Body Heat

by Mia Ford

  “You’re right,” he said, and gave her a smile. He moved over to her and gathered her in a gentle hug. Veronica let out a long breath through her nose as she wrapped her arms around his torso. They stood that way for a long moment.

  “Come on,” Frank finally whispered, looking down at her with his familiar easy smile.

  Veronica let him lead her back out of his room, and across the hall into her own. They entered the room, and he crossed to her bed, turning down the comforter so that she could easily get in.

  Veronica slipped out of the green robe, and made to hand it back to him, but Frank held up his hands.

  “Hold on to it,” he said softly. “Just in case.”

  Veronica wanted to protest, but she figured she had already won one battle for the night, and it wouldn’t kill her to hold on to the robe.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “You’re welcome,” Frank murmured, and ran his fingertips along her cheekbone.

  “Goodnight,” Veronica faintly whispered, momentarily regretting her wish to be separated for the night. Frank chuckled.

  “I’ll see myself out,” Franks aid, and made his way to the door. He lingered in the doorway for a moment, looking back at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

  “Goodnight Veronica,” he said, his voice hushed. Then, he turned his back and shut the door behind him.

  Veronica let out a shuddering breath, a little shocked by the events that had just transpired. She undid the tie of the sash of the robe, and took it off. She held it in her hand and looked at it for a moment. She vaguely wondered what his wife had been like. She wondered if Frank would ever want to talk about her.

  Veronica shook her head, dismissing the notion. She had to force herself to remember that she was not about to try and have a relationship with her boss. The reality of what had just transpired between them finally hit her.

  Not only had she slept with her boss, but she had cheated on Calvin. She felt a rush of guilt. It didn’t matter how sexually intrigued she was by him; she was supposed to be faithful to her boyfriend.

  Feeling disgusted with herself, and suddenly very tired, she made her way over to the bed and crawled into it. She set an alarm for six the next morning, and she made the decision that tomorrow, she would have to tell Frank that this was not possible, and that they couldn’t keep this, whatever it was, going.

  With that in mind, Veronica settled down into a fitful sleep, her emotions rolling all through the night.

  PART 2: THE BILLIONAIRE’S NANNY

  Blurb

  After her indiscretion with her boss, rich lawyer Frank Davenport, Veronica Lawrence is locked in emotional turmoil. She feels horrible for cheating on Calvin, but at the same time she is faced with the fact that she and her employer seem to share a strange and powerful bond. Though she tries to resist him, Veronica finds that it is nearly impossible for her to keep herself from falling for him more and more every day.

  Even as Veronica grows closer to Frank, though, she is agonizing over her relationship with Calvin. They keep in touch exclusively through phone calls, so it is easy for Veronica to keep her infidelity under wraps. She knows, though, that at some point the truth will have to come out, and that she must decide whether to fight for her relationship with Calvin, or to let him go and pursue a life with Frank.

  Unfortunately for her, she will likely have to make up her mind far sooner than she anticipated.

  CHAPTER 1

  Veronica tossed and turned through the night, and ended up spending half of the time staring up at the ceiling rather than sleeping. She managed to get a few hours, but she was still highly disgruntled when her alarm rang. Grumbling, she rose, and moved to the closet to pick out a set of clothes for her morning jog.

  It was still about an hour until she needed to start making a breakfast for herself and the girls, so she was looking forward to clearing her head on this run. She quietly left her room, and hesitated in the hallway, looking across at Frank’s door.

  After a moment, she released a sigh and continued into the main hall and down the stairs, silently exiting the house.

  Veronica was unfamiliar with the expanse of the property, but she figured it would be large enough to get in a few miles. So, she turned on the GPS on her phone, and set off along the long driveway, and then into a path that led into the trees that decorated the property.

  While much of the land on the estate was very deliberately managed and cultivated, this particular section of trees seemed largely untamed, save for the path that wound around it. As she looked around, she was even a little surprised to find a brook running through them. It really was beautiful, and once again Veronica found herself in awe of her surroundings.

  As she ran, Veronica’s mind couldn’t keep from traveling back to the previous night, and particularly about the way Frank had made her feel. She had felt like a woman again. For so long, she just felt dull and uninterested in her own life. She had fallen into a routine, and become nearly detached from enjoying life itself.

  The, Frank Davenport appeared. Everything had happened so fast, and it bewildered her that they had met only the day before she had given into her feelings and slept with him. She never would have imagined that she was capable of such a thing.

  As she thought about it, she felt a fair amount of guilt that she had cheated on Calvin. She had no idea if she should tell him, or how she would go about it if she chose to do so. Their relationship surely had its problems, but up until now they had never cheated on her.

  Calvin had been reluctant about her taking this job and moving into the estate, and now all his worried and suspicions had been founded. Veronica knew that this guilt would follow her as long as she was in a relationship with him.

  She also vaguely wondered if this was a sign that her relationship with him needed to end. Things had not been going completely well between them for quite some time, and if she was honest with herself, she had been debating leaving him for quite a while. She had just never really had a good reason.

