Billionaire and Nanny Secret by Lauren Wood
Ezra
Iwas barely paying attention to the words leaving Matthew’s lips. I’d never really thought that he was much of a businessman. It was his father that was the true tycoon. Jackson Morello was the kind of man that I could look up to, whereas his son was not. I found myself questioning every single word that left his lips and wondering how credible they really were.
He was known in the business world as an exaggerator. Although harmless, usually, when it came to business, this was something I despised. Everything was important, and the smallest lie could lead to the biggest liability. And Matthew was the worst of them all because he liked to exaggerate about how much his business did and didn’t make.
This was where we weren’t seeing eye to eye: how much Morello Corp was actually worth. When his father was running the place, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it would have been worth the millions that Matthew was asking for. But now that he was running the place, I doubted its net worth wasn’t plummeting.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have the money he was asking for. I had more money than I honestly knew what to do with, but I was smart. I didn’t drop it just because someone asked me to. If I was that much of an impulsive buyer, then I wouldn’t have accomplished the feats I’d managed at my young age.
“So, in conclusion, if you want this business,” Matthew pointed at me, a smirk on his face as if he’d just given the best presentation in the world, although I completely disagreed. “You can have all of this for the measly price of twenty-eight million dollars. Our loss is your gain, and think about the empire that you’re signing on to. Is this really an opportunity that you want to miss?”
How many times had he brought up the price, now? More times than he should have, and each time he did, the less that I trusted his word. But I wasn’t going to say that in front of him, not right then. I was still debating whether I wanted the business or not, so it was better not to burn that bridge.
Instead I stood up and stuffed my hands into my pocket to stop him from the urge of attempting to shake my hand. It was a form of physical contact that I’d never quite understood nor appreciated. I didn’t like people touching me unless it was in a specific way, and it definitely would be on my terms, not someone else’s.
“Thank you for taking the time out of your day to give me the rundown of the company,” I stated and sent him a stiff nod of my head. “With all of the information that you’ve provided, I think it would be in my best interest to consult some partners and think about this before I jump into anything.”
Matthew’s face fell at my words even though he tried to cover it up. My answer wasn’t the kind he’d been expecting. He tried to hide it. “And when should you have an answer for me?”
“It’s business,” I stated. “It takes time.”
I walked out of the room with my personal assistant, Jenny, following close behind me. I only started talking once we were out of ear range of the meeting room.
“Take note of this,” I started, and she pulled out her notepad, pen poised and ready to write. “I’ll offer half of their asking price, and it’s contingent on the fact that he answers me within the next forty-eight hours. If I haven’t received anything by then, I’m out.”
Jenny nodded as she wrote all of this down, reminding me why I enjoyed her as my personal assistant so much. She did everything I asked for quickly and precisely.
The ride back to my office was quiet, as Taylor, my driver, focused on the road. I straightened my tie, happy to be back in my safe space, and made my way to the top floor, formally nodding my head at everyone who greeted me.
I was just grateful that the paparazzi had decided to give me a break today. Usually, they had me plastered on the fronts of their magazines as this eligible bachelor, a place I didn’t belong. Relationships were the furthest thing from my mind after what had happened to me. But it wasn’t easy to get the truth out to those man-eaters.
When I opened my office door, my brother, Klaus was sitting at my desk, in my chair. I sighed. He knew I hated when he came by unannounced. I was a man of routine, and when that was messed up, I felt off balance. I did everything by a schedule, and he was fully aware of that. He did this just to tease me.
Klaus was the complete opposite of me in just about every way. Where my hair was a dusky brown, he’d died his to a light shade of blonde, which to this day I didn’t think suited him well. My eyes were light, and his were as dark as the night sky. I was tall, and he was 5’10’’. Most people questioned if we even had the same biological parents.
And the differences didn’t end there. I was a working man, whereas Klaus was more of a gambler. Our parents were rich, and when we turned eighteen, they gave us a large sum of money to find our place in the world. I’d used my money to become the business tycoon that I’d always wanted to be. I didn’t feel successful unless I’d earned what I had, but Klaus was the complete opposite.
He’d taken every penny that was given to him and invested it or gambled it away. It was pure luck that he’d managed to hit the jackpot and walk away with millions more than what he’d started out with. But it had always been like that. Klaus had always been the brother with all of the luck. It didn’t bother me, though.
“Klaus,” I said his name in greeting. “What are you doing here? And how many times have I asked you to plan with Jenny before you stop by? I don’t like to be bombarded by your presence.”
“Bombarded?” he asked, feigning shock. “Since when do I have to ask to see my brother?” He stood up and moved away from my desk.
“Since always.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “I wouldn’t have to bombard you if you picked up the phone every once in a while.”
I sat down at my desk. “I’m busy.”
“You weren’t too busy last weekend, at the club.” Klaus arched an eyebrow at me.
A sigh escaped my lips. How had I foreseen that this would be the reason Klaus had come to speak to me? Perhaps because this was always the reason he wanted to talk to me. I’d come to realize that my little brother’s life revolved around women, booze, and a good time. And he wanted my life to be the same.
“I have work to do, Klaus,” I reminded him although I was fully aware that those words weren’t enough to make him stop bothering me, on the subject. Some weekends, I sat back and just enjoyed the bachelor world, but I wanted that to stay for the weekends. And the only reason that Klaus knew about it was because I didn’t have anyone else to go with me. It wasn’t as if I was big on having friends.
