by Mia Moore
The guy laughing with the Asian woman had a body like Chris's--a bit portly and short, stomach overhanging the tightness of his belt like an ice cream cone.
The third man must have sensed her eyes on him because his head turned to look over his shoulder at her. His eyes were dark, deep set above a firm clean shaven jaw, his nose straight and narrow. He towered above the others by at least six inches, while the width of his shoulders and fabric stretched over full biceps hinted professional athlete? A smile blossomed on his face and his hand rose to flip his fingers from his forehead in a mock salute.
Brie startled when Claire's fingers touched her arm. Her breath was warm against her ear when she spoke. “That's Liam giving you the eye. He owns a private investigations firm. Pretty hot looking despite the fact that he's nearly fifty. You'd better watch out. He's got a thing for curvy, young women.” She laughed and squeezed Brie's arm.
An olive skinned young woman in the dark dress, white collar and cuffs on her sleeves appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She carried a silver platter of hors d'oeuvres, making her way through the crowd until finally, she stood in front of Claire.
“Thank you, Rose.” Claire plucked a napkin and hot pastry from the tray.
Rose smiled and turned to Brie.
Brie's eyes wandered from the crisp white collar to the dark stockinged legs and pumps. If she got this job, that could be her in the dark uniform. She took a napkin and pastry from the tray, looking Rose straight in the eye. The woman looked normal enough--in her twenties, pretty with Mediterranean coloring and features. Why was she leaving if this was such a plum job? She glanced at Claire. Could she be trusted to tell the truth if she asked or would it be better to somehow get Rose alone and ask?
“Oh, we're going to miss you, Rose. You take such good care of us and our guests.” Claire smiled and her head dropped slightly before turning to Brie. “Rose is getting married. Herb's gain and our loss. Her fiancée has accepted a job in Texas. He was studying Engineering and got a job there with an oil company.”Our fracking luck!” Once more her laughter trilled
Rose looked away, suppressing a giggle before she spoke. “I'll miss you and Alex. You've been good to me.” She eased away, continuing her circuit of the room.
Brie watched her silently. That sounded plausible enough. She turned to Claire and squared her shoulders. There were stipulations that had to be made clear. “Claire, Chris told me that your parties can get kind of...well, kind of—”
“Sexual?” Her eyes danced above a bright smile.
Brie nodded. Her stomach tightened, hoping that Claire wouldn't be angry with Chris for blabbing about that part.
Claire popped the pastry into her mouth and chewing, took her hand once more, leading her from the room. Brie's eyes met Chris's as she passed by and she shrugged. She tossed the pastry into a small garbage canister next to the bar and strode fast to keep up with Claire. Whatever Claire was about to say or show her, she'd never be able to swallow the pastry. Her mouth had suddenly dried up.
Chapter 20
When they were outside the great room Claire led her down the hallway, past the elevator into another part of the home. She opened a wide door and stepped inside, still tugging at her hand.
Brie's mouth fell open and she stared at Claire, alarm bells screaming in her head. It was a bedroom, stretching lengthwise, with floor to ceiling windows showing a different view of the city. A queen sized bed, with a pale pink spread and coordinating scarf draped over the foot of it, sat against the wall on gleaming golden wood flooring.
It was right out of a designer magazine but what the hell? What did Claire have in mind, dragging her into a private bedroom? She pulled her hand away from Claire's and stepped back.
Claire's face showed puzzlement and then she laughed. “It's not what you think Brie. I'm not going to seduce you or anything naughty. I just wanted to show you where you'll sleep if you take the job.” She took a few steps and eased down onto the bed's military tight, bedspread.
“About the sex...Yes, that happens at some of the parties. If you work here, you'll see naked men and women having sex, threesomes, foursomes and moresomes. I like the moresomes.” She giggled and patted the bed next to her, inviting Brie to sit down.
Brie's back stiffened and she walked to the armchair to take a seat.
