Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Piper

I spent the betterpart of a half an hour just lying on the bed, wondering how I ended up in this situation. I had lived a good life. I went to work, paid my bills, and never bothered anyone. Then, one day, my job decided I wasn’t worth it anymore.

Maybe because I hadn’t done anything more than mediocre work. I had never strived to be the best. I did what I was asked and nothing extra. That was probably why they cut me loose and not any of the other employees.

My personal life wasn’t much better. I had one or two friends who I talked to at least once a month. However, friends were exhausting, even more so when they weren’t family. Family you could ignore, and they would always be there. Friends? Not so much.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Standing, I brushed my hands over my clothes. I hadn’t worn anything spectacular to my first day. I was a maid, after all, I wouldn’t want to dirty up anything nice. The slacks I wore were one of three pairs I owned. The other two were all that I had left of my work wardrobe from before, that and a few blouses and one pair of black heels. I had opted out of the black heels today and wore tennis shoes instead.

I grimaced down at my beat-up sneakers. They weren’t really that impressive, especially for dinner in a place like this. There was another knock on the door just as I slipped into my heels. I raced for the door and pulled it open.

I expected to see Wynn since he had said he would come to get me, or at least Darren. However, the person waiting on the other side was neither of them. Not unless they had shrunk a few inches and colored their hair a bright red.

“Uh, hello.” I held onto the door, prepared to shut it if the man in front of me meant ill will.

A sly grin slipped up the redhead’s face, and the freckles across his nose popped out as he chuckled. The sound of it was like silk on my skin, and I shivered in pleasure. “Don’t look so worried, sweetheart. I’m not going to eat you.”

When he flashed his canines which like Wynn’s were sharper than a normal person’s. He must be one of the brothers. If that were the case, then I had no reason to fear him. I hoped.

“I’m Piper.” I offered him a smile. “I’m the new maid.”

The redhead rolled his eyes. “I know that, why do you think I’m here? Come on, they’re waiting for us in the dining room.” Unlike Wynn, he didn’t offer me his arm to escort me to dinner. He pushed off the wall and tucked his hands into his pockets, sauntering down the hallway like he owned the place which I suppose he did.

I hurried after him. His legs weren’t much longer than mine, so it wasn’t that much of a feat. “So, you know my name. Am I going to get yours?”

The redhead’s eyes slid over to me with a smirk. “Do you really need to know my name to clean the house?” He shook his head and let out a huff. “I don’t even understand why Wynn is allowing you to eat with us, but that’s him.” His eyes moved up and down my form, and I could see the twinkle in his eyes. “Always thinking with his dick.”

I couldn’t figure out if I should be offended or pleased. Knowing Wynn was attracted to me made something inside of me tingle. However, it was no secret that the guy beside me didn’t much care for the hired help.

No love lost there.

My eyes trailed along the walls around me, taking in the antique furniture and large portraits. Much like the one in the living room, the paintings felt like they were watching me.

Please, God, don’t let this house be haunted.

Sexy employers, I could do, even slightly weird ones. But ghosts? No, thank you. I was a wimp in the biggest sense of the word.

We turned a corner, and then we were at a different set of stairs than the ones from earlier. I was lucky I had someone here to guide me, or I’d be completely lost. The redhead didn’t much seem to care if I ended up lost or not. He kept going as if I weren’t even following him.

About halfway down the stairs, my foot caught on something, I was surprised it took this long, and my body propelled forward. Putting my hands out in front of me, the redhead’s back came closer and closer to my face, and I hoped to God I didn’t kill us both with my clumsiness.

However, before I could knock us both down the stairs, the guy spun around so fast I didn’t register it until I was in his arms. My eyes squeezed shut, I inhaled his scent. He smelled of cinnamon and sandalwood, a smell that sunk low and settled in my core.

He growled.

My eyes shot open at the sound, my mouth parted at the heated look in his amber eyes. He had the same look about him that Wynn had when I had first met him in the living room. His tongue darted out and licked his lower lip, and for a moment, I thought he might close the distance between us. Then...

He dropped me.

“Oof,” I groaned and rubbed my backside as I glared up at him. “What was that for?”

“Watch where you’re going,” he snapped, leaving me in the stairs by myself.

I gaped at the direction he had gone for a moment and then scrambled to my feet. Grumbling under my breath about rude ass rich boys, I rounded the stairs and slammed into his back. Once again, I was falling, but this time, I caught my hand on the railing before pulling myself back to my feet.

The redhead snickered.

Glaring daggers into his back, I followed him into a large dining room with an even bigger chandelier than the one in the foyer. A long mahogany table big enough to sit twelve filled most of the room. Five of those spots were already taken, and surprisingly, Wynn was not at the head of the table.

A deep voice with a heavy European accent came from the man sitting at the head of the table. “Rayne, there you are.” The man had long blonde hair and pale eyes that even from here were striking. When I stepped into the room from behind Rayne, the man frowned. “And you must be Miss Billings.”

