The Nanny (A Billionaire Romance)

by Naomi Niles

  When I was finished with lunch, I was disappointed to learn Missy had taken Halle out for chicken nuggets and French fries, and I had to throw out the healthy meal that I'd carefully prepared. I spent the afternoon cleaning the house, forced to listen to Missy playing with Halle and replacing the educational songs I'd been teaching her with questionable limericks. Finally, at the end of a long day, I looked forward to giving Halle her bath and tucking her into bed with a storybook. It was my favorite part of the evening.

  "She don't need a bath tonight," Missy cut me off at the door, and I looked over her shoulder to see Halle dressed in her pajamas with her wet hair dripping all over the place. "You're dismissed for the night."

  "Thanks, but I don't mind tucking her in. At least let me dry her hair, so she doesn't sleep with it wet and catch a cold." I tried to push my way past her, but Missy managed to spread out her slender frame to rigidly block the entire doorway.

  "I'll do it. I'm her mother, and I'll be taking care of her all on my own when I get my apartment, so we might as well get used to not having a nanny now. You're just lucky the house still needs a maid, or you'd be completely useless. Goodnight."

  "Goodnight, Rachelle," Halle heard her mother's bitter words and turned them sweet again with her happy voice. Then she waved at me from across the room, and I waved back over her mother's shoulder, wishing I could hug her.

  "Goodnight, Halle. Sleep well, and I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Giraffe," I said, and Halle beamed with joy as she gave her favorite stuffed animal a squeeze and made it wave its front leg at me.

  "Goodnight." Missy slammed the nursery door in my face, and I heard it lock from the inside.

  Too annoyed to even think about going to bed, I decided to take a walk around the vast mansion. I told myself it was to get a little exercise and fresh air, but really, I was searching for Tate.

  I found him in the pool, swimming laps with powerful strokes of his muscular limbs. He looked so sexy, a tingle of arousal warmed through me and my nipples puckered.

  Feeling playful, I walked to the far end of the pool, kicked off my heels, and sat on the ledge. I put my feet in the cool water, delighting at the feel, as I waited for Tate to swim to me.

  His body cut through the water swiftly, and I knew he was angry and trying to work off some frustration with physical exertion. Missy was clearly getting to us both.

  When he reached the edge of the pool and found my legs dangling there, he popped out of the water with a surprised look that made me laugh.

  "Oh, thank God it's you." He grinned with relief. "I thought you might be Missy with more outrageous demands."

  "She's been driving me crazy all day, too," I said, and we exchanged stories, each complaining in turn. I told him all about the petty ways Missy tried to irritate me, and how she kept finding ways to keep me away from Halle. "I swear, I only got to see her for five minutes all day, and I really miss her," I said about the little girl with a tearful sigh.

  "I'm sure Halle misses you, too," Tate tried to comfort me, but it didn't work.

  "Missy sure doesn't want me around her. She says everyone would be happier if I wasn't in the way."

  "Not everyone." He grinned. He was bobbing in the water between my legs, and he pushed himself up to kiss the tops of my knees. It made me giggle, despite myself, but the pain I was feeling still remained.

  "That's nice of you to say, but what good am I anymore? Missy plans to take custody of Halle, and it's obvious she won't want me to work as her nanny when she does. I'm pretty much out of a job."

  "I'll still need your help here."

  "Yeah, but how often will that be? Even with joint custody, you won't need a full-time nanny."

  "That's not the kind of help I was talking about." He lifted my skirt up to my waist, making the innuendo impossible to miss. Kissing along the inside of my thighs, he said, "Taking care of Halle isn't the only thing you do around here. I need you all the time, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, whether Halle is here or not."

  "I'm serious," I said, pushing my skirt back down and snapping my legs shut, barely missing his head as he quickly moved back in the water.

  "Working as Halle's nanny is very important to me. I've gotten to really care about her, and I liked knowing that I had an important role in helping her to develop into the kind of adult she was going to be someday. Those songs I teach her and those games we play aren't just for fun, although we do enjoy them immensely. They teach her counting, spelling, and lessons about life.

