Maid For You - A Cinderella Love Story (3 page)

“So, both young and full of adventure, we met these boys one summer while we were waitressing at an exclusive tourist bar.” She looks away, her eyebrows joining together.

“Unfortunately, I don’t want to relive how naive I was, but they promised us a future if we followed them here. They really seemed to care about us and as the season drew to a close, both Sofia and I were hopelessly in love. But even though I was older by a couple of years, she was more cautious.” She smiles, lost in memories. “Sofia was always the clever one. But I didn’t pay heed to her warning, instead believing what they promised, so as a surprise, I came over on a short break. To cut a long story short, when I looked him up, I found out the man I was in love with was engaged to be married.” Her following words are laced with bitterness. “I was his last fling.”

I blinked a few times and sat up in my chair. “Oh my God, Gaby, I’m so sorry. What did you do?”

She shrugs. “What could I do? When I confronted him, he promised he’d leave her but by then, I’d woken up. I told him to take a hike.” She takes a sip of her water. “But I liked it here and I didn’t want to go back. Thankfully, I secured an interview and the Prescotts hired me a few days later.”

“And my mamá?”

“As you know, she also came over. Things were progressing well in her relationship. Then she found out that she was pregnant…” She raises an eyebrow. “I’m sure she told you the rest?”

I nod slightly and Gaby exhales.

“Your father didn’t want anything to do with the pregnancy. He told her they were both too young to be tied down with a baby.”

My eyes sting. It hurts
every time
I hear that. I know how this ends. “So, mamá told him she’d had an abortion, but really she left him and returned to Tijuana, right?” I’m hoping for something else, another small snippet of information about my father.

Gaby pats my hand. “That’s right, Ava. She said you were the best thing that ever happened to her.” She doesn’t comment further.

I dab the corner of my eyes and look up.

In my peripheral vision, I see Jax heading our way.

J
ax

M
y father glances
at his watch. “Jaxon, glad you made it.”

It’s only nine thirty and he’s already up my ass. The past week has been hell, but I grit my teeth and turn up every day as requested. I tried to talk with him all last week, but he gave me some bullshit excuse about being too busy preparing for an upcoming trial. So, instead, I spent my mornings taking orders from his associate.

“Thanks for making the time to see me, Dad.” I know my tone has an edge to it, but I don’t particularly care.

My father exhales and puts down his pen. “Sit down. What’s on your mind?”

I take a seat in the leather recliner opposite him. “I want to talk to you about working here this summer.”

“Your point?”

“Dad, you know I’m not a fan of corporate law. I want to specialize in non-profit.”

My father glares at me like I’ve uttered something blasphemous. Then he starts to laugh. Like really fucking laugh. I know the vein is throbbing from my neck and my jaw feels like it’s going to break from the pressure I’m feeling.

“Are you kidding me?” He pulls off his glasses and wipes his eye. “I thought you were bullshitting me when you mentioned this the last time.”

“I’m deadly serious.”

His expression changes, and I can see why he’s gained the reputation of being a pit bull in court. “You are expected, do you understand,
expected
to join the firm as soon as you graduate. How’d you think it would look to tell the Board that my only heir is talking of practicing some pussy-ass law?” He bangs his fist on his desk and leans towards me. I can see the blood rushing up his neck. “Don’t be so fucking ungrateful, Jaxon. After
everything
we’ve done for you.”

I look to my feet and inhale deeply. “Fine. Forget I mentioned it.”

“Good. I don’t want any more talk of this, you understand?” He shuffles some papers on his desk. “You’ll work here every morning for the duration of your summer break. Get to know the clients and work on some cases. Got it?”

I nod. I’d think of another way another time.

“Now, I have to get to court soon, so if you don’t mind, I need to get on. I’ll see you at dinner this evening.”

I
’m
thankful when I’m outta there at lunch and head home. Slipping on my swim shorts, I fling a towel over my shoulder and head out to the patio in search of that sexy kitten. I’ve been thinking about her since Saturday and almost feel a little bad for riling her up the way I did.
Bingo
. There she was, appearing to be deep in conversation with Gaby. I hesitate for a moment, drinking her in. She’s dressed in a pink sundress, nothing overly sexy, but it hugs her curves, especially her ample breasts, showing some very tempting cleavage. Her long hair is pulled up into a ponytail, exposing her graceful neck.
Fuck.
My cock starts to jump to attention and I almost have to retrace my steps backwards in an attempt to calm my hormones. Down boy. Act cool, dude.

Slipping on my shades, I stroll over to them, and Gaby looks up, smiling.

