by Mia Moore
“Which reminds me...Martha called earlier today. She’s in town for a few days and she’ll be here this evening. You’ll like her.” She grinned and rose from the bed. Her legs were tanned and shapely under the smooth orbs of her ass, just a slight jiggle in her bottom as she walked away from the bed. Above, the skin was flawless stretched tight, revealing the line of her spine and smooth muscle bordering it on each side. A wisp of golden curl floated against her slender neck, her arms lithe and willowy as she pushed the door to the bathroom open.
Brie smiled as she rose from the bed. Claire was not only sexy, a confident, knowledgeable woman who enjoyed everything sensual, but she was nice, like Chris. It was going to be wonderful living there. Aside from Alex, Claire made her feel special, as close to family as you could get but still be working for her. She picked up her bathrobe and slipped it over her body.
And, Claire was like Chris in other ways. She wanted what was best for Brie--encouraging her to keep up with her studies. Sex was great and she couldn’t wait until the next lesson with Claire (maybe THAT would be the time Claire would let her make love to HER), but she was also looking out for Brie’s future. Even helping with the date with Liam, encouraging her.
She left the room and entered the elevator. There was no way she ever wanted to disappoint Claire or Chris. They were the first people to ever encourage or believe in her. Thank God, she’d met them!
Chapter 10
It was just after five when the buzzer next to the door in the kitchen alerted Brie that someone was downstairs, in the lobby of the building. She set the parsley she’d been rinsing in a bowl and wiped her hands with a paper towel. The small screen showed wide eyes above dark pinched lips, hair light, framing a strong chin while a wide scarf was casually draped over shoulders. She was older, probably Claire’s age. Oh. It had to be Claire’s friend! “Martha?”
The woman’s eyebrows knit together and her eyes became narrow. “Yes. Is that you, Rose?”
Brie pushed the button allowing Martha to enter the area “No. Sorry. I’m Brie. Come on up. The elevator code is...”
“I know what the code is! Thanks.” The screen was filled with a graphic of the lobby and glass doors leading to the street.
Brie’s eyes widened for a moment. Martha sounded miffed. Oh well, she probably had expected Rose and Brie’s voice had been a surprise. She left the kitchen, walked down the hall and entered the Great Room. Claire was perched on the low sofa, reading a book. She looked up when Brie entered.
“Sorry to interrupt but your friend Martha’s on her way up. I’ll get her bags and show her in.” Brie was about to leave but Claire’s voice stopped her.
“That’s okay dear. I’ll come with you. Oh my, it’s been months since she’d been here!” Claire set the book aside and rose to her feet. There was a wide smile on her face as she straightened her tunic top and walked to the door.
They were no sooner at the elevator when the wide aluminum doors parted and Martha stepped out.
“Claire, darling! How are you?” Martha’s arms extended and she grasped Claire’s shoulders, kissing her lightly on the lips before pulling her into a warm hug. She wore a beige wool pants suit that hugged her slim hips and draped flowing over her long legs. A subtle scent of a spicy perfume surrounded her, while the gold bangles on her wrist clinked faintly.
The pleasure the two friends showed seeing each other, brought a smile to Brie’s lips. The two women were so very much alike in hair color, height and body build but Martha still seemed so much bigger. Was it the air of confidence or the fact that the tailored suit made her seem taller?
The two women drew back, Martha’s hands lingering on Claire’s arms. Claire glanced at Brie and back to her friend. “Martha, this is Brie.”
When Martha turned to look at Brie, the smile left her face. “What happened to Rose? Where is she?”
Brie’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened watching Martha’s face become tight, two deep lines bordering each side of the red gash of her lips.
Claire stepped back and touched Brie’s arm. “Rose left a couple of days ago--off to Austin to get married. Brie is our new housekeeper.”
Brie stepped forward and her hand lifted to shake Martha’s. “Pleased to meet you, Martha. Claire told me--”
“Dr. Whitney, please. Yes...” Her fingertips pressed into Brie’s fingers for a moment and her hand drew back quickly. She sniffed and turned to Claire. “You must miss Rose...ah well, change is inevitable isn’t it? Let’s have a glass of wine. What a day it’s been!” Her hand rose to Claire’s shoulder, tugging her in step on her way to the Great Room. She paused at the door and turned her head to face Brie. “You DO know where my room is, don’t you?” Her eyes pointedly dropped to the set of luggage still in the elevator.
