Though it was probably early, Andre stood in the doorway looking devilishly handsome in a tight fitting white t-shirt and faded jeans. His hair was slicked back and he was freshly shaven, his skin glowing in the early morning sunshine. He had something black and white in his hand. He stepped forward and tossed it onto the bed.
Rachel cursed herself for noticing that Andre was handsome. What was wrong with her? She stared blankly at the black and white object. It looked to be some sort of dress.
“What is that?” Rachel didn’t move to pick it up, eying the object as though it were a snake about to strike.
“A maid’s outfit. I would like my house cleaned this morning. Maybe this afternoon as well. I haven’t decided yet.” Andre laughed as though what he said was funny.
“You can’t be serious!” Rachel held up the skimpy outfit, realizing that it was a maid’s uniform. But not the kind that a real maid wore. Without even having to try it on, Rachel could see the thing would be tiny and tight fitting. Where had Andre got the thing? It looked like a cheap Halloween costume. Rachel shuddered as she considered what other woman had worn it.
“Oh I’ve never been so serious. I expect you to be downstairs and wearing that within fifteen minutes. Oh and I’m waiting for breakfast.” Andre turned and strode through the door, shutting it firmly behind him.
Rachel’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe his nerve! Fifteen minutes indeed! She would show him! She wasn’t going to be meek and submissive any longer. Oh no, not after that bomb he had dropped on her last night.
Rachel went into the bathroom and shut the door. That one did have a lock on it and she turned it. She was going to take a bath. A very long, luxurious, hot bath. Andre would just have to wait for his damn breakfast.
***
Two hours later Rachel descended the stairs, clean, refreshed, feeling good despite the fact she was clad in the ridiculous maid’s outfit. It was so short it barely covered her bottom and she’d chosen her most unbecoming pair of underwear that covered everything down to her upper thighs.
When she walked into the kitchen Andre’s eyes snapped fire. He was making a cup of coffee and she could tell right away he was in a surly mood.
Andre dug a mug out of the cupboard and threw it onto the counter. It hit with a clattering sound that made Rachel wince.
“When I tell you to be down here in twenty minutes I expect you to obey me!” Andre snapped. “We have a signed agreement where you promised to do as I asked you.”
“An agreement that I was tricked into signing!”
“What do you mean tricked? That agreement was signed fairly.”
“But I didn’t know that the time that you were never going to harm my father or I never would have signed it.”
Andre let out a mirthless laugh. “Oh really. Well just because I said that I wasn’t going to harm your dad myself doesn’t mean that I couldn’t have changed my mind and sent someone else. Plus I would now own his house. At least he has that. Plus he doesn’t have to pay back three hundred thousand. So I would say both of you have come out the winners of this.”
Rachel crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, her defiance slowly starting to ebb away. “I… uh… would you really have sent someone else?”
Shrugging, Andre picked up the mug and set it under the coffee maker. “I don’t know. I didn’t have to decide.” He popped one of those disposable cups into the maker and shut the lid. After hitting a button a stream of rich, dark liquid shot out the bottom into the mug.
“That stuff tastes awful. If you’re going to have coffee you should have it the right way.”
“Which is?”
“Brewed. After you’ve ground the beans yourself. Fresh. Delicious.”
“Perhaps I could if you would have come down when I asked you. As it is you’ve put us two hours behind for what I had planned today.”
“Which was?” Despite herself Rachel was curious.
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter now. I’ve been called away on business. I’ll be gone for three days. When I get back I expect this place to be spotless. Put that maid uniform to good use.”
“What? But… uh… you won’t even be here!”
“That’s right. I won’t be. I suggest you use this time to think about that contract and be a little more willing to follow it or I’ll have it torn up as you aren’t in full agreement. I don’t want you to leave this house. I have security cameras installed so I’ll know if you go out.”
“You have cameras watching me?” That creeped Rachel out.
“No. Not inside. On the outside. But I’ll see if you leave.”
“So I can’t even go outside? I’m like a prisoner trapped in here?”
“You can go into the backyard I suppose. There’s a pool. You could perhaps put that to good use if you’ve brought a swim suit.”
“Oh…. Uh… ok.”
“Other than that there’s TV and I have a tablet and I’m sure you have your phone. There’s a book case in my office. You won’t find any silly romances in there but you might just find a good thriller or true crime.”
“Who says I read romances?”
“I don’t know. Just a guess. One other thing. I’ll need your dress size.”
“Why would you need that?”
“Are you going to give it to me or not?” Andre looked menacingly at Rachel as he sipped his coffee. His scowl looked like it would be permanently engrained on his face.
“I suppose I could but I don’t really know it… I don’t wear dresses. If I do I just wear something light… like a size extra small or small I guess.”
Andre rolled his eyes. “Alright. I see that we are going to need some serious work here. Just forget it for now. I’ll take a guess. And your shoe size?”
“Seven. At least I know that one.”
Andre set the mug down after having not taken more than a couple sips. “If you’re handy maybe you can order a new coffee pot. And beans. And a grinder. Have them delivered to the house. That would be a nice treat for when I get back.”
