Andrei (Part 1B of 2)
Title: Andrei (Part 1B of 2 )
Author: duwinter
Fandom: DWP
Pairing: Unspecified
Rating: PG
Setting: Some months after the end of the events in the movie. Movie Canon.
Summary: Miranda blacklists Andy after Paris. Andy needs a job.
Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada and it's characters do not belong to me. No profit being made here. I'm just playing with the characters for a short while and I promise to put them away neatly when I'm through.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to punky_96 who forges ahead each year with the July Fic-A-Thon. Thank you for your hard work on behalf of this community. Your efforts are appreciated.
Comment: Comments feed the muse and the muse is always hungry. Remember, a fat muse is a happy and productive muse. Comments and constructive criticism eagerly encouraged.
Credit Where Credit Is Due: Humble thanks to jah728 who betaed this story for me. Your efforts on my behalf make this a much better story than it otherwise would have been. Thank you for helping me. This story has been slightly tweaked since the last beta read-through so any and all mistakes are strictly my own.
Andrei
Part 1B
On a Thursday afternoon at the end of May Andy went to a hairstylist that she knew and trusted and had her beautiful long brunette locks shorn. She explained to the stylist that she wanted it short and butch. The haircut she got was quite attractive on her and by combing it a bit differently, would serve Andrei's needs as well.
Valerie guided Andy along the length of the long work table that held the various make-up appliances that the two make-up artists had either created or gathered to help Andy with the rebirth of Andrei Vladimirescu. Valerie was quite proud of what she and her partner had accomplished in the short time between Andy's submitting to their various bodily measurements and life-castings of a handful of days before. The project had challenged both the two artists' ingenuity and creativity. Andy needed a rig that she could virtually live in, which created a huge number of difficulties that had to be solved. Andy reached down and caressed the largest item on the table. It looked like something that the character of Buffalo Bill from Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs might have in his closet. “What's this?” she asked, carefully lifting the unusual flesh colored garment by the shoulders.
“Skin suit,” Valerie answered. It will give you a more masculine muscular definition for your chest and shoulders. It will also hide your breasts without you having to tape them down and help to hide the taper to your waist, masking your very feminine hips.
Andy gazed at the second skin she would soon be wearing. She shivered a little noting the detail of skin textures and chest hair the same color as her natural brunette. “This is unbelievable. I mean, with something like this I could wear my shirt unbuttoned and no one would ever know that I was a woman!”
Valerie shook her head. “Justin and I are good, Andy, but don't kid yourself. If you're really going to work as a guy on a daily basis, you're going to have to be really careful and thinking about keeping up the illusion all the time,” she stated emphatically. “There are a thousand things that could go wrong. The reason most people don't see thorough the things make-up artists create is because they're too lazy to look closely. As good as this rig is, it's make-up and prosthetics. It won't move like skin does. Won't sweat.”
Andy gently shook the skin suit by the shoulders. “What about sweating?” she asked worriedly. “I mean, is this made of rubber or something? Will I die of the heat wearing this thing?”
Valerie laughed. “No," she said. “I've discovered a breathable poly-foam. It will be cooler to wear than it looks. Also lighter as far as weight is concerned,” She moved on to the next item on the table. She reached out and picked up a pair of dentures. “These go over your teeth,” She offered showing Andy the disembodied smile. “Justin spent a whole evening on the internet looking at pictures of dentistry from Eastern European countries. As you can see, Andrei drinks a lot of strong Turkish coffee. His teeth are slightly stained because of it. The dentures also push the lower jaw forward a bit changing the wearer's jawline and will give the illusion of a squarer, more masculine chin.”
Andy shook her head in amazement. Her hand found a pair of shoe lifts on the table. “To give me more height?” She asked, caressing the items.
“About an inch and a half,” Valerie answered. “Any height helps if you're trying to do a female to male illusion.”
Andy nodded. “Makes sense I guess,” she replied, continuing her journey along the length of the table. Coming across what looked like a can of shaving cream she looked to Valerie expectantly, waiting patiently for an explanation.
