More Than a Playboy (2 page)

The Daddy Agency, also known as TDA, was a dads-for-hire agency Jamie-Leigh Stephenson had started five years ago. Jamie had once told Sandy she’d gotten the idea when another single mother had said in jest, ‘if only there was someplace where mothers could go to hire fathers to turn up to special events’. Jamie had admitted she’d always wished she could hire parents for special occasions so she wouldn’t have to suffer through her own parents’ constant, and very public, arguments. It was on the back of that conversation that TDA was born.

Cameron snatched back his hand. “Ouch again. And there I was thinking I was at least a little special.”

She gave him a wide smile and lied outright. “Not to me.”

“That’s cold. What does a guy have to do to win you over?”

Her stomach dipped as she remembered the women who had gushed about the ‘extra help’ he’d given them. “A sense of decency would be a good start.”

“Hey, I’m a decent guy.” He shoved his hands into his jean’s front pockets. “Ask anyone. I’m polite, honest, well-mannered, and on the odd occasion, I’m even respectable.”

She dragged her gaze from the front of his jeans. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him wear any other trousers but well-worn jeans that hugged all the right places and Oxford shirts with the sleeves rolled up and tails hanging out. A tiny gurgle of nervous laughter slipped past her lips as she glanced at Cameron’s injured expression. Then she ducked her head and concentrated on finding the Caps Lock. “Only the odd occasion, huh?”

“
Very
odd occasion.”

“You see, right there is why we can never be. The man who sweeps me away from all this...” she indicated the reception waiting area with a throwaway gesture. “Must be above all else, respectable at all times.”

Cameron burst out with a deep belly laugh that infected Sandy and had her joining in with a reluctant chuckle.

“Honey, for you, I might just consider a walk on the tame side.” He leaned close again, captured a lock of her blonde hair, and smoothed it between his fingers for a second before releasing it. His fingers branded her as he tipped her chin until she met his gaze. “Or.” He lowered his voice to add intimacy to his words. “You could hunt down your adventurous side, and we could have some fun.”

The breath stalled in Sandy’s throat while her pulse picked up speed, and her skin heated. She wet her dry lips. What would it be like to give into Cameron Berkeley-Scott’s charm—only for a moment? Just long enough to determine what all the fuss was about.

“Oh good, Cameron, you’re here.” Jamie’s voice broke into her crazy yearning.

Sandy leapt back as if she’d been caught up to no good, shocked to think she’d almost closed the short gap between her lips and Cameron’s. She couldn’t afford to allow him, of all men, to affect her. Not when he represented everything she most detested in a man.

His gaze revealed a heated intensity before disappointment sobered his features, replacing the wicked smile with a seriousness she seldom saw on his face. He uncurled himself from the desk, and turned his attention to the couple walking up behind them with their arms around each other as if they couldn’t bear not to touch.

“Hi, Jamie. You wanted to see me?” He turned and clasped Daniel’s hand. “Daniel, you owe me a drink.”

Jamie’s husband chuckled, slapped Cameron on the back. “How about I rectify that at the charity ball next weekend?”

“Now that’s cheating. There’s free champagne, so in theory, I’ll be paying.”

Sandy gazed up at her pretty boss, and the two men she could easily picture on the cover of a sophisticated men’s magazine. Quiet laughter surrounded her as the three people in front of her desk exchanged light-hearted banter.

Cameron was hosting the charity ball at a friend’s house, and the proceeds were to go to a new cause developed to help fatherless children. She’d heard Jamie and Cameron wax lyrical about the fatherless generation for months. As a result, TDA had become involved with efforts to rectify the damage done to a society of children who had no fathers and very little guidance.

She had also become involved, helping to organise outings and little trips for the children. Sandy could have been a poster girl for the fatherless.

She resumed typing, allowing the conversation to go over her head as she forced herself to ignore Cameron’s distracting presence.

“—Take Sandy with you.”

At the sound of her name, Sandy stopped typing and looked up to find three pairs of eyes trained on her. “Take Sandy where?”

Why was Cam smirking?

“Cam has organised a zoo excursion for the CWF children. We’ve got more kids attending than we expected. Cam needs an extra helper to the ratio of kids. I volunteered you to help,” Jamie said.

“Me? But I’m busy.” Spend time with Cameron out of the office? No way. She’d found it easy to hide her attraction for him up to now. She suspected the reason was that they’d never spent any length of time in each other’s company during the three years Cameron had worked for TDA. “Can’t one of the other Daddies help?”

Jamie gave her an indulgent smile. “You know they’re all fully booked right now.”

Sandy envisioned spending time with Cam. She was never going to be able to disguise her feelings. The couple of minutes they spent every now and then exchanging banter was as much as she could handle. How would she get through more than an hour in his company? She had to find a way out of Jamie’s unacceptable suggestion. “What about all the extra arrangements I have to organise for the charity ball?”

Jamie flicked her hand in a don’t-worry-about-it gesture. “Already sorted. I’ve asked Linzi to step in and give you a hand.”

A slow mist of defeat wafted over Sandy. Evidently, she was going to have to suck it up and help Cameron with the Children Without Fathers trip.

She flicked Cam a glance. He stood with his arms folded across his impressive chest, his legs apart, and that stupid half-smile that robbed her lungs of oxygen.

She straightened her back and lifted her chin. Fine. If Jamie was forcing her to help Cameron, there was only one way to distance herself from him—keep her guard up, and insult him at every opportunity.

