NINETEEN

I take Aliyah's hand in mine and gently lead her out of the elevator. She tried to object to the blindfold, but I was able to get my way. I want to be in the right place at the right time to see her face when everything is revealed.

"Just a few steps more," I say.

Even though I'm holding her hand and leading the way, she flails around with her free hand.

"You don't believe I'll get you inside in one piece?"

She smiles and continues to reach out blindly in front of her. "I completely trust you, but I just want to be certain."

After opening the door, I assist her inside before observing her reaction.

"That's fine," I say. "You may now remove your blindfold."

She removes her mask and covers her open mouth with her hands. She walks forward cautiously, looking down and dropping her hands as she smiles at the rose petals on the floor.

"Jordan, this is lovely," she says quietly.

"Let's go; these petals will lead us to the next surprise."

We follow the trail to the kitchen, and I watch as her face lights up once more. The ingredients are spread out on the counter, and the private chef I hired is smiling as he stands in front of the stove.

"Hello, my name is Chef Bradley, and I'll be preparing dinner for you tonight." I've got a bottle of red wine waiting for the two of you, and if you'll take a seat, I'll pour a couple of glasses and get to work on the meal."

"Nothing can top this surprise," Aliyah says as she wraps her arms around me.

"None at all?"

" I inquire.

"You have no idea how important this is to me. "I love cooking more than anything," she exclaims, her eyes brighter than ever.

The chef steps forward and hands each of us a piece of thick cardstock outlining our evening's menu.

"Well, madam, you've come to the right place. "I have several delectable courses planned for tonight," Chef Bradley says.

Aliyah smiles as she looks down at the paper. Her face is lit up, and I love knowing I'm the source of her happiness.

"Can I assist you?" " she inquires. "I know you're the chef for tonight, but if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if I could assist."

Chef Bradley shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "I can't think of any reason why not." In fact, both of you can contribute, and we can turn this into a couples cooking class. I frequently teach couples. All that remains is for us to divide the work and get started."

I take the apron that has been handed to me with trepidation and slip it over my head to protect my clothes. Cooking isn't really my thing. Walking by the stove to put my dirty dishes in the sink is the closest I get to it, and even that is rare because my maid usually handles that as well. But I'll go to any length for Aliyah. I pay close attention to both Chef Bradley's orders as they are called out to me, often in unison.

"How long have you been interested in cooking, Aliyah?" I inquire.

She hands me several vegetables to cut into tiny pieces, which appears to be the only task they believe I am qualified to do, and even then, I see both of them re-chopping my work into finer chunks once I finish.

"I've always been interested in food and cooking since I was a child." I spend the majority of my days in the kitchen experimenting. That's one of the more appealing aspects of working for Romina. I get to buy whatever ingredients I want and experiment with different recipes."

I nod, trying to keep my attention on the vegetables. I'm sure a fingertip in the salad would be unwelcome. Besides, I don't want to talk about Romina or what I know about her. Knowing Aliyah works for her is still unsettling.

Aliyah quickly finishes the salad dressing as well as a pale-yellow sauce for the salmon. She walks over to me and picks up a knife.

"That apron fits you nicely," she says, "but it appears that you could use a little assistance."

I lower my gaze to the haphazardly uneven chunks on the cutting board. "You are correct," I admit. "I've never done anything like this before, so I'm willing to accept any assistance you can provide."

She takes a carrot and slowly demonstrates the proper technique for more uniformed, bite-sized pieces.

"That's it," she says, handing back the knife and watching me imitate what she's shown me at a much slower pace. "You're doing fantastic."

I pause from my slicing and dicing to give her a quick kiss.

"You're both doing an amazing job," Chef Bradley says. "Aliyah, you have some skills for someone with no professional training." If it's something you really want to do, I'm sure you'll go far in this industry."

She flushes brightly and smiles at the chef. "Thank you; I'll definitely think about it if this nanny job doesn't work out the way I want it to."

As we finish our meal, Aliyah enthusiastically describes the recipes she's tried and the ones she wants to try in the future. Who knew cooking could make someone so happy? I believe I understand how she feels because I experience the same type of adrenaline rush when working on a business deal. The numbers and equations may be meaningless to others, but each one is like a miniature rollercoaster for me. Every detail of closing a deal is a new adventure for me, and I look forward to it every time. It's one of the reasons I work so hard, because I want to relive that feeling until it fades.

We remove the last of the food from the oven and plate our creations. As he packs up his knives and exchanges information with Aliyah, Chef Bradley congratulates us on our hard work.

"If you ever want to consider opportunities in the industry," he tells Aliyah, "I'll gladly do what I can to help." "You have a natural talent that cannot be taught, but with some fine tuning, you'll be running your own spot in no time." I'm going to make use of the lemon parsley sauce you made last night. Now you two hurry up and eat that food while it's still hot, and then relax for the rest of the evening."