Valerie grinned. “A little piece of my own genius,” she bragged. “Five o'clock shadow in a can. You spray it on. It even has texture in it so it looks real. If you work a long day, people are going to expect your beard to grow.”
Andy nodded, appreciating the forethought. Moving farther down the table, she caught sight of something that made her blush incarnadine. “What's that?” She stammered, poking the offending item and then retreating as she encountered the realistic fleshy feeling of the appendage.
“It's called a soft pack,” Valerie replied. “You wear it under your pants to simulate a guy's junk. A bulge in the pants is the first thing some women look for. I speak from experience because I'm one of them. Justin assures me that it's the first thing some men look for too. Justin found it at one of the adult stores downtown.” An evil grin spread across the artist's face. “Apparently you aren't the only woman looking to pass. Hey, at least it's a nice package. Nice and big. It'll make most men jealous.”
Justin walked into the room and smiled at Andy. “Ah good!' he exclaimed. “The Guinea pig has arrived. Shall we fit this rig?”
Andy nodded. “What do you need me to do?” She asked.
“Strip down,” Valerie said. “We'll fit the skin suit first.” she continued, lifting the garment from the table.
*****
Thaddeus Priestly was married to Miranda Priestly for almost ten years before a wandering eye and a lack of good sense cost him his wife. Since the divorce, he and Miranda had managed to remain, if not cordial, at least civil, and they worked hard together to see to the welfare of their two children.
Thad, like Miranda, was work obsessed and, more often than not, wasn't home when his children were there. Also like Miranda, he relied on the best nannies that money could employ. The twins were as successful in their father's home as they were in their mother's as far as being able to shed a nanny at will. The twins seemed to be able to get any nanny they wished to be rid of, fired. Failing that, they had gotten more than one to quit.
The start of the twins' summer vacation was now only days away and Thad desperately wanted to find a nanny that would stay a while. One that would bond with his daughters, and be there for them, one equipped to do the parenting that he was simply too busy to do. He had figured the best way to accomplish that wishful goal was to allow his two girls to be part of the hiring process.
The day had finally come. The twins' father, was taking a day away from his high powered position running the venture capitalist firm he had built from the ground up, to interview prospective nannies for his two daughters. Caroline and Cassidy were with him for the coming week and were excited about the prospect of picking their next victim.
He and the twins had interviewed four candidates for the nanny position ranging from a thirty something flower-child to a much older strict school librarian type. It was then that Thaddeus Priestly's maid showed in the first male candidate that he had ever interviewed for the position of taking care of his daughters. The only reasons that Thad even considered interviewing the young man was an excellent letter of recommendation from a previous employer, the fact that the young man had minored in education in college, and that male nannies or mannies as they were being called were terribly “in” at the moment among the wealthy families in New York and Connecticut.
When Andrei Vladimirescu was shown into the sitting room where the interviews were being conducted, Thad noted a young man that was pretty in the way Bronzino's painting Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Statue or his Portrait of a Young Man were pretty, rather than what one would traditionally considered handsome. A fan of Renaissance art, Thad thought this young applicant had the look of a medieval scholar about him.
The young man glanced at the two thirteen-year old girls in the room for a moment before presenting himself before his prospective employer, “Mr. Priestly?” he asked, an Eastern European accent flavoring his words. “I am Andrei Vladimirescu,” he continued, offering his right hand to the seated man. “I am here to apply for the position of your daughters' Au Pair. The handshake was firm and dry. The man's dark eyes met Thad's without hesitation.
Thad motioned for the young man to take the seat across from him. “It's rather unusual for a man to be seeking a job in this particular field, isn't it?” he asked.
Andrei smiled. “It is somewhat unusual, but it is becoming increasingly more common,” he replied. “I have, however, been doing this kind of work for the last two years, as the letter of recommendation I presented along with my resume to get this interview, will tell you.”
“Yes,” Thad replied. “The people you worked for seemed very fond of you as an employee. I'm surprised that you are not still with them.”
