Maid To The Billionaire: The Tycoon's Baby (Contemporary Romance Novel) (3 page)

CHAPTER THREE

ALEXANDER

I just kissed my maid. It’s not that I cared that she was my maid. She’s an extremely desirable woman. Today was not the first time I’d noticed. But talking to her today had put me over the top. She seemed really intelligent and compassionate and just so different from the spoiled, self-centered women I was used to. She was real, and about the time she got passionate about what she wanted to do with her life and none of it had anything to do with marrying a rich man and taking him for all he had. I decided that I liked her a lot. The problem wasn’t that she was a maid; I couldn’t care less about that. Who she was as a person was so much more than that. The problem was that she was a maid that I employed. I just broke all kinds of business commandments. I had honestly only started out to try and make her feel better. Now she was sitting here looking at me with a confused, stricken look and all I can think is that I really, really want to kiss her again. In fact, I was aroused to the point from that one kiss that I wanted to take it further, desperately so.

“I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hand to her pretty lips. Her green eyes looked like saucers and I could actually see the regret there. I felt like some kind of sexually harassing slime ball all of a sudden… and she was apologizing to me.

“Don’t be sorry, Vicki. I initiated it. I’m sorry. I just really wanted to do that and I should have stopped myself. I know I shouldn’t have. I hope you’ll forgive me.” She had tears in her eyes again. Damn it! She stood up and looked like she was about to bolt.

“No, it’s really okay. You don’t have to apologize. I kissed you back… I should know better, how unprofessional! This whole day I’ve just been such a mess.” She was crying again and I couldn’t stand that now I was the cause of it. She was blaming herself when I was clearly the one who should have known better. I stood up too and without thinking again, I put my arms around her and pulled her into my chest. I realized as soon as her warm, soft body was molded into mine that I’d made another mistake. But God, she felt so good. It was like she was made to be in my arms. Her light blonde hair smelled so pretty and I was tempted to release the bun she had it in and wrap my fingers up in it. She was shaking against me. I put my lips to her head, just trying to calm her down and whispered against the side of her face.

“Please don’t cry, Vicki. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

She looked up at me. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her green eyes were a mixture of sadness and something else. The something else was what I was focused on. If I was reading her right, she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. Once again, I threw caution to the wind. I was going to take this so far that if she was after a lawsuit, I was handing it to her on a silver platter. I claimed her pretty, heart shaped mouth and as I did, I released her hair from its confines. I hadn’t realized how long it was until masses of it cascaded down her shoulders and back. I didn’t hesitate to wrap my fingers through it. It felt like silk and I thought if I’d ever seen it down before, I would have kissed her a long time ago. I didn’t believe for a second that she was setting me up. I had initiated the whole thing… but even if she were, I’m afraid this would be worth it.

The feel of her tongue in my mouth… tentative at first, but now passionate and urgent was going straight to my head. I felt her shift her hips slightly and I knew that she could feel how much I desired her. She wasn’t pulling away though, so I didn’t stop. Instead I let my lips slide down her jaw and find her supple neck. I kissed her there and found the soft piece between her neck and shoulder and took a soft bite. She moaned and I knew that if she didn’t tell me to stop now, I wasn’t going to be able to stop myself. I let my hand slide down her back and cupping one arm underneath her bottom, I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. I sat her down on the bed and looked down at her. Her pretty hair was across her face and she was looking up at me, breathing hard.

What struck me most was the intensity of her gaze. I know that women like to look at me. I’ve been ogled since I was a teenager, but I’d never been so incredibly turned on just by watching someone look at me. Just that simple look gave me an ache that I felt all the way to my core. It was more than wanting her; it was a driving need to possess her suddenly. “If you don’t tell me not to, I’m going to make love to you now.” She nodded and I took that as consent. I sat down next to her, drawing her back onto the bed with me and crushed my mouth down on hers. I did my best to undress her as we kissed, but reluctantly, I had to let her go so she could get that ridiculous uniform off. Why haven’t I ever noticed how awful those uniforms are before? It must be something Cassandra came up with in hopes that I wouldn’t mess around with the help the way she’d told me that her father used to.

