Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Hunter

“I approve.”

My head snapped up from where I’d been poring over spreadsheets for the last three hours to find Gia leaning against my open “office” door with her arms crossed. It was fucking annoying. It was bad enough that I got shoved in the closet, but having people stop by like it was a normal situation was even more humiliating.

I tossed my pen on the gray metal desk. “Am I supposed to be a fucking mind reader?”

“I’m talking about Charli. She’s great and so good with Carina.”

“Thank god!” I pressed a hand to my chest. “I’ve been waiting for your approval since the day I hired her. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to finally have it.”

She waltzed in uninvited and took a seat across from me. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“Did you expect something different? Did you think because I had a kid, all of a sudden, I was going to poof turn into a nice guy. Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart,” I raked a hand down my body, “same leopard, same spots.”

Gia tossed her red hair over her shoulder and huffed out a laugh. “I’m not so sure about that.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Would kicking you out of my office convince you?”

“After I graciously invited you and your family over for a homemade dinner, it would be rude.”

Two things were wrong with that statement. “Yes, your cooking skills were phenomenal,” I said with a smirk.

She squinted her eyes. “Did Trent tattle on me?”

I nodded.

“I’m going to kill him.” Gia’s fists clenched and I almost felt bad for my brother. He should have known not to trust me with that kind of information.

I let Gia stew and attacked the second point. “Also, Charli’s not family. She’s the nanny. That’s it.”

“So you say.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I watched you. It was cute the way you two worked in tandem with Carina, like a well-oiled machine. The way you gave her little looks during dinner and the way she didn’t seem at all affected by your sour attitude. There’s definitely a connection. You two look good together; she’s completely adorable and you’re not totally unfortunate looking.” She smiled proudly as if she’d solved the mystery of Atlantis.

I steepled my fingers and tapped them together. “Well, aren’t you clever. A real Nancy Drew, snooping into stuff that’s none of your business. Unfortunately, your evidence proves nothing. Charli is an employee and I’m her boss. There’s nothing going on between us.”

Gia rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe you, but whatever. Just don’t jerk her around. She’s not some nameless, faceless bimbo. I liked her and so did Penny. And Rose… she’s practically got the two of you married already.”

“Fuck.” This, I didn’t miss. People being all up in my shit. For the past year, no one cared who I slept with or what I did. “Rose is going to be sorely disappointed. I’m hardly the marrying kind.”

She lifted a manicured eyebrow. “Neither were Trent nor Brett. A good woman can make all the difference. Plus, you’ve got Carina to think about now.”

I scrubbed my hands down my face. “I fucking know. Charli’s young and she’s got her own career to think about. She doesn’t need someone like me to screw her up.”

“Aha!” Gia pointed at me. “You do like her.”

“That wasn’t an admission. I’m simply stating facts. Don’t go getting all gossipy.”

Gia tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t gossip.”

“Sure you don’t.” This little meet-and-greet session exhausted me. “Is there another reason you’re in my office?”

“Actually, yes.” Gia set a manilla folder on my desk. “I was wondering if you would go over the financials from last year’s fundraiser. It didn’t pull in as much money as we anticipated. Something seems off.”

Picking up the folder, I thumbed through it. “It’s not my job. Leonard should be going over this.”

“He already did, but I trust you more.”

I nearly choked. “I’m sorry?”

“The guy is shifty. For all your faults, I know your bookkeeping is impeccable. I’ve looked it over a dozen times, and I can’t find anything amiss, but that doesn’t mean something’s not fishy.”

A shit-eating grin stretched across my lips. “Did you compliment me?”

She lifted her chin in defiance. “Yes. I don’t think you’re a horrible person, but you did do horrible things to me.”

“I’ve apologized.” There was no sense denying the wrong I’d done to her. Even I could admit, in hindsight, it was shitty.

“And we’re moving forward,” Gia said with a stiff nod. “So, will you do it?”

