5. Lucy
Chapter 5
Lucy
H oly hell, Dante Rush was even hotter when I wasn’t annoyed with him.
Okay, I was still annoyed with him, because seriously, who answered the door the way he did? The man was as rude and ornery as he was sinfully hot. Instead of the expensive suit, he was dressed casually in black jeans that hugged muscular thighs, and a mint green shirt that made his green eyes more intense. Today his hair wasn’t mussed from frustrated hands, instead it was perfectly styled, short on the sides with longer waves on top. The green shirt stretched across a broad chest and highlighted corded biceps.
Damn, but the man was gorgeous from head to toe, unfortunately, he was also rude.
“Who is caring for Lena while you’re in between nannies?”
My question interrupted his scowling, which only intensified his frown. “My housekeeper Dotty. She’s been here since Lena was a baby. Why?”
“Just curious.” I shrugged off his grunted question with a smile.
“Dotty is perfectly capable of look after her, she’s raised four children of her own.
“I have no doubt, Mr. Rush. It was just a question.”
“Didn’t feel like just a question ,” he mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear.
A laugh bubbled out of me unconsciously. He was as hot as he was irritable, and was he ever irritable!
“Something funny, Ms. Lions?” His black brows dipped into a furious vee.
“Apparently I find you amusing.”
Small footsteps grew closer and closer until a little girl appeared with big blue eyes and wavy black hair just like her father’s. Her hair was twisted into adorable pigtails with a tiara perched on top. She came to an abrupt stop and smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. “Are you a princess?”
“Me?” I laughed lightly and shook my head. “Sadly I am not a princess, if so, I might have a fancy tiara just like yours.”
As if she’d forgotten about it, Lena touched the sparkly tiara and giggled. “I love princesses. And unicorns.”
“Me too,” I offered with a smile. “I’m Lucy, and I love unicorns because they fart glitter.” She giggled again and I leaned forward and whispered, “And my dream is to become a unicorn princess.”
Her blue eyes widened prettily and she gasped. “Me too!”
I held a hand out and she put her hand in mine and very politely introduced herself. “I’m Lena, nice to meet you.”
“It’s very nice to meet you Lena.”
She grinned and turned to face her father, whose expression had softened when he looked at his daughter. She scrambled around the desk and climbed into his lap to wrap her arms around him. It was nice to get a glimpse of the marshmallow underneath the hard grumpy exterior when he interacted with Lena. He held her gently in his strong arms, like she was the most precious of cargo.
“Lena, Lucy wants to be your new nanny.”
“Okay! Yes, please.”
I laughed at her excitement. “I hear that you like to read?”
She gave an exaggerated nod. “I love it. Animals and princesses and even outer space books.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind if I’m invited back.” It was best not to get the kids’ hopes up, because parents were often the fickle ones. Especially Dante Rush. “It was nice to meet you Lena.”
“It was nice to meet you Lucy.” She smacked a loud kiss to her dad’s cheek, scrambled down and rushed out in a blur.
“If I could bottle that energy…” I began with a laugh.
Dante surprised me by joining in with a deep, rumbling laugh of his own. It was so unexpected, my eyes widened at how even more beautiful he was when he laughed. “I tell myself that at least once a day.”
I gave myself another long moment to just enjoy his beauty before I gave myself a mental slap to stop ogling the man who might be my boss in a few minutes. “So, anything else you want to tell me about Lena? Special diet? Or anything else you can think of?”
“Nothing like that. She has a mean sweet tooth that I indulge far too often.” He flashed another smile that was so hot I pushed my knees together to stop the pulsing between my thighs.
“Noted. One more thing, Serenity mentioned you were divorced, but she didn’t say if Lena’s mom was involved.”
All traces of the smile vanished immediately, replaced by a darker version of his trademark scowl. “There will be no crossing of professional boundaries, Ms. Lions. If I decide to hire you.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed with frustration. This interview was more adventurous than a roller coaster. But because I knew it would piss him off, I sat taller and I smiled. “Good to know Mr. Rush, but I was curious because sometimes there are complicated custody and visitations issues between divorced couples. It’s easier to navigate if I know what to expect.”
