Pendelton Manor (3 page)
Adrian remembered the argument he had with Nicole when she wanted to do just that. It had been just one of many disagreements they had had over their seven year marriage. The appreciation he saw on Sophie’s face for the antique charm of his home was a welcome change from the disdain Nicole constantly showed after they had married. She hadn’t been happy when she discovered that marrying him didn’t mean he was going to change his ways, especially when it came to preserving his family home.
“I insisted my wife work with a restoration expert when she remodeled anything in the house. Come on, I’ll show you the one exception I made for her.”
By the closed look on his face, Sophie figured any reminder of his wife still caused him pain, something she could sympathize with. Following him out of the kitchen, he led her down to the end of the hall where a wall of glass was the only thing that separated the original part of the mansion from the solarium. Without entering the plant filled, glass enclosed room, Adrian pointed out the two bathrooms on the far side of the pool.
“That’s about all you’ll have responsibility for in this room. James takes care of all the plants, both inside and out and I have a pool service that includes keeping windows and floors clean. Any questions?”
“No, thank you for the tour. Should I let you know before I go up to clean your floor?” It was obvious her new boss wasn’t anxious to spend any more time in her company than necessary, and right now that was fine by her. While she credited her attraction to her boss to her heightened libido after viewing the scene earlier, she had no rational reason for this unaccustomed desire she felt to ease the pain she saw in his cold, dark eyes. Hopefully it was something as simple as having empathy for someone who had experienced the loss of a loved one, someone who knew how that loss could devastate you.
“That won’t be necessary. Set aside one day a week to clean the third floor and I’ll make sure I stay out of your way. One other thing, Sophie.”
“Yes?” she asked when he paused as he looked down at her broodingly.
“This house sits on the edge of the cliffs which makes it unsafe for you to go walking around away from the yard after dark. Only those of us who have lived here our whole life and are familiar with the terrain and the drop offs venture out at night or early morning.”
Sophie thought she had read that Nicole had been raised in Pendelton and had been a frequent guest of the family since college, and yet she had still managed to fall to her death. “I’ll remember that and keep my walks to the daylight hours.”
“See that you do.”
Chapter Two
Sophie had been hoping the stress of the past day would have made her tired enough to fall asleep without a problem, but she soon discovered she wasn’t going to be that lucky. The storm had finally abated and from what she could see out her windows, nothing but a light rain remained from the raging tempest. The soft sound of it splashing against the window was actually soothing, which was more than she could say about her new surroundings. The tour Adrian had given her was mind boggling and she was really wondering how one person could keep up with this place. As much as the daunting task of doing just that seemed impossible, she was actually looking forward to the challenge. Being a housekeeper for the wealthy had never been a long term plan of hers, just a means to an end while she got through school. But fate had a way of screwing with plans, and here she was at twenty-seven still working the same job she had begun in her teens when Shirley, her last foster parent, had allowed her to earn extra money by helping out with her housecleaning business. She had even allowed Sophie to remain living in her home after she turned eighteen so she could afford to go to school. Two years later, Shirley had agreed to take in two more teenagers and had given her the Tremaine account knowing that the guest cottage would be available to her and she would be able to continue with school, albeit at a slower pace.
But after Emily’s birth, she hadn’t been able to go back to school right away. Childcare was too expensive and she had been so enthralled with her daughter, with having someone to love, someone who needed her for the first time in her life, that she had wanted to spend as much time as possible with her while she was young. But again fate intervened, and a year later Emily was diagnosed with a brain tumor and even though everything was tried to save her life, she watched her daughter slowly die over the next six months, and with her went every hope, every dream she had for their future. Emily’s death had left a yawning abyss in her life, the void causing a black chasm of never ending despair that she was constantly fighting against falling into, afraid she wouldn’t get back out.
