More Than Perfect(26)
It was her turn to hesitate. “Again, other than the honor of becoming your wife and a mother to Mikey—”
“Ouch.”
She didn’t back down or curb the hint of sarcasm she’d allowed to drift into her comment. Didn’t dare. If he ever suspected what she and Jett had done, The Devil Devlin would make her life a living hell. And then he’d get really mean. “Seriously, Lucius. Why would I agree to such an insane arrangement? Why would any intelligent woman?”
“First, I’ll pay you far more than what you’re currently receiving as my PA.”
“Okay, ouch right back at you.”
He waved that aside with an impatient air. “Look, I know that money doesn’t drive you. But it’s a start. Let’s discuss what the job entails and then you tell me what you want in the way of compensation.”
“Fair enough. What would my duties include?”
“First and foremost, as you’ve already guessed, I require a mother for Mikey. I’m sure you’re aware the Ridgeways are talking about suing for custody. So far, I’ve convinced them to hold off, but one of their arguments is that I don’t have a stable home life. I’m dependent on outsiders for Mikey’s care. Having a wife whose primary duty is to raise the baby would go a long way toward appeasing them. You have an excellent rapport with Mikey already and you’ve been very good with the Ridgeways, something they’ve both noticed and commented on. And it’s obvious that your maternal instincts and your kindness are a genuine part of who you are as a person.”
“I’m not sure how kind I’ve been toward the Ridgeways, but they’re Mikey’s grandparents and Geoff’s parents. They deserve my respect, even if I don’t agree with their parenting style,” Angie stated simply. “Plus, I flat-out adore Mikey.”
Lucius grinned. “Even teething?”
She relaxed enough to return his smile. “Even teething.” She gestured for him to continue. “What’s next?”
“I currently have a housekeeper who takes care of maintaining the house and providing meals. But she’s informed me she plans to retire.”
Angie lifted an eyebrow. “You want me to cook and clean as well as care for Mikey? Seriously?”
He frowned. “I understand you’re a gourmet chef.”
Time for a little honesty. “That’s a gross exaggeration. I putter in the kitchen.” Boiling water. Throwing together a prepackaged salad. Fixing a decent cup of coffee. “But if you’re expecting gourmet meals, you have the wrong woman. You’re a billionaire, Lucius. Is there some reason you can’t hire a housekeeper to handle the general cooking and cleaning?”
“No, no of course not.” She could see him making a swift alteration to his game plan. “What about staging events for entertaining large groups of people?”
She could learn. How different could it be from some of the business events she’d helped plan for Diablo? “Sure.”
He relaxed ever so slightly. “And you can oversee the domestic end of things.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything, yet.”
Lucius inclined his head. “True enough.”
“So far we have the care for Mikey, the organization of the house and entertaining friends, clients and business associates. What else?”
“One final requirement.” He set his drink aside, untouched. “As you’re probably aware, I live in the penthouse apartment of this building. My plan has always been to find a house better suited to entertaining. With Mikey’s advent, I’ve moved those plans forward. I recently purchased a home on Lake Washington, but it needs a facelift. It needs a creative woman with an eye for color and design, who also possesses impeccable taste, to oversee those improvements.”
Uh-oh. Angie could see where this was heading. Straight off a cliff and into a vat of hot water. Scalding hot water. What the hell had Jett been thinking to add that particular talent to her curriculum vitae? And why in the world would Lucius buy into it? Or had it not occurred to him that a woman who dressed like chair upholstery might not have the best eye for design and color, let alone impeccable taste?
“Are you insane, Lucius?” she inquired politely. “I mean, seriously. Your little laundry list of requirements is a lovely dream. The perfect male fantasy, no doubt. But that’s all it’ll ever be. It’s the height of arrogance to expect one woman to do all that, especially a woman with an ounce of brains, common sense or self-respect. There isn’t one item you’ve detailed that isn’t, on its own, a full-time position. Expecting a single person to handle all of them…?” She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. It’s certainly not going to happen with me.”