Body Heat

by Mia Ford

  There was also a nook surrounded by a window where veronica could picture herself curling up and reading if she ever had the time to do so.

  “And the bathroom is just over there, and your closet is there,” Maria pointed to two different doors.

  “Thank you,” Veronica said, more than a little shocked by the opulence of her dwellings.

  “Why don’t you take a minute to unpack what you’ve already brought,” Maria suggested. “And then I can give you the whole tour.”

  “That sounds great,” Veronica nodded. Maria gave her a smile and then made her way out of the room.

  CHAPTER 9

  Veronica sat down on the long bench at the foot of her bed and released a soft whoosh of air that had built up in her lungs. She was struggling to accept the fact that soon, this was going to become familiar to her, and it would be as natural as breathing to live here.

  In a haze, Veronica unpacked her few belongings into the large walk-in closet. Her small quantity of clothes seemed even smaller compared to the size of the closet. Once the rest of her clothes were there, it wouldn’t seem quite so large, but there was no way they would fill it up either.

  She put her suitcase in a corner of the closet and looked around, making sure she liked the way she had placed her clothes. She stepped out of the closet and took in the sight of her extravagant room once more, then she left and went downstairs to meet up with Maria.

  Once there, Maria went through the house with great detail. She left no stone unturned, letting Veronica know what each and every room was, and which ones she was responsible for. By and large, the household staff took care of most of the things, but she was still responsible for the small maintenance items, and of course anything that the girls impacted.

  “Speaking of the girls,” Veronica spoke up as they came up in conversation. “Where are they right now?”

  “They’re out with the interim nanny,” Maria explained. “We just wanted to give you the chance to get the lay of the land and then meet them. They should be in at about noon; they went to see a movie.”

  “Okay,” Veronica nodded. She appreciated the time she had been given to get to know the house, but her main job would be interacting with the girls, so she was eager to meet them.

  “Well, that’s about all I’ve got for you,” Maria said, clapping her hands together. “Make yourself at home! Unless of course you have any questions.”

  “Actually,” Veronica said, and Maria raised an eyebrow. “I do have some concerns about my moving situation.”

  “Oh that,” Maria waved a hand. “Not even complicated. We have the best movers. We would just need your permission to enter the premises and we will take care of breaking the lease and everything. You don’t have to worry about any of that. And any furniture you have can either be sold or put into storage at Mr. Davenport’s expense at your discretion.”

  “Actually, that’s just the issue,” Veronica spoke up. “I live with my boyfriend, so our things are kind of mixed up together.”

  “Oh,” Maria blinked, as though that possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind. “Well that does complicate things a bit.”

  Veronica waited as Maria seemed to think the situation over in her head.

  “Well,” Maria frowned a little. “I’ll have to call Mr. Davenport and work out the situation with him. Do you mind if I step out for a moment?”

  “Of course not,” Veronica smile pleasantly.

  “The house is as good as yours,” Maria gestured around as she turned and pulled her phone out. “Make yourself at home.”

  Veronica watched as Maria went out the kitchen door onto the porch in front of the pool. She couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, but she figured she may as well try to normalize all this as soon as possible. So, she moved into the kitchen and took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink.

  She moved over to the breakfast bar and sat down on one of the cushioned stools. She sipped at her water as she went through a mental list of the things she was responsible for. She assumed she would likely do her set of chores while Davenport was at work so that she wouldn’t be disturbing him in the evenings when he was home. That certainly wouldn’t be hard, and she could do it all while keeping a close eye on the girls.

  As Veronica was thinking of these things, Maria came back into the room, and she turned to look over at her.

  “Mr. Davenport says not to worry,” Maria said with a calm smile. “He is going to take care of absolutely everything.”

  Veronica frowned a little, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but Maria held her hand up to stop her.

  “Miss Lawrence,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I have worked for Mr. Davenport for a few years now. When he says he’ll take care of something, he means it.”

  Veronica blinked in a bit of surprise. She was used to fending for herself and being the stereotypical strong, independent black woman. Now, it seemed like someone was intent on making sure she was absolutely taken care of.

  “Thank you for calling him,” Veronica said, at a loss for what else to say. “I really appreciate it.”

  “You’re really going to like it here Veronica,” Maria said softly and genuinely. “Mr. Davenport makes sure that everyone on his staff wants for nothing. We’re like a family here.”

  Veronica smiled. She wondered vaguely if it was because he hadn’t had a family of his own growing up that he spread his wealth to so many people.

  “Well I’ll leave you to yourself,” Maria said. “If you need anything I’m sure you can find me. I’ll meet you in the foyer a little before noon so I can introduce you to the girls.”

  “Sounds great,” Veronica gave her a smile. Maria nodded, and turned, walking quickly to some other part of the house.

  Alone again, Veronica stood and took her glass over to the sink, washed it and put it back in the cabinet. Maybe it would be easier than she thought to adjust to life here.

  CHAPTER 10

  The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur for Veronica. The girls, Ashley and Kaitlyn, arrived home promptly at noon, and had immediately attached themselves to Veronica’s legs.

