Naughty Nanny Series-Free Loving (2 page)

            Unfortunately, that took money, and that was the one thing Free never really had much of. Before now, she never really needed much. She had won scholarships to private schools and college, her parents were academics who raised Free and her three brothers in something similar to a commune, where people didn’t own anything but shared with the collective. It had been a great way to grow up, at least she thought so, but she wanted more than to simply teach the children at Shangri-La, the sprawling mansion and grounds in which she had lived all her life. She wanted to spread her wings and experience life outside the compound walls. Yeah, she and the others had grown up, had left for school, but most of them came back and took their place in the community.

A couple of people never came back, and chose to live their lives immersed in the greed and selfishness of the outside. Free didn’t want that either. She simply wanted to prove her hypothesis. To do that, she needed to find her own space, set up a school outside the one that the elders at Shangri-La had offered her. The people who lived in the commune tended to all be of exceptional intelligence, teaching their own children from birth, and encouraged learning in all forms. She wouldn’t be proving anything by continuing to teach there. What she needed was a
tabula rasa
– a blank slate. Not that she wholly bought into John Locke’s theory that all were born with a blank slate, there were limits to an individual’s capacity to learn to a certain extent, but Free really believed that children could learn so much more if they were only taught
how
to learn from an early stage. 

The only way she was going to build her school all on her own was to take a job that paid well. An associate professor’s salary wasn't going to get her anywhere near her goal.  And Free insisted on paying her full share at Shangri-La, not allowing her parents to do it for her. At the rate she was going, it would take years before she could open the doors to her school. When she saw the ad for a nanny position in the college paper, she had been intrigued. So she had called and was blown away not only by the salary offered, but at the opportunity to have her very first student.

But that had been before this Liz person had picked her up and driven her here. The closer they got to the sprawling horse ranch, the more insecure Free felt. She would be dealing with a movie star, someone so far outside her sphere of comfort it was ridiculous. She didn’t know much about the type, but what she had heard hadn’t been good. Moonflower, one woman she had grown up with, had worked as a nanny as an undergrad. Moonflower had told her many a horror story of the mother coming home completely smashed, waking the children up to parade them in front of equally smashed friends and hangers on; of parents ignoring all thing parental until they needed their progeny for publicity, or even worse, completely screwing up the children’s ch’i.

“You’re going to love it!” the woman, Liz, was yelling. Free had never been around anyone so fond of being heard before. It was like the woman needed every eye in the immediate area to be on her. “You’ll be traveling during the shoot, Travis likes for the child to be near. It’s still small so it shouldn’t be too hard to deal with.”

How horrifying to refer to a baby as “it”. A child was a human being for crying out loud, not an accessory! If this Travis character was anything at all like his agent, this wasn’t going to work out. Free couldn’t stand idly by while anyone treated a precious baby like a
thing
. She would probably be fired and have to start all over again.

“It’s not his child,” Liz went on though Free hadn’t said a word throughout most of the two hour ride. Liz apparently didn’t need another person to keep a conversation going. “It’s his sister’s kid, but she skipped out after the kid was born.” Oh, dear. Family drama wasn't a very edifying atmosphere to raise any child in. Poor baby. “Travis was such a dear to take on the responsibility. That sister of his, such a disappointment. All of this is confidential of course. You signed the agreement, don’t forget. It’s iron clad by the way.” One would wonder why the woman was telling her so much if she didn’t want Free to run around telling tales. Not that she would in any event, it was really none of Free’s business. She was here for the baby. “You might be required to expand your wardrobe, but don’t worry it’s covered. I doubt the kid will be required to be at many events, but for appearances sake, we will need to get you some more appropriate clothes…”

The woman droned on and on but Free had stopped listening. Yeah, she dressed like a modern day hippie, but that’s because she was! Man, this job was going to take a lot of meditation and tons of patience. If Travis Carter was anything at all like this woman, Free was going to have a miserable year.  The only reason she didn’t ask Liz to turn around now was because the baby needed her. Free was sure of that fact, and it would feel like she was abandoning the baby she had yet to meet.    

Chapter Three

            He wanted to see her naked. Travis was hit so hard by physical need at the first sight of Free Windsong Summer.  It was like a physical blow straight to the gut. It wasn’t that she was beautiful – hell, beautiful women came a dime a dozen in Hollywood. She was just so…different. Her hair was in tiny dreads falling down her back. Locs, Travis was pretty sure that’s what they were called. They were mostly jet black, with a reddish gold one thrown in here and there. He couldn’t really tell her body shape, she was wearing bright colored, light, flowing clothes that gave no hint to how she might look underneath, but somehow he just knew that the treasure underneath would be perfection. Most of all, it was her eyes that nailed him. A fool would call them basic brown, but there was a light in those eyes, a spark of intelligence and humor, coupled with a banked sensuality that was already driving him crazy.

           
Yeah, you’re crazy all right
, Travis thought to himself. The immediate, intense physical attraction to this woman was not exactly sane. She had barely looked in his direction. Her entire focal point had been Lorelei, who was happily cooing in the woman’s arms.  He had to get a grip on his emotions and focus. She was here because of Lorelei.