2

S
andy found herself in charge of four children—three boys and adorable five-year-old Lydia. She flicked a quick glance to where Cameron stood with his four charges as he pointed out a young black spider monkey half hidden behind a tree branch. Since he focused his attention on the task, Sandy gave into the silly mooning that had her taking in every detail about him. His wind-tousled hair made her fingers itch to smooth it back into place. There was no denying the man was beautiful. The way he handled the children in his charge gave her a glimpse of how wonderful a father he’d be—which was why she had to ensure she avoided him at all cost.

Earlier this morning, by the time she’d pulled her Ford Focus up to the meeting point in TDA’s car park, all the children had been gathered and head-counted, their excited squeals reaching her before she even opened the car door. The moment she’d grabbed her bag and stepped from her car, Lydia had dashed over and grabbed her hand, leaping from one foot to the other, her blonde curls dancing around her sweet little face.

“Sandy-Sandy,” she’d crooned. “We’re going to the Isle of Wight Zoo!”

It was hard not to feel eager about a trip to see the animals when she witnessed the huge smiles and animated chatter from fifteen energised kids, all raring to hop on the coach heading to Portsmouth Ferry Port. Even if Cameron’s Mediterranean-blue gaze pinned her with a look of appreciation that made her stomach bottom out in a brutal rush as though she was on a freefall rollercoaster ride.

She’d arrived within moments of the scheduled coach departure to ensure she and Cameron had little time for interaction. As it turned out, her plan had worked. He’d been all business as he’d assigned her charges, then he’d given his charges his full attention on the trip. She’d made sure to sit her kids at the front of the coach as the four boisterous boys in his care dashed to the back of the coach, ensuring Cameron was at least seven rows behind her.

~*~

Sandy dragged her gaze from Cameron before he caught her staring at him, and focused on the zoo map opened in her hands. “Hey, guys.” She smiled at the four children in front of her. “How about we go find the white tigers?”

“Yeah!” Damien, Mark, and Adam yelled, pumping their arms in the air. “White tigers.” The three boys took off.

Lydia frowned after them with a degree of concern for the strange male children. Sandy hid a smile as she and Lydia followed their rapidly disappearing figures.

“Sandy?” Lydia’s tiny hand slipping into hers as they walked along the gravelled path to the tiger enclosure had a strange tingling effect on Sandy’s maternal hormones.

“Yes, sweetie. What’s the matter?”

She looked up at Sandy, her small pink-cheeked face serious. Sandy’s heart melted. What would it be like to have a cute little blonde daughter? Or even a dark-haired one? Swiftly pushing the image of a child with blue eyes and dark hair from her mind, she focused on Lydia’s chatter.

“Do you think we can stop for ice-cream after we see the tigers?”

“Absolutely. What flavour do you like?”

Lydia began a gentle swinging to their hands as she beamed. “I think I’ll have strawberry. What will you have?”

“Oh, it has to be Rum and Raisin.”

Lydia screwed her face into a look of distaste. “
Eww
. That sounds gross.”

Sandy threw her head back and laughed. “Maybe I’ll stick with strawberry then.”

The tiger enclosure was quiet and secure, with a tall fence around the tigers then a second fence several feet out around it, ensuring the utmost safety—clearly designed with adventurous boys in mind, but the distance between the outer fence and
 
one white tiger they could see, made viewing a challenge for the children.

“I can see, if I climb on the fence,” was Damien’s great idea.

Sandy had to grab his thin shoulder to stop him from putting his plan into action. “You will not climb the fence, young man. I will lift each of you so you can see.” With that, Sandy heaved seven-year-old Damien in the air.

Unprepared for the weight of even a skinny child like him, within seconds her arms ached.

She lowered him to the ground.

“But I hardly saw anything,” he protested, pouting.

“Let me give everyone a turn, and then I’ll lift you again.” As placation went, it failed.

Damien’s face turned red, and he shouted. “I hate you.”

Sandy’s mouth fell open. She’d never had to deal with a child’s tantrum before, and she felt out of her depth. “Damien, please. I promise to give you another go. Just let the others have a turn to see the tiger.”

“But I didn’t get much of a turn. You put me down too quick.” He shook off the hand Sandy had placed on his shoulder as she tried to reason with him. “I don’t need you. I’ll climb the fence.”

“Damien, no.” Sandy held him by his shoulders again, wondering if the child’s name had anything to do with his demeanour. “That’s dangerous.”

“Get off me.” He shoved her and took off back up the gravel path.

“Damien, stop!” Yelling after him had no effect. “Stop.” Realising the boy was too angry to listen; she spun around to the three other children and pointed a finger at the ground for emphasis. “Don’t move! Adam, hold Mark and Lydia’s hands, and don’t let them move. I’ll be right back.”

For a seven-year-old, Damien was fast. When he rounded a corner, Sandy feared she’d lose him and upped her speed. She wasn’t a runner and broke out in sweat with the thought of any type of sport. It stood to reason that even a scrawny little boy would outrun her.

By the time she got to the corner, her lungs were burning.

An image of how she’d feel as a mother if someone had misplaced her precious child flashed across her mind. The thought gave her a burst of adrenalin.

She rounded the corner and all but cried with relief. Cameron had intercepted Damien and now hunkered down in front of the boy, a sympathetic expression on his face. Sandy suspected that whatever Cameron was saying restrained the boy more effectively than his gentle hand on Damien’s shoulder.