by Mia Caldwell
Chapter 19
The next morning when I woke up the widest grin spilled across my face. The whole world was brighter… Sharper... It was as though there had been some sort of cloudiness to my vision, and now it was gone. Maybe because I was still on a post-orgasmic power trip or something, but whatever it was, I felt great.
The best part was that Julien was still there, tucked under the covers against my back. I quietly moved my arm away from him, happy to get the feeling back after he slept on it for most the night. I smiled at him, shaking my head.
I didn't know what to do, whether I should report to Marie, go back to my own room, or just lay in bed and fall back asleep against Julien. My heart said the latter, but I knew that I should at least shower first…
Julien's en suite was nearly twice the size of my own large one, and decked out just as nicely. I stood there for a full five minutes trying to debate on whether I wanted to take a nice hot shower or soak in the huge clawfoot tub. I decided to go with the shower.
I sighed, rubbing my shoulder as the hot water cascaded down my body. I got the water as hot as I could take it, hoping that I would feel as fresh and clean as possible for my next romp in bed with Julien. Which would happen soon… if I had any say in it.
Once I had toweled off, I tiptoed into his bedroom and right away I knew that he was gone. I could feel the creeping pangs of regret until I saw the little note he left me on my pillow...
I have so much I'd like to say, but I'll save it for when I see you next. I have to go out for the day and meet with clients, but I'll be sure to be back early this evening so that I can spend it with you.
Until I see you next- Julien.
Well, I thought. I guess I'll go ahead and get dressed back in my room. I hope Marie won't be too angry that I'm already an hour late to work...
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Chapter 20
She may have been a teensy bit mad at me this time… It wasn't really my fault. At least that's what I tried to tell myself. It had become hard to get any work done around the house. Every time I’d be alone cleaning a room, Julien would find me… And cleaning up became the last thing on my mind.
Julien couldn't keep his hands off me, and I didn't want him to.
Okay, so there were a couple of times that maybe I initiated everything… but who could blame me? When you have the sexiest man alive waiting to hike up your skirt and fill you up with the kind of heat Julien was packing, how could you say no?
I think my favorite time was when I was trying to help Marie with the laundry. It was the biggest laundry room I'd ever seen, of course. She had walked out for a moment to go fetch some starch when Julien sneaked in, shut and locked the door, and bent me right over the dryer...
Or maybe it was the fact that after he was done working for the day, Julien would take me out for the evening. He always requested that I got completely freshened up and dressed up to the nines to go to all these beautiful places he wanted to take me. I guess that's one of the many perks of dating a billionaire.
I know that I shouldn't get caught up in silly things like money, but coming from a home where both parents had worked two jobs to keep up… it kind of made me really appreciate the life I was living.
I finally broke down and accepted the bracelet that Julien had bought me two weeks ago before our first night together. The best part was that I could see how much it meant to him. For as long as he would have me, I knew that this piece of jewelry would mean a lot to the both of us.
Julien never wanted to talk specifics about financial things, and that was totally fine with me. I really didn't want to hear it, to be quite honest. I knew he was worth a lot of money, but he was worth a lot more than money to me… That's all that really mattered. The past two weeks I had seen so many different sides to him.
We even had our first fight over something silly… That ended up leading to the best thing yet — makeup sex. I think he might have even picked the fight with me for the express purpose of makeup sex, but Julien still denied it.
Only a few days ago Agent Wilson finally called me back, checking in on me to see how I was doing at my job. I had to laugh, even though I felt incredibly guilty about it. The truth was that I was doing really well, just not at my job. With all the times that Julien and I sneaked off to spend time together one way or another, you could have barely called me a housekeeper... I ended up telling Agent Wilson that I wasn't sure I wanted to find a new place to live just yet. I didn't mention the whole relationship Julien thing, because it really wasn't his business.
"Well, I suppose that as long as it's okay with Mr. Malveaux, it wouldn’t make a difference to us. I would just make sure that you find the proper kind of job to line up for after this one runs out. It would just be smarter that way," Agent Wilson informed me.
Well, of course. I wasn't just gonna sit there and not do anything about my future. Whether it was with Julien or wasn't, I still had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was just kind of hard when I had Julien constantly trying to take my clothes off all the time… Not that I was complaining.
I finished cleaning up the billiards room, vacuuming the last corners for the evening. My arms ached from having to push and pull the heavy vacuum cleaner all throughout the lower level of the house. You would think that in an old house such as this one, that carpet would've never even been made a thing, but apparently Julien didn't like to have cold feet. Of course I suggested to him to wear shoes, even house slippers, but he preferred his bare feet on shag. So there you go.
