Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection

by Gianna Gabriela

  “A sitter?”

  “For Erin,” she replied.

  Impulsively, he took her hand, pausing just a second to think about how soft her skin was before taking her back to the office. Everyone they passed stared, but he ignored them.

  “Max, where are we—” Gigi began, just as he pulled open the door. He knew it wasn’t ideal, but he had Erin set up in a playpen with all the toys he had brought with him from LA. He spent as much time as he could back there with her, but he also had to focus on work and make sure everything ran like a well-oiled machine.

  “You brought her to work with you?” Gigi asked, bending down to pick up Erin; Max couldn’t help but stare at her perfect ass as she did. When she turned around, his eyes shot back to her face.

  “I didn’t have a choice,” he replied. “The girl I want to hire as a nanny left me with no real answer to my job proposition, and I won’t be getting someone else until I know what her decision is.”

  She frowned at him. “You should have told me you were stuck. I would have helped you out.”

  “You made it abundantly clear this morning that you weren’t prepared to start working for me just yet, even with my generous remuneration package.”

  Her frown deepened. “You can’t bring your seven-month-old daughter to a nightclub.”

  Max did feel guilty about it, but like he’d just told her: he’d had no choice. “So what are you going to do about it?” he asked, watching Gigi bounce Erin on her hip.

  She met his gaze steadily. “I’m going to stay right here and look after her.”

  Even fucking better. He thought she’d tell him to give her his apartment keys so she could watch Erin at his place. But this way, Max could come and see them both whenever he wanted, and with the way he was feeling about Gigi, it would be a bonus to lay his eyes on her once an hour.

  “Good,” he said. “Want anything to drink?”

  “Just a soda,” she said, her attention firmly fixed on his daughter.

  Max left the office and made a beeline for one of the bars. He reached for a glass and bottle of Coke from the fridge and dropped them off to Gigi.

  Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled. “Thanks.”

  Goddamn, her smile was amazing. He didn’t return it though. It would ruin his reputation for being an asshole. Instead, he picked up his phone and a clipboard from the desk. “Text me if you need anything.”

  And with that, he turned and left. Outside in the hallway, he pulled up the directory of all the staff on his phone and started ringing to find a replacement for Jen. With such short notice, he thought he’d have to call at least ten people before he found someone willing to fill in. He was pleasantly surprised when the second girl he called said she’d be there soon.

  In a quarter of an hour, the club would be opened, but Max was determined not to let this one small problem ruin the whole night. While he’d been talking to Gigi, the DJ and the half a dozen security guards had shown up. House music was thumping through the speakers, and the lights had been dimmed. Walking over to the head of security, Max pulled the guy aside.

  “How are we doing, Rocco? Are your boys ready to go?”

  “Max,” Rocco said, thrusting out his hand. “I had a small issue with one of the comms systems, but it’s all good now.”

  “Here’s the guest list for tonight.” Rocco held out his hand to take the clipboard, but Max kept his grip tight, meeting the guy’s eyes. “No exceptions. No letting friends in. Nothing. You got it?”

  The guy nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”

  “Doors open in ten.”

  Max strode away, hearing Rocco barking orders to his guys. Ten minutes until show time. Jeremy was giving his bartenders the last minute pep-talk across the other side of the bar, which left only the waitresses.

  “Staff meeting,” he announced loudly over the music. All the women started making their way over to him. Now that they were dressed in the Temptation uniform, Max had to admit they all looked good. They looked like they could lure in a man and coax him out of his money. That was exactly what he wanted them to do.

  “In less than ten minutes, those doors and this club will be open. We’ve got a full list tonight, including some VIPs and celebrities. We will be busy. Like I said before, I expect you all to give one hundred percent of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll be looking for another job.” He paced in front of the group, facing them again after a few seconds. “If you work hard for me, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. There are a few ground rules though. Number one: you can flirt with the customers, but under no circumstances are you to exchange numbers with them. Rule two: break rule one and I will find out about it. Rule three,” he looked each of them in the eye, driving home his point, “look out for each other.” He glanced at his watch. One minute to six. “Get ready, ladies.”

  Making his way to the door, Max stepped outside, pulling up beside Rocco and one of his other bouncers. There was a crowd already formed, the line snaking down the block. Clearing his throat, he said loudly, “Ladies and gentleman, Temptation is now open.”

  It was nearly two hours before Max could get back to the office to check on Gigi. The club was at capacity, and there hadn’t been any major incidents. Skirting around a group of women standing directly in front of the doorway leading to the staffroom and his office, he pushed into the hallway and took a moment to enjoy the muted pulse of the beat tearing through the club. He opened up his office, finding Gigi sitting in his chair. She looked up from her book, put a finger to her lips and pointed. His eyes followed her finger to find Erin asleep in the port-a-cot he’d also managed to bring down to the club earlier in the day.

  “How long has she been sleeping?” he mouthed.

  Gigi looked at her phone lying on the desk. “Maybe an hour,” she replied in a whisper. “How’s it going out there?”

  “So far, so good.” He approached the cot and stared down at his daughter. He couldn’t help but smile. He heard Gigi get up, felt her approach.

