She was halfway to the door when he laughed, a deep husky laugh that sent a little shiver up her back. It stopped her in her tracks. She turned to stare at him.
“No need to fly so fast,” he said, tucking the ends of his shirt into his trousers. “I’m not going to bite. I just want to talk to you about something.”
He wanted to talk to her? About what? Her curiosity got the better of her and when he waved her over to the couch again she released her hold on the vacuum cleaner and went to sit demurely on the edge of the chair.
“My name is Pierce D’Amato,” he said and plucked a business card from the desk. He reached over and handed it to her. “And you are?”
“Celine Santini.”
“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Santini,” he said with a smile then cocked an eyebrow. “You’re Italian? Your accent sounds French.”
She nodded and smiled. “Good guess. I’m from France but my dad was an Italian American serviceman. I speak all three languages.”
He gave her quick bow of the head and looked impressed. “Now that we know each other we can talk.” He leaned against the desk and folded his arms across his chest. His face grew serious. “I’m in a dilemma, Ms. Santini, and I wonder if you can help me?”
Celine frowned. What in the world could she do to help a man like him? He was obviously a powerful, wealthy man and she was nothing but a PhD student moonlighting as a hotel maid.
“I’m a busy man,” he said, deftly buttoning his cuffs as he spoke, never once taking his eyes off her, “but I suddenly find myself in a difficult situation. I’ve got my business to run and now I’ve got a four year old. I need the services of a nanny.”
Celine could only stare at Pierce D’Amato, convinced that the man had gone mad. He didn’t know a thing about her. What was he thinking?
“I know this sounds crazy,” he said, giving her a smile that told her he’d seen the confusion on her face, “but I was just appointed guardian for my cousin’s little girl and…I’m a bit lost, to say the least.” He shrugged. “What do I know about children?”
“So you’re looking for someone to take care of her.”
“Yes, a nanny, companion, helper. Whatever you call it. I already have a housekeeper but she’s got her hands full and I don’t think she’s up to the challenge of a four year old. Mrs. Simpson is almost sixty.”
“But what about the agencies? They can help you find lots of people who would be happy to take care of a child.”
“I went that route already. Hated it.” He grunted as if in disgust. “They sent me young, old, fat, thin. Kylie hated all of them. She’s really picky, that little one.”
“And you think…she’d like me?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure of it. From the second I laid eyes on you I knew you were the girl for Kylie.”
The second he laid eyes on her? How could he form an opinion that fast? And then she remembered she’d formed an opinion of him in that split second, too. And as she remembered their encounter her face grew warm. Celine shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
He laughed then stood up and walked over to the window. He looked down at the street below then turned to look at her. “As funny as it sounds when my eyes met yours something clicked. You have a freshness about you that I think will appeal to Kylie. And you look like a girl who isn’t afraid to have fun.”
Now what did he mean by that? Celine frowned and rose to her feet. “I’m sorry, Mr. D’Amato. I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ve got a good job here and-”
He laughed. “Working at what? Minimum wage? I could give you many times that without blinking.”
Celine sucked in her breath. The nerve of him. “Money isn’t everything. I don’t know you. How can I leave my job to go to a man I don’t know?”
“Is that all?” He waved his hand dismissively. “I’ve got great references, starting with the man who owns this hotel. He’s one of my clients.”
“Mr. Pierrefond?” she asked, her voice a reverent whisper. “You know him?” Every one of the hotel employees knew and respected John Pierrefond. He was one of the few billionaire businessmen in the area who took a personal interest in his employees. He was in his seventies but he remained as involved in the operations of his businesses as when he’d started out. The veteran employees never stopped talking about him.
Pierce shrugged. “We’ve been doing business for years. Ask him.” Then he gave her a grin that revealed a charming dimple in his right cheek. “He’ll stand by my character. I don’t go around ravishing innocent maidens, if that’s what you’re worried about.”