3. Luna
CHAPTER 3
Luna
“Call if anything comes up. I appreciate you getting a handle on the procurement process.” I hung up on the new contractor leading my team, having fired Jordan and a few of his top guys.
It had only taken a few calls to realize why we didn't have the materials for the job site: Jordan never ordered them.
After that horrendous day at the job site, I'd called in the big guns. Having a cyber security expert as one of my best friends really came in clutch.
Within an hour, Sebastian tracked down all the ammunition I needed to fire Jordan's ass and not pay out the healthy sum he would have gotten if I’d breached the contract. As it was, he lucked out because I decided not to sue him.
Though, the idea did tempt me.
Now that Parvati led the project, things were already turning around. She sent daily photo evidence of the progress, including images of the shipments, and the team working hard.
Thank goodness for that. Women get shit done. I should have known that from the beginning.
Thankfully, that pesky headache of mine hadn't returned. Having Parvati onboard significantly reduced my stress levels.
As long as I had a strong team around me, I could keep my businesses booming.
Speaking of businesses, I was due at Club Deux in thirty minutes.
Hair and makeup flawless, I put on a skin-tight blood-red bodysuit and a leather mini-skirt.
I was serving sex kitten, which felt ironic given that I’d been celibate for years now. As a club owner, it was exactly the look I was going for because, let’s face it, sex sells.
Then I paired it with some killer heels that would be swapped out for unicorn slippers once I made it safely behind my massive desk at Club Deux. The club was my headquarters—the place where I ran all of my business ventures.
While I didn't have meetings until later in the day, I wanted to catch up on paperwork. That's what Sundays were for. The boutique casino resort I’d fondly named The Chateau required an ungodly number of permits, and I was double checking everything with my lawyer before submitting them to the city.
Then I’d meet with the interior designer and go over her latest sketches for the club at the casino. My new friend Faith Waters lent me her design expertise to improve the plans, and now they were infinitely better.
One final check on my hallway mirror and I was out the door. I had just stepped out of my brownstone when someone swore.
Wait, I knew that voice.
The deep timber. Voice like gravel.
I knew that voice. Intimately .
I’d gone years without hearing it and now it seemed to be popping up in the most inconvenient times. Like now.
Sure enough, my eyes bounced up from the lock pad to find Beck Bennet in front of me. Leather jacket, tight pants that molded to an ass that looked like it belonged to a baseball player, and a mouth like a sailor. That filthy, dirty mouth that made me come harder than I ever had in my entire life.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed quietly.
It was bad enough that the best one-night stand of my life disappeared eight years ago without a word. Then he popped up a few months ago while spending time with one of my good friends, Sebastian Steele. And now this?
This had officially gone too far.
Beck’s gaze lifted to mine, a cell phone glued to his ear. “I understand. Focus on getting healthy and don’t think about coming back until you’re one hundred percent. I’ve got it handled.”
While he spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line, he kept his eyes firmly on mine. “I'll check on you later.”
My hand landed firmly on my hip.
“You're pretty,” said a young voice.
That's when I noticed big bad Beck was not alone. There was an adorable little girl with outrageous curls at his side.
I softened. “Thanks, sweetheart. I'm Luna, and you are?”
“Alice!” she shouted with enthusiasm.
My gaze reluctantly returned to her father. Somehow, having a kid made this man even more attractive than any man had any right to be. Besides, he didn’t look surprised to see me. If anything, that little smirk on his face made me think he expected to see me.
Wait…did they just come out of the house next door?
I glanced from the door to Beck to the door again, realization sinking in.
“You moved in next door?!” I sputtered.
I lied before; it hadn’t been too far. This, this now, this was too far.
Beck seemed to take pleasure in this observation. A wide grin split across his face, almost as if he’d been anticipating my reaction. Then the smile fell, his attention turning back to his phone. He glanced between me and his daughter as if forming a plan.
Beck’s attention darted between me and Alice. The line of his brow furrowed.
I didn’t like this thinking face. Not one bit.
“Listen, I need you to watch Alice for a few hours. My nanny is out sick, and I have a work emergency I need to take care of.”
I glanced at his daughter like she was an alien with two heads. Had I ever babysat a child? No, no I hadn't. I didn't know the first thing about kids.
“I don't know anything about kids. You need to find a grown-up to do this. Besides, I have work.”
He held up his phone. “My nanny is severely ill. And if there was anyone else who could handle the work issue, I would send them. I wouldn't ask you otherwise.”
“But you didn’t ask!” I wagged my finger at him. “No. Bad, Beck.”
Beck dragged a hand down his face. “I don't have a lot of options and if I know Sebastian, he's decked out your house. It's safe. You're a trusted adult. You can handle this. You have to handle this.”
He was saying it to me, but part of me wondered if it was more to convince himself.
“Uh, but,” I stuttered. “It's not baby proof.”
We both glanced at his daughter who was now looking at me like I was the alien with two heads.
