The Right Side of Wrong Read online

“I’m not on the streets,” I bite out, “and I haven’t accepted your offer.”

  His blue eyes narrow just a tad. “You will, for two very important reasons.” Before I can open my mouth to tell him to go to hell, he flashes me a full smile, making my heart pound. “For one, you don’t seem to have a whole lot of other options. And you’re holding the most important reason.”

  He’s got my number, and he knows it. I was ready to sell my body to his father for this little boy. I’d do anything to give him a better life and keep him safe.

  But sex for money is a straight-up transaction. A cut-and-dried deal. Yes, you might need to negotiate the terms of the sex, but what Slade is offering is different. It’s much more dangerous. It’s the unknown. And I get the feeling he doesn’t play by anyone’s rules.

  “What skills do you have?” he asks. “Other than being beautiful.”

  Our eyes meet with a different kind of heat this time. That was the last thing I expected him to say. I’d expect something more along the lines of, “Other than blow jobs and spreading your legs.”

  “I’ve worked retail, fast food, mowed a few lawns.”

  “Mowed lawns?” he asks, amusement in his voice. “Anything recently?”

  “On the weekends, I clean office buildings at night. And during the day, I work a couple of shifts at a day care. They let me bring Finn, so it works out well.”

  “His name is Finn?” he asks, reaching toward me before stopping himself. “What about you? What’s your name?”

  “Paige. Paige Hudson.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  PAIGE

  It only took me two days to yield to the will of Slade Turner. Well, two days and a double homicide on the second floor of my apartment building. After my call, Slade wasted no time sending a car for Finn and me. Yes, Finn. The car was equipped with a rear-facing infant car seat. He may be a pretentious prick, but that was a nice touch.

  Of course, Finn loved it. Since I don’t have a car, he never actually had a car seat. He kicked and cooed and put on quite a show. I have no idea what today will bring because Slade didn’t tell me what position he had in mind for me. He simply asked me to meet him. That brought some anxiety, but I doubt it’s anything too risqué since I’m bringing the baby along.

  This is a gamble, one where I don’t know the stakes. But when you’re holding a losing hand, you either fold or bluff, and I’m no quitter.

  Looking down at my jeans and two sizes too big sweater, I’m hardly dressed for a job interview, but it’s the best I have. Finn, however, looks adorable in his baby jeans and onesie with a firetruck appliqué on it. You can find really cute baby clothes in consignment stores. I think it’s because babies grow so fast. They wear something for three months max before they outgrow it. At least that’s the way my little guy is.

  I’m not sure what I expected today, but I certainly didn’t expect to leave the city limits of Nashville. After almost an hour, the city’s bustling streets have given way to the long, winding roads of the country. No longer flanked by sidewalks and skyscrapers, the stretch of road is now guided by wood fences. Occasionally, you can see a big, beautiful house in the distance settled back among the trees. Everything is green with hues of yellow mixed in. The sky is such a rich shade of blue it almost looks purple.

  I’ve lived in cities my whole life. I wonder if it’s easier to be poor in the city or the country? They probably don’t have soup kitchens or public housing out here, but it’s beautiful. Beauty doesn’t fill the belly, but it feeds the soul. I grew up looking at cracked concrete and run-down buildings. Even the so-called “green” spaces were overgrown and filled with trash and litter.

  I guess what they say is true. The grass is greener on the other side.

  Turning, we pull up to the gates of a ranch. There are stone pillars to pass through, but no sign. Usually, these places have names, but there’s nothing. An egotistical man like Slade probably would’ve named it after himself. Maybe I just missed the sign.

  The driver, Jon, the same goon who brought me home the other night, slowly rolls down a long stone driveway, and the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen comes into view. It looks like a cabin, only it’s one a millionaire would live in. I take that back. It almost looks like a church with its steep-pitched roof and windows that stretch across the entire front section of the house from the porch to the roofline, which is at least two stories high. Hopefully, my job isn’t to clean those suckers!

  “This is where Slade lives?” I ask.

