computer code wreaking havoc with his program. This was the man she expected minus the gorgeous face and athletic physique.
“Libby tells me you’re a Martha Stewart–Mary Poppins mash-up, able to master home, hearth and heathen children.”
“I don’t have anything magical to pull out of my tote bag, but I do have a few modern-day equivalents for tricks and can spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backward.” Something she’d learned being the nanny of a gifted child one summer.
“So you have no magic, but you brought a homeless cat.”
His eyes were flat, no glint of humor or spark of amusement. Was this the intimidator Libby told Emma to ignore?
“Libby assured me that bringing Blossom was acceptable.” Emma’s voice sounded hoarse. She cleared her throat.
“If it was a problem I would have hired you a cat sitter.” He shrugged off his suit jacket, tossed it onto the seat across the aisle, then buckled his seat belt. “My niece, nephew and cousins’ children will play with the cat. Just keep the beast away from me.”
“Allergic?”
“No.”
Camille picked up the jacket, glanced at the seat belts fastened across their laps, then headed to the front of the jet.
The silence made Emma bristle, reminding her of the impending takeoff. She needed to distract herself. “Not a fan of cats?”
His lips narrowed, reducing their kissability factor by 70 percent. Not that she would ever kiss him.
“If you must know, they’re pampered, vile creatures. I don’t see the appeal.”
His good looks had sparked an initial attraction, but his fire-extinguishing personality was making sure no flames erupted. She, as his employee, should let his words drop and discuss what her job responsibilities would be. But the cat lover in her couldn’t do that. Nor could the friend in her, either. His lack of warmth and understanding he displayed with the cat probably also translated to his overworking Libby to the point of her almost dying.
“Blossom is not a pampered cat, Mr. Cole. Her owner died. The family didn’t want to be bothered so surrendered the cat to an animal control facility in California. She ended up on a kill list. The shelter I volunteer for in Portland stepped in to rescue her. Blossom lived with thirty-five other cats until the space flooded yesterday. She had to come with me as a foster or spend the next week in a metal cage at a vet’s office.”
“Not pampered.” He sounded more amused than irritated. “I stand corrected.”
“Thank you for admitting that.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming.”
Libby had said AJ didn’t like being wrong. Emma didn’t want to annoy him or upset him, but she had more to say. She scraped her teeth across her lower lip. “I’ve said too much.”
“Perhaps, but I’d like to know.”
Libby had told Emma to do what he requested without asking too many questions. But this probably wasn’t what her friend meant.
“Go on,” he urged.
“Well...I’m sorry, but you’re wrong about cats. They’re intelligent, independent and inquisitive. They’re amazing pets and have made innumerable people happier for their company.”
His eyes widened, then narrowed. He pressed his steepled hands against his lips.
Uh-oh. He didn’t seem to like her answer. “Remember, you wanted to know,” she reminded.
“I did.” He lowered his hands. “Are you as passionate about the children you care for as felines?”
“Yes.”
“Do you express your views with their parents as you have with me?”
Emma wasn’t about to lie. She raised her chin. “If warranted.”
“What is their response?”
“In one case, I was let go.”
“Fired for speaking your mind?”
“I wasn’t hired to spout my opinions,” she admitted. “But by that point, the only reason I hadn’t quit was the children. I was staying on for their sake.”
A closed-mouth smile curved his lips. “Lucky kids to have you on their side.”
He didn’t sound upset. That surprised her. “I do my best, but I expect kids to behave, so maybe they aren’t so lucky to have me.”
“What happens if they don’t behave?”
“Depends on the child. Some kids need to talk it through. Be heard. Others don’t understand why they act out.” Emma’s ability to read people had helped her survive in one foster home after another, but she couldn’t read Mr. Cole. A billionaire shouldn’t be interested in her job as a nanny. Maybe one of his colleagues needed to hire child care. “With certain children, more tangible consequences like a time-out or chores are necessary. But I prefer using kindness and a loving hand if at all possible.”
“What will my consequence be?”
“Yours?”
“If I misbehave.”
Playful images of how he might misbehave flitted through her mind. Unwelcome ones. Ones that made her cheeks burn. “I...I’m your personal assistant. Not your nanny.”
“If you were my nanny.”
Emma would have to resign due to naughty thoughts. Wrong answer. She cupped the side of her neck with her palm, shaken by her reaction to the sudden change in him. Her skin didn’t feel warm to the touch. Maybe only her cheeks were red. But a blush was too much. “Mr. Cole—”
“AJ.” His smile, full of sex appeal and devilish charm, stole her breath. “We’re going to be working together for the next five days. Putting on a birthday party and surrounded by my family. Humor me, Emma.”
Her name rolled off his tongue and heated her insides twenty degrees. A flame reignited deep within her. So not good. And 100 percent unacceptable.
Get a grip. AJ wasn’t flirting. A rich, gorgeous man would never be attracted to a simple, unremarkable nanny. More likely he was testing her. Libby had mentioned something about AJ’s tests.
A test Emma could handle. She’d been a good student, mostly As, a few Bs. But she’d grown up since then. Emma straightened, book-on-top-of-her-head posture. She had no doubt she would pass this test with an A-plus no matter what Attila threw at her.
She looked across the table at him. Awareness of the man’s good looks and power shivered through her. At least she hoped she would pass his test.
What