I gestured to my mouth. “As I was saying it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded.” I shook my head. “But that doesn't matter because I don't know about babies or kids. And she definitely falls into the latter category.”
Beck stepped forward, and I shifted back, fresh pine invading my senses. He shook my shoulders. “You’re the grown up. You’re a grown-ass woman with a growing business empire. You can watch my seven-year-old for two hours while I handle an emergency.”
Had he been keeping tabs on me? Sure, we had a few recent run-ins no thanks to our respective best friends Faith Waters and Sebastian Steele, but that didn’t mean he had a window into my life. When that happened, I immediately made Faith promise not to share anything about me to Beck Bennet.
“You can order a pizza,” Alice suggested. “I like Hawaiian.”
Then she swept past me into my brownstone, plopping down on the cute armchair I had in front of my TV. The little girl picked up the remote and navigated her way seamlessly to a show she must have deemed suitable, all the while I stood in the doorway, mouth on the floor watching the whole thing go down.
By the time I turned around, Beck was gone. “Son of a…”
But I caught myself because there was a tiny human in my presence.
I stared blankly at her. She was solely focused on the TV in front of her.
My phone beeped.
Beck
Her name is Alice. I'm texting you this because you're undoubtedly in a stupor and not sure what to do next. You'll do fine. I'll be back in two hours. Three tops.
How the hell does he have my phone number now? Where was this eight years ago?
Beck
I got your number from Sebastian when you were housing Faith. Don't read into it.
I rolled my eyes. So he's a mind reader now? Beck had unceremoniously re-entered my life a few months ago when Sebastian hired Beck to watch Faith who was getting accosted by paparazzi. We’d verbally battled those few times I’d seen him since, and his presence brought up a lot of old feelings…
My phone buzzed again.
Beck
Order the damn pizza, Luna.
I rolled my eyes at the command. The man was a first-class prick, and he knew it.
“Nobody even likes Hawaiian pizza,” I muttered.
Alice’s hand shot into the air. “I do. It's actually very popular.”
I now felt personally responsible for making sure this kid knew there were better pizza options out there.
Yet my feet remained planted in the foyer, just like Beck knew they would be.
And with that little mental mind fuck, I got my ass in gear.
* * *
The pizza arrived twenty minutes later.
I'd called my team and told them I'd be working from home. This set Monroe on high alert. “Is it another migraine? Are you okay? Are you a fall risk?”
“I'm fine. Just working from here. Maybe the designer can make a house call instead. I'll text and see if she's flexible.”
Monroe hummed in agreement. “And I'll hold down the fort at Club Deux. You know it's a slow night. We have a couple VIP booths reserved and Dean is set to work his magic.”
Dean was one of the strongest VIP managers at the club. He was cute and flirty, and all the straight women and gay men fell in love with him. The man raked in the tips.
“Good, good.” My eyes shifted to the couch. The empty couch.
Shit . “I’ve got to go.”
I ended the call and started moving. “Alice, where are you?”
My palms began to sweat.
Oh God, I lost his daughter .
I was officially not to be trusted with children. I told Beck we needed a grown-up to supervise.
Panic rose in my throat as I dashed around the kitchen. The pizza remained in place, the box open on the marble island.
She was just here. Where could she have gone?
The pantry? No .
Bathroom? No .
The closet under the stairs? Also no .
The only thing saving my sanity was that my door would have beeped had she gone outside. I sent a mental thanks to Sebastian for the impeccable work he did designing his security app.
Something crashed upstairs.
Fuck .
I took the stairs two at a time, stopping abruptly at the adorable landing between floors. It was a gorgeous little alcove I used when I had a chance to read, and it occasionally served as my friend Faith’s ersatz painting room.
And there’s my floral vase from Oaxaca broken into a million little pieces on the ground.
Tears pooled in Alice's eyes. “I'm so sorry. I wanted to grab that.” She pointed to a wooden princess doll I’d gotten from Magical Moments twenty years ago. My grandmother had taken me to this adorable little town called Christmas Cove, and the visit was filled with love, cookies, and celebrations that included the whole town. My grandmother died the following year, and those memories became imprinted on me as the last holiday before her passing.
At least it wasn't the doll.
The vase was expensive, but the doll was priceless.
“It's okay,” I promised her. “Are you okay?” I scanned her body for any obvious injury.
Her tears threatened to spill over.
Ohhh, no. I don’t think I could handle tears.
“I have an idea. Come get the dustbin with me and help me clean this up. Then we will go back downstairs— where we will stay —until your dad picks you up. Capiche?”
“What's capiche?”
I blinked. Riiiight , she's seven, not twenty-seven.
“Sound good?” I clarified.
She nodded earnestly. “Yes, let me help clean up.”
So we set to our task. I obviously kept her away from the shards and had even insisted she get shoes before helping. Gold star to me.
After we finished, my stomach growled. “You ready for pizza, Alice? Because I'm starving.”
“Let's go!” She raced down the stairs with the energy of a… well, a seven-year-old.
“Oh, boy…” I muttered.