The Mafia Nanny (Davina & Gabriel) Novel Read Online

Chapter 7 - The Mafia Nanny (Davina & Gabriel) Novel Free

“Want to know something weird?”

She nodded slowly.

“While I was with Gabriel, he made me feel safe, absolutely, and completely safe. For that moment, I was his woman and every other man knew not to even come near his possession.”

“I wasn’t worrying about other people laying a fi**ger on you. I was worrying about him and what he could do to you,” she stated solemnly.

Davina

The sun was bright and the sky clear blue, dotted with fluffy clouds when I arrived at the tall black gates of Gabriel’s mansion. I stood and stared at the steel spikes topping the high brick wall. I wouldn’t be surprised at all, if there was electricity racing atop the wall. Certainly, they looked sharp enough to skewer any thief stupid enough to try climbing it.

Without me walking over to the intercom and identifying myself, the big gates swung open to admit me. Pulling my suitcase along, I strolled past the cultured garden towards the huge double doors.

There seemed to be no one around, or any visible surveillance cameras and it gave the imp**ssion the compound was without security, but I believed my every step was watched. A quick dart of my head in certain directions twice revealed the tail end of a dark suit, and a glistening pair of black shoes. There was intense security. Everywhere. They’d just been trained to ensure visitors didn’t notice them.

It made me grow strangely wary of the man who’d made me catch fire yesterday. Yesterday seemed a lifetime ago. I had viewed the job like a ripe plum. It intrigued me. Would I be able to make the little girl talk again? I came here full of confidence and professionalism.

And I’d lost it all in his study.

Charlotte’s warning rang in my ear. Somehow, the danger seemed even more real today. Before it’d been dimmed by my sole focus on the interview and its outcome. I took a deep breath and tightened my hold on the handle of my suitcase.

This would just be my residence for a bit and for a bit, its owner would be my master, perhaps even in more ways than I currently wanted to consider. I didn’t allow myself to think further about it, but it was always there at the back of my mind. Subtle, but growing.

If things got complicated, I could always leave. I was free to walk away any time I wanted, but a voice in my head taunted. Are you really? It’s true. I already felt more like a prisoner to Gabriel’s lust than his employee.

Brain came from the side of the house and walked up to me. There was no smile on his face. His thick muscles bulged against his badly cut suit. He looked more thug like than ever. He limited his greeting to a simple phrase, “Got any more bags?”

“No.”

He reached for my bag and I let him have it.

He didn’t wheel it, but carried it as if it weighed nothing. It looked very small compared to his great bulk. He unlocked the front door using a keypad.

“Can I get the code?” I asked.

“I have no instructions about that,” he answered blandly.

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea for me to have it if I’m going to care for Michele?”

“I have no instructions about that.”

I knew at that point I wasn’t going to get anything out of him that wasn’t part of his “instructions” and I had no intention of doing battle with him. Gabriel would have to talk to him about giving me some leeway. How could I be spontaneous with Michele, if I had to clear every outing with Brain? Obviously, I needed some limits, but I also needed Gabriel to trust me. If I couldn’t get that, well, I wouldn’t last as a nanny no matter how much Michele wanted me to stay.

Brain turned me over to the housekeeper, Mrs. Margot Henderson. She was the female counterpart to Brain in the facial exp**ssion department. Margot’s face looked as if a smile might break it. She nodded stiffly and immediately took me on a tour of the house. There appeared to be no one around and our footsteps were loud on the polished floors.

It was the second time I was seeing it, but one did not simply get used to the grandiosity of such a house. Unlike the previous day though, I could now soak it all in. At the pillars soaring up to the innately carved ceiling, the red runner carpet on the marble staircase, the elegant chandeliers that flowed down like waterfalls of shining light. Every crystal confirming in my mind, if there had been any shred of doubt, the incredible wealth of the owner.

If Gabriel wanted people to think he had money, he had definitely succeeded. Everywhere I looked, I found nothing but grandeur and beauty. Unique works of art and massive paintings filled the walls. From the grand piano to a massive library filled with books from floor to ceiling, the house was magnificent. Margot kept up a running commentary. After the orangery, which was breathtakingly beautiful, I was shown to a heated swimming pool. I gasped at the walls which were floor to ceiling aquariums filled with colorful fish. I wondered what they would be like at night when the lights were on.

I noticed I wasn’t taken to Gabriel’s office and I wondered if he was even home. I didn’t really care. I was here to take care of Michele and if I could find out why she had stopped speaking.

I met the butler, Mr. Boris Orlov and some of the staff. There were at least fifteen, and there was no way I could remember all their foreign names or faces.

The kitchen was modern and spacious, and I was introduced to the Chef. I could only hope his cooking was considerably better than his almost hostile demeanor. Did Gabriel take tea? None of your business, Davina.

As we passed a set of double doors, Mrs. Henderson nodded toward them and informed me that they led to Mr. Angelini’s suite a floor above.

I showed no exp**ssion, but my mind started imagining all kinds of things. What was behind those doors? A ten-foot bed, five feet off the floor? A gold tub? More silk shirts than a Savile Row tailor? The latest music system?

In a way, I wished I could see, but then again I really didn’t want to know if there were mirrors in the ceiling, or cameras in the corners. The thought made me shudder. Gabriel wasn’t above forcing a k**s on a woman. No, better I didn’t know about his lair.

I had a horrible thought then.

What if he brought his women back here and I was forced to meet them or converse politely with them. I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t feel like admitting it even to myself, but the disturbing truth was I was wildly jealous of any woman who might touch Gabriel.

Davina

Eventually, I was shown to Michele’s room. The young girl lived in a suite of rooms. Her bedroom was designed for a princess, and somehow that felt totally appropriate. She also had a closet; hers was filled with many formal designer clothes. There was an activities room filled with toys and books. In the room was everything I would need to teach Michele. Desk, whiteboard, books, a laptop. In one corner, I noticed a keyboard and I wondered if Michele played. Music might provide a way to break through the girl’s silence.

“Where is Michele?” I asked.

“She is attending classes downstairs. You will meet her later.”

The tour ended in my bedroom.

“Mr. Angelini wanted you to lodge just down the hallway from Michele,” Mrs. Henderson informed me.

The room was everything I could have ever hoped for. Tall windows invited in the blue skies of the elite neighborhood and the charm of London. A huge bed with lots of pillows, a heavenly Jacuzzi bath almost as big as the bed. A cream and gold walk-in closet that I could have happily moved into. My few possessions were going to look very sparse in there. There was a desk by the window that provided a lovely view of the garden behind the house.

I could see that Brain had already deposited my bag next to the door.

“I will leave you to unpack. Zelda, Mr. Angelini’s Head Personal Assistant will be along shortly with your schedule.”

I thanked her and she sl*pped away quietly. For a while, I did no more than sit on the luxurious bed and breathe in the sheer elegance of the space and the dreams that it promised.

It didn’t take me long to unpack. I reasoned it would make my getaway easy if necessary and if I needed more, I could always return to my apartment and get more. As I hung my clothes up, I sort of regretted that I didn’t bring at least one elegant dress. Just in case, I had to take Michele somewhere formal. Everything I had packed was work clothes. No seduction wear since I was pretty sure I would never be able to seduce him, anyway. He seemed like the kind who took what he wanted.

I would have to keep in mind always that I was hired help, nothing more. I hoped Margot was on my side, and if I were lucky maybe in time, I would get the nod from Brain too. He seemed like a tough nut though.

The knock on the door was brisk.

“Come in,” I called, running my hands down my sk**t.