Daddy's Contract : A Single Dad and Nanny Romance

by Melissa Chetley

I lift my hand to wipe the sweat off my brow as I weakly collapse onto the sofa. "Okay, let's take a break for now. You're way too good at this game, Taylor," I heavily pant with an exhausted smile.

  The fatigue from constantly running around and walking up the stairs is rapidly settling into my legs. I don't remember the last time I sweat this much or felt this tired from a simple round of hide and seek. But I guess the only fool here to blame is me for agreeing to play the game with Taylor, especially since I was the one who underestimated the sheer size of the rooms in the home. After all, who would have thought that two people could live in a house this big when one of them is barely even home? It just doesn't make any sense.

  However, my mind feels way too worn out to bother contemplating or criticizing Noah's life choices and decisions. His extravagant way of living and spending shouldn't even be a shock to me at this point after everything I've seen from him so far. This is the same man who didn't hesitate to offer me a six-figure salary as a nanny even though we both know I'm not qualified for the job. Though I can't really say that I have any complaints. Not when this amazing opportunity was basically handed to me by chance and luck.

  I stretch my legs out and slowly start to catch my breath while the cold sweat continues to cling onto my warm back. After chasing Taylor around all day, I can somewhat understand what Noah meant when he said that the other nannies couldn't last a month before quitting. It's not even dinnertime yet and I'm already drained of most of my energy. I weakly shift my gaze over to the little girl who's still energetically hopping up and down around the entire room. The lively scene of her jumping makes me laugh.

  At least someone looks like they're enjoying themselves.

  I stand up from my seat and prepare myself for some resistance on Taylor's end as I decide that it's about time for her to start working on some of her schoolwork. My hand reaches for the workbooks sitting on top of the counter by the grand piano when a lone picture frame placed on the lid of the piano catches my eye. It's a picture of a smiling young woman who seems to have been caught off guard by the camera, her head in the middle of turning around to face the sneaky photographer who's laying in wait to take her photo. I curiously pick the photo frame up with my hand and examine it.

  She has the same honey-brown eyes and sweet and gentle smile as Taylor.

  "That's my mommy," Taylor proudly exclaims as she rushes over and sets her arms on the piano bench. "This is her piano. She always played songs on it for me," she shares with a smile. Her brown stare brims with an utmost pride and joy in her eyes while she looks up at me.

  "She's beautiful. You look a lot like her," I beam.

  "That's what everyone tells me. They say that I'm going to look like her when I grow up," the child grins. But the happiness and excitement that was once on her face gradually vanishes as a thought suddenly hits her. Her eyes naturally drop down toward the floor, her lips making a slight frown in response to her realization. She says absolutely nothing for a while until she ends up quietly muttering, "I miss her."

  The pained and lonely expression on the young girl's face confirms my worst suspicions about her family situation. Her mother must not be alive anymore which is terribly tragic considering how young the woman looks to be in the modern photo. The circumstances appear to be even more heartbreaking when I think about how young Taylor must have been when her mother passed away. Death is never an easy topic to explain or discuss with a child, especially when the time that the mother and daughter spent together was so brief and short.

  I can't even begin to imagine how lost and confused Taylor must have been when her mother was there standing by her side one day and then gone the next. And judging by the hurt look on her face, she still isn't completely over her mother's early departure from the world. But the subject seems way too personal for me to approach without getting too involved. Especially when Noah's warning about overstepping boundaries still rings loudly in my head.

  My hand reaches over to the saddened little girl where I gently start to caress her head. This is the only way I can offer any sense of comfort to Taylor without using any words. However, the tender moment only lasts until I hear the front door suddenly burst open and a familiar voice break out: "Taylor! Sweetie! Where are you? I brought you something. Oh my god, I know that you're going to love it-"

  Yet the enthusiastic female voice instantly pauses when she steps into the piano room and notices me. I instinctively gag a bit as the nauseatingly sweet stench of her perfume floods and permeates the room. Even if I didn't recognize the woman by her iconic scent, her frigid and bright blue eyes and her bold fashion choices leave me with no room for doubt about her identity. It's the blonde beauty from that day who's also Noah's girlfriend. The woman who made me lose my job simply because she didn't like me.

