The Grumpy Boss Cowboy Billionaire

Chapter 3

Emma

Victor and I stood side-by-side, staring up at it in awe—this monolith in the Maricopa County desert, complete with Corinthian columns and marble statues. “Well, it's …spacious.” I gave him a half-hearted smile.

“I think the term you’re searching for is gargantuan.” He blinked up at the roofline in the bright afternoon light.

“ You saying that is saying something.” I tugged my rolling bag along with me as I moved towards the front door.

Victor hurried past me and pulled the door open, gesturing for me to proceed ahead of him into the mansion. The heat that radiated off his big body as he followed me inside sent tingles through my lower abdomen, which I tried hard to ignore. The last thing I needed was to catch feelings for my boss.

I stopped dead in the entryway once my eyes adjusted. The walls had been painted in shocking shades of acid green and royal purple. A gilded frame hung on the wall to the right of the door, holding a massive painting of a well-endowed, mustached man, shirtless wearing skin tight riding leathers and chaps with a cowboy hat and boots. His bulging over-accentuated crotch seemed to stare into my soul. A blush crept onto my cheeks as Victor came to stand next to me, both staring transfixed at the portrait.

“The artist very skillfully captured his...”

“Eyes.” Victor finished, and we both burst into laughter. “It’s Emil Castille, the previous owner of the park.”

We took a full turn of the room, taking it all in. Numerous fainting couches done in gray velvet pushed up against every wall, gilded lamps with black satin lampshades sat on gold tables finished on top in mother-of-pearl, and dusty plastic plants crammed in the corners of the room with zebra print throw rugs on the floor.

I stopped, turning in a circle to take in my surroundings. It was a shrine to excess but in the most excentric kind of way. It was hard to picture what his daily life must have been like in a place like this.

“Who was this guy?”

Victor gave a half-shrug, staring up at the startling chandelier, consisting entirely of naked gold figures in various stages of dance. “Supposedly he was a B-rated spaghetti western film star… kind of put Cactus Creek on the map.”

I giggled, belly tightening at his words. We moved through the entryway, up the stairs into the corridor with the bedrooms. Victor glanced up, surveying the ceilings as we moved through the hall. “There are sixteen bedrooms, each with attached bathrooms, and there’s also a central guest bathroom up here.” He said, opened the door to an avocado-colored nightmare.

“We’ll need to hire someone for interior design.” He pulled the door shut behind him before I could get a good look inside, stepping close enough to me that I could smell his skin. “Let’s check out the other rooms.”

I gave a half-smile, nodding as he led the way down to the last door on the left. We walked slowly and I’m not proud to say my eyes drifted down the length of his body as we did. It was kind of cute that he seemed too embarrassed to show me that particular room and I wondered if there was some kind of lude painting or sculpture hidden inside.

“You can take this one.” He pushed the door open and my eyes widened. Floor to ceiling, the room was decorated in red and leopard print, including the bedspread.

“I’ll get a crew working on the house, while we’re at the park,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’ll be a small hotel at the end of this.” Victor stepped in, pushing the door wide enough for me to pass him into the bedroom.

I turned a slow circle, looking at everything. On the wall opposite the massive king-size bed was a larger-than-life painting of a nude woman riding a horse. I glanced over at Victor, who reddened. “The eclectic decor continues.”

I giggled, secretly enjoying his discomfort a little more than I should have. “I can see that.”

Making my way slowly around the room, my fingers trailed along the furniture as I took in every odd detail.

He shrugged, then gestured toward the dark doorway on the far wall. “This is the master suite, and you’ll probably enjoy the master bathroom more than I would. There’s a jacuzzi tub and a steam shower.”

I dropped the handle on my overnight bag, setting it on the bench that ran the width of the foot of the bed. “Can I see the rest?”

He smiled with pleasant surprise, nodding as he led the way back into the hall. We made our way downstairs, through the entryway, into the dining room and kitchen. Despite everything we had seen decor-wise thus far, the kitchen was sleek and modern, outfitted with a six-burner gas stove, a massive catering fridge, and a huge walk-in pantry. I whistled appreciatively.

Victor glanced around the kitchen, looking a little lost. “I’ll see about getting a full-time kitchen staff and chef, as well as a housekeeper while we’re here.”

