by Joanna Blake
I definitely was not going to be picky about the details when she finally came around.
And she would come around. It didn't matter how long it took. I was going to get my hands on that girl.
I grinned.
More than just my hands.
Daniel and Jackson were just filling up their plates from the breakfast buffet. A big breakfast was a daily ritual on the estate. Had been for eighty years. When you had animals to tend to, you got up early and you ate well.
I usually skipped it. Thus the surprised looks on their faces. I smirked. It was rare to see that look at Jackson’s face in particular. Made it worth the sleepy feeling in my eyes.
"What are you doing up so early?"
"Oh come Daniel. He's probably still up from last night. Run out of bourbon little brother?"
I smiled pleasantly, ignoring the stab of pain that came from Jackson's barb. Didn't they ever let up? I supposed on some level I deserved it, but I’d like to forget my sordid once in a while. Especially when I was turning over a new leaf.
Well, sort of.
"Good morning Daniel."
I nodded stiffly at my eldest brother.
"Jackson."
Jackson just raised an eyebrow and sipped his coffee.
The doorbell rang and my heart started thumping.
She was here.
I got up to meet her.
"Are you expecting someone, Jake?"
"Yes. A friend. I promised her a job."
"You did what?"
I smiled at them coolly.
“If you want me to be a part of the business, then let me be part of the business.”
Daniel and Jackson followed me to the front entry hall. Kemper, the butler, had already opened the door. A big-eyed beauty stood there, looking around in wonder.
My big eyed beauty.
I smiled at her, trying not to look love sick. Even if I was. I'd never been this gooey eyes over a girl before. Nobody else had to know how bad I had it.
Especially not Elle.
I might be willing to put in extra work to get her, but I'd be damned if I'd let a woman get the upper hand over me. That was dangerous.
"You made it."
She just blinked at me, looking a little shell-shocked. I knew our house could be pretty intimidating. Maybe I should have warned her.
"Now look Jake you can't just bring one of your trashy girlfriends here."
She stiffened up and gave Jackson a look that could have frozen boiling water. I remembered how hard she'd slapped me. Elle was tough as nails. I could only hope I never pissed her off when there was a real weapon around.
Still, I’d love to see her take a whack at my domineering older brother.
"Shut up Jackson."
"Jacks- that's our waitress from the club remember?"
I silently thanked Daniel for his perfect memory. Daniel had a way of smoothing things over. But it was too late to stop Elle from stomping her little foot in aggravation. It was too cute for words.
"I am not his girlfriend! I was told there was a job here after your brother cost me my job at the club. I guess I was mistaken. Good day."
She nodded and turned to the door, yanking it open. I ran to stop her from leaving. I tried to box her in with my arms but she wasn’t having it.
"I told you I got you a job. Here."
She gave me a stone cold glare and stepped out of the house onto the front portico.
"Go to hell, Jake."
Elle
"Elle, wait!"
Jake was behind me on the front stoop of the house. Not even a stoop. It was a grand entrance with columns and urns filled with overflowing plants. I glared at him. He was not leaving me alone. I groaned in frustration. The taxi that brought me out here had already left. And it was starting to rain.
Fantastic.
Oh well, might as well have it out before I got sopping wet. That would happen soon enough. I turned to look at Jake. I refused to let hin see how intimidated I was by his house, damn him.
"You really live here?"
He leaned against one of the columns and smiled at me.
"Uh huh. Sometimes, anyway."
Sweet Mary. Jake wasn't just rich. He was rich rich.
And he was having an awful lot of fun at my expense!
I lifted my chin, doing my best to hide the tears that were threatening. I was hungry and cold and he was messing with me. It wasn't nice and it wasn't fair!
"Did you bring me here to humiliate me then?"
He paled and stood up straight. He looked horrified.
"No! I promised you a job. We're always looking for good people. Isn't that right, Jackson?"
I turned. His arrogant brothers were watching the whole exchange through the open door. This kept getting better.
They looked so rich and handsome standing there in their fine clothes. It made me feel like a sad sack of potatoes in my second hand skirt and blouse. I glared at Jake again, wishing I had stronger shoes on. Work boots with steel toes, like the boys back home wore.
If I did, I could kick him.
"We are always looking for good people actually. If you are looking."
I narrowed my eyes and took in Jake's older brother, Jackson Delaney. He was the shrewdest businessman in the state of Tennessee. He was known for being cold and decisive. He wouldn't offer me a job out of pity.
I pulled myself up straight, lifting my chin.
"I see nothing wrong with a hard days work."
I glared at Jake who was watching me with a look of pure fascination. And admiration. And full tilt desire.
The man was practically drooling.
I pointed my finger at him, poking him in the chest.
"But I don't work nights."
Jackson let out a sharp bark of laughter. Daniel was smiling too when I glanced at him. I relaxed a little.
"I like her already. Come on, Eleanor. Let's introduce you to Mrs. Garretty, our housekeeper. I apologize for our earlier… misunderstanding."
"Think nothing of it, Mr. Delancey."
