Page 20 of Whiskey and Regret

“Wait, wait, wait,” I said frowning at her. “You’re not twenty-one.”

“Ooh. Are you going to call the cops on me? You can’t tell me you didn’t drink liquor until you were twenty-one, Senator.”

“I…didn’t.” I tried my best to hold an impassive expression but I couldn’t help giving in to the smile cracking my exterior.

“Bullshit, you were probably drunk as fuck when you hit eighteen.”

“You’ll never know. Now, watch your mouth.” I aimed a finger at her and watched the corners of her mouth quirk up.

“Yes, sir.”

“Look, I know you were trying to have fun with Frankie earlier but can you refrain from making jokes about her safety? That’s my baby. She means the world to me and panicking like that for even a second feels like an eternity. We’ve gotten death threats before and shit like that puts me on edge.”

For once, a somber look crossed Xari’s face. She pursed her lips together then nodded. “I’m sorry, Mr. Freeman. I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything. I thought I’d poke fun at you for thinking I was irresponsible.” She sucked in a quick breath then said, “Also, you cursed.”

“I did not.”

“You did. You said shit. I heard you. Stop acting like you don’t let loose.”

“I never said I didn’t. It’s just not for you to see or experience.”

“Yeah…okay,” she laughed, waving her hand. “I’m sure Senator Freeman is going to blow my mind with his crazy double life.”

I kept my mouth shut and poured myself a glass of whiskey. I needed it. Xari regarded me for a few quiet seconds like she was trying to pick me apart but couldn’t.

“Can you take it easy on Frankie about the whole not picking her up joke? I wanted to make her laugh. She was stressed after school and…”

“Stressed? What happened? Why didn’t she anything to me about it?”

“Probably because she knew you were pissed at her. Also, if I’m her nanny, I’m not telling you things about her that would break her trust in me. As long as she’s not doing anything to hurt herself or others, what we talk about is between us.” I was caught off-guard by her immovable stance.

I took a long drink from my glass and let the brown liquor course through me. It was already working its magic, pushing away the events of the day. Pushing away the fact that I hated my job…the fact that I was trapped there. Whiskey always dulled the regrets storming my mind.

“I don’t think my idea of what would hurt Frankie and your idea of what would hurt her are the same things. You might feel like sex before she’s grown and in a committed relationship wouldn’t hurt her but I’d beg to differ.”

“Hey, you’ll never know,” she said tossing my own words back at me. “I’d never let her put herself or anyone else in danger. I do want her to be able to trust me though. If she thinks I’ll run back to tell you everything, she’ll hide things so even I can’t see them. Then I wouldn’t be able to let you know if she was actually doing something dangerous.”

“I’ll let you have your privacy with her but if you know she’s thinking about having sex before she’s eighteen, you’ll tell me. That’s the deal.” I watched her hands turn to fists at her side. She scrunched her face into a frown then rolled her eyes.

“Okay. Deal.”

“Good because I’d like to offer you the job. You’ve impressed me. I like what I see.”

I could have left off the part about liking what I saw but I had to let that small truth out. I definitely liked what I saw. I just had to avoid it at all costs.

…

SEVEN

After Mr. Freeman told me I was hired as Frankie’s nanny for the month, I thought I’d feel relieved because I’d get a weekly paycheck. Instead, I was ecstatic that I’d get to hang out with Frankie every day. Seeing Mr. Freeman wasn’t bad either. He was nice eye candy. When I met with him and Navy to get paperwork, I found my eyes stroking his broad shoulders and hard chest. I hoped neither one of them noticed.

“Okay, Xari you need to sign here on the NDA. This is a non-disclosure act stating you won’t talk openly about, publish, record, promote, or otherwise speak about what happens under Senator Freeman’s roof or in his personal life.”

“Not even to you?” I asked, smirking at my sister.

“Not even to me.” Navy continued going over the terms of the NDA while Mr. Freeman looked like he would pop a blood vessel or something. Hiring me was bothering him. I’d have to get him to relax again. When I saw him drink a glass of whiskey, I knew there was more to him than met the eye. He dressed with style and drank with it too. I wanted to dig deeper.

Hell, if I was going to be working with the man and living with him, I might as well get to know him. We didn’t have to be friends but it’s always a good idea to learn people you’ll spend a great deal of time with.