Everything that Crane does is always for the sake of the company -- and most of its present day success is due to his extreme diligence. I owe a lot of thanks to him for helping me rise so quickly to the position of CEO within the company where I receive daily praise for all the prosperity and fame that I bring to the growing business. And as much as I hate to admit it to his smug face, I know I wouldn't be here today without him guiding and assisting me every step of the way. He's the reason why everybody knows my name in the business sphere.
"Just lay it on me, Crane. What do we have set on the schedule for today?" I ask.
The butler seems more than pleased to be able to pull out the work agenda for me on his tablet as he puts on his reading glasses. "Well, let's see. First off, your weekly golf session with Mr. Donovan is set for 9:30 AM."
"Okay." I nod my head. "I always look forward to beating old Donovan in a clean game of golf."
"After your golfing session, lunch is scheduled with the Burkes at noon followed by a meeting with the board at 3 PM and then another meeting with Epicorp at 6 PM."
A soft groan trails from my throat from the mention of the long work meetings which typically put me to sleep every time I have to sit in on them. "All right, what else is there?"
Crane continues without taking his gaze off the display screen, "Dinner plans with the Smiths have been unfortunately cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and a rescheduling is currently in the works, but the Walter brothers have sent you an invitation to one of their latest restaurant openings downtown tonight which I already took the initiative to say yes to."
"Perfect. I've been meaning to catch up with the Walters for a while now, so that sounds pretty good to me. Anything else I need to know or is that all?"
An unusual pause and silence falls over Crane as he silently closes the tablet and puts it away. I can see a slightly grim and hesitant look on his face which is pretty uncommon for the man considering how there aren't many things in the world that can affect him like that. It's no surprise that my chest begins to feel rather uneasy upon seeing that expression of uncertainty in his otherwise confident appearance. I sit up and brace myself for the bad news that I assume is about to come out of his mouth.
Crane carefully chooses his words before finally speaking up. "There is also the important matter of the young miss' nanny that has yet to be brought up and discussed."
What?
My jaw naturally drops in a slow motion while I stare at the butler with a dumbfounded expression. I could have sworn that I just recently found Teagan a new nanny after the previous one was fired for being unable to keep up with my daughter's demanding schedule. And after the last woman had to be replaced on such short notice, I made damn sure to find someone who would last on the job for a while longer than the previous nannies so that I wouldn't have to go through the headache of interviewing more people again. But I see now that my plan didn't go through as perfectly as I had expected or planned.
"What do you mean by that, Crane? What the hell happened to Teagan's current nanny?" I say.
"The woman had to be regrettably dismissed from the position after losing sight of the young miss in one of the stores while they were out. Even though she had only lost track of Miss Teagan for a few short moments, that brief time period was enough for the young miss to cause some alarming damages to the store during her absence."
"And didn't we just hire that nanny a few days ago?" I ask.
"Yes, sir. We did."
"And how many nannies have we gone through since the month started?" I continue.
"About a dozen or so, sir," Crane plainly responds as he looks down at his tablet. "But the real number is probably more than that."
"You have got to be kidding me," I angrily sigh. "Where is that little troublemaker right now?"
"Miss Teagan should currently be at her piano lessons right now. Would you like me to bring her in to meet with you?"
A soft exhale escapes me as I shake my head at his suggestion. "No, piano is one of the few things that she actually enjoys learning compared to the rest of the lessons that she's taking. I don't want to ruin it for her, so let's just save our discussion for another time when I'm not so busy."
"Certainly, sir," the butler responds as he gently smiles at me before taking his leave from the bathroom.
The click of the door sounds with the man's departure, and I am suddenly left alone to my own private thoughts again. However, the relaxing mood and atmosphere that I once felt when I first entered the warm bath is gone already. My head is buried with too many minor concerns to enjoy the free time that I have left before I have to put on my work appearance again for another long day. Because despite having the same discussion with Teagan about not causing trouble for people over and over again, she still doesn't seem to listen to me no matter what I say -- and I am practically at my wit's end on what I should do with her.
But I guess I should handle things one small step at a time and find her a suitable nanny who won't lose track of her at least.
With the stress of Teagan's situation weighing down on my mind, I quickly finish up my bath and walk out into the hallway to look for Crane. I head down the long flight of stairs and greet every maid along the way who all apparently have not seen the curious butler during their routine patrols. His mysterious disappearance makes me scratch my head in bewilderment. He always seems to manage to find me whenever he needs to update me, but it seems that I can't say the same for myself when he's the one that I happen to be looking for.
Yet after searching almost every inch of the house from top to bottom for the man, I remain completely stumped by his missing appearance. I decide to walk back to my study to grab my cell phone so that I can send him a message, but I stop in my tracks once I step through the doorway. There, standing by my work desk, is Crane with his face glued to the tablet screen. He's so fixated and focused on whatever is currently on the display screen that he doesn't even bother to look up at me as I walk past him to take my seat behind the desk.