When Vicki pulled off that horrible dress, I felt my mouth go dry. She was every bit as gorgeous underneath it as I imagined she would be and then some. For all the drabness of the uniform, the underwear she wore so well underneath it was soft and lacy and silky… and hot. I reached up and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back down to me. I let my mind flicker across all of the bad things that could come out of what we were about to do… and then I tucked them away and I tasted the kind of pleasure that even I had never tasted before.
 

***

I was twenty-five when Cassandra and I got married. Twenty-four when I committed to her and stopped having one-night stands with a different girl every week… some weeks every night. I lost count years ago of the number of women I’d been with, and if most of them walked right up to me on the street today, I wouldn’t have a clue who they were. But I knew instantly that with Vicki, it was going to be different, dangerous even. This was one woman that I would never forget and one afternoon that could fodder my fantasies for a lifetime. I felt like a man utterly starved and suddenly offered a steak. I’d had sex with someone last night and I’d already forgotten with whom. With Vicki it wasn’t just her gorgeous body, or her beautiful face; it was the sounds that she made turned me on and the looks that she got on her face and the deep, burning desire in her beautiful green eyes. By the time we were both panting and sweating and clutching tightly onto each other… I already didn’t want to let her go.

VICTORIA

When Alex collapsed on top of me and I got my breathing under control and I could put two thoughts together again, all I could think was, “Dear God, what have I done?” and shamelessly, “Dear God, I want to do that again.” What was in that wine? I’ve never had a one night, or afternoon, stand in my life. I’ve always been a good girl… I’ve only been with three men in my lifetime. The first was my “first love” my senior year in high school, the second was my boyfriend for two years in college and the third was Jason who I had been with since. I’m not the one night stand type. Alex is. Dear God, what is he thinking of me? I might know if I could see his face, but he’s settled into the pillow and pulled my back up against him as if we’re going to spend the rest of the day cuddled here together, as if we’re in love instead of employer and employee. Instead of billionaire and maid. He’s so warm, and his breath on my neck feels so good. I can’t even let my mind begin to drift back to what just happened between us because I’ll start shaking all over again. I honestly never knew that sex could be like that. Maybe it was because he was so experienced… maybe it was because our afternoon tryst was so taboo in my mind, but God it was amazing and Lord help me I really did want to do it again.

“Are you okay?” His voice had a sexy sleepy quality to it and that coupled with the heat of his breath against my neck made me shudder. I nodded.

“Mm hmm.” I know it wasn’t a brilliant answer, but what was I going to say? I felt him let go of me and I thought, “This is it. I have to get out of this bed naked in front of his eyes and put on that horrible dress and do the walk of shame back out to where my mop is.” Alex wasn’t ready to get up yet though and instead of letting me go, he turned me over so that I was now facing him. He put his fingers underneath my chin and tipped my face up to his. He smiled so sweetly and then he lowered his mouth down to mine and kissed me so tenderly that it honestly nearly made me cry again. If this was what one afternoon stands were like… I think I’ll have another.

And I did… or we did and afternoon turned into evening and evening into night and I fell asleep in his arms. He was so warm and tender and even my heart was smiling when I closed my eyes.

CHAPTER FOUR

VICTORIA

I woke up thanks to the early morning sun pressing its way into the room via the skylight. I think I was still smiling. The glow from sleeping in Alex’s loving arms was still flowing warmly through my veins. Then suddenly, the glow was replaced by panic. I sat up and looked around. He’d locked me in… but he was gone. Oh Jesus! What if I’ve made a terrible mistake? I glanced over at the clock… it was only six-fifteen. Thank goodness I woke up before Manny came in at seven! Coming face to face with him, fully naked, would have been the icing on this already mortifying cake.

I gathered my clothes quickly and as I got dressed I wondered where Alex had gone and when. Did he slip back to his own room in the middle of the night out of the fear that one of the other staff would catch us? Did he have a date? Surely he hadn’t already gone into the office. It was so early. Then again, he didn’t go in yesterday, that I knew for a fact. But today was Saturday; my day off, thank goodness again. I wasn’t sure how I was going to face him. I wondered what he was thinking of me and I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d just done to my job. I needed this job. I was set to begin my online classes next semester and I had a big payment due soon. How could I have been so stupid… and for sex? But it wasn’t just sex. I didn’t want to think that. I was trying hard to discourage myself from thinking that but it was the truth. At least on my end, it wasn’t just sex. I’d felt a real connection there, or had I just been stupid once again?