Brie’s mouth dropped for a moment before she caught herself, clamping it shut and stepping into the elevator. The last few words of Martha’s voice drifted in the air before they were cut off by the door of the Great Room. “Where on earth did you ever find...”
Brie swallowed hard, feeling her mouth instantly dry. What the hell had just happened? Martha...oh excuse me, Doctor Whitney, was nothing like Claire. How could they be such good friends? Suddenly, she felt dowdy in the white blouse and navy pants, her body large and cumbersome lifting the heavy leather bags. Thank God, Dr. Whitney, a snort left her nose, was only staying a few days and she was off for two of them! Again, thank God.
She trudged down the hall and entered the room that Rose had indicated was Martha’s when she stayed there. THAT was another thing. Rose hadn’t called her Dr. Whitney. No. To her she was Martha. She set the bags next to the bed and rolled her eyes as she left the room. She’d better go to the Great Room to serve them wine.
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath. She could do this. It was only for a few days. Maybe Dr. Whitney would lighten up once she got used to the idea of Brie being there. Some people don’t handle change very well.
When she entered the room, the conversation stopped. Claire glanced at her and looked away quickly. Brie’s cheeks burned but she continued walking to the bar. “Can I get you white or red wine?”
“You MAY get me a glass of white.” Martha stifled a laugh and continued. “Claire tells me you’re Chris’s latest project. How IS he? Still trying to write the great American novel?”
Brie’s hand paused mid air, about to take a bottle of wine from the small refrigerator. Project? What the hell did she mean? Her teeth ground together for a moment but she forced a smile. “He’s fine and yes he’s still writing as far as I know.” Her hand shook a little as she poured the wine into the glasses.
“Oh you know Chris, Martha. He’ll never change. Although he DOES have a new love interest. Michael Tremblant, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff. Very handsome and dashing.” Claire stepped to the bar and took the glass of wine that Brie extended.
“DO tell. Sounds more promising than the last one. What was he, a trumpet player in some jazz band? He was after Chris’s money, I always said that, didn’t I?” Martha slid her long fingers around the glass that Brie had set on the bar. “So are you a student? Chris usually has a soft spot for starving students.”
Martha’s eyes glittered, the blue shadow and lashes perfectly done, a little understated, compared to Claire. Actually, even though her skin was pale and flawless, her face was angular and sharp, from the pointed patrician nose to the edge of her firm jaw. Whereas Claire’s features were soft and feminine, Martha’s were hard.
Brie’s eyes dropped and she turned to place the bottle of wine back into the fridge. “I’m enrolled in courses at Columbia.” She stood up and risked a peek through her eyelashes at Martha.
“What? No, I mean what year are you in? You must be in third or fourth given your age.” She smiled at Claire and then took a sip of the wine, her eyes never straying from Brie’s face.
Brie’s heart thudded in her chest, the palms of her hands suddenly slick with perspiration.
What the hell did she mean? Oh God. She thought she was enrolled in university, going out to classes? “I’m taking courses on-line. It’s great working here to be able to have the time for my studies.” Her eyes flashed wide. “Rose did that, didn’t she Claire?”
Martha’s hand rose to rest on Claire’s arm, and she edged forward, stopping Claire’s reply. “Yes but, Rose already had two years of university under her belt when she started here.” She shook her head and a small laugh rose from her throat. “Wait. Don’t tell me. You’re starting from scratch? At your age and you’ve only got high school?” She started to laugh.
Brie glanced at Claire. Why wasn’t she saying anything in Brie’s defense? This was her friend and it would be her place to say something, wouldn’t it?
Claire took a deep breath and a smile formed on her lips. “It doesn’t matter Martha. Better late than never, right? How are Jeffrey and Alice doing? Will they be home for the summer holidays?”
