Page 11 of The Nanny and the Don
He sneered. “I don’t think you want me to answer that.”
“Relax, baby. Let’s get something to eat,” Brendan suggested, tugging my arm. “It was good to see you, Gray. I have a couple of leads on those discrepancies. I’ll be in touch.”
I was thankful to be away from that evil man. It was like he felt like I wasn’t good enough to be in their presence. Just because I wasn’t rich didn’t mean anyone here was any better than me. That bastard might have thought I was beneath him,but he was just one bad decision away from being in the same boat as me. I shoved him to the back of my mind as Brendan and I placed orders for our entrées.
As he led the way to our table, Brendan explained that the plates were five hundred dollars each. I tried to hide my surprise. What the hell made this food worth five hundred dollars? There was not one food in the world that I could think of that was worth a hundred dollars, let alone five. When we made it to our designated table, Brendan pulled out my chair for me.
“Thank you,” I smiled up into his handsome face, wishing I liked him just a little bit.
He was handsome and funny, but other than that the chemistry wasn’t there. For one thing, I couldn’t stand the way he continued to brag about how he could afford to upgrade my life. Not that my life didn’t need some major upgrading, but I didn’t like how he thought of me as a fixer upper.
Yes, I wasn’t as sophisticated or polished as most of the people in the room. Yes, I had just lost my job thanks to him and his associate, but I wasn’t a project. I didn’t want or need fixing. That didn’t mean I didn’t want to spend the money he kept bragging about. I couldn’t understand how some men led with money but were surprised when women used them for it. Their whole personality revolves around what they can buy. Then, when women use them for money, they can’t understand why. I only want the money because that’s the only thing of value you have. I’ve never considered myself a gold digger, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“What are you in school for?” he quizzed, finally asking me something about myself.
“Early childhood education,” I said, brimming with excitement at the prospect of talking about one of my favorite things. My excitement was immediately shut down by the grimace on Brendan’s face.
“What in the world possessed you to want to be a teacher? Teachers don’t make any money.”
“It’s not about money. It’s about doing what makes you happy.”
“Oh, honey, it’s absolutely about money. Thankfully your new man is a big stepper. I’m about to upgrade your whole life. When I’m done with you, you might not even want to work anymore.”
“I seriously doubt that. I haven’t wasted all this time and energy for nothing.”
“You say that now. I want to see what you have to say after I finish upgrading you,” he refuted.
“That’s big talk for a man on his first date,” I teased, deciding to entertain his comment.
“I talk big shit, but I can back it up.”
“I hear you.”
“I can show you better than I can tell you.”
I grinned knowing that he would do whatever it took to prove that his money was better than my education. As much as I didn’t like his thought process, the foster care system didn’t raise a fool. I was not turning down any amount of money from this man who wanted to throw it on me just to impress me.
“I’m looking forward to it,” I told him.
As the wait staff placed our domed plates in front of us, the energy around me shifted. I felt his looming presence before I could turn and see him striding across the room like he owned everything in the building, including me. His walk was cool and sexy with just a slight dip in his step like he wasn’t from this world any more than I was.
I knew a hood nigga when I saw one. It didn’t matter how much he’d paid for his suit or the plate with barely enough food to feed a toddler. He wasn’t one of these people, yet unlike me, he looked like he belonged here. His very presence commandedthe attention of every person in his vicinity. I was so enthralled with him that I could barely tear my eyes away from him to hear what Brendan was babbling about.
“Have you ever had truffles?” he asked.
I scrunched my nose. “The candy?”
He found that amusing. The smile that stretched his lips caused one of my own.
“We’ll have to fly to France to try some authentic ones. For now, these are pretty good,” he said.
After spearing whatever concoction was on his plate, he reached out and placed his hand under my chin. I watched him closely, praying that I didn’t cause a scene when he inevitably tried to feed me. As he pushed his fork up to my lips, I considered telling him that I didn’t eat things I didn’t recognize. Instead of protesting, I parted my lips allowing the strange tasting combination to coat my tongue.
“You can save your frequent flyer miles on this one,” I said, shaking my head as I tried to keep a straight face and choke it down.
“It’s an acquired taste,” he advised me.
“Why would I want to acquire the taste for something that’s inaccessible anyway?” I quizzed.