  “Do you think Missy is going to teach her any of that once I'm gone? She'd probably undo everything I've taught Halle in a matter of weeks, and the poor thing will end up working as a stripper just like her mother."

  I was obviously exaggerating for dramatic effect, but not by much. I was sincerely worried about the kind of negative influence Missy would provide in my absence and heartbroken that there wasn't anything I could do about it.

  "You worry too much," Tate said, stroking my legs under the water with sensuous hands. "Missy isn't going to be here long enough to undo all your teachings, and you'll be taking care of Halle long after she's gone."

  "But Missy said she's going to get custody of Halle and move into an apartment."

  "You think this is the first time she's said that? Missy makes that promise every time she shows up. She stays for a few days, or maybe a few weeks, and then she disappears again. The longest she's ever been able to keep clean is a month, and then the old cravings return, and she can't resist the need to get high."

  "So, this has all happened before?" I was both disappointed and relieved at the same time.

  "I've seen it countless times. That's why I'm not worried, and you shouldn't be, either. Now, let me help you unwind."

  He lifted my skirt up to my waist again, and this time I didn't resist. In fact, I spread my legs and lifted my hips, inviting him in.

  Since that day during my first week of employment when Tate told me not to wear underwear, I'd been bare beneath my skirts. It gave Tate free access to my pussy whenever he wanted it, which was something I delighted in now as he brought his mouth down upon me.

  His lips worked slowly at first, kissing delicately along the lips of my labia to my clitoris. Then his tongue came into play, gently lapping and licking the inner folds of my labia, up to my swollen clit, where he flicked it playfully back and forth. I braced my hands on the tiled floor behind me, leaning back as my breathing came in ragged gasps and my pulse quickened with desire.

  "Come for me," Tate said before his mouth enveloped my clitoris and sucked until I was moaning aloud. Bringing his hand into play, he inserted his long index finger into the slick slot of my pussy. Sliding in and out, his finger stimulated me along with his mouth until my moans turned into gasping cries of pleasure that echoed off the tile, reverberating around me.

  His middle finger soon joined his index, the two fingers fucking me together as I moaned and writhed on the deck of the pool, my feet splashing in the water. Then he added his ring finger, and finally his pinky. All four fingers of his right hand worked together, fucking me harder and faster until he was fucking me with his entire hand, and I came with noisy cries of euphoria.

  "Deeper. Fuck me deeper," I cried out.

  "You are a naughty girl, aren't you? Sounds like you need a bath." Tate withdrew his hand, gripped me by the waist, and pulled me down into the water with him. I gasped as the cool liquid enveloped me, shocking my hot flesh.

  He covered my mouth with his, kissing me with almost violent passion as he ripped my wet clothes off my body, shredding the delicate fabric. My hands found his swim trunks, and I dove under the water to pull them off his body so we were both naked in the pool.

  When I surfaced from the water, we were face to face, and Tate pulled me up against him so my breasts crushed against the muscles of his strong chest. Floating in the water, I wrapped my legs around his waist and guided his erection to enter me. With the water all around me, he felt dif
ferent – tighter, fuller, and even though I would have thought it was impossible, even more satisfying.

  Cupping my round buttocks in his hands, Tate began to thrust with deep, powerful strokes of his rigid dick – harder and faster, deeper and stronger. The pleasure he was giving me rose higher with each penetrating thrust as I surrendered myself to it. Releasing my hold on his torso, I leaned back in the water, floating buoyantly while he kept hold of my waist and continued to fuck me. The pleasure was unreal, and I thrashed in the water, free and unencumbered, weightless by the water. My orgasm ripped through me like a building wave, flooding me with rapture as I undulated in his grip, splashing, thrashing, and screaming out in pleasure.

  As my orgasm reached its peak, I felt Tate climax deep within me. The pressure was increased by the water, and so was the pleasure. He groaned loudly, and I gasped silently, so overcome by the pleasure, I could no longer scream.

