THE NANNY (A BILLIONAIRE BWWM ROMANCE)

by King, Imani

  French Chocolate: A Sweet Adventure

  Chelsea Dixon & Tiffany Simpson, Proprietors

  Venice, California

  310-444-6969

  The more I learned about Chelsea Dixon, the more I simply had to have her. If she was that talented in the kitchen, I could only imagine the magic she could weave in the bedroom. While our happy little group was finishing up their coffee and enjoying the last of the insanely delicious desserts, I was plotting a way to discretely get her alone as soon as possible. My chance arrived when I saw her head back to the workroom for more business cards. I seized my opportunity and followed her around the corner .

  6

  Chelsea

  I f ever there was a moment when I needed Tiffany, it was now. My head was spinning from that frustrating man in the other room. Of course, Tiff wore rose-colored glasses as far as Blaize Simon was concerned, she might not have been the best person to talk to. I could easily picture her fawning all over him if she were here. Yep, I suspected her opinion might have been quite a bit skewed in his favor .

  Unfortunately, she was working the baby shower while I was at this meeting. I knew she would positively freak when she learned that she missed her chance to meet Blaize Simon again. What were the odds of that? Poor thing .

  I was completely flustered to the point that I couldn’t concentrate. Where did I put those damn business cards? I always carried a box of extras and I was sure I brought them with me. Just then, his voice startled me from behind and I instinctively jumped. When I turned around, he was suddenly close enough for me to get an intoxicating whiff of his aftershave. It was totally unnerving .

  “Chelsea Dixon…….. at last, I know your name. Do you realize I’ve been thinking about you for two months? Ever since you tried to have your way with me in my kitchen …..”

  “Mr. Simon, c’mon now. Get real! You don’t even know me, and the only thing I did in that kitchen was tell you to zip your fly .”

  “I may not know you, but I can already tell a lot about you .”

  “Really? I seriously doubt that. But I can already tell you are conceited, arrogant and ill-mannered .”

  “I love your spunk! Well, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you are off-the-charts beautiful… And as a successful business woman, you must also be hard-working, ambitious, and wonderfully smart. One bite of your delicious product and it’s evident you are extremely talented… And I know from personal experience that you are extremely feisty. The verbal spanking you gave me at my party was the highlight of my evening. You know, you left quite an impressive mark with that stinging tongue-lashing .”

  His words left me speechless. I never met anybody who spoke that brashly. He was obviously skilled at sizing people up and even more adept at flattery. Your typical player. But he did have a way about him that made me sweat a little more than I cared to admit .

  Now that I was face to face with him, I could see what Tiffany was talking about. To call Blaize handsome would be the understatement of the year. It was hard not to be captivated by his gorgeous chiseled face trimmed with its rugged 5 o’clock shadow. His thick wavy black hair was boyish and slightly tousled, like he just finished up in the sack with someone… And those dark bedroom eyes……..oh lord help me !

  But he was also very full of himself! I had a feeling he was used to getting his way his entire life. He was probably related to French royalty. He had all the characteristics of someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth. But what a lovely mouth it was..……..with those sensuous full lips. Why did so many idiotic words have to come out of it ?

  “Well, that’s all very flattering, Mr. Simon, but did you really follow me back here just to tell me how great you think I am ?”

  “First of all, please stop calling me Mr. Simon. It’s Blaize. Secondly, I really did follow you back here to tell you how great you are. And third, I think my biggest reason to talk with you was pretty obvious back there in the conference room. As a matter of fact, I saw you looking right at it .”

  Oh my God, this man had all the nerve in the world! I honestly didn’t know whether I should feel insulted by his lack of manners and boundaries or just laugh at his lack of emotional maturity. Either way, I was running out of patience .

  “I’m having a hard time taking you seriously, and I’m very busy. It’s been a pleasure meeting you Mr. Simon, but I really do need to wrap things up here now. Will there be anything else ?”

  “Please, call me Blaize. And yes, there is something else actually. Are you able to meet me for coffee in about an hour? I have a proposition for you .”

  “A proposition! I can only imagine what kind of proposition you’re talking about. Thanks but no thanks !”

  “Now, now. Control your dirty mind pretty lady. I’m not proposing anything the least bit naughty . For now, I have a business deal in mind that I’d like you to consider. But I really should discuss it with my agent, Rolande, first. You know, that little bald guy you were chatting with earlier. I just want to run my idea past him out of consideration………to make him feel like he actually has some say in the matter .”

  “Rolande Girard is your agent? I’m surprised .”

  “And why is that, Ms. Dixon ?”

  “When he introduced himself to me, he seemed like a perfectly normal gentleman .”

  “Rolande? I can assure you he’s not the least bit normal !”

  “You’re not exactly selling me on this business deal. You do know that don’t you ?”

  “Would it help if I reminded you that I have a rather large sum of money that comes along with this business engagement ?”

  “It might,” I replied .

  “In that case, take a risk. Meet me in an hour. How about at that little coffee place around the corner? The one with all the funny lopsided tables and crooked chairs ?”

  “Shaky Grounds ?”

