Babysitting Alex

" Couples on the beach doin' the dirty tricks.... La la la la. "

Ava Adams sighed and closed her laptop. Her stepbrother, Bobby was back and it meant she was in for more trouble tonight. Her joy at being hired as a babysitter dampened the moment she heard Bobby's voice.

" Where have you been? " He said, the moment she came downstairs. He staggered, and Ava knew then that he was drunk. She rolled her eyes inwardly but replied anyway.

" I came down the minute I heard your voice. Where's Ben? " She looked behind him, in search of her second nightmare. Ben, her step dad was much worse than a beast. Her mother, Dawn had married Ben when she was 12. Her birth father, Davis, died in a car accident and things had not been easy for them. Dawn married Ben few years later and things were going smoothly for them, except for her nasty stepbrother of course. Ben, at that time, was a rich businessman but all that crumbled when his company went bankrupt. Bobby had blamed it all on her mother for coming into their lives.

Things became worse as Ben lost all hopes of saving his company and became a gambler. Dawn tried to keep the to keep the family together and worked all day to save up some money. But things go the way she planned because the moment Ben discovered the money, he stole everything and gambled without leaving a penny. Dawn died a year later and Ava was left to live with her beast of a step father and her douche bag of a step brother.

" Get the fuck out of my way! " Bobby retorted and pushed her. Ava landed on her butt and groaned. She rubbed her sore ass, thanking her stars that he didn't do much worse to her. She was used to them hitting her on many occasions so this was nothing. She watched Bobby leave and sighed. She was battling with what was too much for a girl of 22 years. Her once creamy, white skin was pale and dry. She was a 5'2 feet brunette with a pair of beautiful blue eyes. She was what guys termed as a figure '8' shape. She was a stunning beauty. She was truly beautiful and took after her mother.

" Son of a bitch, " she muttered, helping herself up. She went back to her room to prepare the necessary things for the interview the next day. She would gladly accept any job that came her way. Being a babysitter was better than nothing, and as long as she would be paid, she was okay with it. She loved kids so she was sure she would do fine. Most of all, she was glad that finally, she would be able to gather up some money and run away to where Ben and Bobby could never find her.

********

She woke up the next morning feeling excited and anxious. She wore one of her few best clothes, a black knee-length gown and paired it with wedge sandals. Leaving her face bare, she squatted and brought out the box she hid under her bed. She opened the box, brought out few dollars and put it in her bag. She locked her door and went downstairs. She was relieved when none of the beasts she lived with was awake yet.

Ben obviously didn't come home and she was glad. Twenty minutes later, she was in front of the mansion. She stood there shocked and wondered if she got the wrong place. Though she knew she would be working in a mansion, she had not expected it to be this huge and beautiful. Shaking her head to clear it of her wandering thoughts, she rang the doorbell. The door opened a few seconds later and a middle aged man appeared.

" Yes? " He looked her over.

" Hello good morning. I'm here for an interview. I applied for...." The man cut her off, motioning her inside.

" Okay okay come in, " and he turned to go in.

Ava felt she was in heaven the moment she walked in. The whole place was breathtaking. She couldn't find the perfect words to describe it.

" Have a sit. He will join you soon, " The man said over his shoulder, as he disappeared.

Ava fed her eyes to her heart's content, she got a good look at the whole place now. A cough sounded and she looked up, startled. Standing before her was a very good looking, matured man. He looked around 37 years, give or take a few years. He was tall and had jet black hair. Shiny blue eyes were staring down at her and she looked away, shyly. He smiled and Ava decided he had a cute smile . He looked vaguely familiar though.

" Done checking me out? " He asked and his smile got wider. Ava realized then, that she had blatantly stared at him rudely.

" Uh? Oh... Sorry sir, " She stammered, getting up on her feet.

" No, you can sit, " He laughed.

" Thank you sir, " She replied politely.

" Jackson. It's Jackson. You applied for the job of a babysitter, right? "

" Yes sir... Yes Jack. I'm Ava Adams, " She answered.

" Beautiful name for a gorgeous lady, " He complimented, eyes twinkling.

" Ava, can you tell me about yourself. Family, kids, relationship, home, everything. It will help us greatly to know if you're suitable for this job " He smiled.

" Okay, " Ava took a deep breath and continued, " I'm 22 years old, graduated from high school 5 years ago. Wanted to further my education up to College level but financial problems, " She smiled wistfully. Jack listened without interrupting her and Ava sighed before she continued.

" Mom died few years back so I live with my stepdad and stepbrother, " She left out the part that her stepfather was a gambler. Jack could tell she was hiding something but decided not to push it.

" I'm sorry about your mom, " He looked genuinely sorry.

" It's fine thank you, " She blinked back the tears which were starting to form around her eyes.

" Now let's get down to business, " He sighed audibly and brought out some documents. " Let me ask you this before we proceed..."