  “He has a place in the city, so he’s usually just here on the weekends,” Jon says, eyeing me in the rearview mirror.

  I avert my eyes, taking in the landscape of rolling hills on a canvas of green as far as the eye can see. “Look, Finn, horses,” I say, pointing out the car window. I’m clearly more excited about them than he is.

  The car slows to a crawl, stopping in front of the house. I’m unbuckling Finn when Jon opens my door for me. Grabbing the diaper bag and the baby, I step out into the crisp and clean air. Apparently, the rich even have better air quality.

  Jon heads for the front door, snapping me from my oxygen envy, and I follow him into what can only be described as the most luxurious treehouse. Windows line the back of the house as well, showcasing acres and acres of rolling hills and trees, making it seem like I’m floating in the forest.

  “This way,” Jon says.

  I follow him, my eyes still on that view, barely glancing at the wooden beams making up the vaulted ceiling or the incredible furnishings. We step through a butler’s pantry and into a kitchen, if you can even call it that. It’s huge. The wooden beams extend in here, and the ceiling is just as high. The cabinets look crafted out of old vintage wood, and the island is bigger than my bed at home.

  Jon walks over to a beautiful woman with bronzed-colored skin and eyes that match. He kisses her on top of the head, then gives her belly a little pat. “Paige, this is my wife, Catrine.”

  “Oh my! Look how cute he is,” she says. When she gets to her feet, a pronounced baby bump comes into view. “I’m having a boy, too. What’s his name?”

  “Finn,” I say as she picks up his chubby little foot, giving him a little tickle. “He’s five months old.”

  She smiles up at me. “Jon and I can’t agree on names to save our lives. I think we’ll be calling this little guy Chewie forever,” she says, making me laugh a little. “Jon’s a Star Wars fan.”

  “When are you due?” I ask.

  “Eight weeks left to go,” she says, “so I’m glad you’re here. I can’t keep up with the place anymore. And once little Chewie comes, I’ll be staying at home with him.”

  “The job is out here?” I ask, my heart sinking.

  Smiling, she says, “Yeah, basically, I run the house day-to-day. Since the maid quit last week, I’ve been doing some light cleaning, too, but it’s getting hard. Besides that, I just answer the phone, get the mail and the groceries, make sure the stable hands are tending to the horses, pay them every week, and help plan some events for Slade’s company. I’m going to be staying on as long as I can to help you learn the routine. And maybe you can help me not be scared to death of pushing this kid out.”

  She starts to laugh, and Jon gives her a little hug. I can’t believe I ever thought Jon was a goon. He’s hardly scary, and the two of them together are disgustingly happy. And they’re both being so nice to me. Jon knows I was at the party with Slade’s dad, but clearly, Slade hasn’t told them everything. I doubt they’d want me around then.

  “Why don’t you show Paige around?” Jon says.

  Adjusting Finn on my hip, I say, “I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can take this job.”

  Catrine looks at Jon in confusion. I guess she thought this was a done deal. She asks, “Why?”

  “I don’t have a car. And no public transportation comes out this far, so . . .”

  “Jon, did you tell her anything?” Catrine asks, shaking her head. “Slade has a room ready for you a
nd Finn.”

  “A room?” I ask. “He expects me to live here? With him?”

  I feel my heart doing these weird somersaults in my chest. Is this some Cinderella story to him? Where the rich man swoops in and saves the poor girl? Is that what I am? I guess, in Slade’s eyes, it would be more like Pretty Woman, where the rich guy saves the prostitute. Well, I’ve got news for him.

  She lightly strokes my arm. “He’s hardly here. Just come see the room.”

  “Do you live here?” I ask.

  “No,” she says.

  “Does the hired help normally live here? Or am I the first?”

  Finn starts to cry and fuss. God, sometimes I wish I was a baby and could just scream whenever I feel like it. Jon wraps his arm around his wife. “You’d be the first.”

  Now I get Slade’s game. He thinks I’m moving in here to be his full-time plaything. Well, no one owns me. Adjusting the diaper bag on my shoulder, I say, “I’d like to go home, please.”

