Pendelton Manor (2 page)

“Yes, I’m sorry. I took a wrong turn out of Pendelton then the storm slowed me down. I knocked, but when no one answered, I came in.” Sophie wished the floor would open up and swallow her. It was mortifying being the object of attention from four people she’d never met, and even more embarrassing after what she had witnessed.

“I don’t care why you’re late, just that you are. If you’re bothered by what you witnessed, you have only yourself to blame. I’m sure Adam, James and Nora thought you weren’t coming today.”

“Lighten up, Adrian. It wasn’t her fault she had trouble getting up here. She hasn’t lived here her whole life like we have. I’m Adam Pendelton, your employer’s cousin and one of the residents in this monstrosity.”

Sophie took Adam’s outstretched hand, glad that he had dressed before introducing himself. His hair was coal black, like Adrian’s, and the family resemblance could be seen in their square jaws, and the shape of their mouths, but where Adrian’s eyes were a cold black, Adam's were a warm brown.

“It’s nice to meet you. I apologize for interrupting your… er,”

“Forget it, sweetheart. We like an audience. Feel free to ogle us whenever you want. I’m James Shea and I’ve known the Pendeltons since the three of them rescued me from school yard bullies in the first grade. We’ve been inseparable ever since. This is a good friend of ours, Nora Chambers.”

Sophie felt more at ease already. James’ green eyes warmed when they looked at her, making her feel as welcome as Adam’s smile. Nora’s welcoming handshake and knowing glint in her blue eyes also worked to set her at ease.

“If you’re done with the pleasantries, maybe Adam, you could show Ms. Turner to her room,” Adrian said sardonically. “Ms. Turner, I’ll meet with you in my office in one hour. Try not to be late.”

“Don’t worry, Sophie, you’ll get used to the resident grouch. Did you leave your luggage out in your car?” Adam asked.

“Yes, but I can get it later. It’s still raining.”

“We’re used to that around here this time of year. We’ll pull your car around to the garage and grab your luggage. Come on, James.”

“Welcome to Pendelton Manor, Sophie.” James winked at her then followed Adam down the hall and out into the stormy late afternoon without a qualm.

“Don’t care for storms, huh?” Nora asked when Sophie cringed at the next loud burst from Mother Nature.

“Stupid, I know. I’ve had a fear of storms since I was a kid. I’m sure I’ll get used to the weather here, though.” Sophie rubbed her arms as a chill went through her.

“Come on,” Nora said as she headed toward the staircase. “I’ll take you to your room and as soon as the guys bring up your things, you can get dried off before meeting with Adrian.”

“This is a gorgeous home,” Sophie commented as they ascended the wide staircase, her hand running lightly over the polished wood banister.

“Arthur Pendelton, Adrian, Adam and Ash’s great-grandfather, built it over a hundred years ago. Ownership has passed down to the eldest son ever since. That would currently be Adrian, your new boss.”

“I’m detecting a pattern with the names beginning with A.”

“Something the guys all swear they’ll change if they ever have children.” When they reached the second floor, Nora pointed down the hall to the left. “Adam and Ash’s rooms are down there, yours is this way.” Turning right on the wide landing, she led her past two closed doors to the third at the end of the hall. “That stairwell goes up to the third floor which is entirely Adrian’s. There’s also an elevator that goes from the first floor directly to the third.”

“He occupies the entire third floor himself? That must be over three thousand square feet.” Even after working in the Tremaine’s huge mansion for seven years, Sophie couldn’t imagine a single bedroom suite that size.

“Each floor is three and a half thousand square feet and the solarium and enclosed pool added on to the back is close to two thousand. You’ve got your work cut out for you keeping this place looking good. Here you go.”

Sophie followed Nora into the spacious bedroom falling in love with the room immediately. Pale mint green walls and carpet contrasted beautifully with the dark woodwork framing the doors and two large windows on each side of the bed. The bedspread and matching curtains were in a mint green, dark brown and rose print which brightened the room considerably. “This is beautiful,” she commented as she took in the matching dresser and small sitting area with two stuffed chairs in the same print positioned in front of a small television.

