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  Belinda unflinchingly met Ebony’s steely gaze with her own. “Ms. Trent, if you know my father then you know for a fact that he would not lightly recommend someone to assist one of his patients with their recovery unless he knew they would do a good job, whether it’s his daughter or some other random nurse. Although I did come here as a favor to him, I am not so hard up for work that I will be devastated if you don’t hire me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Now, if you’re looking for a professionally trained and experienced nurse who not only comes highly recommended from Dr. Richard Jansen but four other well-established doctors in the New York area and does this job because she loves it and not just for a paycheck, then you’ve found her. But if you’re looking for someone to intimidate who’ll be too impressed with who they’re working for to do their job, well then, by all means, let’s end this meeting and I’ll enjoy the rest of what was supposed to be my week off.”

  Impressed and amused by Belinda’s blunt and feisty manner, it took some serious restraint for Ebony not to smirk in response, but she managed to keep a straight face as she leaned forward to study this woman more closely.

  “How does sixty dollars an hour, live-in Monday through Friday with weekends off work for you?” Ebony asked.

  “That’s acceptable,” Belinda said.

  Ebony stood. “Good. Be at the house tomorrow morning at nine a.m. so that you can get the layout of the place and get settled in before your patient comes home. Dane will give you all the details on your way out. Thank you again for coming, Ms. Jansen,” she held her hand out across the desk toward Belinda.

  Belinda stood and shook her hand. “I will see you tomorrow, Ms. Trent.”

  Upon Belinda’s departure, Ebony sat back in her chair staring toward the door curiously. Nurse Jansen was definitely not what she expected. When she’d heard her last name, Ebony just assumed she was Dr. Jansen’s sister or some other older relative. What she hadn’t imagined was the young, curvaceous beauty who had walked into her office carrying herself with the confidence and pride of the Queen of Sheba. Ebony’s attraction to her was instantaneous. All she could do as Belinda spoke with that smoky, seductive voice was imagine what she wore under her tailored suit and how long it would take to get her out of it. Only decades of keeping her emotions on the down-low kept her in check during the interview. It was a good thing Belinda would be staying with Mama Ellis because Ebony wasn’t sure how she would’ve handled sleeping in the same apartment as the woman. She physically had to shake herself and try to get her thoughts refocused on business and away from the X-rated images running through her mind.

  * * *

  In spite of her hesitancy about her new employer, Belinda arrived at Ebony’s house promptly at eight fifty a.m. the next morning. She didn’t want to give any reason for Ebony to regret hiring her. There were three intercom buttons, two labeled “TRENT” and a third labeled “ELLIS.” She checked the information that Ebony’s assistant had given her, but there was no mention of three tenants in the building. Taking a chance, she pressed the top button labeled “TRENT” and nervously waited for an answer.

  “Hello. Can I help you?” a friendly female voice said over the intercom.

  “Yes, I’m Belinda Jansen, Ms. Ebony Trent is expecting me.”

  “Oh, yes, I’ll buzz you in and be right down,” she said.

  Seconds later, the door buzzed and Belinda walked into an alcove entryway that led to a small, tastefully decorated foyer with what looked like the original wood parquet flooring, an intricately carved staircase, and two beautiful sets of French doors on either side of the staircase. Her attention was brought to the sound of someone coming down the stairs, and she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. In spite of what she told Ebony about not being easily intimidated, Ebony seemed to make her nervous. To Belinda’s surprise, it wasn’t Ebony who came skipping down the stairs, it was a young woman who Belinda assumed was the younger sister she’d read about in one of the few interviews Ebony had done some time ago. She seemed to be a petite, softer, younger version of her older sister.

  “Hello, I’m Sheree Trent.” She offered Belinda her hand in greeting.

  Belinda shook her hand. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “I know you were expecting Ebony, but she had to take a call and asked me to show you around. I’ll take you up to her apartment after the grand tour,” Sheree explained.

  “That’s fine. Whatever works best for you and Ms. Trent,” Belinda said.

