Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads

by Adriana Hunter

  Janet turned red. “Oh. Well, that’s a different matter. Sophie has to follow Mr. Blackwell’s orders, of course.”

  “What does William know?” his mother scoffed. “He’s a man. You’ll cook what I tell you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sophie said. “Rhys specifically told me he didn’t like last night’s dinner. He told me to go back to cooking the way I normally do, the way he likes. I can’t follow your menu or I’ll be defying him.”

  “She’s right,” Janet said. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Blackwell, but Mr. Blackwell has the final say.”

  Mrs. Blackwell stood there a moment, mouth agape. Then she huffed. “I’ll be talking to William about this. You both better be prepared to be put in your place. I would never put up with this kind of behavior from my servants and I’ll make sure William doesn’t either.” She swept out of the kitchen.

  Janet didn’t even glance in Sophie’s direction, just followed Mrs. Blackwell out the door.

  Sophie knew she’d done the right thing. So why did she have this sick feeling in the pit of her stomach like she’d been naughty?

  Chapter 38

  Rhys was working in his study that morning. He’d decided going into the office with Mother roaming the house was too risky. He’d also gotten a surprise that morning. Mother hadn’t mentioned she’d brought his youngest brother Ethan along with her. Raymond had to tell him. Ethan still lived with their parents, but he didn’t usually come to Rhys’ when Mother visited.

  His brother was a total womanizer. All Rhys needed was Ethan sleeping his way through the staff.

  Rhys had gotten up early that morning. Not quite as early as Sophie, but early enough to beat Mother and Ethan to breakfast and make it to his study before they showed.

  Fat lot of good that did. Mother stormed into the study mid-morning and stood in front of his desk with her hands on her hips.

  “I demand you fire that cook,” she said.

  Right. “What happened?” And was Sophie okay?

  “I gave her a menu to follow, and this morning she went and made whatever she wanted. Then when I confronted her about it, she had the gall to say you’d told her to do it.”

  Ah. This was a ‘Mother didn’t get what she wanted’ tantrum. “She’s right. I told her last night’s dinner wasn’t to my taste and I wanted her to cook the way she normally cooks. I told her to disregard the menu you gave her.”

  Mother stood there a moment, her mouth open but no words coming out. Then she said, “I hardly think you’re an authority on fine dining.”

  “I never said I was. But this is my house and I want to eat food that I like. Sophie cooks food I like.” And she made him happy in ways Mother could never understand.

  “How on earth am I supposed to have people over for dinner if I don’t have complete control over the menu?”

  Rhys slowly stood up. “Who do you think you’re inviting to my house for dinner?”

  “Friends. But I can hardly invite them when I have no idea what might be served.”

  Should he defend Sophie’s cooking or discourage his mother from inviting people to his house? Easy answer. “If that’s the way you feel, then you’ll have to refrain from inviting them. Perhaps you can go to a restaurant with them instead.” He felt tempted to tell her not to invite people over, but knew it wouldn’t make a difference. And he’d learned long ago to pick his battles.

  “A restaurant? When we have this beautiful house just begging for guests?”

  ‘We’ didn’t have anything. The house was no longer hers. Not that she ever remembered that. “As I told you before, this is a very bad time for me to have guests. So yes, going to a restaurant is a great idea.”

  Mother stood there, looking like she was waiting for him to change his mind. Maybe she was. Before she could say anything else, Ethan straggled through the door, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed.

  “Hey, bro.” He walked over to Rhys and slung his arms around him. “Long time no see.”

  “I’m surprised to see you,” Rhys said.

  Ethan wound around the desk and slumped into the chair on the far side. “I had to get out of that mausoleum she calls a home.” He jerked his thumb in Mother’s direction.

  “Ethan,” she said sharply.

  “What? The place is a tomb. This place isn’t much better, but at least there’s a whole new crop of women here.”

  “Stay away from the staff,” Rhys said.

  Ethan smirked.