The young man laughed. “I fear I am a creature of my comforts,” he answered jovially. “The couple that employed me are academics and anthropologists. They and their children are now in the Amazon jungle for the next year and a half. I had no wish to go and live among what are essentially a stone age people that they will spend the time studying.”
Thad nodded and smiled, instantly liking his daughters' potential Au Pair's answer. “You do realize that I would be employing you only every other week,” he asked cautiously.
Andrei nodded. “Yes, that is one of the things that attracted me to this position. I have long thought of trying to write a book. I intend to use the time I would not be looking after your children for researching and writing it.”
“Really?” Thad smiled. “A novel?” he asked.
Andrei shook his head. “Nothing so ambitious,” he replied. “My college major was in history. My thought is to write a book on the draft riots that occurred in New York City during your Civil War. My intended audience would be history students and academics in my native country.”
Thad glanced at a piece of paper. “Romania,” he said. Turning to his daughters he asked, “Girls, do you know where Romania is?”
Both girls had been unusually silent to this point during this interview. With the other candidates they had clearly shown that they were their mother's daughters with their sharp tongues and scathing comments. Thad noticed both of his girls silently staring at the young man. It took him asking them his question a second time to get their attention.
“Eastern Europe,” Caroline said. “It's on the Black Sea.” She thought for a moment, evidently trying to picture a map in her mind. The Ukraine, Hungry, Serbia and Bulgaria border it.
“Caroline has always been better at geography,” Cassidy said, “I'm more into math than she is.”
Andrei turned and looked at the two girls. “I am not so good at math either,” he replied, smiling a brilliant smile, “and you are mostly correct, Caroline, but you missed Moldova. The Moldovans will be most disappointed,” his warm tone took any potential bite from the words. Thad recognized a friendly teacher gently correcting his student. “What other subjects do the two of you like?” Andrei inquired.
And so the next hour of the interview went, with Andrei interacting directly with Caroline and Cassidy. He spoke to them respectfully and asked intelligent questions about their lives, interests and goals. Thad was amazed to realize that the young man seemed to be able to tell his daughters apart from the first moment he had met them. He had lived with the twins the first four years of their lives and he still occasionally had trouble telling which of his children was which. By the end of the hour and a half that had been allotted for the interview, Thad had to admit that he was very impressed with this particular candidate. The Romanian man seemed to be able to both communicate and connect with his daughters. The twins hadn't said a single negative thing about him. Thad knew he would see the rest of the candidates that he had scheduled for today, but he was already considering the employment package he could offer the young man.
*****
Caroline and Cassidy Priestly sat facing each other on the big bed in Cassidy's bedroom in their father's house. Cassidy was trolling the internet on her laptop computer as Caroline fidgeted. “I don't know, Cass,” Caroline said softly, “there was something really familiar about him.”
Cassidy nodded excitedly. “It was really weird, he like, knew us. He didn't mistake me for you or you for me even once!”
Caroline sighed, “I bet Dad hires that old biddy that frowned so much. She looked like an evil nanny from the movies,” she offered despondently.
Cassidy clicked the mouse pad button on her laptop “Mr. Dreamy's last name means son of Vladimir. That's what the escu at the end is. Son of.”
“Hummm,” Caroline made a contented sound. “Mr. Dreamy is right. If we got him as our nanny all our friends would be so jealous!” she thought for a moment, “Hey! Didn't he say he graduated from Northwestern University?”
“Yeah? Why?” Cassidy responded, now trying to figure out how to spell the name of the town that Mr. Dreamy had been born in, so she could look it up.
“Isn't that where Andy went?” Caroline asked, her tone sad.
Cassidy stopped what she was doing and reached over giving her sister a tight hug. “I miss her too,” she said.
*****
Doug took the call from Thaddeus Priestly. He and Andy were maintaining the illusion that he and Andrei were roommates sharing the rent on an apartment.
“Would you please tell Andrei that I am anxious to speak with him about the position he interviewed for with me?” Thad said to the man on the other end of the telephone conversation. “If he and I can come to terms, I'd like him to start the job as soon as possible.”
And just like that, Andrei Vladimirescu was employed as Au Pair to Caroline and Cassidy Priestly.
