Page 96 of Maid in Heaven

“I know,” he laughed, eyes bouncing to the floorboard and then back to her. “I just wanted you to know that.”

Ava stared at him for a long time before speaking.

“I love you, too.”

His fingertips caressed her bare thighs for a few seconds.

Ava leaned forward to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him back until he was on top of her.

Slowly, Will pressed himself into her, working his way slowly up to steady, fevered strokes. Ava moaned, throwing her head back against the window.

For the next hour, Will expressed his gratitude for Ava’s sultry displayin the studio…

Several times.

40

“That’s a bigdamnsign,”Will said,staring up at a billboard plastered with his muscular chest, gloved hands holding a bottle of cleaning fluid. The wordsMan Maid, Inc. were bright and bold across it, screaming out for attention in an embarrassingly affluent part of their small, mountain town.

Months had passed. The enterprise had been established. The paperwork was filed. The company was incorporated. Every “I”dotted and “T”crossed.

Now, they hoped their marketing campaign would start to pay its dividends.

“You really think this is gonna work?” Will asked.

“It’s going to work. These upper-class men are gonna hate having this here. Hell, they might even make us take it down. But in the meantime, their wives will see it. This thing willdo its job.” Ava smiled proudly and put her hands on her hips. “Wecast out our bait. Now wejust gotta waitfor the nibbles.”

Ava’s cell phone rang as if on cue. She glanced at the unfamiliar number and answered it,mustering her best impression of a professional receptionist.

“Man MaidIncorporated.” She smiled at Will and then looked up at the forty-foot six-pack of abs perched near the highway. “This is Ava. How can I help you?”

Epilogue

“Can I take offthe blindfold now? What’s with all the secrecy?”

Ava felt the rental car come to a full stop and heard Will kill the engine.

“You’ll find out here in a minute.”

The sound of wobbling posterboardflapped. Ava could feel the gentle breeze of it on her skin along with the setting afternoon sun through the window.

“Stay here in the car for a second, okay?” Will murmured.

Ava nodded, tempted to peek, torn by her love of surprises. As the car doors opened and shut, she decided it was best to keep the fabric on.

Faint whispers chattered outside, followed by scrambling footsteps in powder and the shuffle of the boards.

The door clicked open again, and she felt Will’s hand slip into hers. “Alright, honey, you gotta step down gently.”

Ava laughed. This all felt ridiculous. “What is going on?”

She felt him gently press his lips to hers for a soft kiss. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Ava let Will lead her out of the car and ten feet further through the frozen grass. She heard Starla, unable to control her chipmunk-like giggles.

“Stay here, okay? I’ll tell you when to take the blindfold off.”

“Seriously,guys! What’s going on?”Ava bobbed like she had to pee.

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