When She's Bad

by Leanne Banks

  “Yes you are.”

  “Not,” she said and chuckled, remembering the retort she and her childhood friends had given each other years ago. “Till infinity.”

  His lips twitched. “Your maturity astounds me.”

  “You just wish you’d thought of it,” she sparred.

  Willy tossed his bottle on the floor and let out a loud burp.

  Surprised at the volume, she gaped at him. “How does such a little person—”

  “You asked that earlier,” Benjamin said.

  She nodded absently. Willie gave a huge grin and chortled, and it was as if the sun came out from behind a cloud. A strange warm feeling tugged at her heart.

  Another warm feeling leaked down the side of her nightshirt. It took her a moment to comprehend the source of the second one. She groaned. “Damn diaper leaked on me. I’ve got to change him again. I need to take care of that messy one. What do people do with messy cloth diapers anyway?” she muttered.

  “My cousin rinsed them in the toilet,” Benjamin informed her.

  “But how?” She pictured swishing the diaper around with a stick.

  “With your hand.”

  Disgusted, she shook her head. “Absolutely not. There’s got to be a better way. I’ll get gloves. Or maybe he’ll grow out of his allergic reaction.”

  “A dream is a wish your heart makes,” Benjamin said cryptically.

  Disliking his tone, she frowned at him. “You know, I asked for your ongoing help with Willy and it occurs to me that you haven’t changed his diaper yet.”

  “No. I took your second shift so you could sleep.”

  Delilah opened her mouth then shut it. Well, damn. She couldn’t argue with that.

  “You wanted to say something?” he asked with an arched eyebrow that managed to be both impertinent and sexy. His face was still bruised from his adventure in the garage.

  Delilah frowned further. He was a snotty trust-fund baby intellectual elitist. He wasn’t supposed to be sexy. She wasn’t supposed to feel anything remotely sexy after a six-month-old had just peed on her.

  Sighing, she glanced down at Willy. “What are we going to do with him until we get a nanny?”

  “I’ve got lectures this morning. I could take him at lunch.”

  “So I just have to keep him until noon. Maybe I can go in late if I work late. If I’m lucky, I can interview a couple of nanny prospects this morning.”

  His lips twitched. “How lucky are you usually?”

  She made a face. “Don’t rub it in.”

  He gave a mock salute. “See you noonish.”

  “For a nooner,” she said, the words popping out of her mouth of their own accord. “Sorry. I wasn’t serious. I used to flirt a lot with Cash and—” She shrugged. “Bad habit.”

  “Sounds like you and Cash were pretty close.”

  “Yeah, we were,” she said, not wanting to expound. She was surprised at herself. She didn’t trust men easily. It had taken Cash a long time to win her trust. Why was she letting down her guard with Benjamin?

  She glanced down at Willy and found her answer. Sheer desperation.

  After a harried hour of getting herself and Willy dressed, Delilah put the baby into her car, drove to Wal-mart and cleaned out the baby department. She almost couldn’t fit the playpen in her car, and the swing jutted out the passenger side window. Wal-mart no longer had any more cloth diapers or plastic pants. Despite the fact that she’d bought several pairs of plastic gloves, Delilah had a strong sense that some of his diapers were going to be so bad she would toss them.

  As usual, security was nowhere in sight, so she hauled as much as she could upstairs with Willy whimpering for another bottle. When she tumbled into her door, she heard the phone ringing. Dumping the baby paraphernalia in the foyer, she dashed for the phone.

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly.

  “Miss Montague?” her assistant, Sara, asked.

  “Yes, what do you need?” Delilah asked, jiggling Willy as his whimpering turned to a fussing sound.

  “Is that a baby?”

  “Yes, it’s a long story. I’ll explain another time. What did you need?”

  “You have to come to the office. The accountants are here.”

  “Now?” Delilah couldn’t keep the wailing tone from her voice. “Why?”

  “They want to talk to you immediately.” Sara lowered her voice. “There’s also a representative from the executor for Howard Bradford’s estate.”

