Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Charli

I showed up promptly at five o’clock, dressed in a pink floral sundress and a cute pair of wedge sandals. My first impression might not have been the best, but I intended to prove that I was capable and professional. Smoothing the dress over my legs, I checked the back of his card one more time, making sure the apartment number matched. Raising my fist, I knocked on the door and waited, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

As I was about to knock again, the door swung open. “You’re late, dollface.”

Dollface? I stared at the man in front of me. If I thought he was attractive before, it didn’t hold a candle to the sight of him cradling a baby to his chest. His green dress shirt was open at the collar, his tie hanging around his neck, and there was a distinct orange smear on the material across his chest. Maybe carrots or squash. It was hard to tell.

“I said you’re late,” he barked .

My eyes popped up to his and blinked. “I’m not late. You said five o’clock and here I am,” I said, holding my arms out.

He held his phone in front of my face. “What does that say?”

My nose scrunched up at the evidence. “Five oh four.”

“Exactly,” he said as he shifted the baby on his hip. “If you can’t be on time your first day, how can I trust you with my daughter?”

Was he serious? I folded my arms across my chest. “I assure you I was here at five o’clock. It’s not my fault it took you so long to answer the door.”

“Do not blame your shortcomings on me. On time is late and early is on time. A lesson you’d be wise to learn.” He leaned out into the hallway, looking in both directions. “Where are your bags, Miss Bently?”

I gulped and adjusted the purse on my shoulder. “I assumed today I’d be meeting your daughter and getting a tour or something.”

His eyes narrowed. “Does this look like fucking Disneyland to you? There’s no fucking tour. Did you or did you not say you could start today?”

Crap! I did say I could start today. I just thought… It didn’t matter what I thought. Clearly, I misunderstood. So far, I’d earned two strikes. If I messed up again, I could kiss this job goodbye. Hunter may have been a miserable human being, but the money was amazing. It was a short-term gig. Something to tide me over until I could get back in the air and on stage, able to support myself again.

“I apologize, Mr. Dorsey. I can start today and will get my things tomorrow.” It was no big deal to sleep in my clothes. It’s not like I hadn’t ever done it before.

He sighed and opened the door wide. “You can start by giving Carina a bath.”

She snuggled into her dad’s shoulder, sucking on two fingers. Blond wisps of hair stuck up on her little head, and her chubby cheeks were covered in the same orange mess that was smeared across Hunter’s shirt. “How old is she?”

“Six months,” he grunted. “I’ve only had her for four days though.”

Four days? I couldn’t imagine being deprived of my child for six months. “Where’s her mom?” I ran my fingers down her face .

“Fuck if I know. Carina showed up at my door with a note. Not even sure who her mom is. I don’t know jack shit about her except the name on the birth certificate.”

My eyebrows lifted to my hairline. “Oh.”

He turned his back to me and hugged the sweet girl tighter to his chest. “Don’t you dare fucking judge me. I’ve gotten quite enough of that from my family. If you have a problem with the circumstances, you can march your ass right back out that door.”

I immediately felt bad. Though I hadn’t intended to, I did judge him. Maybe because I’d never had sex with someone I wasn’t in a relationship with. It wasn’t like I didn’t know people had one-night stands, but I wasn't one of them. “I'm sorry. I'm not here to judge. I'm here to help. May I?” I reached my arms out to take the sleeping child from him.

“Careful. She’s heavier than she looks.” Hunter gently set Carina into my outstretched arms. Her eyes blinked open before she settled against my shoulder.

Given his rough demeanor, it surprised me he handled the child like she was made of glass. I rubbed my hand up and down her back. “She’s beautiful, Mr. Dorsey. Has your eyes.”

He scratched the day-old scruff on his chin. “That she does. Let’s hope that’s the only thing she got from me.” I followed Hunter through the huge sitting room, and he motioned down the hallway. “Bathroom is down there and so is Carina’s bedroom. Her furniture isn’t coming until tomorrow so put her to sleep in the playpen. Your room is across from hers. Once she’s asleep, come back to the kitchen so we can discuss your duties.” Then he turned and stalked off in the opposite direction, leaving me alone with his daughter.

I looked down at the sleeping child and wandered down the hallway. “I guess it’s just you and me, kiddo.” The bathroom was the first door on the right. I flipped on the light and gasped. It was huge. Half my apartment could fit inside.

The apartment where the lease expired in five days, and I hadn’t begun to pack. I didn’t have that much stuff, but I still didn’t have a plan. Yet. I’d figure it out tomorrow .

Right then, my priority was getting this sweet girl cleaned up and ready for bed. I laid a towel on the plush rug and set her down in the middle of it. The tub had a bath chair and sitting on the ledge was expensive baby shampoo, a cup, and a clean washcloth. I expected to see a plethora of toys, but the entire apartment, from what I’d seen so far, barely showed any evidence of a child living there.

Four days.

I could barely imagine what that felt like. No time to prepare. No time to adjust. No time to find a proper nanny.

I wasn’t qualified for the job, but if my aerial partner, Jasmine, could raise two kids at age twenty-six, surely I could handle one itty-bitty baby. Whatever I didn’t know, Google could teach me.

Giving a bath didn’t require a degree in parenting. I turned on the faucet and let the water get warm before filling the tub with a few inches. Carina babbled from where she lay on the towel, chewing on her fist. I leaned over and rubbed her tummy. “You’re wide awake now, aren’t you, sweet girl? Let’s get these messy clothes off you. I’m not sure if your daddy got more food in you or on you.”