  “Ms. Trent…that so does not fit my sister.” Sheree grinned in amusement, then led Belinda toward the French doors to the right of the staircase.

  She took a small ring of keys from her pocket and unlocked the door that led to a nice size fitness room.

  “Before Mama Ellis’s stroke this room was pretty much Ebony’s domain, but she reconfigured it so that we could fit the physical therapy equipment Dr. Jansen said you would need. Feel free to look around. If there’s anything we’re missing let us know and we’ll get it for you,” Sheree said.

  “From what I can see you all were very thorough,” Belinda said, impressed that they had obviously listened to her father’s exact instructions. Many times, she would walk into a patient’s home with nothing ordered because the patient’s family assumed Belinda would do it for them, not realizing that their home needed to be reconfigured to accommodate things like a physical therapy table, walking rails, or exercise bike.

  “That’s good because there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for Mama Ellis,” Sheree said affectionately.

  “Well, it’s obvious you care about her very much, and I will do my best to make sure she has a healthy recovery,” Belinda promised.

  “We will definitely hold you to that,” Sheree said. “Now, let me show you Mama Ellis’s apartment.”

  Belinda followed her out of the fitness room and across the foyer to the second set of French doors.

  “This is Mama Ellis’s domain,” Sheree said.

  The apartment was done in an open floor plan with high ceilings and decoratively carved wooden archways similar to the pattern in the foyer staircase separating each of the main rooms from the other. They entered into the living room, and from there you could see the dining room, kitchen, and a music room that held a beautiful baby grand piano. The rooms were uncluttered and airy with simple comfortable furnishings and decor colors of cream, browns, and oranges. To Belinda’s surprise, walking rails were placed throughout the entire apartment but done in such a way that it seemed to be part of the décor rather than for medical assistance. Sheree led her down a hallway located behind the kitchen that had four doors, two on the right, one on the left and the last at the end of the hall.

  “This is going to be the private elevator for Mama Ellis to be able to get to Ebony’s and my apartments.” Sheree pointed toward a door on the left. “Ebony’s on the second floor and I’m on the third.”

  She opened the other two doors on the right, the first of which was a small bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet, and the second was a comfortable guest room.

  “This will be your room while you’re here during the week. I know it’s a bit on the small side, but we tried to make it as comfortable as possible for you,” Sheree said apologetically.

  “It’s fine,” Belinda assured her.

  Sheree then led her to the door at the end of the hall. “This is Mama Ellis’s room.”

  It was spacious with a sitting area, private bath, and a large picture window that looked out onto a small enclosed garden and patio.

  “Her bed used to be by the window, but we thought it would be best to have it right next to the bathroom so that she didn’t have to go all the way across the room to get to it. We also rearranged the furniture so that she could use it to get around the room instead of the railings. She’s already going to hate seeing those in the rest of the apartment so we didn’t want to ruin the comfort of her bedroom by putting them in here,” Sheree explained. “Unless you think she’ll need t
hem in here.”

  “No, this should be fine,” Belinda said.

  “Before the stroke, Mama Ellis was very independent and this has really set a blow to her ego, so Ebony and I are trying our best to make sure the changes we have to make won’t set her back emotionally,” Sheree explained.

  “I understand. It will be helpful if you could tell me about what Miss Ellis’s life was like before her stroke so I know what we’re working toward in her recovery.”

  Sheree shook her head. “I take it Ebony hasn’t told you anything.”

  “Our interview was somewhat brief,” Belinda said.

  “That’s Ebony, brief and to the point. Please don’t judge her by her rough exterior. Growing up, she sacrificed a lot after our mother abandoned us. If it weren’t for her and Mama Ellis, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Unfortunately, the things she had to do to get us all to this point have made her a bit hard and cynical. Her bark is worse than her bite most of the time,” Sheree said.

  “I’ll have to take your word on that,” Belinda said.

  Sheree chuckled. “I see she’s already charmed you. We have some time before Ebony’s call is finished, why don’t we have a seat in the living room and I’ll tell you about Mama Ellis.”

