Taking Care Of Leah Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  Taking Care of Leah

  ISBN # 978-1-78651-035-8

  ©Copyright Charlotte Howard 2016

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright May 2016

  Edited by Ann Leveille

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2016 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Burning and a Sexometer of 2.

  TAKING CARE OF LEAH

  Charlotte Howard

  English teacher Leah Beauchamp works with teenagers every day, but when she’s around sexy Ty Sinclair, she’s left feeling like one herself.

  After escaping a bad relationship, Leah Beauchamp moves in with her pregnant sister and brother-in-law. Working as an English teacher, she spends her time lusting after the hot caretaker Ty Sinclair. But it’s not until a drunken encounter at the end of the school year that she realizes it might be so much more.

  They decide to embark on a new relationship over the summer holidays. Then Ty’s preferences for BDSM come to the surface. Intrigued, Leah allows herself to be educated by her new lover. But after a house party goes horribly wrong, more secrets are revealed and Leah is left questioning how she truly feels.

  Can Leah accept who Ty really is? Can she ignore his past? What about her own? Can she overcome her fears and concerns and relinquish control, or will their hot summer romance fizzle out once autumn arrives?

  Dedication

  To Gareth, thank you for the encouragement and support, and for the constructive criticism, even if I do ignore you.

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Macbeth: William Shakespeare

  Blu-Tac: Bostick

  Spanx: Spanx, Inc.

  Summer of ‘69: Brian Adams, Jim Vallance

  Coke: The Coca-Cola Company

  Royal Shakespeare Company: The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon Corporation

  Portakabin: Portakabin Limited, Private Limited Company

  Wonderbra: Wonder-bra Co., Inc.

  Golf: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Corporation

  Star Wars: Lucasfilm Ltd, The Walt Disney Company

  Han Solo: Lucasfilm Ltd, The Walt Disney Company

  Chewbacca: Lucasfilm Ltd, The Walt Disney Company

  Zumba: Zumba Fitness, LLC

  Biro: Bic Corporation

  Welcome to the Jungle: Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan

  Chapter One

  Leah watched the seconds tick by. She was sure that time had been stuck at twenty-five past one for at least an hour. With a heavy sigh, she reminded herself that the last five minutes of term were always the longest.

  Tick.

  Another second struck, moving her ever closer to the door.

  Tick.

  Feet shuffled, kicking bags toward ready hands.

  Tick.

  Books began to close. Pencil cases were zipped.

  Tick.

  “Oh, go on then, what difference is a few minutes going to make?” Leah slammed her own book closed and pushed herself up. Her students grabbed their bags and some remembered to put their chairs onto the tables, before racing out in a chorus of “Have a good summer, Miss,” and “Thanks, Miss.”

  “Bye,” she called as the last of her Year Nines left the room. She chuckled to herself. The door slammed against its hinges and she sank back into her chair, kicking her feet onto the small patch of empty desk space. Stretching her arms and back out, she balanced the chair on two legs before letting it drop to all four.

  She was enjoying the silence when the door clicked open. Her breath caught when he walked in. It always did. Whenever she saw him, she would turn into a puddle of hormones and fantasies of being spanked for misbehaving. Ty Sinclair could be unblocking one of the school toilets, and all Leah would be able to see was the flexing of his biceps. She’d made up plenty of excuses for him to come into her classroom so she could watch him work. Today’s excuse was not being able to reach the top of the display boards without breaking every health and safety rule.

  “So what have you broken today?” he asked, flashing a melt-worthy grin.

  “I’m having height issues,” she said, pointing to the wall of quotes from, and pictures inspired by, Macbeth. “If I get caught standing on the sideboard again, Mrs. Davis will be wearing my guts to hold her stockings up.”

  He smiled, let out an audible sigh and shook his head as he dragged a stepladder into the room. He set it up and started to ascend, and she couldn’t help but watch his ass, beautifully caressed by worn jeans. She fought the low growl that threatened to give away her horny thoughts.

  “You know, you really should use drawing pins. They’re easier to remove.” He used a pair of pliers to remove the embedded staples.

  “Sorry,” she said, not sorry at all. Anything to give her an excuse to ogle him and have memories to use later.

  “Any plans for the summer?” he asked, making small talk. More staples dropped down, clinking as they landed on the laminate-surfaced short cupboards that spread down one wall of the classroom.