*****
Three weeks passed. Two alternate weeks with Andrei spending his days looking after Caroline and Cassidy. The twins were in heaven. Andrei was even handed and fair as far as rules were concerned. Discipline was proportionate to the infraction. He was supportive of their desires in creative or athletic pursuits. Trips to the local park became a daily affair allowing the twins to spend time socializing with their friends. The best part of Andrei being their caretaker was that every one of their friends were completely green with envy. So, too, apparently, were the other children's Au Pairs. A great deal of the other young women's attention was focused on the twins' new manny. Both Caroline and Cassidy would giggle with their friends, as their friends revealed that their Au Pair thought their caretaker a smoking hot hunk. Watching the Au Pairs try to make Andrei notice them became an amusing entertainment. There was just something about the reticent and bookish young man that seemed to draw the opposite sex to him like a magnet draws iron filings.
As Andrei took the twins to the park, he also wasn't adverse to field trips to visit museums or other cultural venues. This became a twice a week adventure for the girls. Caroline was the first to notice that when she or her sister would tell a friend that they were going to this or that venue the next day, soon said friend was also present to see the sights. On questioning their friends, she discovered it was usually their Au Pair's idea. It wasn't long before Caroline noted more than one of her friends' older sisters joining in on these excursions.
Caroline and Cassidy were both happy that their manny's behavior was never in question. While he was polite and respectful of the young women that seemed to flock around him, he purported himself professionally and didn't return the flirting attentions directed at him. Even with their limited experience, Caroline and Cassidy knew most men would be eating up that kind of attention. Cassidy was the first to wonder aloud if Andrei might be gay.
*****
On the Friday evening of the second week that Andrei had spent with the twins, something Andy had been dreading occurred. She had supposed it was inevitable, but she'd hoped to avoid it all the same. The girl's father was going to be late from work, which was nothing unusual, Andrei often worked until nine in the evening or later before Mr. Priestly was home from the office. Tonight, the towncar, due to pick up the girls and return them to their mother's care for the following week, arrived right at five o'clock, as it was scheduled. Andrei had the girls ready to go with the things they needed to take back to their mother's townhouse safely stored in their backpacks. He escorted them from the front door of their summer residence to the waiting vehicle, only to watch Miranda's driver, Roy, get out of the driver's seat and moving around the car, open the rear passenger door. Andy's ex-boss, Miranda Priestly rose gracefully out of the back of the car, like ancient Aphrodite was said to have risen from the waves. Andy was certain that the iconic Editor-in-Chief of Runway magazine had never been as beautiful or as drop dead sexy. The vision stole Andy's breath. The almost nightly erotic dreams of the woman she would never have, were suddenly with her again. Fear of discovery, excitement at the deception, and desire, mixed to create a heady combination. Her mouth became parched, as if she had been walking for hours in the heat of the desert. Her blood pounded in her veins and she could feel her body temperature rise as if she had a fever coming on.
Miranda's eyes raked up and down the young man standing before her and glanced to her daughters. “Manners, girls,” she said in her quiet, sexy way. “Won't you introduce me to the young man?” She asked, offering her hand.
The imp of the perverse immediately took a stranglehold on Andy's soul. All she had done developing this character and the work toward playing the king of vampires that birthed him came rushing through her mind. The young man stepped forward smartly, clicked his heals, bowed his head, and taking Miranda's hand in his, he said, “I am Andrei Vladimirescu, Mrs. Priestly. I am your daughters' Au Pair. It is an honor to meet you.” Then he turned her hand at the wrist and bowing his head, his lips brushed feather light against the back of her hand.
*****
During the ride back from Connecticut to Manhattan, Miranda found herself lost in her own thoughts. For the first time, in a very long time, she had felt her body respond when the young man had taken her hand in his. The back of her hand felt branded where his lips had brushed her skin. The moment had been intensely erotic for her, even with her daughters standing there. She stared out the window of the car and made appropriate sounds as her daughters chattered excitedly about their adventures of the week they had been with their father. Andrei Vladimirescu, she thought, I'll have to see about arranging to become better acquainted with him.
