“We need to talk,” he said and jerked his head toward the only chair that did not have papers piled on top of it.
Dani’s heart fell. Tony looked none too pleased. What had she done to upset him? She couldn’t afford to lose this job, not right now. She’d only been working with the company a week and already had been able to send money to Brian for his books. She was counting on next week’s pay to cover the cost of his hockey uniform.
He flopped down in the chair behind his desk then his look softened as he stared at her. “Don’t look so worried,” he said. “I’m not going to fire you.”
Dani let out her breath slowly and cursed herself for having such an expressive face.
“I know you’re wondering what this is all about,” he said and leaned forward. “I heard about the incident the other night.”
She held her breath again, sure she would be reprimanded for literally dumping one of her passengers on his own driveway. The man had been drunk and had tried to grope her as she held the door open to let him out. She’d pushed him off and, unsteady as he was, he’d landed on his behind. Now she was in trouble because of it. She looked back at her boss but remained silent.
Tony’s face grew serious. “I heard about the incident through a third party and I’m not pleased. Why didn’t you tell me what happened?”
Dani’s glance wavered and she looked down at her hands. When she said nothing Tony spoke again, even more sternly. “From the day I interviewed you I could see you were a tough kid but you can’t keep things like this a secret. You have to remember that you’re a woman and you have to be careful.” He leaned back and clasped his hands over his paunch. “And I have to remember that, too. I’m not proud of the fact that I put you in that situation.”
Her eyes flew to his face. “But you didn’t-“
“Yes, I did.” He cut her off. “I should have known better than to give you a random assignment.” He steepled his fingers and fixed her with a frown. “From now on you’ll be assigned only to reliable customers. I’m going to give you a very important customer of mine. His father was my client for many years and now he uses my services, too.” Tony paused as if for effect. “His name is Storm Hunter.”
Dani frowned. “The Storm Hunter? Of the Hunter’s Run clothing line?”
Tony nodded and gave her a satisfied smile. “The one and the same. I’ve been serving his family for over twenty-three years. I’ve known Storm since he was a kid.” Then his face grew serious. “As I said, he’s an important client. The Hunters, they’ve been good to me. It’s not like they need my services that much but they always give me business. That’s the kind of people they are.”
“I understand and I’ll take good care of him,” she said, still slightly dazed. Imagine that. She’d be chauffeur to a member of the Hunter family, one of the wealthiest in the Chicago area. They were ‘old money’ and everyone knew of them. And even with all that money the oldest son, Storm, had branched out of the family’s manufacturing business and had started his own clothing line, making himself a billionaire many times over at the ripe old age of twenty-seven.
“And seeing that you’ve already made some adjustments to your appearance I want you to keep it that way.” He gave her a nod of approval. “I can’t vouch for all my other customers so I don’t necessarily want to broadcast that I have a woman on the team. You don’t know who you might attract once that kind of information gets around.” He stood up and walked over to check the computer sitting on the desk in the far corner. “Tonight you’re going to pick up Mr. Hunter from a party and get him safely home. If he plans to drink he always arranges for us to come get him. You can check the location on your computer in the car.”
This was Dani’s cue to get going. She stood up and gave her boss a quick nod. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your looking out for me.”
“No problem, Swift. Now just grow some hair on that baby face of yours and look tough.” Tony was chuckling as Dani walked out of his office and headed for the garage.
Things had turned out a lot better than she’d thought. There she was, thinking she was about to get fired, and instead she’d been assigned to a man who was probably the limousine company’s most prestigious client.
Now if only his tips would be as big as his name, she’d be sweet.
That night Dani arrived on location a whole fifteen minutes before the appointed time. There was no way she would risk being late. And she’d prepared well, too, making sure to pile every last strand of her thick dark hair underneath the rim of the chauffeur’s hat. She’d been doing that since the groping incident. She’d ditched the earrings and had left her face devoid of any form of make-up. She’d even practiced her walk, trying to eliminate the feminine sway of her hips and adopt instead the long strides of a man. Thank God she was taller than most of her sex. At five feet seven and a half she could easily pass for a man. Now if only she could grow some hair on her chin. She chuckled at the thought. She was willing to go far but not that far.
At five minutes after ten people started leaving the stately mansion. The cars that rolled out of the driveway included Porsches, Jaguars and a Bentley. Then there were others who chose to depart in limousines. Storm Hunter would be one of them.
Dani recognized him immediately. Over six feet tall and dangerously handsome, he was dressed in a designer suit of midnight black, his dark hair curling deliciously at the collar. He strode down the driveway toward her with an air of supreme confidence that almost took her breath away. He had billionaire stamped all over him.
Realizing she was staring she immediately straightened to her full height and masked her face with a stony expression. The last thing she wanted was for this man to think she was ogling him. Although, if ever there was a man to fit the description of ‘eye candy’, he was it. But she couldn’t be caught staring. She had to remember she was a professional, she was on the job, and on this job she was a man. Sort of.
Storm Hunter was halfway to the car when a tall, willowy blonde ran down the driveway toward him.
“Storm, wait for me,” she called in a light, airy voice. “I want to come with you.”
For a fraction of a second Storm’s brows fell and a look of annoyance passed over his face. Then it went blank and he turned to meet the woman who was now almost upon him. “Lola,” he said, his deep voice quiet and cool, “I thought you were heading for home.”
“I am,” she said with a laugh as she caught his arm and clung to it. “Daddy didn’t come for me as he promised so I’m hitching a ride with you.” She looked up at him with huge eyes full of adoration then she added the finishing touch when she set her crimson lips in a teasing pout.
Dani almost gagged. Christ, the things some women did to get a man’s attention. Then, realizing the direction of her thoughts, she made her face bland. It was not her place to judge or to get involved in the affairs of these people. Best to just focus on doing her job.
“My pleasure,” Storm said but his voice was anything but pleasant. He’d spoken with a formality that made it clear that he would have preferred to travel alone.
The woman he’d called Lola didn’t seem to notice his reticence. “Thank you so much, darling,” she gushed. “Now we can get a chance to talk some more. You know Daddy loves it when we talk.” Then she batted her eyes in what she must have thought was an irresistibly seductive manner.
Dani clenched her teeth to keep from uttering a sound. As tempted as she was to give a groan of disgust, that was a luxury she could not afford. But honestly, the woman’s simpering was past annoying. She didn’t know how Storm Hunter could stand it.
He seemed to be handling it fairly well, though. They’d started walking toward the car and there was a slight smile on his lips, admittedly a somewhat sardonic-looking smile, but a smile nonetheless. The woman slipped a hand into the crook of his arm and he didn’t seem to mind. They looked quite comfortable now as they strolled toward her.
But things aren’t always as they seem, as Dani soon realized. To her surprise, when the couple got up close she saw the glint of irritation in the man’s eyes and then he gave her a knowing look. For that nanosecond Dani’s heart froze. Storm Hunter had just exchanged a look with her, a look that said he was pissed and he didn’t mind letting her know because she would understand. It was one of those looks shared between men. Except, she wasn’t a man.
But he didn’t know that.
He was standing right in front of her now. Dani gave a quick nod of greeting, the perfect excuse for her to drop her gaze and break the hold of his stare. “Good evening, Mr. Hunter,” she said in a low voice then leaned forward and opened the door of the limousine. Storm helped Lola then he bent his tall frame and climbed in, leaving Dani to close the door behind them. A moment passed before she could move. He’d been so close that the heady fragrance of his cologne filled her nostrils. That, combined with his nearness, had her heart racing like she’d just done a hundred meter sprint. Christ, what in the world was wrong with her?