  “Yeah! That’s the one!” he replied, grinning eagerly .

  “Okay, I guess I can do that… But this had better be all business Mr. Simon, or I’m walking right back out. Make it 90-minutes. I need to drop off this stuff at home first .”

  “Great! 90-minutes it is. I’ll see you there! Since this is strictly business, do you prefer my fly open or closed ?”

  He was laughing, and I refused to dignify his remark with an answer. I could almost hear my dad’s voice in my head saying, “Be careful, Chelsea. That man has a hard time controlling his pecker!” I smiled at the thought. Daddy was hardly ever wrong about things like that .

  7

  Blaize

  T he weather in Southern California was magnifique! Warm sunshine and cool Pacific sea breezes almost every single day. It was perfect for relaxing out on the patio of the coffee shop. I chose one of the funky old velvet sofas in the corner of the small lush yard and made myself comfortable, as I kicked back in enjoyment of the hip seaside vibe .

  Rolande had been surprisingly agreeable about the business proposal which I was about to make to Chelsea Dixon. In fact, he had reacted in an absolutely enthusiastic manner when I ran it past him after the lunch meeting. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had designs on her himself. That little bastard.……. I would have to squash his delusions of grandeur later .

  Right now, I needed to concentrate on getting Chelsea onboard with it. And if she wanted to do it, she would surely find a way to convince her partner of the same. She struck me as the type of girl who didn’t give up very easily, and I had a feeling whatever Chelsea wanted, Chelsea got. We were a lot alike in that respect. Little did she know how much I wanted her .

  I watched her walk into the café and felt my core temperature rise as the hostess escorted her out to me. She had gone home and changed out of her work uniform and into a short and flirty little flowered sundress. So much for her little hard-to-get act! Her beautifully long legs shined in the afternoon sunlight. Their remarkable resemblance to luxuriously silky smooth French chocolate was not lost on me. They went on forever….all the way up to her a
dorable perky ass. Holy fuck! I hungered to taste every delicious inch of her! Thankfully, my sunglasses hid my obvious wolf-like leer as I struggled not to salivate like the dog that I actually was. I stood up and gestured with my hand for her to join me on the patio sofa .

  “Thank you so much for meeting me here, Chelsea.” I said, as I situated myself back down beside her. I attempted to hide my cement-hard rod with a throw pillow .

  “Dare I say, you give the beauty of the ocean a run for its money. How can it even compete? Especially with you in that dress? You look positively stunning !”

  “Thank you, but I had to get out of my work clothes. I just threw on the first thing I came across in my closet. So what’s this deal you were talking about ?”

  “You mean you didn’t select that sweet sexy little outfit specifically with me in mind? I’d be disappointed if you didn’t .”

  “Wow! You really are full of yourself aren’t you? Believe it or not, not every woman you meet is trying to impress you or sleep with you, Mr. Simon .”

  “Maybe not every woman, but most are. You have nothing to worry about though, Chelsea. You don’t need to try . You’ve already impressed me and as for bedding me……… all you have to do is say when .”

  She blushed at the suggestion. I suspected it was because she knew it was the truth and she thoroughly enjoyed having that amount of power .

  “Are you going to tell me your business proposal now or not ?”

  A petite and very tanned teenage girl suddenly appeared to take our order .

  “I apologize for getting off subject. What would you like to drink, Chelsea? Are you hungry? They have a light menu here as well .”

  “Just an iced tea for me, thank you .”

  “And I’ll have an iced mocha latte, please .”

  After the server was out of hearing range, I added: “I certainly don’t want any of their desserts. Not after eating yours. Yours are the new gold standard for me now. Have you considered trying to get your French Chocolate pastries into the shops around here ?”

  “That is part of our business plan, actually. Tiff and I have only been back in the states a couple of months. We’ve been concentrating on the catering aspect of it right now. But we definitely have plans on expanding into the retail area as well. We hope to have our own pastry shop or possibly our own restaurant someday .”

  “Did you say Tiff ?”

  “Yes, Tiffany Simpson, my business partner .”

  “Oh yes, that’s right. I recall seeing her name on your card. The other half of French Chocolate. Tell me about her .”

  “What do you want know? She’s great .”

  “I’m sure she is. But I’m curious about a few things. Like, where is she today? And have you known her for very long? Is she as hard-working and responsible as you are? And how well do the two of you get along? Did she train in France with you ?”

  “You’re not exactly shy with the questions, Mr. Simon …”

  “You’ll find I’m not shy about anything, Chelsea. Life is too short,” he replied with a shit eating grin .

  Our waitress brought our drinks and I watched with perverted pleasure as Chelsea inserted her straw between her deliciously full lips and sucked on her tea. I imagined them wrapped tightly around me and giving me pleasure. If she could read my mind, she would have probably stormed out on the spot. Once again, I was faced with controlling the involuntary movement in the crotch of my pants .

  “Tiffany is the closest thing I have to a sister. Most people think we actually are sisters. We’ve been inseparable practically our whole lives. She’s working a baby shower today, and yes, she works as hard as I do. Her work ethic is second-to-none and I would trust her with my life. We trained and worked in restaurants together up in San Francisco before completing our culinary arts education in France. My folks used to own a small café in the bay area before my momma passed away .”