He took a pause before he went on, " Any complications? Married? In a relationship? Single? "

Ava shook her head, " None. "

" Okay. Now, please go through these rules and regulations carefully, " He handed her the documents and sat back on his chair, waiting for her. Ava went through the documents thoroughly and took a pause after reading a particular one.

" I'll live here? " She looked at him, stunned.

" Yeah. And one more thing, you'll be on probation for 2 months before we decide if you'll work with us permanently, " He exhaled a breath.

" Is there a problem? " He raised an eyebrow.

" No no no it's fine. I mean, thank you sir, " She was happy that that finally, she would be leaving that hell hole she called a home. But how handful must the kid be, for the job to require her stay there temporarily, she wondered.

" I thought I made it clear you should call me Jack, " Jack smiled.

" Thank you, Jack, " Her own smile brightening the whole room.

" Okay good. Now let's proceed. The person you'll be babysitting is.... " They both turned to look when they heard the sound of someone's footsteps. A kid of about 6 years came to Jack and he smiled, scooping him into his arms. The boy was cute and looked a lot like his father.

Ava automatically assumed he was the one she would babysit, smiled and waved.

" Hello there! I'm Ava . Your dad employed me to babysit you but I won't, " She shook her head vigorously for emphasis, laughing.

" I'll be your best friend! " She exclaimed.

The little boy looked confused for a moment then bursted into laughter. He laughed so much that his Dad had to hold him tightly to prevent him from falling.

" Whoa you're cool! I would have loved it if you were my babysitter, " The boy said wistfully and pouted.

" Hush now, Liam. She'll still be your friend, " Jack tried to pacify the boy.

Ava was confused now. If it was not Liam, then who would she babysit?

" Oops sorry! How rude of me to assume you have just a kid, " She put her hands on her face, ashamed.

Both father and son laughed, and Jack confirmed now that she'd do great at her job. The woman was energetic, he liked that. But he was not so sure with Alex though.

" No, it's fine, " He smiled, " As a matter of fact, yeah I have just Liam. The person you're babysitting is not Liam. It's Alexander. "

Ava couldn't explain why she shivered, just by hearing the name of the kid. There was something fishy, she could feel it.

" Okay. Is he family? Oh sorry! Of course he would be. Geez what's wrong with me? " She sighed dramatically, facepalming herself. Jack laughed heartily, the sound echoing the spacious room.

" Alex is asleep right now but we can go see him if you'd like, " He was already on his feet.

" Sure, " and she stood up too.

Jack led the way and they went upstairs. The place was massive, Ava thought as they passed rows of rooms until they finally stopped in front of one.

" Okay. Here we go, " He entered multiple passwords and Ava frowned. Even password was required before one could be given access into the room of a little boy? Who exactly was this kid? She wondered. The door swished open and Jack motioned for her to enter.

The room was dark, even the curtains were drawn . Ava, breathing heavily, went to the window and drew back the curtains without being asked to. Light seeped in immediately and Ava looked around, in search of Alex. The room was big enough to accommodate more than three people and it was beautiful. There was something odd about it though, she noticed.

She spotted a man lying on a bed on one end of the room. Jack followed her gaze and said quietly, "That's him. Alexander King. "

Even his name sounded powerful, Ava thought. She went still, shocked at coming to the realization that it was not a little boy she would babysit, but a grown man. The fuck? Why would they need to babysit a grown up man? Was he sick? These were the questions going through her mind and she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Jack walked over to the bed and she followed slowly.

Up close, she could see the younger version of Jack. Alexander was drop dead gorgeous, he was beautiful in fact. Long eyelashes caressed the lids, a long, pointed nose and small, full lips. No doubt he would be the center of attention of women.

" Uh... Alex is... a bit sick, just so you know, " He said quietly, looking uneasy.

" Sick? How do you mean? " She probed.

" Uh... He was involved in a big, terrible accident 3 years back and had not been himself since then. "

Ava remembered then. The young billionaire whose pictures was all over the social media. It was said that he was involved in a big accident. Rumor had it that his business opponents tried to kill him but he was saved at the last minute. He was in coma since then and had not been spotted.

The accident happened around the time her Mom died. Ava realized now why Jack had looked so familiar when she first saw him. The striking resemblance to Alex, the aura of wealth and power all made sense to her now.

" Oh, " was the only thing she could think of saying. Words clogged up her throat and the word she uttered was laced with so much emotion that even Jack could feel it. Suddenly, she felt a tenderness towards the guy lying down on the bed. A tenderness she had never felt towards anyone except her mother.

She had learned to bottle up her emotions these last few years. All thanks to Ben, he had taught her that, as he inflicted bruises on her.

" I'm sorry, " She whispered. She didn't know what she was sorry for exactly, the man lying down or her pitiful life.