  Great. Another problem to deal with.

  I remind myself to play nice in spite of the woman's atrocious personality, but before I can even get the chance to greet her, the blonde storms toward me and forcibly pulls me away from the room. My eyes helplessly watch the moment unfold in pure shock as she yanks me out of the doorway without explaining herself. I'm so thrown off by her abrupt and aggressive actions that my legs have no choice but to follow her until she's done guiding me to wherever it is that she has in mind.

  The blonde eventually stops dragging me down the hallway and corridors when we step into one of the empty dens. She slams the door behind us and shouts, "What the hell are you doing here? Are you insane? You have no business being in this house." An angry furrow spreads across her brow as she shakes her head and continues her outburst, "I'm calling the cops on you. I can't believe you're actually stalking Noah and his daughter."

  My jaw drops from her bizarre and false accusation. "Whoa, lady! I'm not stalking anyone. You have the wrong idea," I answer with a baffled look.

  "Yeah?" She crosses her arms and raises her brow. "Then how did you get inside the house?"

  A heavy exhale parts from my mouth as I bite my tongue. I resist the overwhelming urge to spit back a witty retort to her, but I know better than to make the woman even more upset than she already looks. Her piercing blue eyes are shooting straight daggers at me, and the spite in her voice tells me that she's hell bent on calling the cops on me so that they can arrest me even if I'm not doing anything wrong. One wrong move or word from me and this could all blow up in my face.

  However, I can't seem to fully convince myself to not antagonize her even a little.

  "Well, funny story," I smirk. "I recently got fired from my previous job, and Mr. Bishop happened to need a nanny for his daughter. So here I am. First day on the job."

  The woman scoffs and shakes her head at me when she hears my response. "You? A nanny? Do I look like an idiot to you?" she fumes as she pulls out her cell phone.

  I close my eyes and grit my teeth. As much as I want to tell her that she does look like an idiot for overreacting, I take the more logical approach instead: "Then why don't you just ask him yourself?"

  My suggestion brings an immediate pause to her actions. "What?" she asks.

  "Mr. Bishop. You can ask him yourself since you don't believe me. Call him first before you call the cops. I'll stay right here while you talk it over with him."

  Despite my recommendation being a pretty reasonable one, Noah's girlfriend looks put off and irritated by the confidence in my tone of voice. She firmly clutches the phone in her hand while a bitter scowl remains on her lips. After staring me down for what feels like a long and hard minute, she reluctantly gives in and makes the phone call to him. Her cold stare continues to carefully observe my every move until Noah finally picks up the call.

  "Hey, handsome! Sorry to bother you…"

  I watch in sheer awe as the blonde's entire demeanor changes from aggressive and hateful to soft-spoken and sweet. It's almost like she's an entirely different person when she's speaking to Noah, especially when she uses her innocent yet flirty tone of voice to address the problematic nature of my employment
to him. Seeing her flawless acting in motion helps me understand how a man could ever fall for her. There's a good reason why she doesn't let anyone see her nasty side unless she intends for them to see it.

  But the polished façade that she's maintaining while she's on the phone with Noah quickly crumbles as she looks over at me. Disbelief and denial pour from her gaze, the dark expression on her face filled with frustration. I turn my head to the side and try to hide my amusement from her. It looks like she just heard the bad news from him, and there's nothing she can do about it except shoot dirty looks at me from afar.

  I secretly indulge in the blonde's miserable expression when she abruptly swings open the door and takes her leave from the room without speaking nor apologizing to me. There's no doubt in my mind that she's seriously pissed off due to my presence in Noah's private home. But her heated reaction only makes the situation more pleasant for me. It serves her right for getting me fired over a petty reason like defying her.

  A huge smile forms across my lips as I head out of the door and go back to the piano room.

  Maybe this job won't be so bad after all.