  In the end, though, she had always come to the conclusion that she ought to stay with him, because he really could provide her with a good life if they shared a future. He was a good man and a hard worker with a good job. She had no doubt that he could take care of her, and their children if they had any.

  In addition, her parents fully expected her to marry him. They were more than thrilled that she had ended up with someone with a real, steady job, and that had already provided her with a home and with a viable future. She knew that they would be bitterly disappointed and ceaselessly worried about her if their relationship came to an end.

  It certainly didn’t help that her father was the type of man who really didn’t believe a woman could truly have a successful life on her own.

  Veronica knew very well that with this job, and this set of circumstances, she could actually save a lot of money in this job. And given that she had almost no expenses to pay for herself, the longer she could keep this job, the better off she would be.

  Still, there would be no way to explain that to her old-fashioned parents, and it would always just be easier to stay with Calvin and ease their minds.

  Now, though, that she had slept with her boss, she knew that this would not be able to last much longer.

  Veronica let out a huff of air as she ran, and tried to push these pesky thoughts from her mind. She would have to deal with all this at another time. She wanted to prove that she could be a valuable member of the staff before she got too comfortable with any situation. The rest of her problems could wait.

  She also had to deal with the issue of being in such close quarters with Frank all the time. There was a part of her that wanted to let him know that what happened between them the previous night could not happen again. She wanted to get back to and maintain a professional relationship from there on out.

  Another part of her though, was eager to feel him between her thighs again. She had never had such good sex befo
re in her life. Sure, she could remember early in her relationship with Calvin when everything sexual had seemed fresh and exciting and new. Looking back, though, she realized that her opinions then were largely based on lack of experience.

  Veronica had seen hot, passionate love scenes on television and read about them in romance novels, but she had chalked those up as works of fiction, and thought that nobody truly had those experiences in real life. Now, though, that notion had been completely erased from her mind. She knew that passion and hot lust were very real things, and that they were going to plague her for as long as she was in such close proximity to Frank.

  Even now, as she jogged, Veronica felt a hot surge of heat in her core. There was no denying the attraction she felt for Frank, but that wasn’t hard to believe. He certainly wouldn’t have gotten this far in his career without charisma, good looks and intelligence. He was a man that would make any woman swoon.

  Veronica knew that he had likely played this game before with other women. He constantly had a household full of staff, and she found it quite hard to believe that she was the only woman he had ever slept with since his wife’s passing.

  Still, he had done a good job of making her believe that he was truly attracted to her and interested in her. He had been gentle and forceful at exactly the right times, and looked at her in just the right way to make her feel wanted, and more than that, it made her feel unique. Though Veronica had been tricked at the time and believed him to be genuine, she knew very well that he could have developed such a gaze from years of practice.

  As Veronica approached the house again, she steeled her mind. She knew she would have to encounter Frank again at some point, and she had to be prepared to resist him. As hard as she knew it was going to be, she also knew it was necessary.

  Veronica slowed to a trot and was at a walk as she made it to the porch. She quietly opened the door and slipped into the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the light. She worked hard to make no noise as she reached into the cupboard to withdraw a glass. She shut the cabinet slowly, and then began to make her way to the sink.

  As she moved, though, the light to the kitchen flipped on, and she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked over to where she knew the light switch was, and her stomach clenched as she saw Frank standing there, his eyebrow raised, and a smirk of humor on his lips.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Good morning,” he greeted her, his voice a little lower and gruffer than she was used to.

  “Good morning,” Veronica replied as best she could, considering her throat had tightened up upon seeing him.

  Veronica couldn’t help but look him over. She guessed he had just worked out, as he wore a compression tank that was almost completely saturated with his sweat. His skin glistened, and she could smell his scent wafting through the air.

  Frank chuckled a little, and began to move through the kitchen toward the sink.

  “I see we both like to get our workouts out of the way early,” he remarked, and Veronica could hardly think to form a response. The best she could manage was a light laugh.

  Veronica hung back as he withdrew two glasses from the cabinet. He handed one to her, which she sheepishly took, and the other he held under the faucet to begin filling it with water.

  “You don’t have to drink from the tap,” Frank said over his shoulder. “It’s just how I was brought up.”

  Veronica could only blink at him as her heart clenched and she was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. In this moment, he wasn’t her employer. He was a man, and a man that she knew she had a great many things in common with.

  As Frank sipped at his glass, Veronica slipped past him to stand in front of the sink and fill up her own glass. She heard Frank let out a chuckle from behind her, and she jumped and gasped as she felt his hand move to trace over her arm. In her surprise, she dropped the glass, the loud crash sounding throughout the room.

  No sooner had she dropped the glass, Veronica felt Frank seize her by the shoulders and tear her away from the sink. Veronica’s head spun from how fast he moved her, and when she was able to focus her vision, she could see Frank’s eyes searching frantically over her face and her body.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked her urgently, his grip on her shoulders bordering on painful. His eyes looked crazed, and she could clearly see a desperate fear lingering there. She had never seen a look like that before, and it sent chills through her body.