“How should I pay for that?” Rachel asked sarcastically.
“I’ll leave you my credit card.”
“What? Oh my god you would trust me with that?”
“I would because you haven’t given me reason not to. What would you order? On second thought, order yourself a swim suit as well. I saw the look on your face when I mentioned the pool. I know you don’t have one.”
“Alright…” Rachel hedged. She felt very uncomfortable at the prospect of spending days on her own in a house that wasn’t her own, using someone else’s money to make purchases. Could this get any stranger?
“Okay then. Three days. Make the best of it.” Andre turned and stalked away. He grabbed his keys off the counter, opened the garage door and was gone.
The garage door opened and closed. Then there was silence. The sound of it pervaded the house. The sound of nothing at all.
Rachel pulled out a stool from the island and sat down. She put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. The first order of the day would be to take off the wretched maid outfit which she’d put on for apparently no reason at all. After that, she had no idea how she was going to kill three days.
Chapter 9
There were few things better than coming home after sleeping in a hotel bed for days. Andre loved the sight of his house. He enjoyed nothing more than the feel of his own bed at night, cooking his own meals, bathing in his own tub, relaxing on his own couch. He’d spent enough time on the road, or in the air as it were, to appreciate the simple comforts.
He felt jet lagged and over tired. He hoped that Rachel had taken his words to heart and purchased a coffee maker. There was nothing he wanted more than a fresh cup of rich, hot java at the moment.
Picking the garment bags out of the backseat, carrying his small suitcase in the other, Andre walked into the house.
The first thing he noticed was the blaring country music. It filled the central
sound system, playing throughout every room in the house.
He set his bags down and went in search of Rachel. From the living room the sound of the central vac going could just be heard above the music. Andre crept up to the entrance and his eyes widened.
Rachel was dancing with the vacuum in time to the music. She was swaying and stepping, using the huge central vac hose as a dance partner. Andre pressed himself up against the wall so she wouldn’t see him. He watched her, jiving around and singing. Something about the scene made his tired body come alive. His heart picked up a beat though he wasn’t sure why it should. The whole scene was ridiculous and yet-he couldn’t quite say that it wasn’t exactly what he needed after days of meetings and stressful work.
Finally he stepped out into plain view. Rachel kept dancing, her back to him. When she swung around she stopped dead, jumping back a step. She shut the vacuum off and grabbed for the remote that would mute the music.
“You scared the devil out of me,” Rachel exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart.
“Good. You didn’t need him in there anyway,” Andre quipped. He couldn’t help but smile. A strange sensation, something close to tenderness and longing swept through him. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to scoop Rachel up, sweaty as she obviously was, and plunder those astoundingly full lips. She was swearing a little tunic type dress that was brightly coloured and a pair of black leggings. She looked completely and utterly adorable.
“You’re home.” Rachel stated the obvious and Andre wasn’t sure whether she was happy about that or not.
“Yes. I have a surprise for you. Several actually.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I’m not sure if I like surprises.”
“You’ll enjoy this one, I’m sure.” Andre thought about exactly what he had planned for that night and he shifted uncomfortably. He thought about her in the private booth he’d booked, out of sight of everyone else, in the darkness. He grew hard just thinking about her in that gown, her hair done up. Of course it wasn’t the gown he was interested in. No… tonight he planned to introduce Rachel McMaster to pleasure like she had never known before.
Rachel just continued to stare at him. “I bought the coffee maker,” she finally said. “So tomorrow morning you’re in for a treat.”
“I can guarantee you whatever treat you have to offer me will best he savored tonight,” Andre said huskily. Rachel’s face blanched as his meaning sank in. He grinned. “There’s a hairdresser and a makeup artist coming to the house around three. Be ready for them. I have a dress for you in the kitchen. Tonight we are going to the opera.”
“The opera?”
“Yes. I thought you would enjoy that. Have you ever been?”
“No.” Despite herself Rachel couldn’t quite contain her excitement. Her eyes twinkled and her face lit up.
“Just be ready by seven please. And when I say seven, I mean seven.”
“Yes. Alright,” Rachel whispered. She was left standing there, open mouthed as Andre walked away. He was in need of a nap and a shower. He saved his grin for the privacy of his own room. There was no way Rachel needed to know how much her happiness affected him.
Chapter 10
True to his word the hairdresser and makeup artist arrived just after three. The doorbell rang and not knowing where Andre had disappeared to, Rachel answered it. The two women were blonde and beautiful. They both looked like models. Tiny waists, tight fitting clothing, high heels, huge breasts, flawless skin, high cheekbones, perfect hair, astounding makeup.
“Come in,” Rachel offered, opening the front door wide so that the two women could fit all their things indie. It was easy to tell who did hair because she had an entire case full of implements sticking out. The makeup artist carried a larger, trunk like looking device that wheeled like a suitcase.
Rachel felt utterly plain and normal next to these beautiful women. They were at least six feet tall and seemed to have been ripped from the pages of a fashion magazine. She noticed that shoes the hairdresser removed probably cost more than a semester of college.