TBC
Author: duwinter
Fandom: DWP
Pairing: Unspecified
Rating: PG
Setting: Some months after the end of the events in the movie. Movie Canon.
Summary: Miranda blacklists Andy after Paris. Andy needs a job.
Disclaimer: The Devil Wears Prada and it's characters do not belong to me. No profit being made here. I'm just playing with the characters for a short while and I promise to put them away neatly when I'm through.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to punky_96 who forges ahead each year with the July Fic-A-Thon. Thank you for your hard work on behalf of this community. Your efforts are appreciated.
Comment: Comments feed the muse and the muse is always hungry. Remember, a fat muse is a happy and productive muse. Comments and constructive criticism eagerly encouraged.
Credit Where Credit Is Due: Humble thanks to jah728 who betaed this story for me. Your efforts on my behalf make this a much better story than it otherwise would have been. Thank you for helping me. This story has been slightly tweaked since the last beta read-through so any and all mistakes are strictly my own.
Andrei
Part 1B
On a Thursday afternoon at the end of May Andy went to a hairstylist that she knew and trusted and had her beautiful long brunette locks shorn. She explained to the stylist that she wanted it short and butch. The haircut she got was quite attractive on her and by combing it a bit differently, would serve Andrei's needs as well.
Valerie guided Andy along the length of the long work table that held the various make-up appliances that the two make-up artists had either created or gathered to help Andy with the rebirth of Andrei Vladimirescu. Valerie was quite proud of what she and her partner had accomplished in the short time between Andy's submitting to their various bodily measurements and life-castings of a handful of days before. The project had challenged both the two artists' ingenuity and creativity. Andy needed a rig that she could virtually live in, which created a huge number of difficulties that had to be solved. Andy reached down and caressed the largest item on the table. It looked like something that the character of Buffalo Bill from Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs might have in his closet. “What's this?” she asked, carefully lifting the unusual flesh colored garment by the shoulders.
“Skin suit,” Valerie answered. It will give you a more masculine muscular definition for your chest and shoulders. It will also hide your breasts without you having to tape them down and help to hide the taper to your waist, masking your very feminine hips.
Andy gazed at the second skin she would soon be wearing. She shivered a little noting the detail of skin textures and chest hair the same color as her natural brunette. “This is unbelievable. I mean, with something like this I could wear my shirt unbuttoned and no one would ever know that I was a woman!”
Valerie shook her head. “Justin and I are good, Andy, but don't kid yourself. If you're really going to work as a guy on a daily basis, you're going to have to be really careful and thinking about keeping up the illusion all the time,” she stated emphatically. “There are a thousand things that could go wrong. The reason most people don't see thorough the things make-up artists create is because they're too lazy to look closely. As good as this rig is, it's make-up and prosthetics. It won't move like skin does. Won't sweat.”
Andy gently shook the skin suit by the shoulders. “What about sweating?” she asked worriedly. “I mean, is this made of rubber or something? Will I die of the heat wearing this thing?”
Valerie laughed. “No," she said. “I've discovered a breathable poly-foam. It will be cooler to wear than it looks. Also lighter as far as weight is concerned,” She moved on to the next item on the table. She reached out and picked up a pair of dentures. “These go over your teeth,” She offered showing Andy the disembodied smile. “Justin spent a whole evening on the internet looking at pictures of dentistry from Eastern European countries. As you can see, Andrei drinks a lot of strong Turkish coffee. His teeth are slightly stained because of it. The dentures also push the lower jaw forward a bit changing the wearer's jawline and will give the illusion of a squarer, more masculine chin.”
Andy shook her head in amazement. Her hand found a pair of shoe lifts on the table. “To give me more height?” She asked, caressing the items.
“About an inch and a half,” Valerie answered. “Any height helps if you're trying to do a female to male illusion.”
Andy nodded. “Makes sense I guess,” she replied, continuing her journey along the length of the table. Coming across what looked like a can of shaving cream she looked to Valerie expectantly, waiting patiently for an explanation.
