I resolved to be politely deaf and let my selective hearing be my shield for the rest of the evening. I didn’t know anyone at the party, and the only thing that mattered was pleasing my boss by doing a good job. And if he wanted to watch me do it in a sexy uniform, so what? There were plenty of waitresses in the States who had to wear hideous uniforms.
And then there was Alex. Would he be coming to the party? Or staying away because of me? What would he think of me in this dress, being paraded around as the new, sexy maid? I assumed he’d been invited, considering his friendship with Mr. B, although, I hadn’t seen him yet. I was struck with a sudden sharp longing. Everything would be better if I could just see Alex. This stupid tight dress, the mean-spirited remarks, none of it would matter if only Alex would show up soon. If I could just see him again.
Chapter Forty
Alex
I expected to see Chelsea in the monstrous foyer, but I didn’t see her beautiful face among the milling guests. I made my way to the servants’ entrance near the bottom of the stairs, but only ran into a tight-lipped housekeeper.
“Mr. Alex, how nice to see you again,” she said, holding out a tray of canapés.
I nodded and took one. “Have you seen Chelsea around?”
The housekeeper pursed her lips even tighter, and said, “I’ve seen her all around, showing off her new uniform.”
Considering how the woman prided herself on a traditional black, buttoned dress, I tried not to laugh at her jealous tone. Anything new probably set the woman off. But one phrase made me curious.
“All around?” I asked. What the hell was she talking about?
Leaning across the canapé tray, she whispered, “He made her go clear to the study to get whiskey, then upstairs to fetch his cigarettes.”
“Chelsea, the new maid, right? Isn’t that what she’s supposed to do?” I asked.
“He told her to go up the main staircase.” She said it as if the act of walking up stairs was somehow scandalous.
I chewed on the canapé to hide another smile. A simple thing like a maid using the main staircase in front of guests was the kind of thing that filled the old-fashioned housekeeper with horror. Maybe Benji had just wanted someone a bit less uptight around the house. Then I caught a glimpse of Chelsea and felt a wave of my own horror.
Her new uniform was a black satin dress, just one size too tight. As she moved through the guests with her silver drink tray, more than one head followed her. I held my canapé in mid-bite and watched as Benji eyed her from the front door, accepting the appreciative nods of the men around him.
I threw the remainder of my canapé onto the housekeeper’s tray to her startled surprise. Damn him. He wasn't just appreciating her good looks. He was fucking showing her off. A hot fog of anger enveloped me.
She wasn't a toy, and as sure as hell wasn't his. The sight of Chelsea in that dress, her long athletic legs flexing as she trotted up the stairs, must have thrilled the group of men now ogling her.
In the instant I looked to catch her again, she was gone. I strode across the foyer, and headed toward the terrace. As I parted the crowd, a young female server in a crisp white shirt stopped to ask if I’d like a glass of champagne.
“Is that your uniform?” I asked, flustering the pretty redhead.
“Yes, sir. The catering company requires a white shirt,” she said, then she wetted her pink lips before asking, “Do you like it?”
“I thought Benji, I mean, Mr. B had his serving staff wear black satin now.”
The redhead stuck her lower lip out and pouted. “No, there’s just the one. Mr. B’s new maid.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Have you seen her? I mean, she’s pretty, but I don’t see what all the fuss is about.” She threw a glance over her shoulder. “Anyway, all the men around here are just drooling over her.”
My stomach knotted. Chelsea was beautiful, that was a given, but most of these rich old coots wouldn’t spare more than a glance at the most seductive of servants. So why the sudden interest?
“Bunch of old men, all hot and bothered because she’s available,” the redhead said.
Shit. “Available? What do you mean?”
She took the advantage to slip her arm through mine and pull me close. With her accent, I knew she was native. “Well, from what I heard from the cook, she’s been hired for more than housecleaning. For providing different kinds of services, if you get my drift. And Mr. B’s been suggesting the others might want to have a go at her and hire her after he’s finished with her.”
