Ripley’s pov
I sat on a bench in the sun. It wasn’t as warm out anymore, but when the sun was shining, it was pretty nice.It was needed, this break. To clear my head, to rest. It wouldn’t work if I was down in the basement with the rest of the cleaners. All that I needed was to watch a video of my girls and feel the sun on my face, and I would be able to handle the rest of the day.It wasn’t like I needed to go back to Cas’ penthouse suite. He told me I was done, so the few hours I had left could be spent cleaning the rooms of the guest who had left today.I giggled as I watched Rose and River act silly. God, how I loved it when they acted silly. My in-laws wanted my girls to always behave, but that’s not how three-year-olds act. They dance, they make silly faces, they have tantrums, and sometimes they go into a fit of laughter for no real reason.They’re brutally honest yet loyal. I love this age, even if it comes with tantrums at times. They’re three. I mean. They’re not allowed a lot of choice, and they’re not able to regulate their emotions yet. So I have to teach them how. And it isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it.What I really wanted was to go see my girls in person, but that would only confuse them. They would think the day was over and they could come home with me. Just a few more hours, and I'll be able to cuddle with my twins.The rest of the day was fine. Heather gave me some glares and muttered some things under her breath that probably weren’t very nice. But I put my earbuds in and focused on the job.While cleaning my own house is always something I put off, cleaning other people’s rooms can calm my mind. You focus on the task at hand, doing it in the order you are used to.When I clean a toilet, for example, I can hear my dad in my head. Telling me to clean the sink first, then the walls and doors. Then the toilet, and lastly, the floor. But first, you put the toilet cleaner inside the toilet so it can work; it’s magic.I miss him, but in these moments where I remember my dad, he’s here with me. There are so many things I’ve already forgotten, but there are still some things that stay with me.That’s what I’m worried about for my girls. That they’ll have no memory of their dad. But maybe that means less grief as well.Thankfully, I would be able to tell them about Oliver, and I had plenty of pictures and videos of him, but it wouldn’t be the same.“You look sad, mommy.” Rose said she was always the observant one.My dad was still in the back of my mind when I picked the girls up from daycare. But it wasn’t just my dad that was making me sad; it was this whole situation I was in.I truly thought this job would be a break for me. A fresh start, but Cas had ruined that for me.Was I such a horrible person to him that I deserved his treatment? Or was he such a spoilt arrogant ass that he couldn’t handle a person talking back to him?And was he trying to ruin my life, or was he trying to get me to sleep with him? Or were those mutually exclusive?“I’m fine, Roro. Just tired.” I told my girl while the other was getting her jacket on.“Ice cweam?” River asked.I chuckled, “no, not today, RiRi. Can’t have ice cream every day. But we can do something fun. It’s not raining, so we could play outside."“Okay.” River answered and extended her little hand.With both girls holding one of my hands, we walked outside. For a moment, I felt like someone was staring at me, and I turned around, wanting to see if I was going crazy. This whole Cas thing was making me paranoid.Not to mention, I was always nervous if my parents-in-law would try to find us. We weren’t exactly on the run, but I did purposely move as far away as possible without telling them directly.That’s when I saw Cas staring at me and the girls. He looked like he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.Yes, I am a young mother. And yes, I never told him I had kids, but why the hell would I?“Go wave at the grumpy-looking man,” I whispered to my girls and pointed to Cas.They both cheerfully started to wave, and he reluctantly waved back before turning his body away from us.Maybe seeing me as a mom would make him treat me differently, although I doubt it. That man obviously doesn’t care about anyone but himself.After a long afternoon outside, we headed back to eat and crawl into bed together. While I usually watch a bit of TV by myself, all I wanted right now was to snuggle between my girls.Both were lying near me, their cold little feet pressing against my leg to warm them. Their warm breath against my face. God, they are cute.For them, I could do this. For them, I could endure another day of Cas’ torture. I’m sure this wouldn’t last long. Either he’d give up, or he’d make sure I got fired.“I love you, my babies.” I said before closing my eyes and falling asleep.- - - - - -He is not here!I did a little happy dance when I entered Cas’ suite and noticed he wasn’t here. Would that mean I would get to clean in peace? Maybe seeing I was a mom changed his mind.Putting my earphones in, I started cleaning right away. I began with the bathroom, like last time, but it looked like someone had already cleaned some of it.Did Cas really clean his own bathroom, or did he have two maids?Once I was done with the bathroom, I started in the bedroom, taking the sheets off while dancing to the music and singing alone.I can’t sing for shit. