Nannies are a Pain {for Roark}

[CleverFox]

Working as a psychoanalyst for the FBI was a very stressful career choice to be sure but Isaiah Hunter was rapidly finding out that the challenges of being a single father trumped those challenges if only in a different way. His family hadn’t wanted him to become a federal agent and had of course argued that he didn't really need the money considering his family ran a very successful company but he enjoyed the job and he was good at it. However he had recently discovered that he was the father of a five year old little boy named Tristan, the product of a relationship that had never really gone anywhere, other than the bedroom obviously, but the child’s mother had decided that she was going to try to get a massive overpay in child support from him out of the blue so Isaiah in turn decided that he was going to go for custody.

That had been a battle but it was a fight that he had won in the end, the man now finding himself both a very busy agent as well as the father to a rambunctious little boy that seemed to have an uncanny knack for finding trouble for himself. That wasn’t such a tremendous issue when he was at home given that he could deal with the child, even though he was finding that dealing with him wasn’t all that easy at times, but the problem was finding someone that could and would watch the child when he had to go out of town. Taking Tristan with him was something that he could technically do as long as the child was kept well out of harm’s way but that still presented the problem of who would look after him while Isaiah was working.

To those ends he had placed an ad both in the papers and online searching for a capable nanny for his son. The little brown haired, blue eyed child looked like a cherub however he was quite good at using that to his advantage to get his way, a fact that Isaiah was learning more and more every day. So in his ad he had requested someone with the experience and know how to rein in a hyperactive and rambunctious little boy, Isaiah hoping that someone would be able to do just that and maybe give him some pointers since his concept of discipline wasn’t really working out all that well with Tristan currently.

Isaiah had been contacted about the ad and he was now waiting for the applicant to come for an interview, the man having taken the odd step of having Tristan with him for this, wanting to know how the two of them were going to get along from the get go. The child was currently sitting on the couch beside him in the living room of their house, his attention for the moment occupied by a book that he was reading, the child being a bit advanced for his age as far as learning went. Briefly Isaiah looked to the child but then his attention shifted when he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing, the agent getting up and making his way to the door. The brown haired, green eyed man was dressed in a dark navy suit since that was the way that he typically dressed for work and he had just recently came home, his sister having watched Tristan for him but she had college classes to attend so she couldn’t act as full time caregiver for Tristan or else his problems would be more or less solved. Really hoping that this was going to work out Isaiah opened the door and smiled at the person who was standing on the other side, offering his hand in greeting as he said, “Isaiah Hunter, it’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Martin. Your resume and references were all excellent so this is more a formality than anything else.”

Or at least it would be merely a formality as long as she got along okay with Tristan but that was definitely something that Isaiah was worried about.

Hearing the sound of his dad talking to someone Tristan immediately jumped from the couch and ran to the door, the little boy currently dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a light gray shirt that had a silver fox screen printed on the front of it, little Velcro sandals on his otherwise bare feet. Looking up at the stranger who was standing on the other side of the door Tristan asked, “Who’re you s’posed to be?” He seemed to be almost sizing her up as he looked up at her, having to tilt his head way back seeing as he was a little thing.

[Roark]

Ana Martin double checked the address of the house as she pulled into the driveway. It was a modest, but very well kept and nice looking home. It was much more down to earth than she had expected as her previous nanny experience generally dictated very wealthy clients, who while they enjoyed their children often did not have the time for them. Of course at only twenty three years old, Ana didn't have a world of experience as a nanny. No she had only served one family before this but it had been an enjoyable two year experience. The children a four year old girl and a six year old boy, when she started, had been wonderful. She had grown very attached to both of them, but their parents had decided to move to Asia for business reasons and while they had offered to take Ana along she had to decline.

However, Ana had plenty of experiences with other children as well as she had grown up babysitting since she was a young teen. Ana enjoyed children, especially younger ones and even had a degree in early childhood development. Once she was sure she had the right house, Ana climbed out of her car and headed for the front door. She was wearing a pair of tight fitting black slacks, and a sheer silk magenta top. It wasn't exactly her normal working attire but since this was an interview she had dressed up accordingly. She rang the doorbell and then double checked and smoothed out a couple wrinkles in her outfit from sitting in the car.

