Leo spilled ink on a contract. Before he could curse, Ellie was there, dabbing it with salt. “You’re supposed to use a blotter, sir, not your sleeve,” she said, her fingers brushing his. He felt a ridiculous jolt. She smelled like lemon polish and vanilla.
Fin.
That night, they stood in the empty ballroom. Moonlight poured through the tall windows, turning the dust motes into falling stars. Ellie was supposed to leave—her temp contract was up. Sex Associates - Cute naive Hotel Maid was Tric...
The manor’s bank called. Leo was out of money. He would have to sell the estate. He told her to pack his things, his voice hollow. “You’re fired, Ellie. The agency will send your final check.”
“I don’t need a maid,” Leo said, stepping closer. “I need an associate.” Leo spilled ink on a contract
He found her in the library, off-duty, reading his dog-eared copy of Jane Eyre . She blushed, shoving it behind her back. “I wasn’t snooping!” “You’re a maid who reads Brontë,” he said, a rare smile cracking his stony face. “That’s… terrifyingly attractive.” Her blush deepened. “Associates policy says I can’t fraternize with the client, sir.” “Then stop being so fraternizable.”
“What have you done?” he demanded, staring at the color-coded sticky notes. He felt a ridiculous jolt
Ellie didn’t leave. Instead, she sat on the floor beside his desk, pulled a worn leather notebook from her apron pocket, and started flipping pages. “For the past month, I’ve been cataloging the manor’s assets,” she said quietly. “There’s a first-edition Austen in the attic. The silver in the east wing is real, not plate. And the leaky roof? It’s just a slipped slate. I asked a handyman.”
Ashford Manor, a sprawling but slightly faded estate in the English countryside.
She rose on her tiptoes. “For the record,” she whispered, her lips a breath from his, “this is highly unprofessional.”
Leo framed it and hung it in the kitchen.