Chapter 4
Antoine
Iwatched the slipof a girl walk, more like scurry, back into the kitchen. Tapping my finger against my lips, I hummed.
“Well, she's far more delicious than any of the other maids we've had,” Draconius growled, his eyes lingering on the spot Piper Billings had been standing.
Leveling him with a stern glare, the side of my lip curls up in a snarl. “She is off limits.”
“But—”
“Do not make me repeat myself.” I picked up my wine glass and took a sip before sitting it back down. “We've gone through enough maids, we're lucky the agency sent us any others. They told us this would be the last one.”
Wynn snorted, lounging like a lazy wild cat in his chair. “And you're surprised?”
Moving my attention to him, I narrowed my gaze. “Do not pretend like you were not partially responsible for at least half of those maids leaving.”
“I said nothing of the sort.” Wynn gave me a lopsided grin. “I'm just implying that we probably shouldn't be trying to keep human pets where there are no humans.”
“I agree with, Wynn.”
My eyes shot to Rayne who seemed far too annoyed at the maid already. “Using your gift, I see. What did you hear in that little head of hers?”
Rayne tousled his red hair and sniffed. “She's already half in love with Wynn. It’s better to nip it in the bud before it bites us in the ass.”
The vampire in question shifted a shoulder up. “I cannot help it if women are naturally attracted to me.”
Glaring daggers at Wynn, Rayne growled, “They only want you because of your powers, not because you're such a catch, you self-absorbed snob.”
Wynn didn't bother to rebuke Rayne's accusations, which he wouldn't. A narcissist like him only loved one person: himself.
I had to agree with Rayne on this one. For all his immaturity in age, he did have a point. If Miss Billings was already well on her way to being in love with Wynn, then we had a problem. God, what I wouldn't give for a nun right about now.
Except Wynn could charm the habit off even the most astute servant of God.
Coming to a decision, I lifted my glass in Wynn's direction. “Wynn, you are forbidden to use your powers on this new maid.”
“Now hold on just a moment.” Wynn finally sat up in his seat, a bit of worry on his face. Good, he should be worried. “Why do you think my powers have anything to do with it? I can get a girl without resorting to magic.”
Draconius snorted. “Sure, you can.”
Wynn lifted a brow. “Is that a wager I hear in your voice?”
Allister, Draconius's twin brother sighed and shook his head. “I think you rely far too much on your abilities to get a woman the old-fashioned way. It takes patience, something you lack greatly.”
“I have a far greater chance than you.” Wynn pointed a finger at Allister. “You with your smooth-talking ways. You are crippled by that silver tongue of yours. There's no way you could get into a woman's pants or heart without speaking.”
I stifled a groan. Once these idiots set their minds on something it was hard pressed to get them to change it.
“You want to bet?” Allister sneered.
Rayne slammed his hand on the table as he stood. “I thought the point of this meeting was to agree that we weren't going to mess with the new maid, and here you three are, making bets on who could get into her pants the fastest without using your powers.”
Tired of listening to them squabble, I met Rayne's gaze. “Too true. Thank you, Rayne.” Glancing around the table, I made sure they were all paying attention to me before I continued. “No one at this table will be trying to do anything with Miss Billings. If you want a woman, do it out of the house. I will not have this household go to shambles because you cannot keep it in your pants.”
Rayne sat back down and sighed. “Why can't we just hire a cleaning service? They come in, clean, and leave. Why have a maid live on site at all?”
Giving Rayne a measured gaze, I tossed my hair over my shoulder. “Because we cannot have some outsider snooping around where their noses don't belong. Eventually, we will gain Miss Billings’ trust and then we won't have to tip toe around in our own home.”