  “Sorry I’m late. Is there a problem?” I hear Slade’s commanding voice and turn, finding him lingering in the doorway. He’s dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, completely opposite from the suit he wore at the party. It’s kind of hard to decide which way he looks better, not that I’m thinking about that.

  “Let’s give them a moment,” Jon says, leading Catrine toward the door.

  She turns back to me. “Would you like me to take the baby? We could show him the horses.”

  I glare right into Slade’s blue eyes. “Thank you, but I won’t be staying.”

  They walk out without further interruption of our staring contest. Slade’s blue eyes spark, clearly enjoying our little game. Finn squirms in my arms, his back arching, before releasing the most explosive sounding poop you’ve ever heard, forcing me to lose. Slade slips his hand to his mouth, trying to cover up a smile, but it’s too big to contain.

  “The joys of motherhood,” he says, chuckling a little.

  “Yeah, one of many,” I say, looking around for a place to change him.

  “Come,” Slade says, motioning with his hand. Either I follow him or risk poop leaking from the diaper. It’s not a hard choice.

  I follow Slade down a little hallway, and he opens a door, stepping aside for me to enter. But I freeze at the threshold. This, apparently, is “my” room. A huge bed with a fluffy white comforter dominates the room. There’s a crib in the corner, a rocker, and a changing table complete with diapers, ointments, and wipes.

  Slade sticks his hands in the pocket of his jeans. “Hope it’s alright. I could put Finn in his own room, but you two were sharing a room at your place, so I just figured that would be best. Thought you both would be more comfortable together.”

  “That’s very thoughtful,” I say, taking a step inside. Maybe I misjudged him and the situation. He obviously isn’t thinking about fucking me or making me his personal plaything if he put Finn and me together in a room.

  Placing Finn down on the changing table, I start to clean him up. I’ve never done this on a changing table before outside of public bathrooms. At home, I usually just put a pad down on the floor. And as if I wasn’t self-conscious enough, Slade is leaning against the doorframe, watching my every move.

  I give Finn’s tummy a little jiggle, loving his cute little innie belly button.

  “I really do need someone here to take over for Catrine. There are no ulterior motives. I’m not paying to sleep with you. In fact, if you work for me, then you’re retired from all that shit,” Slade says.

  He really likes to boss people around, but that’s one order I can live with. I snap Finn’s onesie, holding up the dirty diaper. “I’ve got enough other shit to handle.” Slade smiles a little, and I realize I did that on purpose. Made him smile. I like his smile a little too much.

  “What about your father?” I ask, seeing a vein bulge in his neck. “I mean, does he come here? I just want to be prepared if I’m going to run into him.”

  “No. I can count on one hand how many times he’s been out here. We aren’t particularly close.” I nod, placing Finn on my hip. “Before we go any further,” he asks, “do you still want to leave?”

  “There’s something you should know first,” I say.

  One of his eyebrows rises as if he thinks he already knows everything he needs to know about me. What could be worse than what he already thinks? “What’s that?”

  “I don’t do windows,” I say, trying not to smile.

  He chuckles, giving Finn’s belly a little tickle. “Your mommy has a smart mouth.”

  Our eyes meet for just a fraction of a second before I break the connection. “What else should I know?”

  “First,” he says, walking me to a panel on the wall, “the alarm. It’s imperative you keep the alarm on, especially at night.” He gives me the code, making me arm and disarm it several times to make sure I have the hang of it. It’s funny. He lives on this massive estate, where I’m sure no one will bother him, but he has a state-of-the-art alarm system. In contrast, no one in the run-down slum where I lived, where you actually might need the police, has an alarm. No one could afford it.

  Slade leads me around the house, giving me a little tour. Five bedrooms, four bathrooms, an office, a library, a workout room. More space than one man could possibly need, and I haven’t even seen the outside of the property.

  Slade’s bedroom is all the way on the opposite side of the house. It would be entirely possible for him to be here and us not even see each other. I’m sure that’s the way he’ll want it. He’s used to living alone, and he’s definitely not used to having a baby around.

