Page 35 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
“And that’s where you come in, Libby. We need you to agree to this,” Briggs added.
Libby scoffed. “You’re serious? You want me to be his spiritual advisor and his son’s nanny?”
“We do,” the agent agreed. “There’s no wiggle room. You either agree to the terms, or you’ll be seen as an unhinged sex maniac obsessed with Erasmus Cress. That’s the contingency plan we’re prepared to go with if you decline the offer. As the agency representing Mr. Cress, I hope you can appreciate the position we’re in. We need you onboard, Libby.”
Briggsy, you little wanker!
He didn’t give two shits about what Briggs and the agency needed. The drive to protect his plum yoga nutter superseded his concern over his career. He gripped the collar of his agent’s pricy button-up and got in the man’s face. “You’re not messing with her life like that. I will not allow it.”
“Her reputation is on the line, too, Raz,” Briggs squeaked. “And the agency doesn’t want to ruin her life. We want to improve it.”
“How?” he growled when something warm touched his arm. He looked away from Briggs, the sod, and stared into a pair of amber eyes that took his breath away.
“I have a few questions I’d like to ask your agent. Don’t pummel him yet,” Libby said gently.
And like magic, the anger tearing through him dissolved with her touch. He released the man and took a step back.
“Save that energy for the fight, yeah, mate?” Briggs blathered through a nervous laugh as he adjusted his jacket.
Libby pinned the agent with her amber gaze. “How do you know I’m qualified to be a spiritual trainer? How do you know anything about me at all?” she challenged.
Briggs shot him a glance, probably making sure he wasn’t going to throw a right hook in his direction, then returned his focus to Libby. “Excellent question! We’ve done a full background check.”
Her posture stiffened. “When?”
Briggs cleared his throat. “Somewhere between you throwing the third or fourth vibrator at Raz, I asked the yoga people who you were. The owner gave me your name, and my team went to work. Oh, and I almost forgot. The owner of the yoga studio asked me to relay a message.”
“Which is?” Libby barked.
Briggs shot another glance his way.
“You can tell me, Briggs. I won’t let Raz pummel you…yet,” Libby said, her tone growing firm.
She might be a yoga instructor, but she could turn on the fight when she wanted.
“Yeah, I’m a bit frightened,” Briggs admitted. “I’m not sure who scares me more—you or the Beast. You’ve got an arm on you, Miss Lamb.”
“Briggs,” Libby snapped. “What’s the message?”
The agent glanced away. “You’re fired from teaching at that studio.”
Libby sighed, then stared at the ceiling. “I figured that might have happened,” she lamented before zeroing back in on his agent. “Now, what do you know about me?”
Briggs tapped his mobile’s screen. “Ah, here we are. I’ve got the report. You’re Libby Caroline Lamb. Age twenty-five. Graduated uni with honors. Double major with bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology and physical education with an emphasis on elementary education. You’re a yoga instructor with several fancy accreditations. Your mother, Aurora, is deceased. Your father, Connolly, is alive, but he’s got a patchy job history.”
Connolly?
His ears perked up at the mention of Libby’s dad’s name.
Hadn’t the cop asked her if she was related to a Connolly Lamb? She’d said no. Had she lied to the police?
“Your younger brothers,” Briggs continued, “both twenty-one years old, Anders and Alec Lamb, are attending uni in Ecuador in a study abroad program that incorporates a volunteer component. They’ve been accepted into a program there to study medicine. Their admissions status is pending, awaiting a final tuition payment, and your landlord says he had to kick you out tonight. It’s been quite a day for you, Miss Lamb.”
Libby sighed. “It has. I’m a cosmic karma catastrophe.”
“Does that sound about right?” Briggs pressed.
Her shoulders slumped a fraction. “Yes.”