I wrapped the cord up around the vacuum cleaner, wiping my forehead. No one ever tells you before you get into the cleaning business that cleaning is a lot harder than it looks. Or at least cleaning someone else's place is… My apartment back home was constantly clean, and I barely had to work to keep it that way. Then again… my apartment wasn't a sprawling château in the French countryside, either.
Before I turned to walk out the door I felt a thick arm wrap around my middle and squeezing me tightly, making me scream in the process.
It wasn’t Julien.
I tried to spin around, but the arm was just wrapping tighter and tighter around me, making it harder for me to breathe. I felt a hand at my throat, choking me, cutting off the scream that had led to nowhere. There were no rushing footsteps down the hall, no one was coming for me to help.
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Chapter 21
My eyes flashed open and I realized that I was sitting up in Julien's bed.
I felt hands grasp for me in the dark, before I heard Julien's voice try to soothe me. "Amira, darling, are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?"
I slumped back against him, trying not to hyperventilate again. This was the fourth night in a row that I had such a vivid nightmare as that. It had been weeks since I had nightmares from my incident, but now they seemed to haunt me every night. I didn't know what was causing them, but I truly wished they would stop.
"Okay," I said, my voice shaky. I knew Julien felt helpless, but there really wasn't anything he could do. I just had to endure them as long as they lasted.
"Did I tell you about your surprise next week?" Julien asked, clearly sleepy still. This caught my interest.
"What surprise?"
Even exhausted as he was, Julien laughed at me in my eagerness. I knew he was only trying to distract me, but it was working.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?"
“No…” I replied, “I suppose it wouldn’t.”
I was beaming for the rest of the morning. After getting ready for work, I headed over to meet with Marie in the kitchen as she had asked the night before. Usually we met in the foyer to discuss with the other two housekeepers our plan for the day, but this sounded like it was just going to be me and her. Whatever that meant.
I finished up my egg and cheese croissant that Gervaise happily had ready waiting for me when I came into the kitchen. I gave him a hug, and fixe
d my uniform, nervously waiting for Marie.
Her demeanor was no different than usual when I saw her click across the kitchen in her same old black shoes. When she turned towards me after grabbing a cup of coffee, however, I knew I was in for it. Whatever we were about to talk about… it wasn't gonna be good.
She gestured for me to have a seat at the table, and I slowly sat down, not taking my eyes off of her for even a second. I could feel the apprehension rise in my body, as if I were waiting for a coiled up snake to strike at me any moment.
She cleared her throat. "I do not play the games, Miss Jackson. You know that. I ask you so to know what is going on with you and Monsieur Malveaux. I want truth."
Well, I couldn't say that I wasn't expecting it. But I really wasn't expecting it.
I bit my lip, unsure of how to reply. "Well what exactly do you want me to say? I know you're not blind. Julien and I are together right now. And I… I care about him."
Marie frowned at me, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. "You care about him? After short time with him? I know you feel care about him, but are you sure this isn’t about his wealth?"
My jaw dropped open. Did she really just say that?
"I don't know what you're trying to get at, Marie, but please don’t question my feelings for Julien. They are real, and I don't need to answer to anyone about them. He knows how I feel, and that's all that matters," I replied, my voice feeling tinny even in my own ears. I quickly rose from the seat and walked right out of the kitchen, unsure of where I was heading.
The further that I went down the hall, the faster than I walked. And then I was practically running out the door, headed to the secret garden. I made it to one of the benches outside and sat down, trying to catch my breath.
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Chapter 22
I don’t know how long I had been sitting there, my chest heaving as I cried hard. I knew Julien wasn’t going to be around for a while, so I was left all by myself to deal with Marie’s accusations against me. I knew that she truly cared about Julien, but her remarks to me were so cold…
But was she right?
I had to question my own motives, even though I knew I was no gold-digger. Just because someone grows up poor, doesn’t mean that they suddenly leap after the first guy with deep pockets. I shook my head, trying to clear the negative thoughts that threaten to swell inside. I didn’t want to let her words get to me, but they already had.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alain slowly make his way over to me, pulling his hat off and holding it against his chest. I tried to wipe my face, knowing that it was no use. It was obvious that I had been crying, loudly.
“My sweet Bree, what is wrong?"
I didn't really want to say. Whether it would have created a problem between him and his wife I wasn’t sure, but I definitely didn't want to be put in the middle of it. Then again, maybe he would understand things a little more, at least more so than Marie did.
"I know you've noticed me spending more time with Julien...”