  “I mean it. Leave my employees alone.”

  Ethan’s expression didn’t change. “You’re no fun. But what you don’t find out about won’t hurt you.”

  Great. And now he had to watch out for Ethan, too. Rhys sat down. “I have work to do. If there’s nothing else, I’ll see you both at lunch.”

  “We didn’t resolve the problem with your cook,” Mother said.

  “There’s no problem with my chef. She’s excellent. And in the future, I’d like you to leave her alone to do her work.”

  “What’s happened to you? You used to be a good son.” Mother swept out of the room.

  Ethan laughed. “That’s why I came, bro. To watch you thwart her. It never happens at home.” He, too, got up and left.

  What a family. And how horrible to have Sophie meet them so soon. She’d think twice about being in a serious relationship with him after this.

  And the more time he spent with her, the more he knew that’s what he wanted–a serious relationship. Maybe more. He’d gone past the point where he could picture his future without her in it. He just had to believe that his family being here hadn’t ruined everything.

  Chapter 39

  The mansion was quiet for a day and a half. Sophie had almost reached the point where she could ignore the guests in the house. Mrs. Blackwell had stopped visiting the kitchen and Sophie had taken care to stay out of the house proper, so they hadn’t seen each other at all.

  She’d just finished cleaning up after lunch and making her first preparations for dinner. With some free time on her hands, she decided to take a walk in the gardens. She wanted to see the butterfly garden again. Maybe its serene sweetness would make her feel calmer.

  The day was bright and surprisingly warm, so she wasn’t disappointed when she got turned around and it took longer than planned to find the right spot. Still, while the rest of the gardens were beautiful, the butterfly garden felt especially comforting to her so she wanted to go there rather than wandering around the rest of the gardens. When she finally got to the butterfly garden, she found a bench along the side and sat down.

  She’d been there nearly twenty minutes and was starting to think about heading back when a man walked into the garden. He didn’t notice her at first, so she had a chance to look at him. In spite of looking a little unkempt, he looked remarkably like Rhys. Which must mean this was the brother she’d been hearing about–the one with wandering hands who’d been making passes at every woman in sight.

  Even Janet.

  Now she hoped he’d leave without noticing her. She stayed still and tried not to make a sound, but her luck didn’t hold.

  “Oh, hey! I didn’t see you there.” He walked toward her, holding his hand out. “I’m Ethan, and you are...”

  Wary. Okay, not the right answer. “Sophie.” She shook his hand, not wanting to be out and out rude. “But I need to be going, so I’ll just get out of your hair.” She stood.

  He put his hand on her arm just above the elbow. “No need to rush off, beautiful. Stay awhile. Let’s get to know each other.”

  “No, really. I have work I need to get back to.” She stepped away from him to try to dislodge his hand, but he moved into her path.

  “My brother won’t mind if you spend a little time with me.”

  She turned her laughter into a cough. “I’m pretty sure he would.” This time when she sidestepped him, she was able to get out from between him and the bench. She headed straight for the path.

  “Hey, where’re you going?�
� He hurried to catch up with her then matched her pace.

  Damn her short legs.

  “Back to the kitchen.”

  “Oh-ho! So you’re the cook Mother’s so upset about. Good job with that. I love seeing her squirm.”

  He couldn’t be serious. Could he? “I wasn’t trying to upset your mother.” She walked a little faster.

  “Maybe not, but you succeeded.” He put his hand on her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Seriously, where are you running off to? We could be good friends, you and I. You could show me around the house, all the little nooks and crannies where people can hide...”

  She pulled away from him. “Didn’t you grow up here?”

  “Yep.”

  “So shouldn’t you already know the house quite well?”

  “Good point. How about I show you around the house?” He leaned close to her.

  “No, thanks.” Sophie started off again. What were the chances he’d let her go?

  “Come on, beautiful. We could be great together.” He caught up with her again. “Just give me a try.”

