Page 29 of The Nanny's Bossy Billionaire

“About time, Xaviboy.” Lee hugs me. “What took you so long?”

“Last minute meetings. Unavoidable, unfortunately.”

Wyatt claps me on the back in welcome.

I shake Max’s hand, who is also a friend of Alex’s. Max recently launched his IT startup company in Manhattan and we’ve met a few times to discuss investments. I see the group standing together a few feet away. Jordan has his arm around his new wife, Sabrina. Jordan’s business partner, the bespectacled Ethan, and another petite woman I’ve never met are deep in conversation.

“Guys, it’s been ages!” I say when I reach the group. We regularly caught up in Manhattan at Sabrina’s exhibitions but over the past couple of months we’ve not had the chance to meet.

“Xavier, you made it!” Sabrina gushes. We all share hugs, then Sabrina introduces her friend Bonnie, the petite woman with short purple hair. Bonnie, unlike Sabrina, isn’t part of the bridal party.

I then go over to James, Alex’s half-brother I’d heard so much about but never actually met, and finally Giovanni, the best man, a big bearded guy with a man-bun. Ryan approaches, handing me a drink—a scotch on the rocks—and stands beside me.

“You dog.” Ryan sips his drink. “So you are seeing that woman you ditched me for the other night. You might have said. I needn’t have bothered with Vanessa.”

“What, and rob you of the chance to play Mary Poppins and Fairy Godmother?”

“Fuck you.” Ryan smiles.

“Ry, keep Nessa away from Brooke, you know how she can be. I don’t want Brooke upset. She’s… important.”

Ryan whirls to face me, shock registering on his face.

“What,” I bark.

“Nothing. Not a thing.” He takes another sip and hides a stupid smile. “Although I figured I’d leave Vanessa in your lap and find myself a Mexican beauty.”

“You figured wrong, my friend. Try figuring she meets someone else. Better still, set her up with one of these guys.”

He shakes his head in exasperation. Alex and Nora have finished with the officiant and are coming toward us.

“Xavier, my man!” Alex crushes me in a hug, and I thump his back.

“Congratulations, man.” I turn to Nora and kiss her on both cheeks then pull her in for a hug. “You’ve made him the happiest man alive.” Nora beams. “Seriously, until you, we’ve always known him to be as grumpy as a bear with a sore head, so thank you.”

Alex cuts in, “Okay, we get it, sunshine.” We laugh as they move to do their rounds with other guests. Just before they leave, Alex squeezes my shoulder and says in a low voice, “Really appreciate you being here, Xavier.”

I nod in reply. Alex is hands down the most selfless man I know. I’d bend over backward for him. “You’re welcome, man, anytime.”

After a while, I look around for Brooke, already missing her. She’s talking animatedly and laughing with Sabrina’s friend, Bonnie. I wonder how Bonnie got over there so fast. They seemto be getting on like a house on fire. I smile. There’s a reason Stella is Brooke’s best friend, and Bonnie looks like a clone of Stella. Brooke catches me watching and smiles shyly. I grin, feeling like I’ve just won the lottery. Vanessa stands with Andrea, Nora’s maid of honor but approaches when she sees me.

Vanessa kisses my dimpled right cheek. I would usually also let her kiss my chin or neck as she’s wont to do, but this time I hold her upper arms. She’s not deterred; she grabs my forearms, stroking back and forth like she craves any sort of contact from me.

“You look good, Bennett,” she breathes.

“So do you, Nessa,” I return politely.

“I can’t believe you really brought a date, knowing I would be here? Does she know about us?”

Before I can say anything, Brooke sidles over to me and presses against me. My arm automatically lifts and cradles her nearer and Vanessa takes a step back. Brooke strokes one hand up and down my back and tingles race between my shoulder blades, spreading across my shoulders. Her other hand is low on my abdomen, fingers tracing the muscles. Her breasts are nestled close and she’s subtly rubbing against me like a cat. My brain short circuits. “Introduce us, babe,” she purrs.

I wonder who this brazen woman is and what she’s done with shy Brooke. Her touch is such a fucking turn-on. “Brooke, this is Vanessa, a friend of mine. Vanessa, Brooke is the woman I’m seeing,” I say tightly.

“Since when?” Vanessa asks rudely.

“Since whenever I need seeing to,” Brooke tells Vanessa, then stands on her tiptoes and whispers in my ear, sucking on my earlobe. “Like right now.”

Heat spreads up my neck because I’m suddenly, painfully aroused. In the middle of a wedding rehearsal dinner.

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