by Bella Rose
“My mother worked for him and his father pretty much all her life, so I grew up in the household. When Mr. Chesnovak relocated, he asked me to come with him. Zoya, Nestor, and Oleg have been with him for as long as I can remember.”
“How long have you been in California?”
“A little more than a year. I’m in love with the beach. Mr. Chesnovak keeps threatening to send me back to Russia if I don’t stop sneaking off to lay out in the sun. I honestly didn’t even know that my skin could tan. Have you lived here all your life?”
“I have. I guess I take it for granted,” Ella murmured. She poked at the meat in her eggs and frowned.
Dina laughed at her expression. “It’s Kielbasa or sausage. You don’t mix your meat and eggs?”
“We do, but it’s usually scrambled eggs or an omelet. I’ve never seen it with fried eggs.” She took a bite and nodded her head. “It’s good.”
“Syrniki is my favorite, but Zoya doesn’t make them very often. I think she does it to punish me.”
“What’s that?”
“Cottage cheese dumplings.”
Ella shuddered. She wasn’t much of a cottage cheese fan. Falling silent, she ate her breakfast and listened to the rambunctious conversation around her. She didn’t understand a single word.
A few minutes later, Dina returned her attentions back to her. “So how did Mr. Chesnovak hire you? It’s not like we really need another person working here.”
Ella flushed a little. “We met in the hospital. My mother is in long-term care, which is very expensive, and Erik offered me a job. I don’t think I’m here to replace you if that’s what you’re afraid of.” Dina regarded her closely, and Ella frowned. Grabbing her napkin, she wiped her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You just called him Erik. It’s just a little strange, that all. I guess we’re a little bit more formal around here.”
“I’ll try and remember that.”
Dina joined in on the Russians’ conversation, and Ella watched them closely. They all seemed comfortable with each other, and they seemed happy. She hoped that meant that Erik would be a decent man to work for. Although, for the money that he was paying her, it really didn’t matter.
When breakfast was over, Dina helped Ella clean up after herself. Whatever Zoya said made it clear that she didn’t clean up after the servants, and she looked almost angry. Ella wanted to ask her new friend why the cook seemed to despise her, but she figured it was safer not to. Before she started on her chores, Dina grabbed her hand. “Do you know what Mr. Chesnovak does for a living?” she asked quietly.
“Sure. I actually went to the club the other night. It seems very popular.”
Dina’s eyes searched her face. “You think he’s a club owner?”
“Is he not?” Ella asked, confused.
“I am sorry. My English needs some work. I meant to say that you know he’s a club owner.”
Ella nodded her head, but she couldn’t help feeling suspicious. There hadn’t seemed to be anything wrong with Dina’s English earlier. “Yes, I know that he’s a club owner. It’s not really my thing, but it’s obviously working for him.”
“Yes. Let me know if you have any questions.” There was a strange smile on her face when she released Ella’s hand. Ella wanted to push her for more information, but the others were already dispersing, and Zoya was glaring at her.
Scurrying upstairs, she started first on Erik’s bedroom. She felt a little strange moving around his most intimate space. Apparently boundaries weren’t something that concerned him. The room was minimalistic in style. In addition to the bar he’d mentioned, there was a king-sized bed with linens in greys and blues, a nightstand, a large television, a large black dresser, and a huge walk in closet. A large window overlooked the pool and gardens. It seemed to match him perfectly—cool and aloof.
There were no pictures to provide any details of his life or feminine touches to suggest he might have a girlfriend. All the surfaces were meticulously clean, but the bed was rumpled.
As she smoothed out the sheets, she tried to remember what her mother had taught her. As an adult, Ella was fairly messy. She almost never made her bed. “Am I supposed to tuck the corners in? Is it supposed to be straight or at an angle? Damn it,” she muttered to herself.
She was going to be terrible at this job.
Tugging on the corners to pull out the wrinkles, she tried not to focus on the fact that his body had touched these sheets. Rolled around on them. Did he sleep naked? Did he sleep alone?
“That is none of your business,” she growled. “He signs your checks. Nothing more.”
“Nothing more what?”
Ella shrieked and whirled around. Erik had sneaked silently into the room and watched her with a small smile.
“I was just reminding myself what I needed to do today,” she stuttered. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d already be at the club.”
“I didn’t realize that I needed to run my schedule by you,” he said softly. “Does my presence bother you?”
Yes. “No, of course not. I was just flustered.”
“Do I make you nervous, Ella? You don’t strike me as a woman who gets flustered easily.” He walked across the room and opened the top drawer to his dresser.
While his back was turned, she closed her eyes and shook her head. She was turning into a complete idiot. “I’m just still getting my bearings. I apologize if I sound nervous.”
Erik chuckled while he pulled out an envelope and closed the drawer. Feeling her heart beat a little bit faster, she tried to be sneaky and watch him in the mirror, but when his gaze met hers, her whole mouth went dry.
