The Doctor's Fake Nanny: Contemporary BWWM Romance

by Tiana Cole

  My heart lurched at those words. God, I wanted to kiss her again. I didn’t want to do anything but kiss her for the foreseeable future. I stood her up and slipped my hands into her silky, wild hair, tilting her head back and looking into her shockingly green eyes. So striking, so unlike any woman I had ever been with. She was exotic and she made my heart race in the best possible way. Her lips parted slightly, suggestively, and I moved in to kiss her again.

  This time was even better than the first. Slower, a little more sure. Her lips were soft and sweet, tasting faintly of honey and mint. Her hair smelled like lavender and the overwhelming virility of her permeating my senses made my mouth water. My lips moved faster over hers, sucking her bottom lip lightly, and her lips became stronger, more insistent in response.

  Kayla’s body pressed up against me and I felt myself growing stiff against her hip. This couldn’t possibly go any further here in my office, but god knew I wanted it to. I wanted to see what that curvy body looked like without that dress, see more of that perfect, exotic skin that made my head spin.

  The way she was kissing me told me that she was interested in seeing this move forward also, and that would have to be enough. For now. Hell, it was enough for now. Just knowing that there was the possibility of exploring things with Kayla made me happier than I had been in years. I wanted to tell her that, too, but I didn’t have the words. Just telling her that I liked her had felt close to impossible.

  “So, which direction are you leaning?”

  She laughed and moved to step away from me. Reluctantly, I let her out of my arms. There would be more time for this. There had to be. That was the only way I could convince myself to let her go. She looked flustered and breathless, and as she smoothed her hair and clothing I noticed that her skin was flushed. I did that, I thought to myself with satisfaction. It was good to see that I could make her feel some part of what I felt. It was kind of a disorienting experience and it was nice to know I wasn’t alone.

  “What do you mean, ‘which direction’?”

  “You said ‘wow.’ I’m just hoping to know if it was good or bad. I know how it was for me.”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” she said with a grin, “it was good. It was really, really good. You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.”

  “Have you? I couldn’t tell. Not at all. I would have taken the plunge a whole lot sooner if I had known, believe me.”

  “Seriously? How funny. I was positive it was obvious and you were going to fire me or something.”

  “No, ma’am. If I have it my way you won’t be going anywhere for a long time.”

  “Well, that’s good to know.”

  She smiled at me sweetly and I had to fight my instinct to kiss her again. Now that I had done it, it was like a dam breaking. I felt little better than a teenaged boy, all hormones and wants and sweaty hands. I looked around my office, doing my best to remind myself that this was, in fact, my office. I was not a lustful teenaged boy. I was a doctor in a prestigious hospital on the track to becoming the next head of the cardiology department. I was the now father of an orphaned girl. Yes, I wanted Kayla badly, but I had to get control of myself. I still had responsibilities, after all.

  “I hate to say this, my dear, but we should probably go see what kind of trouble Sophie has gotten herself into before she completely terrorizes the nurses. And I have to get some more work done, although I would much rather going home with the two of you.”

  She smiled again and I stepped forward to kiss her on the forehead. She really was the most intoxicating blend of fragile and strong and it made me want to keep her by my side always.

  “Sure, of course you do. It was good seeing you, though.”

  I raised one eyebrow at her and reached out to take her by the hand.

  “Good?”

  “Alright, it was more than good. It was fantastic. It was better than I could have hoped for. I can’t wait to see you when you get home tonight. If you want to come back for dinner. Obviously you don’t have to. Ugh, you know what I mean.”

  She looked so flustered that I couldn’t help but chuckle. She might be beautiful and almost otherworldly good with children, but she was still a normal human when it came to this kind of thing. It was refreshing. I liked having the opportunity to reassure her. I liked the idea of taking care of her.

  “Oh, believe me, Kayla, I’m going to be home for dinner. I’m definitely going to be there. You couldn’t pay me to be anywhere else.”

  She grinned and moved as if to remove her hand from mine but I wound my fingers more tightly around hers. I didn’t want to let her go. Not now that I knew I had a chance to really have her. She cocked her head to the side with an unspoken question on her face and I nodded, smiled and motioned for her to open the door. We exited my office just like that, still hand in hand.

  And just like that, we were at the very beginning of something. It was that amazing part of things where nothing bad had happened between us and everything seemed like a possibility. I knew I was already getting ahead of myself, but it felt like we were a couple. It felt like we already belonged to each other. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted that feeling, but now that I had it I was overcome by the most amazing sense of relief. I felt content, maybe for the first time in my whole life.

  I could see that we were making quite an impression on the staff. Nurses and patients alike were stopping in the hallways, looking at us with mouths open before moving to whisper to one another. I had a reputation for having a one track mind, and that track was for success. It was the thing that had driven me for years. None of these people had ever considered that I might be interested in another human being on any kind of a personal level. I had almost given up on it myself.

