Chapter 3

I covered my eyes, sneaking a peek through my fingers. "Mr. Leo Goodman, how could you think that of me? I really wasn't peeking."

"Don't make me say it again," Leo said.

I cursed Leo a thousand times in my mind as I began to rise. Then I slipped and plunged into the water.

I choked on several mouthfuls and instinctively seized Leo's arm.

His voice came from above, low and rough. "Release me."

I looked up and saw his face flushed with color, his lips slightly parted.

I swallowed hard, and when I realized what my hand had grasped, my face burned. I withdrew at once.

Seeing the intensity in Leo's eyes grow, I hurried to apologize, "I'm sorry, Mr. Leo Goodman."

"I do not accept insincere apologies," he said, his voice low.

Trying to please him, I picked up a grape from the fruit plate by the pool and held it up to Leo's lips.

A bead of sweat slid down from his temple and landed right on my fingertip, making me feel a little ticklish.

As I fed him the grape, my finger accidentally brushed against his soft, rosy lips. The touch felt like a jolt of heat, and I instinctively wanted to pull my hand back.

Then Leo drew the grape from my fingers into his mouth, and I felt the wet warmth of his tongue. It was as though a feather traced slowly across my heart, stirring a shiver that reached my core.

I yanked my hand back, scrambled out of the pool, and bolted for the door.

Hearing Leo's low chuckle behind me, I covered my face and ran faster.

Back in my room, it took me a while before my heart finally stopped racing.

But Tina still hadn't come back, and I couldn't help but worry.

I got to Hugo's room and knocked, but no one answered.

I opened the door and saw Hugo pinning Tina down, with broken glass everywhere on the floor.

My body moved before my brain could catch up. I grabbed a stool and was about to smash it over Hugo's head.

Hugo rose sharply, his gaze cold as ice. With a light squeeze, he reduced the stool to dust.

"It's a misunderstanding, Nancy. Come here. Mr. Hugo Goodman was trying to save me from getting hit by the lampshade," Tina called out.

I muttered an apology and took Tina by the hand. "Sorry, Mr. Hugo Goodman. I'm going to take Tina away now."

*****

From then on, each day I prepared Leo's coffee, groomed his coat, organized his desk, and scattered petals into the hot tub. Various forms of personal service.

Tina teased me, calling me an old-world servant. I retorted that she was no better. She ground coffee, made beds, and spent her hours at the gym attending to sweat and admiring Hugo's physique.

Half a month later, Hugo and Leo hosted a gathering at the estate and invited their circle.

Chefs hauled crates of premium provisions from the helicopter parked outside.

Before long, the estate was filled with young men and women in their finest attire.

For a time, the rooms rang with the clink of crystal and laughter.

A man in a garish pink shirt had finished greeting Leo when he pointed at me. "Leo, where did you find this charming little creature? Loan her to me for a few days."

Leo took a sip of champagne. "Leave. She is not available for loan."

"Do not be so miserly. I will include the cello I acquired at the auction," the man said.

The companion beside him stared in disbelief. "That is a centuries-old instrument crafted by a master. And you would trade it for a mere lesser bunny? Typical wastrel. Utter profligacy."

I grasped Leo's sleeve. He turned, and I looked up at him, frowning, tugging the fabric once more.

Leo smiled. "William, your women are numerous enough to fill a stadium. She is far too timid to contend with your kind."

William waved his hand with theatrical flair. "What poor taste in friends. You refuse to share, then slander my name."

Leo glanced at the man beside William. "He is tedious. Remove him."

The disturbance was considerable. I had already slipped behind Leo, pressing close against his back.

I stole a glance at the cakes on the buffet table, about to slip over for one, when Leo caught my floppy ears and gave them a playful rub.

I shook my ears, trying to dispel that shivery sensation. "That tickles. Release me."

Leo said, "Do not wander. Many of high bloodline are present today. If you wish for a treat, wait. I shall bring you something."

I cast a resentful glance toward the buffet, but then I saw several women hauling Tina toward the second floor.

While Leo was occupied in conversation, I slipped away and darted upstairs.

Unfamiliar voices drifted from one of the guest rooms.

"Who is that girl behind Leo? I have not seen him favor a female so in ages. I sent a photograph to Lydia. She flew back expressly for this gathering."

"Then we shall have a spectacle. When Lydia arrives, who knows what scene she will make?"