The Ceo's Contracted Mistress
The Ceo’s Contracted Mistress Chapter 32

“Olivier, can you run up and tell the trio of terror lunch is ready?” Bobbie asked as she finished setting the table with Prue’s help.

Meri was still outside on the porch talking on the phone and Grady and Everly were speaking in whispers on the sofa snuggled up. Their hope was floating around Bobbie, and she prayed for their sake it wouldn’t be the false kind.

He nodded and went up the stairs and the loud startled shriek made the four adults in the living room freeze in terror. “What is this?” The hoarse echo of his voice bounced down the stairs in their direction.

Grady tore up the stairs Bobbie half wondered if he hadn’t jumped the back of the sofa to get there.

“What the heck?” Grady’s voice boomed from upstairs.

“It was an experiment!” Max’s voice was shrill and defensive.

“In the bathtub?” Olivier’s voice was equally unsettled.

“s**t,” Bobbie g*****d and was torn between the dread of seeing what was up there and the desire to simply live in blissful oblivion and move into the treehouse never to set foot up the stairs again.

Prue took a pitcher of iced tea out of Bobbie’s trembling fingers and pushed her in the direction of the stairs. “Your house, so you need to deal with it. I’m out.”

“Let’s just burn it down and start somewhere new.” She suggested in a panic.

Everly g*****d as she rolled off the sofa. “No, you can’t. I’m not moving. Olivier took it upon himself when updating the security in our house to include fantastic air conditioning and sound proofed our bedroom.”

Grady asking what the hell they’d been thinking coupled with Olivier’s stunned silence made Bobbie unsettled. “You go. I can’t do it.”

“Can’t be worse than turning the playroom every color of paint they had.”

Meri stepped back into the house glowering at the device in her hand and immediately sensed their disquiet. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes widening at the disposition of the three women now at the base of the staircase.

Prue spoke first, “they did an experiment.”

Bobbie swallowed, “in the bathtub.”

“Can’t be so bad.” Meri offered helpfully.

“They don’t normally try to contain them,” Everly spoke with fear as she put one foot on the bottom step, jumping when Grady asked why the hell it wasn’t stopping. “If they put it in the bathtub, they knew it was going to be bad.”

Meri pushed past Everly and marched up the stairs. Her squeal of terror made Bobbie head straight for the back door, but Prue stopped her and pushed her towards the stairs.

“He’s your evil genius scientist.”

“Nope. He’s Olivier’s now. I want an eight-year reprieve.”

Everly and Bobbie exchanged a look when Olivier cursed and told Meri to back up and not let it touch her.

Bobbie and Everly locked hands and slowly, with dread climbed the stairs. It felt very much like watching two women in a horror movie entering the house in the woods they knew they shouldn’t.

Stepping into the Jack and Jill bathroom the kids shared, they both gasped in revulsion. The pungent aroma of hydrogen peroxide and a yeasty overtone permeated their nostrils, and a thick substance was rolling like sea foam over the tub and onto the tiled floor in a bright blue glutinous globular mess.

“What is that?” Bobbie asked horrified as it didn’t seem to be stopping. “It’s like alien goo.”

“It’s called elephant toothpaste.” Max said proudly. “Isn’t it cool?”

“No,” Bobbie blinked and then motioned to the kids and Everly. “I can smell the peroxide. Get them out of here. None of you should be breathing this in.” She stepped past them to open the bathroom window as wide as possible and turned on the extractor fan.

“Mom,” Ollie said as she reached out with gives hands and picked up the stuff squishing it, “it’s neat!”

“If it has peroxide in it, it’s corrosive!” She frowned, “those are my dish washing gloves!”

Ollie made a face, “well, Max said this stuff could melt our skin off if he used a different kind of the peroxide, but this stuff wasn’t as bad, but he said we still had to wear gloves.” The three kids held up their gloved hands.

Grady paled as he looked at Lark. “Are they my leather gloves I brought back from Italy?”

Lark made a face, “I don’t know. They were in the glove box in your car.”

“Please get the kids out of here, Everly. Go start lunch with them. I need to do an internet search on how to properly dispose of this.” Bobbie almost whimpered

“It’s safe to put down the drain mom. I think it’s because we used five bottles of peroxide and all the yeast for your bread maker and most of your dish soap. I couldn’t replace much for food coloring other than the blue.”

