Call one of them and f**k Lana right out of your system.
He didn’t want to. Cancelling all of the messages and calls, Kent climbed into bed alone. He’d not been to bed alone in years.
His aversion to relationships stemmed from when he was a teenager. The girl he’d given his heart to had crushed him by dating his brother instead. Kent thought about Tonya. She was his age and had been his best friend. Tonya was now married to his brother, and they had three children. His brother, Seth, adored Tonya, and their relationship was strong.
Kent’s parents were still married and their love stronger than ever. He loved his family even though he avoided them. Family occasions annoyed him as his parents were always trying to set him up on dates. His parents didn’t approve of his lifestyle.
He recalled his father’s comment last Christmas.
“Son, watching you parade a load of women around on the television is not what I wanted for my boy. I’m proud of what you’ve done with yourself. I know you didn’t want to be anything other than your own businessman. However, you’re going to regret your life if you continue with this. You’re breaking your mother’s heart. You deserve a good girl to settle down with.”
At the time he’d thought his father was nagging him again. He wasn’t made the way his parents or his brother were. Closing his eyes, Kent tried to forget about Lana. She wasn’t like his other women, but she wasn’t in his future either.
Chapter Four
Thursday was busier than usual at the diner. Lana struggled to keep up with the orders and the customers. Her late night was wearing her down. She’d settled herself into a system with her two jobs, and going out to dinner with Kent had disrupted that.
By four she was exhausted and ready to go home. Instead, she finished her shift at the diner before making her way across the city to the Anderson Corporation building. Her feet ached, but she refused to give in. Her hair was tied in pigtails down either side of her shoulders. It was seven at night when she got inside. She’d missed lunch and was hungry. Ignoring the pangs, she grabbed the cleaning trolley, smiled at the security guard before making her way over to the elevator. She pushed the trolley inside, pressed the button for her floor and waited. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she pulled the trolley onto the floor. The light inside Kent’s office was on.
Nibbling her lip, she wondered if she should go and talk to him. Shaking her head, she went around gathering the used sweet packets and bits of screwed up paper from people’s desk with a trashcan in her hand.
She didn’t look at the family pictures as she made her way around the large office. Her feet hurt even though she wore flats. She’d never worn high heels and doubted she’d ever be able to walk in them. Picking up the duster she made her way through the office once again cleaning down the desks and putting everything away neatly.
“You’re not even going to acknowledge my presence?” Kent asked.
Lana turned to see Kent leaning against his office doorframe. “I’m working. I need to get this place clean.”
Getting the office clean meant she could clean and then go home. She liked the thought of getting home and having a bath. A bath sounded like the best thing in the world.
Kent moved closer to her. “We went out to dinner. You’ve been cleaning for an hour, and you’ve nothing to say.”
Staring at her hands on the duster, heat filled her cheeks at his assessment.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“How about hello? Or ‘how are you doing’ would be good,” he said.
He’d moved close enough for him to reach out and lift her chin up with a finger underneath.
“Hello, Mr Anderson. How are you today?” she asked.
“Call me Kent. We’re past formal names.”
“Kent,” she said. She’d called him Kent last night. In the office it didn’t feel right calling him by his name.
She pulled away from his touch. “I need to clean.”
“You’re exhausted.”
Lana nodded. “Yes, I’m exhausted. I need to get this place clean so I can go home.”
Her stomach growled. Tears filled her eyes as her emotions got the better of her. Kent smiled, taking the duster from her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m going to help you get this place finished, and then I’m going to drive you home and we’re going to eat together.”
“You really shouldn’t do that. You’re paying me to clean.” She tried to take the duster from him.
“No, I pay the cleaning company. I want to help you. You’re exhausted, and I’m looking forward to having dinner with you again.”
She dropped her hand. “You’re not going to let me win this, are you?”
“No. I get my own way all the time. You may as well give up.” He smiled down at her. Lana couldn’t help but smile back. He made her smile.
“Okay, fine. You win. Are you sure you know what to do with that?”
“I’ve watched you using it for months. I think I can handle it,” he said.
He watched me?
Pleasure travelled up her spine at the knowledge.
They worked together around the office. Watching Kent in his expensive business suit working a duster was one of the best sights she’d seen all year. He went around the desk and occasionally grumbled.
“I’m going to ban personal items,” he said.
“Why? Personal items are great. They allow people to bring their family to work. I bet if you took their personal items away, they’d work slowly.” She turned the vacuum on and started buzzing around the office. When they were finished, Lana took the duster away from him. “Maybe you’re in the wrong profession,” she said.
“I’ve watched the best.”
She smiled at him enjoying his compliment.
“Right, why don’t you put this away and meet me down at the parking lot?” Kent turned to her, cupped her cheek and leaned down. The air whooshed out of her at his nearness. “And you better be there within ten minutes. If you don’t I’ll take you over my knee and give you what for.”
Her mouth opened in shock. “Are you threatening to spank me?”
“You bet I am. Are you going to tell the press? I can see the headline now, notorious billionaire threatens to spank his cleaner,” he said.
“One, I wouldn’t go to the press. Why would I? And second, you’re a billionaire now?” she asked, smiling. She tapped his chest then moved toward the elevator.