He was the definition of English perfection, with his baby faced good looks and cheeky smile. What I liked even more, was that even though he was obviously attracted to me, he hadn’t been pushy. I’d had far too many obnoxious men pawing at me, particularly when they’d come in after getting drunk at lunchtime in the lap dancing bars that littered the main streets of Bangkok. I was so glad to be out of that environment, Hong Kong just felt so much classier, well the parts I’d had time to visit anyway. Once I got accepted to a business school I could do my studies here during the day while I was waiting around to service the Signature suite. I looked back up at the monitor, realising I’d been busy daydreaming and not paying attention. I was going to have to set an alarm to remind me to keep my eye on the cameras if I had my head in my books. I frowned, how long had I been lost in my own thoughts? He was no longer in the shower and I couldn’t see him in any of the other rooms. I checked my watch. That was odd, it had only been five minutes. I stood up and smoothed my uniform down. Maybe he’d needed a proper swim and had rushed straight from the shower down to the Spa, or gone for a run. He definitely looked the fitness type. I let myself in and headed straight for the master suite, singing to myself as I went. Each room had a hidden panel with all of my cleaning supplies inside and there was a built in vacuum system pipe in each room, to save me carting around a vacuum cleaner. It really was the best hotel I’d ever worked in. I threw the bedroom door open and gasped to see Mr. Ponsonby sitting on the end of the bed with a mysterious smile on his face.
‘How did … where were you … I don’t understand,’ I spluttered, throwing in a few words of my home language for emphasis. ‘You’d left the suite, the heat cameras said it was empty.’
‘They must be faulty, you can see that I’m sitting here, large as life. Good morning, Alana. How are you today? Not aching from our run in yesterday I hope?’ he cocked his head as his eyes did a quick scan of my body. So, I hadn’t been imagining it yesterday, he was flirting with me. I shifted nervously on my feet, trying not to look at him dripping wet from the shower, with another tiny towel around his waist. If he offered me that one, I had a feeling there would be no swimming trunks under there. I was both eager, yet nervous, to actually find out.
‘I’m so sorry to have disturbed you, again. I’ll leave and come back later.’
‘Why do you need to leave? Come and do whatever you needed to do, you’re not in my way. I’m here for two weeks on my own, with the exception of some business meetings, I’d be glad of the distraction of some company.’
‘I couldn’t do that, Sir,’ I replied, shaking my head. ‘I’d be fired.’
‘Who’s to know? I won’t tell if you don’t.’ He raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow at me as he waited for my response. He was persistent, that was for sure.
‘It’s not appropriate,’ I confirmed, looking down at the floor. If I looked at his body any longer I’d want to run to him and lick it all over.
‘Why not? What’s inappropriate about it?’
‘I’m the maid, you’re paying a lot of money to stay here, you don’t need the help in your way. Plus you’re … barely dressed,’ I whispered.
‘If I agree to put some clothes on, will you stay and clean then?’ he pushed. I shrugged. It was against all of the rules, but I was as intrigued by him as he seemed to be by me. What would he have to gain by reporting me? ‘I’ll take that as a yes,’ he stated, with an element of glee in his voice.
I heard movement and looked up through my fringe to see he had his back to me, picking up some underwear off the bed. Before I had time to process that he wasn’t already wearing any, the towel was on the floor. I heard a slight gasp leave my lips as I caught sight of not just a perfectly toned backside, but his large cock and balls hanging between his legs. I shut my eyes quickly, my breathing coming hard and fast. I hadn’t had sex in forever and here was this gorgeous foreigner tempting me. Thoughts of how good he might taste in my mouth, or how he’d feel filling me, crossed my mind and I chastised myself. I wasn’t a casual sex kind of girl. I’d vowed to myself a few years ago that until I found the man I was going to marry, I wasn’t going to have sex again. Now wasn’t the time to forsake my promise, especially not on a farang who was only here for two weeks.
‘Please tell me when I can look and I will go and clean your bathroom for you, then come and make your bed.’
‘You can look,’ he confirmed. I opened one eye, squinting to check. His t-shirt and sweatpants were covering his previously naked flesh, but still didn’t leave much to the imagination. I scuttled past into the bathroom to make a start before he distracted me any further.
Charles
I grinned as she disappeared into the bathroom and quickly pulled the thermal blanket from under the bed and tucked it into a drawer. I’d used it to disguise myself from the heat seeking cameras and had waited until I heard her enter the suite before hiding it. The look on her face when she’d found me in the room had been priceless. I wondered how many times I’d get away with it before she realised how I’d been fooling her. Then again, I hoped that if I got to dazzle her with my charms, she might willingly agree to spend time with me. She was beguiling, with a kind of innocent beauty about her, yet hidden in the depths of those stunning eyes was sadness. She’d experienced some kind of trauma or pain, it was written all over her face and for some reason that brought out the protector in me. I needed to know more about her, as well as wanting her in my bed. I had so much work to do to finish preparing for this meeting, but I wasn’t losing the advantage of talking to her, so I headed into the bathroom, startling her as she cleaned the shower screen. I hopped up onto the sink and started asking her all about how she came to Hong Kong, eager for more information.