Bobbie had a strange urge to tug the safety glasses on her sons face and to snap them hard in the hopes it put common sense into him. Instead, she began counting to ten with her eyes closed.

“Uh-oh,” Lark whispered, “your mom’s counting. We should go now.”

The kids raced down the hall and down the stairs. Everly turned and followed them down wordlessly as if she had nothing left to say.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Meri bent down and used a wooden spoon Max had clearly stolen from the kitchen and lifted the globby mess onto it and plopped it in the sink.

Prue’s voice behind them was a bark of laughter, “holy s**t! Glad this is at your house and not ours.”

Bobbie looked over her shoulder and flipped off the older woman, “hag.”

“Everly is going to start feeding the kids.” Prue grinned, “but she said I needed to see this for myself. She wasn’t wrong.” She started to cackle wildly. “How’s she going to cope with not drinking for ten months.”

“At least nineteen,” Bobbie suddenly grinned too. “She’ll breastfeed a year like she did Lark.”

Grady smiled wildly, “I’ll drink her share.”

“As her husband you should be supportive and not drink with her,” Bobbie almost kept a straight face before she and Grady erupted with laughter.

“I think the fumes are getting to you both,” Olivier’s voice was hoarse. “Look at this mess.”

Grady shrugged and turned the tap of the bathtub on and motioned the stuff was already melting away. “This isn’t the worst they’ve done.”

“He was playing with chemicals.” Olivier argued, “unsupervised.”

“We can talk with them later about it,” Bobbie shrugged. “This won’t take long to clean. If anything the peroxide might get some of the stains off the floor. You guys go get lunch. I’ll figure this out.”

“Where did they get five bottles of peroxide?” Olivier was dumbfounded while using his toe, nudged a stodgy blue chunk with a rag one of the kids had left on the floor.

“Leftovers from a different experiment we did in the back yard in the winter,” Grady chuckled. “I knew the little s**t had spotted them when he was in my garage with me yesterday. I should have moved them.”

“You should have but you didn’t,” Bobbie grunted her anger fizzling as she turned the shower on and watched it wash the stuff in the tub down the drain. She sniffed, “kind of reminds me of being at the salon and a bakery at the same time.”

Meri giggled and scooped more foam into the sink. “How did it get so far out of the tub?”

“It just kept spilling over,” Olivier whispered as if reliving a traumatic memory.

“Grady, I think Olivier needs the beer we took from Everly. Take him downstairs and feed him.” Bobbie was laughing at the man’s pallor. This was day one of living at home with the kids and they’d initiated him in style. Elephant toothpaste. What a thing!

“No, you need help to clean this,” Olivier protested his brown eyes intently studying the mess now disintegrated into a blue puddle.

“You can get the next one,” she patted his chest before turning him out of the bathroom. She picked up the yellow dishwashing gloves Ollie had dropped before running and put them on. “Meri, I can take care of this. Why don’t you go have lunch with everyone else? It won’t take me ten minutes up here.” She snickered as Grady didn’t hesitate to pull Olivier away from the mess. He didn’t want to clean it either.

“Everything all right? How was your call? Is Fiona, okay?”

“Levi was at her house when I called. I don’t think I got three words with her before he jumped on the phone.”

“Do you have to go home?”

“I told him I’m not going home, and reminded him Olivier has forbidden him to come here. I told him I was ashamed of him and my family.” Meri gritted her teeth as her annoyance bubbled back up to the surface.

“Is he going to come anyway?” Bobbie hated the notion of the man coming to her home made her want to vomit. She knew she was going to have to face him at some point, but it felt too soon.

“I told him if he came, I would file a divorce.”

Bobbie gasped and paused with her hands full of the blue squishy foam. “Meri! No. Don’t throw your marriage away over us.”

Meri gave a loud sigh, “nearly forty years of marriage and we’ve been through it all, or so I thought. My father, a crazy mother-in-law, fights over our kids and what is best for them. We’ve fought like every other normal couple and then weird fights too, like the one time we didn’t speak for a whole week over the color of tile I wanted for the swimming pool. Marriage is never easy but the one thing I always knew was my husband’s heart was in the right place even if his thoughts were off.” She gave a loud frustrated grunt, “This? His heart was dark and not in the right place. He needs to have a long talk with God and sort out who he has become because the man in the hotel room that day, the one who called you a w***e, is not the man I married.”

“Maybe he was out of sorts because of the things I said,” Bobbie whispered.

