Southern Bite

Live-in maid wanted.

Located in New Orleans.

St. Charles Avenue.

Call (555) 610-6542.

This wasn’t my first choice, but my only choice.

The house reminded me more of a stone castle from the 1800s than the estate they claimed in the newspaper ad.

It made sense, seeing as it was located on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans.

I’d grown up here, though I knew very little about this part of town. This was where the richest of the rich lived, in homes built in another time, where families passed down estates and more money than they knew what to do with.

Swallowing the fear in my throat, I stepped onto the cobblestone driveway from the sidewalk.

I instantly missed the overhanging magnolia trees that had shaded me on my walk over from the bus stop. They gave me relief from the Louisiana heat.

Beaumont was printed in thick black lettering on their stone mailbox. I’d heard that name growing up; they were one of the more established families in New Orleans, though I didn’t know who they were, per se.

Phantoms, my great-grandmother called them.

She’d passed years before, and I knew she would have talked me out of this if she were still alive. But what choice did I have again? None. I had none.

I needed nine hundred dollars in two weeks to officially enroll for my online classes.

My parents died when I was young, and my grandmother, my mother’s mother, raised me. We never had much growing up, but I had what I needed, always.

Rubbing my sweaty palms down the length of my jeans, I exhaled sharply while stopping at the front door.

The intimidating black wood gawked at me, my reflection one of fear in the stained-glass window, a dark red lily painted in the center.

Before I lifted my hand to knock, the door swung open, and a squatty middle-aged woman answered the door.

She wore a typical maid uniform with a gray knee-length skirt and a matching gray shirt. Her name, Dorothy, was sewn onto a nameplate above her right breast.

“Emmaline Withers?” she asked, quirking a dark eyebrow.

She had a circular face and blue eyes that were sizing me up pretty heavily.

“That’s me,” I said.

Dorothy nodded, opened the heavy wooden door, and allowed me inside. The wooden floors sparkled like a toothpaste commercial, and the moody Victorian decor matched what I had in mind from the dark exterior.

A giant arched mirror sat on the opposite wall of a grand staircase. Ornate, dark wood moldings framed each wall, as far as I could see from the foyer.

“This place is beautiful,” I whispered.

Dorothy looked around, an unreadable look on her face. “The maid quarters are this way. As you know from my email, you’ll live here Monday through Saturday, and Sundays will be free. Mr. Beaumont agreed to allow you time in the evening to work on your studies online. There is a computer room upstairs. I’ll show that to you later.”

She led me through twisty and turvy hallways, back behind an industrial kitchen to a dimly lit entrance of the maids’ quarters.

With a skeleton key she took out of her pocket, she unlocked the door and led me down a long hallway.

“At the end of the hallway is our kitchen. We each have a small bathroom in our room. This one is yours.”

With her shoulder, she opened the door to a small bedroom with a twin-size bed, a nightstand with three drawers, and a closet.

“We have a commons area that we use on the first floor to watch TV in our downtime,” Dorothy said. "We’ve done a background check on you, and I have approved to add you to the staff; however, both brothers would like to meet you.”

“Brothers?” I asked.

Dorothy nodded. “Yes. Draven and Sebastian Beaumont. They both live here in the estate.”

“Oh,” I said, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind my ear. “I didn’t realize. I assumed it was a family in such a big place.”

Dorothy gave me a dry smile. “No, it’s just the two of them. If you're approved, you can go home to gather your clothes."

She left the room, and I assumed she wanted me to follow her, so I hurried after her quick strides.

“The Beaumont's are... peculiar,” she said before she opened the door. ”Just so you know.”

Just so I know? Peculiar how? I wanted to ask those questions, but I bit my tongue. Did it matter as long as they paid me? No, it didn’t.

Because I needed the money for school. I didn’t want to get sucked into a waitressing job right out of high school, and never gain the funds to go after my dreams of teaching.

Dorothy led me through the kitchen, where four people stood preparing a meal that made my mouth water.

She stopped abruptly at the grand staircase, her hand tight around the railing. “You must be sure you’re ready for anything here, Emmaline. OK? The Beaumont's will ask you to sign an NDA...”

“For a maid job?” I asked. “Are they famous?”

She only swallowed. “Please be sure before you sign it.”

“You’re making me nervous,” I chuckled, no humor in my laugh.

Dorothy nodded. “Good.”

She led me around the staircase on the first floor, down a long hallway with two giant double doors at the end.

Dorothy hit the flower door knocker against the door, and a rich southern voice answered. “Come in.”

Suddenly, I felt underdressed, and my head began to sweat. She led me inside the doors, into an equally gothic library.

The air from my lungs caught in my throat at the sight of the floor-to-ceiling shelves, the huge stained-glass window, and the black rug beneath our feet.

I hadn’t even realized we weren’t alone from the sheer beauty of the room until Dorothy said, “Emmaline Withers is here.”