  “She’s a good sleeper,” she said beside him.

  “Yeah, she is.”

  Gigi’s deep green eyes met his. “You can’t keep doing this, Max.”

  At first, he didn’t understand what she was talking about. Then he realized she was referring to bringing Erin to work. “You’re the solution to this problem.”

  She frowned at him and turned away. “Maybe temporarily,” she admitted. “But I’ll have to get a real job soon. You’ll still have to hire someone who’s properly qualified eventually. Why put off the inevitable?”

  Why was he? Because he wanted to get to know her a little better. Although he’d sworn off women altogether, he couldn’t seem to shake the need to claim Gigi as his own somehow. She was a challenge to him. Max had always gotten what he wanted in life. Nobody said no to him, but this little spitfire of a woman had and continued to, and that intrigued him.

  “I always get what I want in the end, Gigi. You should know that.”

  Her chin jerked up a little, and he could see her spine straightening. “Well, you should know that I’m stubborn and don’t like being told what to do,” she retorted in a hushed hiss.

  His lips flexed into a small smile, which he hid almost automatically. “I’ve always liked a challenge.”

  She huffed angrily. “Do you always do business this way?”

  “Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “Always.”

  After staring at him for an immeasurable amount of time, Gigi looked at Erin again. “I told you, I’ve applied for an internship over the summer. If I get it, there’s a chance I’ll have a job ready and waiting for me when I graduate.”

  “What happens if you don’t get the internship?” he asked.

  She looked back at him, her eyes dropping to his mouth for a fleeting second. “Then I guess I’ll come and work for you.”

  Max’s pulse quickened. “When do you find out about it?”

  “In two weeks.”

  “I can’t wait
that long, Gigi,” he replied, and he wasn’t exactly sure whether he was referring to having to bring Erin to work with him, or to waiting for Gigi.

  She let out a small, annoyed breath. “Can we talk about this later? I’m sure you have to get back to work.”

  She was right. He did have to get back to running things. He nodded. “Do you want anything? A drink? Something to eat?”

  Gigi put her hands over her growling stomach. “I haven’t had dinner yet.”

  “I’ll send someone out to get you food.”

  12

  Gigi had stared into Max’s bourbon-colored eyes, wondering what was going through his head. He was being an irresponsible fool. Why would he wait two weeks just so she could babysit Erin for him? Surely he’d be able to find someone to fill the position of nanny in that time. There were hundreds of people out there looking for live-in nanny positions, so why was he offering it to her when she didn’t even want it in the first place?

  I always get what I want in the end, Gigi. You should know that.

  She sat back down behind his desk, unconsciously snuggling into the suit jacket hanging on the back. It smelled like Max—part woodsy, part earthy and one hundred percent masculine. She picked up her textbook and found the spot where she’d stopped reading. Pulling her notebook closer, she started making notes. Time slipped by like it always did when she was studying, and she looked up when there was a knock on the office door.

  She stood up and opened it. A young guy was standing there with a large brown paper bag in his hand. “Gigi?” he asked.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Jeremy. Max asked me to get you some food. I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I got a steak, fries and steamed vegetables. There’s also a tiramisu in there for dessert.”

  Gigi took the bag from him. She wasn’t expecting something so elaborate. “I thought he would have told you just to grab some fast food from somewhere,” she muttered.

  “He specifically said not to get you shit food.” Jeremy shrugged. “I have to get back to work, but enjoy it.” He smiled and left. She shut the door behind him and returned to the desk. Pushing her notebook out of the way, she opened up the bag.

  Once she’d laid out the feast, she ate quickly, unaware of how truly hungry she was. She was scraping the bottom of the tiramisu container with a spoon when Max stepped into the room.

  His eyes seem to devour her for a second before his expression slid back to indifference. “How was dinner?”

  She placed the spoon back into the container and leaned back in the chair. “Delicious. Thank you.”

  He nodded, folding his arms over his chest and leaning up against the wall. In that position, his shirt strained against his muscular arms and broad chest. Gigi couldn’t help but admire the view in these few minutes of peace. “Has Erin been any trouble?”

  “No,” she said, making sure her eyes were on his face. “She hasn’t stirred, but I think that has to do with the soundproofing in this room more than anything.”

  He looked at his daughter then returned his gaze to Gigi. “I know it’s not ideal having her here. I had absolutely no choice though.”

  “You don’t have to justify yourself to me, Max. You did what you had to do to care for Erin.”

  “I know,” he said quietly. “It doesn’t mean I don’t feel like shit for doing it. She’s a baby. A nightclub is no place for her. She deserves to be at home.”

  The words “with her mom” had remained unspoken, but Gigi heard them in the longing in his voice. “Max?” she asked, the question she’d wanted to know the answer to since she’d met him poised on the tip of her tongue. “Where’s your wife?” He’d shut her out before. Perhaps now that they knew each other a little better, he’d tell her something more. “You said before that you were no longer together.”