‘Xièxiè,’ I stated, thanking each of the Chinese businessmen as they left the boardroom of my suite, with a deferential dip of my head. I sat back down and blew out a deep breath, releasing all of the tension that had been inside me for the last five hours. They were nothing if not thorough, but so was I. I’d been prepared for every question asked, coming up with answers that appeared to meet with their approval. They’d promised to be in touch within the week with an answer.
‘That went well,’ Zena confirmed, reappearing after showing them all out.
‘I was just thinking the same,’ I nodded. ‘If anything it seemed a little too easy. You did an excellent job, thank you.’
‘My pleasure. Enjoy the easy, as you won’t get it when you get back to Singapore.’
‘Why, what’s happened?’ I frowned, as I looked up at her concerned. Jonathan Blandford, the CEO of the bank, was getting on in years and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear he’d passed away. It would be a sad day for the company when he did. She gave me a slight shake of her head and one of her disapproving looks.
‘I warned you this would happen, you can’t see two women at once without jealousy rearing its ugly head. Laura turned up at the office to leave you a gift. Sai was none too impressed to say the least and I had to break up a cat fight in reception and drag them both into your office to calm the situation down. I’m telling you, Jackie Chan would have been scared to get in the middle of those two. It was like Buffy and Nikita duelling on steroids.’
‘God, I’m so sorry, Zena,’ I sighed, pinching the top of my nose, full of exasperation. Laura had assured me that she wanted to continue with our causal relationship, that she would accept never becoming anything more and the fact that I saw Sai during the working week. What had changed since I left?
‘You need to end it with one of them. Trust me though, Far Eastern women, Thai women in particular, don’t accept being broken up with easily.’
‘So basically, if I end it with one, or both of them, I could lose my junior assistant and my housekeeper in one fell swoop?’
‘Better than losing your head, or worse, if the jealousy gets any more deep rooted and they take it out on you,’ she nodded, giving me another of the looks.
‘Could you start
looking for new jobs for them and possible replacements for me? For both positions, just in case?’
‘What’s brought this on?’ She perched her bottom on the boardroom desk and crossed her arms as she looked down at me.
‘Let’s just say I’ve come to realise that maybe it’s not in my best interests to continue casual relationships, particularly not with women I employ,’ I shrugged.
‘You’ve fallen for someone,’ she grinned, a smug look on her face. ‘Would I be right in thinking it’s the attractive maid who seems to have been cleaning whenever you’re in the suite since I arrived the other night?’
‘How did you guess?’ I looked up at her, but was unable to feign surprise at her deduction. She’d worked with me for too long and she was very shrewd. She’d been working here with me for a few days preparing for this meeting, while Alana was in and out. Zena must have been watching us talking without me realising it.
‘It’s not my first time in a Domville Signature suite and I’ve never seen a maid before. I’m pretty sure it’s against hotel policy for them to fraternise with the guests. Plus you’re different around her, more relaxed and jovial. It’s nice to see.’
‘I’m not always relaxed and jovial?’ I furrowed my brows as I considered her statement.
‘No, you’re very serious and work focussed, when you’re not fucking Sai in your office, which by the way everyone on our floor can hear.’
‘God, seriously?’ I uttered. I thought it was Laura that was loud.
‘Seriously. I think having a girlfriend will do you good, especially if she doesn’t work with you day to day. Though I don’t think this maid is the girl for you.’
‘What if I do? I’m not afraid to admit that I’m smitten with her. I’ve not felt like this about anyone before.’
‘That’s good to hear, but you live in Singapore, she lives in Hong Kong which is your first drawback. Second is some Thai women are on a mission to find a wealthy farang to snare, to provide money and a better lifestyle for them and their families. It might be real for you, but you need to make sure any feelings from her side for you are genuine too. You don’t want to spend time and money pursuing her, only to find out it’s all about what she thinks you can give her.’
‘Setting aside the distance, how do I know if she’s genuine or not?’ I asked, desperately needing assistance here. Zena had voiced some of the very concerns I’d had myself. I’d spent a lot of time with Alana the last couple of days, she’d really relaxed and seemed to enjoy spending time in my company. If ever I could see myself having a girlfriend, as opposed to a casual sexual relationship, it would be with her.
‘I’m heading back to Singapore on a flight tonight. I’ll get a background check done for you when I’m back in the office. If that puts your mind at rest, you only have to worry about distance and the two potential assassins you need to break up with. Good luck with that,’ she laughed, patting me on the shoulder as she straightened up.
‘Piece of cake,’ I chuckled in return, though inside I was dreading it. Laura would probably break down in tears and beg, Sai on the other hand … yes, assassin was a good description of how she’d probably handle it. Things were liable to get heated.
‘Is there anything you need before I pack up?’
‘No, I’m good thanks. Other than a few daytime meetings, I’m going to switch off and have some fun.’
‘Hmmm, I bet,’ she smirked, as she gathered up the paperwork scattered all over the boardroom table. ‘I’ll call you every day just to touch base and see if there’s anything I can do. And of course, I’ll want any updates on Alana the maid.’
