New York Nights (Heart of the City #2)(4)

Ben swivelled in his chair as he watched me increasingly lose my patience; him sitting there so cocky only fuelled my fire.

'And furthermore  … ' Oh God, 'furthermore'? I was on a roll, all right. 'I may be young, and not a part of any elite dynasty in my country or yours, but I can look after Grace, I can care for her, protect her, love and nurture her through every milestone because I have done it before and I know I can do it again. Whether it be in New York City or Timbuktu, I'll always bring my A game, and whoever doesn't want that as a part of their child's life, well, I think that says more about them as a parent than it does about me as a carer.'

Holy shit, did I really just say that? Did I just question his parenting skills? Someone hand me the hammer and nails for my coffin.

Ben glowered at me, deeply unimpressed by my speech. 'Well, Sarah, I think I have learned all I need to know. I'll see you out.'

'No, it's all right, I can see myself out,' I said, quickly standing, ready to get the hell out of there. If I never set eyes on another Worthington again it would be too soon.

Regardless of my rather adamant request, Ben took it upon himself to walk me to the door. He opened it and stood aside. 'Well, I hope you've had some time to see the sights at least.'

I paused, annoyed that now he opted for small talk. 'I'm booked into my hotel till Thursday, so I have a few days.'

Ben shook his head. 'No, that won't work.'

'I know it's not much but I thought if I got a hop-on, hop-off bus ticket I could pretty much cover a fair amount of ground -'

'I'm going out of town tomorrow so if you check out by seven tomorrow morning, Dave can pick you up and I can do an induction before I leave for the airport.'

'Sorry, but what are you talking about?'

Ben paused, a small, knowing smile creasing the corner of his mouth. It was the first time I had seen him express any form of humour and, no matter how arrogant it was, it suited him.

'You start work tomorrow, Sarah.'

'What?' Sure that I had heard him wrong, I stepped through the doorway. I turned back and met his amused expression.

'You're hired,' he said, before closing the door and leaving me to pick my bottom jaw up from the floor.



'Wow, just wow,' was all that Nikki could repeat over and over again. She was still in a state of shock.

'I don't like the fact you're so surprised,' I said, stirring the ice in my Coca-Cola as we sat in a booth at the bar in my hotel.

'What? Oh no, it's just that we tried a kind of intervention before you came aboard and it was an absolute disaster. Ben tends to rebel against any form of forced solution so today was a massive victory. What on earth did you say to him?'



       
         
       
        

'I didn't say much to him; if anything, I questioned his ability as a parent.'

Nikki spat her drink across the table, then coughed so hard and long she earned alarmed looks from the other patrons.

'Jesus, Nikki,' I said, patting her on the back.

Her eyes watered. 'You said what?'

'Oh, look, I can't remember, but it couldn't have been that bad or I would be booking that forty-eight-hour hop-on, hop-off ticket for the tourist bus right now.'

My little joke was lost on Nikki as she took a small sip of water, trying to clear her throat. She looked at me intently. 'Listen, Sarah. It's not for me to say this, but I feel that I need to at least give you a heads up before you start working for Ben.'

I swallowed, crazy theories running through my head: He's a serial killer on parole and wears an ankle bracelet. He's a cult leader who believes he's the second coming of Christ.

'Just don't ask any personal questions,' she said. 'And don't judge him if he isn't the father you might expect or want him to be for Grace.'

I didn't know what to say to that, and I desperately wanted to ask a question but knew it was against Worthington policy. But wasn't I entitled to know a little more about the situation I was stepping into?

'What happened? I mean, for there to be so much secrecy.'

Nikki smiled sadly. 'Doesn't every family have skeletons in its closet?'





Chapter Five


It was finally happening.

I thought perhaps the reality would sink in once I put my suitcase near my hotel door, but it didn't. I was still waiting on the phone call from Penny Worthington to say there had been a miscommunication and my services would not be required. So, as much fun as it was to be sitting in my room immersed in paranoia and unable to sleep, what better way to combat that than to wander the streets of the city that never slept?