“So long as you keep to yourself, you have nothing to be worry about.” His voice was low, and she heard the warning in it. If she stuck her nose where it didn’t belong, she would have something to worry about. He tucked the envelope in his inside jacket pocket and turned to survey the room. “I prefer my corners tucked in at an angle.”
“Sure,” she said hoarsely. “I can do that.” At least, she’d look it up.
“I suppose I should have asked if you had any experience cleaning before I hired you as a maid. It’s now occurring to me that you would have been better suited in a different position.”
Position. Oh God. Her whole body ached at that word. She wanted to show him that she was actually quite good in several positions, but when he smiled at her, she had a feeling that he knew exactly what she was thinking. When he left the room, she blew out her breath slowly. What the hell was wrong with her? He’d said nothing about seeing her the night before. He probably didn’t even remember it.
Turning back to the bed, she redid the corner in an angle and stepped back to look at it. Frankly, she didn’t see how it made much of a difference, but Erik seemed like a particular man. It probably wasn’t a very good idea to piss him off.
After needlessly running the polish over the dresser, she finished up and left the room as quickly as possible. Erik’s bedroom was a dangerous place to be.
The other four bedrooms on the second floor were empty. She wondered where the rest of the staff slept. Did they have their own separate wing on the mansion? Why didn’t she sleep there?
There was no one in the kitchen at lunch, but she found a sandwich on the counter top. Snagging it, she opened the patio door and stepped outside to eat.
Immediately, five armed men whirled around with their hands on their holstered guns. She froze and almost dropped her sandwich. “I’m Ella. I’m the new maid,” she stuttered. Did they speak English? She didn’t know a lick of Russian except “da” and Stolichnaya vodka, and she didn’t think either one of those would help.
Unless she had the vodka to offer.
“Stand down,” a male voice said timidly. “She works here.” He added something in Russian, the same thing probably.
The guards immediately relaxed, and Ella turned to the newcomer. Unlike the other
men she’d seen, he didn’t carry any weapons. “Thank you for that. I’m Ella, but I guess you already know that.”
“Danil,” he said quietly. “I sort of help with the hiring process around here. You should be careful about where you go when Mr. Chesnovak isn’t here.”
“Does everybody else need a chaperone when they walk around?” she snapped.
“Everybody else is Russian.”
“Right.” She lifted up her sandwich as if that explained anything. “I usually like to eat outside and soak up some sunshine. I’ll be more careful in the future. Why does Mr. Chesnovak need so much protection?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I would also suggest that you keep all questions about Mr. Chesnovak to yourself. He doesn’t pay you to pry.”
The man wasn’t rude about it, but Ella could hear the underlying tone in his voice. It was the second warning she’d been given that morning, and all it did was make her even more curious about the man, but she ate her sandwich in silence. When she finished, she gave him a small smile and headed back inside. Danil didn’t stop her or offer any more information.
Since the empty bedrooms were relatively clean, it only took Ella another hour to finish up her assignments. With nothing else to do, she carefully sneaked back downstairs until she found the small library that she’d seen earlier.
Most of the books were in Russian, but she did find a few English titles. They were mostly autobiographies and true crime fiction. Erik seemed to have a love for violence.
Snagging a book, she darted back upstairs and settled in the chair by her bed. If she wasn’t allowed to explore, and the other staff members weren’t going to be friendly, she might as well read to pass the time.
Before she opened the book, she pulled out her phone and dialed her mother’s hospital room. “Ella?” her mother said in a tired voice. “Is that you?”
“Hi Mom,” she said brightly. “I’m on break and I wanted to see how you were feeling.”
She heard her mother shifting around in her bed. “I’m the same as always. Today they had green gelatin for lunch. How is the new job? What exactly are you doing?”
Ella hated lying to her mother, but she couldn’t tell her Mom that she was working as a maid. It would make her feel horrible. “I’m just helping a business owner. My new boss owns a club, and I’m helping him with whatever he needs.”
“A club owner?” Ella could hear the uncertainty in her mother’s voice. “Ella, you can do so much better than that!”
“It’s okay, Mom. The job is only for a year, and it pays really well. Afterwards, if he gives me a glowing recommendation, I might be able to get a better job. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.”
There was a moment of silence. “If you say so,” she finally said. “I’ll call you later this evening. My soap is about to come on.”
“I love you, Mom,” Ella said sadly. She hated leaving her mother alone for this long. As she hung up the phone, she stared out the window. On the ground below, two armed men slowly paced the area. She grabbed her book and opened it, but a question still nagged her. What did Dina really mean when she asked if Ella thought Erik was a club owner?
Chapter Eight
Usually on Thursdays, Erik tried to stay away from the club. Fridays and Saturdays always tested his patience, but with the club now open for lunch, he decided to pop in and see how things were going.
Only the tables directly around the main three dance platforms were open. As business grew, Erik would expand that, but he didn’t want to overload his kitchen staff. Word spread, and more and more powerful clientele were showing up. Many were just there for lunch, but they glanced at the back room curiously. That was fine. Erik knew that it would take time to build trust. These men couldn’t afford to do anything that might damage their reputation.