  “House hunting.” She shrugged,
walking around the room and putting the remaining chairs on the tables, ignoring the urge to bite his backside. The closer she got to thirty, the more lewd her mind became.

  Clink.

  “You’re not leaving us, are you?” Ty stopped and gripped the ladder while he twisted to look down at her. She couldn’t help but give an inward smile at the thought that he might be upset if she did leave.

  “No,” she assured him. “I’ve been living with my sister since I moved down last September, but she’s pregnant and I think her husband has enough with one Beauchamp, never mind two of us.” She laughed and walked toward the walls, pulling off the final pieces of border that were within her reach.

  He was still looking at her. Leah cleared her throat. Going to her desk, she emptied the drawers into her bag. Ty went back to the job at hand. The Shakespeare board was clear, and he had turned to the punctuation posters.

  “Sooo…” Leah sank into her chair and watched as his back muscles flexed beneath his T-shirt. “Are you going to the drinks thing tonight?” she asked, referring to the end-of-year party that the school staff held every summer.

  “Nah,” he said with a shake of his head. He turned around and Leah shot her look up to his face. Her cheeks began to heat at being caught ogling his ass.

  “That’s a shame.” She cleared her throat and closed down the laptop, placing it into the computer bag by the desk. “But I’m sure your girlfriend will be happy to have you at home.”

  The corners of his lips twitched into a smile. “I’m single,” he said.

  “Oh, really?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “I just thought…you know…” Leah began to fiddle with a bit of Blu-Tac stuck to the edge of her desk, avoiding eye contact. “That you would…” She took a breath. “Have a girlfriend.”

  Ty climbed down the ladder, landing with a small jump, and began to gather up the staples, sweeping them into a nearby bin. “Nope,” he said, walking toward her, and she was sure there was a swagger to his gait. “No girlfriend. I’m most definitely on the market.”

  “Well, I should go home. Lots to do.” She took out her mobile and read the text message from Maggie asking her to pick up milk on her way home, and frowned.

  “Boyfriend wanting to know where you are?” he asked, stepping closer.

  “No boyfriend.” She hooked one bag over her shoulder and clasped the laptop bag in her hands, praying that she was imagining her legs and fingers trembling.

  “Now that I don’t believe.” He was so close she could smell the coffee on his breath.

  “See you in a few weeks then,” Leah said, sidestepping around him.

  “Yeah, bye.” A hint of a laugh teased at his voice.

  She couldn’t help but feel saddened that it would be six weeks before she got to see his gorgeous face and perfect ass again. “Have a good holiday,” she said as she left him behind, wondering if she hadn’t just thrown her chance away.

  * * * *

  She felt overdressed. Wearing a black satin dress that didn’t quite come down to her knees, with lace sleeves, Leah looked at the rest of the staff. Underdressed may have been a more appropriate term. Jeans or dark-colored trousers, a couple of skirts, shirts and ties, blouses and jumpers, but not a lot of bare flesh sat around the long table.

  Leah cleared her throat and chose the seat nearest the door, slinking into the chair and placing her clutch bag in front of her placemat. Glancing over, she noticed the raised eyebrow being given by the head teacher, Hilary Davis.

  “Ooh,” cooed Miss Smith, the drama teacher. “Are you planning to go out on the pull tonight?”

  Leah couldn’t help but smirk at the way she had said ‘on the pull’. It wasn’t a phrase that suited Miss Smith. She was a short woman who always wore cardigans buttoned up to the neck and a pair of glasses that should have been put to retirement in the eighties. Her mousy-brown hair was always left to hang to her shoulders, with two sides pinned back and a fringe that was a centimeter too short. Despite her conservative appearance, Leah placed her only a few years older than herself.

  “I’m meeting a friend after.”

  “You look amazing. I wish I could wear a dress that tight.”

  Leah smoothed a hand over her stomach and forced a smile. She was grateful when the menu appeared, and headed straight for the back page, scouring over the various cheap wines. She could have at least one glass, and she needed it.

  She spent most of the evening feeling uncomfortable, either under the watchful glare of Mrs. Davis and her little sidekick, Phillip Rendell—although Phillip was far from little, and would have been better described as rotund—or because of the lack of elasticity in her Spanx.

  Her ear had been thoroughly chewed by Miss Smith, whose first name escaped Leah. She was sure it began with an R…

  “I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding a man,” Miss Smith continued. For the past hour, she had done nothing but talk about the lack of prospects in the school. All the men were either married or ‘out of her league’—another phrase that didn’t seem right coming from her lips. “I think I’m going for ‘Crazy Cat Lady’,” she said with a chuckle and slight wobble of her head. “I have four now…” And she reeled off their names.