Valerie grinned. “A little piece of my own genius,” she bragged. “Five o'clock shadow in a can. You spray it on. It even has texture in it so it looks real. If you work a long day, people are going to expect your beard to grow.”
Andy nodded, appreciating the forethought. Moving farther down the table, she caught sight of something that made her blush incarnadine. “What's that?” She stammered, poking the offending item and then retreating as she encountered the realistic fleshy feeling of the appendage.
“It's called a soft pack,” Valerie replied. “You wear it under your pants to simulate a guy's junk. A bulge in the pants is the first thing some women look for. I speak from experience because I'm one of them. Justin assures me that it's the first thing some men look for too. Justin found it at one of the adult stores downtown.” An evil grin spread across the artist's face. “Apparently you aren't the only woman looking to pass. Hey, at least it's a nice package. Nice and big. It'll make most men jealous.”
Justin walked into the room and smiled at Andy. “Ah good!' he exclaimed. “The Guinea pig has arrived. Shall we fit this rig?”
Andy nodded. “What do you need me to do?” She asked.
“Strip down,” Valerie said. “We'll fit the skin suit first.” she continued, lifting the garment from the table.
*****
Thaddeus Priestly was married to Miranda Priestly for almost ten years before a wandering eye and a lack of good sense cost him his wife. Since the divorce, he and Miranda had managed to remain, if not cordial, at least civil, and they worked hard together to see to the welfare of their two children.
Thad, like Miranda, was work obsessed and, more often than not, wasn't home when his children were there. Also like Miranda, he relied on the best nannies that money could employ. The twins were as successful in their father's home as they were in their mother's as far as being able to shed a nanny at will. The twins seemed to be able to get any nanny they wished to be rid of, fired. Failing that, they had gotten more than one to quit.
The start of the twins' summer vacation was now only days away and Thad desperately wanted to find a nanny that would stay a while. One that would bond with his daughters, and be there for them, one equipped to do the parenting that he was simply too busy to do. He had figured the best way to accomplish that wishful goal was to allow his two girls to be part of the hiring process.
The day had finally come. The twins' father, was taking a day away from his high powered position running the venture capitalist firm he had built from the ground up, to interview prospective nannies for his two daughters. Caroline and Cassidy were with him for the coming week and were excited about the prospect of picking their next victim.
He and the twins had interviewed four candidates for the nanny position ranging from a thirty something flower-child to a much older strict school librarian type. It was then that Thaddeus Priestly's maid showed in the first male candidate that he had ever interviewed for the position of taking care of his daughters. The only reasons that Thad even considered interviewing the young man was an excellent letter of recommendation from a previous employer, the fact that the young man had minored in education in college, and that male nannies or mannies as they were being called were terribly “in” at the moment among the wealthy families in New York and Connecticut.
When Andrei Vladimirescu was shown into the sitting room where the interviews were being conducted, Thad noted a young man that was pretty in the way Bronzino's painting Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Statue or his Portrait of a Young Man were pretty, rather than what one would traditionally considered handsome. A fan of Renaissance art, Thad thought this young applicant had the look of a medieval scholar about him.
The young man glanced at the two thirteen-year old girls in the room for a moment before presenting himself before his prospective employer, “Mr. Priestly?” he asked, an Eastern European accent flavoring his words. “I am Andrei Vladimirescu,” he continued, offering his right hand to the seated man. “I am here to apply for the position of your daughters' Au Pair. The handshake was firm and dry. The man's dark eyes met Thad's without hesitation.
Thad motioned for the young man to take the seat across from him. “It's rather unusual for a man to be seeking a job in this particular field, isn't it?” he asked.
Andrei smiled. “It is somewhat unusual, but it is becoming increasingly more common,” he replied. “I have, however, been doing this kind of work for the last two years, as the letter of recommendation I presented along with my resume to get this interview, will tell you.”
“Yes,” Thad replied. “The people you worked for seemed very fond of you as an employee. I'm surprised that you are not still with them.”
The young man laughed. “I fear I am a creature of my comforts,” he answered jovially. “The couple that employed me are academics and anthropologists. They and their children are now in the Amazon jungle for the next year and a half. I had no wish to go and live among what are essentially a stone age people that they will spend the time studying.”
