로그인**Leylie’s POV**I was still standing in the middle of the room, staring at the closed door, when Maya ran out of the room like she’d been waiting behind it the whole time. She rushed toward me, eyes wide and face lit with pure excitement.“Why were you guys so quiet?” she demanded, throwing her hands up. “I had to press my ear to the door so hard I think I gave myself a headache, and I still couldn’t hear a damn thing! So spill, sis, what did he want? Because holy crap, Ley, that man is fine. Like, the-house-is-on-fire-and-I’m-not-calling-911 fine. I forgot how to breathe for a second when he looked at me.”"Maya!" I hissed, though I couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips."What? I have eyes, and I can see! He looks like he was sculpted by an artist who only paints billionaires. Now tell me, what did he want?"I took a deep breath, still trying to wrap my head around it. “He offered me a job. He wants me to be his daughter’s nanny. Forty thousand dollars a month… and he sai
**Leylie’s POV**"Ava’s nanny?" I repeated the words in a whisper that barely sounded like my voice. My brain felt like it was glitching, struggling to process what he’d just said.I didn't expect this at all.“Yes,” Hayes said, leaning forward slightly and clasping his hands over his knee. Every move he made was so composed, like he’d rehearsed it a hundred times in his head. “She already has someone who looks after her, but honestly, Ava doesn’t connect with her. She’s just tolerating the woman. I’ve been looking for someone she would actually warm up to, and she hasn’t stopped talking about you since that night at the hotel. I think you’re the right person for the job.”I sat there dumbfounded, my mouth opening and closing like a fish.Me as a nanny? I loved kids; I adored them, really, but I didn’t have any real experience.“Sir, I don’t think I’m the right person for this,” I said, voice trembling slightly. “I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve worked retail, I’ve… wor
**Hayes’ POV**I haven’t been myself since last night. After Red ran out of that private room, I stayed seated for what felt like forever, waiting for my body to calm down. Walking through a crowded club with an obvious erection wasn’t exactly an option.How could a woman I barely knew affect me this much? Did I want to have sex with her? Hell yes! I knew she wanted it too; she’d said she’d never kissed a client before. So why me? Was it real, or was it just part of the job to keep the big spender coming back?My mind doesn’t usually spin like this. I’m the man who knows what he wants, when he wants it, and exactly how to get it. I don’t second-guess. I don’t get rattled. Yet here I was—distracted, edgy, unable to focus on anything else.I decided today was the day I’d find Leylie Field. That was the plan. If I located her, I’d have no more excuses to keep going back to the Beehive. I told myself this was about Ava; she’d been giving me those long, accusing looks for days because I ha
**Leylie’s POV**"Last night was intense, huh?"I spun around so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet. Maya leaned against the doorframe of our shared bedroom, looking way too awake for a Saturday morning. She had this calm, knowing look on her face that instantly twisted my stomach.“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady as I turned back to the mirror and picked up my body cream."I mean, between you and Grace, the drama, the yelling, the whole thing."I froze, the bottle of body cream in my hands. "What? You heard us?""Who wouldn't?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “You guys were loud. Like, neighbors-might-call-the-cops loud.”I shook my head and went back to rubbing cream into my skin, cheeks heating up. “I’m sorry. I thought you were asleep. We didn’t mean to wake you.”“So you really didn’t know Grace was in love with you?"That stopped me cold. I set the bottle down and turned to face her fully. “You knew?”“Of course,” she said casually, pu
**Leylie’s POV**I couldn’t look at her. The second Grace said his name, Hayes Doyle, her face twisted with a mix of horror and betrayal that made my stomach drop. I stared down at the rug, tracing its worn threads with my eyes, shame burning hot in my chest.“Ley, you are insane. How… I don’t even get it.” Her voice shook, anger barely holding back.“He… we… he’s been coming to the club,” I whispered, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “He requested a private dance from me. He freaking gave me five grand the first time, Grace.”"So it’s about money now? You’re selling yourself to him?""It’s not about the money! It’s... I really like him, G. I know how it sounds, but I do."“Dammit, Ley!” She stepped closer, eyes flashing. “He sees you as a stripper! For God’s sake, he doesn’t know you!”I flinched hard. But I had to say it. “We kissed today. And it felt… it felt so real. He wanted me, Grace. Not just the dance. He wanted me.”“What?” Her voice went sharp, almost a shou
**Leylie’s POV**I rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me, fumbling to lock it with fingers that wouldn’t stop shaking. I pressed my back against the cold wood, chest heaving like I’d run miles, heart pounding so hard it hurt."What have I done?" I whispered into the empty room. "What the hell is wrong with me?"How could I kiss him?I buried my face in my hands and let out a silent scream of frustration. When I finally looked up at the mirror, the woman staring back looked wrecked. Lips swollen and red, lipstick smeared across my chin, cheeks flushed dark. I looked like someone who’d just been kissed senseless because I had.I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face until the sting brought me back a little. I scrubbed at the makeup, trying to make myself look normal again.My watch said half past ten. There was no way I could go home yet. I had been avoiding Grace since the night she kissed me. I didn’t know what to tell her, and I didn’t want to brea







