Chapter 12 Emotional Reck
Elsie
I had to get my mind straight. Caleb’s soft touch and kind eyes were distractions I didn’t need. Jacob was the reality. I was his spy, holding a murderer's button that was now in his possession, and I had to find a way to get it back.
My first task was the house inventory. I stood in Malcolm’s massive, dark study, holding my clipboard, and needed his approval to buy things.
Malcolm was on the phone, pacing. I waited quietly by the door, pretending to check my list.
"...Yes, it's done. Paid in full," Malcolm growled into the phone. "But she needs to stay quiet. Keep Sarah on a short leash. She's becoming a liability."
My body went cold. Sarah. A secret woman, a payment, a liability.
It all clicked. I remembered seeing a tiny, curved initial, an S tattooed high on the left arms of Jacob and on Aiden's biceps was a SARAH in a heart. I’d dismissed it as meaningless brotherhood.
Now, I knew. Sarah was connected to the Lancasters. Who was she?
I left the study, my heart racing. I had the approved list, but I needed a ride. The house needed restocking today. Also, the weather had been cold and the clouds were dark, indicating it might rain soon. I needed to hurry and get back before it started to rain.
I hurried to the garage area to find Mr. Field, the chauffeur.
"Mr. Field, I have the approved list for stocking," I said, holding out my clipboard.
He looked stressed and apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Elsie. I was just given an urgent, non-negotiable run for Mr. Caleb. I won't be back for three hours. You'll have to wait or take the bus."
Panic hit me. I couldn't wait three hours; the kitchen staff needed these supplies now. The bus was slow, complicated, and I needed to be back before the afternoon chaos started.
I stood there, defeated, watching the sleek, black sports car pull out of the private driveway.
It was Jacob. He was leaving
I had to swallow my pride. I ran toward the car, raising my hand. Jacob stopped, his window rolling down smoothly.
"Trouble, Elsie?" he asked, his expression bored, but his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He knew I was trapped.
"Sir, I'm stuck," I admitted, hating the word. "Mr. Field is gone, and I need to get this stock list to the market now."
Jacob paused, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "Hmm. I'm going out, but you are a maid. I don't usually transport staff."
"Please, Mr. Jacob," I said, forcing the words out. "It's urgent. It’s for the house."
He let the silence stretch, enjoying every second of my humiliation. "Okay. Since you asked so nicely... No. That wasn't nice enough. Try again."
My face burned. I hated him. I took a deep breath. "Please, sir. Could you possibly give me a ride to the market? I would be very grateful."
Jacob gave a slow, satisfied smile. "Better. Get in the front. And be quick about it."
I hated that I needed him.
I climbed into the expensive, dark leather seat. The car smelled like expensive leather, and his cologne.
Jacob pulled the car onto the highway. He didn't turn on the music. The silence was thick, pressing down on me.
"So, the little maid gets a ride," Jacob said, glancing at me with a slow, unsettling smile.
I gave him a fake smile back.
His eyes roam over my body, locking in on my breasts, which I’ve inadvertently pushed up. When Jacob’s gaze came to my face, the playfulness was gone, replaced with something close to desire. No, need. It’s more primal than lust. Deeper than longing.
His concentration was on me, and not on the road and we could have an accident if I didn’t do something. I deliberately cleared my throat.
He blinks, breaking the spell. The look is gone so fast I doubt it was even there in the first place.
“ Tell me, Elsie, what are you wearing?"
I shifted uncomfortably. I was wearing a simple blue sundress, the only clean dress I owned, but I knew what he meant. The neckline was a bit wide, and it was showing too much.
"It's just a dress, sir," I mumbled, pulling the material closer.
"No, it's not 'just a dress'," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "It's a way to draw attention. Are you trying to distract every idiot we pass, Elsie? You've got half the city looking down your front."
He pulled the car over sharply under the shade of some trees.
"Get out your list," he ordered.
I fumbled for the clipboard, confused.
He ignored me, reaching into the back seat, grabbing a folded dark gray blazer, and tossing it at me. It smelled exactly like him, woodsmoke and expensive cologne.
"Put that on," he said, his voice quiet, but full of absolute command. "You work for the Lancasters. You're my asset this morning. I don't share."
My face burned with shame and a terrifying jolt of possessive pleasure. He was treating me like property. I hated the feeling, but the heat in my core surged. What's mine.
I slowly pulled the heavy jacket over my thin dress. It was huge on me, covering my shoulders and chest completely. It felt like a warm, dark cage.
"Better," he approved, pulling the car back onto the highway.
After a short drive…
“Right," Jacob said suddenly, tapping the dash. "Time for my stop."
He pulled up to a glass building. Before I could ask what was happening, the passenger door flew open. A girl slid into the back seat next to me.
"Hey, Jakey!" she yelled, her voice bright and full of energy.
I was trapped. She was stunning. Her short, black leather dress left nothing to the imagination. She was all long legs and dark curls. The scent of her expensive perfume instantly filled the small space.
"Hey," Jacob replied, a completely genuine, warm smile on his face, a smile that felt like a sharp jab to my ribs.
"This is Elsie," Jacob said, introducing me with brutal casualness. "She's running errands."
"Hi, Elsie!" the girl chirped, turning her attention to me. She was surprisingly kind, full of bright, positive energy. "I love your eyes, they're beautiful.”
I managed a tight smile. "Thanks."
"So, where are we going, handsome?" she asked, leaning forward, her hand resting easily on Jacob's shoulder.
"The mall first, then we'll have that long, overdue fun we planned," Jacob said, his tone suggestive.
The girl giggled, a sweet, carefree sound. "Oh, the fun! I bought that new bottle of tequila, Jakey. We are not sleeping tonight!"
"I don't plan on it," Jacob murmured back, his eyes meeting hers in the rearview mirror.
They spent the next ten minutes talking about a late-night beach party, how much they were going to drink, and things they "couldn't wait" to do later.
The conversation was light, suggestive, and brutally intimate. Every word was a knife twist. I told myself I didn't care. I told myself he was the enemy, a tool for my revenge. But the simple, raw sound of his pleasure and the image of him with this beautiful, carefree woman made my core burn with an awful, unwanted jealousy. I clutched the gray jacket, feeling sick.
Jacob finally pulled up to the service entrance of the mall.
"Your stop, Elsie," Jacob said.
I practically dove out of the car. "Thank you, sir. I'll take a taxi back."
"Don't bother," Jacob said, already reaching for the gear shift. "Field will get you in two hours. Go get your olives."
The girl, scrambling into the now-empty front seat, waved cheerfully. "Bye, Elsie! Have fun!"
As she settled in, she leaned over the console, asking Jacob, "Who was that?"
"Just Elsie. A new maid," Jacob replied, the casual dismissal cutting me deeper than any insult. "By the way, meet Zaza."
I stood on the curb, the name hitting me just as Jacob acted.
Jacob reached out and pulled Zaza to him, their mouths meeting in a long, consuming kiss before the car had even fully moved. My stomach knotted, a painful, sickening feeling. This was genuine, easy passion.
I watched the black car speed away, Zaza's hand already resting possessively on Jacob's thigh. The sight, the ease of their intimacy, the cold knowledge that Jacob was going from using me to having "fun", was devastating.
I was left alone on the curb, clutching the list. The only thing colder than Jacob's control was the sudden, awful realization: I hated Zaza because I wanted to be in that front seat.