            “Did I come through, or did I come through,” Liz crowed as Free walked around the large den talking softly to his niece.

            “Yeah, good job,” Travis threw out absently, his gaze never wavering from his new nanny.

            “Did I tell you she is a bona fide PhD? In early childhood education. She took this job to open money for some New Age school or something,” Liz went on. “I saw her transcripts myself.”

            “Is she ready to start today?” Travis asked anxiously. He wanted Liz gone. It wasn't the smartest thing, but he had a burning need to get to know Free better.

            “Yes, she is,” Free smiled at him, Lorelei in her arms. “I brought my stuff with me, but don’t you want to interview me or something first?”

            Damn, that smile went straight to his dick. It was an open and honest smile, without a trace of “come-hither” or anything untoward. Still, it was the sexiest smile he had seen in a decade. Maybe longer.

            “No, I am sure Liz has done a great job of vetting you,” Travis smiled back, gently nudging Liz in the direction of the front door. “Thanks for bring her, Liz. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

            “You’re sure?” Liz looked genuinely confused, and he really couldn’t blame her. Travis had grilled all three of the former nannies, demanding Liz stay as long as possible before leaving him alone with them. “I can stay a while. I planned on sleeping over at my parents’ place…”

            One woman hadn’t lasted twenty-four hours before Travis was screaming for Liz to get her ass back to his ranch to take the woman away.  It would not happen today.

            “Nope, no need,” Travis grasped Liz by the arm walking determinedly to the front door. “You did an awesome job this time. I am absolutely positive it will work out.”

            “She’s a hippie,” Liz whispered once outside Free’s hearing range. “Grew up in some kind of commune, so you might need to go over appropriate behavior on the set. But you’re right, this one won’t be trying to climb into your bed anytime soon!”

            With a delighted laugh, Liz was gone, leaving Travis scowling behind her. He was all too afraid she was right. Funny, but this was one nanny he wouldn’t mind crawling into his bed in the middle of the night. It was the universe’s little joke on him.

            None of this made much sense. He had been attracted to women before, but none had ever hit him on this level, or so quickly. Travis was a long way from being a virgin. After his first big hit, he splurged on all the perks fame had to offer. He had learned pretty fast how empty it all was. He just wasn’t built to screw starlets just because he could. Empty sex held little thrill. Relationships were damn near impossible to maintain. Pettiness, jealous and selfishness abounded in L.A

            Maybe that was what attracted him to Free. She hadn’t batted an eye at the somewhat opulent ranch home. She hadn’t gawked at her surroundings, hadn’t wanted to go out and inspect the pool clearly visible outside the den’s French doors, or asked about his house staff. She had asked about the horses, showing an outstanding knowledge of horse breeds. That in itself had been rare.  Yeah, Free was not going anywhere but his bed, eventually.  

            He took his time walking back to the den, stopping to watch Free with his niece. The woman was talking to the baby like she would talk to a regular person, and Lorelei seemed to be listening. The baby’s eyes were riveted on Free’s face, her tiny mouth moving in parody of Free’s.  

            “Baa gaa taa daa!” Lorelei babbled after a few minutes of listening to Free.

            “Good girl!” Free praised, kissing the delighted baby on the cheek. “You’re a smart one aren’t you?”

            Apparently Lorelei agreed, judging by her animated squeal. Something inside Travis shifted and expanded. His chest burned a little just watching the scene before him. It was so real, so sincere. He wanted to be a part of it.

            “Let me show you to your room,” Travis said, stepping back into the room.

            “Is it close to the nursery? Because if not, all I really need is a cot or something,” Free smiled at him, making his heart trip a little.

            “It’s right next to the nursery.” And his room. In fact, the nursery was smack in the middle of both rooms, connecting the three through side doors, but she didn’t need to know that yet.

           
You are not going to seduce the nanny
, his rational brain warned him. He could look, but not touch. She was here for Lorelei, not for him.

            But should something develop … that was something else altogether.
 

Chapter Four

            Free loved early mornings. She often got up at the crack of dawn to do some yoga exercise while the sun made its lazy climb in the sky. The warm sunlight caressing every inch of her bare skin as she went through her yoga poses, relaxing her body and mind.  Luckily her room had a door to a private little courtyard outside. There were two other rooms with the same access, one being the nursery, so she had a reasonable expectation of privacy. She took the baby monitor with her, not yet knowing Lorelei’s sleep patterns; she wanted to be sure she saw the baby when she first woke up. A baby needed to be sure her caretakers are there for her no matter the time of day. It made them feel more secure and loved.   

            Spreading her mat on the ground, she slipped out of her robe and went through her morning ritual, welcoming the coming of the new day. It was so peaceful here, even more so than the compound which was right on a private stretch of beach. While Free missed the sounds of the ocean crying out good morning, there was something comforting in the relative silence here. If she listened closely, she could hear a gentle neigh once in a while from the stables that were a bit away from the main house.