"Welcome to the wonderful world of jealousy, he thought. For the price of admission, you get a splitting headache, a nearly irresistable urge to commit murder, and an inferiority complex. Yippee."
― J.R. Ward, Dark Lover

I had a great time in Melbourne, Australia. It was the best time I had in a long time.

Rick was still stunned that I was the nanny and he made sure he kept his children with him almost the whole day everyday that we were there. It gave me time to have my own little adventure. I met Negan there.

Negan was an expat and we took to each other instantly. I had invited him over to the hotel that we were staying. We were down by the pool when Rick and the kids walked in...I know to Rick it looked salacious but Negan was under water taking off my toe ring that gave him nice cut on his shin. When he came up for air Rick read the whole situation wrong. He tasked Carl and Judith to go to the vending machines with the loose change he had in his possession.

"Who is this Michonne?"

"This is my friend Negan. Negan, my employers husband Rick Grimes." I started the introductions.

"Michonne? You're trying to make me lose my shit?" Rick had Negan on ignore.

"It was a toe ring. He was under water removing my ring. I had injured him on accident."

Rick's attention was officially on Negan at this point.

"I would respectfully like for you to leave. Michonne is not here for enjoyment or to entertain men when she has children to look out for."

"You're sure this is not your husband?" Negan looked from Rick to me. My new friend was confused as was I.

Negan lifted me up out of the water to sit on the edge of the pool. He handed me my toe ring.

"Rain check?" I asked Negan.

"Sure."

"Not likely." Rick said sternly to Negan who took his cue to leave but not after sizing up Mr. Grimes with a smirk.

I was stunned by Rick's behavior, "I thought we were off? You're confusing me right now."

"We are off." He said flatly.

"Then what the fuck is your problem?"

"We are off Michonne. I am just not sure how off we are at this fucking moment. Out of all the jobs out there in the world-you pick being the fucking Nanny? To My kids, Michonne. My home. What the fuck?"

"Do your kids like me?"

"They love you."

"So you can't use that against us ever happening."

"It's not going to happen, Michonne."

"Ok."

"Okay what?"

"Ok. Then you don't have shit to say what I do with Negan or anyone else for that matter."

"The hell if I don't."

"See you are confusing me right now."

"You just had to wear a two piece?"

"Do you like it?"

"Hell of course I do." I watched him bite his lower lip.

I got to my feet so he could see all of me. But he abruptly turned and caught his children before they were coming in, "How about we go to the beach instead?" He ushered them right back out of the pool area.

The next morning, I had the children while Lori went to the tennis matches and fashion shows that were on her schedule of must see must do events with Jessie and sometimes accompanied by Rick if he wasn't busy trying to figure out how to include himself with the kids and me.

"No. I have only three tickets for the zoo. One has my name on it the other two has Carl and Judith."

"I don't want to sit through another fashion show." Rick began to sulk.

"Then take a business call, do what businessmen do, but you are not invited with us."

"Is this because we are off?"

"I am over it Rick. I am over it all. I am so over you, you wouldn't believe."

"Where's Carl and Judith?" He asked.

"With Jessie. Finishing up on their lessons."

He kept the door unlocked to the penthouse that I shared with the kids but he made haste in pulling me into what was my bedroom. He had me pressed up against my closed bedroom door where we kissed and kissed and kissed. We were trying to remain in a somewhat controlled frenzy. I missed everything about him and the way he was kissing me he missed me something terrible too. We were trying to make up for lost time, missed moments and fleeting window of opportunity as we touched each other. Clung to each other. He was crying, I was crying.

"Mimi. Where are you? We are back Mimi." Carl shouted through the penthouse that adjoined the main penthouse.

"Fuck. Michonne. You do this to me every time. I can't fucking think straight."

"You stay in here until we are gone. I have no idea how to explain what you were doing in my room and they will certainly want to know."

Rick has certainly been somewhat cold to the new Nanny when he first met her. I had asked him if it was a race thing or the way she wore her hair and he thought that was the craziest thing I could have thought. He took great offense with me on that. He was pissed. Rick said he thought she was over qualified. He wanted to know what the hell was I thinking? Did I give any consideration to what Michonne's intentions could be? Why would a Harvard Grad want to be a nanny?

"The kids love her."

"I know."

"Do you want me to fire her?" I asked him.

"No."

"Because the kids love her?" I needed to know why.

"Yes."

"If the kids love her we love her right?"

"Fuck. I need a drink." Rick climbed out of bed with me and went to the bar. He didn't return until I was fast asleep.

The whole trip to Australia Rick was irritable but towards the end he was more relaxed. He had a bruise on his cheek but he wouldn't discuss with me how he got it but he said he had to handle a misunderstanding. It was so unlike Rick.

South Africa wasn't much better. I caught the tail end of a fight he was in with an Ex-pat named Morgan Malone. A very prominent business man.

"I am warning you stay away." Rick shoved the man while Michonne rushed to stand between them.

"If that is what the lady wants...I will do just that. Is that what you want Michonne?"

"Rick what in the world is going on?" It was a side of Rick that I had never seen. He took one look at me and walked a way in the opposite direction. "Michonne, what's going on?" I thought I would be able to get answers from her.

"Nothing to worry about Lori. Go after your husband maybe he is ready to explain his behavior."

Jessie noticed something was off between my husband Rick and Michonne but we both agreed that it was a tension that the two just didn't like each other for whatever reason. Michonne was there to take care of the kids not be friends with my husband I reminded myself and Jessie.

When we got back to the United States, Rick went a way for a few months and the air was clear with him not in the home. I like when he goes a way for months at a time. I don't have to look at him look at me as if he wished I was someone else. I got that feeling more often and for it not to hurt...I shopped. Kept busy with other women who were like a step-ford wife. The only difference we didn't try to do it all. We paid to be catered too.

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Michonne...

She's beautiful. She's carefree. But she is not free to date. No. To see the men want her and me not being able to stake my claim, irked every fiber in my entire being. I had to handle Negan. I had to kick his ass in the parking lot of the hotel. I told him. I warned him. He got one hit in on my jaw but that was the only one he was able to land before I knocked his ass out. Morgan was another fucking story. Michonne was fucking toying with me.