  “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Kayla said, glancing at me uncomfortably. “Everyone is looking at us.”

  “So what? Let them look.”

  “But it will get back to your mother. You know you’ll get an earful for that. I didn’t exactly make a good impression on her.”

  “No,” I laughed, “I guess you didn’t. But guess what? I don’t care.”

  She giggled, still looking around us nervously, and kept her hand in mine. She looked so damned uncomfortable! Something about it struck me as sweet. I wouldn’t have expected her to be so concerned for my reputation in the hospital. It surprised me to see that she was so aware of our surroundings. How could she have such an intrinsic knowledge of how the politics of this place worked?

  “David! Is that you I see up there?”

  Shit. I knew that voice very well and he was just about the last person I felt like seeing. He wasn’t a man I enjoyed seeing on your average day and I particularly didn’t want to have a run-in with him when I was in such a good mood. Nor did I savor the idea of inflicting him upon Kayla. He wasn’t the most pleasant man to be around, and that was putting things mildly.

  I gritted my teeth, took one deep breath with my eyes closed, and prepared myself. I could do this, even if I didn’t want to. I could keep things civil for Kayla’s sake.

  “Dr. Johnson, how can I help you today?”

  I turned, as pleasant an expression as I could manage plastered across my face, to greet the man with whom I had nothing but animosity. Let’s just say the two of us had never really gotten along. Even as I turned I felt Kayla’s fingers tighten in mine. Her whole body had gone rigid, her breathing so quick I was a little bit worried she would make herself hyperventilate if she didn’t get it under control.

  I was worried and a little bit confused as well. Was it that obvious that Dr. Johnson and I didn’t get along? Why was she so upset by the sound of this man’s voice when she had never even met him?

  “Oh no, don’t need any help. I was just on my way to make my rounds when I noticed you there. I have to say, I haven’t seen you like this at the hospital. Who’s your friend?”

  I prickled at the way he said that last part but I held onto the little voice in my head screaming at
me to keep my cool. It would do a whole lot to help his case if I totally lost my shit at George in the middle of the hospital hallway.

  I knew George Johnson much, much better than he thought I did. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I knew his type. George had worked at the hospital before I ever got there. When I was first hired on he had been up my ass all of the time, overly eager to get on my good side. I didn’t have to be a genius to know that he was hoping I would put in a good word for him with my mother. Too bad for him he didn’t realize that my mom didn’t put all that much stock in anyone’s good word. Even mine.

  Once George realized that I wasn’t going to help propel him to the place he wanted to be, things got a whole lot less friendly. He seemed to hate me after that, and each year that passed made it worse. I knew he thought I was getting special treatment for being my mother’s son. Both of us knew that I was the most likely candidate to replace my mother as the next head of cardiology for the hospital. The only problem was that I was the only one who knew it wasn’t because of my mom. She really wasn’t the type to engage in nepotism.

  “Kayla Banks, meet Dr. George Johnson. He’s been here with us at the hospital since before I started.”

  I saw a slight wince from him at that statement. It was a dig in his direction and I knew it, but I couldn’t help myself. He just looked so smug. He recovered quickly, though, and stuck one long hand out in greeting. He had a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes and Kayla took a little involuntary step backwards from the gesture. That also struck me as strange. It didn’t seem like her to be so timid.

  “Kayla, was it? Kayla Banks? What a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Hello,” she said in a small voice that didn’t sound like the woman I knew. I glanced at her quickly, trying to figure out why this whole situation felt so awkward. Okay, George was unlikable and arrogant, but this was worse than I would have expected.

  “What do you think of our humble hospital so far?”

  “It’s great.”

  Her tone sounded dull, slightly sarcastic, and I didn’t know whether to be concerned or impressed. As far as I was concerned this was just the kind of reception Dr. Johnson deserved, so I was leaning more on the side of impressed.

  “It’s funny,” he said with a leering grin, “but I have the feeling we’ve already met. Have you been here before?”

  Kayla shrunk back and I instinctively took a step in front of her. I didn’t like the way he was talking to her. Not at all.

  “People say that to her a lot. She just has the kind of face people feel comfortable with. It makes them think they know her.”

  “Is that what it is?”

  “Yes,” she said shakily from behind me, “I guess it is.”

  “Alright, if you say so. Anyway, I’ve got to be on my way. Not all of us have time to skip through the hallways holding hands. Besides, I think I see you daughter torturing a nurse at her station. You may want to take care of that.”

  I waited until I heard the sound of his pompous shoes clicking on the floor fade and then turned to Kayla.

  “You okay?”

  “Sure, of course. Sorry about that.”