Thad nodded and smiled, instantly liking his daughters' potential Au Pair's answer. “You do realize that I would be employing you only every other week,” he asked cautiously.
Andrei nodded. “Yes, that is one of the things that attracted me to this position. I have long thought of trying to write a book. I intend to use the time I would not be looking after your children for researching and writing it.”
“Really?” Thad smiled. “A novel?” he asked.
Andrei shook his head. “Nothing so ambitious,” he replied. “My college major was in history. My thought is to write a book on the draft riots that occurred in New York City during your Civil War. My intended audience would be history students and academics in my native country.”
Thad glanced at a piece of paper. “Romania,” he said. Turning to his daughters he asked, “Girls, do you know where Romania is?”
Both girls had been unusually silent to this point during this interview. With the other candidates they had clearly shown that they were their mother's daughters with their sharp tongues and scathing comments. Thad noticed both of his girls silently staring at the young man. It took him asking them his question a second time to get their attention.
“Eastern Europe,” Caroline said. “It's on the Black Sea.” She thought for a moment, evidently trying to picture a map in her mind. The Ukraine, Hungry, Serbia and Bulgaria border it.
“Caroline has always been better at geography,” Cassidy said, “I'm more into math than she is.”
Andrei turned and looked at the two girls. “I am not so good at math either,” he replied, smiling a brilliant smile, “and you are mostly correct, Caroline, but you missed Moldova. The Moldovans will be most disappointed,” his warm tone took any potential bite from the words. Thad recognized a friendly teacher gently correcting his student. “What other subjects do the two of you like?” Andrei inquired.
And so the next hour of the interview went, with Andrei interacting directly with Caroline and Cassidy. He spoke to them respectfully and asked intelligent questions about their lives, interests and goals. Thad was amazed to realize that the young man seemed to be able to tell his daughters apart from the first moment he had met them. He had lived with the twins the first four years of their lives and he still occasionally had trouble telling which of his children was which. By the end of the hour and a half that had been allotted for the interview, Thad had to admit that he was very impressed with this particular candidate. The Romanian man seemed to be able to both communicate and connect with his daughters. The twins hadn't said a single negative thing about him. Thad knew he would see the rest of the candidates that he had scheduled for today, but he was already considering the employment package he could offer the young man.
*****
Caroline and Cassidy Priestly sat facing each other on the big bed in Cassidy's bedroom in their father's house. Cassidy was trolling the internet on her laptop computer as Caroline fidgeted. “I don't know, Cass,” Caroline said softly, “there was something really familiar about him.”
Cassidy nodded excitedly. “It was really weird, he like, knew us. He didn't mistake me for you or you for me even once!”
Caroline sighed, “I bet Dad hires that old biddy that frowned so much. She looked like an evil nanny from the movies,” she offered despondently.
Cassidy clicked the mouse pad button on her laptop “Mr. Dreamy's last name means son of Vladimir. That's what the escu at the end is. Son of.”
“Hummm,” Caroline made a contented sound. “Mr. Dreamy is right. If we got him as our nanny all our friends would be so jealous!” she thought for a moment, “Hey! Didn't he say he graduated from Northwestern University?”
“Yeah? Why?” Cassidy responded, now trying to figure out how to spell the name of the town that Mr. Dreamy had been born in, so she could look it up.
“Isn't that where Andy went?” Caroline asked, her tone sad.
Cassidy stopped what she was doing and reached over giving her sister a tight hug. “I miss her too,” she said.
*****
Doug took the call from Thaddeus Priestly. He and Andy were maintaining the illusion that he and Andrei were roommates sharing the rent on an apartment.
“Would you please tell Andrei that I am anxious to speak with him about the position he interviewed for with me?” Thad said to the man on the other end of the telephone conversation. “If he and I can come to terms, I'd like him to start the job as soon as possible.”
And just like that, Andrei Vladimirescu was employed as Au Pair to Caroline and Cassidy Priestly.
