Dangerous Pleasures (20 page)

“Good morning, dear. How’s the wee laddie?” Nanny Violet asked as she came in, hung up her cape, and set her hat on the closet shelf.

Annie told her.

“Well, don’t you worry yourself at all, dearie. Nanny will be here to take care of the laddie until you get home.”

“I’ll be late again,” Annie said. “I have to see a supplier this afternoon. I’m sorry.”

“Not to worry, dear. Your children are delightful. Very mannerly in this day and age, I can tell you. It’s lovely to be with them,” Nanny Violet said.

Mannerly? Her daughters? Well, maybe the twins, but Amy? And yet Amy had been quite contented when Annie had gotten home yesterday, and didn’t whine when told to do her homework. Nanny Violet was a miracle worker. “Then I’ll be on my way,” Annie replied. “Is there anything you need?”

“Nothing at all, dear,” the nanny told her. “We’ll be just fine.”

Nora Buckley called her into her office as soon as Annie had arrived at the Spa. “This was faxed over from Pietro d’Angelo and Johnson a few minutes ago,” she said. “It’s an agreement between Lacy Nothings Corp. and the Channel Corp. I’ve read it over. It seems fine to me, Annie. Call them and tell them you’ll be in to sign it this afternoon. When can we expect the stock?”

“As soon as I sign the agreement I’m going to the store to pick it out,” Annie answered her. “I’ll need a special glass display cabinet for it. I don’t want too many hands pawing it. It will get shopworn, and it’s too pricey to allow that to happen.”

Nora smiled. “You are really a natural at merchandising, Annie. Mr. Nicholas is never wrong when he picks someone for the corporation.”

“Don’t let me dazzle you with my footwork.” Annie laughed. “I’m really just feeling my way, but I will learn. I’m going to make the gift shop a moneymaking operation for the Spa. Just wait and see.”

“How’s your little boy?” Nora asked casually. “Did the nanny work out?”

“He’s still sick, and Nanny Violet is wonderful!” Annie said enthusiastically. “I wish I could have her all the time. The kids already adore her, and I came home yesterday to dinner ready to go, and a pan of brownies in the oven.”

“Gracious, she is a treasure,” Nora said.

There were more boxes in the gift shop when Annie opened up. Devyn arrived, and for a few minutes Annie avoided looking at him. How could she, given her fantasy last night? But then she managed to gain control of herself. Devyn wouldn’t know about her fantasy. He didn’t know about the Channel. They unpacked together and put everything away. It went quicker today because they had arranged the shelves yesterday.

“If you don’t object, I started making out the price tags last evening,” Devyn said.

“That’s wonderful, but don’t you have a life after five p.m.?” Annie asked him.

“Sure,” he said with a grin.

“Girlfriend?” she probed.

“Nah, not enough real time to hang out and find one,” he admitted. “Besides, PAs are on call twenty-four/seven.”

“But you’re my PA, and I don’t need you nights and weekends. You should go out and have some fun, Devyn,” Annie told him.

“Are you dating anyone?” he asked boldly.

“Me?”
Annie laughed. “Five kids, remember?”

“No one since your husband died?” he said.

“Nope,” she answered him.

“Have dinner with me,” Devyn said softly.

I didn’t hear that correctly
, Annie thought. “What?”

“Have dinner with me,” he repeated.

Annie wasn’t certain what to say.

“There’s no rule here about employees going out together,” he continued. “I checked it out.”

“You’re younger than I am,” Annie finally managed to say.

“You’re older than I am,” he replied. “Can I help it if I like older women?”

“I can’t leave my children alone in the evening,” Annie protested weakly.

“Your daughters babysit, don’t they? They could watch your little boy while we have a pleasant, early, and grown-up dinner,” Devyn told her. “Just dinner. No strings. We could be home before dark,” he teased her.

“The sun is setting earlier these days,” she reminded him.

“But as long as the moon isn’t full I don’t grow shaggy hair and fangs,” he said with a mischievous grin. “When was the last time you ate out someplace other than a fast-food joint with your kids?”

“Lizzie and I had lunch at the country club a while back.” Annie defended herself. “The food at the club is very good.”

“It’s better at East Harbor Inn,” he told her. “Come on, Annie, say yes. I haven’t been out of the Spa for a meal since I got here. I don’t want to eat alone.”

“Then ask one of the guys who isn’t working this week,” Annie suggested.

“I’d rather sit across a table from an attractive and sexy woman,” Devyn answered her. “What’s the harm in two colleagues having a pleasant dinner together?”

