His Nanny Mate (Moana and Edrick Morgan) novel Chapter 57

#Chapter 57: Social Climber

Edrick

Throughout the gala, I tried not to look too long at the way Moana’s body looked in her dress — but there was also something else that caught my eye and held my attention, even while I was busy schmoozing with other wealthy socialites to get donations for the foundation.

Her belly, which was always slim with nice curves at the waist, was a little bit rounder.

I quickly looked away as her eyes met mine, chalking it up in my head to the simple monthly fluctuations in a woman’s body; besides, if she gained a little weight, maybe it was good for her. As far as I was aware, she had next to no money before she began working for me, so maybe she didn’t get enough to eat and now her body was settling into a healthier weight.

Soon, however, I had to push aside these thoughts as it was time to give my speech. Kelly, who made a generously large donation prior to the gala, made a speech as well, followed by Sophia, who said a few words of gratitude. When the speeches were finished, there was a champagne toast followed by a dance portion of the event.

I stood off to the side, watching as the couples that had come together — many of them married — headed toward the dance floor. I wasn’t planning on dancing, but when Kelly scurried up to me with a particular look on her pointed face, I knew what was coming.

“I think you owe me a dance after what happened at that family banquet,” she said, shooting me a sultry look as she sauntered up to me. “What do you say?”

“Ah, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I really should be mingling.”

“Do you think that you’ll get any extra donations if you clearly refuse a dance from a lady?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. I noticed that she was wearing an almost inappropriately tight and low-cut dress, and seemed to be wearing a brand new diamond necklace. Kelly had always been the type to obsess over fashion, but as we grew up together, it became more and more obvious to me at events such as these that she was dressing particularly slutty, for lack of a better word, to try and get my attention — even though I told her repeatedly that we could only ever be friends.

I sighed, shutting my eyes for a moment, before finally relenting and holding out my arm for her to take. Kelly grinned as we made our way to the dance floor, then pressed her body uncomfortably close to mine when we began to dance.

“So,” Kelly said, flicking her hair over her shoulder, “you didn’t tell me that this orphanage was the same one that your nanny grew up in.”

I shrugged. “Is there a problem with that?”

Kelly scoffed. “No, not at all,” she said, her voice sounding overtly melancholy. “It’s just…”

“She knows the director of the orphanage,” I interjected. “It’s just business. It’s better for PR.”

“Oh.” Kelly glanced over her shoulder at Moana, who was speaking with Sophia. She had a glass of water in her hand, rather than champagne, which I found a bit odd, and also seemed to be doing that thing that she had been doing quite frequently lately…

Holding her stomach.

Kelly, noticing this, looked at me with a sly smirk. “She’s gained a little weight, no?” she asked. “What are you feeding her?”