Page 38 of One Night With The Nanny

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There was no chance that Max was focusing on anything the following morning.

“I’m happy to see that last night went well, but the archduchess has sent some requests and it would be helpful to have your input,” Banks said as they headed into the morning’s first meeting. They were about to face Max’s various legal advisors for their end-of-the-week review.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Last night went far better than I was expecting and I just sent Mr. Marshall a text to thank him.

“I’m sure he’ll be pleased,” Banks replied dryly as he got the door to the conference room for Max.

“I doubt it, but I’m looking forward to his response.”

Max couldn’t help himself. He woke up feeling like anything was possible and that he was transforming into the kind of man he had always wished he could be. He had envied friends like Agnes and Walker who had defied their family’s and society’s conventions and expectations and stood up for themselves. Max wanted to make a change after the divorce and show the world who he truly was —in a quieter and more private manner, obviously—he just didn’t know how, or what he really wanted, until he met Reid.

The response was just as entertaining as Max expected.

Someone across the table murmured something about regulations and Banks said he would look into it as well so Max nodded and hummed in agreement. Banks would give him the highlights and warn him if he’d missed something important. That was why Max trusted Banks and brought him along. Max was mostly there to justify his own existence.

A delighted cackle exploded from Max, bringing the meeting to a halt. Banks and half a dozen lawyers stared at Max with alarmed expressions.

“Is there a problem, sir?” Banks asked impatiently.

“No!” Max swatted and shook his head, biting down on his lips to hold back a giggle. “A joke,” he explained and held up his phone. “Please continue.”

Reid certainly knew how to make a statement in a suit and there would be no question as to why Max was attracted to him. Not that anyone would be all that mystified if Reid wore a paper bag…

After conferring with Mia during another basketball lesson, it was agreed that Reid would be turned off if Max tried to dazzle him with glamor and luxury. But there was no getting around who Max was, so he decided to use the evening to show Reid more of the “real” Max. He would appeal to the die-hard New Yorker in Reid and share the places where he felt most at home and like himself in the city.

The evening would also give Max the opportunity to showcase how their Saturday nights could be as a couple. Reid wouldn’t be dazzled by Michelin stars or five-star suites because he was a man of quality and substance and could attain most of those things for himself. What Reid craved was excitement and control and he wanted to explore and test his own boundaries and limits. Max decided to illustrate how he could elevate those experiments and his willingness to indulge in Reid’s wilder whims.

“Please don’t argue about Ella,” Max said when a conversation about the archduchess grew louder. “I understand that it is your job as my attorneys to protect me and my assets, but Banks understands my position in regards to the archduchess. We do not quibble with her over money or homes, as long as it’s nothing I’ve already promised to Leo. He’s agreed that she may continue to use the title until he marries. At that point, Ella can decide if she wants to be referred to as the Dowager Archduchess. Although, I suspect she won’t.”

“But, sir, it implies that she is still your archduchess and that she acts in concert with the Margraviate.” The man across from Max was his liaison with the Foundation and was probably relaying the Foundation’s concerns.

Max had had a long talk with Leo, warning him of the possible consequences of an arranged marriage and the toll living a lie could take. He didn’t find it necessary to explain himself to one of the Foundation’s mouthpieces.

“Lady Ella will always be the mother of my children and she will always be connected to the House of von Hessen, whether she acts in concert or not. It is old news and I am hardly the first divorced nobleman. My cousin understands that and we are in agreement that she may use the title until one of us marries and there is a new archduchess,” Max specified. Neither he nor Leo gave a damn about the title as long as she was happy. According to Banks’s sources, Leo was openly bisexual so it was possible that he would never have an archduchess. It was a different time and Leo was braver and smarter than Max.

“Very well, sir.”

“Thank you. Carry on,” Max said and signaled for them to go back to whatever they were discussing.

His phone vibrated and Max bit down on a laugh when he read the preview text. He mouthed an apology as he opened it.

Max didn’t make promises he had no intentions of keeping.

Max fell back in his seat, laughing.

“There you have it, gentlemen,” Banks said as he shut his planner. “I can’t think of anything else unless Mr. von Hessen has something to add.” He began stacking his folders and checked something off on his iPad with a stylus. The other sets of eyes swung to Max.

“I’m satisfied. Are you?” Max asked Banks.

“Rarely. But I can’t think of anything that can’t wait until next week,” he said, standing and disregarding everyone except Max, signaling the end of the meeting. “You have a call with Austria at ten and then you’re having lunch with Walker Cameron,” Banks read and turned for the door.

Max got up and hurried after him, waving and thanking everyone for their time as they left.

“That’s more of a social call than business.”

“I assumed but I am relieved,” Banks said as they headed down the hall to Max’s office. “You could cause an international incident, if you laugh at the wrong person. Especially at The Regency.”

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