Through the haze of anger I felt the redhead squeeze my arm as she licked her pink lips again. “Not that you'd have to worry about that. I bet all you have to do is smile at a girl to get a date.”
I didn’t return her bright smile even when she batted her eyelashes. Instead, I looked around for Chelsea again. When I spotted her at the foot of the main staircase, I pulled free. The redhead recoiled.
“Seriously? You too? Disgusting,” she said and marched away.
By the time I got from the terrace doors to the center of the foyer, Benji had joined Chelsea at the foot of the stairs. He slipped an arm around her waist and steered her over to a cluster of his friends. They took glasses of whiskey as well as admiring looks up and down her lithe body. I ground down on my teeth to suppress my rage. Chelsea was so innocent. She stood there taking all of their leering, shoulders straight and seemingly oblivious to their gawking. From the way she reacted, I didn’t think she was even aware of exactly what was happening.
And it was all my fault.
I pushed through the crowd to join them. Benji saw me coming and frowned at the murderous look on my face. He leaned down, whispered something in Chelsea’s ear, and sent her on another errand with a squeeze of her satin-covered bottom. I just about jumped over the tuxedoed body blocking the path in front of me to choke him. Lucky for ol’ Benji, there was a group of men in my way. But the list of who I wanted to choke next just got longer as more leering men crowded around Chelsea. They were all chuckling and the men watched her ass as she walked away.
I stepped up to the group around Benji and heard a short, stocky man with a big grin say, “Honestly, Benji, I didn’t take you as someone to hire out for such things. Must be a tasty way to get your breakfast in bed.”
“Doesn’t seem your style,” I said, joining in the conversation.
Catching my heated look and the matching tone in my voice, the other men wisely drifted away.
“And why not?” Benji asked, tipping his head to watch someone across the foyer. “Other people enjoy intimate relationships with the people they pay, don’t they?”
I cringed. He was talking about me, I knew, thanks to April's big mouth. He didn't know that it was different between Chelsea and me. Except I knew how it looked on the outside, and if I said it out loud it’d sound so cliché, so naïve of me.
At a loss for what to say next, I followed Benji’s gaze. There was Electra, his last fling, draped over the arm of a muscular blond man.
“Her yoga instructor,” Benji said with a tight voice.
I narrowed my eyes at Benji and said, “You’re doing this to make her jealous, right? You hired Chelsea so you could parade her around here like a toy just to make your ex jealous?”
I looked again, and Electra had the yoga guy locked in a long kiss. With his eyes still on his ex, Benji said, “Oh, I plan to do more than just parade her around.”
“Over my dead body,” I ground out. My blood rushed as I grabbed a handful of his expensive tuxedo lapel. I wanted to deck the fucker even if he was a family friend.
“Now, Alex, don’t be a fool.” My father’s voice chimed in from behind, managing to take the edge off my anger.
Benji shoved me off with a confused look on his face. “Alex! What has gotten into you?” Then he looked at Henry and straightened his crumpled jacket. “Henry, get your son under control, will you?” he said. With a last brush of his jacket sleeve he st
rode off through the guests in the direction of Chelsea.
I reached after him, but my father caught my arm. “Let him go, Alex. She’s not worth it. And besides, Benji has just agreed to fund your movie, so don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, son.”
My father kept a grip on my arm as I lost sight of Benji in the sea of guests. He was wrong. She was worth it. She was worth more than anyone here.
* * *
Chelsea
“Chelsea?” A soft voice stopped me at the terrace doors. I’d just come from the kitchen with a newly refilled tray of champagne glasses for the guests.
“Carrie, how are you?” I glanced down at my lacy apron top. I hoped Carrie wouldn’t comment on my uniform. Her face was a sympathetic one in this crowd of sly looks.
“I’m fine, but how are you doing?”
“Oh, things are good,” I said, noticing another woman giving me a snide look. “Just settling into the new job.”
