Chapter One:
Louise
Nick Copley did not consider his childhood to be a happy one. He lost his parents at 6 years old, and was put in to care. After a year of being moved between foster homes Nicks uncle Peter Copley returned from a travelling and came to collect his nephew from the foster home he was living in.
Peter did not feel ready to look after his young nephew, but felt obliged to as the poor boy had nowhere to go, and besides he was the boy's only remaining family. Their relationship developed slowly. Peter was extremely focussed on his career, and so Nick was more brought up by a succession of nanny and au pair's. Money was never an issue as Peter rocketed through his career soon becoming managing director of the software company that he worked for. They spent holidays together travelling to the best locations on beaches, or ski resorts.
Peter more often than not brought whoever was his girlfriend of the moment with them on the holidays. Because of his wealth Peter had his pick of attractive gold diggers who were after his money and lifestyle. Nick watched through his childhood and developing adolescence as his uncle, knowing what they were after, used these women to his own advantage and then dropped them without a second thought.
Peter's opinion of women was pretty low, as he knew they saw him first for his money and power, and his personality second. Peter was a good-looking guy, and kept himself in shape. He just wished he could find someone who he felt was looking at him rather than his wallet. Through his years of dating a string of attractive women, Peter became pretty proficient in the bedroom. He knew how to push a woman's buttons, and make her beg for more, but the emotional attachment was never there. He found himself getting bored more and more quickly, and switching between women more and more frequently.
When Nick became a teenager, things began to change between him and Peter. Peter began to be able to relate to the young man, and saw a lot of himself in Nick. There were a few exceptions. Nick had been sent to the very best schools, and had excelled in everything from sports to the classroom. Nick was an expert skier, swimmer, and horse rider. In fact he was rapidly becoming one of the most eligible young men around. He was however very reluctant with making friends, and liked to keep himself to himself.
Peter on the other hand grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He survived through initiative, and his natural wit and charm. He worked his way up in a small computer software firm. Through his leadership skills he soon took over management of the store, and progressed through head office management. It was under his direction that the company recognised crucial gaps in the market, and exploited them to become a market leader.
Peter did not want to see his nephew continue to be what he thought was a shy retiring teenager. He was also a little worried about Nick's apparent lack of confidence, and interest in women. One weekend Peter took it upon himself to make an effort with the young man. They went camping by Peters large private lodge in Montana, where Peter thought they could spend some quality time together. There were no revelations, but both Nick and Peter thoroughly enjoyed the weekend with each other. Peter spent more and more time with Nick introducing him to "the right people" and slowly tutoring him in the ways of the world. Peter quickly realised that Nick's apparent shyness was simply maturity beyond his years, and many people could not believe his true age. Nick absorbed Peter's advice like a sponge. He especially watched his proficiency around women.
At 18 years of age Nick could not stand the social circles that he was involved in at school. He realised their importance for contacts in the future, but found both the men and women his age incredibly immature. He knew the women saw him as a good catch, and dismissed their advances at every step. This only increased the sexual aura about him, as he became the prize catch for every teenage girl at his school. He had on a couple of occasions used this to his own advantage sexually, but the morning after he had made it quite clear that it was to be no more.
He soon realised that he felt more of a thrill when he noticed some of the mothers, or even teachers looking at him. A look he knew to interpret oh so well from his uncle. He however knew it was not right to risk scandal, and caution would always be needed in such a situation.
Peter knew that Nick was more a young man than a teenager, but still felt it was not right to leave him at home alone during his many business trips abroad. For this reason he continued to hire an au pair to look after Nick and the house during his absences.
The last au pair had stayed with them for two years, and was now leaving due to her husband's job moving elsewhere. Peter had to find someone at short notice due to an imminent trip, and so resorted to finding someone through word of mouth rather than the usual agencies. His finance manager gave him the number of a family friend who had just moved from France. She was looking for a job to help support her and her husband while they were finding their feet in a new country. Though she had no experience as an au pair, Peter was assured she was trustworthy, and had enough experience as a housewife to be able to cope. After all Nick needed little looking after these days.
Louise was offered the position on a probationary basis, just in case things did not work out. Louise was a clever woman who was university educated, and hated the idea of being an au pair to a spoilt child, but needed the extra income to help support her and her husband through the difficult transition to a new life. They had emigrated with the promise of a new job, but this had fallen through within a week of their arrival. If it had not been for their family friend recommending her to his boss as an au pair she did not know what they would have done.
When she arrived for the first day of her new work she felt thoroughly depressed. She was even more worried when she saw the size of the house. It was enormous, with huge grounds. Her worries were slightly allayed when the maid greeted her. She soon found that the majority of the cleaning was not her responsibility, and her main priority was to look after Nick, and ensure the house was organised properly in Peter's absence. As she was shown around she began to be a little overwhelmed. The house had everything someone could ask for, from gorgeous en-suite bathrooms, to a pool and a gymnasium. She was informed that all the houses amenities were at her disposal provided her duties were maintained. Louise soon realised that the job may not be as bad as it had first seemed, and as she settled in to a comfortable chair in the veranda overlooking the beautifully manicured grounds she felt a little more settled.
