Read Babysitting the Billionaire Online

Authors: Nicky Penttila

Babysitting the Billionaire (10 page)

BOOK: Babysitting the Billionaire
6.51Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“Bullshit.” Sadie looked around, as if anyone on a
summer street would care if she swore. May wished it was one of those
one-hundred-degree days, so Sadie’s perfect hair would lose its Republican Wife
flip.

“He looked around the office and said we all looked like
starved zombies. I said I loved my job. He thinks I’m crazy.”

“You are crazy. Penguins?”

“It’s important.”

“It’s a job, May. What else is in your life? Besides a
lover who’s leaving town in two days.”

May’s cheeks flamed as if Sadie had hit her. “What is
it? Pile on May Day?”

Sadie touched May’s cheek lightly. “I wasn’t sure if you
could blush. Your skin is so beautiful.” She dropped her hand. “And I’d call it
Speak-Truth-to-May Day, myself. Ready to beard the lion?”

“I have to get his coffee, first. And mine.”

“Maybe not. Don’t bring anything you’d be tempted to
throw.”

Upstairs, Edmondsson had moved back behind his
death-skin desk. May’s head reeled with new perspectives and current problems,
and were things really the way she saw them?

“You lost Kurck.” Where Beau’s blue eyes seemed somehow
warm, Edmondsson’s gaze felt glacial. She just swapped them in her mental
picture with Beau’s warm ones.

“You lost him. He doesn’t think you’re the leader the
expedition needs.”

“Insolent puppy.” Edmondson stood, as if by standing he
could get more air in his lungs for shouting. “I’d been to both poles before he
was out of diapers. If he’s even out of them now.”

This bloviating was so familiar to May that she had a
word for it: pontifigushing. She leaned on one hip and waited for the flood of
words to subside.

But why was she so familiar with it? Because Edmondsson
did it quite a bit, sure, but she wasn’t that often with him. She heard him
direct it at others, but she’d heard it a lot more than that.

Then she realized: this was how her dad communicated.
The not-listening, the over-talking, the expectation that May was meek and
would just take it.

Hmmm.

Beau listened to her. He actually responded to the words
she said, the ideas she floated. What would it be like to be noticed all day?
Exhausting
. May liked to be invisible,
in the main. Less drama, for sure.

But less glory, as well. And she did want to stretch, to
do more video, to see her ideas in motion.

Edmondsson was winding down, like a toy with a key to
tighten the spring that quickly spins loose.

“Here’s an idea,” May said.

“I don’t need ideas.”

“Kurck won’t stay on the project without a full
social-media team. Video, audio, animation.”

He scoffed. “No artist would survive
Antarctica
.”

May rocked back on her hips, but gathered strength from
somewhere and leaned forward again. “You’ve never watched the Nat Geo channel?
Never watched the news? Photo people can be just as tough as dog-sled drivers.”

Edmondsson flicked a well-manicured hand. “Tell him I’ll
consider it.”

“But you won’t really do it?” May liked seeing her boss
flinch. He wasn’t such a toughie.

“I said I’d consider it. Especially if that’s all he wants.”
His perfect posture sank from his hips. “We need his money. Fund-raising is a
bear these days.” Then he straightened.

“Tell him whatever he wants to hear. But tell him the
price is that he’s outed.”

Sadie choked beside her. “Outed?”

“As the benefactor. He’ll get his blasted artists, but
he’ll pay for them. And we get to use him to raise the rest of the money.”

Sadie waved her hands, crossing and uncrossing, in front
of her. “He won’t go for it. That was the sticking point before.”

“Then we won’t tell him.” Edmondsson looked at May, his
face drawn into that fierce pose familiar from the posters downstairs.

“Get him to the party, come hell or high water. We’ll
announce it then.”

****

When May returned to the penthouse, Beau was slouched in
the dining-room table seat, gazing deep into his array of screens. He perked
up, though, when the aroma of the food she’d picked up from Shophouse drifted
over.


Sichuan
?”

“They didn’t have the noodles, so I got you brown rice.”

He dug into it with gusto. “Forgot to eat again. This
time-shift is for the birds. Sorry, bad joke. I’ve had penguins on the brain
all day.”

May slipped into the chair beside him. “New images?”

“They sliced the asses off, like you suggested. But
something still is wrong.” He waved at the screens, full of tiny, skinny-butt
penguin drawings.

“I went to the zoo this afternoon, and did some photos
and sketches.” She handed him a thumb drive.

“You escaped your own zoo?” But he smiled and did the
upload as May pulled her sketchbook out of her bag.

“Very funny. Look, the problem is the shoulders. They
should be more square?”

“Is that a question or an observation?”

She sat back, pulling the book out of his hands. “You
know, I’ve heard just about enough paternalism for one day.”

He leaned back, matching her posture. “So, a rain check,
then?”

“As if. I just realized today that you’re gone in two
days. So, any more of that ‘I know what’s good for you,’ and you’ll be watching
another set of condoms close in on their expiration date.”

“The clerk said she didn’t think they did expire. The
package just has to say that.”

May snorted. “Was she pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then.”

“Now who’s being all judgy?”

“Judgy? Is that English?”

“English is all about coining new words and borrowing
from other languages. That’s why everyone likes it.”

“Really?”

“No.” He smirked and snatched the sketches out of her
hand. “It’s because you’re a bunch of rape-and-pillagers.”

“And you’re not? Nazi sympathizers.”

“A low blow, Miss Reed. We had to fight the Russians,
and you can’t always pick your allies.”

