” the woman began, “when in doubt, call in an expert.”  With a flick of her wrist she had directed Hannah to the expert board where craftsmen posted business cards attesting to their given skills.

Selecting one for Joe’s Handyman Service, she studied the card.  He claimed to be an expert at a variety of trades, including working with the plaster in question.  Glancing at her watch, Hannah decided any craftsman worth his salt would be taking calls by ten on a Sunday, unless of course, he was at church.

Using the pay phone, it rang twice before he picked up.  As soon as he was given the address and the impression there was a lot of work to be done if he gave a fair estimate and was ready to start that day, Joe agreed to meet her at the house after lunch.  Everything was moving along very smoothly.  In fact, the only downside she could see was Gavin hadn’t actually given her a budget.

***

Pacing the study was becoming an ugly part of his life.  Or, at least, it had since she moved in.  There, he was finally working up to some anger.  That’s what he needed.  How does she take off with the girls and not leave a note or any indication where she was going or when she would be back?  A permanent scowl seemed to have taken residence on his face.  She had no cell phone, so he couldn’t call her.  She had a vehicle he suspected was unreliable at best.  What if she broke down?  Did she even have this number in case of an emergency?

Just as he seemed likely to wear a path in the hardwood floor, he heard the sound of the front door opening and the girls rushing happily up the stairs, presumably to their rooms.  When he opened the door, he found Hannah making a second trip in from the vehicle with more supplies.

Before she could take her light jacket off, he was growling at her.  “Where have you been?”  He demanded.

Immediately her eyebrow arched defensively.  “Today is Sunday.  My day off, as I recall.”  She planted her hands on her hips and eyed him angrily.

Under the weight of her reproachful stare, Gavin shifted uneasily.  “Yes,” he said more quietly.

“Am I to report to you even on my day off?”  She challenged.

He was defeated.  He had overreacted and he knew it.  Did she have to rub it in?  “No,” he said slowly.  He saw her soften some, confident of her position.  He cleared his throat and straightened.  “It is just common courtesy when people live together to let the other people know where they are going and when they can be expected home.”  He stared at her evenly.  “I mean, you don’t have a cell, and who knows when that vehicle of yours might quit on you.  How do I know when to worry?”  He swallowed hard after his admission and balled his fists in frustration.  Maybe she wouldn’t notice.