  A try. Not a chance. A try. “I’m in a relationship,” she said.

  “So?”

  They rounded a corner marked by a high hedge and almost fell over Harris, who knelt by a flowerbed. Rhys stood next to him.

  Thank goodness. Sophie stopped and turned to Ethan. “Like I said, I’m in a relationship. And while it might not mean anything to you, it means a lot to me. So no, thanks, I’m not interested.”

  Chapter 40

  Rhys stiffened. What the hell had his brother been up to? “What did I tell you about leaving my staff alone?”

  Ethan laughed. “You weren’t really serious about that.”

  “Yes, I was.” His jaw clenched. “Stay away from all the women who work for me. Especially Sophie.” His eyes met Sophie’s for a second. How he wished he could say what he really meant–‘stay the hell away from my woman.’

  “Especially Sophie?” Ethan said.

  “Sophie just told you to get lost. You heard her. So yeah, especially Sophie.” Rhys put his hand out to her. “I’ll escort you back to the house.”

  “Oh, come on!” Ethan said. “What do you think–I’m going to attack her in the gardens?”

  Sophie slipped her hand into his just as he said, “Of course not. You’d never be inappropriate with a woman.” Actually, he didn’t think that his brother would ever attack anyone. But he couldn’t stand the thought of Ethan hounding Sophie.

  As Rhys pulled her further down the path, Ethan called, “Nice meeting you, Sophie. I’ll see you again soon.”

  Rhys squeezed her hand but waited until they were out of sight before speaking. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “It’s not all right. My family’s screwed up. I hope this doesn’t affect your wanting to date me.”

  “Rhys. Of course it doesn’t. And it’s not like we’re getting married or something.” She waved her free hand in the air.

  Rhys pulled her to a stop. “I wouldn’t rule that out. I mean–we might decide to get married at some point.” His heart beat loudly in his ears.

  Sophie paused. “Do you really think so? We come from such different backgrounds.”

  “All that matters is love,” Rhys said. “If we both loved each other, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be together.”

  Sophie stepped closer to him, squeezing his hand. “I don’t know if that’s true. I can’t imagine your mother accepting me into your family, whether you loved me or not. At this point, she seems to think I’m barely good enough to be scraped off the bottom of her shoe.”

  Rhys winced. She wasn’t wrong about that. If his mother knew about them, she’d do everything she could to split them up and failing that, she’d make Sophie’s life hell. All the same... “Even that is surmountable. There’s a reason I don’t see my mother very often. And believe me, if she hurt the woman I love, I’d see her even less.” Part of him wanted to tell her that he was already in love with her, but the way she’d so blithely dismissed their ever getting married made him hold his tongue.

  Footsteps came from behind them. “Oh, hey! You still here?” Ethan called out.

  Perfect timing. Yet he could expect nothing less from his brother. Rhys let go of Sophie’s hand, even though he didn’t want to.

  Sophie started walking again, and he did his best to keep up with her. She was going awfully quickly for someone with such short legs.

  “Wait up!” The footsteps got louder and faster. Ethan slowed down when he reached them. He sidled himself between them and clapped Rhys on the back. “You weren’t kidding about escorting her to the house, big brother.”

  “So you followed us?” Rhys didn’t like that Ethan seemed to be following Sophie even though Rhys had warned him off.

  “Just walking in the same direction. Don’t be so paranoid.”

  Sophie swerved, which is when Rhys realized Ethan had put his hand on her back at the same time he had Rhys’. Rhys stopped short. “Sophie, you go ahead on to the house. I need to talk to Ethan for a second.”

  She shot him a half smile as she hurried toward the kitchen. Rhys waited until she was out of sight before speaking. “I saw what you just did. I meant it when I told you to leave the staff alone. Do that again and we’re going to have a problem.”

  Ethan threw his arms wide. “C’mon. What does it hurt, as long as the women are willing?”