  Sheree and Belinda talked for almost an hour about the matriarch of their unconventional family. Miss Ellis seemed to be a pretty special woman, and Belinda understood why her father was so determined to make sure she got the best care possible. Their conversation was interrupted by Sheree’s cell phone buzzing on the coffee table.

  “It’s Ebony. She’s finished her call. I’ll take you up. Just remember, her bark—”

  “Is worse than her bite,” Belinda finished.

  “Exactly,” Sheree said.

  They climbed the stairs to the second floor landing where another set of French doors stood open and walked into an apartment with the same layout as the first floor, but that’s where the similarities ended. Where Miss Ellis’s apartment was warm, comfortable, and obviously lived in, Ebony Trent’s apartment was modern minimalist straight out of a magazine spread. It was beautifully decorated in shades of beige and black with the original hardwood floors. There was nothing out of place or lying around, the kitchen countertops were even clutter-free. It was showroom perfect, as if no one lived in it. They made their way through the living room to what was Ebony’s home office, which, décor wise, was a smaller replica of her work office. Belinda couldn’t seem to connect the serious, almost cold and anal person Ebony appeared to be to the one that her sister and Miss Ellis obviously adored.

  As they entered, Ebony came from behind her desk and reached a hand toward Belinda. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Jansen,” she greeted her without a hint of warmth behind her expression or words.

  Ebony cut an imposing figure at five ten with a stern expression, close shaven hair with sharp, sculpted edges, and dressed in a tight black silk T-shirt that emphasized her muscular physique. The black, sharply creased slacks she wore were perfectly tailored for her equally muscular hips and behind. Like her work office, her home office was designed in sharp angles and edges of chrome, black, and silver that led Belinda to wonder if the rumors of her new employer being a cold hard-ass were more true than the loving figure Sheree had spoke of.

  Belinda refused to let Ebony intimidate her the way she had the other day. She smiled brightly and grasped Ebony’s hand in return. “It’s nice to see you as well, Ms. Trent.”

  “Okay, you two, enough with the formal titles. Since we’re going to be practically living together at least five days a week over the next several months, I think you could manage speaking on a first-name basis,” Sheree said in amusement.

  Belinda didn’t fail to notice the way Sheree completely ignored the warning look Ebony directed at her. She definitely liked this feisty young woman.

  “I’m fine with that if you are,” Belinda said to Ebony, silently noting that their hands were still clasped. The warmth and firm grip of Ebony’s hand was sending those little flutters she’d experienced at their first meeting through her belly.

  “Uh…yeah…that’s cool.” Ebony slowly released Belinda’s hand. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.

  “A glass of water would be fine, thank you,” Belinda answered.

  “I’ll get it,” Sheree said, quickly leaving the room.

  “So did Sheree show you around? Is there anything we need to get before Mama Ellis comes home?” Ebony asked as she walked back behind her desk.

  “Yes, she did, and you’re more than prepared for Miss Ellis’s return home. Sheree has told me so much about her. I truly look forward to helping with her recovery.”

  Even though Ebony was touched by the sincerity in Belinda’s voice she was more annoyed by the effect Belinda was having on her. “You’re already hired, Ms. Jansen, so you don’t need to impress me with compliments.” She completely ignored the agreement to call each other by their first names

  “Look, Ms. Trent, I don’t know what I’ve done or said, but it’s obvious you and I are not going to get along so maybe it’s best if you find another nurse. I’d be glad to refer you to someone who’s been doing this much longer than I have and who is very discreet due to her prominent clientele,” Belinda said.

  “Belinda, you are not going anywhere,” Sheree walked into the room, handing her a glass of water. “And, Eb, stop being so rude. Mama Ellis would tear you a new one if she heard you speaking that way to a guest in this house.

  “Belinda, I apologize for my sister. She tends to take her Beast persona a little too seriously,” Sheree said then turned back to Ebony. “I need to go by the shelter. Can I trust you to tone it down for Mama Ellis’s sake?” she asked Ebony.

