Page 6 of The Nanny and the Don
“That’s what he wants me to be, huh?”
“A high-priced one at that. Don’t think too much into it. You might like him. It’s just one date.”
“You’re right.”
“We’ve already established that. Now stop hiding out in the locker room and call me when you make it home.”
Three
Steel
Three days away from home would always be two too many. I preferred the solace of my fortress to any five-star hotel or resort. The saying was true: there was no place like home. As beautiful and exciting as Japan was, I couldn’t wait to get home. I think I was more excited to get home than I had been about signing my name on the dotted line at the close of the deal.
“Arigato,” I said, shaking Hinata Iko’s hand as I stood.
I could tell that our business relationship would be seamless. His tech start-up had scaled to a multimillion-dollar corporation over the past decade. When his file came across my desk, I was all too eager to start the merger with me taking a forty-nine percent stake, leaving him as the majority owner.
Since most of the details had already been hashed out prior to my arrival, we were able to come to an agreement two days ahead of schedule. That wasn’t an invitation for me to stay and enjoy the country. I was going the fuck home.
I grabbed my briefcase from the table, giving him a final nod before making my exit. I pulled my phone out of my jacketpocket to check my missed calls. Somebody had been blowing me up for the last hour or more.
Anybody who knew me, knew damn well I was out of the country on business. I didn’t take personal calls when I was doing business. Anything I couldn’t handle could be handled by my assistant or Four. Seeing that Four was actually the one who had reached out to me had my brow scrunching together in confusion.
Once I was out of Hinata’s building, I immediately spotted the limo he’d sent to pick me up from the hotel. The driver saw me coming out of the building and jumped out to open the back door for me. After sliding in the backseat, I hit Four’s name to see why the hell he’d called me three times, knowing I was in a meeting.
“What’s good?” I asked as soon as he answered.
“It’s Angela, man.”
Hearing my sister’s name immediately made my heart sink. I hadn’t seen her in close to ten years, and my heart was still in tatters due to her betrayal. As much as I resented her, I didn’t want anything happening to her. My sister was my first love and had caused me more heartache than any woman I had ever known, even our alcoholic, neglectful mother.
I groaned, mentally preparing myself for the worst. I found out the hard way that my sister was addicted to drugs after she stole from me to help finance her drug-dealing pimp of a boyfriend’s business. I gave her any and everything she could have ever wanted. I even built an entire apartment on the top floor of my house for her to live rent-free while also paying her out of the ass for being my assistant.
The woman who helped raise me repaid me by wiping my nose and choosing another man over me. Her betrayal made me cut her off indefinitely. That didn’t mean I didn’t care about her anymore. I just didn’t have shit for her.
“What happened?” I asked, preparing myself for the worst.
“She’s been blowing up the business line. Her and some dude got busted.”
“And what the fuck does she want me to do about it?”
“You need to talk to her yourself, man. Call the number I’m sending you within the next hour.”
“I’m not fucking calling her, man. I know damn well that’s not why you called me,” I fussed.
“It’s not her number, man. It’s the number she gave me. I looked it up, and it’s the Department of Family and Children’s Services.”
“What the hell do I need to call them for?”
“I don’t know, bro. Make the call,” he told me.
I ended the call before I said something I didn’t mean. There was no reason for me to call Angela or Children’s services. She’d made the bed, and now her ass had to lie in it. As soon as I stuffed my phone back in my pocket, it rang again. Four really pissed me off with his persistence sometimes. I snatched my phone out of my pocket and swiped the screen so I could curse his dog-ass out and let him know what I said was final.
“Yeah!” I barked into the receiver.
“Steel, I know you hate me, but I need you,” Angela sobbed.
It was an ambush. It didn’t fucking matter. I wasn’t giving in to her manipulation.