For the past two years she had been going through the days mechanically, doing nothing but working and grieving, her only outlet the monthly grief counseling sessions she attended for parents who had lost a child. The saying, ‘misery loves company’, was so true, and, as awful as it always sounded, she drew comfort from knowing she wasn’t the only one suffering every parent’s worst nightmare. It was her friends in this group that had encouraged her to get away, start over someplace new, someplace away from the memories. She was lucky, she wasn’t tied down and there was nothing, and no one to keep her in Phoenix. Emily’s father had been a one-time encounter, they had used a condom, and he had failed to believe she was his daughter. That didn’t bother Sophie because that meant she could have Emily all to herself, even if it had been for just a short while.
Sophie turned from the window and crawled into bed finding the mattress soft just like she liked them. Sinking down, she stretched out, loving all the room the queen size bed afforded her. The sheets were soft against her bare legs and arms, the room lit dimly by a small night light and the sound of soft rainfall soothing. Getting to sleep at night was the hardest part of the day for her, the quiet solitude of the night reminding her of how she used to listen for every sound coming from Emily. But tonight, she found herself remembering the sounds of three people having sex, the snap of leather against bare flesh, the soft feminine cries of pleasure, the deeper masculine groans of release. How long had it been since she had allowed herself to feel any pleasure, lost herself in the ecstasy of an orgasm? While her two one night stands were anything but memorable experiences, her short affair with Mitch had given her many nights of pleasure. Even though their couplings were few and far between and they rarely had more than an hour to spend together when they did manage to meet, Mitch had always made sure he gave her pleasure and after seeing that remembered pleasure reflected on the faces of Nora, Adam and James, she had been reminded of how much she had enjoyed being with a man. But she didn’t remember feeling such intense ecstasy as to make her scream like Nora did, making her wonder what she was missing.
Sophie actually felt her pussy clench emptily as she tried to imagine being taken by two men, of experiencing a climax so great she screamed with the consuming pleasure. It was so beyond her realm of experience she simply couldn’t fathom it. It had been obvious to her, as well as the men she was sure, that the pain from the strokes of James’ belt had only added to Nora’s pleasure, that somehow the sting from the skin reddening slashes had heightened her arousal to an extreme Sophie couldn’t comprehend.
Slipping her hand into her panties, Sophie wasn’t surprised to find her sheath wet, but she was surprised at how quickly just one stroke of her finger over her clit had her arching up for more, had her juices increasing to the point of seeping out and coating her thighs. She hadn’t touched herself sexually since before Emily fell ill and if she didn’t want to be honest with herself, she would credit that long drought with her swift arousal. But she was honest with herself, and she knew abstinence played a minor role in her quick response to that light touch and that most of her arousal stemmed from picturing herself in Nora’s place, of trying to imagine how she would respond to being spanked or double fucked.
The next slow stroke, done with a little more pressure, had her shutting off her reasoning and concentrating simply on finding enough pleasure to help her slip into sleep. With her other hand, she raised her night shirt until she cupped her breast, the pointed nipple stabbing her palm as she kneaded her soft flesh. Unable to prevent a soft moan from escaping, she arched into her hand as she inserted two, then three fingers, the digits sliding easily inside her with the aid of her gushing moisture. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she finger fucked her pussy with slow, deep strokes, mimicking at first the slow, deep thrusts of Adam’s cock into Nora’s mouth while picturing herself in Nora’s place.
Rasping her clit with her thumb, she felt the beginning tremors of release, felt the clutching of her vaginal walls around her fingers as she rolled her nipple between two fingers like she had seen Adam doing to Nora. Gasping, she still had enough of her senses to realize and admit to the added stimulus caused by giving those sensitive buds more attention than they’ve ever had before. Switching to her other breast, she gifted that nipple with the same treatment, pinching to just the point of pain before shying away from testing her limits that far, but gaining enough pleasure that she felt it zing from her nipple down to her pussy, eliciting another gush of moisture around her pumping fingers.
Unable to hold back any longer, she increased her thrusts, going in hard and deep while her thumb pressed against her aching clit, back and forth until she was writhing against her hands as she fought to keep from crying out as the climax exploded inside her long deprived body. Her body shook with the convulsions, spasms that were enhanced by the image of her sucking on a hard dick while another hard cock took her from behind. But instead of James being the one in her fantasy to fuck her, it was her cold, brooding boss gripping her hips and taking her with slow, deep, orgasm inducing thrusts.