  Veronica had been shocked, but managed to laugh, naturally putting her hand on the back of their heads. The interim nanny, a woman who looked slightly younger than Veronica in spite of the bulge that revealed her pregnancy and the wedding band that adorned her left ring finger, laughed, and said her farewells to the girls.

  From that moment on, it seemed almost as though the girls had known Veronica their entire lives. They got along immediately, and Veronica seamlessly integrated herself into their play and activities. She was so engrossed with them, in fact, that she hardly noticed when Mr. Davenport made it home for the afternoon.

  When she finally noticed, him standing in the doorframe of Kaitlyn’s room, she felt her stomach do a flip. He was still dressed in a dark blue suit and a white shirt. His tie, a paisley affair, had been loosened, and it hung around his neck. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes and a small smile as he watched them play. Veronica could have sworn, though, that they flashed with something darker as he looked at her.

  “Don’t mind me,” he said in his smooth, deep voice, a smile warming his features. “I’m glad to see the three of you getting along.”

  “Daddy!” the two girls cried excitedly, and rushed toward the man.

  Veronica watched as he dropped down and scooped the girls up in his arms and gathered them to his chest, kissing them both on the top of their heads. Her heart melted a little to see how well he interacted with the girls.

  She tried not to eavesdrop as they spilled the entire contents of their day to him as he patiently held them. When they had settled a little bit, he put them back down on the ground.

  “Well I don’t know about you guys,” Davenport said to his daughters. “But I’m getting hungry. How does spaghetti sound?”

  The girls made their delight known by squeals of excitement.

  “Alright
, well let’s all go downstairs then and I’ll get it started,” he chuckled and stood back up to his full height.

  The girls took off down the stairs and Davenport looked over at Veronica with a smile, and that ever-present twinkle in his eye. Veronica suddenly felt that the air had gotten very thick, and it was significantly harder to breather.

  “You accepted my offer,” he said, his tone obviously pleased.

  “It was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Veronica said, wishing her tone was a little stronger. She couldn’t help but feel at a disadvantage, being in his home and a new member of his staff.

  “I’m glad it pleased you,” he said, and she heard his tone soften and darken.

  Veronica shifted a little, feeling a spark light up deep in her core. Her mind scolded her body, but there was little she could do to fight the fire when she knew very well that she desired him more than any man she had ever met in her life.

  “Oh, by the way,” Davenport raised an eyebrow. “I settled all that business about your belongings with your boyfriend. Calvin, is it?”

  “Oh, yes,” Veronica nodded, suppressing the way her body was itching to move closer to him, remembering that she was not at all single. Especially at the mention of Calvin. Somehow, though, that made her body even hotter.

  “Yes, well,” Davenport went on. “I spoke with him, and he said he would be glad to separate your things and label them so my movers can proceed with their jobs tomorrow, and I assured him that I would be most glad to offer him an apartment at my building, and waive the deposit. I’ll also adjust the rate to be a bit lower than whatever he is currently paying on the apartment you shared with him.”

  Veronica blinked, surprised. That would certainly solve the issue of finding Calvin another place to stay since she would be moving out.

  “That’s very generous of you,” she noted, and Davenport chuckled.

  “It’s not like I’m hurting for the money,” he quipped, gesturing to his lavish home with one hand. “Besides, had I known you two were living together, or even that you were in a relationship, I may have made some amendments to our agreement.”

  “No amendments are necessary, I assure you,” Veronica said, and Davenport raised his brow. If his smirk was any indication, he had read her tone expertly. She felt a moment of guilt for the way she had just disregard Calvin, but at the same time she couldn’t feel too guilty for expressing her true feelings.

  “Well,” he said softly. “We’d better get downstairs before the girls get into something.”

  Veronica nodded, and made her way past Davenport to the main staircase. As she passed, she felt his hand at the small of her back, and she felt a shiver travel down her spine.

  The two made it downstairs, and they proceeded to prepare a dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce. Veronica was surprised to find that Davenport was an expert at the dish, and she could tell that he was not a man to sit around and let his staff do everything. Veronica was a little surprised when Davenport laid a place for her at the table, but she did not object.

  As they all enjoyed their meal, the girls chatted, and Davenport joined in. Veronica stayed quiet, content to listen. Soon, they were all finished with their meal. Veronica insisted that she would wash the dishes, so he and the girls moved into the den. Veronica smiled at the noise she heard coming from the room as she put the dishes back in their place.

  When she was finished, she joined the small family in the den. They played a while, and then they settled down to watch a movie. Davenport and the girls took up the space of the couch, and Veronica settled herself into a chair.

  All through the evening, Veronica could feel Davenport looking over at her. She could feel his eyes on her almost as heavily as if they were hands, and she found that goose bumps were constantly rising up on her skin. In addition, her nipples had grown painfully hard, and were pressing eagerly into the lace of her bra.

  Veronica had to fight hard not to squirm in her chair. She could feel wetness between her legs, and she wanted nothing more than to reach between them and touch herself. She suddenly had a vivid image of herself in a chair, her legs spread and her fingers working at her dripping sex as Davenport watched her.

