Tempt Me (Temptation Series Book 1)

by Kally Ash

  “Name it,” he replied without hesitation.

  “Our names are always on the guest list,” he said. “And any of my guys who aren’t on tomorrow night can come to the opening.”

  “That’s two things,” Max pointed out.

  “Do you want our help, or not?” the guy shot back.

  “All right. No problem.”

  “And they get free drinks all night,” the guy added.

  Max smiled and held out his hand. “Deal. I’m Max, by the way.”

  “Sam,” the guy replied. Sam looked only a few years older than Max, but he was a lot more built through the shoulders. “We’ll meet you over there.”

  Max nodded and started walking back to Temptation. When he got there, there was a van parked out the front, the decal on the side telling him it was a twenty-four hour plumber. He followed the cursing to the back storage room where there was basement access through a trapdoor.

  “Can you fix it?” he heard Jeremy ask.

  “Yeah, I got the parts I need in the van,” said another man. “But we need to get some of this water out before I can start work.”

  “The NYFD are on their way over,” Max called down.

  “Thank fuck for that.”

  *

  Four hours later, Max’s jeans were completely soaked through, as well as his shoes. The burst pipe had been fixed, the basement had been pumped and Max was about a grand poorer. He took down the names of all the guys who worked ladder thirty-three and made sure they were on the list for opening night, and for every night after that.

  “So, what now?” Jeremy asked as they watched the fire truck lurch away from the curb.

  “Now, we clean.”

  When they were finally done, it looked as if nothing had happened to the club at all.

  “Are you going to tell Evangeline?” Jeremy asked, emptying one of the buckets into the sink in the janitor’s closet.

  “No. She doesn’t need to know. She’s under enough stress as it is.” He handed Jeremy the mops they’d been using.

  “Who’s looking after Erin?”

  Shit. Max pulled out his phone and hit redial on the last number he’d called. It rang twice before Gigi picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Gigi? Max. How is she?”

  “She’s fine,” she replied. “She went to bed hours ago. I’ve just been here studying.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “Good. That’s good. I’m still at work. I won’t be much longer, though.”

  She yawned on the other end of the phone. “Take your time. I don’t have anywhere to be.”

  “Who’s Gigi?” Jeremy asked when he had hung up.

  Max’s jaw clenched. “Do you always eavesdrop on other people’s phone calls?” he snarled before stalking off to grab his wallet and keys off the bar. Jeremy followed.

  “Hey, sorry. I was just asking.”

  He knew he was being an asshole, but life had grabbed him by the balls and refused to let go. That did something to a man. “Go home. I’ll see you at midday to go through all the last minute stuff.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  He walked home quickly, practically bursting through his front door and into the living room. He listened for a moment, expecting to hear Erin screaming, or something equally as frightening. The only thing he could hear, however, was his own breathing. There was absolutely no other sound. Marching through the house, he nudged open Erin’s door quietly and looked inside. His daughter was sound asleep in her cot, her thumb in her mouth. He took a second to just stare at her. That was when he realized Gigi was also in the room.

  She was asleep in the rocking chair in the corner. She was still holding the textbook she’d been reading, one finger under the page as if she was about to turn it. Walking over to her, he slid the book free and placed it on the ground beside her. He then took a blanket from Erin’s drawer and draped it over Gigi.

  Retreating from the room, he went into the bathroom and undressed. He turned on the shower to as hot as he could stand then got under the spray. He turned around and positioned the showerhead to spray on his neck and shoulders, letting the water carry away all the stress of the evening. Coming home to realize Erin was okay and that Gigi hadn’t left as soon as he’d left the house was the biggest relief. But he knew he couldn’t do that to Gigi again without knowing where they stood with regards to the job. She either wanted it, or she didn’t. He killed the water, wrapped a towel around his hips and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  Max turned at the sound of Gigi’s voice. Her eyes widened a little as they dropped down to his waist. He placed his hands in front of his crotch out of habit.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” she added quickly, turning around to face the wall.

  “It’s fine,” he replied tersely. “I just needed to take a shower to clean up.”

  “Look, Max, I’ll just get out of here and let you go to bed. It’s late and I have classes tomorrow.”

  “Classes on a Saturday?” he asked incredulously.

  “I meant to say study. I have to study tomorrow.”

  “You can turn around, you know,” he said, getting tired of talking to her back.

  Her shoulders tightened. “No, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  He shrugged. “I was hoping we could talk about the job.”

  “I really should be getting home.”

  “Meet me tomorrow for breakfast then.”

  “I—”

  He could feel another brush-off coming. If she didn’t take the job, he’d have to go through an agency and who knew how long it would take them to find someone. Gigi was here now. She was good with Erin, and she had passed his first test. “Let me at least feed you to say thanks for helping me out tonight. I’d feel a whole lot better about it since you refused to take my money.”

  There was a long pause before she exhaled quietly. “Okay.”

  He smiled. “Okay. I’ll text you the address of the place in the morning. It’ll probably be around nine.” He walked her to the door.

