Page 31 of The Billionaire & the Nanny: Vol. 3

A t least tentimes throughout the day, I want to call Paisley. During the meeting, during the presentation, during dim sum with the guys from the bank. I don’t care about anything going on in the world of L.R. Group. I don’t even care about the Battery Park Library plans anymore. I just want to hear her voice and pretend that nothing got ruined between us. I want to watch her offering her body to me, and I want to forget that I’m in the middle of a huge emotional mess .

She may be gone, but reminders of her are everywhere .

Especially the alarm that goes off on my phone every week at 5:45 PM. It reminds me to escape work and go spend time with Becca and Price. If the short-lived “thing” with Paisley taught me anything, it was to spend more time with my kids. I’ll never forget the sassy comment she made on the first day of work—Isn’t the best way to provide a nurturing environment for your kids to actually spend time with them ?

I’ll always be grateful to her for that .

When I get home, Aunt Vivian is pulling her hair out by the chunkfuls. “These kids want nothing to do with me, Logan,” she says, taking a scouring pad to her jeans and scrubbing off something beige and crusty .

“Da-yee!” Thing 1 and Thing 2 come barreling toward me and jump on my shoulders and back .

“They don’t even want their mother,” she murmurs. “They want ‘Miss Paisy .’”

“Yes, I know. Don’t remind me.” I lumber into the kitchen and throw my shit onto the counter, setting the kids onto the floor before grabbing a beer from the fridge. I skulk off, the kids following me close behind, and as usual, they settle into the crook of my arms as I sit to watch mindless TV .

I don’t care how many times Miriam tells me this is an awful way to engage the kids, I love it. I love coming home after a stressful day at work, sinking into the sofa, and having my happy children snuggle up to me. This is Paisley’s doing and the fact that she isn’t here anymore suddenly hits me hard .

Aunt Vivian talks to me for the next thirty minutes, but I feign being sleepy, and eventually she lets herself out, telling me I ought to call back that nanny girl, because at least she knew how to run a tight ship. Yes, Aunt Vivian, indeed she did .

I’m not looking forward to seeing their mother today after what I saw at the newsstand, so imagine my joy when Miriam walks through the door and tells me, “I just saw your aunt in the elevator and realized your nanny’s not here anymore, is she ?”

“Not only are you manipulative, you’re observant as well.” I hug the kids who hold me tighter when they see their mother is here to get them .

“Let’s not debate who is more manipulative,” Miriam replies. “If I am, it’s because I learned from the best .”

“Your mother ?”

“No,” she says, her mouth tightening. “You. Asshole .”

I get up, prying the kids’ arms off me and breeze over to the foyer .

“From now on, when you arrive here, you’ll have to ring the doorbell like everybody else,” I tell her .

“Nice way to treat your family. Becca? Price? Get away from the TV. We’re leaving now.” Miriam fumes, as she scrolls through her phone, ignoring me .

“They’re my family.” I point to the kids and bring their shoes over to them. If I don’t put them on them, they’ll never leave. “How about I cut you a check right now and you leave the kids with me ?”

She doesn’t answer, only walks out in to the hallway to wait for the kids. I’m ushering them out amid protests, kneeling to hug and kiss them as loudly and annoyingly as I can for Miriam when the elevator door opens and a young woman steps out. She’s blonde, walks with a catlike gait, and I swear I’ve seen her somewhere before. What is she doing here? I didn’t clear anyone downstairs .

“Oh, look,” Miriam says, giving the young woman the glance-over. “Another one .”

“Maybe you can hire her father, too,” I tell her as she climbs into the elevator and the doors begin to close. She flicks me the middle finger, just as the doors shut her out of my life. Well, for three days, at least .

Now it’s me and Blondie. I give her a long look as she raises an eyebrow at me. “May I help you?” I say. “Who do I have to fire downstairs for allowing you to be here .”

She smiles and laughs airily, extending her hand. She’s a fucking knockout on a different level from Paisley altogether. Whereas Paisley is all natural beauty, this girl is a pinup queen with big round tits and a tight miniskirt. And tanned legs for days and days. Painted eyes and sculpted eyebrows .

“It’s okay, Mr. Raider. I was cleared by your aunt who answered the phone earlier when I called. My name is Caitlyn Summers. I was sent here by Le Nanny? I believe you have a position available?” Quite the kitten voice, too. Once upon a time, I would’ve jumped on a woman like this. I wouldn’t have thought twice about it .

But that was before .

Before I found out how much more there was to life than a woman who could pretend to be a nympho at the drop of a hat .

Before I met Paisley .

“I do? I don’t believe I let the agency know that I needed anybody else.” Though I do need someone else, unfortunately. The project is about to get busier than ever at work, and Vivian won’t agree to watching the kids several times a week. I need a nanny and wish it was Paisley, but wishing hasn’t changed a damn thing in my life, and it won’t now either .

“Oh? Maybe it was a mistake. But you do need someone, don’t you?” She snakes up to me, and I catch the scent of her body spray. Something vanilla .

I’m about to send the Playboy nanny away and call up Paisley to come fix my life when I stop myself. Paisley doesn’t want anything to do with me. She left because it was all too complicated and convoluted for her. And I get it. Nobody wants to be in the middle of the shit I have going on, and I can’t blame her at all .

Maybe in the future when things settle down, we can start over. When the divorce is nothing but a memory, and I have a better idea of what I can offer her, if anything. In the meantime, I could use an extra hand with the babies, and hey, I’m too exhausted to go through the hiring process again .

Let Le Nanny handle it .

Going back inside, I hold the door open for Caitlyn. “Let’s go over the rules then, Miss Summers .”

She smiles, wide, toothy, and victorious. “Yes.” She walks through the door. “Let’s .”

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