“
Hola
, Jax. Where’ve you been lately?”

I flash her a grin. “Missing me again, Gaby?” I throw a hand across my chest dramatically, eliciting a laugh from her.

“Yeah, yeah enough already. Save that for your women.” She waves me away, pretending to be annoyed.

“Ava, you busy?”

She looks up at me, a little startled. “Oh, me? No, not today. Why, you need something?”

“Nope. Just wondered if you would like to join me for a swim?”

She moistens her plump lips as she considered my question. Damn, those lips are made for kissing. Explicit images flash through my mind of where I’d want that mouth on me. She looks straight ahead.

“No, I’m good, thanks.”

Gaby sends her a curious look and I shrug my shoulders noncommittally.

“Come on, join me. The water’s beautiful.”

She continues to ignore me. Gaby pushes her chair back and stands, gathering the empty glasses.

“Ava. Jax’s speaking to you.” She glances at both of us. “Go for a swim, there’s nothing else for you to do today.”

Ava crosses her arms and stays silent while her aunt walks back to the kitchen.

“What’s the matter, Kitten? Afraid of a little water?”

She bristles in her chair. “Stop calling me that. And no,
Stud.
I’ve no problem with water.”

I lick my lips, a smile tugging at the corners, enjoying her spirit.

“O-kay. So, what’s up?” I regard her tense posture. “You need to loosen up a little.” I lower my voice and reach down to her ear. The temptation to run my tongue along her lobe is so strong that I have to bite my tongue. “I know the perfect way to help you relax…”

Her lips part, just barely. She fiddles with her bracelet and her cheeks heat with color at my words. Abruptly, she uncrosses her arms and stands.

“Fine, whatever. Guess it’s something to do.”

“Glad I can be of service, Kitten.” She huffs and walks past me, and I can’t resist the temptation to swat her perfect ass. She spins around, her mouth hanging open, and she glares at me.

“That’s harassment.”

I laugh. “No, Kitten. It’s just appreciation for that fine ass. Now hurry, before I land you with another.”

I wink and walk past before she talks herself out of it. “See you down by the pool.”

Dropping my towel onto the lounger, I dive into the refreshing cool water and hit my stride, doing a front crawl. Some minutes later, I look up to see Ava stepping out of her sandals.

“You made it.” I swim up to the edge of the pool, smoothing back my hair. She looks nervous.

“Everything ‘kay?”

“Yeah, sure.” I watch as she drapes her towel on the lounger and I can’t shift my gaze. My breath catches in my throat. In the midst of pulling her dress over her head, I have a full view of her incredible figure. She’s wearing a red one-piece, which looks sexy against her tanned skin, and I’m instantly envious of that damn piece of fabric. Her long, tanned legs seem unending from this position and I sweep my eyes over her flat stomach, resting on the ample curve of her breasts. With her tiny waist and full hourglass figure, she’s up there with the rest of the Victoria’s Secret models. Even better.
Without even trying
. My cock instantly throbs at the sight of her and I push off, swimming a length in order to restore my restraint. I’ve screwed my share of girls…but I’ve never wanted anyone more badly.

“Oh, this is lovely.”

I can’t take my eyes off her as she wades into the water. Her eyes close in pleasure and she makes these cute little appreciative noises. Another hit to my groin.

I clear my throat and take my time to swim over.

“Feels good, right?”

“Definitely.” She opens her eyes and I’m transfixed as she pulls her hair into a topknot. A few strands escape and blow lightly around her face, and she lowers herself into the water.

“Wanna race? Think you can keep up, Stud?”

Jerking myself back to reality, I raise an eyebrow as a slow grin stretches over her mouth.

“Seriously?”

“Sure. Why, you scared?”

Before I can respond, she takes off to the other side, cutting through the water expertly like a fish.

“Wait up.” I laugh, moving through the water until I’m next to her. Her eyes are sparkling, and for the first time, I catch a glimpse of her unguarded. I reach out and wrap an arm around her waist, but she wriggles away.

“Hands off, Stud.” She pushes her hair out of her eyes. “Ready to go again? One, two…go.” She speeds off before I can respond and I chuckle, ducking my head in hot pursuit.

L
ater
, worn out from racing, we sit on the loungers, sipping our drinks.

“You’re an amazing swimmer, Kitten. Were you on the swim team back home?”

She shakes her head. “No, we didn’t have anything like that. I got my practice in the sea.” She smiles, sipping her drink. “My mom, Sofia, was a great swimmer.” Her voice is soft, laced with sadness.