“Doesn’t matter. My husband, the man I know, would never talk to any woman in the way he did.” She scooped more bubbles and then bent down with a white towel Bobbie had thrown onto the mess to dry the floor, “they say little girls grow up looking for men like their daddy to marry and in a way I did. Levi always protected me and the kids. Put our family first especially the girls. He feels it is his job as head of our family to ensure the women are taken care of, protected and safe. My dad is like this too. I feel safe when I’m with both of them and Olivier too. Levi has never gone after a woman the way he did you and it felt as if I was watching a stranger.”

“Meri I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Levi needs to give me space, time to let my heart heal a bit and he needs to make himself right. His words are empty to me right now. His actions have thrown me for a loop. I don’t like it.”

“What will you do?”

“I called my father after hanging up on Levi. He’s flying to New Orleans today to talk to Levi and tell him to back off. I may be older but I’m still his little girl and my big daddy is pissed off a boy made his princess cry.”

Bobbie giggled, “Really?”

“My father is a John Wayne type. Brash, rude and thinks women are weak. If you ask anyone outside America to describe a stereotypical Texan oil baron they would describe my dad down to the white suit, cowboy hat and the bolero.” Meri giggled girlishly in contradiction to her words of being an older woman, “but he’s a proud man and he puts us girls first. I thought Levi would always do the same. I considered you one of my girls as soon as Olivier told us he found you again. It never dawned on me Levi didn’t.”

“You think your dad can keep him in line?”

Meri made a face, “daddy threatened to shoot him in the a*s.”

“Gael sounds like he’s a hoot.” Bobbie was torn between frowning at the violence and laughing at the man’s antics.

“That’s one word. He’s a scoundrel and he’s rude and overbearing. He runs roughshod over people’s feelings and doesn’t care who he destroys if it suits his purpose. Growing up there were rumours he’d been involved with mafia types and had even killed people or had them killed. I don’t know about any of those things, but I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, he would die for any single member of our family.” She squeezed out the towel in the sink, “and this now includes you, Bobbie.”

“Me?”

“Unlike my asshat of a husband, my daddy has already set up trust funds for the kids. He’s made it his personal mission to punish Levi and Timon for their actions for last week’s mess.”

Bobbie looked around the room, “I don’t know how I feel about it. This was an easier mess to clean than the mess from last week and this was something called elephant’s toothpaste.”

Meri giggled and sniffed the towel. “I wouldn’t wash these with anything else. They’ll be bleached.”

“I’m going to give the floor a quick mop with just some very hot water before heading down.”

Meri gave a nod, “do you mind if I skip lunch and just go lie down?”

Bobbie hugged her tight, “Meri, go do whatever you need to do. We are here when you feel like company again.”

The older woman clutched Bobbie’s cheeks in her hands, “you have such a beautiful heart Bobbie. I’m so proud to be your family.”

Bobbie smiled under the woman’s intense stare. “Thanks Meri. It means a lot to hear you say.”

The woman turned quietly and walked down the hall to the guest room and closed the door behind her. Bobbie pulled a mop bucket from the closet and patted herself on the back for the thousandth time for purchasing one for upstairs and one for down. With kids like hers she needed an endless supply of cleaning products on both the main floor and upper floor.

When the room was finally clean, she rubbed her face and then grimaced at the scent of peroxide clinging to her skin. She would have to check the kids over carefully for any chemical burns but at least they’d had the foresight to put on gloves and goggles.

After giving one last sad glance at the closed guest bedroom door, she made her way down the stairs and was met with a very quiet group eating tacos.

“Either the food is good everyone is too busy eating, or someone is in trouble.”

Max gave an exaggerated sigh, “We’re sorry we made the big mess upstairs.” His feet were swinging wildly under the table as if he couldn’t control his energy. She immediately removed the soda from him and put water in its place. He grimaced but didn’t complain knowing he was already in deep.

Olivier looked at him with a half smile, “and?”

“And the instructions for the elephant toothpaste said to do it outside and with an adult present and I’m sorry I didn’t follow the rules of my experiment.”

Bobbie laughed and kissed the top of his head, “girls?”

“We’re sorry too.” Lark said with a nod

“Yes, we are very sorry.” Ollie said over a mouthful of a crunchy taco shell.