  When he released me, I floated away on my back with a blissful smile. All my worries and frustrations were gone, and the only thing that remained was the joy of floating in the water with the man I had come to love.

  Chapter Fifty-Four: Tate

  I couldn't keep the grin from my face as I stared at my computer screen. I tried to concentrate on work, but my thoughts kept drifting to her. I knew I had fallen in love with Rachelle Clare.

  Everything about her made me smile. Her beautiful face with her delicate features, soft lips, and big blue eyes. Her luscious body with its soft curves, and her free and willing spirit. She was so gentle and shy, and yet so brave and daring. There was nothing she wasn't willing to try sexually, and every time I thought I'd experienced the most incredibly satisfying orgasm possible, she surpassed it with something even better.

  Our tryst last night in the pool had been amazing, but things got even better when I carried her up to my bedroom suite and tied her to the bed. I fucked her long into the night, enjoying many of my kinky toys.

  It was when I untied her, however, and our fucking turned into lovemaking that I had my most powerful sexual experience of all. I'd never come so hard or felt so satisfied as when I was kissing her lips and staring into her eyes.

  I used to think that I was immune to love, that I would need a vast array of women to keep sex interesting and to satisfy my appetites. Now I knew I could have it all with Rachelle.

  She satisfied my need for sexual excitement while providing the emotional intimacy that had eluded me my whole life. She was smart, funny, and always interesting to talk to. She was kind, caring, and the one woman I thought could truly be a good mother to Halle. She was the one woman I was in love with and the one I couldn't risk losing.

  So many things threatened to jeopardize my happiness with Rachelle. They overwhelmed and terrified me. Number one on the list was Missy and her threats to tell Rachelle the secrets of my past. They could quite possibly drive her away from me. Of course, Missy could succeed at driving Rachelle away even without doing that.

  It seemed her obnoxious attitude towards Rachelle was becoming worse every day, and soon it would drive her to the breaking point. As we lay cuddling in bed together, Rachelle opened up to me about just how bad things had become between the two of them, and I realized I had to put a stop to it.

  Missy thought she could use her emotional blackmail to get away with doing whatever she wanted, but that wasn't fair to Rachelle. Stopping her would mean risking that Missy might follow through with her threats and reveal my secret, but that didn't guarantee disaster. I had grown to love Rachelle, and I simply had to trust that she would continue to care for me despite my past. The chance that she could turn from me terrified me, but it was a risk I had to take. How could I claim to truly love Rachelle if I wasn't willing to sacrifice my own pride for her wellbeing?

  Suddenly, the phone on my desk rang, startling me from my thoughts. With my heart pounding, I picked it up.

  "Tate Holland," I said briskly.

  "It's Detective Mitch Miller from the Beverly Hills Police Department," the gruff voice I'd come to know too well responded.

  I could picture the paunchy detective kicked back at his chair with his worn-out shoes propped up on a coffee cup-littered desk and food spilled down the front of his cheap suit that was almost as ugly as his heavily lined face, with that hideous scar above his left brow. Despite his sloppy appearance, however, I had come to learn that Miller was a damn good homicide detective who just wanted justice for the murder victims counting on him.

  "Detective, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" I tried to be cordial. I had forgiven him for accusing me of the murder of my nanny. He had only wanted to find whoever had killed Rose Landon, and I could admit that for a time, I did look like the most likely suspect.

  Ever since he'd realized it was my chef who had done it, however, the hardworking detective had put all his effort into capturing him. It was too bad he hadn't succeeded yet, but maybe that's what this call was about.

  "I have news about Stuart Haynes," he said, confirming my hope.

  "Have you found and arrested him?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even despite my pounding heart.

  "Yes and no," Miller said, cryptically. "He's been spotted in the area by my surveillance teams, but when they moved in to capture him, Haynes managed to escape again. Two of my officers were hospitalized. Haynes is definitely armed and dangerous. I wanted to let you know immediately so the proper precautions could be taken."

