The Billionaire's Twin Fever (MANHATTAN BACHELORS Book 1) Read online

  “Well, now ya know,” he said quietly, looking down into his beer. “The only way I will sign off on anything with New York Tech is if they make good on all of their brakes and they’re forced to keep it that way in the future, and if they give me a good job reference. It wasn’t my fault that the brakes went out.”

  Aleisha lifted her chin and looked him squarely in the eye. “Jeremy, we’re going to come back on New York Tech. We’re not doing this settlement with them. I’m going to go to them and renegotiate this. I’m going to make sure that not only do they fix their brakes and increase the settlement offer to every person in that wreck by a lot, I’m also going to make sure that they publicly apologize for what they’ve done, and that they commit to proper vehicle maintenance in the future. We’re going after them.”

  She slid her notebook and pen into her bag and stood up, and Jeremy stood up as well. “Thank you for your time. I’m going to meet with them, and I’ll keep you in the loop on it. I’ll let you know how it goes, and when they meet your requirements, then I’ll send you a new settlement document to sign.”

  “Sounds good,” he said with a quiet nod and a heavy sigh. “It’ll be good to be done with the whole thing.”

  “I’m sure it will.” She shook his hand, and he walked her to the door. As she went back to the car, she wondered just how many people New York Tech had swindled over the years. She was going to find out, and she was going to make sure that it never happened again. She was really glad that when she had told Richard Peterson that they needed to go after New York Tech, Kyle had not only listened to her, he had backed her up.

  She couldn’t imagine representing a corporation who could be so underhanded, especially in this particular case. The idea of being on the other side of it and having to defend them from this exact case made her sick to her stomach. She’d have hated being on the other side of it, and she wouldn’t have had a choice. She’d have had to work hard to defend them, even though they were wrong, if they had been a client of the firm.

  As it was, the attorney who had been working on the case initially had been fired, and all of his files had been given to Kyle and her to work on. She felt lucky that she had been handed the New York Tech file. She was exactly where she would have wanted to be in the case, if she could have reviewed the whole thing and had her choice about what position to be in on it. Closing her fingers tighter around the steering wheel, she promised herself that she was going to get to the bottom of it, and she was going to do right by everyone on that bus and everyone who would ever be on a New York Tech bus again.

  As Aleisha pulled up to the parking garage near her apartment, her thoughts shifted from her meeting with Jeremy Flanders and turned to her boss, who was watching her babies for her. Thoughts of all that might be happening up in her apartment began to tumble through her mind. There was no telling how it had gone, but she hoped that it had gone well.

  She tried not to hold her breath and to have a little faith as she stepped out of the elevator and went to her front door. She couldn’t hear any sounds from the hallway, but she knew that that didn’t mean much. Slipping her key in the lock, she opened the door and looked around.

  The living room was tidy, actually cleaner than she had left it, and no one was in it. It sounded to her as if no one was home at all because there was nothing but silence that greeted her. Her heartbeat picked up a bit, and she walked to the kitchen. There were two little bowls in the sink, and she checked in the refrigerator and saw that some of the food had been eaten from the top shelf, so she knew that the babies had been fed.

  She went back into the living room and went down the hall to the twins’ room. They were not in their cribs, though both of their little red jumper outfits were sitting on top of the laundry basket in the corner of the room. She frowned and stepped back out into the hall, her heart going even faster as curiosity ran rampant through her mind.

  Aleisha went to her bedroom and pushed the door open. Two steps in, she stopped where she stood as a smile began to spread over her face. There, on her bed, was Kyle, wearing his suit pants and a Tina Turner t-shirt that she had bought at the last Tina Turner concert she’d been to. She blinked in surprise that he was wearing it.

  Sleeping in each of his arms were the babies, curled up against him and passed out. They were dressed in their pajamas, each of them curled up with their toys, a teddy bear and an elephant. She lifted her hand and touched her fingertips to her mouth as she took the moment in. She almost wanted to take a photograph of it, it was so sweet, and she was positive she was never going to see her boss in that kind of position again, but she knew she shouldn’t.

  She walked around the bed and reached her hand to his as it lay over Harry’s leg. Touching him gently, she woke him. Kyle snapped awake with a start and looked around almost in a panic until he realized that both of the babies were asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, he let his head fall back to the pillow for a moment, and Aleisha reached down to help him maneuver the babies off of him so that he could get up.

  When he was standing, he held his finger to his lips to shush Aleisha so that she wouldn’t wake the babies, and it was all that she could do not to laugh at him. She watched him as he reached for the blanket and covered them both up, tucking them in, and then she followed him out of her bedroom and down the hall to the living room.

  “How did it go?” he asked her in a whisper.

  She finally laughed softly. “You can speak in a soft voice out here.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think I want to take any chances.”

  “Maybe,” she eyed him teasingly, “but I’m home now, so you won’t have to do any more babysitting.”