An attractive, young brunette stood in front of the door as Isaiah Hunter opened it. Ana was about 5'5 and while a little on the petite side she still had an attractive figure that her outfit and particularly her slacks highlighted nicely. Her hair a rich shade of mahogany was straight and hung just below her shoulders. She had emerald green eyes, and a bright warm smile that most people thought lit up a room. "A pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Hunter!," Ana greeted warmly as politely shook the hand offered to her. "Oh well great, I was worried you were really going to grill me!," Ana joked lightly as she stepped just inside the doorway with Mr. Hunter.

Before anything else could be said though, Ana heard the unmistakable sound of a child running and turned as a very cute little boy burst forth. Ana gave the boy a big smile and grinned when he asked who she was hoping to be. "My name is Ana," she said as she turned and offered her hand to Tristan. "You must be Tristan, it's very nice to meet you. Hopefully, if your father approves, you and I will get to have a lot of fun together and get to know each other very well." Ana smiled as she saw the cute way Tristan was tilting his head to look at her, but her eyes peered confidently back at him as she noticed he seemed to be sizing her up.

[CleverFox]

Isaiah himself was in his mid thirties and of course as he opened the door and got his first look at the young woman who had applied to be his child's nanny he had to admit first of all that he was surprised since she wasn't what he had been expecting and second that he was impressed. He gave her an appreciative look but quickly hid that behind his professional demeanor since he was looking for a nanny for his son and nothing more than that. "Well I can grill you, if that's what you wish, and I can also do a character profile since that's my specialty with the Bureau but that seems like an invasion of privacy. And considering that I've already done a background check on you that seems a bit over the edge," Isaiah told her with an easy going manner as he invited her in. He was about to say something else when his son decided to make an appearance, the little boy running over and asking her just who she was supposed to be, and that was almost enough to get both a groan and a smile out of Isaiah.

Tristan's medium length chestnut hair was disheveled but it gave him a cute look and almost appeared to have been done purposefully, a few strands falling into his blue eyes charmingly as he gazed up at Ana. When she told him her name and held out a hand to her Tristan just stared at the extended appendage for a minute before shaking his head slightly. "Nuh uh, don' wanna shake," he told her as he stepped back, listening as she told him that they were hopefully going to have a lot of fun together.

"Tristan, we talked about this," Isaiah said as he leaned down and captured the child by the hand so that he could lead him back to the living room, motioning for Ana to come along. "Ana is going to be the one to look after you while Daddy is working." That was enough to get a frown out of Tristan since he didn't want to be left with anyone, the child dragging his feet as he was pulled along to the living room, the little boy trying everything in the world to keep from going and eventually frustrating his father to the point where the man just picked him up.

"Don' wanna be watched, wanna goes with you," Tristan told him with a pout as Isaiah carried him into the living room and placed him once again on the couch where his book was laying forgotten.

"I know that but I explained that you can't because sometimes Daddy's work is dangerous," Isaiah told the child before turning back to Ana and gesturing for her to sit down either on the couch or in one of the arm chairs that were also in the room. "So, Ms. Martin, do you think that you can handle Tristan? He can be a handful and I feel that I should tell you that upfront so you don't think that I'm taking advantage of you or anything," Isaiah told her, watching as Tristan picked up the book and seemed to be debating doing something. Isaiah wasn't sure but he had the sinking feeling the child was thinking about throwing it and since he wanted to prevent any sort of incident he looked at the little boy and said, "Tristan, don't even think about it."

Maybe it was jumping to conclusions since he didn't know that the child was going to do anything however he had enough experience with his son's moods to know that it was likely and he'd actually had to deal with that bit of a temper tantrum before so it was the natural assumption to make.

Tristan just looked over at his daddy with the fake innocent look that little kids were very good at giving but for the moment he didn't actually do anything.

[Roark]

Ana was initially surprised to hear that Isaiah was an FBI agent but that made sense in why he needed her services. He surely had to put in long and unusual hours at time, not to mention the travel. Her eyes widened a little when Isaiah told her that he could grill her and even do a character profile on her in addition to the background check he had already done if she wished. "Oh no sir, that won't be necessary!," Anna replied quickly with a laugh though there was a tinge of nervousness in her laugh after hearing that.

"Well that's ok maybe we can shake later," Ana offered the little boy when he refused her hand. Ana wasn't offended as she knew sometimes children needed time to warm up to people especially at Tristan's age. She just thought that since his father was a handshaker that he might of been too since children often liked to imitate their parents. She remained silent as Isaiah leaned down and interacted with his son. She couldn't help but notice the frown that appeared on Tristan's face when Isaiah told him that she was going to be looking after him, and the way Tristan instantly began to dig his heels in and resist his father's effort to lead him to the living room.