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. I mean, I’m not horrible. I sing songs for the girls, and they don't tell me to stop or cover their ears. But for me, it’s not about how I sound, but just about having fun.When the bedroom was finished, I headed back to the living room. The view was so amazing. It was crazy.I sang along, swinging my hips to the music as I cleaned every surface and tidied up.Until I heard a loud cough from behind me, making me stop in my tracks. Shit.Shit, shit, shit! He’s here.I turned around, my face bright red, and slowly took the earbuds out. “I apologize, Cas. I work faster with music and didn’t hear you come in.”“You lied to me.”Okay?I looked at him, waiting for him to tell me what I lied about because I had no clue.“You aren’t married, Ripley.” Cas said, standing in the room like he owned the place. Well, he does own the place, but his attitude is ridiculous. So what if I lied?“I was married. He died.” I replied, trying to have as little emotion in my voice as possible. “I am almost finished. I’ll get out of your hair soon.”“Why did you tell me you were married?” Cas asked, running his hand through his hair.He had nice hair, but his beard was really cool. I would never tell him that, though.Maybe he had one of those weak chins, and that’s why he had a beard—to make himself look better. Yeah, he was probably really ugly without a beard.Nah, even I don’t believe that.Cas tapped his foot, waiting for me to answer.“Because it usually works?” I shrugged my shoulders. “Hearing no from a woman isn’t enough for some men, but when men hear I'm taken, they suddenly back down. It’s ridiculous that it’s needed, but sadly, it is.”“I didn’t back down.” Cas smirked.“I know.” I replied, wondering if he realized how much worse he was than those men I mentioned. At least other men understood they had no chance when I told them I was married. But Cas didn’t seem to care either way. He wasn’t used to hearing no, most likely.“How much will it cost me?” Cas asked, walking towards me.Not again! I don’t want to be caged in like some animal, ready to be devoured.“How much for what?” I asked, taking a step to the side, so the sofa was now between us.“To sleep with me.” He said like it was nothing. Without any emotions. Stoic bastard.My eyes went wide, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Until I became angry. This man just called me a nobody yesterday; now he wants to buy me? Like I am a whore?!I glared at Cas, and I couldn’t hold back. Is this how my girls feel when they are having a tantrum? The filter I usually have was gone, and everything that I thought came out.And my thoughts were angry.“You think I can be bought? Are you fucking crazy? I am not a whore! Are you really that pathetic that you won’t take no for an answer? I’m a nobody, remember?” I said, walking towards the man I had just tried to avoid.I stared up at him, wishing I could shoot daggers at him with my eyes. “I will never sleep with you, even for all the money in the world. You’re arrogant and mean, and you probably have a small dick anyway. All that talk about how great you are in bed...." I scoffed, “you probably don’t even know how to please a woman, but they’re too polite or scared to tell you.”Cas looked at me as if he was enjoying my anger. “Not even to pay off your debt? It will be hard to maintain custody if you don’t have the money to pay your lawyer.”How did he know?“How?” I uttered the words, realizing I was too close to him. Would he hurt me? Would he not take no for an answer and force me?No, Cas wouldn’t offer money if he wanted to take me by force. He wanted me to agree to sex, one way or another.“With money, you can buy almost anything.”“Not me.” I quickly said.“I’ll make sure they fire you.”Tears were coming to my eyes, and I wiped them away. “You’re evil. What did I do to you? Was it really just because I don’t turn into a puddle when I see you? Or because you expect your employees to lick the soles of your feet? To do whatever you want when you say it?”“Not my feet….” Cas smirked. He loved that he was getting to me. This was just another game for him.“I don’t think you even want me. You just want what you can’t have. Or you’re just messing with my mind. But whatever sick mind game is going on, I don’t want any part of it. Fire me, then. I’ll make sure to file a complaint for sexual harassment and stalking. I’m sure I won’t be the first woman you treat like crap.”Cas grunted, bawling his fists. I couldn’t back down now, so I kept looking at him, waiting for him to make the first move.“Are you going to hit me?” I asked, trying not to sound scared.Cas took a step away. His hand was relaxing, and his face was mortified. “I would never hit a woman.”“Sure…” I replied sarcastically.Cas shook his head, looking down. “I would never hurt a woman.”