Mr. Wolfe was driving us out of state to take Lark to his mom. Apparently, she gets him on weekends. When she's in town, that is.
"So..." I trailed off, really wanting to ask him why they had a child together, but weren't together. Don't get me wrong; I don't find it odd. I'm just kinda nosey. "It's nice out today, huh?"
"That cannot be what you were going to say." He glanced over at me, before looking back, the morning sunlight outlining his jawline. "You've been wanting to say something since we got into the car this morning."
"Why do you drive him there? Why doesn't she pick him up?" I let my question slip out before even thinking about it after being prompted.
He looked into the rearview mirror. "I would rather be with my son as long as possible."
"Make sense." I nodded. "Cool, cool." I looked down at my hands in my lap. "So, your ex...is she nice?"
"What do you think?"
I looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, um. I don't know. You've told me nothing about her."
"I want to hear what you imagine my life was like."
"I feel like this is a really bad idea..." I looked back out at the road. "I don't like to make judgments about people."
"Pretend this is part of your job; you have my express permission."
"Fine." I took a deep breath. "You two have a kid together, so you probably spent some time together. I'm guessing it's not a one-night stand, since you haven't brought home any girls yet. Or maybe you used to until you accidentally ended up with a kid." I tried to reason it out, not really coming to any conclusion. "You don't seem to like her much, by your earlier response, so things didn't end off well. She's probably not the most responsible person, since you ended up with the main custody of your son." I paused, waiting to see if he'd tell me if I got anything right.
"You really think I get around a lot, huh?" He chuckled.
"You seem like the playboy bachelor type, for sure." I cracked a smile. "You're very attractive."
He gasped exaggeratedly. "Lark, close your ears."
"Hey." I held my hands up. "I didn't do anything." I looked back at Lark, who was currently on the iPad, not at all paying attention to our conversation.
"So? Did I get anything right? About my assumptions of your ex?"
"No. Not even close. Way too T.V. movie" He smiled.
"All of it?" I looked over at him. "Even the part about custody?"
"She..." He lowered his voice. "Never really wanted kids."
I looked back at Lark sadly. "That's too bad to hear. Lark is an angel."
"He really is."
"I'm sorry." I placed my hand on Mr. Wolfe's hand resting on the console.
"Thank you for coming, Lili."
"I'm still on the clock." I shrugged with a smile. "I'm supposed to do whatever you tell me to when I am, remember?"
"I'm glad you remember." He smirked, glancing over in my direction.
We chatted for the rest of the trip, mostly talking about what Lark and I had been doing the last few days. Eventually we arrived at his ex's mansion. I stayed in the car while Mr. Wolfe took Lark to the door with his overnight backpack, mostly filled with his new favorite toys. Mr. Wolfe returned to the car after a few minutes.
"I have plans for us tonight. We have to buy you a dress first though."
"A--a dress?" I looked over at him in surprise.
He nodded. "A ballgown, to be specific."
I smiled slightly. "Kinda sounds fun. I never went to my prom."
"Not exactly a prom, though you might wish it was."
I rolled my eyes, before leaning forward with a smirk. "You ever gonna back up all this talk, or is it just a game to you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
I pouted, batting my eyelashes. "Really? No clue?"
"None whatsoever." He smiled.
----
Watching Mr. Wolfe in the mirror, I unzipped the dress and slipped it to the ground, stepping out of it. I picked the dress up from the floor and hung it back on the hanger before grabbing the next one and putting it on. I walked over and knelt down in front of him and had him lace me up into it.
"I think this is the one." I looked at myself in the mirror as I stood up before turning around to face him. "What do you think?"
"I think I preferred you without the dress." He smiled at me. "Although the dress is nice."
"Only nice?" I turned around to face him once more.
"I think I was just a bit spoilt by the other view." He got up from the chair and stepped forward, placing his hand on my shoulder. "The dress looks great on you, Lili."
"Thank you." I smiled, looking up at him. He was a good half a foot taller than me. "I hope you live up to your expectations for the night."
He stepped even closer, wrapping his arm around my waist, his hand resting on my lower back. "I'm sure you will."
My stomach did somersaults being this close to him. I could smell his manly cologne, inhaling his scent. "Mr--Mr. Wolfe..."
"Hmmm?" He hummed, raising an eyebrow.
"I--I..." I trailed off, trying to find words. I wanted him to bend me over the chair a fuck me here and now, but I knew that would ruin what little we had as a business relationship. "Are we going to buy this dress?"
"Unless there is something else you'd like to try on?"
I shook my head. "I love this dress."
"Well, then, let's go to the checkout." He stepped back, allowing me to breathe again.