“Do you like it?” she asked.
Loyalty won out. “Yes, Mr. B is charming and very generous.”
The woman behind Carrie snorted into her champagne glass, and my heart sank. This was all wrong. Everyone here had the wrong idea about me, and I was afraid Carrie would think the same. And I didn't know how to fix it.
“Don’t worry about rumors,” she said, patting my arm. “Just remember the truth.”
I blinked back sudden tears as I said, “Thanks, Carrie. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m getting all sorts of weird looks from people.”
“Like that?” Carrie asked, nodding towards a gaunt man who was giving my dress an open-mouthed leer.
“Oh, god help me,” I said, suppressing a shiver. “Yes.”
Carrie laughed and took a sip of her champagne. She was the only woman who hadn’t given me a catty look or a disgusted dismissal, which struck me as odd. I still couldn’t figure out if she and Alex were divorced, separated or what, but whatever she was, she made me feel better.
“Look Chelsea, Benji can be quite persuasive when he wants something,” she said. “Don’t let him or any of these snoots get to you.”
I nodded and caught the housekeeper glaring at me.
“Oh, sorry, Carrie. The housekeeper just gave me the evil eye. I’d better get back to work, but thanks for the advice.”
Carrie smiled and I gave her a little wave as I stepped away to return to the kitchen.
Before I’d even had time to lower my hand, Benji appeared, took the tray of glasses from me and placed it on a side table. He took my hand and said, “Chelsea, dear. You look very lovely tonight. Have I told you that?”
I looked over my shoulder while he was still holding my wrist, but Carrie was gone. I remembered her advice, but I would've appreciated her presence.
“Um, yes, I believe you did. Thank you.”
“I must speak with you for a moment in private, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, actually, the housekeeper…”
Without waiting to hear my answer, he pulled me along the edge of the party. It felt like all eyes were on us. I tried to pull my hand away, but he wouldn’t let go. I glanced over at the crowd, smiling and trying to appear nonchalant when I caught sight of Alex.
At first my heart soared. I’d hoped he’d put in an appearance at the party. He looked devastatingly handsome in his slim-fitting tuxedo, but no sooner had I spotted him than I caught the look on his face. His eyes were hard, icy steel. A slice of cold shot down my spine. My stomach twisted. Alex wouldn’t believe the gossip, would he? Surely he'd think like Carrie, right?
“Don’t worry, Chelsea,” Mr. B said, pulling me close as he opened the library door. “I just want a quick word.”
I looked again and saw Alex scowl. Was it because of how closely we stood? I tried again to pull back, but Mr. B only held me tighter. He ducked into the library, pulling me after him, hard enough that I bounced against his chest. My cheeks flamed. I could imagine how that must’ve looked to the guests outside, and especially to Alex. So this was it? He pulled me in here to do what? Leer at me? Fondle me? Have whatever the hell he wants because he’s rich?
I felt a spark of anger.
Mr. B shut the door and released me, smoothing the salt and pepper hair at his temples. “I apologize, Chelsea. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright.”
I exhaled. Here, I was worried that he called me in here for some hanky-panky, but he'd really only wanted to check on me. I shouldn't have believed the worst.
But still, better to get back before I gave others more to gossip about.
“Oh. Well, I’m doing just fine. Thank you for asking,” I said turning back to the door. “I should get back…”
“No, no, please, don’t be angry,” he said, putting a flat hand on the door to keep it shut.
“But I’m not angry, Mr. B.” I was confused. “I just want to make sure I do my job properly, that’s all. So like I said…”
He chuckled and leaned down to kiss my shoulder. “You’re doing just fine.”
Oh shit.
“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to dart under his arm.
Mr. B caught me around the waist and said, “Oh, a feisty one. I like that. Henry told me all about how you came to work for Alex. He said his son hadn’t taken advantage of all that your company offered. So, I thought perhaps you would be happier here.”