Lost in the fantasy and the sensations it was helping to create, Sophie rode out the pleasure until she had wrung every drop from it and exhausted herself to the point she slipped easily into sleep, enjoying the feel of her fingers still embedded in her tight pussy.
Sophie woke to the sun shining brightly into her room, the sound of birds chirping and the surf coming onto shore in smooth rolling waves, a welcome contrast to the dark, angry skies and loud crashing surges from the storm yesterday. Anxious to make a better impression today than she had yesterday, she quickly bounced out of bed, rummaged through the dresser where she had put her clothes last night and headed into the bathroom to wash up and dress. As her bare feet sank into the carpet, she marveled at the size of her room and bathroom. The two together were the size of her entire studio cottage on the Tremaine estate, and she knew she was going to enjoy having this private haven to herself in this huge mansion.
A high pitched squeal of laughter echoed in the hallway as she stepped out of her room fifteen minutes later. Down the hall, Nora came running naked out of a room, her pink buttocks bouncing as she tried to escape Adam who was hot on her trail. Adam, naked and sporting a huge hard on, grabbed Nora around the waist from behind and with little effort turned her and flipped her over his shoulder.
“Morning, Sophie. Don’t mind her. If she didn’t want a session with my paddle, she shouldn’t have smarted off.”
“You moron, I didn’t… OW!” Nora yelped when Adam smacked her ass sharply adding to the red hue before turning back towards his room, giving Sophie a good view of his taut buttocks. “Sophie, help me!”
Sophie would have been worried about how to respond to this scene if it hadn’t been obvious the two of them were enjoying their play. “I think I better get to work. If you’re not down in a couple hours, I’ll check on you,” she answered with a smile.
Nora gave her a wave before bending down and nipping one clenching buttock, earning her another swat. Still smiling, Sophie made her way downstairs. Even though she knew her face was red from embarrassment, she wasn’t nearly as mortified this morning as she had been yesterday. In fact, she found she was a little envious, wondering what it would be like to be that open and carefree while indulging in an active sex life, something she had never been lucky enough to indulge in.
Adrian wondered what Sophie had witnessed upstairs that caused her to enter the kitchen with a rosy blush and wistful smile, a blush that paled and a smile that slipped when she spotted him.
“Oh, I thought you’d be gone by now,” Sophie said, then felt herself cringe inwardly as she realized how that sounded. “I mean, I’m a little late getting started this morning and thought everyone would be at work by this time.”
“I’ve been at work in my home office and am just grabbing another cup of coffee before I leave. Do you have any questions or need anything before I go?” He didn’t know why, but Adrian found himself perversely amused by her flustering and discomfort around him. She was kind of cute when she was caught off balance and didn’t know what to say or where to look. Maybe keeping her off guard and flustered was his way of retaliating for the way his attraction to her had caught him off guard and was leaving him flustered about how to deal with it. Rather petty of him, he admitted to himself without any remorse.
“No, thank you. I think I can manage fine on my own. I’ll leave dinner in the oven so it’ll be ready whenever you get home if that’s all right.” Dressed again in black slacks and a short sleeved pewter gray shirt, he was a tall, imposing man, his muscled arms crossed as he leaned indolently against the counter and eyed her coolly out of those cold as ice dark eyes. But that coldness couldn’t hide the sorrow and guilt reflected in their obsidian depths, at least not from someone like her who battled those same emotions every day.
“That’s fine. Help yourself to whatever you want for meals. My number at the office in Pendelton is by the phone as well as my cell. Try not to bother me if it’s not important.”
“No, of course not,” she quickly assured him. “Have a nice day.” She watched him walk out, wondering if it was the fact that he was battling demons similar to her own that had her making excuses for his rudeness or if her awakening libido had been dormant for so long that she found herself desiring anyone who was available. Either way, she thought, it didn’t matter because getting involved with her boss was not a good idea. The Tremaines had replaced her before she left Phoenix wanting her to show the new woman the ropes, which meant she had nowhere to go if Adrian Pendelton decided she wasn’t suited either for the work or for his lifestyle.