The harm,
Annie thought to herself,
is that I’m having a full-blown sexual fantasy about you, and I love it. It’s my imagination gone wild. An illusion, except in the reality of the day my eyes keep going to your crotch.
And yet if she persisted in being so hung-up he was going to start to wonder why, and she really did like him. Her fantasy had nothing to do with the real Devyn, and it was the real Devyn who wanted to have dinner with her. It was flattering. This thirty-one-year-old sexy kid wanted to have dinner with her. About to be forty-four, mother of five. Yes, it was a good ego boost.

“Annie?”

She pulled out of her thoughts. “Not while Wills is still sick,” she said. “But next week would be nice. Wednesday night?”

“That would be great!” he replied with a grin.

He looked so pleased that Annie grinned back at him, shaking her head. “You’d think you just got a date with Miss Universe,” she teased him. “Back to work, kid. I’m due at the lawyers’ at two. Want to meet me at Lacy Nothings afterward to pick out the negligees? Give me that man’s opinion?”

“Sure!” He was so enthusiastic.

She got to the lawyers’ on the dot of two, and was ushered into Rick Johnson’s office. “Got that contract for me to sign? Ms. Buckley up at the Spa says they’re fine.”

“Nora’s an amazing gal,” Rick said, laying three copies of the single-page contract out for her to sign. “Four years ago she was a homebody, and now she’s working for a big corporation. And now you, too. Do you like it?”

“Very much,” Annie said. “They’re a terrific employer. Wills got sick, and they sent me a nanny! A lovely starchy Brit nanny to take care of him so I could do my job here and not have to worry about him. Imagine working for people like that! And it’s only my first week.” She signed the three copies. “There!”

He handed her one. “Give that one to Ms. Buckley for her files. Sounds like you’ve landed in a pot of jam, Annie,” Rick said. “I’m glad. I know it hasn’t been easy for you since Nat was killed. Kids okay?”

Annie nodded. “Nathaniel has settled in at Princeton. Amy’s not being too awful yet. The twins haven’t begun any petitions against animal cruelty in the schools to date. And Wills is getting over his bug. I’d say my life is on a pretty even keel right now.” She bade the attorney good-bye and, leaving his office, hurried across the street to Lacy Nothings. Devyn was already there and charming Ashley Mulcahy’s assistant, Nina. “We’re good to go,” Annie said. “Bring on the scanties!”

“Ashley thought you might like to look through what’s on display, and in our stockroom. She apologizes for not being here, but she’s a bit under the weather.”

“Another baby?” Annie asked.

“I think so. She hasn’t said anything yet, but she rarely gets sick except when she’s expecting,” Nina remarked.

“I like this one,” Devyn said, pointing to the purple teddy with the lace inserts that Annie had imagined herself in last night. “It is so hot. Especially the lace, and it’s soft, so it won’t chafe the nipples.”

Annie blushed furiously. “You really like it? You don’t think it’s too obvious?”

“I think it’s sexy as the dickens,” Devyn said.

Nina smiled. “It is, isn’t it?”

They spent an hour picking out negligees and teddies. Annie decided against bras and bikini panties, since they were limited to only twelve selections. She wanted them to be the sorts of things a woman would pick up to take home to wear for her husband or her lover, or perhaps just for herself.

The Spa gift shop opened officially, and the weeks began to fly by. Annie suggested a day trip to the local harvest festival for interested guests. The fifteen women who went loved it, and came back enthusiastic, wanting to know if there would be any other day trips. Before Nora might answer, Annie spoke up.

“We do arrange trips now and again,” she said, “but you’ve come to the Spa for pampering and relaxation.”

“But it was fun,” one wealthy matron said. “So country, but you’re right. We don’t want to take away from our pampering.”

“Nicely done,” Nora murmured.

“We can do the Historical Society when the natives get restless again.” Annie chuckled. “I wouldn’t have suggested such a thing, but this particular group of women was getting bored, and that’s not good for our reputation. A little something different now and again can’t hurt us. A picnic on the beach in summer, perhaps, or a clambake in August, with fresh corn and tomatoes. We should have carolers during the Christmas holidays. They don’t have to sing hymns, but can sing holiday songs. Heaven only knows there are plenty of them.”

“How clever of you to notice the boredom, and to come up with all these wonderful suggestions to alleviate it,” Nora said. “I’ll commend your ingenuity to Mr. Nicholas. You won’t run the gift shop forever.”