That sobered her up. Were her allies any better?
“Listen, Beau. I’m supposed to lie to you.”

He set the book down and took her hands. Pulling her to
sidesaddle on his lap, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not surprised.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. His shoulder, which
with the rest of him, would be gone in two days. “Can you stay longer?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“So we can use up those condoms.”

He kissed her ear, a warm breath tickling her there.
“I’ll ask Meri. Now, the lie?”

“It’ll hold. How about we finish dinner first?”

“How about we make ourselves a little hungrier before
dinner, you mean. No. You started it, now finish.” He set her back into her
seat, handed her the bowl of vegetable curry, and took up his own. “I need to
fortify to keep up with you.”

“Okay,” she said between bites. “Edmondsson plans to
agree to everything you demand.”

“Even if I demand that you get to go with the team?”

“Would you?” May’s imagination exploded. She’d never
dare think of such an adventure. Going to
Antarctica
,
seeing animals where they could act real, she almost couldn’t imagine it.

“Would you like to go?”

“More than anything. It’s cold, yeah, but that’s what
jackets are for. And I’ve spent three years writing about penguins, and drawing
them. I so want to see them in the real, not just the zoo.”

“So, I demand that you go, as social media leader.”

“Say I’m whatever, it won’t matter.”

“Did you say you got two of these bowls for me?” She
handed him the second. “Why won’t it matter?”

“Because he’s not going to do any of it.”

“He’s not going?”

“He’s going. But he plans to out you at the dinner, tell
everyone you’re behind it. And then describe it just as he wants. Once it’s
public, if you raise a stink, it’s because you’re an asshole, not because he
lied to you. And he knows that once you promise a thing, you do it.”

He chewed on that, as well as the second helping of beef
with teriyaki sauce, for a few minutes.

“He thinks I won’t go back on my word?”

“He knows it. Remember when you said you’d get the app
out on May 1, and the power went out a week before? And you shipped in all
generators in
Sweden
and had everybody’s family come in for the weekend so you would get the app
out?”

“That’s why we don’t set dates anymore.”

“But that shows that once you’ve committed, you follow
through.”

“So Edmondsson plans to commit me to something only he
wants.”

“The only way to avoid it is not to go to the party, not
even to be in DC. You should go home early.” But if he left now, all bets were
off. She’d never see him again. May’s breath hitched.

He noticed, and the anger on his brow turned to concern.
“Run away. And leave you?”

“Then you can say you didn’t agree to it. And you won’t
have to stand there while he simpers and pretend you agree.”

“I don’t like the idea of running away.”

“You ran away this afternoon.”

“I didn’t run—I rescued you. Well, I thought I was
rescuing you, before you told me to mind my own business. Give me one of those
beers.”

He twisted the cap off and took a deep draft. “American
beer tastes like piss. So, you’re done with me?”

What?
“Me?”

“You’re sending me home?”

“No. I’d like you to stay. Remember when I asked you to
stay longer, what, five minutes ago?”

“But you’d advise me to go.” He looked at the bottle,
and then looked at her. Why did she feel like she was melting? “Come with me.”

“To
Finland
?”

“It’s beautiful. Better music, better beer. Far better
broadband.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? Here, try this.” He handed her the bottle, and
she drank. “Am I right? Horse piss.”

“I see what you mean. Wait, I don’t. We’ve known each
other—what?—two days?”

“Three.”

“And three days ago, you were about to propose to
another woman.”

“And you were all sad girl in your little woman-cave.
So?”

“So, you don’t think this is a little fast? That we’re
just rebounding?”

“Did it feel like rebounding this morning?”

She had to admit it hadn’t. It had felt perfect, just
right. “The thought that it wouldn’t happen again makes me feel blue.”

“Exactly. If not black. We need to follow this through,
see where it leads us.”

“Or not.”

He took the bottle back and finished it off. “Come
here.” He pulled her back onto his lap, forward this time. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and kissed him, piss-beer tongue and all.

He pushed her chair away, as if she was going anywhere,
and scooped her rear, pressing her closer to him.

She wriggled even closer, smiling into his lips as she
felt the rest of him respond.

His hands slipped under the hem of her skirt. She felt
open and exposed and wonderful.

But he wasn’t going to be able to reach her, as tight in
as they were. May hooked her foot around his and kicked. He lunged forward, and
she used her weight to pull them toward the carpet. He caught them just in
time, settling them gently. He lifted his head, a question in his eyes.

“Better access this way. More efficient.”

“Indeed.” He took full advantage, sliding his hand under
her knee, and up and around, almost too slow. She bent her leg to see if she
could make his hand slide faster.

“In a hurry, Miss Reed?”

“Only for you, Mr. Kurck.”

“I think we should go over your very nice penguin
sketches first, then.”

“I’ll show you some sketches.”

He let her push him down, laughing. She lifted her skirt
and straddled him, forgetting to take care of the pants again, but at least now
there were only three layers of clothing between them. Or two.

“No, I’m not commando.” She must have frowned, for he
laughed again, bouncing her up and down a little. She liked that feeling. She
wanted more.

But he wanted sketches, did he? She ran her hands
through all his shirt’s stupid buttons and pushed it away. Spreading her hands
wide, she pulled her fingers gently down his taut chest, shoulders to hips.
Then she did it again, nails down, marking little furrows down him. Marking
him.
Mine
.

BOOK: Babysitting the Billionaire
6.51Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti
The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks
Un día de cólera by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Going All the Way by Cynthia Cooke