  "Thank you. Are your officers going to be alright?" I asked numbly.

  "Yes. Luckily, they were wearing protective gear, but Haynes is clearly mentally unstable. He kept rambling to my officers that he wants to get revenge against you. I'm sending a car to pick you up. We'll put you and your daughter into protective custody until he's apprehended."

  "Thank you, but I'd prefer to stay here." My voice sounded deceptively calm and confident, but inside my pulse was racing.

  "Don't be ridiculous. We have a safe house set up. We just need to bring you in. I can protect you, but it has to under our terms, where we can control the surrounding area. I promise to give you the best accommodations and the most freedom we can."

  "And, for how long would we have to live that way?" I asked, skeptically. "My family has been through a lot already. I appreciate your offer, but I'd much rather stay here at home. I'll hire extra security if I have to, but going into protective custody for an indeterminate period of time feels like we're the ones being imprisoned. Let Stuart Haynes come to me in my own home. That feels like justice."

  We talked for a long time, and in the end, I managed to convince Detective Miller that my plan was the right one.

  "Thanks for all your hard work, Detective," I said gratefully and meant it.

  "You’re welcome. I just hope you neither one of us ends up regretting this decision," he acquiesced with a gruff sigh.

  "Me, too," I said, and in an odd way, I felt like I'd found a new friend in my former enemy.

  I hung up the phone and walked down the hall from my office to the nursery, where I could hear Missy's voice screeching before I even entered the room.

  "Just look at how fucked up this is!" Missy was standing in front of Halle's dresser, pointing at a pile of her little lacy white socks. "The elastic band is going to get all stretched out, and they're going to fall down to her fucking ankles. I should have you fired. How the hell did you even get work as a nanny when you don't know how to fucking fold a pair of child's socks?"

  "I hired her," I stated. Missy stopped mid-rant to stare at me in surprise.

  "Well, that explains everything," she said with a snide glare, trying to recover her cool. "We all know what you hired her for – and it wasn't her laundry skills."

  I was about to tell Missy off when Rachelle beat me to it. To my surprise, she looked Missy right in the eye and said strongly, "He hired me to do the things you couldn't. It's no wonder you're jealous and insecure, but back off and quit being a bitch."

  I wanted to applaud, but instead, I put m
y arm around Rachelle's waist in a show of solidarity. It was time Missy knew she couldn't put a wedge between us. Looking at Missy, I said, "Rachelle is here to stay. You're the one who's welcome to leave."

  "Aren't you two cute together? I might be worried, if I didn't know the truth about him and nannies," she said to me with a cold glare. Without realizing I was doing it, I gripped Rachelle's hand, accidentally squeezing a little too hard.

  Trying to defend me, Rachelle said, "I already know about Tate's relationship with Rose. We tell each other everything."

  Missy laughed and said, "Clearly not because that's not the nanny I was talking about. This one goes way back."

  "Enough," I growled, but she wouldn't be silenced.

  Caressing Rachelle's cheek, she said, "Oh, didn't he tell you his dark little secret from the past? Well, let me."

  "We don't have time for this," I cut her off. "Stuart Haynes is back."

  "He's here?" Both women looked at me with fearful eyes, and I was forced to confess the truth.

  "He's been spotted in the area, and so far, he's managed to elude the police. I'm increasing security around here, but we all need to be as careful as possible. Keep all the windows and doors locked, and the curtains closed. Keep Halle inside and be on the lookout for anything suspicious or out of place."

  "Halle's playing at a friend's house," Rachelle looked terrified. "I'd better go get her."

  She started for the door, but I grabbed her gently by the arm. "I want you to pack up your things and go someplace where you'll be safe."

  "You're sending me away?" Tears sprang to her beautiful blue eyes, and I had to force myself to stay strong.

  "Just for a few days, until I can get new security equipment installed. Stuart is after me, not you. As much as I hate to be away from you, you'll be better off far away from here until the house is secured. The moment it is, I'll bring you back."