“All that my company offered?” I asked, not really wanting to acknowledge what he was hinting at. If I played innocent, maybe it'd be less embarrassing.
He wasn’t as old as Henry, and he was ten times more handsome than most men. It wasn’t that his advances were gross. I just wasn’t interested, and I didn’t want him to get angry and fire me. All I wanted to do was extricate myself from his embrace and open the damn door.
“Yes, Henry told me all about the website. I know it’s completely consensual, and I believe you find me attractive. Don’t you? I know you found the money I offered you attractive.” He leaned in closer holding his arms tightly around me.
“Mr. B, I think you have the wrong idea,” I said, as I wiggled to get free.
How had I gotten myself in this situation?
He shrugged, and his grip loosened a little. “Ah, well, if so, I apologize. But perhaps you just need to get to know me a little better.”
Mr. B let me slip from his grip just enough for me to reach the door handle with one hand, while one of his arms still gripped me around my waist. I pulled on the handle and swung the door outward. It was heavy and didn’t move easily, but he gave it a tap with his foot and it opened wide. Just as we were in full view of the party and all the guests, Mr. B slipped his arm back around my waist and pulled me into a helpless kiss.
I was off balance. I grabbed on to his lapels, praying we didn’t fall to the ground. It registered one second later that he was kissing me, passionately, and in full view of everyone. And with my luck, Alex was probably standing right at the front of the group. How the hell was I going to explain this? I'd thought working here would help us define whatever this was between us, but now it seemed things were even more complicated than before.
I’m so screwed.
Chapter Forty-One
Alex
Get the fuck out of my way. I yanked my arm out of my dad’s grip and left him standing there with his mouth hanging open. Half a dozen people tried to stop me to chat as I struck out to cross the foyer. Now, wasn’t a good time. I had to find Chelsea. I looked out the terrace windows where the party spilled over into the gardens, but still, no Chelsea. She’d disappeared into the crowd before I could talk to her. My heart sank.
It was all my fault for hiring her as a joke in the first place. Chelsea had taken the website at face value, never assuming it was a casual hook-up site for gold diggers and rich men. At least in my house it hadn't matter. It was just Jamison and me, and we understood Chelsea’s motivation. But here, among the wolves, the rumors were flying, expanding, and building like cumulus clouds.
&nbs
p; Before I had a chance to breathe, a voice purred in my ear, “Hello, handsome.”
Fuck. Not now. I drummed up my best poker face and turned around.
“April…” I was about to tell her this wasn’t a good time. I had to take a call. I was on my way out. Any excuse so long as I didn’t have to talk to April right now. I needed to find Chelsea.
“I’m doing well, you sweet man,” April said, tittering for the benefit of the guests around us. “You were right about me leaving your little movie to find something better.”
No surprise there. In her mind, she’d quit my movie to pursue bigger opportunities, and she wanted to make sure everyone around us heard.
“Glad it’s working out,” I said, trying to tug my arm out of her grip.
“How can I ever repay you?” she fawned, pressing her prominently displayed breasts against my captured arm.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way. Now could you just…just leave me in peace to mourn your loss,” I said, yanking my arm back. “Go take a shot at one of these other rich guys, okay?” I didn’t mean for it come out sounding so harsh, but I was getting pretty damn tired of tiptoeing around April.
Her eyes narrowed as my loud tone caught the attention of the guests. She flounced back a step, making sure to curve a hip out in a practiced pose.
“Well, your father’s more of a gentleman than you. In fact, he’s found me a starring role in a new movie,” April said. “He’s done advising you, now that your finances are a mess, and has focused all his attention on me.”
The way she smoothed her hands down her electric blue dress drew the attention of others. April smiled.
“Well, that’s just dandy then. Everything’s worked out great,” I said. Except for Chelsea. I turned again to scan for her in the crowd.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw April’s bright smile slip. She wasn’t used to losing the attention of men near her.