I rolled my eyes at the smirk on her face, quickly got up and headed straight to my master suite, to discard my three piece suit in favour of my jeans and a white linen shirt, which I rolled at the sleeves. Alana had been in while I’d been in the meeting, the place was spotless. What more could a guy ask for in a woman? Beautiful, smart, obedient and house proud. If she was any good in bed, I had a feeling she was going to be a keeper. I headed out to the lounge to call her to come and help me decide what we should have for dinner. I’d confessed to the thermal blanket trick by the third day, when she’d got upset at having “interrupted me again.” Instead I simply asked for her number and admitted that I just wanted to spend time with her. I’d been over the moon when she’d agreed. It was a covert operation making sure she was out of sight when Li Wu was summoned for drinks or food orders. He knew something was up, as I was always alone, yet ordering for two. He knew better than to say anything though, for which I was thankful. The last thing I wanted was to get her in trouble.
Alana
It was Mr. Ponsonby’s last night in Hong Kong and I was feeling very sad about that. Instead of going out partying since he’d been here he had stayed in each night, having dinner delivered for both of us and we’d sat talking, getting to know each other, playing cards or X-box games. Even Li Wu wasn’t aware of the time I was spending in the suite. He’d see two people on the thermal cameras, but there was no reason for him to believe it wasn’t a guest. I had my company mobile on me, so if he couldn’t find me in my quarters, he’d ring me and I could soon dash back and make some excuse. In the whole two weeks Charles hadn’t once tried to kiss me or make any moves. Despite my decision to not sleep with anyone until I knew it was serious, I was kind of disappointed he hadn’t tried. It was very flattering having a man as good looking as him interested in me.
I brushed my hair and fixed it into a sleek ponytail, applied some makeup and eyeliner, then put on my best Chinese style long dress with a slit up the side, showing off my long legs. It was a bright red, with a delicate gold and white cherry blossom and bird pattern, with a slight pear shaped gap to show off my small amount of cleavage. I so wished I had bigger breasts, but this was the card I’d been dealt, I would have to accept them. I put on my favourite pair of black, high heeled designer shoes. My dress and shoes were the one luxury I’d allowed myself since I moved out here. Every penny I had spare was now being put towards my education savings fund. A dab of knock off Chanel perfume, a slick of bright red lipstick, a black throw around my shoulders and I was done. I did a twirl in the mirror, making sure I looked smart enough. Being invited out to dinner by Mr. Ponsonby was a big deal. Not just dinner in his suite, we were going out to eat. I’d managed to convince my manager to let me swap my Sunday night off to a Saturday, with the other Signature suite personal maid. We covered each other’s days off each week, so it wasn’t a big deal. On the other hand, being taken out to dinner was a big deal. I felt so nervous. My phone alerted me to a text message.
I’m ready Alana. When you let me know that you’re ready, I’ll head down to the limo and we’ll meet you, as instructed, around the back of the hotel at the servants’ entrance. I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you, away from the hotel. I think I’m falling for you. Charles x
My breath caught in my throat. Not only had he said he was falling for me, but he’d put “Charles” and signed it off with a kiss. My heart started to race and my fingers were shaking as I tapped out a response.
I’m ready. I’ll head down now. I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you too. Alana x
The kiss at the end of my text was a last minute decision. I wanted to make it clear that I really liked him too, without vocalising my feelings too soon. It wouldn’t be ladylike and I was trying very hard to be everything that a lady should. I hurried out to the servants’ private lift, shared by the two Signature suites’ staff and pressed for the basement. I didn’t want to risk anyone seeing me with Mr. Ponsonby. I needed this job and this income so badly. I headed out of the servants’ door, security whistling at me as I passed, then headed up the ramp to the back street. Sure enough, there was the limousine, parked a short distance up the street, out of sight of the security men. I walked towards it, my nerves getting the better of me. It was a long time since I’d been in a fancy car, let alone a limousine. And to do it with another
farang? Was I crazy? The driver opened the back door for me as I approached, I smiled and ducked inside.
‘Good evening, Mr. Ponsonby.’ I gave him a smile, sure my teeth were chattering with nerves.
‘Alana,’ he murmured, picking up my hand to kiss as his eyes took in my ensemble. ‘You look stunning this evening.’
‘I thought I ought to make an effort,’ I confirmed, pleased I’d met his expectations. I didn’t wear makeup when I was in uniform, I wondered how different I looked to him now.
‘An effort that’s paid off handsomely. And please, how many times, it’s Charles, not Mr. Ponsonby,’ he reminded me, his eyes lingering on the flash of thigh revealed by my daring dress.
‘Charles,’ I repeated, testing how it felt to address him that way.
‘I love the way that sounds with your accent. Say it again,’ he grinned. I laughed and did as I was told, noticing he was still holding my hand and that I liked it. Very much. He was wearing a pair of black trousers with a white linen shirt and a matching black jacket. Simple, but so stylish. He looked so handsome.
‘So, Charles, where are we going?’
The Domville 4 (The Domville #4) Page 4