  Delilah’s heart sank. “Oh, shit.” She glanced at Willy and felt a slice of guilt. She probably shouldn’t swear in front of the baby. “Spit,” she amended. “Oh, spit.”

  “Miss Montague?”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  By the time Delilah heated up Willy’s bottle, he was at full volume. She set him on the floor while she pulled the playpen out of the box. Thank goodness he could sit and hold his own bottle. The playpen required very little assembly. As soon as it appeared stable, she plopped him into the pen and ran to take a three-minute shower. She wasn’t sure she got all the soap out of her hair and decided to gel it. Maybe on the way in the car.

  Deodorant, yes. Teeth brushed, yes. Black suit. She always wore black when dealing with accountants. Any other color seemed to make them suspicious.

  She found Willy in the pen wearing a happy, nearly inebriated expression. The bottle had been tossed out of the pen the same way a beer can was tossed out the window of a car.

  Bracing herself, she changed his diaper, but it was just wet. “I need you to stay happy and quiet for about an hour. Work with me, Willy. You can do it.”

  After grabbing the diaper bag and driving her infant-mobile to the office, she parked further away from the building than usual. She didn’t want to call attention to the swing still poking out of her window.

  She hauled Willy and the diaper bag into the office.

  Sara gaped at her.

  “This is highly unusual, and I don’t have time to explain, but could you please watch Willy while I meet with the accountants?”

  Sara blinked and slowly rose from her desk. “Well, of course.”

  Willy chose that moment to let out a loud, wet burp.

  On the shoulder of her black suit.

  Delilah looked down at the beige formula smeared on her black suit and panicked. “Oh, sh—” She stopped herself.

  “Wipe it off in the bathroom,” Sara said, removing the scarf she wore around her neck. “Then put this on, but be quick. They’re waiting for you in the conference room.”

  Oh, goody. She met Sara’s kind gaze. “Thank you.”

  Sara nodded and took Willy from her arms. Delilah dashed to the ladies’ room and was appalled to see a stress rash climbing her neck. She looked at Sara’s ladylike scarf and rolled her eyes. She needed a blanket or a sheet to cover the splotchy red of her neck. She looked in the mirror. “You’ve got to get hold of yourself,” she whispered sternly as she wiped off the formula. “What can they do to you besides take away the best opportunity of your life?”

  Delilah choked back a moan and stiffened her spine. “Hey, your dad beat you and you’ve lived in a homeless shelter. You can survive anything.”

  Taking a deep breath, she jerked a knot in the scarf, lifted her chin and marched toward the conference room fighting the thought that the flames of hell were about to consume her.

  She opened the door to the conference room and lifted her lips in a determined smile to the three men attired in black suits. “Good morning. I appreciate your visit,” she lied through her teeth.

  All three men rose and cleared their throats, before they returned her greeting.

  “How can I help you?” she asked.

  “Let’s take a seat,” Jerry Reubens, the senior accountant said.

  Delilah had a strong sense that this was going to be bad news. If possible, the men’s faces were more sober than usual. As she perched on the edge of her seat, she balled her fists together so tightly he
r fingernails bit into her palms.

  Jerry nodded toward one of the executors of Howard’s estate. “Bill, why don’t you start?”

  Bill cleared his throat. “Miss Montague, as you know, a silent partner by the name of Lone Star Corporation owns nearly half interest in the spa. Since Mr. Bradford’s death, the members of this corporation have elected to sell their shares to one member. This member would like to take a more active role in the business decisions concerning the spa.”

  “But I still own majority interest, don’t I?” Delilah said, cursing her lack of foresight in forking over those two measly percentage shares to Helga.

  “Yes, but in the interest of a smooth operating business and avoiding conflict, you may want to include the silent partner in future business meetings and decisions.”

  Delilah frowned. “If I have majority interest, then why do I need to cow-tow to a silent partner who has suddenly decided to become a nosey, noisy partner?”

  The men exchanged sideways glances.