----
Mr. Wolfe held my gloved hand, guiding me to our seats in the theater. I had never been to an official production of anything, much less an opera, but I was interested to see how tonight would go. Admittedly, I was surprised that Mr. Wolfe would bring me along, but maybe he just didn't have anyone else, or he wanted to try to do something nice.
The night was long, but enjoyable just being in his presence. Occasionally he'd reach over and ask me how I was doing or squeeze my hand gently. It was sweet.
Eventually, the opera ended, and we headed out of the building. It made me nervous being around so many people, but I tried to just focus on leaving and not having a panic attack.
"We're going to go out to dinner with some of my friends." Mr. Wolfe spoke up once we were in the car. I was more than interested to find out about his friends.
----
The home of Mr. Wolfe's friend was gorgeous, but decently far from the city, so I was starving as I hadn't eaten yet. Eventually, after Mr. Wolfe chatted with him and his wife, we were seated at the dining room table under a gorgeous chandelier.
"Your house is truly gorgeous." I smiled softly at the older couple. They seemed to at least be in their sixties, if not older. I didn't know how they had become friends, but I was curious.
"Thank you, darling." The old woman, introduced as Annie, smiled widely. "We've worked very hard to make it that way."
"I can only imagine." I nodded. I watched as our soup was set in front of us. I thanked the lord for the food, not wanting to wait any longer than I needed to. "Thank you." I thanked the man who set it down in front of me. I waited for someone else to start eating before I started, not wanting to be rude. "So good." I spoke under my breath.
Mr. Wolfe reached down and squeezed my leg through the tulle of the dress. I looked over at him and smiled slightly. He was so handsome.
"So, Marco. You brought a beautiful woman with you. You're a lucky man, as always." I was uncertain of why the man called it out so bluntly. Maybe he usually wasn't accompanied by women.
"Ever the curious one aren't you, Samuel?" He looked over at him.
I smiled slightly. "I'm his new nanny. I take care of Lark."
"Lark is such a sweet little boy." Annie nodded, a large smile on her face. "You seem like a very nice young lady; I'm sure you do a great job."
"Lark really seems to like her." Mr. Wolfe agreed, causing me to look over at him with a smile. Hopefully by now he didn't hate me for messing up the rug anymore.
"Marco, how is Margaret doing?" Samuel asked. I remembered Mr. Wolfe said that was his ex's name.
"She hasn't really changed, so I guess everything is fine." He shrugged casually, swirling his wine before drinking it. I could already tell he didn't want to talk about her.
"Is Lark with her now?" Annie asked.
"Unfortunately."
"Poor boy deserves a better mother." Annie glanced over at me, causing my face to heat up.
"A less spiteful one, perhaps."
"And maybe one that actually wants a kid." I quietly added, shirking down as Mr. Wolfe looked over at me. He smiled slightly, causing me to sit back up straight.
"Are you planning on remarrying?" Annie asked.
"I suppose if I find someone special enough."
"True love?" Annie laughed quietly.
Mr. Wolfe shrugged. "Something like that."
"How did you find Lili?" Samuel asked.
"I put a job listing out, and she showed up at my office. She was the only competent person that I had spoken to all day." He winked at me.
"Well, I'm glad the boy likes her." Annie laughed. "God only knows that he drove that other woman crazy."
"I can't imagine anyone not loving Lark." I spoke up, truly meaning it. "He has such a good heart." I watched as the people came back I the room taking out soup bowls and returning with a plate of meat.
"Duck." Mr. Wolfe answered my silent question. I nodded, waiting once more for someone to dig in before I did so.
----
I stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around myself, and walking out into my room to find Mr. Wolfe sitting on the bed waiting for me. "Sorry if I took a while." I apologized. "I like long showers."
He waved me off. "It's no issue."
"Thank you for tonight." I smiled. "I've never got to do anything like that before. It was fun." As a middle-class girl getting to watch the opera with some of the best seats and then have a five-course meal of perfection afterwards, I felt like the luckiest person to live.
"I was happy to have you by my side." He stood up from the bed.
"That means a lot to me." I tucked my hair behind my ear.
"You definitely made today a lot more bearable."
"Mr. Wolfe-"
"Call me Marco." He interrupted me.
"Mar--Marco." I looked down, not sure where I wanted this to go. Well, I knew what I wanted, just wasn't sure if I should allow myself to do that. "Are you sure I can call you that? You are my boss, afterall."
"I'm sure HR wouldn't mind." He chuckled.
"I'm sure HR would mind all your flirting." I titled my head to the side slightly.
He gave a look of mock shock. "You'd report me to HR?"
I laughed. "Never. It'll be our little secret."
He stepped forward, burying his hand in my wet hair and pulling me up to kiss him. His tongue dipped into my mouth. I liked the taste of him, it was slightly sweet. He stepped back and walked out of the room, leaving me in shock and feeling numb, wanting more.