“You can take a break, just for a second, can’t you?” he asked, sitting in the chair, in front of my desk.
“I really can’t.”
“But that girl, Ezra.” He raised his hands and let out a groan that made me frown. “She was delicious.”
“And she’s in the past.”
“What was her name?”
It was better to play along with Klaus than to ignore him. After all, he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted anyway. “Amy.” That was probably the only personal information that I had about her. I was good at keeping my one-night stands in their place. It was all sex and nothing else.
“She had some huge cans.”
“Klaus,” I reiterated. “I’m working. You know the way out.”
“When did you become such a stick in the mud?”
“When I was given responsibilities,” I answered. “Something you wouldn’t know about.”
Klaus was silent for a moment, giving me time to power on my computer and settle onto a document that I knew I needed to work on. My little brother had planted himself here, and I was certain that he wasn’t going to be leaving for a good while, not until he got the information that he was so obviously longing for.
“Get to the point, Klaus.” I was, quickly, becoming exaggerated. “Why are you here?”
He stared at me, for a moment, and I could see the debate playing in his eyes. He was contemplating whether or not he should say the thoughts running through his mind. If it were up to me then he wouldn’t. One of the things that I hated the most was when people pried into my life, whether they were family or not.
“Your new nanny,” he finally answered me. “What was her name?”
I frowned. “Why is that any of your business?”
“I ran into her this morning,” he told me simply. I sighed. He knew how much I despised him going into my house. Unlike me, Klaus was the farthest thing from clean. He messed up things strictly because he said there were people who could clean up for him. “And before you start getting all sulky, I had to pick up my laptop, the one I told you I was coming by for?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
I remembered him saying something about that. The date must have slipped my mind… that, or he never mentioned one. Still, I would have preferred if he would have given me a heads-up rather than just stopping by. I hadn’t even had time to prepare Quinn. Who knew what he’d said to her or the kinds of things that she’d thought about him?
“Okay.” I wanted the conversation to end, but it wasn’t going to be that easy with Klaus.
“Her name?” He repeated.
“Quinn.”
“Hmm,” he hummed. “Stunning name for a beautiful girl.”
It was a thought that had slipped my mind when I’d first seen Quinn. I wasn’t the kind of man to fall for a woman based on her looks, and I wasn’t in the market for love. But there was no denying the natural beauty that she possessed. My thoughts went back to when she’d come in for the interview.
She was short, small enough to fit in the crook of my arms, I was sure. Her hair, blonde, but nothing like Klaus’. Natural and light, wavy. Quinn’s eyes were big and green, daring me to just stare into them for eternity. Her lashes were long and curly, and her lips were plump and pink. She was skinny, yet fit. Gorgeous wasn’t strong enough to describe her.
But nothing was ever going to happen between the two of us for more reasons than I could list.
“What about Quinn?” I asked him, my fingers beginning to work quickly on my keyboard. I was caught up on my work, just as I normally was. Being behind and late wasn’t my way. Once I finished the report, I looked over the schedule that Jenny had made for me for tomorrow.
“I know you’re huge on the whole ‘no dating the help’ thing, but…”
“No,” I cut him off. “I know where this is going, and you already know what my answer is.”
“I know what your usual rule is, brother,” he stated, exasperatedly. “But you and I both know she’s different, ripe for the picking.”
“Not for your picking.”
“Then whose?” Klaus asked. “Yours?”
“Neither of ours,” I snapped, my eyes running over the time. It was a quarter until five, just fifteen minutes until I was free to go home and see my daughter, the gem of my life. I was well aware of the fact that I didn’t have to stay on schedule, being the boss and all. But I liked to hold myself to the same standards that I held my employees to. I was the farthest thing from being a hypocrite.
“Just hear me out,” Klaus raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. “One date. If she doesn’t like it then I’ll respect your wishes and leave her alone. But if she does, then I get to take her home with me for a night that I’m sure she won’t forget.” He was smirking at me, and the expression on his face pissed me off.
“And why are you so confident that she’d even agree to a date with you?”
Klaus scoffed. “Have you seen me?”
“My answer is no.” I sent him a pointed look. “Nothing you say is going to change what I’m telling you. Ms. Sharpe is my nanny, and her job is to look after Paige. She’s not going to be distracted because she’s running around with you. That’s not what I’m paying for. I won’t entertain this conversation with you again, Klaus. Are we clear?”
“But I…”
“I said, ‘are we clear?’”
Klaus sagged against the chair, feigning disappointment. I was pushing back my own thoughts on the situation. I wasn’t the type of man to be intimate with a woman that I worked with, but Paige was making me question myself and my resolve. I wanted her more than I was willing to admit, but that didn’t mean I was going to do anything about my wants. Just like I did usually, I pushed them down in an attempt to ignore them.
But I was a selfish man. Because I couldn’t have her, I wasn’t going to allow anyone else to have her, least of all my brother. There was nothing holding him back, except for me. And I would always be an obstacle in whatever relationship Klaus tried to forge between the two of them.
The thought was clear in my mind even if I wanted to ignore it and force it down. Quinn was mine. I wasn’t going to let my brother have her or any other man, on that note. The thought of her even speaking to another man was enough to make my blood boil in a way that I didn’t want to think too much about.