  “Good night, Max,” she said as she stepped into the hallway.

  “Good night, Gigi.”

  Chapter 8

  “You got in late,” Jen said when Gigi emerged from her bedroom the next morning. It had been after two a.m. by the time she had showered and gotten into bed, and her neck and back were making her pay for the impromptu sleep in the rocking chair.

  “Max got called away. I had no choice but to stay.”

  Jen peered at her from where she reclined on the couch. “What do you think of him?”

  What did she think? She thought he was a Greek god to look at but, but no matter how good he looked, as soon as he opened his mouth, she was left with a nasty taste in her mouth. “He’s a bit of a jerk,” she replied.

  Jen laughed. “Douchebag is more like it. You should have heard him read us the riot act at work yesterday. Everyone was wetting their pants.”

  “Everyone except for you, right?” she asked, shuffling over to the coffee maker. She may have been going out for breakfast, but she couldn’t function without caffeine in her system.

  “You know me, Borello. I don’t bow down to any guy.”

  Gigi smirked to herself. She could just imagine the sparks when Jen and Max went head-to-head. “What are you doing up so early anyway?” she asked, bringing the freshly-poured cup of coffee to her lips.

  “I thought I’d go to the gym.”

  She nearly spat out her coffee. “Since when do you work out?”

  “Since I want to get into the pants of the head bartender at work. He said he was going before work today.”

  “You only met him yesterday, right?”

  “All it takes is a moment,” Jen preened.

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, have fun. I need to take a shower then I’m going out to breakfast.”

  “With Alex?” Jen drew out her classmate’s name, smirki
ng at Gigi’s frown.

  “With Max, actually.”

  For a moment, Jen had nothing to say in response. Gigi soaked up the blissful quiet. “Is this a date?” she spluttered.

  “No. It’s not a date. This is him saying thank you to me staying with Erin last night while he had to go to work.”

  The smile on her roommate’s face was devious. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  After showering and getting dressed, Gigi got a message from Max with the address of the place they were meeting. She actually already knew where it was; she and Jen went there quite regularly for breakfast. Picking up her messenger bag, she left the apartment.

  She walked into Amy’s Bread twenty minutes later. Max wasn’t there yet. Finding a table, she looked over the menu, but glanced up when she felt eyes on her.

  Max was standing in the doorway, staring at her intensely. She squirmed in her seat, dropping her gaze to the table. The air seemed to thicken as he approached. Eventually, the wheels of Erin’s stroller crept into Gigi’s field of vision.

  “Thank you for coming.”

  She looked up. “Thank you… I mean, you’re welcome.”

  “Have you ordered yet?” She shook her head, watching Max sit down in the chair opposite her. He gave the menu a cursory once over. “I’ve never been here before. Have you?”

  “Jen and I come here quite often, actually.”

  “What’s good?” He was looking at the rear page now, his eyes scanning the whole thing. Even though she had only really known him for just over twenty-four hours, from her experience—and from Jen’s reports—his default mode was serious. She might also add grouchy to that list.

  “The Parisian breakfast is pretty good.”

  Max flipped the menu back over again and read the description. “What are you having?”

  “The Manhattan.”

  He stood up abruptly and strode towards the counter. She took the opportunity to look at him. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the image of Max standing in a towel from her mind. His hard sculptured chest had featured heavily in her dreams last night, and the way the material had clung to his hips was the best supporting actor.

  The sound of Erin laughing tore Gigi’s eyes off of Max’s ass. A blush crept up her cheeks. Max returned then, touching his daughter’s cheek lightly before sitting back down.

  “I ordered you a coffee,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Her reply was more like a squeak.

  “So, have you made a decision yet?” he asked, placing both elbows on the table and pinning her in place with his stare.

  “You’ve hardly given me a lot of time to think about it.”

  He leaned back in his chair, his eyes unwavering. He finally gave her a tight nod. “Of course. I’m just anxious to get the position filled.”

  “How many nannies have you already interviewed?”

  “You’re the first.”

  He hadn’t interviewed anyone else? “I’m not even a qualified nanny,” she muttered under her breath.

  “What was that?”

  She peered at him. “How long have you been looking for someone?”

  His nostrils flared for a moment, and she realized he didn’t like being questioned. “Less than forty-eight hours.”

  She sat forward in her chair. “Max, I think you need to find someone else. There are hundreds of nannies in New York. I can guarantee you’ll find someone you like; you’ll find someone qualified for the job.”

  “I don’t want someone else, Gigi. I want you.”

  For a second, she couldn’t breathe… But then her brain wheezed and she got back with the program. He wanted her as a nanny. “Max, I’m focused on my studies at the moment.”

  “You have classes during the day, right?” She nodded. “Well, I work at night, so you’ll still be able to look after Erin and it won’t impact on your education.”

  “All right,” she conceded. But there was still the matter of living arrangements. “But I’d rather not live with you and Erin.”

  His lips pressed together into a hard line. “Would you reconsider if I made my case?”