  Jerry tented his fingers together like a church steeple, not a comforting symbol for Delilah. “A silent partner has the right to request audits and question the ability of the current management. The silent partner may request weekly reports on everything from inventory to safety procedures to clean bathroom checks.”

  Delilah’s stomach knotted. “So what you’re saying is I could be nitpicked to death.”

  “I’m afraid so. Your best course would be to cooperate with the silent partner.”

  She sighed. “Okay. Who is my silent partner?”

  A knock sounded at the partially opened door and Lilly Bradford appeared in the doorway. “Hi there. You don’t mind if I come in, do you?”

  Jerry glanced at Bill then both men looked at Delilah.

  Oh, no. No, no, no, Delilah thought, gazing desperately at Jerry. But Jerry gave a slight nod of his head and Delilah saw the awful truth written on his face.

  “I have some thoughts on the current expansion plans,” Lilly said coolly as she entered the room. “Good morning,” she said to the men, then glanced at Delilah without extending her hand or a greeting. “You’ve informed Miss Montague of my partnership status, haven’t you?”

  The room began to spin.

  She’d become the guardian of a six-month-old baby last night and the person who hated her more than just about anything, Lilly Bradford, had just become her business partner. Somebody up there was having way too much fun at her expense.

  Lilly sat down and opened a folder. “The first thing I’d like to review is your educational background.”

  A very sore point for Delilah. She stiffened her spine. “When I was hired, I was told my experience was more important.”

  “And what was your experience when you were promoted?” Lilly asked in a snippy voice.

  Delilah wanted to grab her by her Dumbo ears and jerk her into a knot. “I had already worked at Spa DeMay for a few years. As you know, I was trained by your father,” she said boldly, daring Lilly to make a snide comment in front of the accountants.

  Lilly’s cheeks turned pink. Her eyes sparked with fury. “But your education.”

  “My education is three years of training from your father. I have five years of experience at this spa. What kind of work experience do you have?” Delilah asked, turning the tables on Howard’s daughter with a silent uplifted apology. Sorry, but your princess is getting out of hand.

  Lilly opened her mouth, but nothing came out. “I—I—”

  “You have a college education, don’t you? What was your major? How does it relate to the spa?”

  Lilly began to sweat. When she’d gone to bed by herself again last night, she’d vowed that she would be the perfect choice of a bride for Robert Huntington. After her appointment with the executor of her father’s estate yesterday, she’d concluded that one of her first duties as prospective fiancée was to get the trash out of her life. Delilah Montague needed to go.

  Even now, though, the woman made her feel uncertain. Lilly had every reason to feel confident and in control. She owned almost half of what Delilah wanted. She could make Delilah’s life a living hell while Delilah couldn’t do a thing to her. Except make her feel insecure, ignorant and inexperienced.

  I am an ice cube, Lilly told herself. She can’t get her claws in me. “We’re not here to discuss my qualifications.”

  “If we’re going to discuss mine, then it’s only fair that we discuss yours. What did you say your employment experience was?”

  Lilly resisted the urge to squirm. “I worked as my father’s personal secretary one summer and I’ve been active in charity work.”

  Delilah nodded. “So you worked for your father and for charity.” She shook her head. “The problem with charity is you don’t really have to make a profit, but when you operate a business, you do.”

  Lilly wanted to scratch out Delilah’s smoldering come-hither eyes that turned men to putty. She swallowed the hard knot of her envy. “Speaking of profit, your expansion plans will cut into profits.”

  “For the short term, but long-term projections indicate—”

  “The problem with projections is they’re just projections. Not a guarantee.”

  “There’s no such thing as a guarantee,” Delilah said, her gaze womanly wise and worldly.

  For a second, Lilly wondered how she’d gained that wisdom. Something told her that whatever it was hadn’t been a source of pleasure. She stopped her thoughts. There was no room for compassion or any other gentle emotion for Delilah Montague. She was trash and the garbage needed to be put out on the curb to be taken away.

  “I’m going to need more information before I’ll agree to expansion in Dallas.”