  By half nine, her colleagues were beginning to make their excuses. Looking at her watch, Leah announced that it was time she left too. As she stood up, she felt an arm hook on to hers. Miss Smith was attached to her. “Are you getting a taxi? I haven’t been clubbing in…” She paused and screwed her lips up. “A long time. Don’t suppose you fancy some company, do you?”

  “I’m driving in.”

  “Oh? Don’t you drink? I love a good drink. Have you tried chili-flavored vodka? I made some of my own last year, blew my head clean off!” she waffled with wild hand gestures.

  “I was going to leave my car in town,” Leah said, amused at the thought of a drunken Miss Smith.

  The journey into Bristol was no less quiet than the meal had been, with Miss Smith droning on about one thing or another. Several times she asked whether it was a good idea to leave the car in the city. As Leah pulled into a small car park, Miss Smith’s panic was palpable.

  “I can take you home if you’d prefer?”

  “No, no. I’m looking forward to this. It’s been a long time since I went out. Do I look okay? I’m not really dressed for this, am I? Is there a dress code? Perhaps I should go home and get changed…”

  “You’re fine.” Leah put a reassuring hand on her arm.

  As they waited in the long queue, black night rolling over them, broken by the bright lights of a waking city, Leah wished she’d worn tights and something that had longer sleeves. She rubbed at the tops of her arms and looked at Miss Smith, who had struck up a conversation with a fellow club-goer. The cold clearly didn’t bother her, with her pink cardigan and long beige skirt protecting her from the elements.

  “Leah?”

  Leah poked her head from the line of people and saw Ty Sinclair striding in their direction. He looked very different, dressed in a pair of dark trousers and a white shirt with the top two buttons left undone. She gave herself a mental slap as she took a deep breath and blew out the word “Wow.”

  “Come on,” he said, beckoning her with his arm. “You don’t have to wait here.”

  “Oh, are we queue-jumping?” Miss Smith piped up, taking Leah’s arm in hers.

  “Rainie.” Ty beamed. “Yes, we are.” He stepped between the two women and allowed Rainie to take his arm. Leah smiled and trod in their shadows.

  Chapter Two

  They followed Ty through the crowd of drunken dancers inside Kiss-Kiss. Hot music pumped through the speakers, mingling with the fog that billowed out from a machine and into the room. Leah watched as Rainie Smith laughed and giggled at Ty’s compliments.

  Something inside her had tightened when he’d offered his arm. She had been almost afraid to touch him in case she melted into a small pool of lust. He looked even hotter dr
essed up than he did flexing his muscles and wearing shredded jeans.

  She was too busy watching him to notice the guy holding a pint of beer stumbling closer to her. The cool liquid soaked her front, ruining her favorite dress.

  “You idiot!” Leah yelled, holding her hands and clutch bag away from the bitter stench. She stared down at her drenched clothes. The stickiness had begun to take hold, forcing her dress against her skin, clinging to her like an inebriated limpet.

  “There’s no need to be a bitch about it.” The man laughed. “I’m the one who’s lost my drink.”

  She looked up and saw his back moving away from her. Searching the club, there was no sign of Ty or Rainie. They had disappeared into the grinding throng. Anger and embarrassment welled inside her, threatening to come out in either a barrage of insults or a flood of tears. “Bastard,” she hissed, turning on her heel and heading to the sign that illuminated the way to the Ladies.

  It was still early, but there was already the sound of someone wrenching her guts into a toilet. Leah glared at her reflection. The light was flattering, giving her a premature golden glow. She grabbed a handful of paper towels and began dabbing at her neck, arms and dress. Stripping out of her shrug, she dumped it next to the sink and rummaged through her bag to find the compact she knew she’d put in there along with the other essentials of a night out.

  No matter how much she sprayed herself with body spray, the stale odor remained, lingering and breaking through the floral scents. With a frustrated sigh, she shoved everything back into her bag and took out her phone. A message from Yvonne, the friend she was supposed to meet, informed her that she’d gotten a stomach bug and was crying off. Leah growled in frustration, dropping her phone back into her bag.

  A young girl stumbled from the stalls, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Leah wanted to feel unsympathetic, but considering she smelled just as bad, she found herself pitying the pathetic creature.