Maid for Him.

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

In the early hours of the next morning, Tess was enjoying a much-needed sleep, when she was awoken by a loud banging on the front door. She sat bolt upright, pulled herself up off her mattress and wrapped herself in her tattered, old flannel robe. She'd taken it from her very first job as a maid when she worked at the Four Season's Hotel in New York City. The hotel threw out perfectly good robes once they'd been in circulation for a while in an effort to keep everything looking fresh and new.

Her thoughts shifted to Cole. She'd been employed at the Four Seasons before applying as a housemaid at Cole's parent's ranch. It'd seemed like a tempting offer as it came with a hefty pay raise and much less work. Little did she realize she would end up pregnant and fired. Stretching her aching back, she heard a little pop and waited for the pain to ease. Why was she even thinking about Cole the second her eyes opened?

What a jerk he'd turned out to be, how could someone as sweet as his mother raise a cad like him? He must get his crappy side from his father. She'd never met him in all the time she worked at the Washington Ranch. He was some big business tycoon, always off, wheeling and dealing. Because making the family even more exorbitantly rich than they already were was a priority for him. Yes, Cole definitely took after his father, she was sure of it.

Securing the robe's sash with a loose knot, the knocking sounded again, echoing through her sparsely furnished apartment. It must be the police, they always sounded like they were going to knock the door down. It was one of the downfalls of living on the Lower Eastside, in the cheapest accommodation, she could find. Someone was always having a domestic or passing out in the stairwell. The thought of bringing a baby into this environment scared her, but at this point, she didn't have many other options.

She shuffled toward the front door and wondered why she was thinking of Cole when her building could be burning to the ground or some other emergency. This could possibly be her escape time and she was using it thinking about Cole. Seeing his mother yesterday had gotten to her more than she liked to admit.

The knocking continued.

"Okay, I'm coming!" She screamed. 

She yanked the door open wide, not even using the safety chain. If there wasn't a good reason for waking this pregnant woman, it would be whoever was on the other side of the door that needed protection, not her. The door swung back and Tess looked up into the icy cold gaze of Cole Washington.

She stumbled back slightly and reached for the door to hold herself up.

"Cole!" She gasped.

"So, you do remember me then?" He smirked, looking as cool and calm and she remembered. But instead of care and kindness, his eyes blazed with hatred.

Tess gulped and fought to stay on her feet. The last thing she needed was this man knowing how he affected her.

"Vaguely, I mean, I've had so many lovers it gets hard to keep track of them all." God, why did I say that? Cool comebacks certainly aren't my forte.

"Yeah, sure you have." He narrowed his eyes at her and looked her up and down until his gaze rested on her rounded belly.

She yanked the robe tighter around herself. Who the hell did he think he was, turning up here at the crack of dawn, with no notice and no invite? And how did he find her? She glanced down at his long, powerful legs.