“Hello dear,” the hairdresser said in a sugary tone. “I’m Amber and this is Honey. We’re here to make you look absolutely gorgeous.”
“Oh… okay…” Rachel stammered. She was unable to get anything coherent out. She was completely and utterly intimidated by their beauty and grace.
“Do you have somewhere you would like us to work? A bedroom maybe? Or the kitchen? Somewhere with a chair that you can sit in comfortably?”
Rachel glanced around. She didn’t really want them to work on her where Andre could just appear at any moment and watch but there wasn’t a chair in her bedroom.
“We could take a chair out of the dining room upstairs to my room,” Rachel finally decided.
“Good, that’s great.” Honey smiled and her full lips curled back to reveal perfectly white, even teeth.
“What colour is your dress?”
“Uh… I’m not sure actually.”
“Oh. Well bring it up and we’ll match your makeup and hair to the dress.”
“Yes. You’ll be absolutely astounded,” Honey affirmed. The way she talked sounded like a song.
“Okay. Just give me a minute.” Rachel rushed around getting a chair from the dining room. It was huge and crazy heavy and she struggled to haul it upstairs. Where was Andre when she needed him? She returned, sweating and out of breath, which made her even more nervous in front of the immaculately put together women. “I’ll get the dress,” Rachel said. Where had Andre put it? He’d come in through the garage. Maybe he’d left it in the kitchen?
A thorough search of the kitchen turned up nothing. Perhaps he had put it in her room? Rachel ran back upstairs and took a good look in the room. She opened up the closet and there was a huge garment bag trailing from the top of the rack down to the floor. A shoebox was set on the rack in the closet.
Rushing back downstairs Rachel faced the two artists. “Okay. I think I have everything ready now.”
Amber and Honey smiled. “That’s okay darling. No need to rush around We’re here for you.”
“Oh. Okay… uh… do you want something to drink? Eat?” Rachel remembered her manners.
“No dear, we’re fine,” Honey responded in her silky voice. “But if we need something we’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Shall we start then?” Amber actually sounded excited and it helped soothe Rachel’s nerves.
“Sure. It’s this way.”
It didn’t take long for the two women to set Rachel’s bedroom up like a professional studio. She couldn’t believe how many things they’d brought all just for her.
“What were you thinking for your hair?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had my hair done by anyone before.”
“Well maybe we should see the dress first.”
“Oh yes. I forgot.” Rachel went to the closet and removed the garment bag. She was surprised by the weight of it.
Amber and Honey helped her removed the garment bag. Rachel couldn’t smother a tiny gasp when she saw the gown. It was emerald green, full length. It looked to be made of silk and was cut low I the back and looked like it would dip low in the front. It was the most beautiful, scandalous, insanely gorgeous thing Rachel had ever owned.
“Oh wow,” Honey whispered. “It’s gorgeous. Your man must love you very much.”
Rachel laughed a little and it came out more like a snort of derision. She quickly nodded to cover up her original reaction. “Yes. I’m sure that he loves all of this.”
The women smiled at each other and then Amber took the hanger. “Well, I have a good idea what we can do to your hair. I’ll show you a picture and you can let me know if you like it.”
“Yes, and I’ll find a makeup style and show you something comparable as well.”
Rachel sat in the chair and let the women work their magic. Her hair was going to be swept up with a few tendrils trailing down her back. Her makeup would be simple yet
elegant with a dark, smoky eye and red lips for a night out.
Honey and Amber hummed around her and worked in tandem. When they were done, Rachel went into the bathroom to look. She could hardly believe that the woman staring back at her was the same person, the same plain Rachel McMaster. She was beautiful! More than beautiful, she took her own breath away.
Rachel rushed out of the bathroom. “Thank you! Oh my god, I look incredible!”
Honey and Amber grinned. “It was our pleasure,” Honey beamed.
“Would you like help getting your dress on?”
“Oh. Yes, please, if you would.” Rachel got out her phone and checked the time. She couldn’t believe that three hours had evaporated so quickly. “I’m supposed to be ready at seven so I have a bit of time. You can clean up first if you like.
Honey and Amber were much faster at gathering their things than they had been at laying them out. Rachel sat perched on the edge of the bed watching it all. She couldn’t believe these women had been here just for her. They had gone to all this trouble just to make her look beautiful. And they had done a very, very good job.
Just thinking about Andre seeing her for the first time all dressed up in the gown and shoes he’d picked out gave Rachel a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was almost like she wanted to please him. Almost as though she wanted to be beautiful for him.
Rachel didn’t want to admit to herself just how glad she was that Andre was home. She tried to tell herself she hadn’t missed him when he was gone, that she’d just been bored. She’d taken the opportunity to do a little research on her host. Andre DiAntonio ran a very successful import, export business. His estimated net worth was twenty million dollars. Other than finding out he was staggeringly rich, Rachel hadn’t been able to come up with any concrete details.
Honey and Amber finished packing up their things then they took the gown from the hanger and helped Rachel slip it over her head, taking care not to mess her hair.
Ace in the Hole Page 4