Jerking my gaze away from the beautiful room, I noticed the brothers for the first time, and I instantly blushed.

This was not what I expected.

My imagination had been two old, single guys living together in their family’s estate.

And this was the furthest thing from that.

The brother standing hadn’t taken his gaze off mine. His ebony hair was thick, short on the sides, longer on top; his bright blue eyes were bright, framed by thick, dark lashes.

It was hard to look away from him.

“Thank you, Dorothy,” the other brother said from his high-back leather chair. “You can leave.”

I watched Dorothy leave, without looking at me, until she closed the door behind her.

Come back! This isn’t what I expected.

I turned to face them, finding both staring at me with quizzical looks. “Please have a seat, Emmaline. I’m Sebastian,” he said, offering me a handshake from across the desk.

Reluctantly, I walked over and took his hand in mine, freezing skin zapped electricity up my spine.

I jerked away, clasping my hands together in my lap as I sat.

The corner of Sebastian’s mouth tugged into a smile. “I run cold.” He ran his fingers through his long blond hair, his dark eyes a contrast to his brother, who still hadn’t spoken a word.

“This is Draven,” Sebastian said, jabbing his finger at his dark-haired brother.

I smiled, not receiving one in return. My face was ablaze, my body tense from the awkward encounter.

I wanted to run away from these strange, gorgeous men, but I didn't have that privilege. I needed this job.

Sebastian cleared his throat. “We issue a background check on all our staff. Dorothy performs them, and she said you’d be a great choice. You’re going to school, correct?”

Smoothing my hands down my jeans, I felt Draven’s eyes on the movement. “Yes. I start in two weeks.”

Sebastian nodded while gathering papers on his desk. “What are you going for?”

“I want to teach English,” I said.

I dared a look at Draven, judging his reaction, but he didn’t give me one. Sebastian smiled, showing a perfect row of teeth beneath his upper lip. “Great. I hope you make it through. In the meantime, here is an NDA I need you to sign. It just states that anything that happens in this house will not be spoken about outside these walls.”

I took the contract with shaky hands, watching Draven move quietly, folding his arms over his chest.

“I should probably read this before I sign?” I hated how it came out as a question.

Sebastian shrugged. “Sure. Have it back to me by tomorrow morning if you decide to stay.”

Nodding, I swallowed. “About pay...”

“A thousand a week,” Draven spurted out.

His voice sent heat between my thighs.

Wow, Emmaline. Get yourself together. Act like you’ve seen a nice-looking man before.

Sebastian glanced at his brother, and they held this silent conversation that I couldn’t read.

“That’s more than we agreed,” he told him.

Draven clamped his jaw. “One thousand a week. I’ll pay for it.”

A thousand a week was far more than I thought I would get working here. Why would he change the price?

A look traveled over Sebastian’s face, and he glanced at me with a mischievous smile. “I see, brother. I see. One thousand a week, Emmaline.”

How could I turn that down? I couldn’t. The truth was that it didn’t matter what this contract said because I had to take it.

“Wow. Thank you.”

Sebastian pursed his lips, stroking his jawline with the tip of his finger. “We are very private people, and everyone who works here is under strict orders to keep their mouths closed. Understand?”

My heart began to race, and I dared to joke with them to lighten the mood. “I can keep my mouth closed, unless you’re serial killers or something.”

The joke didn’t help lessen the tension, especially when they didn’t laugh or deny the accusation.

“Joking,” I mumbled softly, looking down at the contract.

Sebastian chuckled half-heartedly. “You can stay tonight while you read over the contract. If you finish before, just have Dorothy come get us, and if not, we’ll see you in the morning.”

“Sure,” I said, offering him a handshake.

I reached for his hand, but Draven moved over so quickly that I gasped. He blocked his brother’s hand and took mine in his. It was cold like his brother, but rougher, his gaze lighting me on fire.

Those blue eyes...

“See you soon,” I said, pulling away from him.

Both of their stares crawled over me as I left the room, daring a glance back when I shut the door.

Sebastian’s grin was wide and playful, but Draven’s gaze was heated. Lustful. Dominate.

I had no idea what Dorothy meant when she said they were peculiar, but I wasn’t expecting that.

With the contract in my hands, I walked back toward my room, my body warm, my heart racing.

I knew I had to accept this job. It was the only decent-paying job I’d found this entire summer.

Not to mention, I was completely curious about the brothers. I’d never met someone who lit me on fire with a look before.

I was sure he wouldn't have relations with some lowly maid, but he sure as hell looked interested.

I made it to the kitchen when Dorothy caught me. “You’re reading it first?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Good girl,” she said, sizing me up. There was a look of pure terror for me, but because I knew I had to accept this job, I didn’t ask why.

I smiled and walked right through the thousand red flags currently waving at me.