  His expression darkened, and she was sure he was going to tell her to mind her own business again. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and shoved them into the pockets of his slacks and looked down. “She’s dead.” His words were uninflected, which was strange. Her death had to have been in the last seven months. Either this was how Max dealt with grief, or they weren’t that close to begin with.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He looked at her. “Me too,” he said. “I should go. Do you need anything else?”

  “Can I have the key to your apartment?” One of his brows rose. “So I can take her home when…if she wakes up before you shut the doors,” Gigi explained. “She needs to be at home.”

  “You’ll stay with her?”

  “Of course I will,” she replied quickly, wondering whether he actually believed she’d just drop Erin off and leave.

  Both of their heads turned when the little girl let out a small cry. Max was over there in a heartbeat, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. Gigi stood back and watched him, seeing how much he loved his daughter, and seeing what a shitty situation he’d found himself in. Max turned around and looked at her.

  “Here, strap her into her stroller while I pack up what you can take home with you,” he said. When he was done, he pressed his apartment key into her hand, his hand lingering. For a second, Gigi couldn’t breathe. She knew she shouldn’t be attracted to Max. He was hard and demanding and potentially her new boss, but she couldn’t deny the short, sharp burst of electricity that sparked between them when they’d touched.

  “You should get going,” he eventually rasped, clearly as affected as she had been.

  Gigi forced her head to bob up and down then worked on getting her brain and legs to start functioning together again. A few seconds passed before they did, then she was wheeling the stroller down the hallway to the door she had come in through at the start of the night.

  “Not that way,” Max said too closely behind her. She stiffened when she felt his warmth against her. “I’ll take you out the back door so you don’t have to deal with all the assholes out there.”

  “You mean your customers?” she asked with a smile.

  His face remained serious. “Yeah. Them. Come on.” He turned and led her in the opposite direction. They arrived at a thick metal door with the words ‘Emergency Exit’ written across it. He pressed against the metal bar in the center. It opened up into the alleyway behind the club. “I’ll be home as soon as I can,” he said.

  Walking through, she peered over her shoulder at him. His features were cast in shadows, making him appear even more mysterious. He handed her the bag he’d packed and she slung it over her shoulder.

  “Call me when you get there,” he called out as she made her way down the long alleyway.

  Gigi had been living in New York City for four years, but she had never walked the streets alone at night before. The fact that she had Erin was a small consolation, since she wasn’t truly alone, but being a single female with an infant made her easy prey for anyone looking for a target.

  Thankfully, the fifteen minute walk to Max’s apartment building was uneventful. There had been a lot of people walking around in clothes that said they were either on their way to a bar, or were going to another one, but she didn’t notice anyone studying her too carefully. Pushing the stroller into the elevator, she pressed the button for Max’s floor.

  As the door slid open smoothly, she got the keys out ready to open the front door. Once inside, she slid the bolt across, dropped the bags and took Erin from the stroller. The little girl had slept through the entire thing. Quietly, Gigi took her into her nursery and put her to bed.

  Back in the living room, she took out her study notes and textbook, placing them on one end of the couch. She then took off her shoes and padded into the kitchen. She rummaged through Max’s cupboards, finding a packet of teabags, and made herself a cup. Mug in hand, she checked to see if Erin was still asleep, then decided to have a look around the other bedrooms in his apartment.

  If she took the job, she would be living here with Max, in one of these rooms. She poked her head into the room closest to Erin’s and immediately stepped
back. It was Max’s, and she felt as if she was intruding somehow. From the quick glimpse she did get, it didn’t seem to suit Max. It was too bright, too stark and industrial. For him, she would have chosen darker colors, heavy, warm fabrics and maybe some leather furniture thrown into the mix.

  Back down the hallway, Gigi pressed against the only remaining door she hadn’t seen behind. It was just a single room, and it was decorated in much the same way as Max’s. As she looked around the space, she could imagine her books lined up on the small desk, the comforter her mother had given her when she’d left for college on the bed.

  As she stared at the empty room, picturing all of her things in it, she realized that Max was right. The announcement for the placements on the internship was at least two weeks away. That meant she could earn four thousand dollars in that time. As a struggling student with loans to repay, she’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity. Turning off the light, she shut the bedroom door and made her way back to the living room.

  She really had to check in with Jen and let her know where she was. She curled up on the couch and looked at the time. She didn’t want to call in case she woke her roommate up. Unlocking her phone, she tapped into her text messages and started a new one to Jen.

  At Max’s place, looking after Erin. Don’t know when I’ll be home. Hope you’re feeling better.

  Gigi hit send and placed her phone beside her. It was barely a minute before there was a small beep.

  Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Maybe if Max got laid he’d lighten up a bit. Do me proud, Borello.

  Gigi huffed in frustration, punching out an angry response.

  I’m not sleeping with him, Jen! I’m watching his daughter while he’s at work. That’s all. Good night.

  Jen was obviously feeling better if she was in such a provoking mood. Thankfully, there was no reply to that last message. Gigi picked up her cup of tea and flipped open her textbook. She stared at the page until all the words began to blur together. She rubbed her stinging eyes, recognizing the signs of tiredness. She put her cup down along with the book and got a little more comfortable. She’d just rest her eyes for half an hour then get back to studying.