  Veronica felt a flash of heat and she felt her sex throb. She pushed the image away and tried to focus on the Princess movie that the girls were watching.

  When the movie ended, both girls were fast asleep on the couch.

  Davenport shot Veronica a look and a smile, and she nodded, knowing just hat to do. Davenport took one, and she took the other up in her arms, and they carried them upstairs to their rooms.

  Davenport checked in on Ashley, who Veronica had carried up. She watched silently as he placed a kiss on her forehead, and then moved over to the door. He flipped off the light and shut the door behind as he stepped out into the hall.

  “Well,” Davenport whispered, so as not to rouse the sleeping girls. “You made it through your first day.”

  Veronica smiled and looked down between her feet. His presence was overpowering, and the scent of his cologne filled her nostrils and clouded her thoughts.

  “Join me for a nightcap?” Davenport asked her, raising an eyebrow.

  Veronica looked up to see that dangerous smirk in his eye, and she nearly swooned then and there. Being so close to him had already been working her nerves raw. She knew very well that it would only be torture if she accepted his invitation, but she knew it would be delightful torture.

  “Of course,” Veronica said softly and politely, and she saw a smile spread over his face.

  Veronica could only swallow drily and follow as he made his way down the stairs. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt more than a little unsteady on her feet as she followed him. The house was lit dimly by the occasional lamp, and she couldn’t help but find the lighting very sensual.

  She followed him past the kitchen and into Davenport’s home office. Inside, there was, of course, a desk, as well as a black leather couch and a couple of matching chairs. Davenport, though, moved toward a small bar in the back of the room, which was fully stocked with all manner of drinks and liquor.

  “What’s your pleasure?” he asked her, moving to stand behind the bar.

  “I’m not particular,” Veronica shrugged, feeling nerves creeping up on her now that they were alone. In an attempt to distract herself, she decided to take stock of her surroundings.

  The office looked as though it had once been a sunroom, as the walls were virtually just windows. She looked outside of the room and into the darkness of the night outside.

  “There’s nothing to worry about out there,” Davenport gave her a smirk as he moved to stand beside her, handing her a tumbler of a deep amber liquid. Veronica took a sip of it, the sweet burning filling her throat and warming her blood.

  “It’s not what’s out there that I’m worried about,” Veronica confessed softly, and her eyes widened as she realized what had just come out of her mouth.

  CHAPTER 11

  Veronica could feel Davenport’s eyes on her, and she turned to look back at him. He looked positively predatory, leaning against his desk, one hand braced against the edge and the other twirling his tumbler. His dark eyes burned into hers, and she could only swallow drily as he raised up his tumbler and drained it.

  “Well, I assure you,” Davenport spoke, and stood back up to his full height, slowly moving toward her. “You have nothing to fear from me.”

  Veronica felt a brief moment of disappointment, but she noticed that his demeanour had not changed, and he was still moving toward her slowly, but with intent and focus. She couldn’t help but flinch a little as he reached up and lightly traced his fingertips over the back of the hand she was holding the tumbler in. She vaguely thought it was a miracle she didn’t drop the glass right then and there.

  “Don’t worry,” Davenport said softly, as his body moved so that he was mere inches away from her. “I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to.”

  Davenport’s
hand continued to travel up her arm, and he gently gripped at her elbow.

  “If you want me to stop,” Davenport all but purred. “All you have to do is say so.”

  Davenport took up the tumbler from her hand and placed it on a small side table beside them. He then took her free hand and ran his fingertips over her palm.

  “Mr. Davenport…” Veronica began to protest a little, in spite of the way her body was responding to him already.

  “Call me Frank,” he said, offering her a smile.

  “I’m not sure this is entirely appropriate,” she protested, though she was certainly reluctant to do so. Her body was crying out to be touched at that point, and it was all she could do to keep from leaping upon him.

  “Oh absolutely not,” he shook his head, and gave her a wry smile. “That’s why I don’t make a habit of it. But then again, there’s a first time for everything.”

  Veronica gasped a little as she felt Frank move his hands to rest upon her waist. His touch was strong, but gentle all at once, and she felt her body begin to shake a little with the force of her lust.

  “Are you sure there’s no one around?” Veronica asked in a hushed whisper. She had to admit that she wanted this. She had been attracted to the man from the moments she met him. Even now she could feel a dripping wetness between her legs, and he had barely even touched her.

  Being in such close proximity to him throughout the evening had only served to light each of her nerve endings on fire. It was little wonder that she had found herself in this situation, but now that she was here, she was reluctant to take the final plunge. It was one thing to lust after her boss, but it was another to actually indulge in her desires.

  “The girls are asleep,” Frank assured her softly, pulling her closer to him, so that their torsos were pressed against each other. “I have a guard posted at the main door. Who else are you expecting?”

  “Your wife,” Veronica answered.

  Frank immediately stiffened, and he took a slow step back from Veronica. His eyes searched her face, and Veronica couldn’t read his expression. After a moment, he blinked, and tilted his head to the side.