4. Dante
Chapter 4
Dante
“ L isten Ricardo. I’ve heard you out, and now it’s your turn to listen. Under no circumstances are you going to add one of your boy toy’s designs to my clothing line. Tell me you understand.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and clenched my jaws to avoid blowing up at my creative director. The man was the best at what he did, putting out ads that increased sales and drew attention to the brand. But right now he was getting on my nerves.
“I understand Dante and you know I love you, but just consider it. Sven isn’t just a boy toy, he’s a talented designer. I sent you his portfolio, so please, look for yourself. Gotta go. Toodles.”
The call ended, and though I was grateful it was over, his abrupt ending pissed me off after he spent fifteen minutes begging for something I wasn’t inclined to give. My temples throbbed, I rubbed them in small circles and silently begged the pain to go away. I didn’t have time for a headache.
As if to taunt me, the doorbell chose that moment to ring and my eyes fell shut. There was never a moment of peace or quiet, never a down moment to just relax with nothing to do. The bell sounded again and I groaned.
“Dotty!” The housekeeper had been doing double, okay triple duty lately, and I knew I was putting too much on her, but the stupid doorbell was about to drive me mad.
Dotty didn’t answer, and when the bell rang for a third time, I shoved out of my office chair and marched to the front door, ready to unleash my frustration on whomever stood at my doorstep. I yanked the door open with so much force it smacked against the frame and bounced back. “What in…what are you doing here?”
A pair of familiar blue eyes and long, golden blond hair met me and her smile slowly faded into something that looked like contempt, but it disappeared quickly. Too quickly to be genuine.
“You’re Mr. Rush?”
My lips curled into a smile. “Here for your payday? Well you can forget about that. No matter how you try to twist things so that the accident was my fault, no insurance company or court will make me give you one dime.” I glared at her, feeling furious that last night’s jerk off to the memory of this woman with the smart mouth was the last I’d have, because I simply didn’t do gold diggers, money grabbers or whatever else they’re called these days.
She nodded, her long hair bounced slightly around her shoulders. “That’s a cool speech, did you practice it in a mirror or something?”
My gaze narrowed. How was she able to get under my skin and my collar at the same time? And why was she still smiling? “Excuse me?”
“That speech, it was pretty good. Did you practice it?”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, exhaling even slower until every angry breath was gone before I opened my eyes. “What are you doing here?”
She sighed. “I’m trying to find out if you’re Dante Rush so that I’ll know if I’m in the right place.”
“You’re not here about the accident?”
Her face was lit with annoyance, which made her look like an adorable angry mouse. It was the least frightening thing I could think of. “Are you, or are you not, Dante Rush?”
“I am.” I would play along with this charade, but only because I was curious where she would take it. “What can I do for you?”
She sighed and cranked her smile up just a little more. “This is unfortunate, but I’m Lucy Lions, and I’m here to interview for the nanny placement.” Her tone was confident and even, gone was any trepidation.
I watched her closely for a long moment and took stock of everything from the long blond hair that reached her elbows, big blue eyes that were almost too big for her delicate face. She had a tiny button nose, lips that bordered on too full. Her soft, sun-kissed skin said she was a woman who spent a lot of time under the Texas sun. I couldn’t help the direction my thoughts took when my gaze dropped lower, and took in the soft pink t-shirt she wore and the near painted on jeans that showed off less curves than yesterday, but still enough to make a man’s blood pressure skyrocket. Hot pink sneakers completed her look. It didn’t seem like she was trying to look sexy, but she had unfortunately achieved it all the same.
“ You’re the nanny?”
She nodded slowly. “I am a nanny yes, whether I’m the nanny for your daughter remains to be seen.” There was a challenge in her gaze, in the tilt of her chin as if she knew I was ready to send her away.
“Come in.” I stepped back, but she didn’t advance. “What now?”
“I’m just trying to figure you out. Is the nanny position still on the table as of right now?”
I appreciated her tough stance, her courage. But I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing that I was desperate for help. I couldn’t.
“Only one way to find out.” Indecision showed on her face before she stepped inside and handed me a copy of her resumé. “Tell me about Lena.”
I frowned. “I’m the one doing the interviewing, Ms. Lions.”
“So am I,” she shot back with a saucy smile. “We both get to decide if this arrangement will work for us. I can overlook your actions, provided I feel that I can provide your daughter with what she needs.”
“You can overlook my actions? The traffic incident, you mean?”
She shrugged. “Is there something else you did that I should know about?” Her lips twitched, and it was all I could do not to kick her out on her round ass. Her very lucious, round ass. “So, Lena?”
I glanced at her resume and saw that she was qualified with a master’s degree in addition to years of experience, even a couple years teaching kindergarten. She had innovative ideas for children with learning difficulties as well as gifted children.
“Impressive.”
“Right?” She laughed when I looked up at her, and I wondered if anything could wipe that smile off her face.
“Follow me.” I figured that inside my office, the desk would provide both a physical and figurative barrier between us, which would hopefully make it easier to conduct a professional interview.
“Of course,” she mumbled as she stepped inside the office.
“What?” My brows dipped into a frown at those two little words, so filled with derision. “You find something wrong with my office?”
“Not at all,” she answered with a smile. “I’m actually not at all surprised that this is what your office looks like. So, tell me about Lena.”
“Don’t corral me, Ms. Lions.”
She shrugged. “It’s a habit born from spending too much time with children.”
I sighed, refusing to touch that attempt to goad me. “Lena is great. She’s bright and bubbly, but she’s also headstrong and determined to be the boss of her life.”
Her smile was beautiful as she listened. “Pushing boundaries. It’s to be expected, but nothing behavioral I presume?”
“No. Not even a fight over bedtime. Most nights.”
Lucy nodded. “Are there any particular subjects you want Lena to learn or skills to improve?”
“Good question. She’s a great reader, and I guess it’s too soon for math or science, so what I would like, is for her nanny to let her help with tasks that will teach her practical things, and encourage games that will do the same.” None of the other previous nannies had asked these types of questions, and I began to feel hopeful.
“Do you have a chef?”
My brows dipped. “Excuse me?”
Lucy smiled again. “I’m just wondering if there’s someone who might throw a fit if Lena and I were to make cookies or dinner. Cooking is an excellent way to teach basic math through counting and measuring, plus science.”
“Science? Really?”
“Baking is chemistry. Too much baking soda in cookies and you’ll have puffy, bitter cookies. Too much butter and they will spread too much and become globs instead of golden and crunchy. Science.”
Interesting. “Congratulations Ms. Lions you’re still in the running.” I stood from my seat and she mimicked my moves.
“So are you, Mr. Rush.” She laughed when I froze and glared at her. “Put that scowl away please, it doesn’t scare me. Are we off to meet Lena now?”
I nodded. “My scowl scares everybody,” I growled at her.
“I’m sure that at whatever high powered job you hold, people tremor when they see you coming. To me, you’re just a dad.”
I frowned. Whatever high powered job you hold. Did she not know who I was? Did I care? Not really. It was refreshing to be around a woman who spoke her mind and didn’t bend over backwards to please me. Even though I wouldn’t mind bending her over backwards. Enough!
“Lena, sweetheart, can you come into the sitting room please?”
“Coming Daddy!”