A Nanny for Christmas by Sara Craven Read Free Book Online Page A

shoulder- length blonde wig, which Tiffany had purloined from her mother's room. Her eyes were slumbrous with kohl, and her lips gleamed a deep, wicked red.'You look more like Madonna than she does,' said Tiffany.
    Downstairs, Phoebe was disappointed to discover that Tony had gone ahead to the party with some of the others.
    'Whose party is it, anyway?' she asked Tiffany, who shrugged vaguely.
    'Just the usual bash,' she returned. 'Don't worry about it.'
    She'd expected the house to be another designer nightmare, like Tiffany's, so North Fitton House came as a pleasant surprise. She lingered on the steps, breathing in the fragrance of the night-scented stocks which filled the stone urns flanking the front door.
    Tiffany gave her a little push. 'Come on. There's a hungry man waiting in there.'
    Tony's reaction was all that she could have desired.
    'You look fantastic,' he muttered, his eyes resting hotly on the cleavage revealed by the bustier. 'Absolutely perfect.' He licked his lips. 'Tiff—you're a genius.'
    She heard Tiffany say with a giggle, 'And now the rest is up to you.'
    Tony grabbed Phoebe's hand and pulled her into one of the rooms. 'What do you want to drink?'
    'Just orange juice,' she assured him hurriedly.
    'Whatever my princess requires,' he said.
    In the end, she was sorry she'd asked for it because it tasted odd. She would have poured it into one of the jardinieres in the drawing room, given half a chance, but Tony was close beside her all the time. And the next one didn't taste nearly as bad, and the one after that was actually pleasant, so she thought she must have imagined it. Or maybe it was a brand she hadn't come across before.
    'Whose party is this?' she asked Tony while they were dancing.
    He shrugged. 'Just a guy I know. It's his birthday, so we thought we'd surprise him.'
    'Oh.' Phoebe was puzzled. 'Which one is he?'
    'He hasn't arrived yet,' Tony said easily. 'He's had to go to some boring dinner first, but he'll be along later and then you'll meet him, I promise.' He drew her closer, running practised fingers down her bare back. 'In the meantime, just concentrate on me.'
    Deliriously, Phoebe obeyed. She had never dreamed this could happen. That Tony would be holding her like this, his hps nuzzling her neck, creating all kinds of strange, delicious sensations deep within her.
    It was a hot night, and the rooms were crowded, so she was glad of the orange juice, and grateful to Tony for keeping her so assiduously supplied.
    In fact, the room was far too hot, because her head was swimming and her legs were behaving strangely. Her voice sounded odd too. Slurred and far away, as if she were speaking in an echo chamber.
    'C'n I sit down a minute?'
    'Oh, we can do better than that.' Tony's arm was like an iron bar round her waist, supporting her. She realised they were going upstairs.
    'Where's thish?'
    'I'm taking you to lie down,' he murmured. 'It's cooler up here, and you'll feel better soon.'
    He opened a door. The big, canopied bed which dominated the room seemed to sway in front of her.
    'The master bedroom,' Tony said exultantly. 'Now, all we need is the master.'
    The bed felt as soft as a cloud as she stretched out upon it.
    'It looks like a bloody altar.'
    'Then let's supply the virgin sacrifice.'
    The words made no sense to her. As Tony came to lie beside her she turned to him greedily, offering the softness of her mouth.
    'Oh, I'm tempted,' he said thickly. 'Believe me, I am.'
    'That's not the deal.' It seemed to be Tiffany's voice. 'You're having me—remember?'
    Phoebe opened dazed eyes, and found the room revolving slowly. There were people standing round the bed. She could see their mouths smiling, but she couldn't recognise any of the faces. The room was going faster, and she mumbled, 'Make it shlow down.'
    'Anything you say, Princess.' Tony's hands were caressing her just as she'd always dreamed. She could feel him undoing all the little buttons on the bustier. Dimly, she could hear