“But I love the gift shop,” Annie told her. “Do you know we had to reorder all the soaps and lotions? And the loofahs and natural-bristle brushes! I’ve sold half of my stock from Lacy Nothings already.”

“Mr. Nicholas is going to be very pleased with you, Annie,” Nora responded.

And he was. The Channel Corporation’s CEO came for his monthy visit and invited Annie into the private office that was set aside for him. It was not a large room, but it had great charm. The walls were paneled in dark wood. A bow window hung with dark crimson drapes looked out over the grounds. A fireplace burned brightly with a fire. A mahogany desk was set to one side of the window. Before the hearth a lovely Victorian settee was flanked by two upholstered oak chairs. There was an antique butler’s tray set before the settee.

“Come in and sit by me, Annie,” Mr. Nicholas said to her, beckoning. “Coffee?”

There was a silver tray on the table with a coffeepot, a creamer, a sugar bowl, and a plate of small breakfast pastries.

“Yes, thank you,” Annie said.

His hands were so elegant, and the long fingers perfectly manicured, the nails pared and smooth. He poured her coffee, leaving just the right amount of space for cream. Handing her the pretty earthenware cup, he smiled. “Pastry, my dear? I’m afraid I have an unrepentant sweet tooth.”

“Me too,” Annie admitted, taking one from the plate he held out.

“I want you to know that Nora has simply raved about how well you have fitted into the Spa’s staff. Everyone seems to like you. And the suggestions you’ve made to improve our little operation are quite excellent,” Mr. Nicholas said. “I have made it a policy to always reward good work.”

“Oh, sir, I’ve only been here two months,” Annie said. “I’ve just been trying to help out. I don’t deserve any extra praise.”

“And modest as well as clever,” Mr. Nicholas said in delighted tones. “My dear, it gives me great pleasure to reward my people, and I have the perfect reward for you. How would you like to have Nanny Violet live in and help you with your family? The holiday season will be very busy, and you may be required to stay later than you are used to staying.”

“I can’t afford Nanny Violet,” Annie said.

“Oh, dear,” Mr. Nicholas said. “It is obvious I did not make myself clear, Annie. The Channel Corporation will pay for Nanny Violet as long as you are in our employ, and it is to be hoped that will be for a very long time. That empty room off of the kitchen that you use for storage would make a fine bedroom for Nanny Violet.”

How does he know about the storage room?
Annie wondered. But then she put her curiosity from her. It had been so difficult dashing home to meet Wills’s bus. And the girls couldn’t be relied on constantly as babysitters. They had after-school sports and band, among other activities. The week Nanny Violet had been with them had been just perfect. “You would pay her salary?” Annie asked, feeling stupid as she did so.

Mr. Nicholas nodded. “And you will see she has the weekends off.”

“Of course,” Annie replied. She was stunned.

“Then it’s settled,” Mr. Nicholas told her brightly. “Now do drink your coffee, my dear. It’s a special blend I made up myself.”

“When could I have her?” Annie asked. “I need time to clean out the storeroom and make the room habitable.”

“Just tell Nora when you need her, my dear. She’ll take care of everything,” Mr. Nicholas said. “How do you like your coffee?”

“It’s delicious,” Annie said. Nanny Violet was going to be
her
nanny! And once Annie had her settled she could take Devyn up on his dinner invitation. She had canceled twice now. She hadn’t wanted the girls to know that she was going out to dinner with her PA. But once Nanny Violet was in residence she could call home and say she had to work late, and no one would be the wiser. “Thank you so much, Mr. Nicholas!”

He smiled benignly. “I always take care of my people,” he said.

Annie couldn’t wait to tell her children that Nanny Violet would be moving in with them shortly. They whooped enthusiastically when she did. They had all liked the British nanny, but Amy came right to the point.

“How can we afford it, Mom?”

She explained it to them.

“Wow! That Mr. Nicholas is some employer,” Amy said. “I suppose this means you’ll be working longer hours.”

“Well, at least a full workday now,” Annie said. “I won’t have to leave in the early afternoon to come home for Wills.”

And she told Devyn too. “If that dinner invitation is still available,” Annie said, “I won’t cancel this time. Just let me get the nanny settled.” She hadn’t run her Devyn fantasy again because it was just too difficult to work with him after a night of unbridled sex with the fantasy Devyn. She hadn’t tired of the Beast yet, and tonight as she pressed the A button, she found herself strung up naked, back in his dungeon.