  He nodded with realization and smiled. “How did it go?” he asked her again, just barely above a whisper.

  She frowned a little. “I found out that there have been several wrecks over many years, and every time they happen, the company just uses the insurance to pay off the injured and keeps on going like they have been. They neglect the upkeep on their vehicles, and they continue to risk the lives of their employees and passengers.

  “There were three wrecks this year, including this one, and Jeremy has been there ten years. He’s seen what they’ve been doing. He says that all of the drivers have. We have a very different case on our hands than we thought we did. We need to go after New York Tech and make them take care of their bus line and maintenance, as well as all of these people who are just the latest in a long line of people they’ve hurt by their negligence.”

  “We can’t let them do that. We’re going to take them on, and we’re going to fix this,” Kyle stated resolutely.

  She grinned broadly. “I was hoping you’d say that because that’s exactly what I told Jeremy that we were going to do.”

  “Find out what you can about the repairs on the brakes. We have testimony, but we’re going to need some solid proof that they haven’t been abiding by safety codes if we’re going to pressure them to make this all right.” He looked at her pointedly.

  “I’m on it. I’ll find out all that I can and get this taken care of right away,” she vowed. “We’re going to make sure they never hurt anyone again.”

  He nodded, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. He almost wanted to tell her how beautiful she was when she was on fire for something she believed in, but he realized a moment before he said it that it was something he probably shouldn’t say to her, so he kept it to himself and just let the half-smile show.

  She saw it and looked at him curiously. “So, what happened to you? You’re wearing my Tina Turner concert shirt?” she raised one eyebrow and put her hands on her hips as she laughed a little. “I mean, it’s a great look, I wear that myself, but… it doesn’t really go with your tailored suit. I think maybe you should be in jeans with that shirt.”

  He looked away from her and brought his hand to his head, raking his fingers through the dark, loose curls of hair on his head. “Yeah, well… Harry had an upset stomach and…
we both wound up wearing it. The rest of my suit is hanging in your shower. I rinsed it off. I have no idea if I should wash that kind of material, but I couldn’t leave it like it was.”

  Aleisha bit at her lower lip as she looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay to have it dry cleaned,” she offered sweetly.

  He watched her biting her lip, and for a moment it totally distracted him, and he found himself wishing that he was biting her lip instead. The thought caught in his mind, and he looked away from her and waved his hand dismissively. “No, don’t worry about it. I told Harry that I have ten more exactly like that one. My cleaner will get it out; it’s fine.”

  “How did the rest of it go?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest as she smiled up at him.

  “It was great! We had a good time. It was a little tricky at first right after you left, but we cleaned up and played, and then they ate cheerios and fruit, and then they laid down for a nap with me, and I told them a story about a vacation that I had in Barbados, and it was so boring that we all passed out. Looks like I’m going to miss the after-nap diaper change. I’m not sorry about that, though… I’ll be honest.” He winked at her and chuckled. “I really think I got the hang of it. I loved it; it was a lot of fun.”

  She stared at him and shook her head. “I can’t believe it. You are such a surprise. I never would have guessed that you’d be good with babies.”

  His eyes were steady on hers. “You’d be surprised about a lot of things where I’m concerned,” he said quietly.

  “I believe you.” She nodded at him. “Thank you for taking care of them and letting me do this meeting. We really needed it. We have so much more information for this case now. This made a big difference, and I really appreciate it.”

  She walked over to the sofa and sat down with a sigh, and he followed her, sitting beside her. “Now, I just need to figure out what I’m going to do with the kids until my sister and grandmother get back from their cruise to Mexico. Cara is gone, and there isn’t anyone else because my sister and my grandma are my backup. I’m really at a loss for what to do here, but I’ll figure it out.”

  Without really thinking about it, he reached out and took her hand in his. She turned and looked at him as the warmth and softness of his skin closed over hers. It made the breath in her stop, and she didn’t move.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ve contacted an agency here in Manhattan. It’s the very best agency in the city. They’re sending someone over in the morning, and I promise it will be their best nanny. Take the rest of the day off today – we’re just about done with the day anyway – and spend the time with the kids. The new nanny will be here in the morning, and you can come in to work.” He gave her a smile, and she felt as if the air between them had stilled, as if everything around them had stilled.

  He was so close to her, his hand around hers and his eyes holding her gaze, and for the briefest moment, she wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss him softly and slowly, but the thought flitted away, and she blinked and nodded.

  “Sure, that sounds fine. Thank you so much. You really didn’t have to do that.” She felt her cheeks warming as he gave her hand a squeeze.

  “Yes, I did. I need you at work, and as much as I would love to see those two little angels in there every day, it’s not conducive to me having a productive work day either, so this was the next course of action. Don’t worry about it; it’s nothing at all for me to help you with this.” He dropped his gaze from her warm, brown eyes to her full, red lips and allowed himself a moment’s temptation in drinking them in before he looked away and let go of her hand, standing up and taking in a deep cleansing breath.