  She watched Delilah’s gaze turn to steel and felt a moment of trepidation. What if she couldn’t get rid of her?

  “Fine,” Delilah said crisply. “I don’t have time right now, but give me a list of your questions and I’ll let you know when I have the answers. In the meantime, if you’ll excuse me, I must leave.”

  Delilah stood and walked out of the room, leaving the three men with their tongues hanging out of their mouths. Disgusted, Lilly stood. “I’ll see you gentlemen later. Have a good day,” she said and walked toward the front of the spa.

  As she rounded the corner, she nearly bumped into Delilah as she held a baby. A baby boy, she presumed, taking in the blue jacket and hat that didn’t quite cover his jutting ears. She instinctively lifted her hand to make sure hers were covered.

  The baby extended his hand to her and gurgled.

  Lilly felt a vague softening inside her. She wanted babies with Robert. “Cute baby,” she said. “Who does he belong to?”

  “A friend,” Delilah said vaguely, sighing as she hoisted a diaper bag over her shoulder.

  The sight was an odd one. Delilah the vamp with an infant and for the first time Lilly glimpsed dark circles under her father’s mistress’s eyes. “Why do you have him?” she couldn’t resist asking.

  Delilah met her gaze. “Because I promised I would.”

  Babe In Total Control Of Herself aka Bitch.

  —DELILAH’S DICTUM

  Chapter 6

  After feeling as if Lilly had poked her like a voodoo doll, Delilah collected Willy and drove back to the condo praying that Benjamin would be there as he’d agreed. No guarantees, she told herself. When the going got tough, rich white boys didn’t always keep their promises. Her mother had learned that the hard way when two men had bailed on her after she’d gotten pregnant. Delilah’s father had been one of them.

  Holding her breath and propping Willy on her hip, she pushed open the door to the sight of Benjamin sitting across from a woman with a great deal of facial hair who was dressed like a bag lady.

  Benjamin stood and she felt a little tickle in her stomach that he was still there. Anyone else in their right mind would have run screaming in the other direction. He met Delilah’s gaze with a deliberately neutral expression. “Delilah, this is Ms. Cann
ady. Nanny Finders sent her.”

  “Oh, okay.” She passed Willy to Benjamin and extended her hand to Ms. Cannady. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please have a seat while we talk,” Delilah said, trying to form appropriate questions quickly. The woman’s facial hair, however, was very distracting.

  “I was just telling your man that I’ll take care of the baby, but I don’t cook dinners or clean houses. And I start charging extra if you’re five minutes late.”

  Your man stopped her brain flat for several seconds. Benjamin wasn’t her man. She shook her head. She was desperate for a nanny. For a sliver of a moment, she wondered if Willy would mind the facial hair all that much. She inhaled and caught a strong whiff of garlic. She couldn’t force that combination of sight and smell on Willy. She bit back a sigh of disappointment. “Thank you for letting me know. Can you tell me about your experience?”

  “I did baby sitting for ten years for my next-door neighbors.”

  “Did you keep the children on an ongoing basis?”

  “No, I helped out in case of emergencies, but now I need a full-time job. I can start tomorrow.”

  “The agency told you that we’ll be using cloth diapers with the baby, didn’t they?” Delilah asked.

  Complete silence followed.

  “Why don’t you use disposables?” Ms. Cannady asked warily.

  “The baby is allergic to them.”

  “Oh.”

  The woman cleared her throat and rose. “Well, uh, I might have to think about this. It’s not good for my, uh, skin to be in water a lot of the time.”

  “That’s certainly understandable,” Delilah said, heading for the door. “Thank you for dropping by.” She closed the door and looked at Benjamin, wanting to kiss him for being there. She restrained herself. “She was from Nanny Finders?”

  Setting Willy into the playpen, Benjamin shook his head. “I was just as surprised as you were.”

  “Do you think they’re all going to be like this?” she asked, horrified at the prospect.

  Benjamin met her gaze. “Delilah, how many women, and I use the term loosely, have you seen who look and smell like that?”

  “True. Not many,” she conceded.