The MANny (Whip 4) ✔️ SAMPLE

Chapter 2

"Ten times? How old are you?" I ask, a snort escaping my mouth as the boy proudly states that he's ten.

"Are you a genius or something?" I ask, more as a joke than anything else, but when the boy nods his head, my eyes widen in surprise.

"Yeah, although I don't call myself that, it would be pretty pretentious, right? But yes, I am considered a genius. I'll be starting high school next year."

My head spins as I stare at him, my mouth hanging open and probably making me look like a complete idiot. But I can't help it, since there is a kid in front of me who is barely ten and probably has more smarts in his little finger than I do in my whole brain.

"That's awesome. Congrats, your parents must be proud of you."

The boy looks down at the words, a small frown appearing between his brows as he avoids my eyes.

"My dad's proud, don't know about mom. She doesn't live here anymore."

I nod, deciding not to ask about it seeing as the topic obviously bothers the boy. And, after all, if anyone knows something about complicated family relations it's me.

"So, why do you like the book so much?" I ask after a moment and smile in satisfaction when the sad frown disappears from the boy's face as he launches into a story about his first reading of the book.

"Leo?" a smooth, dark voice calls from the doorway ten minutes later, making my eyes snap up as I jump from the couch.

A handsome, Japanese man stands there, watching the boy curiously before his eyes slowly move to me.

"Good morning, you must be Mihail. I'm David Cross."

I nod, wiping my suddenly sweaty hands against my jeans before offering one to the man.

"Yes. Mihail Turgenev, Mr. Cross, it's nice to meet you." I say as the man takes my hand, squeezing it tightly for a moment before letting go.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Turgenev. I had an urgent call to answer."

"It's fine. I'm sure you are a very busy man." I say as I once again glance around the expensive room.

"Hey dad." the boy, that I now know is named Leo, says from his place on the couch.

"Hey, buddy. Having fun?" Mr. Cross asks as he joins his son and motions for me to sit back down.

"Yeah! We were talking about 'To Kill a Mockingbird, it's Mihail's favorite, too!" Leo exclaims, his eyes shining in joy.

At the mention of my name, Mr. Cross glances toward me, a glint of some unidentified emotion in his eyes making me squirm in place as I smile politely.

"That's wonderful." the man says, running a hand through Leo's hair and messing it up before standing up and turning towards me.

"Shall we?" he asks as he motions with his hand toward the hallway.

I nod, standing up and following behind the man, my legs shaking as the nerves return with each step that I take.

I wish that I could stay in the living room just a bit longer, talk with Leo about the book or anything the boy wanted, feeling more at home in those ten minutes we spent together than I have in a long time.

There is something about Leo that made me instantly like him, a certain light shining out of him every time the boy smiles at me, making me forget, just for a second, about the darkness I carry inside.

I know that once the interview is over and Mr. Cross realizes just how inexperienced I am that I'll never see Leo again, and just the thought saddens me for some inexplicable reason.

Just before we reach the office, Leo runs over, shouting for his father to wait. Mr. Cross stops and turns around, bending forward as Leo whispers something into his ear before quickly running away again.

Mr. Cross shakes his head, a bemused smile on his face as he rights himself up and turns to look at me, one that stays there even as we enter the office and take our seats.

"Do you have a resume, Mr. Turgenev?" David asks. I nod, taking out the poor excuse for a resume I have in my bag, cringing slightly as the man starts to read it.

It's pitiful; a handful of fast-food places and one very short stint in the public library where I was the first one to be let go once they had to do some budget cuts.

I've been pretty bummed out when that happened; I loved that job since I absolutely adore books.

"Not much experience, and nothing involving kids." David says, frowning at the papers before looking up.

I sigh, not even bothering to say anything to that since I know that the man is right.

"Why this job? You've never worked as a nanny, so why now?"

I bite my bottom lip, thinking about what to say and in the end deciding to be truthful. I seriously doubt that I'll get the job, so I don't care what Mr. Cross will think of my bluntness.

"Honestly, before seeing this ad I didn't even know that there was such a thing as a male nanny, but as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to give it a shot. I know that I'm young and inexperienced, but I'm a quick learner and I love kids. They are good and honest, something that adult society sorely lacks. And I need the money. As you have seen, I was only able to find low-paying jobs and that's not cutting it any longer, especially in a city like NY."

I finish, shrugging my shoulders and looking at the man. That's the whole truth and now it's up to Mr. Cross what to make of it.

The man looks at me then, his head turned to the side slightly and a thoughtful look in his eyes. He sighs after a moment, shaking his head in something close to exasperation although I can't figure out why, before he sits up straight.

"Well Mr. Turgenev, when can you start?"