Page 14 of Wanted

Failure was not an option.

When I arrived at the mansion, it was so quiet I wasn't sure anyone was home, so I decided to use the time to look around. Maybe I’d be lucky and find the key to the office, or a sheet of paper with the safe passcode. Ha! Either way, snooping around would give me a better sense of the space and security, and I could always justify, if I were caught, that I was simply scoping out my cleaning work for the night.

I started in the kitchen, this time checking every drawer and cupboard for any keys instead of food. My search turned up empty on the key front, but I did discover a box of chocolate chip cookies, so score.

I made my way through hallways next, poking into the many rooms as I passed them. Most were guest bedrooms that looked like they'd never been used.

I took my time, keeping my search careful and quiet. Honestly, I was terrified of accidentally walking in on the Count while he slept. Somehow, I didn’t think he’d be pleased with that with all his comments about privacy.

But then, I could always say I was exploring and got lost, and since it wasn’t entirely untrue, it wouldn't count as a lie.

As if semantics mattered at this point.

By the time I got to the third floor, I was pretty convinced I wouldn’t find anything other than more bedrooms. There were a looooootttt of freaking guest rooms. Who knew so many people that you’d need this many rooms all at once? It was astonishing.

So, I was definitely not expecting what I found when I opened the third door down the hall on the left.

At first glance, it looked nearly identical to every other room I'd opened.

The fireplace. The ornate furniture. The fancy four-poster bed.

It differed only in one detail.

This fancy bed had a woman's naked body lying on it.

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For a moment, I thought she was dead. She looked so pale, so lifeless.

But then she moaned and opened her eyes, and I jumped back and let out a scream.

She sat up and her eyes widened when she saw me. "Who are you?" Then she shook her head and laughed. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I've got to get going."

She rose from the bed, still totally naked, collected her clothing from various spots around the floor and dressed quickly.

"Any message you'd like me to pass on?" I asked as she pushed past me to get out.

She paused and looked me up and down. "Not for him. But for you… if you have the chance, he's the best lay I've ever had. Highly recommend."

I stared at her, open-mouthed, and I tried to banish the thoughts her comment put into my head, but it was too late. I couldn't erase from my mind the fantasy of the Count and I together, naked, our bodies writhing as we pleasured each other.

She smiled like she could read my mind, then disappeared down the hall and down the stairs.

To take my mind off the Count, I decided to start my job a little early and began with tidying up the room that the woman had slept in.

It was hard to school my thoughts, and I kept vacillating from illicit fantasies of my own to wondering just why she’d stayed in a guest room instead of the Count’s.

Finally, frustrated and bothered, I gave up searching the rest of the house and returned to my own room.

When evening arrived, Leonard gave me the tour of the cleaning supplies and then walked me through the various areas, starting with those to be cleaned daily, then on to those simply to be aired out and dusted less often. Fortunately, I wasn’t expected to clean most of the bedrooms every day. That would've required a whole team of housekeepers, not just me.

The first time I cleaned the mansion, it took me over nine hours and by the end, I’d nearly rubbed my fingers raw.

My back ached and my cheek throbbed as I headed for the Count’s room. Leonard had stressed I save his for last. And finally, the last it was. With a yawn, I knocked on the door, and when he didn't answer, I let myself in.

An immaculate room stretched out before me, one already so clean I wasn’t sure what there was left to do other than maybe run a vacuum over the large oriental carpet. Perhaps, mop the exposed hardwood?

With echoes of my earlier fantasies threatening to parade once again in my head, I cast a quick eye at the bed. There weren’t any naked women hiding in it, and the deep blue silk sheets and comforter were neatly folded, the bed expertly made. The windows were covered with black-out blinds that left the room void of any natural light, and since Leonard told me to leave those alone, so I did.

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