I got into the elevator and pushed the button for the upper floor where the master suite was located. When I stepped off, the first thing I noticed was that my cleaning cart was still there. Alex… or someone had moved it over to the side. The second thing I noticed was that the door to his suite was open. I carefully moved across the upper balcony. All was quiet downstairs. Not even the cook came in before seven. Alex liked it that way. Those were his rules. No staff between seven p.m. and seven a.m. I got to the door and cautiously glanced inside. The bed was made and all looked neat and tidy. I hadn’t made the bed yesterday… I wondered who did. Karen wasn’t usually in on Fridays, but what if she’d come in for some reason yesterday? She liked me, but she was tough and that was why she had the job of lead staff. I’d seen her fire people for less. I looked at the cart again and told myself that if it had been Karen, she would have put the cart away downstairs where it went. Did Alex make his own bed? I guess that wouldn’t be completely odd. He’d done it before.

“Alex?” I called out to the empty room. I advanced a little further inside. The little sitting room with the big stone fireplace was empty as well and the door to the huge bathroom was open and that room was empty as well. I looked at the clock. It was six-thirty now. I had to get out of here before the other staff came in. There would be no logical explanation for me being here in a wrinkled uniform on my day off. Besides, I thought, looking into the mirror on his dresser, I looked like I’d been having wild sex all night. Or maybe that was just the invisible “Guilt” stamp on my forehead.

I guiltily retreated and headed for the elevator. I took it to the main floor and left through the locked service entrance in the back of the large, gourmet kitchen, locking it again behind me. Taking a deep breath of the fresh, salty morning air, I made my way to the employee parking area, got into my car and snuck out like a thief. I realized when I got out to the main road that my heart was pounding hard against my ribcage and my breathing was irregular. I made it home just short of hyperventilating and held my breath even as I entered my own apartment, hoping my roommate Liz had gone to work. I wasn’t going to be that lucky. She was sitting at the little dining room table enjoying her coffee as I stole through the door.

She grinned broadly and said, “Well hello. You look like you had a good night.” I imagine that in my anxious state my cheeks were probably flushed and since I was still wearing my uniform…

“Um… yeah, it was okay,” I said. “How are you?”

She raised an eyebrow and stood up. “I’m going to pour you a cup of coffee while you change. Then, you and I can talk.”

“Talk about…?”

She took a cup out of the cabinet and turned around and looked at me again. She ran her eyes over my uniform and my disheveled state and said, “Why you were out all night and you’re still in your uniform…”

“Oh, that!” I said, trying to sound sincere. I’m a terrible liar, but I was going to give it a shot. “I didn’t have any clean clothes at Jason’s, so I just put this on.”

“I’m shocked,” she said.

“That I didn’t have any clean clothes?” She shook her head. “That I stayed at Jason’s?” She shook it again. “That I’m lying?” I asked, chagrined.

She nodded then with a smile. “Go change and hurry back, I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

I changed into a pair of cutoff sweats and a t-shirt and washed my face, brushed my teeth and pulled my hair back into a ponytail at the nape of my neck. I didn’t feel any better, but I at least looked human. I met Liz back at the table and sat down, taking a sip of coffee.

“That is so good, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “Now, tell me where you were all night.”

“I was at the mansion,” I said. I took another sip of coffee. It really was good. “How did you know I wasn’t with Jason?”

“He came by on his way to work this morning.”

I almost spilled the coffee, sitting it down too hard on the table. “What did he want?”

“He just wanted to pick up the jacket he left here a few days ago. Your bedroom door was closed and I thought you were in there sleeping. I started to go get you but he said to let you sleep, he’d talk to you later. Imagine my surprise when I saw you pull up out the window and then come slinking in here looking all guilty.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least Jason didn’t know. Not that it should matter to him since we’re on a “break.” But still, I wasn’t sure what I thought of myself at the moment. I was really unsure of what everyone else would think of me. Liz looked amused so far.

“I was really at the mansion all night,” I said again, praying she would leave it at that.

“I thought that yummy boss of yours had a
no staff after seven p.m.
rule.”

“He does.”

“Then pray tell what were you doing there all night, and don’t leave out any details.”

I stood up and went over to top up my coffee. “You want some?”

