Page 16 of Maid in Heaven

“Excuse me?” Her blonde curls bobbed with the whip of her head.

“Michelangelo mostly worked in marble or bronze, with, I think, theTwo Spanish Fightersbeing a one-off clay exception.”

“My my, you are full of surprises, aren’t you, Mr. Jessup?” She looked him up and down like an equestrian for purchase. “I had no idea you were so…cultured.”

You don’t know a damned thing about me other than how my ass looks in boxer briefs,Will thought.

Will ran a hand through his hair. “You look incredible, Mrs. Kronin. Mr. Kronin has to be one happy man.”

“Pfft,” Denise scoffed, waltzing through the grand foyer toward the rest of the house. Her heel clicks reverberated off of the lofty cream-colored walls and arched ceiling. “The ol’ buzzard hasn’t gotten back from Okinawa yet. Even then, I’m not so sure he’ll even notice unless I order a custom neon sign to point to my chest.”

Will followed close behind as she turned down a nearby hall and headed for the kitchen.

“I hate waiting around for him to notice me. I’m fairly certain he’s having an affair. I don’t like the look of his assistant. She’s too…perky. They’ve been shacked up at the same Hilton the last two weeks for this tech deal he’s been working on. It doesn’t take a genius…”

She trailed off, making her way to the large dining room.

Will felt like he needed to say something to fill the silence. “If he cheats on you, Denise, the man is certifiably insane.”

She laughed, high and haughty, and pressed her hands down onto the expensive, marbled slab of wood. “He marriedme. That aloneprovesthe man is crazier than a shit-house rat.”

“Hey,” Will piped up. “You’re a beautiful woman with a generous soul. I don’t wanna hear you talking about yourself like that again, okay?”

“Sir, yes, sir,” she barked with a wink, putting up three manicured, ring-covered fingers to her upper forehead in a wonky military salute.

Will smiled at the bastardized attempt. “So, what’s on the agenda today?”

“Well,” she pointed behind her with a bony thumb, “today will just be the den, two of the guest rooms, and the upstairs bathrooms, mostly. Oh, and I have a few ladies coming over to, sort of, assess the services you offer. You know, to see if you’d be a good fit for them. More work-widows like myself, but ones withold money.” She leaned across the table, drinking in the sight of muscles bulging ever-so-slightly out of Will’s army costume. “One of them iscousinto asecondcousin of aRockefeller.” She whispered the last word like a dirty secret.

“Oh,” Will said flatly.

“They’ve been curious if you’re any good. I told them you’re fabulous, but they insist on seeing for themselves. I’ll pay an additional fee, of course.”

“I wasn’t going to ask—”

“No bother. Iinsist. More eyes, more money. Like in a gentleman’s club.” Denise snickered as if what she’d said was some kind of joke. “Most of these women just want to watch amanclean for once, and this beats the hell out ofthe bloody Mary brunch at the club.” Her eyes popped open wide. “Oh, that reminds me. Julio?!”

Will swallowed hard, looking around at the spotless dining room. There was almost never anything for him to truly clean in these expensive homes.

Denise shouted over her shoulder loudly. “Goddammit,Julio!”

A moment later, a small, middle-aged Latino man scuttled in with a potato in one hand and an old-school peeler in the other. His apron was crisp and freshly starched.

“Yes, ma’am?”

Will detected the slightest hint of a Cuban accent despite the man trying his best to hide it.

“Julio, fetch me a bloody Mary, would you, darling?” Denise never made eye contact with her servant, asking the question over her angora-covered shoulder pad.

“Yes, ma’am.” Julio bowed slightly and turned back toward the kitchen.

“Oh, and Julio?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Make it extra spicy.” She smiled at Will, back still turned to her chef.

“Of course, ma’am.”

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