After checking on the floor and the kitchen, he walked back to the dressing rooms. His cocktail waitresses were joking around with his escorts.
“Ladies,” he said in a low voice as he walked in. “Everything okay?”
“Mr. Chesnovak!” they squealed.
One by one, he chatted with them about the lunch crowd. Each of them was trained in the art of seduction interrogation, and they passed along any information he might find relevant.
When the time came, this was how he would control the city. Hold the rich by the balls, and everyone would bow down to him.
Assured that everything was going according to plan, he went back home and stopped by the security office.
Knowing that he would be spending time in his office, Erik had assigned Ella some of the rooms on the first floor. Danil had informed him yesterday about what had happened on the patio, and now that his men knew that she worked there, many went out of their way to watch her work.
And why wouldn’t they? Today she wore a pair of shorts that showed off her gorgeous legs and a halter top that plunged low. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she was sex personified.
He didn’t need audio to know just what the men were saying to each other. They wanted her, and it made Erik hard just thinking about it. She would belong only to him. The guards were still in the living room with Ella when Erik approached the room. He heard snatches of their low conversation.
“I would sink my cock so deeply in her.”
“Fuck her until she didn’t know which way was up.”
“Plow her in every hole.”
Although Ella gave them a few curious looks, she clearly didn’t understand a word of Russian. Unnoticed, Erik watched from the doorway as one of the guards approached her.
“You new girl?” he asked in broken English.
Ella straightened from her polishing and smiled warmly at him. “Yes, I’m Ella,” she said as she held out her hand.
“Pavel,” the guard said as he shook her hand. Erik noticed that his touch lingered a little too long. “You have husband?”
Ella didn’t pull away. Did she enjoy his touch? Pavel was quite the ladies’ man. “No, no husband or boyfriend. Single. Are you married?”
“No. Single. You are beautiful.”
Blushing, Ella finally pulled out of his reach. “That’s very nice of you to say, thank you.”
Before Pavel could make his move, Erik walked in and cleared his throat. “I wasn’t aware this room needed guarding,” he said dryly in Russian.
“Sorry, sir,” Pavel said as he stepped away from Ella and stood at attention.
“She is off limits,” Erik said succinctly. “You may look, but there will be no touching. Get back to work.”
Ella frowned as the men left the room. “What did you say to them? I didn’t mean to get them in trouble.”
“I simply reminded them that I don’t pay them to talk to pretty women,” Erik lied. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to offend her delicate sensibilities. It was mostly that he didn’t want her to know what his guards really thought of her.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t mind. I know I don’t speak Russian, but it would be nice to make some friends. Maybe I could learn the language.”
Erik’s face hardened. “When you’re finished here, I want you to clean in my office.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. Her bewilderment was written all over her face, but he was done talking about this. His guards were ruthless mercenaries. He would not have her befriending them.
Leaving her to finish the living room, he headed toward the office. Dina stood directly in his path and looked unwilling to move. He stopped.
“Something bothering you, Dina?” he asked softly. Although he was ten years her senior, they’d practically grown up with each other. Despite the difference in their stations, Dina sometimes took too many liberties with their relationship.
“Are you replacing me? You’ve never hinted that you were unhappy with my work.”
Erik smiled indulgently. It hadn’t occurred t
o him that Dina would take offense. “You do an excellent job here, Dina. Ella’s position is only temporary. You shouldn’t be unhappy. You have to do less work for the same pay.”
“Huh.” Dina carefully considered his words. “I can handle that. She seems really nice which means she stands out, like coal in snow. Add the fact that she’s pretty, and you’re just asking for trouble. Do you have any idea what your guards have been saying about her?”
“I can imagine. Keep an eye on her when I’m not here. Let me know if anyone is inappropriate or harsh with her,” he said mildly as he tried to sidestep her.
She quickly moved to block him again. “I don’t know what’s going on here, Erik, but I know this is not the time for you to show any weakness. Taking in a wounded stray is not great for your reputation.”
“You speak out of turn,” Erik said sharply. “I don’t have to explain my choices to anyone, but believe me when I tell you that my intentions toward Ella are anything but weak.”
Dina’s eyes widened, and she stepped back quickly. “You are constantly surrounded by beautiful and well-trained women, but you have your eye on her? You don’t surprise me very often.”
“Get back to work, Dina,” Erik said shortly as he walked past her. Turning the corner, he entered his office and sat down behind the large oak desk. He was still checking his e-mail from his family and contacts in Russia when Ella walked in.
Upon seeing him, her eyes widened and she froze like a deer in headlights. “I’m so sorry. I can come back when you’re not in here.”
“If I didn’t want you in here, I wouldn’t have told you to clean the office. Close the door.”
“Are you really that upset that I wanted to talk to your guards?” she asked nervously.
“Ella, I didn’t ask you in here because I was upset. You’re welcome to start your work,” he said dryly.
Confused, she stared at him. “With you in here?”
“Yes. I want the baseboards, windows, and shelves cleaned. And I want the ceiling fan dusted.”