I followed Jackson into the house, ignoring Jake completely. I could feel him following along behind me, hovering like a mother hen.
It was with supreme satisfaction that I watched Jackson close the door to the housekeeper's office in his face.
Chapter Seven
Jake
I dumped a shot of bourbon into my eggnog. Well, maybe a bit more than a shot. I was getting drunk. But not quite drunk enough for this. Not yet anyway. It was a long-standing tradition, one our mother had adored. But I had always hated it, even as a child.
The annual Delancey Stables Christmas party.
A celebration of rich old fat cats and the reigning class of Brentwood, Tennessee. Plus horse people of course. I didn't mind the horse people so much, even if they were mostly rich as hell. At least they worked for a living.
Well, kind of.
Elle was here too somewhere. She'd been working here for two weeks now. Driving me crazy by always being in view but just out of reach. She had gotten very good at ignoring me.
I’d had fantasies of having her at my beck and call. Close at hand so I could make my moves on her. Land her quickly and painlessly. Not that I usually needed moves to get a girl in bed. Even one as gorgeous as Elle.
Usually I just had to snap my fingers. I tried to imagine Elle running over and plopping her sweet ass in my lap just because I told her to. Kind of like a stunningly beautiful, proud, ornery but obedient kitty cat.
I snorted out loud, earning me a reproving look from one of my great aunts.
Fat chance.
There was no comparison anyway. There simply weren't any women as good looking as her. Not that I’d seen anyway. And she seemed blissfully unconcerned with how she looked, or the effect she was having on me. She was just worried about keeping a roof over her head.
Not that I could fault her for that.
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br /> I'd seen the way she looked around the kitchen or when she was serving food. It made my insides twist to think she'd been going hungry. I realized she was living off the meals they gave the staff and made sure the chef increased portions for everyone so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable about it.
I'd been rewarded by a glow in her cheeks as they grew a little softer and rounder. Unfortunately, it just made her more desirable.
But it assuaged a small amount of my guilt over geting her fired from the club in the first place. And it opened my eyes to how tough things could really be, even for a hard working girl like Elle.
Even at my lowest point, I’d always had this place to come back to. I had just been playing at roughing it really. I’d always known I had a safe haven to come back to if I needed it.
Elle didn’t have that. She was on her own. And damn if I wasn’t impressed by her tenacity.
She'd proven herself to be a hard worker. The staff all loved her. And they all seemed to be on her side in the battle of the sexes that was waging between us.
It was more than a battle. It was an all out war.
It all boiled down to one thing: I wanted sex. And she wasn't giving it to me.
I laughed again, proving to everyone in earshot that I was the crazy Delancey brother. Not that I gave a damn. At least I wasn't disappointing them. It was pretty much what was expected of me at this point.
Why buck tradition by acting normal? I was the bad brother, and fiercely proud of it. At least, I always had been. I wouldn’t mind it if Elle saw more to me than that though.
I finished my drink and wandered off to look for something else to imbibe. Or Elle, so I could leer at her some more. I passed through the living room to see my father holding court in his wheelchair and turned toward the library. That's when I heard it.
Someone was singing.
At first I thought it was a recording, the voice was so beautiful. Some vintage record of a classic jazz singer. But then the richness of it washed over me, making me realize someone was singing here. Now.
An angel.
The voice lifted higher, soaring above the party noises. It was sweet but not pure. No, there was a rich, husky quality to it. It sounded like smoke.
A bolder settled in my stomach.
Goosebumps broke out on my arms.
I knew even before I turned the corner who I would see, her hip pressed jauntily against the piano while Daniel played holiday music. Of course. It had to be her.
It was.
Elle.
I stared at her hungrily while the rest of the world disappeared. Her voice went straight through me, like a knife. A sweet soul-stirring knife. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.
Christ, but the girl could sing.
I had a sinking feeling that I was in deeper than I’d thought I was with her. I’d already been bordering on obsession and that was before I heard her voice. She wasn't just talented. She was exceptionally gifted.
Suddenly, her fierce pride made more sense. She was definitely not the type to sell herself short. Being extremely beautiful and talented just added to that self-esteem. And that was going to make her even harder to get.
But it didn't matter how elusive she was. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. Miss Eleanor Gavin had no idea how persistent I could be.
She didn't stand a chance.
Hell, maybe neither one of us did.
I grabbed a cup of coffee from a passing waiter and chugged it down without milk or sugar.
I wanted to be sober as a judge for this.
I was going to get my woman.
Elle
I carried the rubber bin of clean dishes into the butler's pantry and set it down. The party was still going strong but I was always on top of cleaning up so I wouldn't be up until all hours. I was tired. Happy, but tired.
Who would have thought that I would feel so welcomed here? The Delancey's hadn't just hired me, they'd embraced me. They had even asked me to sing at their holiday party. They paid me generously to do it too, above and beyond my wages.
I knew that at first the elder two Delancey brothers had thought I was an easy woman that Jake was trying to pawn off on them. But through hard work I’d proven them wrong. Now Jackson was my biggest advocate, telling Mrs. Garrety to make sure to give me any shifts I wanted.