Olivier’s phone pinged in his pocket and Grady caught her eyes and shook her head when Olivier clenched his taco too tightly and it crushed. She had a feeling it had to do with what Meri had said upstairs. Everly made circles with her forefinger around her temple as if signaling something crazy was happening and Prue was drinking her iced tea in silence.

Bobbie took a seat next to Olivier and reached past him surprised to see the kids had saved her any of the food.

“Where’s Mamaw?” Ollie asked curiously, her brown eyes shining brightly as if, even with the trouble she was in, she was the happiest little girl in the world. Bobbie decided she probably was thanks to the man at her side and the woman upstairs.

“She’s laying down for a bit. She had a late-night last night.” Bobbie commented quietly

“Is she upset at the mess? Is she mad?” Max asked quietly.

“No baby,” Bobbie shook her head as she filled a soft tortilla with all the fixings. “She’s just needing a nap.”

“When I’m old like Mamaw and Nana Prue will I want to take naps?” Lark asked curiously.

“If you make it to my age,” Prue glared at her for the insult.

“Nana Prue, it’s okay to be old. It just means you got to see cool stuff like horse and buggies and steam train locomotives.” Max said helpfully. “Were you alive when there were cavemen?”

Bobbie choked on her first bite of tacos at his words. “Max!”

“I’m not that old!” Prue snapped with little real anger to her voice. “I’m still young enough to whip your butt at video games.”

“Sure,” Max rolled his eyes. “I challenge you to a race!”

“Eat your tacos you punk and then you’re on!” Prue egged him on

Olivier chuckled suddenly as if having a sudden breakthrough. “This is really just normal for you all? From chaos to meals to fun?”

“Life’s too short to stay angry.” Bobbie shrugged. “Besides nobody got hurt and we will have a chat later about taking things without permission and doing chemistry without supervision,” she gave a pointed glance to Max, “but at the end of the day, we are all safe, sound and together.”

Everly nodded at him, “Get used to it Olivier. They’re only getting more creative as they get older. Roll with the punches or get knocked out.”

His phone pinged again, and he still ignored it.

“Do you need to take a call?” Bobbie asked quietly.

“No. My father asked for permission to come visit. I denied his request. He wants me to send my mother home, which I’ve also refused. She’s a grown woman and she’ll go home when she feels ready to and not a minute before.” His voice was terse and blunt.

“She said he was with Fiona when she called.”

“He was,” he sipped his iced tea. “Tried to play off she needed her mother home to help her.”

“Maybe she does,” Bobbie met his gaze surprised by how cold he appeared.

“Apparently my mother told Fiona she is a big girl and can handle a bit of morning sickness and she’ll need to rely on Elise for the time being because Fiona had clearly chosen sides and chose poorly.”

Prue snickered, “Your mom is a tough bird.”

“She is truly digging her heels in. Fiona accused her of choosing you over her.”

“I feel it’s unfair. I didn’t ask for any of this,” Bobbie said with a frown.

Olivier nodded at her indicating he agreed with her assessment. “Fiona letting papa stay there at her home made maman feel Fiona was ignoring her feelings and putting her own wants and desires ahead of what she feels is the right thing.”

“Fiona really didn’t do anything,” Bobbie protested

“She backed him over maman and it is why maman is upset.” He paused, “or this is my guess.”

“I’m sorry.” Bobbie decided the taco felt dry in her mouth

“Why? You have done nothing wrong. Not a single thing. You have shown more grace and compassion than anyone else would in your situation. You are truly not at fault for any of this. My family is a strong family, and we will get through this hiccup. I am sure of it.” He looked to Max, “now enough of this unpleasant chat. Tell me what exactly this racing video game is you play?”

As the mood lightened around the table Bobbie sat back and couldn’t help but feel the situation with his parents was her fault. If she had not snapped at Levi about marrying Olivier none of this would have happened. He would never have become suspicious of her and would never have gone looking for trouble with her. She had agitated things and stirred the pot. She had been overwhelmed and felt on the spot because of the fight she’d had with Olivier immediately before his family’s arrival. She had been harsh and as rude to them as she had believed they had been to her.

She couldn’t help but wonder if the reason he was maintaining this physical distance from her was because this whole mess was her fault and as she pushed her food around her plate, the noisy family talking about having a giant racing competition on the gaming console did little to alleviate her concerns.

She couldn’t help but feel like the situation from Tuesday was like Max’s elephant toothpaste experiment. Everything had exploded everywhere and putting the mess away was proving to be far more difficult than simply washing it down a drain.