After chewing and swallowing, I say, “Gross. But look, I’m alive.”
“Only because I want you to be,” he reminds me, winking.
“Ditto,” I remind him, with a wink of my own.
He cracks a surprised smile, and I wonder how demented we have to be to be joking about this.
Dessert goes much the same way. I serve him, he makes me sample it, then he eats, satisfied I’m not trying to kill him. I wonder if it’s going to be like this every night, or if it’s only because this is the first time I’m on food service.
When I come out to clear the dessert plates, Mateo’s hand creeps up the inside of my thigh. Desire washes over me and I don’t move, though I’m a little unsure about letting him touch me with his family right here at the table.
No one is seated near him, so we have enough privacy for him to murmur, “How was your first day, Cinderella?”
Biting down on my lower lip, I spread my legs slightly, letting his fingers dip just inside my panties. “Doesn’t that make you my wicked stepmother?”
“I’ll take the wicked part,” he says lightly, breaching me and finding my clit before I can even draw a breath.
“I have to get back to the kitchen to clean up,” I inform him.
“You don’t have to do anything. My house, my rules.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t make the other maids hate me on day one,” I suggest, finding it harder not to react to what he’s doing.
He withdraws his finger, but his hand remains on my leg, moving down toward my knee cap. “I want more dessert.”
Nodding, I pick up his plate. “I’ll bring it right out.”
“No. Let the other girls clean up, I want you in my bed, naked, in ten minutes.”
“Yes, master,” I say, a touch mockingly.
“Don’t tease me like that.”
I flash him a grin, but rein it in before I finish clearing the table.
I have to hurry; I’m actually not sure I can clear the table and get to his bedroom in under ten minutes—especially since I feel terrible ditching the other ladies with all the dishes.
I expect them to be pissed, but when I explain to Cherie that Mateo needs me to do something else, she nods easily. “No problem. Have a good night.”
“I’ll do extra tomorrow to make it up,” I assure her.
Flashing me a smile, she says, “Don’t worry about it. Just be careful with him.”
I don’t ask what that means—I want to, there’s just no time.
I’m a little out of breath by the time I hustle all the way to Mateo’s room. I’m not the one who cleaned his bedroom today, but looking at the mountain of neatly arranged pillows, I think I’m going to need an informational pamphlet to recreate it. I wish I had my phone to take a picture, so I could just copy it.
My maid’s uniform is a plain, fitted gray dress with a white apron over it, so at least it doesn’t take long to peel off. I wore a black bra and panties set, but they feel cheap and inadequate in this bedroom.
I’m not sure how naked he wants me, but since he’s not here yet, I go ahead and strip off the bra and panties. I fold it all and put it in a neat little pile on the chair near his bed, then I begin the process of tossing enough pillows to actually get on the bed. I climb under the blankets to wait for him, and man, what a soft bed. I’m sort of glad it isn’t mine, because I’d never leave it.
The door finally opens and Mateo strides in. I allow myself a moment to really admire this man as he peels off his jacket, then goes to work on the buttons of his shirtsleeves.
“You look good in my bed,” he states, his voice so deep and sexy, I sigh a little.
“It’s a really good bed. I don’t know how you ever leave it.”
“Me neither,” he remarks, ripping his shirt open and climbing on the bed. I don’t move as he climbs across my body, straddling me through the sea of blankets. “Of course, it’s a little more enticing to stay when I have such sexy company.”
“I tried to get here last night, but something came up,” I tell him.
He looks amused instead of irritated at the mention of it. “Oh? You were still going to fuck me after you poisoned me? How thoughtful.”
“I wasn’t going to poison you,” I state, rolling my eyes.
“The poison in your purse indicated otherwise.”
“Maybe it was for me,” I joke. “I bring it on all my dates, just in case they’re really lame and I need to leave. Nothing gets you out of a bad date better than a good poisoning.”
“You joke, but many women before you have gone that route to get away from the Morelli men,” he says lightly.