Ana quickly realized that Tristan might be a little more challenging than her last job, and that she better not let his cuteness allow her to put her guard down until she knew him better. She began to follow Isaiah as Tristan basically forced his father to carry him and complained that he didn't want to be watched and wanted to go with his father. That at least explained why Tristan hadn't seemed too eager to shake her hand. Ana followed Isaiah into the living room and chose an armchair across from the couch so he could face him as they spoke. She sat and listened as Isaiah warned her that Tristan could be a handful and then promptly warned the boy to apparently not throw a book.

"Oh yes sir, I have cared for little boys before and I understand how much energy and curiosity they can have. I'm sure that Tristan and I will get along just fine. And like I said he isn't the first little boy I have cared for and I know just how to handle it if he does get out of line. I do assume that you are giving me the authority to care for and discipline Tristan as I deem necessary? If you have spoken with my references as thoroughly as I imagine you would, then you are probably familiar with my methods and know that I have been successful with them. If you have any questions for me though I would be happy to answer them. And after that I would love to know a little more about Tristan," she said smiling over at the little boy.

[CleverFox]

Because he was trained to pick up on subtle changes in body language as well as voice tone and because he was very good at his job, having advanced degrees in psychology, Isaiah couldn't fail to notice that his comment about in essence profiling her had managed to make Ana nervous. That could have been cause for concern but he had done his homework well and was confident that she was a good choice in nanny for Tristan assuming that she could handle the child that is. "Don't worry, I was just joking. I don't plan on profiling you," he told her with a smile, carrying his somewhat frustrating child into the living room after the little boy refused to shake hands with Ana.

Tristan was more than a little frustrated with being carried to the living room after making it clear that it wasn't where he wanted to go and because of that he picked up his book and debated throwing it. His blue eyes went to his daddy when Isaiah told him not to even think about it, that getting not just a frown out of him but also causing him to stick out his tongue at the man.

Isaiah was very much wishing that his child had not decided to be a brat now of all times but he didn't say anything about that and instead just turned his attention back to Ana as she answered the question that she had asked about being able to handle Tristan. When she said that she had experience he nodded and said, "Well any experience with little boys is more than I have, Tristan's only been in my custody for about a month now." He didn't add that he hadn't even known about the child until three months ago since that seemed like more information than she really needed but he was thinking it and she likely definitely had more experience than he did.

The mention of her methods and the question of whether she had his permission to care for and more importantly discipline Tristan as she saw fit Isaiah looked at her and said, "I'm going to be honest with you, I am a little bit hesitant about the whole corporal punishment thing. I have never employed it myself but as you are going to be in charge of Tristan and your previous employer did speak very highly of you I am going to leave it as your decision." At that point he looked over just in time to catch the book that Tristan decided to toss at him. "Okay, time out," he told the child, getting to his feet and scooping Tristan up into his arms. "I'll be right back Ms. Martin," he told her apologetically and then he carried Tristan to his room and told him to stay there.

Sighing and wondering if this was going to end up making Ana change her mind Isaiah closed the door of Tristan's room and then made his way back to the living room, giving the young woman another apologetic look as he said, "I am sorry about that Ms. Martin. Usually he's a sweet child but he does have a temper, not going to lie about that. Like any child he likes getting things his way." He was hoping that she was not going to be scared off by what she had just witnessed but in the end that was something that he'd just have to wait and see about, he knew.

[Roark]

"Oh," Ana replied when she found out that Tristan had just been living with Isaiah for about a month now. That did explain why he just now needed childcare but it also made her realize that Tristan was probably adjusting to a whole lot of new things and it wouldn't just be him adjusting to her. It didn't really change things a whole lot but it was something for Ana to keep in mind and helped her to realize she would probably have to be more patient with Tristan.