  Noah - 7

  "I don't like her," Jenna firmly announces with a shake of her head. "I don't like her one bit."

  I furrow my brow at her odd remarks while I start to loosen and take off my tie. She's been making that pouty face and pacing back and forth around the bedroom since I got home. And I've also noticed that strange attitude and behavior of hers ever since we got off the phone earlier. She hasn't sounded normal since then, and I guess I'm about to find out the reason why.

  "Who?" I reluctantly ask while I kick off my shoes.

  Jenna stops pacing and sighs as if the answer was obvious. "The new nanny you hired for Taylor, of course. I don't like her. She's just too young. Is she even capable of taking care of Taylor? Wasn't she working at a library just a few days ago?" she adamantly questions.

  A natural scoff is drawn from my lips as I close my eyes and silently chuckle. Now I understand why she's been upset all day. It's because of Cassie's sudden appearance before her, the young woman's unexpected presence showing up from out of nowhere in the intimate space shared between us. Though I suppose I should have expected a strong and negative response like this from Jenna. She hasn't exactly been fond of Cassie since the very beginning of their first meeting, and she still clearly isn't fond of the woman now.

  "She might not be as qualified as all the other nannies I've hired, but Taylor likes her. I figure the kid might listen to her more because of that," I reply with a shrug. "I mean, it's been working out so far. Cassie tells me that Taylor's been good all day."

  "Cassie?" Jenna angrily repeats with a fold of her arms. Calling the new nanny by her first name seems to have struck a nerve with her.

  "Yes, Cassie. That is her name. What else am I going to call her?" I respond with another scoff of disbelief while the blonde rolls her eyes. Seeing her irrational temper makes me want to tease her a bit.

  I take her hands into mine and cheekily joke with her. "Don't tell me you're jealous."

  Jenna's jaw drops as she looks at me in absolute outrage with her beautiful blue eyes. "Jealous? Of her? You must be kidding me. I'm only worried about Taylor's well-being. You know I treat that girl like she's my own daughter!" she exclaims.

  My heart is instantly swept away by the sight of the model's fierce glare and frowning lips. The visible frustration on her gorgeous face strangely arouses and excites me. There's just something about seeing a woman in distress which drives me a little wild. I can't help but feel the irresistible urge to kiss her and make her mine when I catch that troubled expression on her lovely face. So I only do what feels right and I pull her face toward me to satisfy my natural craving for her lips.

  There's only one way to get her mind off the little things in life that don't matter.

  Jenna softly moans as I relish the soft cushion of her lips, her increasing desire returning my passionate kisses with some of her own as she begins to unbutton my dress shirt. The blood in my body immediately rushes to my lower half, and once I begin to feel my cock rising, there's nothing more I want to do than sink into that curvy body of hers. My hands eagerly reach for Jenna's large and supple breasts which happen to fit perfectly within my palms and fingers. A pleasured moan trails from her red lips as I roll my thumb back and forth around her hardened nipple. The sexual teasing gets to be too much for me, so I pull the two of us onto the bed where I grab a handful of her ass and squeeze it.

  And right as I'm about to pull off her thong and slip my fingers between her thighs, Jenna stops me and breathily states, "Wait a minute, Noah. We're not done talking yet."

  "What else is there to talk about besides how much I want your body right now?" I ask as I plant soft kisses on the side of her neck.

  "It's important," she insists with an unconvincing soft moan.

  "Then hurry up and tell me before I make you forget all about it."

  After giving Jenna a brief window of opportunity to stop me from stripping her naked and having my way with her, she slowly gets off of me and sits up on the bed. There's a hesitant expression in her typically confident blue stare which alarms me. Especially as she reveals her nervous habit of licking her lips to me while she gathers the courage to tell me the important matter that's on her mind.

  "I know this is a little out of nowhere, but I've been looking into a few boarding schools for Taylor. Some friends of mine in the UK tell me that they send their kids to these amazing schools with the best instructors to teach and supervise them. And I think it'll be a really good idea for her to get away for a bit and to make some friends with other kids her own age," Jenna explains with a bit of shaky confidence. The clear uncertainty and insecurity in her pitch to me compels her to place her hand on my inner thigh where she suggestively begins to stroke it.