Claire shrugged and continued. “I can promise you that people will treat you with respect. There'll be no groping, or touching you. That's a hard rule here.” A grin flared on her face and her eyebrows rose. “Unless you want that.”
Brie's head jerked back and Claire giggled.
“Hey! Liam was giving you the eyes tonight. He's hot as hell and I wouldn't blame you if you bent our rule with him.” Her head tilted to the side. “Just sayin' y'know.” The smile dropped from her face and she continued. “Seriously. Rose has been with us for six years. In that time, she finished a high school course, took university courses to earn her degree in Social Work and now she's marrying an engineer. She's put out resumes in Austin and has even had some nibbles from their government offices. She's served at our parties but she's never participated beyond that.”
She stood up and took a few steps closer to the door. “Discretion. That's what Alex and I insist upon.” She turned and once more her eyes were like laser beams burning into Brie. “Chris trusts and respects you. That's good enough for me. All the rest...the serving, the protocol, you'll easily pick that up.” She extended her hand to the side. “Have a look around. There's a private bath. A gourmet kitchen and oh yeah...if you like to swim, we have our own pool and work-out room. It's all yours to use freely, except for party nights. We have a contract with a cleaning company so you won't have to worry about that. The place is huge. It takes an army to keep up with it.”
She wandered slowly to Brie's chair and stood looking down at her. “Chris told me about your husband and how you came to New York. You could probably get a job in a grocery store but it'd be hard to finish your schooling if you go that route. By the way, what are you studying?”
Brie swallowed hard and her gaze dropped to the floor. “English lit right now. I like it. I don't know...Maybe I could teach if I finished my degree.”
“No maybe's about it. You can do anything you want, if you want it bad enough.” She looked into Brie's eyes and smiled. “Chris is a good judge of character. I hope you'll take the job. We could help you, you know, if you'll let us.” She turned and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Chapter 21
Brie sat quietly for a few minutes, gazing out the window at the skyline of the most vibrant city in the world. Claire was kind, like Chris. She had seemed genuine when she spoke of the hard rule and the money they would pay her was tempting.
She smiled and shook her head. Funny. That was the first time the thought of becoming a teacher had really solidified in her mind. It had taken Claire's pointed question for her to realize what she really wanted to do career-wise. Teaching primary school or maybe even high school. It could happen if she took this job. So why the hesitancy?
She stood up and wandered to the end of the room where there was another door. Opening it, a full four piece bath met her eyes. Again the outside wall was a bank of floor to ceiling windows. Her own bathroom, just like at Chris's but this one, with the marble floor, vanity and the view made his look ordinary. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. There was only one way that she'd know if she could handle this job.
She left the bathroom and crossed the bedroom, steeling herself with each footstep. When she entered the hallway she stopped at the elevator and pushed the button. It wasn't like she was an innocent virgin or anything. Hell, the week before she'd picked up a guy and had a night of raucous sex with him. She'd just take a peek and see how she felt about it.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. She stepped inside and scanned the buttons on the right. It had to be the top one. She pushed it and took a deep breath as the ele
vator closed and whooshed her skyward.
She gasped when the doors slid open. This was it. Her fingers tugged at the hem of her dress straightening it and pulling it lower. Holding her head high, despite the pounding in her chest and the sweaty palms, she stepped out into the marble foyer. Except for the fact that the marble was lighter with rose coloured threads streaking through, it was exactly like the one below.
A door to her right opened and Rose, the current maid, stepped out into the hall. Her face brightened when she saw Brie, a smile appearing as she held the door. Brie's eyes opened wide. This was her opportunity to speak to Rose alone.
“Rose? I'm Brie.” She bit her lower lip watching the woman nod and her eyes become question marks. “I need to ask you something.”
Rose looked over her shoulder into the room behind and then stepped out into the hall, letting the door close behind her. “Yes?”