  “I’m okay, I’m okay,” Veronica assured him softly, nodding her head.

  She saw Frank relax little by little, and his eyes seemed to refocus, and finally see her clearly. He let out a soft rush of air, and suddenly brought Veronica close, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight to his chest.

  “Sorry,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “I’m not always good with loud noises. Grew up in some bad homes, bad neighborhoods… lost a few people close to me.”

  Veronica felt dazed and at a loss for how to handle this situation, so she could only hold him tighter. She could feel the muscles in his back relax as she held him and she felt her heart soften just a little more. She heard Frank take in a breath, and she felt him begin to pull back from her.

  He looked down at her and gave her a gentle smile, cupping her face in the palm of his hand. Veronica gave him a small smile of her own. She felt like they were kindred spirits, having finally found each other after spending thousands of years separated from one another.

  Frank broke their gaze to glance into the sink, and Veronica blinked as the spell was broken.

  “Oh, I’ll take care of that,” Veronica immediately spoke up, moving to gather up the broken glass. She kept her eyes locked on the shards, and carefully wrapped them in a hand towel before depositing them in the garbage.

  All the while, she felt Frank’s eyes on her, and she felt her skin begin to crawl deliciously. She looked up from the trash, and her eyes immediately linked with his. They stood in silence, and Veronica wondered just how much longer she could take the tension brewing between them.

  “I need to shower before I make breakfast,” Veronica said softly, looking for just about any excuse to extricate herself from her current situation.

  “Oh of course,” Frank nodded, seeming to be brought back to reality at least a little bit. “I guess you won’t get much of a chance for the rest of the day.”

  Veronica gave him a small smile and a nod.

  “I’m headed that way myself,” Frank said, and held his arm out to gesture toward the staircase.

  “Okay,” Veronica said, and moved to join him. They walked side by side up the stairs. When they made it to Veronica’s hallway, Frank hesitated, and Veronica, almost entranced, hesitated with him.

  “I’ll see you at breakfast,” Frank managed to say, and turned to walk away.

  “Okay,” Veronica barely managed, watching as Frank turned down his own hallway.

  When he was out of sight, Veronica turned and went into her own room, releasing a sigh as she leaned against her door. She needed to take a moment to process all that had just passed between them.

  Apparently, ignoring the connection they had with one another was not going to be as simple as she hoped.

  Puzzling over how she was going to handle the situation she had found herself in, she quickly went through her shower routine and then dressed herself in a pair of comfortable jeans and a nice blouse. Satisfied with her appearance, she left her room and headed down the stairs to start breakfast for the girls.

  Once in the kitchen Veronica took stock of all the things she had to work with, and she decided on a meal of pancakes, bacon, and eggs for the girls that morning. She got the pancake mix out of the pantry and began the process of mixing up a batch of batter.

  Veronica found the whole process of cooking the meal very therapeutic. Soon, she had all the food items laid out under the lamp over the breakfast bar to keep it warm, and she headed back upstairs to start getting the girls ready.

  Veronica was pleasantly surprised to fi
nd that the girls were more than eager to comply with her wishes, and were very helpful and cooperative, even anticipating what they were supposed to do. It was clear that they had been under the care of some very good nannies in their young lives.

  It seemed almost too fast that the girls were ready, and seated at the table enjoying their banquet of pancakes. Veronica easily assisted them with pouring drinks and giving them more syrup or whatever other toppings they desired.

  In the midst of their breakfast, Frank strolled into the kitchen, and the girls immediately hopped out of their chairs and rushed to greet him.

  Frank chuckled as each of the girls attached themselves around one of his legs. Frank indulged them, and began to walk across the kitchen. Veronica couldn’t help but smile as the girls giggled hysterically. Frank looked up, and Veronica was immediately locked in his dark gaze. He flicked her an easy smile, and Veronica felt an ember begin to burn deep in her core.

  “Alright girls, back to the table,” Frank said with a chuckle. The girls rushed to obey, and say at the table looking over at him admiringly.

  Frank looked back at them, a broad smile on his face. When the girls were once again engrossed in their meal, Frank looked back at Veronica, that familiar twinkling light in his eye.

  Veronica blinked a moment, and hurried to act as she felt her cheeks flush.

  “Can I get you some breakfast?” Veronica asked softly, looking anywhere but into his eyes.

  “I can help myself, thanks,” Frank said easily. Veronica gave him a single nod. It looked as though the girls had largely finished eating, so Veronica took up their plates and started the process of getting them washed.

  As she took care of the dishes, Veronica was constantly aware of Frank’s presence in the kitchen. It seemed that no matter how she tried to occupy her mind, she always found her eyes wandering to him. And each time, his eyes seemed to meet hers, and her world seemed to center solely on him.

  Veronica could hardly think at all.

  “Alright, I’m off,” Frank finally said, standing from his place at the table. Veronica felt a mix of relief and disappointment that he would be leaving.