  “Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be fine,” she said.

  “I’m serious, Eb. I like Belinda and I know Mama Ellis will also, so she better still be here when I get back.”

  “Don’t push it, Sheree,” Ebony warned her gently.

  Sheree grinned knowingly, then walked over and gave Ebony a sisterly peck on the cheek. “Don’t forget it’s your turn to cook tonight. Bye, Belinda,” she said as she walked out.

  “Did you bring your personal belongings or do you need to go back home and get them?” Ebony asked.

  “I brought my things with me since you wanted me to get settled in before Miss Ellis returned home,” Belinda answered.

  “Good.” She opened one of her desk drawers and grabbed a ring of keys. “These are keys to the front and back entrances, to all of our apartments, and the fitness room. Sheree and I usually keep our doors unlocked so that Mama Ellis can come and go, but I’m giving you copies just in case.” Ebony handed the keys to Belinda.

  “I assume this means I’m still hired,” Belinda said.

  “You heard my sister,” Ebony said in answer.

  They spent some time discussing Belinda’s contract, schedules, and Mama Ellis’s treatments and recovery, but underneath the polite conversation Ebony felt her attraction growing for Belinda She managed to maintain her cool as Belinda’s intoxicating vanilla scent almost drove her to distraction. She couldn’t believe that as Belinda casually talked about the best therapy for recovering stroke patients she was wondering if Belinda’s lips were as soft as they looked and how it would feel to let loose her entwined locs so she could run her fingers through them. Each time she realized where her thoughts were going she silently chastised herself for losing sight that this was about Mama Ellis, not her own usually controlled but suddenly rampant sex drive. Besides, Nurse Jansen was probably straight as an arrow.

  Belinda was finding it difficult to keep her thoughts away from the woman before her, wondering how Ebony’s firm calloused hands would feel stroking her, if her muscular body was as sexy without clothes as it was in them. Belinda blamed it on the fact that she hadn’t had a date in six months or sex since she and her ex broke up almost a year ago.

  Fortunately, she was given a reprieve when Ebony’s cell phone interrupted th
eir conversation. Ebony answered, spoke briefly, then brought her attention back to Belinda.

  “I have to take this. Is there anything else we need to discuss before tomorrow?” Ebony asked.

  “No, I think we’ve covered everything,” Belinda said as she stood.

  “Good. Like I mentioned earlier, we usually have dinner down at Mama Ellis’s apartment so I’ll be down around four to start cooking before Sheree gets home. You’re welcome to join us, but I’m sure you’ve got a life outside of work so don’t feel obligated to stay,” Ebony said.

  “I do have some errands to run, but I’ll probably be back by then. Is there anything I can get you while I’m out?” Belinda asked.

  “No, thank you, Ms. Jan—Belinda.”

  “You’re welcome, Ebony,” Belinda said with a smile as she walked out.

  * * *

  Belinda returned from her errands later than expected after stopping by her father’s office to pick up a copy of Miss Ellis’s medical history to look over tonight rather than having him bring it by the next day when she returned home. As she entered the foyer, the door to Miss Ellis’s apartment was open and the soothing sound of piano jazz followed by the aromatic scent of grilled steak drifted toward her. She walked in to find Ebony in the kitchen dressed in jeans, a black V-neck T-shirt, and an apron with a large lipstick kiss imprint that said “Kiss the Cook or Else…” It was so charmingly unexpected that Belinda couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

  Ebony looked up as she approached the kitchen. “Sheree just called. She’s going to be out later than she expected and won’t be home for dinner so I thought I’d finish it up and then just take mine up to my apartment so I won’t bother you.”

  “Please don’t feel obligated to leave on my account. I won’t mind having the company,” Belinda said.

  Ebony stared at her for a moment then cleared her throat and grabbed a platter off the counter. “Uh…okay…Let me just go check the steaks on the grill.” She hurried out a door in the kitchen that led to the enclosed yard.