I undid the snaps on her onesie and carefully pulled her legs and arms from the fabric. Her round, soft belly begged to be tickled. I couldn’t help but lower my lips to it and blow a raspberry. She laughed and wildly kicked her tiny legs. “You like that, don’t you?” I did it again and soaked in the sound of her sweet giggles. A loud toot erupted from her back end, which made her laugh even more. I covered my nose with the back of my hand. “My goodness, girl! That’s a stinker for sure.”

Looking around the bathroom, I didn’t see any wipes or diapers. “Don’t you move.” I hurried into the next room and found the supplies sitting next to a diaper bag on the floor. The only other things in the room were a playpen and a few clothes hanging over the edge. I grabbed what I needed and rushed back to her, not wanting Hunter to find his baby unattended.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” I removed the dirty diaper and wiped her little bottom, then put her into the bath chair. Using the washcloth, I scrubbed her clean from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, rinsing her with cups of warm water. “We’re going to have to get you some toys for the tub. Maybe a rubber ducky or a mermaid,” I chatted as I worked. Once she was clean, I wrapped her in a fluffy towel and carried her to her bedroom. Picking up the pink kitten pajamas, I worked her arms and legs through the holes and laid her on her back in the playpen. I figured she’d last a few hours before her tummy rumbled, and she’d be ready to eat again. Her little eyes closed, and her fist went right to her mouth. “Good night, sweet girl.”

I gave her tummy one last rub and went back down the hall to the kitchen. “She’s all clean and down for the count.”

Hunter leaned on the counter his head hung down. “She’ll be up again around midnight,” he growled.

“I figured as much. Show me where everything is, and I’ll take care of it.”

He showed me where the bottles, formula, and baby food were. “Have a seat, Ms. Bently. We have things to discuss.”

I sat at the kitchen table. “You can call me Charli.” This didn’t need to be difficult, even though it seemed Hunter wanted to make it anything but easy.

Hunter licked his lips and sat across from me. “What did you do before this, Miss Bently?”

Apparently, we weren’t going to be friends. I sat up straight, pushing my shoulders back. “Does it matter?”

He chuckled. “Yes and no. I’m wondering why my brother’s personal assistant’s sister happened to be available when I needed a nanny. What’s your angle?”

My angle? Like I had a secret ulterior motive. “I needed a job. I was at Mystique to see if he could help me find one and to ask if I could temporarily reside on his couch.”

His lips twisted to the side. “So, I’m to believe that you just happened to be around when I needed a nanny? Seems awfully convenient to me. And this is your dream job?”

I scoffed. “Dream job? Absolutely not. I didn’t want a job at Mystique either, but money was money. ”

“So, no one put you up to this? Rose didn’t pay you to keep tabs on me?”

I wasn’t sure who Rose was, but I answered honestly. “I’m here for money. The fact that your daughter is adorable is a bonus.”

He ran a hand through his cropped hair. “I see. And what was your employment before this?”

He was like a dog with a bone, but I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t trust my daughter with a stranger either. “I was an aerial performer at Oasis. Broke my leg and tore my ACL. I have four to six months before I can get back in the air. I needed the money, or I was going to end up on my brother’s couch. Not sure if you’d understand why that wasn’t appealing to me.”

“You don’t get along with Tom?” he questioned.

“I get along with him fine, but I don’t want to be his roommate. The live-in nanny position solved that problem.” Maybe I was being too honest, but a guy like Hunter wasn’t going to fall for my bullshit anyway. If this job wasn’t going to work out, better to find out sooner than later.

Hunter seemed satisfied with my answer. “I appreciate your candor. Is it going to be a problem to live here?”

“Technically, no. I just need to find a place to store my furniture. My apartment lease ends in five days.”

He tapped his fingers on the table. “There’s storage space in the basement here. Carina’s furniture is arriving at nine, but you can use the rest of the afternoon to move your things. You’ll have to take Carina with you.” It wasn’t a question but a declaration. “I assume you have a car.”

“Yes.”

He rolled his hand in irritation. “What kind of car? How old?”

Jeez. The man had a way of making me shrink into my own skin with his pointed looks and intrusive questions. “It’s an old pickup. Used to belong to my dad.”

He harrumphed. “That won’t do. No way I’m letting my daughter ride in a beat-up piece of shit.” Hunter went to the wall and grabbed a set of keys from the hook, tossing them on the table. “You’ll drive my Escalade when you take Carina anywhere. Is that understood? ”

My pickup wasn’t exactly a piece of shit, but I nodded anyway. “What will you drive?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I have another car. All you need to worry about is getting my daughter from point A to point B safely.” He smacked a credit card on the table. “You can use this for groceries and anything else Carina needs. It’s not for your personal use.”

I gulped and picked up the American Express card. “Of course.”

“You’ll be expected to do some light cooking and cleaning, but your main priority is Carina. Help yourself to the kitchen. Any questions?”

Yeah… about a million of them, but I failed to form one coherent thought. “Not at the moment. If it’s okay, I’d like to go check out my room, Mr. Dorsey.”

He gave a curt nod and stood from the table. Apparently, I was dismissed. I scurried toward the hallway, anxious to catch a breath since my boss seemed to suck the air from my lungs any time I was around him. “Hey, dollface?” I froze and turned on my heel. He refused to call me Charli, but dollface was acceptable? “Quit calling me Mr. Dorsey. It reminds me of my father. My name is Hunter.”

“Understood.” I smirked as I continued down the hallway. For all the sharp lines and hard attitude, something told me Hunter Dorsey was not at all what he seemed. Somewhere under all that gruff was a man who wanted to be accepted for who he was and maybe even… be loved.