7. Travis
TRAVIS
“L adies! Let’s go! The car is waiting downstairs.” I patted my pockets, checking for my phone and glancing at my watch. “Hurry up!”
They had been together all day, with nothing better to do than be ready for dinner tonight.
As for me, I’d been on the go since we landed the jet this morning, taking one of the two waiting cars straight to a meet-up with my new contacts at the port authority.
Since then, I’d been in back-to-back meetings, finally arriving at The Plaza with barely enough time to shower and get dressed for dinner with Colton and the others.
She wasn’t stalling, was she? Last night was inevitable, like something I was compelled to do, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. I needed this kind of distraction like I needed a hole in the head, not to mention the tailspin life would dissolve into if I lost another nanny with no warning.
So far, she had given me nothing to worry about.
Not a single hint of what happened last night was visible in the way she acted throughout the flight.
In fact, she and Sofia both ended up sleeping through a lot of it.
Sofia, I could understand. She had gotten out of bed earlier than usual and might not have slept very well because of all the excitement.
Penny, I had to wonder about. Was she up as long as I was, wondering what it meant, beating herself up for letting it happen?
Not that she had any reason to. I was the stupid shit who couldn’t control himself.
She was my employee, for fuck’s sake. What was she supposed to do, push me away? Slap me across the face?
“Coming, coming!” Penny’s bright, sunny voice sounded the same as ever. For once, I was glad to hear it.
She rounded the corner into the front hall of our suite, running her hands over her hair like she was making sure every rich, brown strand was in place. “Sorry. Shopping took longer than I expected, but we both wanted something nice to wear tonight. We wanted you to be proud of us.”
I would have told her there was no reason to go out of her way, but that would mean possessing the ability to speak. It wasn’t easy for my brain to come up with words when most of the blood in my head was traveling down to my dick. Was I supposed to let her out of the suite looking the way she did?
Something in my face must have alarmed her because she stopped dead. “What? Is this all right? Do I look okay?”
“You look…” Stunning. Gorgeous. Like walking sin in a knee-length red dress that tied around the neck and, from the looks of it, had to be worn without a bra.
“Red really isn’t my color, normally,” she fretted, looking down at herself while I told myself not to stare and definitely not to touch. “But I really liked the dress, and the only choices were red or black. I hate wearing black.”
“It works for you.“ What a stupid fucking thing to say, but when the alternative was to describe how clearly I could see myself throwing her on the floor and tearing that dress off with my teeth, it seemed like the safer choice.
“Is she ready?” I asked instead, looking over her shoulder for my daughter.
“Oh yes, hang on a second. I almost forgot.” Penny flashed a grin, clearing her throat, standing straight and tall. “Allow me to introduce the one, the only, Sofia Emelia Knight.”
From around the corner appeared a vision in pink. It was a little much for a simple dinner—more like a princess costume with a puffed skirt and shoulders. Her hair was up in a cluster of curls on top of her head, which bobbed with every careful step she took in a shiny pair of Mary Janes.
“She fell in love with it. I couldn’t help myself,” Penny whispered as Sofia came to a stop in front of me and performed a wobbly curtsy.
It took effort to straighten out my expression. “You are lovely,” I told her, taking her hand and performing a deep bow.
“Thank you, sir.” Then she broke out giggling. “Penny taught me to curtsy! We practiced and everything!”
“You did a very good job. It’s obvious you girls were busy today.”
“I hope it’s all right that I took her shopping,” Penny offered as she checked herself out in the mirror near the door.
A gold bag complimented her sandals and the hoop earrings she wore.
Her brown locks had been carefully blown out and shaped into waves that brushed her back.
This was the polar opposite of the girl I first met in my office.
This was a woman I could see tying to my bed, keeping her for myself.
Something uncoiled deep in my gut, like a beast coming to life.
“That’s why I gave you the card this morning, so you could use it,” I reminded her, taking Sofia by the hand and ignoring my sudden hunger. “And now I have the pleasure of going to dinner with two beautiful ladies. I’m a lucky guy.”
Sofia giggled, skipping beside me when Penny walked quietly on the other side. I found myself looking at her as we waited for the elevator. I couldn’t stop. All it took was changing coasts for her to appear different in my eyes and look absolutely stunning.
