Page 2 of Daddy’s Accidental Little Worker

“Hello, Bianca Darling,” I said loudly, wondering how much of the wine she had consumed by this point. “Forgive me for being late.” She frowned as she looked up at me, her frown disappearing as soon as she looked at my face.

“Lance Lanberger?” she asked as she stared at me in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” Seeing the confused look on Barry’s face, I chuckled.

“Did you know I was the one meeting you for the dinner meeting?” I asked, and, after seeing the look on Barry’s face, she seemed to finally understand what was going on.

“Oh, right,” she said as she gave me a professional smile. “Sorry, I never got the name from Zane, so I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to meet.” Taking this opportunity to complete the charade, she stood and offered me her hand. “Please forgive me for not waiting. Zane gave me the wrong time.” I shook her hand and took the opposing seat before looking at Barry.

“I’ll have the same thing she’s having, right down to the dessert and appetizers,” I informed him before examining the bottle of wine, which was barely touched. “We’ll also need another bottle of wine.” Barry nodded and rushed off to the kitchen. As soon as we were alone, Bianca lowered her gaze, looking embarrassed and confused.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Mr. Lanberger?” she asked, her voice calm and professional. I unwrapped the spare utensils and placed the napkin in my lap, following her example.

“Barry assumed that I was your dining companion once I mentioned I bought your company,” I admitted, hoping that she didn’t think little of me. “I’ll admit that I have been simply dying to meet you, so I took the opportunity.” Once the napkin was in my lap, I smiled at her. “May I inquire about your evening?” She winced as she dipped her hands under the table, and I caught the glimpse of an engagement ring.

“I got dumped by my fiance,” she informed me. “He stood me up, went to a party of some kind, then called me to inform me that he had sold the company and was moving away.” Looking around at the dining area, she pulled her hands back up and showed me her left hand. “He said this was a parting gift. Can you believe it?” I frowned as I examined the pitiful excuse of a ring she wore.

It was a thin banded gold ring with what looked to be a twenty-four karat diamond gracing it with its presence. However, upon further examination, I saw that the diamond was actually moissanite, not diamond. The closer I looked at the band, the more I realized that it was actually a nicole band plated with the lowest grade of gold I had ever seen. Sympathy for Bianca washed over me as I looked back up at her.

“Where did you fiance get this?” I asked, and she shrugged.

“He wouldn’t say,” she told me as a look of disappointment replaced her cringe. “It’s a fake, isn’t it?” I cleared my throat and winced.

“As much as I hate to be the one to tell you this,” I began, feeling even worse for her than I had already, “it is.” She sighed and poured herself another glass of wine, shaking her head as she did so.

"That doesn't surprise me," she told me before looking back up at me. "He's already done so much bad that I don't know what good he actually did." When Barry brought me my appetizers and wine glass, I poured myself a glass of wine.

"You know, this could actually be your lucky day," I told her as I looked up from my wine glass. "I have been meaning to contact you with a business proposition."

CHAPTER THREE

Bianca

The second he mentioned the business proposal, my attention peaked, and I grew genuinely curious as to what he was planning. Originally, I was confused as to why he would want to join me at my table, but, now that he was done pretending for the waiter, he had an entirely different look to him. It was mysterious and sexy, but it was also cool and collected, completely what you would expect from a professional like him. I noticed that a wet spot had grown in my panties and shifted my weight, making it look like I was truly interested in what he was about to say rather than to hide a rather embarrassing arousal.

“I’m listening,” I told him with a coy smile, unable to hide it. If he noticed anything off about my behavior, he didn’t say anything at all. Instead, he leaned forward, seeming eager to tell me a secret rather than a business proposal.

“Are you possibly looking to get back into the real estate game?” he asked me. “You know, in light of everything that just happened?” I paused for a moment, completely caught off guard by his question.

In the last twenty minutes of being single, I realized that I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to do now. I had been too busy feeling sorry for myself that I forgot that I still had plenty of options from here. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Lance Lamberger’s chance encounter here in the restaurant was practically a miracle. It had snapped me out of my shock and jump started the mind that made me such a good real estate agent. I shrugged as I decided to play cool and wait to see what he said.

“Well, I have considered it,” I admitted, playing into his proposal. “Why do you ask?” He smiled at me as he sipped his wine.

“I have an idea that could help make the company the best in the city,” he informed me before putting his glass down. “You see, I can’t go into too much details without it being illegal, but I want you to invest in Darling Realty and come back to work for the company as the co-owner and star real estate agent.” My eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

The amount of secrecy he was he was exercising with this conversation struck me as a bit weird, but I knew this man was rather business savvy. In all honesty, how many people can identify a fake engagement ring and understand the concept of insider trading and do everything he could to make sure that he didn’t actually break the law? In my opinion, the only thing that would have made him a triple threat was if he could cook better than anyone.

“Do you have any experience in the real estate business?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“Not exactly,” he informed me. “I’m a lawyer, just like my brother, but I have been picking up more hobbies that have been paying more than I ever expected. In business school, they taught us to always look for new opportunities to capitalize your gain, and I’ve already conquered two industries that are huge money makers while using my day job to help me stay out of trouble.” I raised an eyebrow, amazed at this man’s ambition.

“And what are those two industries?” I asked as I leaned back, doing my best to remain as calm and collected as possible without looking like I lost interest. He shrugged.

“Culinary and jewelry,” he told me, and my jaw dropped. “I managed to open my own restaurant from the ground up, and it’s now managed by the best I could find.” He looked around proudly at the dining area around us. “What do you think?” Realizing that he meant this restaurant, I couldn’t help but feel amazed at his accomplishments.

Of course everyone knew that Lance Lanberger owned and opened the restaurant, but it wasn't the same as being told by the man himself. It gave the knowledge a whole new meaning and made one marvel at how one man could accomplish so much. The longer I thought about it, the more I realized just how much this man could offer me and took another look at him. He was about the same age as Zane and Xavier, and he was pretty hot for his age. His dark hair was slicked back with hair oil, and the smallest amount of gray and white peppered his hair. He looked like he belonged in an action movie just based on how the suit masked the hunkiness of his body. Normally, everyone would automatically assume that, with his build, he was the hero, but, the way his words slide from his tongue made him sound more like the villain that actually had a good point. Call me crazy, but I always had the hots for villains.

"So, you want to give me back part ownership of my old company and have me return to work?" I asked, my doubts rivalling my arousal, which was growing by the second. "What are you wanting in return?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"Nothing," he told me, and I stared at him for several minutes.