Glaring daggers into his back, I followed him into a large dining room with an even bigger chandelier than the one in the foyer. A long mahogany table big enough to sit twelve filled most of the room. Five of those spots were already taken, and surprisingly, Wynn was not at the head of the table.
A deep voice with a heavy European accent came from the man sitting at the head of the table. “Rayne, there you are.” The man had long blonde hair and pale eyes that even from here were striking. When I stepped into the room from behind Rayne, the man frowned. “And you must be Miss Billings.”
I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I felt even less of a welcoming feeling from this man, clearly the leader of the brothers, than from Rayne or Darren. Unable to handle his stare, I folded my hands in front of me and ducked my head.
“Yes, thank you for having me in your home.” I had the sudden urge to curtsy but didn’t want to embarrass myself even further.
The man snorted. “You act as if you are a guest and not someone we hired. While I’m sure my brother, Wynn, has filled your head with all kinds of daydreams of your life here, I want to make sure you are clear in your duties.”
I nodded. “I understand of course. I won’t—”
“First rule. Do not speak unless I ask a question and then your answer should be straight to the point. No excuses and no long-winded stories.” He glared at Wynn who pretended not to notice him. “Second, what happens in this house stays in this house, understood?”
I opened my mouth to answer him and then clamped it shut and simply nodded. It wasn’t surprising they would want privacy. An NDA was usually required by most jobs. The fact that they hadn’t made me sign one yet spoke volumes to their household. Either one of three things were happening.
One, the employees were so loyal to these men that they wouldn’t dare say anything. One look around the room at the faces that had my panties wanting to evaporate right there made that answer pretty likely.
Or two, the other employees feared them which was just as likely from the way Darren had reacted to Wynn earlier and the way this one was putting off airs of a total tyrant.
And thirdly, the house could be total dullsville. Not likely with all this testosterone filling the room but it could happen. I bet they had revolving doors for their bedrooms.
I forced back a delightful shiver and made myself pay attention to the words he was saying. The man could read off a grocery list, and I’d orgasm, I swear.
The tyrant continued, not noticing my daydreaming, “Lastly, you will have a list of chores sent to your room each night for the following day. They are expected to be completed by the end of that day. Any that are not finished, you will have to add to your chores for the following day.” The expression on his face told me he clearly expected me to finish each day’s chores on that day.
Jesus, who shit in this guy’s coffee? All fantasies I had about this guy just went down the toilet.
The man leaned back in his seat, his fingers placed into a steeple. “Now, I believe introductions should be made simply for convenience’s sake. I don’t expect you to socialize with any of us outside of what is expected for your work. Clear?”
Again, I nodded. This time, however, I was a bit more annoyed. This guy is really getting on my nerves.
“I, of course, am the eldest of the household. My name is Antoine Durand. You may call me Master Durand, but never just Antoine.” His sharp tone made me want to flinch, but I curled my hands into fists, forcing myself not punch him in his stuck-up face.
“Here to my right is Marcus. He is the second oldest.” Antoine pointed toward a large man with his hair buzzed down until there was only fuzz on top. He had a hard look to him that made me believe he wouldn’t break the rules like Wynn.
“Next to Marcus is Wynn, which you have met already, the middle child.” He rolled his eyes as Wynn grinned and winked at me.
It took everything in me not to blush and respond back in some way, but I had a feeling I would not earn any points with Antoine if I did. Master Durand. I reminded myself. Better get used to it now, so I didn’t fuck up and call him by his name out loud.
Pointing a finger at the redhead next to me, Antoine scowled. “And Rayne you met already as well. He is the youngest.” Continuing down the line, he pointed at a pair of twins on his left side. Both men had dark hair and a smile that made a dimple appear in their cheeks. “Draconius and Allister. They’re the second youngest. Stay out of their way unless you want to be at the butt of their pranks.”
The twins gave me matching sinister smirks that made my body react in an odd fashion. It was half fear and the other attraction? Not surprising since each brother was just as gorgeous than the last. I would think any female would have trouble not being attracted to them.
One of them, leaned forward on the table and growled, “Call me Drake.”
Was it getting hot in here?I had the sudden urge to take a cold shower.
With all the introductions out of the way, Antoine stared at me expectantly. “Do you have any questions?”
I shook my head. “No.” What I really wanted to ask was if he needed help taking that stick out of his ass, but I didn’t want to get fired on my first day. I was lucky the vase incident hadn’t got me booted out the door. The fact that Darren wasn’t there just waiting for the word was unexpected.
As if listening to my thoughts, the tight-lipped butler appeared in the doorway on the other side of the room. “Dinner is ready.”
Antoine inclined his head. “Very well. Darren, I expect you to show Miss Billings where she can eat her meals and teach her the rest of the house rules.”
And with that, I was dismissed.
Darren didn’t wait for me but marched back through the door he came. My eyes slid to the table in front of me, curiosity getting the best of me, but they didn’t have any plates or silverware anywhere. Did they eat with their hands?
I didn’t have long to stare at my new employers before Antoine locked that intense arrogant gaze back on me once more. “Did you need something else, Miss Billings?”
“No, no, sir. I mean, Master Durand.” I stumbled over my words, irritated that there were even rules on how I was to address them.
Irritation covered Antoine’s face, and he waved his hand at me. “Then get out.”
Nodding again, I hurried after Darren, but Antoine’s voice stopped me at the door. “And do try not to break anything else, Miss Billings.”
Groaning, I realized I hadn’t quite gotten off scot-free. I had a feeling this job was not going to be boring or easy. Lucky me.