I shake my head at his workaholic tendencies. "Crane, can you start looking for some new candidates for Teagan-"
"I already have some profiles and resumes ready for you if you would like to take a look at them right now, sir. All of the applicants that I've scouted are prepared to come in for an interview as soon as you say the word," the butler nonchalantly states without taking his eyes off of the tablet. He walks over to one of the filing cabinets where he pulls out a large stack of papers and documents which he neatly sets down right in front of me.
A curious smile lingers on the man's lips as I open up the files and find a list of candidates for the job position. Everything from their grade point average in college to their current work experience is written down on each slip of paper. I have all of the personal information that I need to decide on whether or not I want to bring a candidate in for an interview. There's even a recent photograph of each person so that I have a good idea of what to expect if I were to decide to meet them face to face.
The amount of information that I have at my disposal overwhelms me and leaves me with a loss for words. All I can open my mouth and say to the mysterious butler is: "You are too damn good at your job, Crane. Too damn good."
Crane heartily chuckles at the compliment while modestly shaking his head. "I simply learn by example, Mr. Bennett. And your dedication to your craft inspires me to constantly better my own. That's simply all it is,” he proudly replies.
Heh.
Not only is the guy insanely good at his job, but he's also good with his words of flattery as well. He knows just what to do and say to get me to do exactly what he wants.
“Well." I take a glance at the clock hanging on the wall and notice that it's only barely 7 AM. "Seeing as how I have a bit of time left before I have to leave, I guess we should get started on some of these interviews then since you seem to have already went through the trouble of gathering all of this information for me.
"
“I would be more than happy to look through them with you right now, sir.” The butler smiles as he puts away his work tablet and gives me his full and undivided attention. "Shall we begin, then?"
"Yeah," I nod my head while leaning back into my seat. "Let's start from the top."
***
A soft breath slips out from my throat as I gently bite down against my lip. My eyes seem to naturally float back and forth between the attractive young woman's sultry expression and her low-hanging cleavage which happens to be practically popping out of her loosely-buttoned white blouse. I force myself to focus on something else other than her large chest, yet no matter how hard I try to bring my gaze back up to her face, the brazen display of her breasts ultimately grab my attention. It's impossible not to ogle at them, especially since the alluring and provocative woman makes it a point to lean in toward me from across the table while shoving her mounds together.
And I'm pretty sure that I would still be staring at her perfectly-sized chest had it not been for the fact that Crane decides to loudly clear his throat while subtlety nudging me out of my stupor. I quickly snap back to reality and lift my eyes up toward the woman whose seductive gaze continues to intently stare at me without feeling any shame. She slowly licks her red-stained lips and bats her long eyelashes at me, the sexual intent and tension written all over her face. I hide my smirk while quietly admiring her aggressive stance and approach toward me.
Though I may have some doubts about leaving Teagan under this woman's care, I definitely wouldn't mind giving her the opportunity to impress me in some of her other areas of expertise.
“It looks like that will be all I need to hear from you for now. Thank you for coming in on such short notice today, Miss Morrow,” I coolly state while I get up from my seat to shake her hand.
“Oh, no. It was absolutely my pleasure to meet with you, Mr. Bennett,” the young woman emphasizes with a flirty giggle. She grabs my hand and firmly holds onto it instead of shaking it. "After all, it's not every day that you get to meet someone as famous and renown as you."
I naturally chuckle at her attempt to flatter me. She really isn't too shy or afraid to put herself out there.
"We will be sure to reach out to you if there are any updates and if we decide to move forward with the process," I beam.
"Please do. I know I'll be eagerly waiting to hear back from you. Good news or bad."
The woman squeezes my hand while maintaining direct eye contact with me, the intriguing expression in her eyes one that I've seen time and time again during my many casual encounters with different women. That particular gleam in her stare is one that I have come to be very familiar with in time, and it's one that I have never mistaken for anything else due to the clear sexual undertones exuding within it. Nonetheless, the bold confidence in the young woman's gaze lingers with me as she gradually lets go of my hand and allows Crane to lead her out of the door. My eyes instinctively follow the motions of her curvy body which sways and moves around the room until she takes a sudden pause at the doorway right before leaving. She glances back toward me with those bedroom eyes of hers to give me one last look and flutter of her eyelids before the door finally closes behind her.
I can't help but open my mouth and make a comment as soon as it's just me and the butler alone in the room again: “Well, she was certainly a nice one, wasn’t she?” I grin.
Crane turns back toward me with an unamused look on his face. “I do believe your definition of nice is not quite the same definition as mine, sir,” he plainly replies without breaking his stone-faced exterior.
But my smile simply grows wider. “And yet you seem to know exactly what I’m talking about for some reason. Come on, Crane. There's really no need to be shy to admit it. Nothing wrong with appreciating some of the finer things in life.”
