Page 4 of The Reluctant Billionaire

The project.

As he shakes my hand, those blue eyes wander south. He’s definitely checking out my rack.

Good.

‘Meet the team,’ he says, releasing my hand and jerking his head to the motley gaggle of individuals behind him, because, much as I wish it was to the contrary, we are not alone in this shit hole. I’m suddenly extremely glad I’ve come armed with a fleet of professional workmen to aid us.

Aid.Haha.

Because this gang screamsvolunteerslike I don’t know what.

I sigh inwardly and paste on my brightest smile.

First up is a big guy whose resemblance to James Cordon is equalled only by Aide’s resemblance to my husband Henry Cavill. He gets instant points for the sincerity of his grin. At leastsomeone’spleased the cavalry has arrived.

He buries my hand between two enormous paws and gives me a funny little bow. ‘Gary. Call me Gaz. At your service.’

I don’t miss Aide’s eye-roll as I bestow my most dazzling smile upon Gaz. I like him at once. He’s got a good energy, unlike Mr Hot But Hostile next to him. He’s wearing a grubby blue t-shirt that saysHays Long-Haul Logisticson the front.

Yep. I can totally see this guy being a lorry driver. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a rolled-up copy of today’sDaily Mirrorwedged in the back pocket of his jeans when he turns around.

‘How do you do, Gaz?’ I ask.

‘All right, all right,’ he drawls good-naturedly. ‘Bit of a shit-tip, innit?’

My thoughts exactly, Gaz.

‘Oh, don’t worry about that,’ I say blithely, jerking my thumb at the team behind me. ‘These guys have seen worse.’ I mean, I’m not sure that’s actually true, but I’m not someone to piss on a person’s morale in the first ten seconds of meeting them.

‘Excellent, excellent,’ he says. His eyes drift to my boobs and back to my face.

‘This is Judy,’ he tells me, stepping aside to reveal a tiny woman who’s been totally concealed by his bulk. She can’t be more than five foot or less than seventy, and she’s wearing an actual housecoat that makes her look like an extra fromCall the Midwife,but I can tell at a glance that I wouldn’t want to fuck with her.

‘Hi, Judy,’ I say brightly. I take on the biggest alphaholes with glee on a daily basis, but show me a stern older woman and I’m instantly desperate for her approval and having to stop myself from rubbing myself against her leg like a needy dog and whininglike me, like me.

God knows why. I suspect my Italian genes ensure I never underestimate a strong matriarchal figure.

She gives Gaz a shove. ‘Stop staring at her tits,’ she snaps. Before my jaw has time to drop open she takes my hand in a grip stronger than either of the guys’. Bloody hell.

‘Nice to meet you,’ she barks. ‘Thank fuck you’re here. These village idiots don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. Except Aide.’ She jerks her head. ‘He’s all right, that one.’

‘Thanks a lot, Judy,’ Gaz mutters, and I’m unclear whether he’s protesting being referred to as a village idiot or being called out for staring at my boobs.

‘Good to know,’ I say neutrally. I suspect it’s a major testament to Aide that Judy’s given him her ringing endorsement, but I’m not willing to acknowledge any positive attributes on his part quite yet. Except for his undeniable, shocking hotness, that is. I’m also still reeling from the language that’s just come from this pint-sized retiree’s mouth.

The last of the volunteers is an attractive Black woman with shoulder-length braids who I’d guess is in her fifties. She’s watching the interaction of the others with a smile that straddles the line between amused and resigned.

‘Sylvie,’ she says. She extends a hand and shakes mine firmly but without Judy’s death-grip, which I appreciate. ‘Welcome to the madhouse.’

I laugh nervously. ‘So… is it just the four of you?’

‘We’ve had a few more volunteers in over the weekend,’ Sylvie says. ‘There was a lot of crap to clear out.’No shit.‘But we’ll be here for the duration.’

‘Got it,’ I say with a confidence I don’t feel. ‘Well, we’ve got five contractors at our end.’

I introduce Khal, who’s here for today only, thank fuck, and is positively vibrating with self-righteous saviour energy, and the small team of Venus’ workmen. They’re all volunteering for this project on the company’s dime. Aside from Reggie, who’s an electrician, the others are all generalists, as capable of knocking down a wall as they are of crafting a wardrobe from scratch or inserting a window.

I hope to God that, between them, they’ve got enough expertise to carry the rest of us through this shit-show. They should. Khal worked on equipping the team for this project with exactly the right mix of skill-sets, and God knows they’re going to need it.

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