I had chosen my hotel purely for the location. Turn left and you were at Central Park; turn right and you were at Times Square  –  the best of both worlds. Considering it was night time, I chose to turn toward Times Square, where the night seemed like day anyway, flooded with an array of lights, billboards, speakers, screens, and foot traffic. I couldn't wait.

My spirits had well and truly lifted by the time I passed a giant red sculpture on the sidewalk, the letters L and O stacked on top of V and E, a young couple in front of it manoeuvring their selfie stick to capture the moment. I would have offered to help, but the last time I tried to be of assistance to a couple of Korean tourists with a selfie stick I accidentally dropped and smashed their phone. Incidentally, it turns out that 'shibal' means 'fuck' in Korean. 

Immersing myself in the New York experience, I picked up a hot dog from a corner vendor and made my way merrily along Seventh Avenue, the crowds thickening into a shuffle the closer I came to the elevated seating area. I turned the corner to find myself in the heart of Times Square, a place designed to make your pupils dilate and your heartbeat race. I took in all the Broadway theatres, the cinemas, the electronic billboards, the superheroes in costumes posing with tourists for tips and the endless queues for show tickets.

I positioned myself to get the best backdrop of Times Square, streets peeling off behind me, the most famous billboard in the centre. I didn't have a selfie stick, or a well-meaning tourist to help me, but with my camera in selfie-mode there was enough to make out exactly where I was. It was my first official blatant tourist snap I would be texting directly home.

Got the job!! xx



The bedside phone was ringing, and a way-too-cheery, American-accented concierge was bidding me a good morning. Ugh.

I stood under the hot shower, gargling the water that streamed over my face and willing it to wake me. Death by New York cheesecake. Worth it. But for my first day on the job, I had to be on my game. From now on it would be nutritious, healthy, wholesome living. New job, new start, new boss. As much as I had considered it a bit of a win that after everything, Ben Worthington was the one who had made the decision, there was one minor technicality: Mrs Ben Worthington, who I was sure I was going to meet today. I had meant to ask Nikki yesterday, but like her, I'd been in shock about landing the job.

I dragged my bags down to reception to check out, allowing myself a good ten minutes to linger out the front of the hotel. But Dave was there sooner than I expected, exiting the car and coming around to open the door for me.

'Morning, Miss Williams,' he said.

'Morning, Dave.'

Dave was a solid man, not much taller than me, with a cheery, professional disposition; you couldn't help but immediately like him. He was a welcome sight on a morning I wasn't feeling at my most certain.

'Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other,' he said, sliding behind the wheel.

'I guess so,' I said.

'Well, welcome to New York City. It's probably gonna take us a bit to bust through this traffic, but I took it upon myself to program the trip for you, musically-speaking.' He laughed in a high-pitched hick-hick-hick that made me giggle.

'Well, crank it up, Dave,' I ordered.

I don't know if this was a signature move of Dave's to welcome newcomers, but as he pressed play on his stereo and Alicia Keys started blaring through the speakers, singing about New York, I couldn't think of a more poetic way to cruise through the bustling, congested streets. It was damn near perfection as I lowered the window and let the morning sunlight and sounds of the jackhammers and distinct subway smells assault my senses.

I don't know at what point I lost my bearings, it was difficult to decipher what was what with the crisscrossed grid of avenues and one-way streets. I wasn't sure which way it was to the penthouse or how much longer it would take this time of the morning. So I held my tongue as the neighborhoods became leafy and quieter. Dave stopped kerbside in a quiet street lined with towering terraces. Without a word, he got out of the car and moved to the boot to collect my luggage.

'Ah, Dave  … ' I scrambled for the door, almost falling onto the pavement, I was so panicked. Oh, my God. I'm about to get traded on the black market. 'Um, this is not Lafayette Street,' I said, hoping he would look at the buildings in front of us, slap his head and say, 'My bad, let's go.'



       
         
       
        

Dave only looked at me, confused. 'Ain't nobody told you?'

I knew it  –  I was going to be an au pair for Emily Mayfair; there was a secret baby and I had been lulled into a false sense of security.

'Mr Worthington's work residence is Lafayette; his home is here, in the Village.'

'He lives here?'

'Some of the time.'