Nanny and the Beast. Donna Clayton

smirked. “Lily, you might be perfectly qualified to take care of a baby, but I have to point out that you did break the robe rule.”

      Lily made a face at Karen.

      Sophia ignored the ruckus. “I need to get over there myself and see exactly what the problem is. Obviously, there’s something going on with that man. I need to figure this out before I start losing clients.” She absently fingered the buttons at each cuff. “I just have to remember my ultimate goal.”

      “You have a goal?” Karen asked.

      “Oh, yes. I’ve got two actually.” A slow smile spread across her lips and she forced her tense shoulder muscles to relax. “I’m going to preserve my pristine business reputation by making Michael Taylor happy.”

      The mischievous sparkle in Sophia’s eyes had Lily prompting, “Yes? And?”

      There was determination in every syllable when Sophia declared, “Whatever it takes, I’m going to tame the flippin’ Beast.”

      Chapter Two

      The Palisades condominiums were the place to live in Wilmington. The great slabs of white Carrara marble that encased the twenty-five-story building glistened in the morning sun. Bands of glossy black stone shot skyward at each corner, the sharp angles of the architecture imparting a distinctly contemporary feel. Sophia had heard real estate commercials for the condos on the radio. The extensive complex boasted both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, various sports courts, several workout facilities and a professionally landscaped walking path, not to mention the two-, three- and fourbedroom luxury residences that were available. The place was a lush oasis smack in the middle of the bustling city.

      Sophia parked her car, got out and squinted up at the tall building, knowing she’d never earn the kind of money it took to buy a home in this au courant high-rise.

      The lofty ceiling of the lobby was crowned with a huge abstract light fixture made of individual swirls of gemhued blown glass, a gorgeous splash of vibrant color against the otherwise stark black-and-white surroundings.

      The elevator doors slid open on a whisper. Sophia stepped out into the hallway of the top floor, and when the doors closed behind her, the soft jazz she’d enjoyed during the swift, short ride was silenced. The well-lit corridor had been painted a tasteful shade of taupe. Conceptualistic paintings hung at regular intervals on the walls, and with each step she took, Sophia’s heels sunk into the plush henna-colored carpet. There wasn’t a single detail here that wasn’t impressively lavish. She stopped in front of the solid mahogany door of Michael Taylor’s condo and pressed the buzzer.

      He pulled open the door, and immediately she was once again struck by the simmering intensity he exuded.

      “Right on time,” he observed, approval brightening his tone. “Did you remember to bring proof of your childcare credentials? I assumed you were qualified when I was at your office, but I’d still like to see the paperwork.”

      Evidently, he wasn’t one to waste time with amiable greetings, but rather got right down to the business at hand. Somehow, that didn’t surprise her.

      “Of course. Everything you need is right here.” Stepping into the foyer, she handed him the manila envelope filled with the usual information her nannies supplied to their employers—a resume complete with education history and work experience, proof of a recent physical, a copy of her current driving record and childcare and emergency safety accreditation.

      He was so serious when he took the envelope from her that she could easily see how the young women she’d sent to care for his daughter might be intimidated. Would it hurt the man to smile?

      She knew he had it in him. She’d heard him laugh this morning, and the memory alone was enough to make the hairs on her arms stand on end even now. Unwittingly, she smoothed her palms over her upper arms.

      The scent of his cologne enveloped her, and she found the warm, woodsy fragrance more than a little pleasing.

      No matter how severe his persona, though, she was still amazed by that purring undercurrent of energy radiating from him, around him—around them. It was the same force she’d felt when he was in her office, and it plucked at her with the same dogged insistence now as it had then.

      As he looked over her information, Sophia attempted to ignore the invisible static by checking out his home. From where she stood, she could see into the living room to the left, and a bit of the kitchen to the right. The black leather and rich coppery metals in the living room were warm and masculine. All she could see of the kitchen were cabinets made of a deep red cherry wood and bit of black granite countertop.

      “Everything looks adequate.” He glanced up from the papers he’d been studying. “Let’s go inside where we can talk.”

      Adequate? A smile tickled her lips, but she quelled it as she followed him into the living room. She’d graduated from university with top honors and a double major in child development and business. She’d started her company fresh out of college and had nearly exhausted herself working full-time during the days to establish The Nanny Place, while earning her Delaware childcare certificate in the evenings just for emergencies like this one when she had to step in and take over at the grassroots level. She would describe herself as a confident, successful businesswoman, educated in both the physical and emotional aspects of childrearing. And he thought her credentials only adequate. Sophia wondered what a woman would have to do to impress the man.

      “On the coffee table there,” he said, “is a detailed inventory of what I expect.”

      Ah, Sophia thought, as she picked up the list with interest and eased herself down onto the couch. So these were the infamous rules. Just as Lily and the other fired nannies had described, there were pages of them.

      “Hailey fell asleep on the ride back home so I put her back in her crib. She hasn’t had her bath or her breakfast.” He paced to the chair and sat down. “The schedule for today is completely shot. Again.”

      “Well, maybe it’s a good thing that the baby’s having a morning nap.” Sophia kept her tone casual, hoping to ease his irritation. “I talked with Lily after you left and she said that Hailey was awake most of the night.”

      His handsome face went tight. “She wouldn’t be up in the night if the nannies would just do as I instruct them. Keeping to the schedule is everything.”

      Sophia’s first instinct was to defend the young women who had come here to care for Hailey, to let him know that schedules and babies didn’t always mesh well, but she bit her tongue. Arguing with him about his rigid expectations before she’d had time to assess the rules—to assess him—wasn’t a good idea. She needed time to take it all in and then she would worry about arguing.

      Her best course of action, she decided, was to refrain from kick-starting any antagonism between them. Instead, she needed to remain calm and professional so she could become familiar with the situation. Smoothing his ruffled feathers should be priority number one, she reasoned silently. Surely his daughter would awaken soon and babies were notorious for sensing the stresses and anxieties in others. Sophia didn’t need a fussy infant on her hands at the same time she was dealing with Michael.

      “And that’s all I ask you to do,” he continued. “Follow the rules. They’re simple enough. Keep to the schedule. How hard can that be?”

      Apparently, he was still agitated from his confrontation with Lily and the need for having to drive to The Nanny Place.

      “I understand that you’re annoyed that you had to fire Lily this morning. Especially since you warned her about walking around in her nightgown—”

      “I wouldn’t call what she was wearing a nightgown. Short, lacy and completely transparent.”

      “What?” Sophia couldn’t believe her ears.

      “The girl was nearly naked.”

      Sophia’s