  “Sophie wasn’t willing. She’d already told you she wasn’t interested. And you touched her anyway.” Rhys stepped closer to his brother, thankful he had a whole inch on him. “Don’t do it again.”

  “You’re no fun at all.”

  “You sound like a child.”

  “You need to lighten up.” Ethan stalked toward the house. “I’ll find some fun elsewhere.”

  Exactly what Rhys wanted. He resisted the urge to have the last word, content in getting his way.

  Chapter 41

  Now Sophie had to duck not one but two of Rhys’ relatives. Luckily, Ethan had been spending a lot of time out of the house the last couple of days—or so she heard during the staff’s mealtimes. She guessed it had something to do with what Rhys said to him after she’d left them in the garden a couple of days before.

  Mrs. Blackwell, on the other hand, had been prowling the halls of the mansion criticizing and ordering the staff around. No one liked her. More than one person had said they’d quit if she were going to live there permanently. As soon as they’d heard that, Janet and Raymond had rushed to assure everyone Mrs. Blackwell would be leaving soon.

  It couldn’t be soon enough. After a quiet couple of days, she’d shown up again. She continued to pick at Sophie, although she hadn’t tried to demand her menu be observed. Still, she visited the kitchen to criticize the cooking and ask for food and snacks that Sophie didn’t have the ingredients for. Sophie couldn’t wait for her to leave.

  As she prepared lunch, she heard the door from the house open behind her. Probably one of the staff members. They often came by to ask when lunch would be, even though they knew she served it at the same time every day. “Lunch will be ready in fifteen minutes,” she said.

  “Does that mean you’ll be free then?” a male voice asked.

  She didn’t recognize the voice so she turned to see Ethan rounding the wall of cabinets. Damn it. She’d thought he was done with her. Or maybe she was wrong in assuming what he wanted. Maybe he wanted something to eat. “I’ll be eating with the staff in fifteen minutes,” she said. “The family will be served at noon.”

  He walked closer and closer until he finally stopped well inside her personal space. “Not what I asked.”

  She stepped to the side to put some space between them, although she couldn’t go far and still do her work. “I won’t be free in fifteen minutes. I’ll be eating.” She did her best to keep her tone polite but professional and not let the annoyance she felt come through.

  He leaned closer. “And a
fter that?”

  Did the man not hear what she said earlier? “The family will be served at noon, so after I eat, I’ll need to finish preparing the family’s lunch.”

  “Okay, how about after that?”

  Sophie turned on him, resting her hands against her hips. “What is it you want, Ethan? If you’re trying to find out when I’d be free to do something with you, the answer is never.” As soon as she said it, she realized she’d failed utterly to hide her annoyance. So much for being professional.

  “Feisty little thing, aren’t you? I know we’d have a great time together if you’d just lighten up.”

  “Lighten up? I have a boyfriend. I told you that. Cheating on him isn’t my idea of ‘lightening up.’”

  He reached out to touch her cheek, but she moved away before he could make contact. “Back in the day, a pretty thing like you wouldn’t be able to say no to the family of the house. Too bad those days are gone.”

  He couldn’t be serious. His thinking was even more antediluvian than Janet’s and Raymond’s. “Back in the day, members of the family didn’t visit the kitchen. If you’re so in love with that time period, you should leave.”

  When he stepped toward her, she took a corresponding step backward and came up against the refrigerator. He pressed one arm against the fridge beside her head. Great. Now he had her trapped. “What your so-called boyfriend doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” he said.

  The door from the house swung open. “Sophie? How’s lunch coming along?” Janet rounded the corner and gasped.

  Sophie pushed Ethan away and moved toward Janet. “I was on track but then I got interrupted. I might be a couple of minutes late.”

  Ethan raised his hands as though surrendering. “Fine. I’ll go.” He leaned toward Sophie as he walked by her. “But this isn’t over.”

  “Yes, it is,” she called after him. “I’ve given you my final answer.”

  He waved one of the hands that he still held at shoulder-height then disappeared toward the door.