Billionaire Daddy's Contract: A Single Dad and Nanny Romance

by Melissa Chetley

  “You can keep pretending like you always do, Rylan, but I want to meet her during our next monthly gathering,” the woman coldly and firmly states. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Before I can get the chance to ask her who the mystery woman she keeps referring to is within the context of our vague conversation, I can already hear the phone shuffling on the other side and being handed back over to its original owner. The familiar sound of the butler's soft sighs almost instantly greets my ears as soon as he places the cell phone receiver near his mouth.

  “Okay, Crane. What the hell was that all about?” I ask with a scoff.

  “You should take a look at the email that I've just sent you, Mr. Bennett. The situation will make a lot more sense after you see it for yourself,” Crane cryptically responds. "Let me know what you plan to do after you make a decision. Otherwise, please enjoy the rest of your night, sir."

  The phone call ends with a sudden click as the butler hangs up on me, leaving many questions still unanswered. My brow instinctively furrows at the man's practical yet unhelpful suggestion as well as toward the hasty exit that he subsequently makes without properly explaining anything. But even though his last words sound incredibly ominous given the strange circumstances, I know I can’t completely avoid what’s waiting for me inside the already-sent email. I quickly pull up the inbox and find the forwarded message from Crane which has been marked with the title “Important.” A slight feeling of unease and hesitation possesses me as I let out a heavy sigh and click open the email to see what my grandmother has been complaining about.

  Jesus…

  What the hell is all this?

  I read the bold headline in the email very carefully again to make sure that I'm understanding the story correctly: "Rylan Bennett photographed kissing mystery woman who has also been seen leaving his house. Is one of America's hottest bachelors finally off the market? Find out more on page six!" A long blank pause falls over me as my gaze loiters on the screen. After reading over the supposed breaking headline news for a second and third time, the only response that I can muster up is to shake my head and laugh. But my amusement fades when I scroll down to the images which happen to be attached to the email, photos which were clearly taken without me ever noticing that the camera was there.

  The first set of photos are a bunch of pictures of me with another woman in a passionate lip lock during what appears to be at night while the second set of photos are just daytime pictures of the woman coming out of my home. Though it doesn't take me more than a brief glance at the image of the woman to realize who it is that the paparazzi has apparently mistaken as my secret lover. A plain young woman with dark hair and dark eyes who looks just like another average face in the crowd -- it's Audrey. The same Audrey who had showed up at the house for an interview with me earlier today, and the same Audrey who has somehow managed to steal my daughter’s heart in a matter of mere moments.

  A gradual scowl spreads across my lips upon seeing the impudent girl being sold and presented as the woman who I am supposed to be in a relationship with. Out of all the women in the world that I could have been seen in public with, I cannot understand how this garbage is the best scoop that the media could come up with. And I don’t know which part of this entire situation is more ridiculous: the fact that the paparazzi believe that there is a real story between Audrey and me or the fact that my grandmother can actually fall for this kind of crap when the evidence is hardly compelling at all. But now that the fake news has reached the old woman who is clearly dead set on meeting the “lucky” girl in my life, I will have a lot of pointless explaining to do to her if I decide to refuse her demands.

  Ugh, what a pain.

  Regardless of the guaranteed headache and grief that I will have to deal with after I break the bad news to my grandmother about how the whole story is a lie, my mind is basically set on sitting through the old woman’s wrath until I scroll further down the email and notice one more set of photos attached to it. I raise my brow at the unfamiliarity of them. The pictures are not photographs of me but of Audrey and Teagan in an unrecognizable location that looks to be a supermarket. Teagan’s face is red and full of tears in the photos while Audrey appears calm and collected in comforting the crying child with her gentle smile. These images must have been taken from the first time they met each other, each carefully taken snapshot helping me recreate the scene of what exactly happened between the young woman and the little girl.

  My heart steadily pounds with the slightest stir from the seemingly heartwarming interaction that has been perfectly captured by the photos. An accurate and vivid picture of how Teagan became so smitten by the young brunette is clearly painted for me with each slow and progressive snap. The pain and despair in the youth's blue eyes appear to completely vanish once Audrey sticks around to be by her side, the frightened young child never taking her lonely gaze off of the young woman during the entire ordeal. Even I find my own gaze a bit awestruck at the fearless confidence that radiates from the fiery brunette’s expression as she foolishly intervenes into situations that she has no reason or business sticking her nose into. Yet an innate smirk settles across my face as I continue staring at the brilliant look in the young woman’s eyes.

  It takes a special kind of person to be able to do what she did for Teagan that day -- but I suppose that’s just who she is. That recklessness that she constantly carries with her is simply a part of her odd charm.

  I quickly whip out a cigarette from my pocket and light it up with a lighter. The thin grey smoke rushes from my lips as I let out a heavy sigh. The more my eyes seem to idle on the candid photos captured by the paparazzi, the more I start to wonder what it is that I should do. But it isn’t until I’m almost at the end of my cigarette that an answer to my problem suddenly comes to me -- a solution so crazy and bizarre that it just might work out. I take one more breath of the smoke before I swiftly put out the lit end of it and pull up some digital files on my phone to look up a specific number that I know is listed within them. It doesn’t take long for me to find the phone number and then to call it, the tense ringing sound of the call going through keeping me in complete suspense until someone finally picks up on the other end of it.