“Nicole did a lot of redecorating when she moved in here. The bathroom’s over there.”

“Nicole was Adrian’s wife?” she asked, saving checking out the bathroom for later as curiosity about the late Mrs. Pendelton took hold.

Nora nodded her head, a look of sadness filling her eyes. “Yes, and one of my best friends. Nicole, Rachel and I were as close as Adrian, his cousins and James are. I still miss her.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. She must be the reason you know so much about the family.” That and the fact that Nora was on intimate terms with not only one of the Pendeltons but their best friend also. Her mind and her body were still focused on what she had witnessed and she was finding it difficult to put that scene aside. Unlike most college age girls, Sophie had been too busy working full time while taking a full load at school to have much spare time for boys, let alone a sexual relationship. A one night stand her freshman year divested her of her virginity, a six month affair with a senior the following year in which the most time they had together was a few hours once a week, if that, and the one night stand the summer before her senior year that resulted in Emily’s birth were the total sum of her experiences in the bedroom. In the past four and a half years, her life had first revolved around making a living for her and Emily with the hopes of someday returning to school to finish her degree in Interior Design, followed by simply getting through the days while coping with the crushing grief from losing her to an inoperable brain tumor. There had been no time or thought given to anything or anyone other than her daughter.

“We’ve known the guys since high school,” Nora said wondering what had caused the brief glimpse of despair on Sophie’s face before she masked it. “We were just freshman, and the Pendeltons and James were the hottest seniors in school as well as coming from the most prominent family around.”

Sophie smiled, remembering what it was like to have a crush on an older boy in high school. “It must be nice to have stayed friends all these years.” Remembering that Nora, Adam and James were more than friends, she felt herself blushing, again.

Nora laughed, a knowing glint shining in her blue eyes. “Oh, the seven of us eventually became more than friends, as you saw earlier. You didn’t seem too flustered about walking in on a ménage. I hope that means we don’t have to curtail our fun for you.”

Not wanting to start off on the wrong foot with anyone associated with her new employer, Sophie hastened to reply, “No, of course not. I mean, I’ll try to leave you some privacy in the future. I was just so shocked, you know?”

“You’ll get used to it,” Nora said as Adam and James entered the room, each carrying a large suitcase.

“Get used to what?” Adam asked as he set her bag on the bed.

“Us.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, Sophie,” Adam replied, grinning mischievously. “Wait until Ash and Rachel return at the end of the week. Then you’ll really blush.”

“Leave her alone you two. She’s got enough to deal with right now.” James set the bag he had brought up on the bed before also giving Sophie’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Do you know where Adrian’s office is?”

“The first door to the right as I go back downstairs. Nora pointed it out to me. Thank you.” Sophie appreciated his intervention with Adam’s teasing. Her mind and body were still coming to grips with the scene she had watched and her physical reaction to their erotic play. She couldn’t imagine adding two more people into the foray nor did she want to think about coming across her boss engaged with Rachel or Nora. During her brief introduction to Adrian, she had felt a combination of fear and attraction, neither one a promising start to their working relationship. “I better get changed into a dry shirt and get down there before he becomes even more displeased with me.” She shuddered at the thought of his reaction if she was late for their meeting.

“Don’t worry, Sophie,” Adam said as the three of them started out of her room. “Big cousin’s bark is worse than his bite. You’ll get used to him.”

Fifteen minutes later, Sophie was hoping Adam was right as she knocked tentatively on the closed door to Adrian’s office five minutes early. Having changed into a dry shirt and dried her hair did little to warm her inside where she felt chilled at the thought of those cold black eyes.

“Enter.” The unexpected anticipation and arousal Adrian felt at seeing his new housekeeper again was as welcome as a surprise snowstorm in April. He had neither the time nor the inclination to pursue any type of relationship, especially with an employee. He had thought replacing his previous, middle aged, married housekeepers with a younger, unattached woman would better the odds of her sticking around once she discovered the sexual goings on around here. A younger woman was apt to be more open minded, maybe even interested in participating, thus ensuring she stuck around here longer than a few weeks.