She was fucking stunning last night in nothing but a nightshirt and yoga pants. Yet that vision of her had nothing on her now.
The ride to SoHo went quickly, with Sofia asking a million questions and barely waiting for an answer before she asked the next one.
It was what I needed to put things into perspective.
No way could I give in to the desire to reach across the seat and test the softness of Penny’s knee once she crossed her legs.
Her porcelain skin gleamed, begging to be touched.
After that, there was the whirlwind of entering the restaurant and being escorted to the private room that Colton had reserved for the evening.
Walking in and finding everyone arranged at a long table, already deep in conversation as children played, turned my thoughts away from the woman beside me.
“Ah, there they are.” Colton Black was the warm host, greeting us as we entered the room.
His wife, Rose, stood holding their six-month-old daughter, Charlotte.
Penny immediately melted at the sight of the kid.
And who could blame her? Charlotte was adorable, smiling like crazy at the attention before the women introduced themselves.
Colton’s sister, Sienna, looked like she was due with her first baby any day.
There had to be something in the water around here.
“It’s so nice to see you,” she said as she shook my hand, pressing the other to her lower back.
“I don’t know if you remember, but we met when Spencer brought you out with him… oh, around five years ago?”
“I do remember,” I assured her, and I remembered thinking she was kind of cute.
“You’ll have to refresh me,” Penny suggested with a light laugh once the two of them introduced themselves. Goddammit, she glowed. I longed to touch her, to stand closer to her. I was a moth, and she was the flame, tempting me when I knew I’d get burned.
“Spencer is cousins with Colton’s and Sienna’s mom, Lourde,” I explained.
“And my dad,” Lucian Diamond added, shaking my hand while his fiancée, Ivy, introduced herself to Penny and Sofia. My poor kid was beyond overwhelmed, almost glued to Penny’s leg.
“It’s great to meet you all.” Penny introduced herself to Aria and Valentina, the Miller twins, and their husbands.
I needed to stop thinking of them as the Miller twins now that they were married.
Valentina carried her daughter on her hip, finally setting her down when she clamored to be released.
Isabel was around two years old, whereas Colton’s Eloise was three.
“You’ll have to be a good example for the younger kids,” Penny advised. “Show them how to behave like a big girl.” Sofia lifted her chin, clearly taking her role very seriously.
The women shared a quiet laugh that told me they’d already brought Penny into the fold. It was that simple for her to make friends.
Who was this woman? I lost track of the number of times I reminded myself not to stare at her with my mouth hanging open once we sat down to eat from the lavish feast laid out in front of us.
A kid around her age stepped up next to her chair and flashed a grin that left me wanting to knock his teeth out.
“Can I get you some wine or another beverage?” he asked while his eyes roamed over her body.
“Oh, I’ll have whatever wine everyone else is drinking.” Penny gestured to the bottles lining the table.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“You heard her,” I grunted out, holding his gaze when he looked away from her.
Move along, fuck face . His spine straightened, and he wasted no time leaving the table.
My fists were in my lap, itching to make contact with his face, and all because he spoke to her like he was worthy of breathing the same air as this luminous creature.
She was gorgeous, yes, but it was her natural charm and humor that left me gaping as we settled in and she got more comfortable. “You grew up in London?” she asked Miles, Aria’s husband. “That’s fascinating. I’ve always dreamed of going there.”
“Now that Travis is setting up partnerships out in the UK, you should have him take you along,” he suggested in his clipped British accent.
“One thing at a time,” I begged. “We still have months to go.”
“No talking about business tonight,” Penny reminded me, almost chiding the way she would Sofia. Before I could quirk an eyebrow, she turned to Rose. “What’s it like, running your own store?”
Rose laughed gently, helping herself to a slice of garlic bread. “It used to be challenging. Now, it’s an adventure, especially with this little one.” She smiled down at the baby bouncing on her lap, asking, “Are you familiar with the line?”
“Who isn’t? Farrah Goldsmith? That’s like dream level.” Penny slapped a palm to her forehead, laughing at herself. “Listen to me. But I guess you hear stuff like that all the time.”