  She shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Okay. Here’s the reason why I’d like you to live in. Last night was a prime example. I could get called away at any time, day or night, weekend or weekday. If that happens, I need to make sure I can leave straight away if need be. If you live in, I will be able to get to the club as soon as I can. If I call you and have to wait for you to come around, the emergency I’m required to attend to will be out of control by the time I get there.”

  “Fair point,” she said.

  “Right, so it’s settled then,” he said.

  “No, it’s—”

  “One coffee and one tea,” the waitress announced, arriving at their table. Gigi looked at the woman and accepted her drink. “Your meals will be out soon.”

  “Thank you,” Max replied, ripping open a sugar stick and adding it to his tea. As he stirred, he looked at Gigi. “You were saying?”

  “Yes, I was saying it’s not settled. I still don’t want to live in.”

  “Why not?” he shot back.

  “Because…because…” she floundered. Dammit, why couldn’t she think of something? He took a sip from his cup, a smirk on his lips. She glared at him. “We can talk about this later.”

  He shrugged. “Fine. What else do you want to discuss?”

  She was too flustered by Max to think of anything else. “I think that about covers what I need to know,” she said stiffly.

  He raised a brow. “Are you telling me that that’s all the information you need from me?”

  Unsure for a moment, she nodded slowly.

  “You don’t want to know how much I’ll pay you?”

  The mention of money gave Gigi pause. Cash was the centre of every college student’s universe.

  “Actually, let’s make this a bit more interesting.”

  She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

  Resting his arms on the table, he leaned in. “Give me a number. How much would I have to pay you in order to have you live in and look after Erin?”

  She studied his face. He was being completely serious. But she would see just how serious he was. With a smug smile, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Two thousand a week.”

  Max’s expression didn’t change. “That’s around fifty dollars an hour based on a forty hour week.”

  Gigi picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. “You told me to give you a figure.” It was outlandish and there was no way in hell he would accept it.

  “Done,” he replied, reaching out his hand to shake hers. She was dumbstruck.

  “E-excuse me?” she spluttered.

  “I said, I agree. Two thousand a week. But this is for being available to me seven days a week, day or night. If there’s any time where I don’t have to work, you are free to do what you want. However, any time that I am at work, I expect you to be looking after Erin.”

  Gigi jerked her chin up in defiance. “I haven’t agreed to this yet.”

  He smirked at her, his expression telling her that she soon would. She thought he was just arrogant enough to believe that.

  “I’ll need to go home and think about this before I give you an answer.” She took another sip of her coffee. “I suggest you start interviewing other nannies in the meantime, just in case it doesn’t work out like you’ve planned,” she added as an afterthought.

  Chapter 9

  Max watched Gigi walk away from him, his head warring with his body. The brazen way she’d made demands both enraged him and turned him on.

  “No,” he snarled, his hands curling around the handles of Erin’s stroller. He wouldn’t get drawn in by her. Whether she was aware of it or not, the woman was playing a dangerous game with him. He had given Chelsea everything she had ever wanted, and that bitch had walked away with his balls in her hand. Now that he had them back, he wasn’t about to let another woman do exactly the sa
me thing.

  When she’d questioned him about hiring someone else, the very male, very primal side of his brain had thrown up a big hell no. He realized she wasn’t a qualified nanny. He knew she was too studious to want to take on a job—especially one so intense—but he’d seen her eyes when he’d offered her two hundred to stay with Erin the night before. It was only a shadow across her face, but it was there: need.

  He’d told her that he didn’t want anyone else, and he hadn’t been lying. He did want her as a nanny, but there was also this small voice that said he wanted her in his life in another way too, and that’s what made no sense. Whatever the reason, he was determined to have Gigi as Erin’s nanny, and he always got what he wanted.

  When he got back to his apartment he fed and changed Erin before putting her down for a sleep. When there was no more noise coming from her room, he strode into the spare room that Gigi would be using. There was already a twin bed set up against one wall, along with a bedside table. On the opposite wall was a tallboy. It was spartan, but it would be fine. Next, he went into the bathroom and cleared a drawer for her in the vanity.

  He poked his head into Erin’s room to see she was still sleeping before retreating to the kitchen to make himself a snack while he watched the football. During half-time , his phone started to ring. It was his mom.

  “Hi, Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier.”

  “Don’t be silly, Max. You’ve had a lot going on.”

  He relaxed back into the cushion. “How’s Dad?”

  There was squeal like a door had been pushed open. “He’s doing okay,” she replied. “Luckily he had the presence of mind to call the paramedics as soon as he felt the tightness in his chest.”

  “Yeah, that was lucky,” he replied, running a hand over his hair. “When do the doctors think he’ll be able to go home?”

  “They said in a few days.”

  “And how are you, Mom?”

  She sighed heavily. “I’m all right. I’ve been spending my days with your dad, and then I get a bit of rest when I go back to his house in the evening.”

  Max couldn’t help but be a little envious of the strength of their relationship, despite them being divorced. He’d asked his mom about it once. She’d said that she and his father were best friends—they just shouldn’t have gotten married. It had taken them twenty-five years to figure it out.