"And the award goes to..."

Niles listened to the announcement with anticipation. In an odd way, he almost felt as if he had produced The Widower himself. In front of him, he saw Miss Babcock tense, her smooth bare shoulders tightening with a breath that was taken in and held. Niles had a sudden urge to touch her, and he wasn't sure if it was to poke her or to run his finger over the gentle slope of exposed skin.

"...The Widower, Maxwell Sheffield, Producer."

The end of Andrew Lloyd Webber's sentence snapped Niles's attention back to the awards, and he joined in with his friends and family as they smiled, clapped, and made soft exclamations of happiness. Miss Babcock bobbed up and down in her seat like a girl and, beside him, Miss Margaret beamed proudly. A feeling of giddy triumph surrounded them, and the laughter tingled through him as it reached every member of their motley group. They all jumped to their feet, still clapping like mad people.

Miss Fine's and Miss Babcock's faces wore matching expressions of joy, and Niles watched them with as much fond warmth as he was watching Mr. Sheffield. When Miss Babcock turned her smile on him, it was so brilliant that it was almost dazzling, and he acknowledged it with a sly wink.

Miss Fine hurried over to Mr. Sheffield and wrapped her arms around him. Niles raised his eyebrows in surprised delight as she kissed their boss deeply.

Miss Babcock let the kiss go on for a few seconds before she stopped clapping and protested, "Excuse me...Excuse me..." When Nanny Fine let go of Mr. Sheffield to look at her, Babcock continued, "I co-produced. I raised money."

"I can't believe Fran did that," Miss Margaret leaned over and whispered loudly to Niles.

Niles turned to her and nodded, so pleased with the nanny's gesture that he couldn't stop grinning. It almost made him miss what happened next. Glancing back towards his fellow employees, he was just in time to see Miss Fine grab Miss Babcock by the shoulders. He watched in amusement as Nanny Fine said, "Oh, I'm sorry," and pulled Babcock towards her to kiss her hard on the mouth. The scene looked like something out of one of his racier dreams.

Niles wasn't sure whether it was shock or hunger for affection that caused Babcock to hesitate for an instant before pushing the other woman away. Whichever it was, Niles felt the urge to laugh bubble up inside of him.

"Nanny Fine," Miss Babcock's tone was highly annoyed, "get off me."

Miss Fine pretended to be offended as she moved back towards her seat, but Niles could see the mirth twinkling in her eyes.

"What? No good?" Niles asked, getting back to his feet and allowing some of his amusement to leak through. "Would you rather I congratulate you?"

He was teasing, and what he did next was so he could make fun of her later. Her eyes were already snapping as he took her shoulders in his hands, much like Nanny Fine had. The softness of her skin was shocking against his fingertips and almost made him change his mind.

"Pucker up," he said quietly, his voice deepening slightly. Her eyes widened, but she let him pull her against him and press his lips to hers.

The jolt that went through him made Niles forget about everything except the way she felt. Her lips were warm and tasted faintly of the drink she'd had in the limo. They moved against his, making him groan and run his hand down her back. Her wrap dropped to the floor and the skin beneath felt as if it were searing his palm.

When her arms went around him, she pressed her body closer to his, and Niles could feel all the luscious curves that her elegant but clingy dress had been displaying all night. He ran his other hand over her hip as her fingers came up to stroke the back of his neck. Goosebumps shivered down his spine at her touch.

It was Miss Babcock who deepened the kiss, and he let her, opening his mouth to feel her tongue sensuously slide against his. She made a soft little sound of pleasure, and Niles wanted nothing more than to make her do it again.

He continued to caress her skin, enjoying it so much he never wanted to stop. When he felt her start to pull away, sharp disappointment clenched his belly.

She looked so beautiful. Her usually perfect hair was slightly mussed, and her face was flushed. Her eyes were full of soft questions as she quietly asked, "Niles?"

He had no idea how to answer. No, that wasn't exactly true. He wanted to answer her by grabbing her and trailing kisses across her jaw and down her throat.

"Niles...Niles?" Her tone was sharper this time, and he had to blink to bring everything into focus. It took him a moment to realize that he was sitting down and not standing up. Miss Babcock was standing over him, but she was not flushed from his kisses.

"What's wrong with you?" she continued, following her question with a hard pinch.

"Ow."

"You were a million miles away. I've been saying your name for almost a minute. Pay attention or you'll miss Maxwell's speech."

"I...uh..."

She scowled. "Very articulate, Butler Boy."

Without waiting to see if he'd follow her order, she settled into her chair in front of him. Niles swallowed as his eyes traced over her shoulders.

What was wrong with him, anyway? Over the years, he'd had the occasional dream or fantasy about Miss Babcock—after all, she was beautiful and sexy, she smelled really good, and she was the best verbal sparring partner he'd ever had—but lately, they were getting sharper and more frequent. It was both exhilarating and terrifying, not to mention embarrassing and annoying. What made it worse was that he knew how she tasted, he knew how she felt in his arms. He'd experienced both of these things before.

He barely heard Mr. Sheffield finish his speech or the thunder of applause around him. His thoughts were focused on Miss Babcock. He tried to push her away, but she was as stubborn in his thoughts as she was in reality.

With a sigh, he sat back and closed his eyes, giving in.

"Are you all right, Niles?" Miss Margaret's soft voice was full of concern.

"I'm just tired."

"The night's almost over. That was the last award."

He nodded absently, his mind already delving back into the alluring picture of him congratulating Miss Babcock in his own special way.