The fact that I rejected Jake's overtures on a daily basis didn't hurt either. I had a sneaking suspicion that people were taking bets on us. I put my foot down every time he tried to flirt with me, no matter who was watching.
It was getting harder and harder to ignore him though. I would be a liar if I said I wasn't tempted every time he sidled up to me. And my mother had raised me not to lie.
"Having fun?"
Well, speak of the Devil and he will appear.
I turned to see Jake lounging in the doorway to the pantry. The man could make a slab of concrete look like an easy chair. He was permanently relaxed. Those gorgeous bedroom eyes just added insult to injury.
He'd been drinking all night. Everyone knew Jake Delancey liked to drink. I’d heard the staff and several of the guests clucking their tongues over his drinking and general lack of decorum. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, revealing strong tanned forearms covered in tattoos.
He reminded me of a hawk in a hen house. He wasn't like the rest of these soft, rich folks. No, Jake Delancey was dangerous.
And as sexy as the devil himself.
I swallowed nervously, hoping he didn’t notice.
Damn if he didn't look good enough to eat. I tossed my head at him and went back to what I was doing. I stacked the fine porcelain salad bowls carefully, making sure they were all lined up. But I could still see him from the corner of my eye.
Oh why didn't he just leave me the hell alone?
That or get on with it. All this pussyfooting around was driving me insane. I shook my head. I should just insult him as usual and send him on his way.
"Not as much fun as you from the smell of it."
He smiled and sipped the cup of coffee in his hand.
"I heard you singing."
I glanced at him and continued stacking the clean dishes in the cupboard.
"You're incredible. You could be a huge star."
I turned around and lifted my chin to stare down my nose at him. Not easy to do considering he had a foot on me. But I managed it.
"Not could be. I will be."
He just stared at me. I knew he was going to do something rash before he even moved. Suddenly he was standing close to me, holding something over my head. I looked up in surprise. It was a little sprig of something green with red berries, tied with a red velvet bow.
I narrowed my eyes, not certain what he was up to.
Maybe it was the confidence I got from singing, but I decided I wasn't going to back down this time. Or scurry off the relative safety of the kitchen. If he wanted to play with fire it was on his head. I tilted my head to the side.
"What is that, Mr. Delancey?"
"Call me Jake."
"What's that then, Jake?"
"It's mistletoe."
He stepped closer. I could feel the heat coming off of his body in waves. It felt nice. Very, very nice.
"What's it for?"
He grinned at me and slid an arm around my waist.
"It's for kissing."
He yanked me against him and lowered his head to mine. I inhaled sharply at the contact. He didn’t waste any time, kissing me hard right off the bat. His lips felt silky smooth and soft against mine. As good as I remembered them. Better even. He angled his head, nudging my lips apart.
The moment I opened my lips, the kiss exploded.
I moaned as our tongues tangled in a primal dance. A dance Jake seemed to excel at. He used his tongue to stroke, tease and caress me as I stood utterly helpless in his arms.
Damn, but the man could kiss!
Finally he pulled back, leaning
his forehead against mine. We were silent as we both struggled to catch our breath. He stroked my hair as we stared into each other’s eyes.
"Come upstairs with me."
"I can't."
"Please Elle…"
"I'm working. Let me go Mr. Delancey."
I stood there, watching him do as I asked him to. Even though what I really wanted was him to pull me into his arms again, to kiss me, to drag me upstairs. I did not say a word as he slowly stepped back and walked away.
It took all my strength not to call him back.
Chapter Eight
Jake
I rubbed a brush over Thunder, one of the newer horses they'd brought in for breeding. He was a young horse, beautiful but still more than a little bit untamed. I had taken an immediate shine to him and vise versa. In fact, I was the only person who could really get close to the horse at all, let alone ride him.
It seemed that one discipline case recognized another.
It would be a shame for the horse to be used as breeding stock and little else. He had potential, even if I was the only one who could see it. I was thinking that maybe I would stick around… long enough to set things right with my father and work the stallion.
Long enough to get to Elle.
Thunder tossed his head and kicked the back of the stall. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He just wanted to run.
“Easy Thunder. I’ll get you out there, I promise.”
I knew exactly how the horse felt.
I’d been like a caged tiger all week, keeping away from everyone except my father and the horse. The old man was getting worse. I had taken to reading the papers to him in the afternoons. But it was hard to keep still. I wanted to move, fight, fuck.
I wanted her dammit.
She wanted me too. I knew it, especially after that kiss. But she was being elusive as hell. And now she'd taken a day or two off to do something mysterious- I just had to find out what. I put down the brush and headed back into the house. Mrs. Garretty should be up by now. She would know.
I knocked softly on her door.
"Enter."
I opened the door and smiled endearingly at the family's long-term housekeeper. The woman had been a second mother to me and one of the few who had never lost hope or faith in the youngest Delancey brother. She smiled warmly as I sat in the spare chair by her desk.