Before rejoining Aliyah at the table, I accompany the chef to the door and thank him for his time.

"Everything smells fantastic," I exclaim. "I'm still full of ice cream, but I'll make room for this."

As she picks up her fork, Aliyah smiles sheepishly. "I wouldn't have suggested eating the ice cream first if I hadn't known we were having dinner." "I'm still eager to try everything."

We both dig in, but I pause before putting the fork to my mouth so I can see Aliyah's expression. She closes her eyes and takes a big bite of the seared fish.

"This tastes fantastic. "It's flaky and buttery, with just enough spice," she says before opening her eyes and looking at me. ”

I smile and shake my head. "None at all. I wanted to see your expression when you took that first bite."

She laughs as she drops her fork on the plate. "I do that as well," she admits. "I enjoy watching other people eat my food."

Despite how she misinterpreted my words, I laugh along with her. My fixation on the food has nothing to do with it. I enjoy watching her and seeing how happy she is. In my priority list, her happiness has somehow surpassed mine.

During dinner, Aliyah tells me about her dream of one day owning a restaurant, and I am once again astounded by this woman. Her ambition only adds to her allure. How could I have suspected she was a gold digger?

"What's holding you back?"

" I inquire. "You clearly have natural talent, as Bradley stated."

Aliyah chews for a moment, as if she's trying to think of the right words. "Well, I didn't think I'd enjoy being a nanny so much, and now I have the best of both worlds." I get to spend a lot of time with an amazing little boy, I get to cook with only the best ingredients, and I live in an amazing neighborhood that I could never afford on my own. "Being a nanny allows me to change my lifestyle."

I set my fork down and reach across the table for her hand. "In all seriousness, I want you to know that no matter what you do, I'm 100 percent behind you."

Her candor is so refreshing. No one would ever express such vulnerable honesty in my world. We all pretend to be in control of everything, always wanting to appear stronger and better off than we truly are. It's the polar opposite for Aliyah. She is unashamed of her profession and the benefits it provides her. Perks that I take for granted, but that she would never have had if she hadn't gotten the job with Romina.

"Thank you," she says, squeezing my hand tightly. "That puts my mind at ease about something else that's been bothering me."

“What? " I inquire. "Please tell me about it."

"Well, I know I'm just a nanny," she says, "but I've been wondering about your thoughts on how unequally matched we are in terms of position and finances."

I take a sip of water and recline in my chair. "First and foremost, you're not just a nanny. You accomplish so much during the course of the day. Saying you're just a nanny is an understatement. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'll be honest with you: the idea of our differences crossed my mind at the start, but they're definitely a non-factor to me now. And you're correct about us being unequally matched, because you're far superior to me. "Everything about you is a bonus that money cannot buy."

"Thank you," she says quietly. "I enjoy spending time with you, Jordan." You add a dash of excitement to my life, and hearing how much you appreciate me makes me feel good."

This woman is everything I could ever want and more.

"Let's clear the table and clean up the kitchen," Aliyah says, reaching for my plate.

"OK," I say as I get to my feet. "Allow me to load the dishwasher."

Cleaning the kitchen is a breeze, and I'm convinced Aliyah does a better job than the lady who comes in three times a week. Under my overhead lights, the chrome appliances practically gleam. After everything has been returned to its proper place, we retire to the living room. I'm not sure about her, but I'm tired and stuffed.

We take off our shoes and stretch out on the sofa, wrapped in each other's arms. I figure now is as good a time as any to give Aliyah the other small gift I picked up for her on my way home from work the other day. The tiny box had been sitting in my pocket all evening, waiting for the right moment to present it to her.

“Listen, I know you said I didn’t have to do extra stuff for you and buy you things, but I wanted to get something small as a token of how special you are to me.”

I dig into my pocket and hand the small light blue Tiffany and Co. box to Aliyah.

She opens the box and her mouth drops open for the second time this evening. “You really didn’t have to do this,” she says, looking at the sparkling diamond earrings.

"I understand," I say. "I really wanted to. I couldn't stop thinking about you the other day and wanted to get you something to let you know I was thinking about you. Hopefully, I'll be on yours whenever you wear them."

Aliyah leans in and presses her lips against mine. "I appreciate it."

She kisses me again, and I press my lips into hers more firmly, deepening the kiss. This time, my tongue doesn't have to tap her lips for permission; she invites me in. As my hands explore her body, our tongues perform their familiar dance.

Aliyah takes a step back and places the small box on the table. "You've given me one surprise after another tonight." I've been waiting to give you my own little surprise."

She returns to me and, rather than cuddling up next to me, throws one leg over me and straddles my lap. My dick springs to life as I expected, pressing against the fabric that separates us.

Aliyah leans in and taps the tip of her tongue against my earlobe. "Andrew is with his grandmother, and if you want, I can stay all night."

"If I can have you?" Is that even a legitimate question? There is no 'if' here. "I'll have you and some."