  I was impressed at how fiercely she defended her partner and also truly touched when she teared up at the mere mention of her parents. She obviously loved them dearly. I always wondered what that would be like. I took her soft delicate hand in both of mine, hoping to offer sincere consolation .

  “I’m so sorry about your mother, Chelsea. Is your father still alive ?”

  “Yes. He’s still up there in San Fran. He couldn’t work the restaurant without mama though. He said his heart just wasn’t in it, plus with him being disabled from the Gulf War and all. It was too much. He lives in an assisted-living home now. I go see him as much as I can .”

  “Your father is a lucky man to have a daughter like you. A very lucky man, indeed .”

  “Actually, Blaize, I’m the one who’s lucky. He’s the best daddy a girl could have. He made all of this possible for me .”

  She called me Blaize! Things were going swimmingly now. She was comfortably sharing her feelings with me and finally calling me Blaize. I was making headway in my quest to win her over .

  “I hope I’m able to meet your father someday. He is obviously a very smart man to invest in you. Not to mention the fact that he is still able to command your love and respect, even now that you’re grown. That’s quite admirable. I envy him .”

  “He is special all right. That’s for sure. Are we ever going to get around to talking business sometime today?” Chelsea laughed .

  “What makes you think we’re not already talking business? We have definitely been talking business. In order for me to make you this proposition, I needed to learn a bit more about you and Tiffany. This is more of an informal interview. I’m very careful about whom I choose for business associates. I’m pleased to tell you that you’ve passed the test and exceeded my expectations, which were already very high, by the way .”

  “Business associates? What are you talking about? You haven’t even told me anything about the deal you’re proposing. How do you know I’m interested? What makes you think I want YOU for MY business associate. You’ve got some giant balls !”

  “We can talk about my balls later……As I was saying, I’m confident you’ll accept my proposal because you would have to be a complete fool not to. And I know your mom and pop surely didn’t raise a fool for a daughter .”

  8

  Chelsea

  I had to admit….. Mr. Blaize Simon was breaking down my defenses. Was he actually being real with me today? I couldn’t tell for sure. He certainly could be charming when he wanted to be. But he was also a very smooth talker and my intuition told me probably also a champion bullshitter. I decided it would be best not to drop my guard too soon, just in case. He was right about one thing………my folks didn’t raise a fool .

  As I approached our little yellow house, the sight of Tiffany out in the tiny front yard made my heart race. I couldn’t wait to tell her about my day. She was squatting down, clipping the pink blooms off of our hydrangea bushes and plunking them into her metal watering can, completely unaware that her life was about to change. It was all I could do not to call her with the exciting news earlier, but I was really looking forward to seeing her reaction in person. Finally, the time had come; she was literally only a handful of minutes away from going completely ballistic .

  “Hi Tiff! Have you been home long ?”

  “Not too long. Maybe an hour, that’s all.” As she slowly stood up with her bouquet, her eyes widened in surprise. “Where have you been? That is definitely not your work uniform. You look way too good! Did you have a date or something ?”

  “I’ve got so much to tell you Tiffany. Let’s go sit out back. I’m thirsty. What do we have to drink in the fridge ?”

  “I made a pitcher of fresh lemonade when I got home. It should be nice and chilled by now. I’ll be out in there in a couple minutes. Lemme put these flowers in Grandma Libby’s vase first .”

  I put the refreshing pitcher of lemonade and 2 glasses on a tray and headed out back to our glider porch swing. My news could wait a couple of minutes. I didn’t want to risk shocking Tiffany while she was hold
ing a valuable and breakable family heirloom .

  “All right. What’s this about? By that sexy number you’re wearing, I’d say it’s about a man. Hey, before you start, aren’t you gonna ask me how the baby shower went ?”

  “Oh yeah. I’m sorry, sure……..how did it go ?”

  “Everybody loved our stuff Chelsea. I got a ton of referrals. So that was great. But that mother-to-be at the party was just awful. I swear, it was hard for me to bite my tongue, but I somehow managed to keep my mouth shut. All she did was bitch and moan about everything: Her weight gain, her sore feet, her maid being incompetent, her hairstylist being on vacation. It went on and on. I feel sorry for that woman’s poor child when it’s born .”

  “I’m sorry the baby shower wasn’t the fun joyful celebration it should have been. That’s too bad. What’s with some people anyway ?”

  “Nevermind those other people now, Chelsea. What happened at that big shot meeting today? And who were you trying to seduce in that dress ?”

  “Seduce? You think I look like I’m trying to seduce somebody ?”

  “Hell, are you kidding? You look so fine, you’re starting to seduce ME! What gives ?”

  I thought it best to reveal the details of the afternoon very gradually to Tiffany, allowing her time to fully process everything that had transpired. It was a lot to digest. Just telling her that the big Santa Monica meeting had turned out to be a contract negotiation luncheon for Blaize Simon was enough to set her off .