Ana nodded and gave Isaiah an understanding look when he told her that he was hesitant to allow corporal punishment. She was about to answer Isaiah when Tristan decided to throw the book at him. Isaiah caught it and quickly sentenced Tristan to a time out. She nodded as Isaiah picked Tristan up and told her that he would be right back. "It's ok Mr. Hunter, children act sometimes especially when they aren't happy about significant changes like having me come to care for him. To answer your questions about corporal punishment, I understand you being hesitant to accept it. I assure you though that I'm not simply just going to beat Tristan anytime he displeases me or over any little whim or anything like that. I will only spank his bottom and I assure you that other than having some discomfort sitting on it afterward no harm will come to Tristan. Also I do employ time outs as well, though mine may be a little more strict, but I am very interested to see how Tristan responds to the time out you just gave him. Also I will always ensure that Tristan understands why he is being spanked beforehand, and then afterwards he will always be consoled and forgiven. Also I will always make sure he understands what he did wrong and what I expect from him in the future so I won't have to spank him again. Hopefully that eases your concern a little, but I do believe very strongly in spanking. I would also like to know what rules you already have in place with Tristan and any expectations for him that you would like me to follow through with. Oh and of course his bedtime, though I may adjust that a little if need be. Don't worry Mr. Hunter I am sure Tristan and I will become very close. While there is always more to learn and every child is different I have a fairly good idea of what I am doing," Ana explained confidently and finished with a smile.

[CleverFox]

Isaiah had never expected that it was going to be easy raising a five year old however there were certain things that even the educated psychologist had not expected and Tristan's temper tantrums were one of those things. However he had honed reflexes so he managed to catch the book that Tristan had thrown at him and then he decided that the little boy had just earned himself a time out so he excused himself from Ana and took Tristan to his room, returning to once again apologize to Ana and to tell her that Tristan wasn't always like this.

Isaiah listened to what the prospective nanny had to say about her use of corporal punishment and he was reassured when she said that she would make sure that Tristan realized why it was that he was being punished and that he would be comforted afterwards. "I see and I understand, like I say your references spoke very highly of you and your background check was incredibly clean so I don't think that Tristan will be abused or anything so I leave it to your judgment. As far as rules go he is not allowed in my office, ever, and he knows that very well. The backyard is fenced in and that's where he's allowed to play but even then he has to ask for permission to go out there, just so that someone knows where he is. Aside from that the typical, he isn't allowed to lie, to have his little temper tantrums, anything of that nature. I'll leave it to you to change or add to the rules, like I said I'm a new parent so this is all a learning experience for me. His bedtime is at nine but it usually ends up around ten before I can manage to get him to settle down and actually go to sleep," Isaiah told her, looking at the young woman as he spoke and liking the fact that she was confident since he knew that would convey to Tristan and hopefully it would help.

It was at this point that the sound of a door opening could be heard and soon enough the sound of Tristan's little sandals on the hardwood floor in the hallway was also heard. "You were saying that you were interested in seeing how he responds to the time out...well that's about it," Isaiah said a few seconds before Tristan appeared in the living room, still looking disgruntled.

"No more times out...'nough," the child said as he looked over at his daddy with a petulant look on his face, the little guy putting his hands on his hips as he said that and making it clear that he thought that this was the end of the matter.

"Tristan you know you aren't allowed out of your bedroom until Daddy says that you can come out," Isaiah told the child, the response that he got for that being Tristan just staring at him with a look that made it pretty clear that he was not the least bit intimidated. "Yea, I need help with this one," he said, partially saying it to Ana and at the same time partially musing to himself.

[Roark]

Ana relaxed a little when Isaiah promised that Tristan's care and discipline would truly be left to her discretion and that and that he at least had faith in her based on her references. She listened very closely as Isaiah went over his rules for Tristan. She was glad that at least the typical rules were in place and now knew that Tristan was not allowed in his father's office. The nine o clock bedtime seemed ok to Ana but certainly not the fact that it was normally ten before Tristan was truly in his bed and ready to sleep. "I see.....," Ana started when the sound of Tristan's bedroom door opening was clearly heard by both her and Isaiah.

Ana nodded when Isaiah pretty much admitted that Tristan didn't seem to take his timeouts too seriously. Her eyes widened as Tristan marched into the room and told his daddy that he had, had enough timeout. She listened as Isaiah told Tristan that he wasn't allowed out of timeout until he was released but made no move to do anything further. Instead he just spoke aloud saying that he needed help. Ana didn't know if Isaiah meant in general or this specific incident, especially since she wasn't officially hired or moved in yet. She wasn't thrilled about starting her relationship with Tristan as the "bad guy" but this behavior was not acceptable in her own eyes and Ana wasn't going to sit idly by.