What he hadn’t anticipated was his reaction to his new employee. Ever since Nicole’s death a year ago, he hadn’t wanted anything from any woman. The occasional blowjob from Nora or Rachel was enough for him for now. His wife’s infidelity and subsequent death had left him with a raw, festering wound that had yet to heal, leaving him with no desire to seek anything more. Even though his love for Nicole had died long before her death, the sight of her broken body on the ragged rocks haunted him. No matter how much he had hated her at the end, she didn’t deserve to die like that.

But there it was again as Sophie entered at his bidding. That unfamiliar kick to the gut when he looked into blue eyes that were as haunted as his memories and a lush mouth that would look and feel fucking awesome wrapped around his cock.

“Right on time. Have a seat, Ms. Turner.” For the life of him he couldn’t figure out why his reaction to her was so strong. At barely five five, she was average height, with a nice, but nothing spectacular figure topped with a face that would pass as cute, but not beautiful. Now that her hair was dry, it curled around her shoulders in thick waves, the color reminding him of caramel candy, the brown streaked with gold making it possibly her most attractive feature. But the memory of how her face looked when she had walked in on the threesome earlier, how her eyes had widened with interest and arousal, how she had stayed rooted in the doorway instead of running back out the door in mortification, had his cock hardening, pushing against his slacks for release and satisfaction.

“Please, call me Sophie,” Sophie replied as she slipped into the stiff backed chair facing his wide, mahogany desk. An hour had done nothing to lesson his appeal or thaw the coldness in his eyes as he looked at her. “I want to apologize again for being late and for interrupting…”

“No one cares about you catching them having sex, Sophie, so don’t worry about it. However, if you ever decide to join in with a scene, make sure it’s on your own time. Now, I’m sure you’ve noticed how large my home is which is why I employ a full time housekeeper. You will be my first live-in employee as I’ve seemed to have gone through all the available ones in this area. As you’ve learned already, they left because they didn’t like the activities they stumbled upon. I’m assuming that won’t be a problem for you?” he asked coolly wanting to get everything out in the open now that the ice had been broken.

“No, no that won’t bother me, especially since I won’t be taken by surprise the next time. Since I don’t plan on joining them, I’ll try to stay out of their way.” It hadn’t occurred to her that what she had witnessed was a regular activity around here or that the option to participate was going to be made until he mentioned it, but when he did, she was surprised to picture herself with him instead of Adam or James, a thought that left her uneasy and embarrassed even though he couldn’t know what she was thinking.

Adrian wondered if she knew how much her face gave her away. Her pink cheeks indicated embarrassment, but the way her eyes shifted away from him as her tongue darted out and moistened suddenly dry lips was a very telling gesture, one his cock loved but his mind shoved aside.

Dropping the subject for now, he proceeded to tell her about the mansion, what he liked done and how he wanted it done. He gave her a charge card to use for household expenses and groceries after assuring her neither he nor his cousins expected anything fancy for dinner, simple meals would suffice.

“That’s good because my cooking experience was limited to helping the Tremaines cook. I picked up enough to put together casseroles and a few other meals. Will there just be the three of you?”

“Make enough to feed at least six, that way if James or one of the girls is here there will be enough. If we’re all here, we’ll fend for ourselves after finishing whatever you’ve made. Come on,” he said as he rose from behind the desk. “I’ll give you a quick tour and you can spend the rest of the evening getting settled.”

After pointing out his cousin’s office and the library, both in the same hall as his office and the den, Adrian led her down the hall to the right of the staircase to a massive kitchen and dining area. The old world charm of the mansion was evident in the huge stone fireplace which took up one wall, original wood beams on the ceiling and a still usable dumb waiter that stopped at both the second and third floors.

“We haven’t used this in years, but it still works,” Adrian said as he showed her how it operated.

“I love the way you’ve kept the old in this kitchen and blended it with the new. It would’ve been a shame to gut this kitchen and modernize all of it.” As it was, the modern stainless steel appliances, black granite countertops and the pot filler over the six burner gas stove fit nicely against the red brick backdrop around the counters and against the gray stone floor.