The butler's expression remains relatively unfazed as he blatantly ignores my remark and clears his throat. He quickly changes the subject. “It seems like we have enough time for one more interview before you should start getting ready for your golf session. Shall we go ahead and proceed with the next candidate before we call it for today?”
“Yeah, bring her in,” I yawn as I pull up the set of documents belonging to the next applicant. The ends of my lips curve into a smirk. “I just hope she’s as nice as the last one we had.”
I can hear the audible sound of Crane's weary sigh as I open up the file and start to read through the papers which thoroughly outline the next candidate. A young woman who is currently 24 years old with a college degree in the arts, specifically in English. She is apparently the youngest child out of three siblings, both of them being brothers who are in the military. She has tutored and mentored middle school students in the past for a few years but has no official experience as a nanny. But regardless of her lack of formal training in the position, she has outstanding recommendations from all of her listed references who all mention how great she is with children and how the kids appear to naturally gravitate toward her.
She looks like a worthy candidate on the surface -- Audrey. Audrey Scott.
But why does she sound so familiar? And where have I heard that name before?
Before I can figure out the reason behind my unease toward the applicant's name, she walks right through the door and takes a seat in front of me. My gaze immediately lifts up from the stack of papers on the table and onto the young brunette with the large albeit dark eyes seated across from me. I silently begin to observe her. Compared to the previous woman who was pretty much dressed to the nines and made up from head to toe, there's nothing particularly remarkable about the current candidate's appearance which is rather boring and modest in comparison to say so the least. Her attire is clean-cut and proper while her face is completely bare and natural, the only notable impression about her the way in which her brown eyes seem to glare at me in pure disbelief.
“It’s you,” the young woman scoffs while shaking her head. "I honestly cannot believe this."
I stare at the brunette with an empty and blank expression. She seems to strongly believe that she knows me from somewhere, but I can't tell if it's because my face is always being shown on the news or if it's for some other reason. And no matter how long I look at her in hopes that something will click in my head, I can't recall ever meeting an Audrey who looks as homely and plain-faced as she does. Though I can't fully admit to not recognizing her name because it certainly rings a bell and resonates with me.
“Sorry, have we met before? You seem to act as if we should know each other.” I say.
“Have we met before?" she repeats in an angry and incredulous tone of voice. "Boy, you really like to act stupid, don’t you? Or is that just not an act at all? Are you really that dense?”
My eyes naturally widen in absolute confusion mixed with astonishment at the young woman's hostility and aggression toward me. I glance over at Crane who seems to be highly enjoying the spectacle unraveling in front of him instead of helping me get out of it. Clearly, both of them must know something that I don't judging by the contrasting expressions on each of their faces. The only problem is that the supposed "something" that I don't know will have to come out of the woman because Crane is the kind of man who will force me to figure it out on my own just to spite me.
I look over at Audrey whose brown stare has been throwing icy daggers at me as if she were expecting some sort of an answer and response from me. However, a long and heavy exhale escapes me as I shrug in defeat at the unusual and unwinnable situation. “Uhh-“
“Wow,” Audrey exclaims with a cross of her arms. “How could you forget that you were the one who kissed me in front of the restaurant that night? In front of the Gypsy.”
The Gypsy. That was the night I went out to celebrate the news of one of my good friends' first child and pregnancy. Now I remember who she is. She was the girl who pretended that she knew me because she wanted me to get her out of her bad date, the same girl who ended up
needing my help after she was carelessly drugged up by her sketchy date. It all makes sense now.
"That's right. We have met before. I couldn't recognize you without the nice dress and makeup on," I smile while my eyes slowly peer up and down the brunette's simple and modest appearance with a curious furrow of my brow. "Though it's a shame you don't look like that now because I must say that it actually suited you."
"Really? That's all you have to say after you forced a kiss on me?" Audrey huffs.
A heated and vicious aura emanates from her brooding presence as she continues to glare at me from across the table. I can't help but roll my eyes and snort at her seemingly huge vendetta against me which feels completely unreasonable given that I can barely even remember it happening. All I can honestly recall about the entire incident is the drunken taste of her lips as she herself welcomed and indulged in the kiss between us. But despite the fact that she clearly appeared to enjoy the sensation of my lips against hers, it looks like she's still extremely intent on giving me a difficult time about the whole thing -- which is exactly why I hate involving myself with younger women.
They are just way too naïve and immature for me.
“I’ll be frank with you, Miss Scott. Kisses don't really mean much to me, so don't take what happened between us too seriously. They're almost like another form of greeting and gesture to me," I plainly explain with my narrowed gaze heavily fixated on her. The color in her face slowly turns to the red with anger as she seethes in silence, her fiery emotions and thoughts easy to read like an open book.
"Besides, weren't you the one who was adamant about returning the favor to me because you didn't want to feel like you owed me anything? I only did what you asked after you practically begged me for it, so isn't it a bit unreasonable and hypocritical of you to take your frustrations out on me like this?" I snidely add.
Billionaire Daddy's Contract: A Single Dad and Nanny Romance Page 4