Page 11 of Don’t Fall for the Billionaire
Chapter Eleven
Charlotte
Was I surprised that he said when he wanted me to know something, he'd tell me? Absolutely not. That was how these power-tripping wealthy men were. But with him, I had a small glimmer of hope that he was different.
One of my talents was that I could extract information from someone without them realizing they were revealing it. Ashton didn’t want to share anything about his personal life, but so far, he confessed that he didn’t love Eloise’s mother and that his father lived in Los Angeles.
“What does your father do in Los Angeles?” I asked.
“Shit.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I let that slip, didn’t I?”
“Maybe you’re not as guarded as you thought you were.” A smirk perched upon my lips.
“I’m carefully guarded, especially about my personal life. You tricked me.”
“I tricked you?” I laughed. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s possible.”
“You did. Anyway, he runs our L.A. offices. Before you ask me about my mother, she lives with her husband, Raphael, in Italy. Now, no more personal questions. Understand?”
“I do.” I smiled.
I went to climb out of the hot tub, and Ashton reached out and grabbed hold of my wrist.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To bed?” My brow arched.
His eyes stared into mine. It was almost as if he were searching for my soul. His gaze bore into me, making me forget that being in this hot tub with him wasn’t a good idea. His hand let go of my wrist.
“Sleep tight, Charlotte.”
“You too, Ashton.”
I climbed out of the hot tub, grabbed a towel, and headed up the stairs. My heart was racing at the speed of light while my lady parts quivered. His sexiness almost made me forget what a wealthy asshole he really was.
After changing into my nightshirt, I settled into bed. My hand traveled down the front of my panties while I thought about him—his mesmerizing eyes, commanding stature, and a body I knew would physically satisfy me, bringing me to the point of an orgasm.
My phone rang. When I glanced at it, I saw Melissa was calling.
“Hey, you.”
“It’s not too late, is it? You weren’t sleeping, were you?”
“No. I was up.”
“I just wanted to let you know that Adam and I are leaving in a couple of days for North Carolina to visit his parents.”
“That sounds like fun. How long will you be gone?”
“Just a week. I’ll call you when we get back. How’s the nanny job going?”
“Good. Eloise is such a sweet kid.”
“And her handsome daddy?” she asked.
“Typical wealthy asshole. Nothing new there.”
She laughed.
“You sure know how to pick them, Char. I have to hang up and finish packing. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Good night, Melissa. Have a safe trip.”
The following morning, I woke up Eloise, made sure she got dressed, and headed down to the kitchen.
“Morning, Sylvia.” I smiled.
“Good morning, Charlotte. I brewed you a cup of coffee.” She handed me the warm mug.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s no big deal. I had just made Ashton a cup, and I knew you were on your way down.”
“Speaking of the big guy. Where is he?”
“He left a few minutes ago,” she said.
“Without saying goodbye to Eloise?” My brows furrowed.
“He said he forgot about a meeting he had first thing this morning.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I brought the mug to my lips.
“Morning, Sylvia. Can I have waffles today?” Eloise walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, sweetness. Yes, you may.” She smiled.
“Did Dad leave already?” Eloise asked.
“He did,” I said. “He forgot about a meeting he had this morning. I’m sorry he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.” I sat next to her at the island.
“Whatever.” She shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
She tried to play it off as if she didn’t care, but I knew she did, and it broke my heart. After dropping her off at school, I had Dominic drive me to Ashton’s office.
“Are you sure you want to go there, Charlotte?” he asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s just”—he stared at me from the rearview mirror.
“Just what, Dominic?” I cocked my head.
“He’s a very busy man.”
“I understand that, but I have something to say, and it can’t wait until he gets home. If he even comes home tonight. You know with that man, it’s always up in the air.”
“Okay.” He chuckled. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I stepped into the lobby of the tall glass building and walked over to the directory, taking note that his offices were on the twenty-fifth floor. When the elevators opened, I was greeted by a beautiful young woman with platinum hair and big, fuchsia-colored lips.
“How can I help you?”
“I’m here to see Ashton Cross.” I smiled.
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked.
“No. I don’t.”
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Cross only sees people by appointment. I would be happy to schedule one for you.”
“I don’t think you understand. I’m his nanny, Charlotte Campbell.”
“Oh. I didn’t know. Perhaps you should have started with that,” she said.
“You’re right. Maybe I should have.”
“Go down the hall, make a right, make a left at the first turn, and his office is the corner one. You’ll see his secretary, Lila, sitting outside his office.”
“Thank you.”
I followed her instructions, or so I thought, and ended up getting lost.
“Charlotte?” I heard Ashton’s voice from behind.
Turning around, I stared at his sexiness in his black Armani suit, his scent wafting in the air.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“No. I do need to speak with you, though.”
“Can’t it wait until I get home? I’m very busy.”
“No, it can’t because there’s no guarantee you’ll be home tonight.” My brow arched.
“Let’s go to my office,” he said.
We approached his office, and he shut the door.
“Have a seat.” He gestured. “What is this about?” He leaned against his desk in front of me, crossing his arms.
“You left this morning and didn’t say goodbye to Eloise.”
“And? There are plenty of mornings I have to be at the office before she wakes up.”
“But she was already up when you left. You couldn’t take two seconds and say goodbye to her?”
“What the hell is this about?” His eye steadily narrowed.
“You’ve worked for me for almost two weeks, and you think you can storm in here and question my parenting?
” he snapped. “You don’t understand, Charlotte.
I’m doing this for her. The extra hours, the travel, and early meetings.
It’s all so she can have a better future and won’t have to worry about money. ”
“She’s eight years old, Ashton. She doesn’t need a better future right now. She needs her father right now.”
“That’s easy for you to say.” He turned away and sat behind his desk. “You don’t have the pressure I have. The company, the deadlines, closing deals, and the task of being a father on top of it all.”
“Stop, Ashton.” I raised my hand. “Just stop. Excuses are easy to make. And that is what you’re doing.
You’re always going out, you barely see her, let alone spend any time with her.
She’s your flesh and blood, whether you like it or not.
I actually apologized to her for you not saying good morning before you left, and you know what she said? ”
“What?”
“She said she’s used to it. There’s nothing worse than not feeling loved by your parent.”
He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “You listen to me. You have a job to do, not sit here and criticize my parenting skills.”
“I only criticize what I see.”
“It’s none of your damn business what I do. I hired you to look after Eloise for me when I’m unavailable.”
“You’re always unavailable.”
“And that is none of your concern,” he shouted, pointing his finger at me. “Your only concern is Eloise.”
“And that’s why I felt the need to voice my opinion of your shitty fathering skills.”
God, I shouldn’t have said that, but it just came flying out of my mouth.
“We’re done here. Go.” He pointed to the door.
I slowly walked to the door, placed my hand on the handle, and turned around.
“I would have given anything to have gotten to know my father before he died. That’s all Eloise wants. You make her feel like a burden, and you suck!” I walked out.
I stared at the pretty girl sitting behind her desk, who was staring at me.
“You must be Lila. I’m Charlotte, the new nanny.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Charlotte.” She smiled. “Everything okay in there?” She pointed to Ashton’s office.
“Just Ashton being Ashton.”
“Ah.” She nodded.