She laughed. “You’re bright red. You slept with your boss, didn’t you?”

I looked away and said, “Of course not.”

Still laughing she said, “Look me in the eye.” I turned slowly and looked at her and she laughed even harder. “Oh my God! You slept with a billionaire hunk! Go Vicki!”

“Stop it,” I said, mortified once again. “It wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like?” she said. “Oh please tell me. I haven’t had a boyfriend in three months and I’ve never had anyone like Alexander Reigns.”

I sat back down and said, “Jason broke up with me yesterday in a text message while I was at work.”

“That snake! I always knew I didn’t like him. Oh Vicki, I’m sorry.”

I tried to smile and say it didn’t matter, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, I said, “In his defense, he didn’t really say
break up
. He said,
take a break
.”

“Same thing,” she said. “Slime ball.”

“Yeah, I guess. I was really upset and I just lost it and I couldn’t stop crying. Alex…”

“Alex, huh? Cozy.”

“Do you want to hear this or not?”

“I do. I’m sorry, I’ll be good.”

“He saw me and he was so sweet. He fixed us a drink and…”

“A drink?”

“Liz!”

“Okay, okay. Go on…”

“We talked. It was really nice. He’s really just a normal guy. It’s easy to forget they’re human, you know? The elite. The ones we wait on and clean up after. But he really is just normal like any other guy.”

“Alexander Reigns is a God. Ask the cover of any tabloid in the city. And since his wife left him, he’s been seen in the company of more than one model.”

“I know. I’ve seen him in the company of them first-hand. But he wasn’t like that with me.”

“I’m not being facetious now honey but he obviously did talk you into something. Am I right?”

“It wasn’t like that though. We talked and I had two glasses of wine and he was just so sweet. He kissed me and then he actually apologized. He told me he would stop there if I wanted him to. I didn’t want him to…”

“Wow, and you spent the whole night?”

“Yeah, I fell asleep in his arms. It was sweet and romantic though, Liz. It wasn’t sleazy at all.”

“Oh honey of course not. I know you. I’m having a hard time imagining you sleeping with him at all… but I know that you wouldn’t have done it unless there was some real emotion there. I just like to tease. You know that.”

“I know. I’m feeling a little sleazy myself actually and projecting that on you I guess. When I woke up this morning, he was gone. Now I’m scared to death. What if I screwed up my job?”

“Why would he fire you? He came on to you, right? You could easily sue him for sexual harassment.”

“Oh I wouldn’t ever do that. That wasn’t how it happened. It was completely consensual.”

She smiled, “I can tell that by the way you’re defending him. My point is that I really think even if he didn’t want to pursue this any further he wouldn’t be willing to take that kind of risk. The wrong person in that situation could take him for millions.”

“I never thought about it that way. I hope he knows that I’d never even consider anything like that.”

“I don’t know how well your boss knows you, but those of us who do know you well enough know that. I am a little worried about your heart though.”

“Why?”

“You seem awfully sad that he left during the night.”

I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about it. The truth was, just talking about it brought a deep ache to my chest. “I’m sure he had business to attend to or something. I hope.” Liz smiled and reached over to pat my hand. It’ll be okay, honey. You want some breakfast?”

“No thank you. The coffee was great. I’m going to shower.”

“Don’t worry yourself sick over this.”

“I won’t. Thanks Liz.”

“Thank you. Your night at the mansion is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in months.” I laughed, hugged her and headed for the shower. I got really lucky in the roommate department. When I couldn’t stand living with my mother and her endless string of “dates” any longer, I answered an ad in the Orange County Register for a female roommate. That was three years ago and Liz has grown to be my best friend. She’s a little older than me. She just turned twenty-nine. She’s a beautiful woman with shoulder length dark hair and really intense green eyes. She models for some local catalogs and she does character work as a Princess at the major theme park in Anaheim. She broke up with her boyfriend of two years a few months ago because she found out he’d been cheating on her for almost an entire year. The first two months, she swore off men completely. I could tell now that she was coming back around.

After talking with her and taking my shower, I felt slightly better. Then she did leave to go to work and I was left with my own swirling thoughts in my head. By the end of the day I had myself not only fired, but tarred, feathered and strung up in the town square with a giant “A” on my chest. After all… even if none of the other sins were great enough to punish myself for, he was still legally married.