Obeying the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (7 page)

Closing his eyes, he moved into the bedroom and stripped off his clothes. Opening the liquor cabinet, he poured himself a vodka and tossed it back. After a thought, he poured himself another. It still wasn’t enough to chase the demons away.

Chapter Seven

When Ella’s alarm went off, she reached out to grab her phone. Reaching for the nightstand, she found only more mattress. Bleary eyed and confused, she blinked until she realized just where she was. This wasn’t her small bedroom with a twin bed. She lounged in a luxury king bed with satin sheets and down pillows.

Scooting along the mattress, she grabbed her phone and switched the alarm off. Running a hand through her hair, she licked her lips and looked around. This was Erik’s mansion. Immediately the memory of last night flooded her.

Just thinking about it made her heart flutter. Despite her initial fear, her body ached for him to touch her, but there was no way that he would want someone like her. Erik Chesnovak, sexy club owner and millionaire, no doubt wanted someone more his speed. Her tired mind probably saw something that just wasn’t there. Disgusted with herself, she threw the covers off and slid out of bed. Next to her phone was a note.

Breakfast will be available for you in the serving kitchen at eight. Today I’d like the bedrooms on the second floor cleaned. You need to attend to my bedroom every day. Try to spend as little time on the first floor as possible.

Why was she having to stay off the first floor? What happened down there that he didn’t want her to see? And how could he possibly have more bedrooms on the second floor? How many people lived in this house?

Too many questions. Not enough answers. Grumbling to herself, she shucked off her pajamas and slid on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She’d lost weight over the past few months, and her shirt hung on her like a bag. Scowling at her reflection, she pulled at the shirt. It was hardly sexy.

“You’re not supposed to look sexy for your boss,” she muttered to herself. “You’re just here to do a job.”

Who was she kidding? Her body was on fire for him. Even now, as she stared at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but imagine him standing behind her. He would meet her gaze and wrap one arm around her while the other one would grip her hips. His hard body would press up against her softness, and his hand would slowly slide down towards her aching pussy.

Gasping, she stumbled away from the mirror and tried to clear her head. It wasn’t okay for her to think like that. He was her employer, and there was no way that he would look at her like that. He was a rich businessman who could have his choice in women, and she was just a charity case.

At eight o’clock sharp, she ventured out of her room and down the stairs to the kitchens. There were several staff members already sitting at the tables. Most of them looked older than her, and they were all speaking to each other in Russian. When she walked in, conversation ceased, and everyone stared at her.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly. “I’m Ella. I’m the new maid.”

When nobody said anything at first, she assumed that no one spoke English, but one of the women broke into a big smile. “We heard that there was a new girl, but we thought that Mr. Chesnovak was keeping you hidden away,” she said in heavily-accented English. “I’m Dina. I’m the other maid. This is Zoya. She’s one of the cooks, so make sure you stay on her good side. This is Nestor and Oleg. They’re handymen and work on the lawn. Don’t worry if they don’t talk much to you. Their English isn’t very good.”

“I guess that means I’ll have to work on my Russian,” she said with a smile.

The men watched her curiously, but the older woman appraised her coolly. Ella wasn’t sure if that was because she was new or because she was American. Then again, Erik had said that his chef was particular.

“Food is on the counter. Grab a plate and help yourself.” Dina returned the smile, and Ella felt a little better. At least one person on the staff was going to be nice to her.

Ella discovered she was hungrier than expected and filled her plate. The conversation at the table started again, and all eyes were on her. It was obvious from the expressions on their face that they were talking about her.

“They’re not trying to be rude. It’s unusual for Mr. Chesnovak to hire someone new, let alone someone foreign.” Dina said something sharply to them in Russian, and they grew quiet.

“Oh no, that’s okay. I’m new. People are supposed to talk about the new person. How long have you worked for him?” she asked curiously.

“My mother worked for him and his father pretty much all her life, so I grew up in the household. When Mr. Chesnovak relocated, he asked me to come with him. Zoya, Nestor, and Oleg have been with him for as long as I can remember.”

“How long have you been in California?”

