Page 1 of His Property

CHAPTER1

Lola

She was beautiful, and cold, and blonde. And she most definitely wasnotMr. Winters.

I don’t know what it was I was expecting, really, freezing my ass off on that unseasonably cold morning. But as I stood on the front stoop of the massive, opulent home—my Monday morning assignment—encountering an ice queen with a jutting bosom and sparkling glacier blue eyes was not anywhere on that list of possibilities.

“Lola… interesting name. You’ve come with adequate references.” The woman’s voice was smooth, a tiny bit of rasp to it. Cultured. She flipped over the paper she held in her long, delicate fingers, giving it a cursory glance. Her gleaming nail polish was the color of a January night, just before the sunrise. “But so did the last girl we had cleaning for him.”

We?

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m… not like her though.” I hugged my utterly inadequate jacket about my frame, trying not to visibly shiver, the ends of my hair flapping in the wind. “You can trust me.”

Kara, the ‘last girl,’ had been a disaster. I’d already heard the story. My boss, Craig, had reassigned her, too soft-hearted to fire the flaky as hell woman on the spot. Though she definitely deserved just that. Slacking at any jobsite was never the brightest idea. Being caught jilling off in a client’s master bathroom while on the phone with one’s boyfriend was positively idiotic.

Which was precisely the reason why I was currently being turned into a Lola-sicle that very chilly morning.

Was she a girlfriend? Probably. She was certainly pretty enough for the job. She fit the part of a woman someone like Mr. Winters might like on his arm. Or in his bed.

The woman—she’d informed me that Alicia was her name—checked her watch, the polished silver catching the gray morning light. “I’ve got to get to the office.” Her azure gaze settled upon me, her plump crimson lips pursed for a moment. The platinum blonde of her ponytail stirred in the chill breeze. She was tall, far taller than me. Though I suppose her jet heels were part of the reason for that. The fitted business suit she wore was an onyx black so dark it seemed to soak up the surrounding light, perfectly showcasing the sweep of her hips, the nip of her slender waist—and those tits I could tell she was inordinately proud of. The woman was beautiful, and she knew it, and she seemed the sort who wasn’t above making sure everyone around her knew it, too.

Dammit.

Alicia folded the paper, stuffing it into the leather bag slung from her shoulder. “I was supposed to show you around, tell you where everything is, but I don’t have time.” She tilted her head slightly. “You’ve got the key, yes?”

I nodded, holding up the crumpled envelope Craig had pressed into my hand a half hour earlier.

“Then you’ll have to do the best you can.” Alicia shouldered by me, her heels a muted clacking on the stone walkway leading down to the street, the sway of her ass in her snug slacks eye-catching in a way that made me grind my teeth in irritation. She looked back over her shoulder, one hand on the wrought-iron gate leading out through the impenetrable, emerald hedge lining the expansive front lawn. “Hesometimes comes home early. I don’t expect you’re going to have a short day of it. The previous girl made a hash of the place, so you’ve got your work cut out for you.” The woman’s mouth thinned, her chin lowering just the slightest. “Don’t be surprised when he arrives. And for God’ssake, don’t try to talk to him. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I forced a smile. “He won’t even know I’m here.”

Alicia sneered. “That’s all I can hope for, I suppose.”

Then she was gone, the iron gate slamming shut behind her.

“Bitch,” I murmured, turning and unlocking the door. It swung open, letting in a surprisingly pleasing rush of warm air, scented with just a hint of something resembling cedar. The foyer was all pale marble and brass, and positivelydrippedmoney.

That morning as I’d stood rubbing my eyes—sleeping in bucket seats didn’t exactly afford one the best quality rest—Craig had been very clear, blunt even.

“Ellis Winters is one of our oldest—and best tipping—clients. He’s also an unreformed asshole. Keep your head down, do the very best work you know how—believe me, I’ll hear about it if you don’t—and then get out. I’ll work on getting a new girl for his account. If you’re lucky, this will be a one and done for you, and you’ll never have to clean there again.”

“Well, here goes nothing.”

Then I walked inside and began my daily toil.

CHAPTER2

Ellis

“I don’tcareif Logistics says it’s not part of the GSA contract. It’s a ten-year guaranteed lock-in, minimum, once we’re on the preferred vendor list. So, make it happen. If I have to call undersecretary Hanlon myself, I will—but it’s going to be your fucking ass if I do. You reading me on this, Jack?”

“Mr. Winters, with respect, sir, it’s not that simple. We can’t just tell them to add us as a preferred vendor. We’ve got to win the bid first—and that installation isnotin our existing contract. Which means we’re already on the outside looking in this close to the termination of the bidding window. Then we’ve got to hope we don’t get undercut on the back end once Waverly—or even Baker/Taggart—get wind of what we’re offering…”

I pulled my Audi into the driveway entrance, leaning out to punch in the gate code, while my DoD accounts chief sputtered excuses into my ear. I pulled the phone away as I waited for the heavy barrier to swing open. I yelled into the receiver. “Just get it done! I don’t care what arms you have to twist. I don’t care whose ass you have to kiss. Take them to fucking dinner and strippers afterward for all I care.Closethe deal. Get us in.” I ended the call, throwing the phone onto my passenger seat, cursing under my breath.

My head was pounding. I hadn’t been originally intending to do more than come home for lunch, for a tiny bit of peace and quiet, but after the dumpster fire of a morning I’d had thus far, an afternoon in the home office seemed just about the only thing I could stand at the moment.

The contract with the Department of Defense for servicing of the standing forces in the Western Pacific wasn’t the most lucrative of the contracts outstanding, but it was close. And unlike the other theaters, save perhaps Germany, it was easily the most stable. We would be stupid not to do anything we could to get it.

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