Martha’s head fell back and she gazed at the ceiling, holding her glass of wine tight to her chest. “Oh God. I sure as hell hope not. No, there are enrichment courses during the summer that they’ll be doing. I’ll probably spend a few days with them, although North Carolina in the summer isn’t a prospect I look forward to. But, they ARE my children.”
Claire’s smile faded and her eyes became wistful watching Martha. “Yes...your children. You’re so lucky to have them.” She closed her eyes for a moment and turned to Brie. “Alex won’t be here for dinner. He’s got a late meeting with some client and will be having dinner with him.” She turned to Martha. “When would you like to eat? Are you hungry? We’ll enjoy dinner tonight, just the two of us. Tomorrow, we’ll have to rough it. It’s Brie’s day off.”
Martha’s head jerked forward and her eyes closed for a beat or two. “I beg your pardon. Brie’s off tomorrow and she just started. Wow Claire! You’re one in a million. Talk about cushy jobs.” She took a sip of wine and swallowed hard, her chin raised in a challenge, watching Claire.
The self assured veneer that Claire wore like perfume vanished under Martha’s eyes. She looked at Brie and then her gaze fell to the floor between her dark high heels. “Gee, I never looked at it like that.” Her chin rose and she smiled at Martha. “You always said I was a push-over, even in University, always too eager to please everyone. But, actually you DO have a point.”
Claire turned and her eyes were narrow looking at Brie. “Do you mind? You can start your normal routine next week, with Wednesday and Thursday off. I don’t mind if you take Thursday off to do your self-defense thing, but really, with Martha being here, it would be so much easier if you worked tomorrow.”
Brie’s stomach felt like someone had given her a punch. She stared wide-eyed at Claire for a moment before glancing at Martha. The good doctor was having a hard time keeping a straight face, her lips twitching in the corners. “Sure. If you’d like, I can work tomorrow. What time would you like dinner tonight?” Her fingers gripped the bar, the knuckles showing white.
Once more Claire turned to her friend. “I don’t know. What do you think, Martha?”
Martha took a step closer to the bar and set her empty glass gently onto the surface, her eyes glinting at Brie. “How about seven thirty? It’ll give us a chance to have a few more of these and catch up, Claire.”
“Absolutely. Would you mind topping us up Brie? Then perhaps you’d better see about dinner. If you’d planned anything with nuts, cancel it. Martha is severely allergic to nuts.”
Brie turned and got the bottle of wine from the bar fridge. She clinked the neck against the rim of Martha’s glass, so hard were her hands shaking. Not only was her day off cancelled but that would mean cancelling the date with Liam. Surely, Claire knew that? And what about the trip to the spa?
So much for Claire feeling about her, like a big sister would. No. With Martha’s visit, everything was crystal clear. She was the maid, period.
Chapter 11
Everything was ready. All there was left to do was pop the pasta dish in the oven to melt the cheese topping. That would be totally last minute. Brie glanced at her watch. Still twenty minutes to go before Claire and Martha would sit down to eat dinner.
She fished her cell phone from her pocket, punched in Liam’s number and slumped onto a stool next to the island counter top. Hopefully, he’d understand and they could set up a time next week when she was ‘officially, with Martha’s blessing of course’ OFF.
He answered on the third ring.
“Hi Liam, it’s Brie.” Did she sound as sad as she felt?
“Oh. Hi Brie. What’s up?” His voice was surprised and out of breath.
“I’m afraid I have to cancel our dinner date tomorrow night. Claire has asked me to work. An old friend is in town and...well, it’s complicated.” She sighed and looked at the floor.
“An old friend? Oh.” there was silence for a beat. “Martha? Is Martha in town?”
She scowled at the change in his voice. He knew and LIKED Martha? “Yes.”
Footsteps and laughter in the hallway outside caused her to stand, her voice low, wanting desperately to end the conversation. “Look. I can’t talk now, Liam. I’ll call you--”
“Is that Liam?” Claire stepped forward, catching herself at the last minute as she staggered, almost falling onto the counter. She snatched the phone from Brie’s hand.