His expression would have been comical if he wasn’t so insulting before. “Okay then. Her mother Bethany lives in Spain with her new husband. As far as I’m aware, she hasn’t been back to the United States since our divorce was finalized.” His jaw clenched, and that was his only show of emotion, but it made me wonder if it was really over with the ex-wife he might still love, or if the fact that she’d so easily abandoned her daughter was the source of his rage. “Bethany’s parents call once a week, but it’s usually on the weekends and I can be around to supervise. My parents,” he sighed. “They love Lena and they call often, video chats,” he groaned. “But they live in Florida so you don’t have to worry about unexpected visits.”
I nodded at his reluctant explanation. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
His jaw clenched again, so hard I thought he might crack a tooth, and his nostrils flared like an angry bull. “Do you want this position or not?”
“Lena seems like a lovely little girl, and I would love to help her discover the world, but ultimately the choice is yours Mr. Rush. I have a few other families I haven’t interviewed with yet, so it’s best if you let me know as soon as possible.”
He wasn’t satisfied with my answer, and those green eyes watched me for so long that I had to resist the urge to squirm as I stared back. “Are you always this insubordinate?”
I had to laugh at his pained expression, because I was sure a man like him wasn’t used to people talking back or questioning him. “I am almost never insubordinate, but at this exact moment in time, you’re not an authority figure, and therefore not someone I need to obey.”
His gaze narrowed another fraction, and I knew I might have pushed him too far. I watched those green eyes and wondered what was going on behind them, because clearly his gears were churning hard. Finally Dante sat back and pressed his fingertips together in that stereotypical powerful businessman way. “You will have to drive the Escalade when you’re on the clock. I won’t have Lena going around in your tin box.”
I sniffed. “My car is two years old, Mr. Rush. It’s hardly a tin box.” I sat back, nearly mirroring his position. “That seems like a lot of car for two people, but sure. Whatever works for you.” I gave him my best sickly sweet smile until his demeanor broke and he rolled he sighed.
“That’s what I like to hear.” He smiled, but it was more of a grimace. “This is a live-in position, will you need to make arrangements before you can move in?”
“No,” I sighed and stood when he did. “My last position ended abruptly when the mother received a promotion on the east coast, so I’ve been rooming with a friend. When do you need me to start?” It would be maddening to work for this man, but Lena was great and her father was good eye candy. Good, grumpy eye candy.
Dante bent his big body over the table and quickly scribbled on a black sticky note before he handed it to me. “This is the salary if you can start tomorrow.”
I looked down, and it was even more than Serenity had said it would be, by a lot. “Are you sure this is the right number?”
He smiled. “I don’t make mistakes when it comes to money Ms. Lions.”
Damn if those words didn’t send a shiver down my spine. “Okay then. I accept your informal offer.”
“Excellent,” he grunted. “Your room is this way.”
“Wait, so that’s it? You’ve decided to hire me?”
His dark brows furrowed. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
“Obviously not, I’m great. But Serenity mentioned you’d been doing some week, and month-long auditions in the past.”
“That was my habit, yes, but not necessary in this instance. I find you adequate.”
“Wow, adequate? Wait until I call up the folks back at home to tell them some fancy businessman finds me adequate. All of my lifelong dreams have come true.”
He glared at me with a gaze so cold it probably terrified most people.
I giggled. “So about that room?”
He nodded and turned away, which was a gift from the heavens because his long legs, firm bottom and broad back was the perfect view.
At least until I caught sight of the hotel suite of a room that he showed me. The room was gorgeous, with a large bed that had a fancy, nearly six foot tall decorative headboard. The wood was all blond, cherry or pine, I didn’t really know, but it was stunning. Plush carpet under my sneakers, and a view of the well-kept wilderness out the back windows stole my breath.
“Wow,” I whispered, and then turned to Dante with a toothy smile. “Thank you Mr. Rush. I find this room exceptionally adequate.”
His lips pursed as if he wanted to say something, but he reconsidered and shook his head.
I laughed again. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Does seven work for you?”
He nodded.
“Okay. Serenity has all the paperwork you’ll need to get everything started. When that’s done, she’ll make it all official.”
“Perfect,” he grunted.
Yes you are. “Good night, Mr. Rush.”
“Dante,” he barked. “My name is Dante.”
I waved as I hurried past him out of my new bedroom towards the front door. “Have a good one then, Dante. ”