*****
Three weeks passed. Two alternate weeks with Andrei spending his days looking after Caroline and Cassidy. The twins were in heaven. Andrei was even handed and fair as far as rules were concerned. Discipline was proportionate to the infraction. He was supportive of their desires in creative or athletic pursuits. Trips to the local park became a daily affair allowing the twins to spend time socializing with their friends. The best part of Andrei being their caretaker was that every one of their friends were completely green with envy. So, too, apparently, were the other children's Au Pairs. A great deal of the other young women's attention was focused on the twins' new manny. Both Caroline and Cassidy would giggle with their friends, as their friends revealed that their Au Pair thought their caretaker a smoking hot hunk. Watching the Au Pairs try to make Andrei notice them became an amusing entertainment. There was just something about the reticent and bookish young man that seemed to draw the opposite sex to him like a magnet draws iron filings.
As Andrei took the twins to the park, he also wasn't adverse to field trips to visit museums or other cultural venues. This became a twice a week adventure for the girls. Caroline was the first to notice that when she or her sister would tell a friend that they were going to this or that venue the next day, soon said friend was also present to see the sights. On questioning their friends, she discovered it was usually their Au Pair's idea. It wasn't long before Caroline noted more than one of her friends' older sisters joining in on these excursions.
Caroline and Cassidy were both happy that their manny's behavior was never in question. While he was polite and respectful of the young women that seemed to flock around him, he purported himself professionally and didn't return the flirting attentions directed at him. Even with their limited experience, Caroline and Cassidy knew most men would be eating up that kind of attention. Cassidy was the first to wonder aloud if Andrei might be gay.
*****
On the Friday evening of the second week that Andrei had spent with the twins, something Andy had been dreading occurred. She had supposed it was inevitable, but she'd hoped to avoid it all the same. The girl's father was going to be late from work, which was nothing unusual, Andrei often worked until nine in the evening or later before Mr. Priestly was home from the office. Tonight, the towncar, due to pick up the girls and return them to their mother's care for the following week, arrived right at five o'clock, as it was scheduled. Andrei had the girls ready to go with the things they needed to take back to their mother's townhouse safely stored in their backpacks. He escorted them from the front door of their summer residence to the waiting vehicle, only to watch Miranda's driver, Roy, get out of the driver's seat and moving around the car, open the rear passenger door. Andy's ex-boss, Miranda Priestly rose gracefully out of the back of the car, like ancient Aphrodite was said to have risen from the waves. Andy was certain that the iconic Editor-in-Chief of Runway magazine had never been as beautiful or as drop dead sexy. The vision stole Andy's breath. The almost nightly erotic dreams of the woman she would never have, were suddenly with her again. Fear of discovery, excitement at the deception, and desire, mixed to create a heady combination. Her mouth became parched, as if she had been walking for hours in the heat of the desert. Her blood pounded in her veins and she could feel her body temperature rise as if she had a fever coming on.
Miranda's eyes raked up and down the young man standing before her and glanced to her daughters. “Manners, girls,” she said in her quiet, sexy way. “Won't you introduce me to the young man?” She asked, offering her hand.
The imp of the perverse immediately took a stranglehold on Andy's soul. All she had done developing this character and the work toward playing the king of vampires that birthed him came rushing through her mind. The young man stepped forward smartly, clicked his heals, bowed his head, and taking Miranda's hand in his, he said, “I am Andrei Vladimirescu, Mrs. Priestly. I am your daughters' Au Pair. It is an honor to meet you.” Then he turned her hand at the wrist and bowing his head, his lips brushed feather light against the back of her hand.
*****
During the ride back from Connecticut to Manhattan, Miranda found herself lost in her own thoughts. For the first time, in a very long time, she had felt her body respond when the young man had taken her hand in his. The back of her hand felt branded where his lips had brushed her skin. The moment had been intensely erotic for her, even with her daughters standing there. She stared out the window of the car and made appropriate sounds as her daughters chattered excitedly about their adventures of the week they had been with their father. Andrei Vladimirescu, she thought, I'll have to see about arranging to become better acquainted with him.
TBC