Curtis James- she usually thought of him in the formal sense and not just because he was her boss, but because he was douchy and spoiled enough to deserve it- didn’t know her at all. If he’d have asked her if she could pull some overtime in the form of babysitting and offered to pay her normal wage plus overtime, she would have actually agreed. She loved kids that much.
Okay… so maybe there was a little other motivation involved. Maybe she thought Curtis James was hot. So what? He was easy on the eyes. That was just her unfortunate biology acting up. Damn ovaries. She couldn’t help that the guy was walking sex. Lickable to a fault. Even if he was an asshole with a side helping of unwiped asshole assholeness, she still had eyes. And he was still delicious. Maybe that played a small part in her final decision. Maybe. Like, one percent of the motivation. At least twenty percent was the money and the other seventy-nine was the kids.
Long story short, it was how she wound up in front of James’ sprawling mansion, out of breath, flustered from getting stuck in traffic, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her skirt and shoulder her duffel bag at the same time. She knocked once. Just a light rap, but it was enough. The door slowly creaked open in front of her. The thing was huge, like fourteen feet high kind of huge. It was a double wood structure that was probably made on the other side of the world and cost a hundred grand alone. It wasn’t carved or anything, past the usual detailing that everyone else had on their normal sized doors, but she knew James’ arrogance would stop at nothing. He probably had to have a fourteen-foot double door because no one else in the ridiculously ritzy, gated community of mansion and billionaires had one.
She actually expected a butler. Ok, maybe more like a housekeeper.
She nearly died of shock.
There was no butler or maid. Nope. That hugely overcompensated door creaked open and there was the TFB himself.
In jeans and a t-shirt. Looking extremely uncomfortable. Out of his element. Strangely vulnerable. Sinfully, mouth-wateringly, deliciously, ultra-eye pleasing. He was the tastiest of eye candy. Instead of standing there and taking in his full six foot something, bronzed skin, muscles galore, too tight t-shirt clad chest, veiny popping forearms, wicked jeans, tousled mahogany hair, face carved out of diamonds and the tears of angels, Lexi cleared her throat, pursed her lips, raised a brow, and slammed on her best no-nonsense face.
Oh yeah. She was not currently burning up on the spot. Her ovaries were definitely not hurting either. Nope. Turning into a furnace, internally or otherwise, after a blast of the TFB’s hotness wasn’t on the menu for her weekend.
“I’m here,” she whisper-yelped. Her voice was all wrong. Too dry. Too thin. Choked up. Of course, the bastard would do something as stupid as not wear a suit in his own house. How freaking dare he be allowed to look like a normal person once in a while? She cleared her throat and tried again. “So? I’m here. Where are the kids?”
“The monsters you mean?” James’ ultra-delicious, ultra-jerk lips thinned out. “Inside. Tearing my house apart.”
“You left them unattended?”
“Only for a minute so I could answer the damn door.” Curtis James stepped out, towering over her, all delicious muscly goodness. He smelled different than he did when he walked into the office, boasting something strong even though it was a scent-free zone. He smelled less like stinky pines and more like unhinged, stressed, sweaty masculinity and sharp aftershave. In essence, he was manly and mysterious and that made Lexi’s legs feel a little watery. Her internal furnace kicked up a few nonsense notches.
Just then, from out of nowhere, a dark haired, cherub faced blur streaked by the gigantic open door. “Uncle!” The little girl wailed, blue eyes wide, little bow lips quivering, her delicate cheeks stained pink. “Austin got his diaper off and he smeared poop all over the wall!”
While Curtis James’ face drained of blood and his glacier blue eyes rolled in their sockets, Lexi stepped in, grinning wide. It was funny how a toddler and a bit of poo could take even Seattle’s most eligible douchwad down a couple of notches. Take that, TFB. There was the possibility that this weekend might just, unexpectedly, be the best of her life.
CHAPTER 2
Curtis
She was there. Finally. Fucking. Finally.
He’d only been waiting for an hour. One. Hour. Lexi Wellington better have a damn good excuse for being late. He’d been through hell since his sister dropped off her two devil spawn. Lexi was supposed to be there a few minutes after. He’d coordinated everything.
Because she was late, it went to shit.
Literally.
Noel ran streaking through the massive living room. The house was five thousand square feet, so she had time to pick up speed. She barreled straight for her brother. The little demon had indeed stripped his diaper off and Curtis could literally feel his stomach spinning and bile bubbling in his throat when he stopped to take in the condition of the once white walls. They were literally smeared with dark brown goo. It looked innocent enough, like questionable mud or maybe chocolate pudding, but it didn’t smell innocent at all. The stench was gag worthy and his reflex was going double time.