  "You won't even need a nanny to take care of her! The school will provide everything for Taylor," she continues with a smile. "I honestly believe that she'll love it there, and I think it's something you should really consider. Both for your sake and hers."

  Jenna raises her brow and anxiously beams at me in anticipation of my reaction. But I can only come up with a single response to her suggestion.

  "You're kidding, right?" I plainly ask with a skeptical look on my face. However, there isn't a glimpse of jest or humor on her troubled expression.

  "Noah-"

  "Taylor is my daughter, and I'm not going to ship her off to some boarding school in another country just because your friends casually suggested it to you. I'm not going to be that kind of parent to her. I'm already out of her daily life enough as it is. There's no need for me to leave her behind with somebody else like she's some sort of a burden to me," I angrily state while I get up from the bed in exasperation.

  A tired sigh rushes out of my throat as my bitter emotions consume me. Putting Taylor's name and the word 'burden' together in the same breath is enough to set me off and put me in a foul mood. I'll never see that kid as an obstacle or a problem to me for as long as I live. Not now. And not ever.

  That child is my whole damn world, and I'll be damned if someone tries to take her away from me.

  Unfortunately, Jenna doesn't seem to understand how much I'm unwilling to part with Taylor. She rises from the bed after me with a look of annoyance and impatience in her eyes.

  "And you think hiring these useless nannies are going to help her? Just look at how misbehaved she already is! She needs discipline. I mean, she's already learning how to lie and manipulate you-"

  "Stop it!" I interrupt in a booming voice which practically echoes and bounces off the walls in the bedroom. The unexpectedly loud tone of my voice startles not only Jenna who stares at me in frightened surprise, but myself as well. Taken aback by my own little outburst, I lower my head in regret and implore with her: "Please, I really don't want to hear another word of this from you."

  "Fine," the blonde fumes as she walks right past me and heads ou
t of the bedroom.

  She clearly isn't satisfied with my extreme opposition and lack of consideration for her absurd plan. Yet I still foolishly chase after her while she sprints down the staircase in a hurry. Leaving a fight and argument unsettled between us isn't quite how I want to end our night together.

  "Jenna," I call out to her from the top of the steps, but she completely ignores me and continues walking down the stairs like I'm not even there.

  Is she really doing this to me right now?

  I slap both sides of my face and let out a tiny groan. What a pain in the ass. Her stubborn nature forces me to hurry down the staircase to catch up to her where I manage to grab her by the arm and prevent her from walking away from me. But the upset blonde immediately shakes off my grasp around her wrist once she feels me holding her back from leaving.

  "Don't touch me. I'm going home," Jenna snaps as she turns around to glower at me. Her brilliant blue eyes meet mine with a strong sense of displeasure and resentment. There's an unreasonable look of betrayal pouring out from her withered gaze which I don't have the strength to fight against. All I can do is simply watch the woman turn back around and leave through the entrance with a loud and angry slam of the door.

  However, I don't even get the opportunity to mull over what just happened when the sound of a set of keys dropping onto the floor draws my attention. The distinct and sudden noise is followed by a very audible "shit" which undoubtedly sounds like it's coming from behind me. I calmly turn my head toward the originating point of the sound and find myself staring at the scene of the new nanny on the floor chasing after her house keys. When she finally manages to pick them up and realize that I've noticed her lurking presence, she nervously laughs and greets me.

  "Hi," Cassie grins with a tense chuckle. She points her thumb toward the front door and says, "I was just on my way out when that happened."

  The young woman apprehensively laughs again while I silently observe her panicked condition. Her jumpy eyes don't seem to know where to look when my chest is partly exposed in front of her. She can't maintain eye contact with me for longer than a few seconds, but she also can't keep her stare pointed down when my bare chest and abs are visible to her. Everything about her skittish state tells me that she's inexperienced with men, especially with the slight red flush that appears in the balls of her cheeks.