Not gonna lie; the boost to my ego felt good. “I’ll do it. ”

“Thank you.”

“Can you get me the financials from the previous year so I can do a comparison?”

“Of course. And let’s keep that folder between us. It’s only a hunch on my part.”

“What folder?” I shoved it in my desk drawer.

Gia unfolded herself from the uncomfortable chair. “Thanks again, Hunter. I appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Truth be told, I couldn’t wait to dig into the financial reports. I scoured documents all weekend and came up empty on Leonard’s misdoings. The guy was shady as a tree, even Gia saw it. I wouldn’t stop until I took Leonard Moroski down. I couldn’t wait to kick his pompous ass out of my soft, cushy chair and send him packing with his tail between his legs.

“Look at us getting along. Who would’ve thought?”

“Hey, Gia?” She turned over her shoulder. “Thanks for the high chair on Saturday. It helped a lot.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And good luck with the… baby-making.” I could barely get the words out. The last thing I wanted to think about was her and Trent doing the dirty.

She laughed. “That about killed you, didn’t it?”

“Every part of my black soul.”

“Maybe it’s not as black as you think.” She winked at me on her way out.

Doubtful.

Back at home, I hunkered down over spreadsheets until my eyes crossed.

Charli poked her head in. “You want anything to eat before we go down to the pool?”

“Kinda late, don’t you think?” I asked without looking up.

“What are you, my father? It’s only seven o’clock and she’s restless. Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy.”

My head popped up. “First, I’m a jerk face, now a fuddy-duddy?”

She crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe. “Like I said before, if it fits. There’s no reason we can’t have fun in the evening.”

Fun. Yes, I’d like to have a bit of fun with her—on my bed. Spread out like a buffet. My head between her toned thighs. That’s the only kind of fun I’d thought about over the last few days.

“Why don’t you come with us? It’d be good for you to get out of these four walls.” Charli ventured farther inside and leaned on my desk. “Or are you allergic to fun?”

My eyes zeroed in on her clothing or lack thereof, and I scowled. “You can’t go down there dressed like that.”

Her eyes bulged. “Now you really are acting like my father. It’s a bathing suit and I’m wearing a cover-up. Get over it.”

I’d hardly call it a bathing suit. It was more like a few scraps of fabric held together with string and said cover-up was so sheer, it did nothing to hide what was underneath. My cock stiffened and my muscles tensed. There was no way I was letting her walk around the apartment building practically naked. “It’s inappropriate. There could be perverts creeping around.”

“Then I guess you should chaperone us,” she said with a sly smile. “Or are you afraid of people thinking you’re the pervert? I am awfully young , you know. I mean, what would people think of a young girl hanging out with such an old fuddy-duddy?”

“Quit calling me a fuddy-duddy. I know how to have fun.” Although my idea of fun over the last few years consisted of drinking myself stupid and picking up a willing woman to fulfill my needs.

“Then stop acting like one and go put your bathing suit on. ”

The girl tested my nerves. “You’re a brat. I should take you over my knee and—” I stopped myself before I completely lost it. My hand twitched with the need to spank her ass. Every day I spent with Charli, the closer I came to losing complete control and fucking her right on top of this desk.

She turned, clasping her hands together behind her back, and sauntered away, wiggling her ass as she went. “Promises, promises. Are you coming with us or not?” The back of her bathing suit was worse than the front. The ruffle on her butt barely covered anything.

Goddammit! “I’m coming. Don’t forget Carina’s life vest.”

“Already packed,” she called over her shoulder.

This girl! I don’t know what kind of spell she had on me, but I couldn’t tell her no. She had me changing into my swim trunks and pulling a T-shirt over my head. I occasionally swam laps, but I’d never used the complex’s pool for fun. It seemed so juvenile for a man in his thirties.

When I got to the front door, Carina looked adorable in a teal swim suit, babbling away. Charli had a bag over her shoulder and her arms were full of towels and a unicorn floaty. I grabbed everything from her and slung the bag over my shoulder. “You look like a pack mule.”

