Maid for Rent

Chapter Four

AFTER MY SHOWER, I slipped on a light pink, silk nightgown I found inside my closet — which was massive, by the way. I sat on my bed and I hummed to myself as I dried my hair with a towel. I felt at complete ease right now...but that was only because Ian wasn't here.

Coincidentally, right at that instant, my bedroom door flung open, revealing none other than Ian. "Speak of the devil," I muttered.

"My lawyer is here," he said, cutting to the chase. I stood up and headed out the door. Before I could exit my room, Ian stuck out his arm, blocking me. "Are you going to move?" I asked hastily.

"There should be a robe inside your closet," he said, completely ignoring me. "If you're going to be living with me, I advise you to invest in clothing which cover your womanly parts."

I glanced down at my nightgown. Okay, so maybe it revealed some cleavage, but it wasn't even enough to be considered as inappropriate. "I'm a woman," I said flatly. "And in case you didn't realize, women have womanly parts."

Ian folded his arms across his chest and he glared at me. Two can play this game, I thought. I mimicked Ian's actions and I glared back at him. We had a staring match to see who'd be the first to crack. Ian wasn't one to easily back down, but neither was I. Suddenly, his eyes flickered down at my chest for a fraction of a second before looking back at me.

I smirked. "I win."

"That's not fair," he testified. "You distracted me."

I gave him a smug look. "Not my fault."

He let out an aggravated sigh. "Just get the robe."

Following Ian's orders, I did as I was told. I saw a robe hung inside my closet, so I took it out and I slipped it on. However, I made sure not to tie the robe, just to make a statement. Ian definitely noticed and he shook his head at me, but I smiled proudly. We went downstairs to his living room, where a man in a suit was waiting for us.

"Jeff Colfer," the man greeted. He shook my hand before handing me his business card.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked confusedly.

Ian rolled his eyes. "It's just a formality, idiot."

I glowered at him. "I don't recall asking for your input, Ian."

He ran a hand over his face. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Mr. Adams?"

Jeff chuckled. "Quite the candidate you have chosen, Mr. Adams."

"More like forced," I mumbled under my breath.

"Now why don't we get started?" Jeff suggested. He sat down on one of the sofas and I sat down beside him. Ian sat on my other side, making me sandwiched between both men. "As you may already know, I'm Mr. Adams' lawyer," Jeff began. "And he has informed me that you are now working for him. Is that correct, Ms. Rider?"

"Call me Emma." I made sure to look at Ian while saying that. He returned my look with a scowl. "And yes, unfortunately, that's very true."

Jeff smiled at me. "So, Emma, Mr. Adams informed me of the conditions regarding your job, such as your salary, your duties, what you are and are not allowed to do, and other components of that nature." He opened his briefcase and took out a stack of papers.

My eyes widened. "That's the contract?" The contract had more pages than most novels! "I hope you don't expect me to read all of that."

"It would be wise to read it for precautions," he counselled.

"Can't you just tell me what it says?" It would take me half a year just to finish reading the contract!

Jeff looked at Ian expectantly, who nodded his head and began talking. "You must comply to my every wish — excluding anything of or relating to sexual nature." Ian paused. "Not that I'd be desperate enough to request that from you."