  “You don’t have anything to apologize for. Trust me, he’s no friend of mine.”

  “I just didn’t like him, that’s all. I got a weird feeling.”

  “Well, as far as I’m concerned you never have to see him again, so I wouldn’t worry about it. He did say one thing I have to agree with, though.”

  “He did?”

  The disbelief in her voice made me laugh and I squeezed her hand one more time before reluctantly letting it go.

  “Yes, he did. Sophie is indeed making life very difficult for our nurses at this very moment. Now that she’s feeling better I think she’s had all she can take of the hospital. Do you think you could take her on home? I’ll be there as soon as I can. I just have a few more patients to check on.”

  Sophie nodded, the color returning to her face, and her pretty green eyes flashed at me in a way that made me want to scoop her right back into my arms. It didn’t take a lot to make me feel that way.

  “Sounds good. And David?”

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “I’ll see you when you get home.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Kayla

  Oh god. It was all I could do not to collapse on the ground right there in the hospital. While it would be an awfully convenient place to get knocked unconscious, it would not help my current situation. I watched David as he went back towards his office and willed myself not to bend over and put my hands on my knees. I knew I needed to get it together, go grab Sophie like he had asked me to, but I felt dangerously close to throwing up. I really, really didn’t want to make that kind of a scene.

  “Excuse me, can you tell me where your restroom is?”

  I stopped a passing nurse who looked more than a little worried about me to ask the question. I didn’t like drawing further attention to myself and I was terrified that somebody was really going to recognize me any second, but I needed to splash some water on my face or something. To put it simply, I needed to get my shit together.

  “It’s right down the hallway, sweetheart, up there on the right. Are you okay? Do you need some help?”

  “No, thank you. I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, thank you. I’m really fine.”

  Now I had to wait as the nurse reluctantly moved on about her business. Finally, finally, the path was clear. I made my way shakily towards the bathroom the concerned nurse had pointed out, grateful for the peace it promised. I almost made it, too. Almost.

  “Kayla. Interesting choice of company you’re keeping these days.”

  I almost screamed, had to clamp my hands over my mouth in order to keep myself quiet. My nerves were pretty much shot at this point and having Dr. Johnson pop back out at me from seemingly nowhere absolutely was not helping. If I hadn’t have already felt sick I definitely would have after this unwelcome surprise.

  “Dr. Johnson, I thought you had left.”

  “Did you? Interesting. I would have thought you would expect me to wait for a chance to speak to you, in light of the fact that you have opted not to answer or return any of my phone calls.”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Yes,” he said with a disgusted snort, “it seems that you have. Like I said, interesting company.”

  “Look, you’re the one who wanted me to apply to be his nanny in the first place. How can you actually be surprised to see us together?”

  “You’re right, I shouldn’t. Let me clarify. Interesting to see the two of you holding hands. I didn’t realize the two of you had become so cozy. You must take this under cover thing pretty seriously.”

  The way he said it made me feel dirty, cheap. Only a few minutes ago I had been over the moon about that unbelievable kiss from David and giddy just at the thought of what might be there between us in the future. Now I didn’t know what to feel. I felt like I had been tossed into a game I didn’t understand with two entirely different and conflicting sets of directions. I just wanted this to be over.

  “What is it that you want, Dr. Johnson?”

  “What do I want? I want to know what sort of progress you’re making. I want to know that you haven’t given up everything we’ve worked for just so you can sleep with the enemy.”

  “Don’t talk about me like that, doctor. I don’t belong to you.”

  “Clearly.”

  “And maybe he’s not the enemy. Did you ever think of that? Maybe he just isn’t what you think he is.”

  If we hadn’t been in a hospital I think he would have spit on the floor. That’s how disgusted he looked by what I had just said. He moved closer to me and it took everything I had not to back up in response. I wasn’t going to give him that kind of satisfaction, no matter how much I disliked the situation I was in.

  “No, Kayla, that is where you’re wrong. He is a
bsolutely the enemy. He is exactly what I think he is. Have you forgotten what he let happen? What he did to your sister?”

  “You don’t know that! You don’t have any evidence, any proof.”

  “You’re right” he hissed, “I don’t. That’s what you’re for. I need you to find evidence of his nasty little habits. Those little habits are making him unsafe, unfit for his profession, and I mean to see him taken down.”

  I wanted so badly to turn my brain off so I wouldn’t have to hear what he was saying. I didn’t want it to be true, but at the same time I couldn’t stop thinking about that little bottle of pills. That was the little habit Dr. Johnson was talking about and I could see David slipping it into his pocket over and over again, on a loop that wouldn’t stop running. I knew why he had them but how many of them was he taking? Was he high on them when he made the decisions that killed my sister? Was he really that irresponsible and I just couldn’t see it anymore because I was invested in him now?