  “Well, I’m really grateful for it. Thank you,” she said, trying to clear her own mind as she stood up and walked around the coffee table to the other side of it. She needed some distance between them if she was going to maintain any kind of professionalism at all in that moment. The nearness of him and his soft touch had been enough to stir up a warmth in her body that she knew was totally inappropriate.

  “You are very welcome. Thank you for your hard work.” He gave her a smile and headed to the bathroom down the hall. He returned a minute later with his wet shirt, vest, tie, and jacket. “I’m guessing I can return Tina Turner to you tomorrow?” he asked with a light laugh.

  She couldn’t help laughing back; the sight of him was completely enchanting in its silliness and sweetness. “Sure. It’s fine to get it back to me anytime.”

  “Well, I’d better be going,” he said softly as he walked toward the door and reached for his coat, draping it over his arm.

  “You’re going to need these.” She pulled his keys from her coat pocket and handed them to him. He nodded, and she frowned.

  “My car is at the office…” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I forgot that.”

  “I’ll pick you up in the morning.” He smiled at her, his eyes dancing with mirth and something else that she couldn’t quite place, some hidden happiness.

  “Do you always have the solution? The answers to anything that crops up?” she asked lightly in a teasing way.

  He nodded and spoke evenly. “Yes,” he answered and walked out of the door with his clothes over his back and his coat over his arm.

  She watched him walk away, and when he had turned the corner to go to the elevator, she closed the door and leaned her back against it, closing her eyes and sighing. “Don’t get a crush on your boss, Aleisha. Just… don’t.”

  Chapter7

  The next morning, bright and early, there was a knock at the door. Aleisha felt her heart flip once in her chest, and she smiled as she opened the door, pausing for a moment in surprise as she stood face to face with a lovely-looking woman.

  Her mind had been on Kyle, and it was him she had been thinking about all morning when she’d showered, when she’d gotten dressed, and when she’d opened the front door. She’d taken extra time that morning, choosing a thin sweater dress that hugged her curvy form, and while it didn’t show much skin, except at the neck and from just above her knees downward, it did hint at what was just beneath the material, and even though she knew she had no business thinking about her boss the way that she was, she couldn’t resist dressing a bit for him.

  “Good morning!” the lady greeted her brightly. “I’m Julie. I’m here from the nanny agency. I’ve been sent to watch over your little ones until your regular care provider returns.”

  Aleisha blinked and emptied her mind of thoughts of Kyle. “Yes, of course. Please, come in! Thank you for coming on such short notice. Cara, my regular sitter, had to go out of town for a family emergency, and I was left unexpectedly short-handed. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this to help me.”

  “I’m pleased to!” she announced, and Aleisha knew that she meant it. “I’ve brought my references with me, just so that you may have a look at them. I suspect you might not have had a chance to see them, and I wanted you to be confident about who would be looking after your children.” She handed a three-page list of references with attached letters of recommendation to Aleisha that named some of the most renowned people on the eastern seaboard: some of them billionaire business moguls, some of them celebrities, and some of them politicians. All of them had excellent things to say about her.

  “This… this is quite an impressive list!” Aleisha gasped softly as she looked over it and then raised her eyes back to the woman before her. “Thank you for bringing it.”

  Julie had short, cropped, golden blonde hair and round, blue eyes. She was dressed crisply in a pair of cloth pants and a knit top with a cardigan over it, buttoned just up near the neck. “Are the children up yet? I’d like to meet them while you’re here.”

  “Yes, they’re in their high chairs eating breakfast. Please, come into the kitchen.” Aleisha led the lady into the kitchen, and she went right to the babies, who were wearing their bibs and making a mess of their food. Hailey smiled at her and reached
her small hand up, holding up a Cheerio for Julie to eat.

  “They are precious, aren’t they!” Julie exclaimed with a big smile.

  “Yes, they are. This is Harry, and this is Hailey,” Aleisha told her, watching to see how they’d interact. Julie took the Cheerio from Hailey and pretended to eat it, enjoying it immensely before offering it back to her. Hailey laughed at her and took it, eating it herself with great gusto.

  Aleisha breathed a little better and felt some sense of security that her babies would likely be in good hands. “I’ve left all my contact information here on the refrigerator and a page of instructions for them. They have a fairly regular routine during the day, and I’ve written it all down for you. If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

  Julie looked at the page and nodded as she read through it. “It looks just fine. I’m sure we’ll do very well today, won’t we, children?” She gave them both a smile, and Harry clapped his hands together.

  There was another knock at the door, and Aleisha’s heart skipped. She knew it was Kyle. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread over her face. “Well, that’s probably my ride to work. Kiss me,” she told the babies, leaning down to give each of them a hug and kiss before saying goodbye and heading for the door. She picked up her bag and opened it to see Kyle standing there, looking as handsome as ever.