“You mean to say that you are together,” Alain replied, smiling softly.
“Yes… We’re together…” I said.
“Love is beautiful. Why do you cry?”
“Because I’m not sure I’m good enough for him… Am I only attracted to him because of this?” I replied, waving toward the estate.
Alain scratched his head, finally coming to the realization of what I was getting at. He nodded his head slowly.
"Marie spoke to you…”
I just looked toward the ground, not wanting to catch his eye.
“She is very . . . how do we say? Protective. She has always been this way. Her heart sees differently than you or I. We weren’t able to have children of our own, so Julien? He is our child. He is a grown man, but she worries over him like child."
I took what he said to heart. I knew deep down that Alain was right, and Marie was just being protective of Julien, but I still felt she'd had overstepped a boundary. Or two.
"What do you think, though?"
He smiled at me and shook his head, being evasive. "My opinion is of no matter. You are a wonderful person. Julien is wonderful person. Birds of a feather…"
"Thank you for that, Alain. I guess I needed to be reassured."
He shrugged his shoulders. “Marie will come to understand. Give her time.”
The conversation was over. Alain stood up and gave me a light pat on the shoulder, and I smiled.
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Chapter 23
The rest of the evening had gone progressively well, considering. I tried to steer clear of Marie even though it was pretty hard to do so. Everywhere I went, she followed. I would be in one room, and she would be sweeping in the next room, scuffling about.
I paid it no mind and once my shift was over, I went to go relax and take a dip in my tub.
When I got back to my room I saw that I wasn’t alone. Sitting on my bed among the many fancy pillows was Julien. He raised a brow at me, beckoning for me to come to him. My body ached to slide into the comforts of hot water, but even so, there was some sort of pull from him. He wanted me near, and I couldn't deny him that.
He pulled me into his arms, letting me rest my head against his chest. His hands traced up and down my arms, warming me up.
"I heard what happened earlier… With Marie…”
Julien brushed his fingers across my face, attempting to soothe me. I turned away. I knew he was only trying to help, but I didn't want to be soothed—I wanted answers.
"And what do you think about what she said?" I asked, wondering if maybe he wasn't thinking the same thing himself.
Of course he wasn't… that would just be silly of him. If there was one thing I realized at that moment, it was that I had stopped thinking that Julien was plotting something against me. He clearly had feelings for me or I wouldn't be in the position I was in, literally or figuratively speaking.
"I told her how I feel… I told her she is wrong about you. Marie isn’t good at apologies, but I promise you, she is sorry for the things she said. She likes you, despite her apprehensions.”
Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that.
“She is just wary as she's always been. I ask that you please forgive her.”
I took a deep breath.
“Okay…”
We were silent for a few moments, just being close to each other… I felt happiness welling up inside me. Finally, Julien spoke.
“I have something else to talk to you about."
I sat back up, turning so that I was facing Julien. "Something else? Like what?"
A smile spread across his face, the same smile I had been hoping to see every time I looked at them. "This may seem a bit . . . unorthodox to you, but I'd really like to take you out. A little further, this time…."
"We've gone out plenty. What's so different this time around?" I asked, my eyes steadily trained on his luscious mouth. Okay, so sometimes is a little easy for me to get wrapped up in other parts of Julien. Even when he was talking to me.
" I was actually thinking that I would take you with me to Gardien De La Mer."
"Gardien De La Mer? What exactly does that mean? Is that like a restaurant, or something?"
Julien chuckled, patting me on the knee. "As much as I would love to keep this a surprise from you, Gardien De La Mer is my yacht. I wanted to take a short cruise on the Mediterranean, and I was hoping you would accompany me..."
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. "Seriously? The Mediterranean, Julien? Is this even real life? "I practically shrieked.
"Yes, I had hoped you would be excited about it. The Mediterranean is absolutely beautiful, and is one my favorite places to relax and step away from work for a little while. I know we've been doing a lot of that recently, but one of the perks of being me is that I can relax whenever I'd like… And right now I'm wanting to relax with you. Just one long and amazing weekend. What do you think of that?"
<
br /> I sat there, stunned. Something like this was overwhelming. I took in a deep breath, trying to sort it all out my head. What could this mean? I knew he had feelings for me… but these were feelings on top of feelings!
“I think that sounds amazing…”
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Chapter 24
I had the chance to go on a boat for a New Years Eve party once, but I had bowed out. I made up a silly excuse because I couldn’t let my friends know I was scared. I was a city girl who never learned to swim, and the idea of being out on the ocean filled me with apprehension…