“Just insult her and try to buy her….”“You fucking….”“What?!” I shouted, not caring anymore. I was fired anyway. And I was in too deep now. There was no going back to normal.“Go on ten dates with me. I’ll prove I’m not the man you think I am. And I’ll give you a million dollars.” Cas said, looking at me like he was making a business deal.“Is this another way to have sex with me, because it’s becoming kind of desperate. Heather would love to sleep with you, I’m sure.”“One million dollars. I will draw up a contract. Sex will not be one of the requirements to get the money.”He was kidding, right? But I had to check. One million would fix everything. I would be out of debt and be able to afford an expensive lawyer. I would be free of all this mess. “What would be required?”The smirk on this man’s face! He looked like he had already won.“Ten dates; you need to dress up and stay for the entire date. Physical touch needs to be consensual, and dates need to be scheduled for this month.”I raised my eyebrow, “I have kids. I can’t go on ten dates in four weeks’ time.”“That’s why babysitters exist. But I’m willing to schedule some as lunch or breakfast dates. You need to eat, right?”“And what do you get out of it?” I asked, wondering if this was too good to be true. Well, good may be the wrong word. There was nothing good about needing to spend ten dates with someone as awful as Cas.“I can deduct it as charity,” Cas joked. Then his face got more serious. “I always get what I want.”“You won’t get me.”“We’ll see,” Cas replied with an arrogant smirk that I wanted to smack off his face. “Do we have a deal?”“Do I still need to clean your room?”“Yes.” He answered.“And you’ll be here to annoy me and tell me I’m doing everything wrong?”He shrugged, “when I have time.”“Fine.” I conceded. This was probably just a weird joke anyway. No way would someone pay me money to go on dates with them. Especially someone who didn’t really seem to like me.“Great. The first date will be at lunch. I’ll have the contract ready then. Meet me in the terrace area. And dress nicely.”“How?”Cas didn’t reply; instead, he walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. A few seconds later, I heard the shower go on.I quickly finished cleaning the living room and got out of there as soon as possible.What was I going to do?!Cas’ pov What the fuck was I doing? I asked myself as I stepped into the cold shower. Was I actually turned on by how angry Ripley got? Looking at the size of my dick right now, I would say yes. I scoffed. Small dick…. When she finally said yes, she’d see that this was more than she was used to. Maybe her dead husband had a third leg, though; who knows? She didn’t seem too upset about his death, though. But who the fuck cares about that? She lied and then yelled at me! Nobody lies to me. If there’s one thing I truly hate, it’s a liar. Ripley’s insulting me was the first time in a long time anyone had the nerve to say anything bad to me. It was kind of exciting, if it wasn’t infuriating at the same time. I could see she liked me. She kept checking me out. And yes, I might be cocky, but I’ve been around enough women to know when someone is into me. And Ripley is into me. So why play hard to get it? Why act like she doesn’t want to sleep with me? I put my head against the cold sh
Ripley's povAfter Cas told me to dress nice, I headed to Allison for help. I didn’t tell her who I was meeting but that I needed to wear something fancy for an unexpected meeting during lunch.Which earned me more questions than I wanted to answer. But I wasn’t sure I could tell her the truth.In the end, I told Allison it had to do with my late husband’s estate. As soon as I mentioned my dead husband, people stopped asking questions.Maybe they were scared I would cry in public, and nobody wants a public scene. Or they felt bad for me.Either way, Allison stopped asking questions and was a great help in finding something to wear.Long story short, Allison took me to the lost and found, where we found the dress I was currently wearing. As long as I returned it, Allison didn’t see it as a problem that I took a long lunch break.“You’ve been here three days, and you’ve already won over our most important guest.” She had said.“And the grumpiest,” I joked.Once I read the contract Cas ha
Cas’ pov “Sorry. Sorry. I mean, you kissed me, and that was wrong. But it’s really bad hitting you. Shit. Sorry. Really!” Ripley said, surprising me. She stared at her hand and then my face, as if she had done it without thinking. Her fingers reached out, and I wondered if she wanted to see if I was okay, but Ripley quickly pulled back. “It’s been a while since someone got a slap or punch in,” I countered, rubbing my cheek. Making sure to make it look like it hurt. But her little slap was nothing compared to some of the violence I endured. I had made myself strong and made sure nobody was able to hurt me. Every day, I trained, not just to look good but to make sure I would be able to defend myself against anything. The feeling of helplessness I had felt as a kid was something I never wanted to feel again. “I’m sure I am not the first woman to slap you.” Ripley said, raising an eyebrow. “This makes your apology a lot less believable.” She shook her head, “no, I don’t mean it lik