  The familiar voice belonging to a woman answers: “Hello?”

  “Good news. You’re hired, Miss Scott. Please come over to the house tomorrow morning at 7 AM sharp,” I decisively state. “We have a lot of work and ground to cover, so I hope you’ll be ready for it. See you then.”

  "W-wait, wha-"

  The heavy burden in my chest is instantly lifted as I abruptly end the phone call before giving the young woman a chance to speak. The last thing I want is for her to start asking me a bunch of annoying questions when everything will be easier to answer with a detailed contract and some money on the table. There’s no way that she won’t agree to my terms once she realizes what I have to offer to her. And as soon as she signs those papers with her signature on the dotted line for me, she will have no choice but to listen to my demands. Every single last word will be mine, and there's not a thing she can do about it.

  A natural grin spreads across my lips from the thought and the likelihood of the young brunette’s stubborn reluctance to instantly yield and submit to me. I know that she's way too proud of an individual to abide and fold to someone like me, but that just makes seeing her do the eventual deed feel even better. My heart swells with a warm feeling of excitement as I head back into the restaurant and sit back down in my seat. The gorgeous blonde who has been patiently waiting for my return stares at me with a curious look.

  "You look like you're in an awfully good mood," she notes with a smirk. "Did something good happen?"

  My lips curve into a slight smile as I reach over for the refilled glass of wine and bring it up to my mouth.

  "Yeah, you could say something like that."

  Chapter 3 - Audrey

  Holy cow.

  Is this really even me
anymore?

  My mouth gapes at the sight of the dramatic makeup on my face, the insane amount of product in my hair, and the beautiful gown on my body that definitely costs more than what I have to pay for my monthly rent. I shake my head in absolute awe of the stunning woman who happens to be staring back at me and mimicking my every little move. Yet no matter how much I look at my appearance in the mirror, I can still barely recognize myself through the drastic transformation that I've been put through. It's almost like I'm an entirely different person from who I've been living as my whole life.

  And I would probably keep on gawking at myself in a complete daze if it wasn't for the fact that someone finally steps into the room and opens their mouth to break the silence: "You look lovely, Miss Scott. I am extremely pleased to see that the dress fits you so well," the gentle male voice speaks in a polished tone.

  I quickly turn around to see the tall and slender butler standing by the open doorway with a tender smile on his face. His grin basically radiates and glows with a kind and doting aura as if he were simply watching one of his own children head off to a big event such as prom for the first time. But my heart instantly drops and sinks down to my stomach as I hurriedly back away from the full-length mirror with a nervous chuckle. Even though I have no reason to feel ashamed by my astonished reactions, his unexpected and untimely appearance forces my cheeks to flare up in utter embarrassment of my shameless self-ogling.

  "Th-thank you for the kind compliment, Crane. But I have to say, this wasn't quite what I expected to be doing when I heard that I was hired," I discreetly state. "I mean, I don't think I've ever heard of any nanny positions which require you to wear fancy clothing and to show up for extravagant parties like this."

  The butler simply smiles and pours me a glass of water in spite of the clear bewilderment written across my face. He carefully hands me the filled cup and calmly says, "Everything will make sense in due time, Miss Scott. Please just have a seat for now. Mr. Bennett will fully explain the situation to you shortly."

  "Uhh, okay…"

  I reluctantly oblige to the man's request and sit down in one of the couches where I try to get myself to relax for a moment. However, having my body glued down to a seat only makes me restlessly fidget even more especially given the uncomfortable and unfamiliar attire that I'm currently wearing. An impatient sigh trails from my lips as I pick up the glass of water and take a large sip from it which does nothing to quench my insatiable thirst for a good explanation. But as much as I feel the burning desire and need to draw some immediate answers out of the quiet butler, I realize that I don't have much of a choice in the matter as he promptly takes his leave from the room without me ever noticing.

  The unsettling silence that follows Crane's departure leaves me with another helpless breath and sigh. All I can honestly think about while I wait here for Rylan to show up is how much of an idiot I am for coming here in the first place. None of what is happening right now makes any sense, and I can't help but feel like he is doing all of this to simply make fun of me. He has already shown me how much he dislikes me from the moment our paths decided to cross each other again the day of the interview. And I have no reason to believe that a proud and uncouth man like himself can have a change of heart so quickly.

  This weird arrangement just has to be a mistake, right?

  My mind is so deep and lost in my own crazy thoughts that I don't even hear or realize that the door has been opened until Rylan's snide remark breaks the silence: "I suppose you look presentable enough for tonight."