“A little more than a year. I’m in love with the beach. Mr. Chesnovak keeps threatening to send me back to Russia if I don’t stop sneaking off to lay out in the sun. I honestly didn’t even know that my skin could tan. Have you lived here all your life?”

“I have. I guess I take it for granted,” Ella murmured. She poked at the meat in her eggs and frowned.

Dina laughed at her expression. “It’s Kielbasa or sausage. You don’t mix your meat and eggs?”

“We do, but it’s usually scrambled eggs or an omelet. I’ve never seen it with fried eggs.” She took a bite and nodded her head. “It’s good.”

“Syrniki is my favorite, but Zoya doesn’t make them very often. I think she does it to punish me.”

“What’s that?”

“Cottage cheese dumplings.”

Ella shuddered. She wasn’t much of a cottage cheese fan. Falling silent, she ate her breakfast and listened to the rambunctious conversation around her. She didn’t understand a single word.

A few minutes later, Dina returned her attentions back to her. “So how did Mr. Chesnovak hire you? It’s not like we really need another person working here.”

Ella flushed a little. “We met in the hospital. My mother is in long-term care, which is very expensive, and Erik offered me a job. I don’t think I’m here to replace you if that’s what you’re afraid of.” Dina regarded her closely, and Ella frowned. Grabbing her napkin, she wiped her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. You just called him Erik. It’s just a little strange, that all. I guess we’re a little bit more formal around here.”

“I’ll try and remember that.”

Dina joined in on the Russians’ conversation, and Ella watched them closely. They all seemed comfortable with each other, and they seemed happy. She hoped that meant that Erik would be a decent man to work for. Although, for the money that he was paying her, it really didn’t matter.

When breakfast was over, Dina helped Ella clean up after herself. Whatever Zoya said made it clear that she didn’t clean up after the servants, and she looked almost angry. Ella wanted to ask her new friend why the cook seemed to despise her, but she figured it was safer not to. Before she started on her chores, Dina grabbed her hand. “Do you know what Mr. Chesnovak does for a living?” she asked quietly.

“Sure. I actually went to the club the other night. It seems very popular.”

Dina’s eyes searched her face. “You think he’s a club owner?”

“Is he not?” Ella asked, confused.

“I am sorry. My English needs some work. I meant to say that you
know
he’s a club owner.”

Ella nodded her head, but she couldn’t help feeling suspicious. There hadn’t seemed to be anything wrong with Dina’s English earlier. “Yes, I know that he’s a club owner. It’s not really my thing, but it’s obviously working for him.”

“Yes. Let me know if you have any questions.” There was a strange smile on her face when she released Ella’s hand. Ella wanted to push her for more information, but the others were already dispersing, and Zoya was glaring at her.

Scurrying upstairs, she started first on Erik’s bedroom. She felt a little strange moving around his most intimate space. Apparently boundaries weren’t something that concerned him. The room was minimalistic in style. In addition to the bar he’d mentioned, there was a king-sized bed with linens in greys and blues, a nightstand, a large television, a large black dresser, and a huge walk in closet. A large window overlooked the pool and gardens. It seemed to match him perfectly—cool and aloof.

There were no pictures to provide any details of his life or feminine touches to suggest he might have a girlfriend. All the surfaces were meticulously clean, but the bed was rumpled.

As she smoothed out the sheets, she tried to remember what her mother had taught her. As an adult, Ella was fairly messy. She almost never made her bed. “Am I supposed to tuck the corners in? Is it supposed to be straight or at an angle? Damn it,” she muttered to herself.

She was going to be terrible at this job.

Tugging on the corners to pull out the wrinkles, she tried not to focus on the fact that his body had touched these sheets. Rolled around on them. Did he sleep naked? Did he sleep alone?

“That is none of your business,” she growled. “He signs your checks. Nothing more.”

“Nothing more what?”

Ella shrieked and whirled around. Erik had sneaked silently into the room and watched her with a small smile.

“I was just reminding myself what I needed to do today,” she stuttered. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d already be at the club.”

“I didn’t realize that I needed to run my schedule by you,” he said softly. “Does my presence bother you?”