I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I felt even less of a welcoming feeling from this man, clearly the leader of the brothers, than from Rayne or Darren. Unable to handle his stare, I folded my hands in front of me and ducked my head.

“Yes, thank you for having me in your home.” I had the sudden urge to curtsy but didn’t want to embarrass myself even further.

The man snorted. “You act as if you are a guest and not someone we hired. While I’m sure my brother, Wynn, has filled your head with all kinds of daydreams of your life here, I want to make sure you are clear in your duties.”

I nodded. “I understand of course. I won’t—”

“First rule. Do not speak unless I ask a question and then your answer should be straight to the point. No excuses and no long-winded stories.” He glared at Wynn who pretended not to notice him. “Second, what happens in this house stays in this house, understood?”

I opened my mouth to answer him and then clamped it shut and simply nodded. It wasn’t surprising they would want privacy. An NDA was usually required by most jobs. The fact that they hadn’t made me sign one yet spoke volumes to their household. Either one of three things were happening.

One, the employees were so loyal to these men that they wouldn’t dare say anything. One look around the room at the faces that had my panties wanting to evaporate right there made that answer pretty likely.

Or two, the other employees feared them which was just as likely from the way Darren had reacted to Wynn earlier and the way this one was putting off airs of a total tyrant.

And thirdly, the house could be total dullsville. Not likely with all this testosterone filling the room but it could happen. I bet they had revolving doors for their bedrooms.

I forced back a delightful shiver and made myself pay attention to the words he was saying. The man could read off a grocery list, and I’d orgasm, I swear.

The tyrant continued, not noticing my daydreaming, “Lastly, you will have a list of chores sent to your room each night for the following day. They are expected to be completed by the end of that day. Any that are not finished, you will have to add to your chores for the following day.” The expression on his face told me he clearly expected me to finish each day’s chores on that day.

Jesus, who shit in this guy’s coffee? All fantasies I had about this guy just went down the toilet.

The man leaned back in his seat, his fingers placed into a steeple. “Now, I believe introductions should be made simply for convenience’s sake. I don’t expect you to socialize with any of us outside of what is expected for your work. Clear?”

Again, I nodded. This time, however, I was a bit more annoyed. This guy is really getting on my nerves.

“I, of course, am the eldest of the household. My name is Antoine Durand. You may call me Master Durand, but never just Antoine.” His sharp tone made me want to flinch, but I curled my hands into fists, forcing myself not punch him in his stuck-up face.

“Here to my right is Marcus. He is the second oldest.” Antoine pointed toward a large man with his hair buzzed down until there was only fuzz on top. He had a hard look to him that made me believe he wouldn’t break the rules like Wynn.

“Next to Marcus is Wynn, which you have met already, the middle child.” He rolled his eyes as Wynn grinned and winked at me.

It took everything in me not to blush and respond back in some way, but I had a feeling I would not earn any points with Antoine if I did. Master Durand. I reminded myself. Better get used to it now, so I didn’t fuck up and call him by his name out loud.

Pointing a finger at the redhead next to me, Antoine scowled. “And Rayne you met already as well. He is the youngest.” Continuing down the line, he pointed at a pair of twins on his left side. Both men had dark hair and a smile that made a dimple appear in their cheeks. “Draconius and Allister. They’re the second youngest. Stay out of their way unless you want to be at the butt of their pranks.”

The twins gave me matching sinister smirks that made my body react in an odd fashion. It was half fear and the other attraction? Not surprising since each brother was just as gorgeous than the last. I would think any female would have trouble not being attracted to them.

One of them, leaned forward on the table and growled, “Call me Drake.”

Was it getting hot in here? I had the sudden urge to take a cold shower.

With all the introductions out of the way, Antoine stared at me expectantly. “Do you have any questions?”

I shook my head. “No.” What I really wanted to ask was if he needed help taking that stick out of his ass, but I didn’t want to get fired on my first day. I was lucky the vase incident hadn’t got me booted out the door. The fact that Darren wasn’t there just waiting for the word was unexpected.

As if listening to my thoughts, the tight-lipped butler appeared in the doorway on the other side of the room. “Dinner is ready.”

Antoine inclined his head. “Very well. Darren, I expect you to show Miss Billings where she can eat her meals and teach her the rest of the house rules.”

And with that, I was dismissed.

Darren didn’t wait for me but marched back through the door he came. My eyes slid to the table in front of me, curiosity getting the best of me, but they didn’t have any plates or silverware anywhere. Did they eat with their hands?

I didn’t have long to stare at my new employers before Antoine locked that intense arrogant gaze back on me once more. “Did you need something else, Miss Billings?”

“No, no, sir. I mean, Master Durand.” I stumbled over my words, irritated that there were even rules on how I was to address them.

Irritation covered Antoine’s face, and he waved his hand at me. “Then get out.”

Nodding again, I hurried after Darren, but Antoine’s voice stopped me at the door. “And do try not to break anything else, Miss Billings.”

Groaning, I realized I hadn’t quite gotten off scot-free. I had a feeling this job was not going to be boring or easy. Lucky me.