  The gruff sound of the older man's voice sends a rush of chills down my spine as I jump up from my seat to face him. I turn and lift my wary gaze toward Rylan who walks through the doorway with his usual air of confidence, a weird lump forming within my throat from the mere glance and sight of him. Even though it's not the first time that I've seen the handsome man in a nice suit and tie, I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that just looking at him makes my heart skip a beat. The way his fitted suit naturally accentuates and complements his tall and muscular physique simply disrupts the peace and calm between my legs.

  It's frustrating how good he can look without trying. But what's even more frustrating is how easily my feelings and emotions can be swept away by him.

  My heart wildly pounds and stirs from Rylan's piercing blue stare which carefully examines me from top to bottom. I can feel his hot and lewd gaze lingering on my chest, his eyes gradually making its way back up to my face which feels warm from the intensity of his stare. Yet no matter how hard I try to pretend like I don't see his gaze, I just can't avoid it. Those are clearly the eyes of a man looking at a woman.

  "Looks like Crane really does have a good eye for outfits. I can actually see your curves now," Rylan notes with an impressed smirk. His eyes drop back down to my breasts. "They're a lot bigger than I expected."

  Sleazy, perverted old bastard.

  And to think that this guy is the father of a little girl.

  The fleeting feelings of infatuation that I hold toward the older man quickly fades after he makes his crude and unnecessary statement about my body to me. I instinctively cover my chest with my arms and retort in an annoyed tone of voice, "Are you going to tell me what's going on here or should I just leave now while I'm still in a decent mood?"

  "It's like what I've already told you over the phone yesterday. You've been hired for the job."

  "Hired for the job as your escort for fancy parties or hired for the job as a nanny for your daughter?" I snidely ask.

  The handsome man takes a brief pause to process and assess my sarcastic remark before eventually responding with a smile. "Does there really need to be a difference?" he inquires in a serious tone.

  My only reaction to Rylan's question is to scoff at him in disbelief. I desperately want to yell and criticize him for being such an irritable and crass person, but I know chastising someone like him will just be a huge waste of my energy. Nothing I can possibly say to the man will ever affect him, and it takes almost everything in my power to bite my tongue and swallow down my bursting anger. I should have known that he's just messing around with me because he knows that he can.

  I'm such an idiot for getting my hopes up over the prospect of the job.

  "All right, Mr. Bennett. It seems like I've made a mistake in coming here today, so I'll be leaving now because this is obviously ridiculous and also a huge waste of my time-"

  "Before you leave, the details of your contract are all listed right here. Feel free to take a look at them if you're even the least bit curious," the older man announces as he sets a stack of papers onto the table.

  My eyes are swiftly drawn to the document files that have been conveniently placed in front of me. Any urge that I had toward leaving has vanished as I silently stand my ground with my curious gaze pointed at the supposed contract that the man has prepared for me. Yet from a quick glance at them, the papers definitely appear to be official documents with a bunch of legalese text between the lines that I don't quite understand. However, just from skimming through the first few lines, everything about the papers seem realistic enough for me to believe that Rylan didn't just invite me here today to spite me. This is an actual contract to become his daughter's nanny.

  The strength in my legs slowly give out as I make the decision to sit back down into the seat to take a closer look at the papers that he has laid out for me. Despite struggling to understand most of the legal jargon that is written across the stack of sheets, I find myself getting the general gist of my expectations as Teagan's nanny as well as the major dos and don'ts of the job. And while the firm rules in the contract seem a bit too demanding and high maintenance at times compared to what would typically be found within other nanny positions, I can't really complain given who it is that I would be taking care of. In fact, there's nothing I can really make a fuss about when Rylan could probably find a more suitable candidate for the job in a matter of a few days.

 
He doesn't need me as much as I need him for the job.

  I bite my lip and quietly praise myself for being able to hold my tongue long enough for the man to present me with a job offer in the first place. The last thing I need to do is give Rylan a good reason to rescind the contract over something my big mouth said out of spite. But I have to confess that I am still a little shocked by the fact that he wasn't only joking about hiring me. Although he tends to act like a huge jerk and dirt bag most of the time, he's surprisingly true and honest to his word. Not only did he give me the job just as he said he would over the phone, but I also can't seem to forget about what he did for me that night either -- nor can I forget about the passionate kiss which still tingles across my lips whenever I think back to that heated moment in time.

  A warm flash of excitement rouses between my thighs as I vividly recall the sweet taste of Rylan's lips pressed up against mine. But I vigorously shake my head to rid myself of my obscene thoughts when I notice how hot my cheeks are getting from simply remembering the kisses. Now isn't the time to be thinking about the man's soft lips when he's standing right over there in the same room as me. I quickly stow away my stirring emotions and force myself to really focus and read through the rest of the documents in an attempt to distract myself from my inappropriate feelings when something finally grabs my attention -- a number.

  My jaw immediately drops as I softly gasp and shake my head in disbelief. I look away and then back at the bolded and underlined number on the page to see if my eyes are fooling me yet no matter how much I try to reread the digits printed on the paper, a six-figure number salary only stares back at me. The lump in my throat grows even bigger than before. He's offering me six figures to take care of his daughter, six figures to become Teagan's glorified babysitter.