She shrugged. “Babies require a lot of stuff.”

“Don’t I know it,” I said with a huff.

“Hey, no one is making you come with us. We’re perfectly fine on our own.”

Like hell she was. “Not dressed like that.”

Charli rolled her eyes and opened the door. “Let’s go, fuddy-duddy.”

In the elevator, a couple of teenage boys got in on the fifth floor. Their eyes roamed over Charli’s body before landing on me. I gave them my best death glare and stepped in front of her, shielding her from their view. Busy fussing with Carina, my nanny was completely oblivious to their wandering eyes, proving she was too naive to be left to her own devices.

When the elevator reached the athletic complex, I shook my head at the teenagers and ushered out Charli, then pressed the button for the lobby and sent them on their way. If they thought they were going to get a show, they were sadly mistaken .

Thankfully, no one was in the pool area. I dropped everything on a table and slipped off my shoes. Charli strapped Carina into her life vest. “Did you get those arm thingies?”

She riffled through the bag and pulled out two uninflated armbands. “She already has a life vest on. Do you really think she needs water wings?”

Water wings… right. Honestly, I didn’t know if she did, but I wasn’t taking any chances. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Here.” She held Carina out for me to take and then blew up the inflatables. I watched her mouth work with rapt attention. The way her lips pursed, and her cheeks hollowed out…ugh! All I could imagine was Charlotte on her knees, head bobbing, as I kept her sassy mouth full of my cock.

My dick very inconveniently twitched, and I berated myself for my filthy thoughts while holding my daughter. It wasn’t right. Not even close. “Are you almost done?” I grouched.

“Hold your horses. I can only blow so fast.”

Seriously? I looked away and pretended to find the wall incredibly interesting while willing my semi to shrink by thinking unpleasant thoughts. Leonard Morosk-hole. Family dinners. My shoebox office. With each thought, the problem in my shorts subsided.

“You want me to take her?”

My attention snapped back to Charli, who’d already put the water wings on my daughter and stripped off her sheer cover-up. This was cruel and unusual punishment. How was I supposed to resist my nanny when she looked like that? All lean, toned muscle, perky little tits, and an ass that made me want to bite it. Fucking brutal.

“Why don’t you two start and I’ll join you in a few? I’ve got to check a couple messages.”

Charli reached out with grabby hands to take Carina. “Fine, but all work and no play makes Hunter a very dull boy.”

I handed Carina over and sat at the table with my phone and pretended to check my email, while sneaking glances at Charli as she carried Carina into the shallow end of the pool. I was a creeper, no better than the teenage boys in the elevator. With her dark hair tied up on top of her head, it elongated her neck that would look so pretty with my hand wrapped around it.

Fuck! This wasn’t helping.

I opened my email for real and read the message from Gia with last year’s fundraiser financials attached. I shot her a quick reply and opened the next email from Leonard, reminding me that payroll was due tomorrow. If he wanted to treat me like a child, then that’s exactly how I’d act. My mind already reeled with the possibilities for my next show of opposition.

“Are you coming in or what?”

For a brief moment, I’d forgotten about Charli. In the water up to her chest, she was now sufficiently hidden from view and my dick stopped acting like it was attached to a prepubescent boy.

I stripped off my shirt and dove into the water, surfacing on the other end of the pool.

“Perfect ten, Mr. Dorsey. I’m impressed.” She set Carina in the water and held her hands, pulling her around in small circles. My daughter resembled a marshmallow with her life vest and water wings on, safe as could be in Charli’s care as she giggled and giggled.

I waded over and picked up my daughter, bobbing her in the water. Carina squealed and laughed. I was more than fortunate to have such a healthy, happy child. Although I hadn’t planned on her, every day I grew more and more attached. I never believed in love at first sight, but it happened with Carina.

And maybe with Charli too.