Cas' pov “Maybe we should use that list of of topics to discuss during a date,” Ripley joked nervously. “Considering I’ve barely been on any dates and you, um, how do I put this?” “Usually skip dinner and go straight for dessert?" I replied. “I’ve heard I am somewhat of a man whore.” “Yeah, sorry about that.” “Well, the whore part would indicate I get paid, and usually the women get more out of it money-wise than I do.” Ripley leaned forward, her breasts catching my eye. The low neckline was the reason I picked this dress, and it did not disappoint. It was better she didn’t know this dress cost three times as much as the earrings. I had no fucking clue about dresses, but I had an assistant pick out a selection for me to choose from, and this one from Robert Cavalli caught my eye. It was simple, yet irresistible. A little like Ripley right now. Open back with small straps made of black silk that fell perfectly between her breasts. Fuck, it was perfect. Plus, it had a slit on the
Ripley’s pov “This wasn’t so bad,” I said as Cas walked me to a cab. Driving wasn’t an option, not after the many drinks we had. I knew alcohol was the only way I would survive tonight’s date, although it had gone much better than I thought it would. He was actually kind of nice… Nope. Don’t go there. It was the amazing restaurant, the dress, and the gifts. It wasn’t Cas that made tonight tolerable. Right? And even if it was, it was probably fake. He was being nice to get me into bed. Yet somehow we still had a nice time, even after I told him to stop acting. “You sound surprised.” Cas replied, leaning against the wall. Did he do this on purpose? Nah, he probably doesn’t even have a social media app on his phone. He might not know about the trend of men leaning against things. He is hot, though. I’d give him that. Standing there with his pressed shirt, his beard combed perfectly, not a hair out of place. He smelled good, too. Not like that axe body kind of scent. But musky, m
Ripley’s pov Cas kept his mouth shut, but his eyes revealed everything he was thinking. I raised my eyebrow, waiting for him to talk, but he focused his attention on Leticia. “I assume everything is fine." “Yes, Mr. Hemming. It's nice to see you again. The girls are sleeping very well.” Leticia replied. “You can go home.” Cas said, speaking like he was her boss. Well, I guess he was. Leticia looked at me, and I nodded my head, “I have bad cramps, so we decided to head back.” “I’ll make you some tea and heat up, -“ Cas stopped her, “I’m sure we can manage. Don’t worry, I’ll still pay for the whole night.” “Cas!” I scolded the huge man in my tiny apartment. God, why did I even invite him? "Thanks, Leticia, for everything. But I will be fine. The first days are always the worst.” Leticia nodded, "feel better." She gave me a kind smile and headed to the door. “Good night, Mr. Hemming and Ripley.” Tomorrow would be my day off from work and from Cas. I was going to spend the whol
Cas’ pov “Mommy? Who is that?” A tiny voice asked, waking me up. How the fuck did I fall asleep on that horrible sofa? It was so uncomfortable and mind-blowingly tiny, too. Who even makes sofas this fucking small? God, what the hell was I thinking coming here? At least Ripley let me touch her. And she opened up, kind of. Which meant she was getting used to me? Or maybe she was starting to like me? “Shit.” Ripley mumbled under her breath, looking up at me. We had dozed off on that tiny ass sofa. The whole place was tiny. One room, which held the kitchen and living room. It was filled with toys and cushions. Like, how many cushions does a small sofa need? And then crap everywhere. Picture frames, flowers, toys, and even more toys and papers. Just shit everywhere. It looked sort of clean last night, but in the light of day, it dawned on me what a crap apartment this was. Do people actually live like this? “This is my friend, um. Mr. Hemming.” Ripley said, standing up from the sofa
Ripley’s pov Why was Cas doing this? Why was he being so nice and spending so much money and time on us? Was it really al to get me to sleep with him? Because it started to feel like more. I had always said I wouldn’t introduce any man I was dating to my girls until it was serious, but this doesn’t count, right? We’re not really dating? So why does it feel like we are? Why did I confide in Cas while I have been trying my best not to reveal any personal stuff to anyone? Why did he tell me that stuff about his parents? What the hell was going on? This was too much. “Ley, are you good?” Cas asked me, and I looked next to me, seeing Cas hold River on his hip. He had hired two people with pushchairs, like it was the most common thing in the world. Yet he had been the one to hold my girls when they were tired or lazy. He didn’t complain, carrying them through the park like they weighed nothing. Cas had bought the girls anything they wanted. Even if they just looked at it, he bought