Ana arose from her seat and immediately walked over to Tristan. "Tristan your father decides when your time out is over not you, young man," Ana scolded authoritatively. "Since you didn't obey your Daddy we are going to do a timeout my way," Ana continued and then confidently reached down and took Tristan by the hand. Before he could react Ana pulled the boy firmly, but not roughly to an empty corner of the living room. She then spun him so that he faced the corner and guided him all the way into it, until his face was right there. "You are going to stand in the corner like this for five minutes Tristan facing the wall. When five minutes is up your father will tell you that your time out is over and then you can come out but not before. If you don't obey my time out Tristan there will be consequences that you won't like. So I'm asking you to be a good boy for me and your Daddy and stay in the corner until your father says your time out is over. I would also like you to think about not throwing things at people and obeying your father and I when we ask you to do things. Understood?" Ana asked directly as she stepped back from Tristan and waited to see how he would react and if he would comply with her. She then glanced over at Isaiah to see his reaction to how she was handling the situation as well.

[CleverFox]

Isaiah thought that he had his bases covered as far as rules for Tristan went but he figured that he'd give Ana the discretion to add to the list or to take away from it so he told her as much. Before the conversation could really go any further the sound of the little guy's bedroom door opening could be heard and Isaiah turned to look at Ana briefly as he told her that this was pretty much the norm for them. It was only a few minutes later that Tristan came back into the room and told him that he'd had enouhg of the time out.

That was a bit frustrating for Isaiah and he ended up saying that he needed help, the man taking a minute before he would go and once again try to deal with his son's rebellious streak, but before he got the chance to do that Ana got to her feet and walked over to him. Since he hadn't officially hired her Isaiah could have stopped her but he wanted to see what she was going to do and so he remained seated and watched as she lead Tristan over to the corner.

Tristan looked up at Ana when she walked toward him and he gave her the same sort of defiant look that he'd given his father though that faltered when she scolded him and then ended up taking him by the hand and leading him toward the corner of the room. Tristan ended up dragging his heels just as he had when Isaiah had tried to lead him to the living room and he was not at all happy when he ended up turned to face the wall and told that he was going to stand there for five minutes and could come out when his daddy told him that he could. At first he was stunned since this had never happened to him before and his father had always seemed hesitant to get firm with him so Tristan stood there, not saying that he understood when she finished lecturing him.

He was actually over halfway finished with the time out, having stood there for three minutes, when Tristan finally got over his shock enough to get mad at the situation and he immediately turned around and looked up at Ana with a frown on his face and his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "You ish not the boss so jus' shut up," he told her in what was his best imitation of the stern tone that she was using with him, Tristan putting his hands on his hips once again as he looked up at her.

"Tristan!" Isaiah said when he heard what the little boy had to say, the man's tone stern since he did not like disrespect. "You are not to talk that way to her and she is the boss. Ms. Martin, if you want the job it's yours." He knew that now may not be the best time to tell her that but he wanted her to know that her position was secure and he also wanted her help with his unruly little offspring. Even if he was unsure about her methods and they were not something he had ever employed himself he knew that she got good results and he wanted his little boy to be well behaved and sweet, which Tristan was capable of because he had seen it but that was always on the little boy's terms.

[Roark]

Ana was pleased when Tristan more or less cooperated with his corner time after dragging his feet to get there. She knew there was an element of shock that was in her favor, but she hoped the show of authority would keep Tristan in the full time. She moved back toward Isaiah and showed him the time on her cellphone.

About three minutes in however Tristan turned around and defiantly told her she wasn't the boss and to shut up. She could understand that maybe he didn't think she was the boss or not yet but the way he told her to shut up was very disrespectful. However, Isaiah quickly scolded his son and strangely enough offered her the job in one breath. "Thank you Mr. Hunter!," Ana beamed back momentarily at her new employer. She then immediately turned back to Tristan though. "Tristan your time out isn't finished young man. Turn back around please you still have two minutes left. If you don't cooperate we will have to start your timeout over," Ana insisted firmly. She wanted to arrange her moving in and take a quick tour of the house with Isaiah, but that could wait for the moment. She really hoped Tristan obeyed as she hadn't really had a chance to discuss her rules with him and she had no idea if he knew what a spanking was or not. While she believed in her methods she wasn't super keen on the idea of giving Tristan his first spanking right in front of his father either.