An Unconventional Relationship

Chapter 1 Michael Lambert strode furiously through the empty hallway. He was still wearing his well-fitted three-piece suit, including a tie, and his gleaming, ten-thousand-dollar shoes thumped harshly on the polished floor. He was seriously pissed off. He had attended five meetings since eight in the morning and had signed a few contracts that guaranteed to increase his net worth well over his current thirty billion dollars, but now he was being summoned like a naughty school boy by a preschool teacher. He had enrolled his three-year-old daughter, Megan, in a private school, which boasted tons of after-school activities, because he did not have time to worry about what she would be up to at home. He had a personal chef and a housekeeper, but they were both too busy today. He had separately hired several nannies to look after Megan, but she had somehow managed to terrify them all. Consequently, each had resigned in less than two weeks. So lost in thoughts, he missed Megan’s classroom and had to retrace his steps before knocking on the door. He waited impatiently for the teacher to answer. When the door opened, his breath hitched at the sight of the gorgeous man, an inch or two shorter than his own six-foot-four-inch height. The man was wearing an ordinary shirt, but his bulging shoulders and chest filled it nicely. Michael admired the fitted slacks, which left little to the imagination. He wondered what those strong-looking thighs would feel like wrapped around his waist as he pounded into this man. “Mr. Lambert?” “Huh? What? Oh, yeah. Michael Lambert. I’m Megan’s dad. I—” “You’re late.” His eyes widened at the admonishment. He was gasping a little, like a goldfish inside an aquarium. His slight embarrassment turned into irritation and he scowled at the teacher. He was the CEO of one of the most successful financial companies in the world and he would be damned before he allowed anyone to reprimand him like he was a little boy. “Now, you listen here, you son of—” “Mr. Lambert, my name is Lance Johnson, which I’m sure you would know if you actually bother to care about your daughter’s well-being once in a while instead of gallivanting with a ton of desperate social climbers who…” “I did not—” “…are merely using you to further their personal agendas. Megan is a beautiful child and she’s very polite. She behaves really well and gets along with all of her classmates. She’s also an eager learner and participates constantly.” “That…that doesn’t sound like Megan. At home, she’s—” “I have a feeling she’s acting up at home because she wants you to pay attention to her.” Damn! This gorgeous man had interrupted him time and time again, and he was getting more aggravated by the second. “Mr. Johnson, you are being very rude and unreasonable,” he gritted out, trying to keep his temper. “Mr. Lambert, the preschoolers are always dismissed at half-past one unless they have to attend after-school activities, which Megan doesn’t have, because today is Friday. She has violin lessons for beginners every Monday and Tuesday for an hour and a half. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, she has ballet for two hours.” “s**t! I mean, sorry. I’ve been caught up in meetings and—” “Mr. Lambert, you are an irresponsible parent who obviously doesn’t care enough to know what Megan’s schedule is like.” “Mr. Johnson, I suggest you tone down your anger when you’re talking to me.” “Or what, Mr. Lambert? If you want to complain about me to the school management, be my guest. This is not the first time you have abandoned Megan in school for hours after she has been dismissed from class.” He glared at the teacher and clenched his fist. He was sorely tempted to punch the man in the cheek. It had been a while since he’d gotten into a fistfight. When he was younger, his ferocious temper had been well-suited for the boxing ring. In fact, he had participated in both boxing and wrestling for four years in high school to channel his aggression. He had wrestled in college but had given up boxing because he needed to focus more on his studies and he could not do that if he participated in two extra-curricular activities. His hard work had paid off because he’d managed to build a financial business empire after working his ass off for the last fifteen years since graduating. Admittedly, he’d had plenty of good luck on his side as well. Regardless, Megan’s teacher had been downright condescending, and he had never met this man before. His best friend, Jessica Tanner, had helped enroll Megan into this school since he had been too busy at work back then. “Mr. Johnson, I think we should call it a day. I don’t have time—” “Then you had better make the time because Megan misses her mother.” “Her mother? Megan was adopted as a baby,” Michael replied in confusion before it came to him. “Oh, you mean Jessica. Jessica Tanner is my friend, but she is now working abroad. She got a promotion at work.” “Yet no one has informed me about this.” “Mr. Johnson, I fail to see how that is any of your business.” “As Megan’s preschool teacher, I need to know who is picking her up after school to ensure her safety. The last few women, her nannies, had all dressed as if they were about to attend singles’ mixers. Megan really disliked them all. She told me they were all ‘making weird eyes at Daddy.’ I’m presuming those women had all tried to seduce you.” Michael shifted uncomfortably, but restrained from doing anything else to display his nervousness. Those attempts at seduction were indeed another reason he’d had to terminate the services of those nannies. “Mr. Johnson, I’m really busy. Where’s my daughter?” The man sighed tiredly before pointing toward a corner of the classroom. Megan was on the mat next to two other children, a boy and a girl. They were all sleeping closely to one another. “She fell asleep about thirty minutes ago, Mr. Lambert. They all did. They were probably exhausted after playing together for more than three hours.” “And the other two children? Why haven’t their parents fetched them yet?” “They are my two-year-old twins, Nathan and Holly.” “Oh!” Michael felt flush. “I guess your wife is busy at work, then?” “Mr. Lambert, I don’t have a wife, but I do have a boyfriend. He usually takes care of them, but he had an errand to run, so here they are.” “I see.” This was disappointing news. It had been a while since Michael had been instantly attracted to a man. He had even entertained the thought of asking Lance Johnson out on a date, in spite of how infuriating he found him. Now it seemed he would not be able to do that. He had never been the type to intentionally come between another couple. “Mr. Lambert?” “Oh, yeah. Let me grab my daughter. I’ll just…I…” “Go ahead. She’s a sound sleeper. I’ll get her backpack and water bottle for you.” “Thank you, Mr. Johnson.” The other man only nodded before walking away. Michael went to the mat and picked up Megan. She whined a little at the movement, but otherwise remained asleep. He cooed softly into her ears and resolved to spend more time with his daughter. He had to find a way to do that. As much as it annoyed him, he conceded that Lance was right. Megan needed him and he had been neglecting her more often than not. “Here are her things, Mr. Lambert.” “Thank you. I…I’m sorry you had to stay so late, waiting for me to fetch her. I’ll rearrange my schedule and work things out somehow. Thanks again.” “You’re welcome.” He walked out of the classroom and headed toward the black SUV in the parking lot. He fitted Megan into her rear booster seat before placing her things on the empty seat beside her, then drove away. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, mentally going through the various things he still had to deal with both in the office and at home. Unfortunately, he could not complete them until Megan fell asleep again after dinner. He wanted to spend more time with his daughter and he would begin tonight. This would be a long evening.