I let the silence sit between us momentarily. I’m not really into deep conversations, but she makes me curious.

“Can I ask what happened to her?” I glance at her long and shapely legs, my eyes traveling over her damp swimsuit until I reach her eyes. She’s staring into the distance and the silence is awkward. I’m about to change the subject when she speaks.

“She passed away three months ago.” Taking in a deep, steadying breath, she continues. “She’d been unwell for some time, the headaches kept bothering her, but she dismissed them. Finally, she passed out one day - I came home from school to find her unconscious on the kitchen floor.”

Fuck.

“When we got her to the hospital, they ran some tests. Unfortunately, she had developed a tumor and surgery at that point would have been too invasive. Had we discovered it earlier…”

She trails off, her beautiful features screwed up in pain, and I feel like a sack of shit for bringing it up.

She inhales an audible breath and exhales loudly.

“I’m sorry, Ava. I didn’t know…”

“It’s cool. I’m dealing.” She forces a smile on her face. “So, what about you, Jax Prescott? What’s your story? Obviously besides being a player?”

I almost spit out my drink. “What did you just call me?” I’m incredulous that she’s so frank with me. It’s actually quite refreshing.

Her hand flies to her mouth, a trace of panic behind her eyes.

“I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”

I smirk and fiddle with my watch. “It’s cool, Kitten. I want you to be yourself around me. And besides, I’ve been called a lot worse.” I wink and visibly see her relax. “There’s not much to tell. I have a year left to finish law school and then I’m joining my father’s practice.” My words sound flat, even to my ears.

“Wow. So you’ll be practicing the same law as Mr. Prescott?”

“Corporate. Yeah, that’s the plan.” I look away, a muscle ticking in my jaw.

“Well…is that what Jax Prescott wants?”

I look into the distance, my chest feeling a little lighter.

“I want to spend time in India.”

“Like as in…you want to find yourself?” She makes air quotes.

I smile. “Something like that, yeah. But mainly, I want to join a volunteer program to help street kids.”

“Wow…so you have a real heart in there, huh?” She smiles playfully and I poke her shoulder.

“I plead the fifth.”

She’s thoughtful for a moment. “So, what’s stopping you from doing that?”

“My father says we have enough of our own first world problems to deal with.” I run a hand roughly through my hair. “I guess that translates to wanting more billable hours.”

I don’t want to talk about myself anymore so I change the subject, shifting my focus back to her.

“So, you have a boyfriend back home, Kitten?”

She snorts. “I kind of did. Except when the going got tough towards the end, he disappeared. I assumed we broke up, although it would have been nice to have been told.”

A surprising undercurrent of irritation runs through me at the thought of that asshole ditching her when she probably needed him the most.

“I’m sorry. He sounds like a prick.”

She laughs at that. “Yeah, guess he was.” She shrugs. “We were never serious anyway. What about you? Seems like you have your hands full with the ladies?”

“Just having a good time, darlin’.” I stretch against the lounger and adjust my shorts, pulling them a little lower on purpose and catching her staring from the side of my eye. “You know, I’d be more than happy to show you a thing or two…”

She shakes her head. “No thanks, I’m good, Stud. I’ll happily wait for the right man…not really looking for an STD.”

I throw my palm against my heart. “Ouch, Kitten. That hurts.” We end up laughing. “Just for the record, in case you’re feeling horny while waiting for your Mr. Perfect, I’m clean. You know, if you wanna-”

She holds her hand up, grimacing. “Thanks for the offer.”

My phone beeps with an incoming message and I ignore it. I’m too busy enjoying our conversation to be bothered with the interruption.

“You speak perfect English. Did you attend a bilingual school back home?” I pick up my drink and take a long sip.

“Actually, I did. My mother was an English teacher. She had me reading English books from a young age.” She pauses. “That’s about the only thing I brought with me when I packed up - my beloved books and a handful of photos.”

Mirroring my actions, she takes her drink and plays with the straw before finally taking a sip. I can’t help but stare at her mouth, desiring those lips against mine.

She shifts and glances at her watch. I’m disappointed as she begins to gather her things.

“Speaking of books…I’ve got a date with one in my room.” She stands and grabs her cover-up, slipping it over her suit. “Thanks for the swim…and the company. You haven’t been too insufferable after all.”

I almost choke at her smart mouth. Chicks dig me, can’t get enough and mostly, they’re grateful to be part of my inner circle. I find my lips inadvertently curling into a smile. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I run my hand through my hair as I check out her ass.

“Stop looking.”

“Just admiring the view, Kitten. See you around.”