Page 40 of House Rules
Images of the girl Maverick was with last night flips through my head. Rachel. The second I put the name and the face together, I see her: her long hair braided and coiled into a bun, in her resort housekeeping uniform as she pushes a cart.
I nod and take another sip of coffee. “Oh yeah, her. What about her?”
“Well, she didn’t show up for her shift this morning. and we figured she was just going to be late, or another no-call/no-show…which has been happening a lot lately…” She pauses for dramatic effect, giving me an arch look.
“Right,” I say, trying to urge her on.
“Well, Richard, the shift manager downstairs is taking no-call/no-shows pretty seriously now. At least that’s what he says. So he went to go check on her—between you and me, I think he just wanted an excuse to go to her house, maybe hoping that she’d apologize for being late with a blowjob—he’s just so skeevy… But anyway, did I tell you about?—”
I hold up a hand to stop her forward momentum, my brain hurting as I try to follow her various tangents. “Wait, what happened when he went to Rachel’s house?” I ask.
Focus, sweetie.
“Oh right, well, she wasn’t there, but her car was, and the place was trashed. Richard looked all around for her, and then he found her body in her own trunk.”
“Oh my God, really?” I drop into a seat at a table, setting the coffee mug down carefully in front of me. My hands are shaking, and I slide them beneath the table so she can’t see them.
Should I tell her Rachel was here last night? Did Maverick do something to her? He is strong, and it’s no secret that he likes it rough. Could he have pushed too far and actually hurt her?
Do I need to report this to Conrad’s father? Or maybe his assistant?—
“Oh, and apparently there are these shady guys hanging around outside. Richard had security run them off a few times, but they keep coming back.”
“Really?” I ask, only half paying attention, my mind still on Rachel.
“Yeah, I saw them the other day. They’re creepy looking…definitely not the kind the manager wants hanging around. One of them has one of those nineteen-seventies porn star moustaches… You know, the kind that make you think the guy shouldn’t be allowed in a school?” She laughs a little.
Har-har.“Pedo-Stash,” I mutter under my breath.
“Omg, yes! It’s a pedo-stash. You are sooo funny,” Sarah gushes. She lingers, unloading her cart. “So what’s it like up here? Do you think they’ll need any more help? Like when you’re off or something?”
I am saved from answering by two naked women coming out of Con’s room, and one fully dressed woman leaving Storm’s.
“I don’t know. I’ll ask. But you might want to head out…” Rising, I cup Sarah’s elbow in my hand and guide her toward the door. “The guys don’t enjoy seeing the staff around after they’re supposed to leave. They’re very private. That’s why they have their own dedicated team.”
“Oh, no. It’s okay, really, Maverick and I have history?—”
“Maverick has history with half of the women that work in this resort.” I say, maybe a little too cruelly, but I need to get her out of this room.
She makes a huffing noise and turns on her heel as if I offended her. I probably did. I push the button for the elevator and wave as the doors close on her sulky expression.
I also might have just saved her life, so she’s welcome.
Storm is the first of the guys to emerge from his room. He stops in the middle of the kitchen with that same knife still in his hand as he tosses it end-over-end, somehow managing to catch the hilt each time. He looks me up and down, raising a single dark blond eyebrow.
“You know, if Con or Maverick sees you in that?—”
“Con and Maverick will not be awake for hours still. I just wanted to be comfortable while I had my breakfast. It’s so hard to tidy up in heels. I’ll go change.” I try to move past him, but his hand darts out and grabs my wrist, stopping me.
“It’s fine for now,” he says, his intense blue eyes locking on mine. I can’t look away, his gaze holding me more captive than his hand on my wrist. It’s like he sees right through me, sees every secret hiding and considers it his mission to unearth them, one by one.
His scrutiny makes the breath seize in my throat.
It’s funny. Out of all the Titans, Maverick gets the most female attention because he’s the biggest. He’salso the most outgoing. The charmer, with a cheeky smile hinting at the fun waiting to be had.
Conrad is nearly as popular, that pure alpha male energy he exudes drawing women of all ages and backgrounds. They want his bad-tempered authority, have this innate need to please him or conquer him, as the case may be.
Atticus is quieter and more reserved, but possesses his own kind of magnetism. He’s always perfectly groomed, his hair cut tight to his head and his clothing buttoned and creased with precision. Women look at Atticus and want to know what he’s like when he unleashes that tight control he maintains all the time. When he focuses it on a woman instead of his environment.