Yes.
“No, of course not. I was just flustered.”

“Do I make you nervous, Ella? You don’t strike me as a woman who gets flustered easily.” He walked across the room and opened the top drawer to his dresser.

While his back was turned, she closed her eyes and shook her head. She was turning into a complete idiot. “I’m just still getting my bearings. I apologize if I sound nervous.”

Erik chuckled while he pulled out an envelope and closed the drawer. Feeling her heart beat a little bit faster, she tried to be sneaky and watch him in the mirror, but when his gaze met hers, her whole mouth went dry.

“So long as you keep to yourself, you have nothing to be worry about.” His voice was low, and she heard the warning in it. If she stuck her nose where it didn’t belong, she
would
have something to worry about. He tucked the envelope in his inside jacket pocket and turned to survey the room. “I prefer my corners tucked in at an angle.”

“Sure,” she said hoarsely. “I can do that.” At least, she’d look it up.

“I suppose I should have asked if you had any experience cleaning before I hired you as a maid. It’s now occurring to me that you would have been better suited in a different position.”

Position. Oh God.
Her whole body ached at that word. She wanted to show him that she was actually quite good in several positions, but when he smiled at her, she had a feeling that he knew exactly what she was thinking. When he left the room, she blew out her breath slowly. What the hell was wrong with her? He’d said nothing about seeing her the night before. He probably didn’t even remember it.

Turning back to the bed, she redid the corner in an angle and stepped back to look at it. Frankly, she didn’t see how it made much of a difference, but Erik seemed like a particular man. It probably wasn’t a very good idea to piss him off.

After needlessly running the polish over the dresser, she finished up and left the room as quickly as possible. Erik’s bedroom was a dangerous place to be.

The other four bedrooms on the second floor were empty. She wondered where the rest of the staff slept. Did they have their own separate wing on the mansion? Why didn’t she sleep there?

There was no one in the kitchen at lunch, but she found a sandwich on the counter top. Snagging it, she opened the patio door and stepped outside to eat.

Immediately, five armed men whirled around with their hands on their holstered guns. She froze and almost dropped her sandwich. “I’m Ella. I’m the new maid,” she stuttered. Did they speak English? She didn’t know a lick of Russian except “da” and Stolichnaya vodka, and she didn’t think either one of those would help.

Unless she had the vodka to offer.

“Stand down,” a male voice said timidly. “She works here.” He added something in Russian, the same thing probably.

The guards immediately relaxed, and Ella turned to the newcomer. Unlike the other men she’d seen, he didn’t carry any weapons. “Thank you for that. I’m Ella, but I guess you already know that.”

“Danil,” he said quietly. “I sort of help with the hiring process around here. You should be careful about where you go when Mr. Chesnovak isn’t here.”

“Does everybody else need a chaperone when they walk around?” she snapped.

“Everybody else is Russian.”

“Right.” She lifted up her sandwich as if that explained anything. “I usually like to eat outside and soak up some sunshine. I’ll be more careful in the future. Why does Mr. Chesnovak need so much protection?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I would also suggest that you keep all questions about Mr. Chesnovak to yourself. He doesn’t pay you to pry.”

The man wasn’t rude about it, but Ella could hear the underlying tone in his voice. It was the second warning she’d been given that morning, and all it did was make her even more curious about the man, but she ate her sandwich in silence. When she finished, she gave him a small smile and headed back inside. Danil didn’t stop her or offer any more information.

Since the empty bedrooms were relatively clean, it only took Ella another hour to finish up her assignments. With nothing else to do, she carefully sneaked back downstairs until she found the small library that she’d seen earlier.

Most of the books were in Russian, but she did find a few English titles. They were mostly autobiographies and true crime fiction. Erik seemed to have a love for violence.

Snagging a book, she darted back upstairs and settled in the chair by her bed. If she wasn’t allowed to explore, and the other staff members weren’t going to be friendly, she might as well read to pass the time.

Before she opened the book, she pulled out her phone and dialed her mother’s hospital room. “Ella?” her mother said in a tired voice. “Is that you?”