“Yes,” I say absently, still focused on our maid. Why is my Spidey-sense going off like a smoke alarm? “Hey Mr. Manly Maid. You must do more than just go to the gym, right? I mean to be this…fit. Do you play a sport? Soccer?”
He shrugs those amazing shoulders and seems to scrub the dishes more aggressively suddenly. My eyes slide down over that well sculpted butt and then to his thighs. His thick, muscular, strong thighs. “Hockey? Do you play hockey?”
“That is definitely a hockey ass,” Jasmyn whispers.
“Just stop talking and enjoy the view. It’s what you paid for,” he snaps and while my roommates and sister gasp in horror at his rudeness, I gasp in shock because Iknowthat deep voice overflowing with snarky attitude.
I walk over as he starts to turn to face us and I reach out and tip his hat off his head. In an attempt to catch it, he leans forward as it tumbles to the ground. Knowing he’s off guard, I quickly grab the edge of his bandana and give it a swift tug. He jumps back and his sunglasses tumble to the floor next to his hat.
And then there he is—Tate Adler half-naked inmykitchen. For once, I’m not the one turning red.
4
Tate
I knew I shouldn’t have taken a job in Burlington. And now I am totally and utterly screwed. There were warning signs all damn day that I ignored. The address was the first. A ton of students live in this area of town because it’s affordable and has a lot of rental properties. The name of the client was Caroline S. To protect privacy Vickie never gives out last names for our clients like she doesn’t give out our names at all. But I know Caroline Schneider. She had a brief but intense fling with a guy on my dorm floor last year. And she drives a custom painted matte teal Fiat, which was parked across the street as I parked next to the apartment building. I noted it, which is why I decided to keep my sunglasses on which isn’t normally part of my costume. In case she lived nearby and saw me.
As soon as I heard the giggling behind the door, I knew I was fucked. I knew they were college girls, which meant they were Moo U girls. And I was about to leave when the door flew open and Maggie Todd was standing in front of me. The very pretty, ultra-annoying bane of my existence. I should have turned and run down the stairs and out the door as fast as my legs would take me but I didn’t. I told myself I could get through this—but I couldn’t. And I didn’t.
And now she’s basically holding my proverbial balls in her hands and she knows it. Maggie Todd is a lot of things but stupid isn’t one of them.
“Holy shit!” Caroline gasps as my identity is revealed.
“You go to our school!” The girl who had been laughing like a Tickle Me Elmo doll says. I don’t recognize her at all, but they’ve called her Jasmyn a few times.
“Adler?” Daisy whispers in shock.
“Tate Adler,” Maggie grins and crosses her arms and tips out a hip. She couldn’t look more smug if she tried. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”
“Actually what I’ve got is a really disgusting apartment to clean,” I reply sharply because if I’m going down, I might as well do it swinging. “You girls live like animals and that says a lot coming from a guy who lives with a bunch of other perpetually sweaty jocks.”
I go back to washing what’s left in the sink, ignoring the parts of my costumes that fell to the ground because there’s no point hiding now. I hear them all approach and know they’re hovering right behind me full of judgment and questions. I’m so furious with myself for getting into this situation and my brain is running at a million miles an hour trying to figure out a way out of it.
“This was only fun because he was a stranger who didn’t judge us,” Jasmyn announces and walks out of the room.
Caroline frowns at me. “You know we are all really busy. I’ve got an internship this semester and a full course load. Daisy and Maggie work part-time on their farm and Jasmyn goes to college for business and takes cooking classes almost every night so…”
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” I interrupt because I don’t care, honestly, that they live like pigs. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I’ll keep my mouth shut and clean this entire house if you all keep your mouths shut too.”
“I want a ten percent discount,” Caroline demands, surprising me but I nod without hesitation. “Lips sealed.”
She turns on her heel and also leaves the kitchen. Great, now it’s just me and Satan’s redheaded minions. I put the last dirty dish on the drying rack, which is stuffed to the brim, and walk over to my mop and bucket and lift the bucket to the sink.
“I’m not so big on the keeping my mouth shut part,” Daisy says.
“Of course you’re not,” I say and turn to her. “Because you’re mean and selfish like your grandpa.”
“No. Because this is hysterical and you’re a dick,” Daisy replies and then, before I realize what’s happening, she’s pulled a phone out of her back pocket and I hear the distinct snapping sound.
I charge toward her and reach for her phone. “No pictures! It’s in the damn rules.”
Daisy is fast and out of the kitchen before I can grab her phone. I chase her down the hall, Maggie is running behind me yelling my name but I ignore her. I don’t know their apartment or where the hell she’s going but she turns and heads back toward the front door then takes a left into what must be a bedroom and slams the door a millisecond before I can cross the threshold. I bang on it with my palm. “Seriously! No pictures! It’s in the online consent form. I’m going to sue your ass if you don’t delete that!”
My heart is racing and I turn to Maggie and I know I look like I’m having a panic attack because, well, I might be. I have no idea what those feel like. Maggie’s face morphs from amused to concerned immediately. “Okay, okay, calm down.”
“That’s a breach of terms of service. A total violation,” I snap.
Maggie looks like she’s fighting an eye roll. “Dramatic much? We took your picture we didn’t grope you or anything.”