  He opens another door, this one leading into a garage. His black Land Rover is parked inside next to a silver Mercedes sedan. That’s all I can tell you. I know nothing about cars, especially when they start naming them with numbers and letters. E class, S class, 5 series. X this, G that. Who can keep up? I miss cars that had actual names, like the Volkswagen Beetle. Everyone knows what that is.

  He points at the keys for the Mercedes hanging on the wall. “For you to use for errands, groceries, that sort of thing.”

  “You want me to drive that?” I ask, unable to remember the last time I actually drove a car and having never driven anything that wasn’t partially held together by duct tape.

  “Why not? We’ll install the car seat for Finn. Part of your job is to shop and—”

  “I know,” I say. His lips purse in a tight line, clearly not used to being interrupted when he speaks. “It’s just so nice. I’ll have to park a mile away to make sure no one dings it with a shopping cart or anything.”

  His forehead wrinkles up. “You’ll do no such thing. You’ll park as close as you can since you’ll have Finn with you.” He closes the garage door. “Is this all too much for you with Finn?” he asks. “Once Catrine leaves, it will just be you here. Can you keep up with this with a baby around?”

  “Of course,” I say. “It’s nothing more than any stay-at-home mom does.” As soon as those words are out of my mouth, I regret them.

  “We aren’t playing house,” he barks. “This is a job. I would assume someone with your background would know that.”

  “Of course,” I say, steadying myself. “That came out wrong. I just meant I can handle it. And you won’t even know Finn and I are here.”

  *

  A walk of the outside property completes the tour—a pond and pool but no other houses in sight. “Most of the stable hands have left already. Catrine will introduce you to them another day.”

  The gorgeous stable is painted a crisp white with dark green trim. Why anyone would paint a stable white is beyond me since it’s not a very practical color for hay and horses. I have a baby, so we think about these things. As far as I’m concerned, everything should be distressed and the color of dirt.

  And I’m not going to make the mistake of calling this place a barn. It’s a stable. A barn can hold anything—equipment, animals, grain—but a stable is the home of horses. And th
is one looks like it could house at least twenty. These horses live under better conditions than most people I know. “It’s beautiful,” I say as both Finn’s and my noses wrinkle up.

  Slade chuckles slightly. “Still smells like horse shit, though.”

  Smiling, we walk through, and I quietly read the names on each stall door to Finn. Scotch, Bourbon, Gin, Brandy.

  “You named all your horses after alcohol?” I ask. Even though it’s a few weeks until my twenty-first birthday, you don’t grow up in this state without knowing your Tennessee whiskeys. No matter how poor or how rich you are, we all have that knowledge in common.

  Slade walks over to one stall, where a beautiful stallion sticks his head over the gate. “And this is Whiskey,” Slade says.

  I watch Slade’s hand comb through the horse’s dark mane. He’s beautiful—pure muscle, but he’s got the world’s longest eyelashes. This horse is exactly what a real-life hot man would look like. They draw you in with their dark hair and muscles, their eyes making them look charming and sweet. Then they stomp you to death.

  Slade and his horse are both handsome devils, not that I’m admiring anything other than the horse. Slade’s eyes land on mine, catching me staring, but they don’t scan my body. He doesn’t look anywhere but at my eyes, and I pray he can’t see my soul or read my mind. My secrets have to stay hidden. Finn squirms and fusses slightly, breaking the connection.

  “So,” Slade says, clearing his throat. “Salary.”

  We start walking back toward the house, discussing my salary, which is to say, he tells me what it is. I was so shocked I couldn’t speak, anyway. And to have room and board on top of it is surreal. It’s all happening so fast.

  “I have some paperwork for you to fill out. I’m adding you to my company employees. That way, you can get medical and dental insurance,” Slade says.

  I can’t help it when my eyes start to well up. Quickly, I wipe them. Taking care of a baby costs a lot of money, and one big chunk of that change is doctor’s appointments. Never in a million years did I expect insurance. I plant a little kiss on Finn’s bald head. I’d promised him a better life, and it’s happening.