Brie looked at the door and turned to Rose. “They've offered me a job here. Your replacement.” Her mouth pulled to the side and she looked down for a moment.
“Oh.” She adjusted the tray she was carrying and her head fell back glancing at the ceiling. “Yes, you came with Chris. That makes sense.”
Brie inhaled deeply and sighed. “Claire told me that you're treated with respect. That you just serve and people leave you alone. Is that true?”
“Yeah...” Rose's eyebrows knitted together. It was obvious that there was more she deliberated on adding. She placed her hand on Brie's arm and took a few steps away from the door, ending up near the elevator.
Brie let her lead, her stomach tight and churning with butterflies.
Rose looked into her eyes and her voice was low when she spoke. “There has been the odd time when one of the guests drank too much. I've been propositioned, had my fanny slapped and pinched but the thing is...”She shook her head from side to side. “The people who did that were never here again.” She smiled and continued. “There's always a bad apple but Claire and Alex don't tolerate it. Don't get me wrong. They'll encourage you. They're strong advocates of The Lifestyle and sexual freedom, but they respect limits as well.”
Brie's breath caught in her throat listening to Rose. The Lifestyle? Encouragement? Her eyebrows rose and she took a deep breath. “So did you ever...”
Rose glanced up the hall to the heavy wooden door. “Just once. It wasn't for me.” Her hand rose and she pushed the elevator button. “It's a great place to work but you've got to keep an open mind and your mouth shut.” She smiled. When the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open, she stepped inside. “You didn't hear this from me.”
Brie watched as the doors closed and Rose disappeared. She turned and looked at the wooden door. When she opened that door and looked around she'd know. Part of her desperately wanted her reaction to be like Rose's. She could really use a job like this, but...This was so entirely outside her range of experience. She'd never even seen a porn flick for God's sake! A chuckle expanded her chest. Maybe she should rent a bunch. After a while they had to get boring, right?
She crept slowly down the hall and pulled the door open. A faint smell of chlorine drifted into her nose and music, again a soft jazzy number, filled her ears. Her body seemed to sliver between the edge of the door and the opening, trying hard to slip in unnoticed.
“Hi.”
She startled, head jerking back at the deep masculine voice. It was that guy from downstairs, the one Claire had said was checking her out. Liam. His smile was friendly and thank God, he was still fully dressed. “Hi.” Her gaze drifted across the room, taking in the pool, the bare shoulders of a couple women and that silver haired guy she'd noticed when she arrived. Yes, one of the women was the brunette.
Next to a set of open French doors a bar was set up and a tall, slender dark haired man was pouring liquor into a glass set atop the golden oak top. Was that Alex? An older guy, with a bald head, wearing only his birthday suit stepped through the French door and stood next to the bar. He turned to face Alex, sparing her the sight of his junk, although his round protruding belly probably would have covered most of it. It was only his slightly slumped shoulders and back above a set of small flat butt cheeks that she glimpsed before turning her head.
“I've never seen you here before. I'm Liam.” His hand extended while a small smile played on his lips.
She thrust her hand into his, nearly knocking it away first. Oh God, now that she was here, what was she expected to do? “I'm Brie Morely. Yes, my first time. Thought I'd check out the party up here.”
A shrill peel of laughter rose from the pool and she turned to see the brunette holding her hand over her mouth, while her eyes were dark slits of mirth. The other woman, raven hair clipped high on her head strained forward, smiling as she continued speaking. Under the water, their bare legs and curve of white buttocks appeared in a distorted blur.
“It's early. Not much going on yet.” Liam's hand rose and he took a long sip of an amber drink. He finished and once more his dark eyes met hers. “It's quite the place, isn't it?” His eyes flicked to the pool and over to the wall of windows overlooking the city.
Her mouth was dry and she focused on his face—anywhere but the pool and the naked guy at the bar. “Yes, I've never seen anything like it before.” He might be talking about the view but her mind was on the people in the pool. She sneaked a peak at the bartender. He wore a crew neck sweater and a gold chain on his wrist glinted in the light shining from behind the bar.
