The passageways got larger and more opulent as they ascended into the house proper. Small statues and paintings decorated the halls, set in recesses with discreet lighting that set them off without drawing attention. She stopped at one painting with a gasp. “Is that a Van Gogh?” she whispered.
Preston raised an eyebrow, irritated at being interrupted. “Of course,” he said. He continued and she made a mental note to come back and admire the painting.
Preston stopped again, this time at a pair of large, closed double doors. He said, “The master is in his study. Do try not to embarrass yourself or me.”
Lily opened her mouth to respond but the words died on her tongue when Preston opened the doors. Socard’s study was elegant and well-lit, walled mostly with dark walnut shelves that stretched to the ceiling and groaned under the weight of hundreds of books. A few small recesses held more tiny antiques. Socard’s desk dominated the end of the room, the rich red wood top reflecting the lights in its polished surface. A laptop sat open and a few paperweights held down perhaps half a dozen documents but the expanse was otherwise clear. Lily wondered for a moment what it would feel like to touch the smooth wood. Those thoughts melted away when Socard stood to greet them.
Lionel Socard was somewhere between thirty and forty, tall and dark. He had the clearest green eyes that Lily had ever seen, and he stared at her as if he could see straight through her. He was lean, with long muscles like a swimmer’s, and his straight back and broad shoulders implied impressive power at his disposal. Lily instinctively lowered her eyes, face flushed. She could still feel him looking her over. A brief image of his wide hands touching her flashed through her mind and she flushed more.
“Lily Peck, correct?” he said. Lionel had an odd accent, as if several had been joined together and sanded smooth. The timbre of his voice made her shiver, the sound vibrating through her and into the deep parts of her body.
“Yes, sir. Um. Mister Socard. I’m Lily.”
“Excellent. Quite the pleasure to meet you. I hope Preston hasn’t scared you off yet.” She dared to glance up at Socard and was surprised to find him half-smiling. He looked genuinely amused at something. She glanced at Preston, who was not, and went back to looking at the floor.
“No, mister Socard.”
“Good. Well done. You may go.” Socard turned back to his computer, dismissing them entirely. Lily found it difficult to refrain from staring at his broad back and sculpted behind.
Preston bowed. “Sir.” He turned and stared at Lily until she remembered that it was time for her to go as well. He followed her out of the study.
Preston wasted no time in showing her what was expected of her. It was easy work, especially given the pay that she was to receive, and Lily tuned him out when she realized that many of the rooms required exactly the same care. Her mind was full of Socard’s green eyes, the ones that had read her so fully in the space of a few seconds. She suspected that she was going to dream about him later that night.
Lily suddenly became aware that Preston was looking at her without speaking. “Sorry, what?” she said.
He sniffed. “I said, do you have any other questions?”
“Oh, no, nothing.”
“Very well. You start tomorrow.”
He turned to glide away, and she said, “Oh, I did have one thing. You hear rumors in town, about girls who’ve gone missing up here, and I was wondering if there’s any…any truth to…” She trailed off under his irritated glare.
“Mister Socard is a fine, upstanding gentleman,” said Preston, snapping off the words. “Rumors are simply that. Attend to your duties and only your duties, please.”
Lily went back to what she had decided were her new quarters to change back into her street clothes. She’d be crazy not to take the room and board, random disappearances or no, so she headed back to her apartment to pack up what little she owned. As she expected, her last thought upon closing her eyes was the image of Lionel Socard’s green eyes. They chased her into her dreams and though she didn’t remember much about them she knew that there was heat. Her sheets and pillow were damp with sweat and other things when she got up.
The next day, she drove back to the Socard mansion early in the morning and carried her boxes in through the servant’s entrance. She got dressed in the maid outfit and inspected herself in the mirror. It certainly looked like something practical, but there was still a decadent aura about it. Maybe her neckline was a shade too low, or her skirt showed just slightly more of her legs than would have been completely necessary. She shrugged at her reflection; she knew that she looked good, though she hadn’t had a lot of chances to show it off during her college career. It would be nice to wear something that made her feel a little sexy. She made a mental note to get some nice stockings.
Then it was off to work. It wasn’t difficult or dangerous. It wasn’t even boring thanks to the multitude of beautiful things that Socard owned.
He had entire rooms filled with valuable antiques and it wasn’t until her third hour or so that she saw that each room had a theme. Preston had probably covered that, but she’d been distracted. One room was full of musical instruments, for instance, with beautiful music makers of all kinds, gilded or made of rare wood. The centerpiece was a grand piano that was so black that light seemed to fall into it without escaping. She was tasked with cleaning everything and while nothing was seriously dirty most of it had to be dusted. When she finished with the music room, everything shone. She looked at the clock and was surprised to find that most of the day had gone by as she’d finished the one room. Her work was cut out for her.
Lily headed down toward the kitchen to see about wrangling a late lunch out of the chef. He was a nice, nearsighted old man who enjoyed looking at her legs so she figured that she wouldn’t have too much difficulty. She was wondering what she would ask for when she turned the corner and nearly ran into Lionel. He stared at her with those deadly eyes and she shivered.
“Oh, mister Socard, I…sorry, I didn’t know you were there, and…” She caught herself halfway between a curtsey and a bow and forced herself to stand up, though she kept her eyes down. She realized that she was staring at his crotch and she blushed.
Before she could try to say anything else and embarrass herself further Socard took her chin in his hand and lifted her face. He stared at her, and once again she felt his gaze penetrate to her core. She blushed further, trying not to think about the word “penetrate” when standing in front of his overwhelming maleness. He said, “You’re quite pretty.” He spoke as if making an observation about the weather. He let go of her and said, “Is the work too much?”
“Oh. No. It’s nice, actually, I spent most of the day dusting and cleaning the music room.”
He looked blank for a moment and then nodded. “Ah, yes. It’s been quite some time since I was in there. Perhaps I shall play the piano today.”
“It’s ready for you.” She forced herself to shut up before she started babbling and he smiled slightly. He stood aside without another word, and she carefully didn’t run away from him. She passed very close to him as she went, and she could feel the heat baking off of his body. His scent was smoke and spices, heady and disorienting. When she turned the corner she leaned against the wall and fanned herself. No man had ever made her so hot with his mere presence before. She couldn’t get his eyes out of her mind.
Lily was right; getting a lunch out of Nigel the cook was a simple enough task. She sat at the counter to eat and they passed the time by talking about the rumors of the missing girls.
“Nothing to it, of course,” said Nigel as he scrubbed potatoes. “Just small-town gossip. Fact is, the girls came and worked for a while before finding something else that they preferred. Most of them ended up working for other houses along the coast, but I’m sure you’ll find something a bit more in keeping with your education, won’t you.”