I frowned at him. “The housekeeper is a good thought, but we don’t need a chef or kitchen staff. We can cook our own meals to save on expenses.”

He squirmed a bit, his haughty mask slipping, letting me catch sight of the uncertain young man behind it for the first time. “If you’re sure.”

I leaned against the counter, pinning him with a stare. “You don’t know how to cook, do you?”

He raised his eyebrows, mask back in place. “I speak four languages fluently, and can play six instruments passably well.”

“So, no.” I snickered, making my way over to the fridge. “Definitely need to make a trip to town for necessities, but we can make this work.”

I closed the doors and started when I realized how close Victor had gotten. I glanced up at him, studying the planes of his angular face. His long dark lashes nearly brushed his cheeks when he blinked, and there was something mesmerizing about the way he was looking at me. I swallowed thickly, heat pooling between my legs.

“Can we see the park?”

“Sure.” He didn’t move for a beat, and I had to step past him, clearing my throat to motivate him into movement.

Exiting the mansion, we headed out into the bright hot sunshine of an Arizona spring. We fell into step, awkward silence making the air feel tense around us. The rides stood, jutting out of the ground like broken skeletons, everything painted red from the desert soil, and I stopped beside the dilapidated carousel.

He stopped next to me, turning toward the ride and let out a sigh. “Looks like something out of a horror movie.”

“We could remove some of these animals.” I shrugged. “Replace them with local animals. See that leopard? We could have it repainted as a mountain lion, and that wolf could be a coyote.”

He glanced down at me and furrowed his eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t we just clean everything up and get the equipment running. There’s nothing wrong with leopards and elephants.”

I tried to keep my tone patient. “If we’re trying to celebrate Cactus Creek, we need to include local fauna.”

“It’s just a ride.” He frowned, then glanced away. “No one will care if they’re local animals.”

I bit my lip and strode away to look at the next ride.

The afternoon was more of the same. We would approach a ride, and I would make a suggestion, which Victor would criticize and shoot down. Even my ideas for stocking the gift shop with local items got a frown and complaint from him.

The sun sank low on the horizon, and we’d made it to the far end of the park, the sky above us streaked with red and purple.

“Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning,” I murmured, closing my eyes as a breath of cool wind whispered past.

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.” Victor finished as he approached.

I opened my eyes and met his gaze, cheeks heating under his stare. All the frustration and annoyance I’d felt at his pessimism all day had left me feeling simultaneously irritated and…something else. The proximity to him, under the watercolor sky had me feeling dizzy and all I could focus on was the curve of those full gorgeous lips.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I think we should head back.”

He stepped closer, leaning his face down towards me.

“Sure.” Victor straightened and brushed a stray curl off my shoulder.

We began moving back the way we’d come, hands swinging at our sides, fingers accidentally colliding occasionally, sending shivers down my spine. We had made it to the front door of the house when his phone pinged.

“Talk to me, Claire.” He put the phone on speaker.

“There’s someone here to speak with you over at the office, sir.”

He glanced over at me. “Care to detour real quick?”

I nodded, and together, we headed over to the park office.

“I’m sorry, sir, I tried to stop him!” Victor’s assistant’s eyes were wide as she hurried us along. "I told him that you weren't available for any meetings, but he basically ignored me and waltzed right into your office. I could call the cops, but--"

"It's fine, Lucy." Victor took a deep breath. "Let's see who we're dealing with before we start bugging the police."

We stepped through the door of the lobby and entered the office, where a visitor sat facing away from us. He stood and turned to face us, and I was met with a blond-haired blue-eyed stranger that had all the charm of a rattlesnake wearing an expensively made suit. “The man of the hour has arrived, and with company.” He reached his hand towards Victor.

I could tell there wasn’t anything he wanted to do less, so instead, I gave him a sidelong glance and stepped forward, offering my hand to our interloper. “Dr. Emma Pierce, PhD. I’m the Project Manager on this Cactus Creek renovation project.”

He gave me a dazzling grin. “The renovation project is exactly why I’m here!” The man boomed. “My name is Frederick Theodore Hastings The Third, and I’d like to buy your park.”