“Liam! How ARE you? I’m throwing a party on Saturday night.” Claire spun with the phone pressed to her ear and grinned at Martha. She was quiet for a moment and then began to nod her head. “Yes. She’s here for a week. Of course. We HAVE to have a party now that she’s in town.”
Brie drifted by Claire and opened the oven door before lifting the heavy pasta dish from the counter. It was bad enough that Claire had interrupted her conversation with Liam, hi-jacking the phone, she couldn’t stand watching the drunken fun the women were having, planning this party. She hid her face working at the last of the dinner preparation.
“Here. Let me speak to him.” Martha laughed. “Hi Liam. How’s my favorite PI?”
Silence for a moment while Brie’s teeth ground together.
“Absolutely! Can’t wait. See you Saturday.” There was a soft clunk when the cell phone was set on the counter.
“Oh God, Claire! This is going to be a blast!”
Brie risked a peek. Martha’s arm circled Claire’s waist as they sauntered across the room to enter the dining room. Martha stopped abruptly and her head turned to look at Brie over her shoulder. “Why were you on the phone with Liam?” Her eyebrows were a straight line above narrow eyes.
Brie’s face was warm from the heat of the oven; now it flamed. What business was it of Martha’s?
Claire turned around and closed her eyes for a moment watching Brie. “Oh shit, Brie. I’m sorry. I just remembered. You had a date with him for tomorrow.”
Martha’s head jerked forward and she gave it a shake. “WHAT? Liam asked you out?” Once more her eyes became narrow slits, not trying to hide the frank assessment of Brie, roaming from her chest to her thighs. “Oh, I suppose. Men. Fucking horn-dogs.” She turned to Claire and laughed. “Come on dear. I’m starving.”
Brie’s mouth fell open staring at Claire and Martha who giggled before disappearing into the dining room. That fucking BITCH! Her hands clenched tight and she spun to take the dish out of the oven. With just a look Martha had made her feel cheap, like the only thing Liam would be interested in, asking her on a date was getting laid.
She slammed the casserole dish down on the countertop. And CLAIRE! What was wrong with her? She’d been the one encouraging her to date Liam, what with all the stupid kegel stuff and shit like that. Now that Martha was around Claire was like some sort of snobby wimp.
Placing the salad and the pasta dish on the wide ebony tray, she picked it up and strode to the door of the dining room. For two cents, she’d stop and smother the salad in peanut oil and then dump the hot casserole over Claire’s head.
She shook her head before entering the dining room. What a fool she’s been, thinking she was almost like one of the family. At this point, Claire’s behavior made Alex seem like a nice guy. Wonder how he got on with Martha? Probably fine--birds of a feather and all that.
She set the dishes in the centre of the table and was about to leave when Martha’s voice stopped her cold. “Brie? Would you pour us some more wine?” She held the wine goblet in front of her face, the grin positively evil and sweet.
Brie nodded and left the room. She strode out the kitchen, down the hall and into the Great Room. When she got a new bottle from the fridge, Liam’s face popped into her mind, his deep chocolate eyes and smile. Was that all she meant to him, a quick roll in the hay with a woman almost young enough to be his daughter?
She set the bottle on the bar and stood silently clenching the neck of it. Her eyes closed for a moment. Oh God, last night was like it had happened a lifetime ago--getting turned on to the point of fainting being around Liam. No doubt Claire had told Martha all about THAT and the two of them were having a good laugh.
A snort burst from her nose and her eyes opened. Bet she didn’t tell Martha about the ‘lessons’ and being with Brie. No. That would never do, having sex with the hired help.
She picked up the bottle and walked quickly back to the kitchen to open it. At least Claire hadn’t made her cancel her self defense class. It would be good to talk to Carly, maybe have a drink with her after class--someone her age and a working stiff. Then maybe she’d stop and have a chat with Chris about his cousin Claire...and...and his PROJECTS!
After opening the bottle, her eyes narrowed holding it in front of her. She raised it to her mouth and gulped, a trickle dripping from the corner of her lip onto her chin. A soft chuckle erupted in her throat as she swiped the dribble of wine from her face. There! Take that, Martha!