“I'm sorry. You don't have a drink. Can I get you anything?” Liam smiled, his eyes roaming from her face to the hands she clasped in front of her lap.
“White wine would be nice.”
As he turned to step away she reached for his arm. He stopped and turned to her. “The bartender...is that Alex?”
His eyebrows knitted and head tilted to the side looking at her. “Yes. C'mon. I'll introduce you.”
Her head jerked back but the warm smile on his face was disarming. Sure, naked guy was still standing there but if she was going to take this job, she'd have to get used to that sort of thing. She nodded and followed him across the mosaic tile floor, watching his broad shoulders in the casual tweed sports jacket. He was tall and from the way he moved, graceful and confident like an athlete; he was in really good shape.
Liam took a spot next to naked guy, while she slipped by him, making a barrier out of Liam's body. “Alex! How you doin'?” Liam turned to her. “Brie Morely, meet our host Alex Bader. Seems strange to be introducing you to the host. It'd be more likely that he'd introduce us.” A small laugh bubbled from his chest.
Alex's head tilted to the side and his eyes bore into hers. “Brie? You're a friend of Chris's, right?” His eyebrow arched and he leaned forward elbows on the bar staring at her.
Her heart beat faster and she stood stock still. He knew. This party was kind of an interview for the job and she hadn't been invited up there. Her chin rose and she tried to meet his eyes with hers. “Yes. I spoke with Claire but thought I'd explore on my own...see what it was like up here.”
He grinned and patted her hand. “Test the water, so to speak. Would you like something to drink?” He stood straight, his hands gripping the bar. Like Claire, he was slender but his wide chest and shoulders showed that he was anything but anorexic.
“White wine. I've already got that covered.” Liam looked down at her and grinned. He leaned over and his arm brushed against hers.
Alex nodded and he pulled a bottle of wine from under the counter. As he poured it into a plastic goblet, his eyes flickered to hers. There was a small smile on his face, almost a sneer when he spoke. “Brie, this is Charles.” He turned to the naked guy and smiled. “Charles, I'd like you to meet Brie.” He turned back to Brie and handed her the glass of wine.
She gulped and her head drew back when Charles stepped around Liam and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
With eyes focussed on his jowls and small grey eyes, she managed a smile while she shook his hand. “Same
here.” She flashed a look at Alex before swallowing half the glass in one gulp.
“So Brie, what do you think? Testing the water so to speak...” Alex's eyes were narrow and his mouth twitched barely able to conceal the pleasure he was having at her discomfort.
Keeping her eyes on the bar, she said, “I’ve only just stuck in a toe? But so far so good?”
Everyone laughed, and she felt her face grow hot.
Liam looked down at her, his face showing puzzlement. His eyes flickered to Alex and back to her. It was obvious he knew that there was a level of communication going on that he wasn't privy to. “Would you like to see the view from the terrace, Brie?” He touched the small of her back, nudging her away from the bar and Alex.
She nodded and managed to slip by Charles without actually touching him. Liam stood to the side of the open doorway and gestured with his hand for her to step out before him. The cool spring night air was balm on her flushed face. She walked to the brick wall surrounding the open area and gazed out at the bright lights of the city. Overhead, the night sky filled with stars and a sliver of moon, seemed bleary in comparison to the lights below.
Liam's arm brushed hers as he took a place next to her. She could feel his eyes looking down at her.
“You've never been to a place like this, have you?” His words were low and soft.
She turned to him and shook her head.
“But you knew what was up here, right?”
Again she nodded, not trusting her voice. The whole evening had been tense, from meeting Claire to Alex's fun taunting her. Now, Liam was being so kind. Her throat tightened.
“I remember the first time I came to one of Claire and Alex's parties. It's probably different for a man but I have to admit, there was shock as well as wild curiosity. Now, I don't even notice.”
