Gold Digger

Lottie

“Fraggle Rock!” I shrieked, dropping the cleaning spray and cloth I was carrying to clutch my chest.

“Hello,” Vicky said from one of the kitchen stools, staring at me with her head tilted to the side.

“Oh, you scared me,” I said, bending down to pick up my stuff. “I didn’t think anyone was here.”

Vicky shrugged. “We came back here from a meeting. Ollie is shouting at Felix in his office. I decided to wait out here.”

“Er… who’s Felix?”

“Ollie’s best friend.”

“Why is Ollie shouting at him?”

“He doesn’t want me working with Felix. He wants me to keep working for the Buckingham Estate.”

“And you don’t want that?”

Vicky shrugged again. “My half-brother can be overprotective.”

I moved further into the kitchen and put the cloth and spray down on the granite worktop. There was something vulnerable about this woman. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the loneliness I felt a lot of the time seemed to cling to her for some reason. Like we were kindred spirits, which made no sense as I knew Vicky had a family and was nowhere near as isolated as me. But looking into her deep blue eyes, it was almost startling how much sadness I could sense there.

“Why do you call Ollie your half-brother?” I blurted out then bit my lip. I needed to remember I was just an employee here. These people probably weren’t used to the staff asking questions. But Vicky didn’t look annoyed as she stared at me with that slightly unnerving focus she seemed to have.

“Because that’s what he is,” she said simply.

“It’s just…” I looked to the side as I moved forward to take the stool across from her. Stuff worrying about how formal I should be, I felt a strange affinity for Vicky that I couldn’t shake. “He calls you his sister. He doesn’t make a distinction.”

Vicky looked down at her hands, then said. “He is incorrect. There is a distinction.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I’d always had the ability to sense emotions, to read a room, and I could tell if someone was lying. It was harder with Vicky than with other people, but I could just about make out an undercurrent of hurt in her words.

“You don’t think you belong in the Harding family,” I said before I could stop myself. “That’s why you don’t want to work for the Buckingham Estate. It’s nothing to do with Ollie being over-protective.”

Vicky’s eyes went wide as she stared at me. “How could you?—?”

“Vics, honestly, you didn’t have to bail on us. I know you don’t like conflict. We just—” Ollie’s voice cut Vicky off as he and another man stalked into the kitchen. They both came to a halt when they saw me sitting up at the kitchen island with Vicky. Then the shock on Ollie’s face morphed into a wide smile as he unfroze and strode over to where I was sitting. Before I could make any sort of escape he’d come right up to me, his large hand wrapped around my shoulders and he kissed me on my temple. He kissed me. Right there in front of his sister and his best friend, as if I was his wife just hanging out in my own kitchen rather than the paid help taking an unsanctioned break to quiz his family member.

“You must be Lottie,” the other guy said as he walked our way as well with his hand extended. “Hi, I’m Felix.”

“Hi,” I managed to squeak out as I raised my arm from where it was tucked into Ollie’s side and leaned around him to shake Felix’s hand. He was a similar height and build to Ollie, but with warm brown eyes rather than Ollie’s startling blue. The two of them were quite the intimidating combo.

“Ollie’s told me a lot about you,” he said, still smiling as I dropped his hand, or rather was forced to drop his hand when Ollie pulled me back into his side again. Felix’s eyebrows went up as he looked between us and his smile settled into a smirk.

“Really?” I asked, frowning in confusion. I mean, I’d only kissed Ollie a few days ago. What had he been telling his friend? What even was there to tell his friend about?

“Oh yes. I understand you’re studying psychology?”

My mouth fell open and I managed to snap it shut. “H-how…?”

“Felix,” Ollie growled. “Shut up, man. You’re making me sound like a bloody stalker. Lottie,” he turned to me, “I saw the books in your bag one day, and there may have been a couple of times I noticed them out on the coffee table in the library but?—”

“Sh—sugar lumps,” I whispered, fear gripping me. I did think I’d covered my tracks pretty well when I snuck in revision on the job. “Ollie, I’m so sorry. I swear I would only work for the odd hour or two and?—”

Felix burst out laughing. “Oh wow. This is priceless. Lottie, I don’t think you have any idea how gone for you my boy Ols is here. I promise you he gives zero fucks whether you clean his house or not. He doesn’t even need a cleaner, for Christ’s sake.”

“Felix,” Ollie said in a warning tone. “I think it’s time for you to fuck off, mate.”

Felix held up his hands, still chuckling. “Okay, okay. I get the message. Come on, Vics. We’ve got that meeting at three in the office.”

Vicky was still staring at me in that disconcerting way of hers.

“Vics?” Felix called when she made no move to leave.

“I think psychology is a good choice for you,” Vicky said. “I think you’ll be very good at that.”

I blinked at her. “Uh, thanks?”

She nodded then pushed off the stool to follow Felix out of the kitchen. Ollie let me go a moment to go after her. He blocked her exit just before she could leave.

“You won’t reconsider?” he said in a low voice.

“You don’t need me there, Ollie,” Vicky said firmly and Ollie sighed.

“If anything happens or someone’s a dick to you, then you come to me, okay?”

“I’ll be perfectly fine.”

After she left, Ollie stared after her for a moment and ran his hand through his hair before turning back to me.

“What was that about?” I asked. I’d already crossed so many lines today, who cared if I added being supremely nosy into the mix.

Ollie turned back to me, took a deep breath in, before letting it out slowly. Then he walked over to where I was sitting, caged me in with his hands either side of me on the worktop and stared down at me, one side of his mouth hitching up in a small grin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, searching my face, his eyes burning bright blue.

I blinked up at him absorbing the totally bizarre scenario where a gorgeous duke in a three-piece suit, looking like he just stepped out of a modelling shoot, told me, Lottie Forest – baggy jeans, a sweatshirt which had bleach stains on it, no make-up and unbrushed hair balancing on top of my head in a messy bun (of the unsexy variety) – that I was beautiful. My mind blanked as I breathed in his aftershave and manly Ollie smell.

“You’re so handsome that sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe,” I told him. Yes, that’s what I said in a breathy little voice, completely saturated with my need for him. His eyes flashed as one of his hands went up and into my hair, the other to my jaw, tilting my face towards his as his lips brushed against mine, light at first and then he made a low noise at the back of his throat before he deepened the kiss. My hands between us clutched at his shirt and my legs opened to let his hips between us so I could feel his heat against me where I needed it. I moved against him and felt a growl vibrate his chest as one of his large hands went around my back to pull me against him, lifting me up. I managed to get my hand from between us, going up under his shirt and waistcoat and eliciting another deep growl when I felt his hot skin and the bunched muscles underneath.

“Fuck,” he breathed against my mouth as he moved against me and I let out a small moan. “Lottie, baby. I can’t… I…” Then there was a crash on the tiles next to us and we broke apart with a start. I glanced down to see the delicate teacup I’d used earlier smashed across the hard surface then moved back to Ollie.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed into his mouth.

“What?” he whispered, sounding pained.

“About the china. It’s so pretty, and?—”

He chuckled, low and deep and I felt him everywhere. “Lottie, I give no fucks about the goddamn china,” he said, his lips almost brushing mine and I shivered. His eyes started burning again as his breath stuttered, but just before I thought he was about to kiss me he jerked away. “Bollocks!”

“W-what’s wrong?” I asked, my arms coming up around to hug myself in the cold that the absence of his large warm body left behind. “Did I do something that?—?”

“No, of course not, baby,” he said through a groan, pacing away from me and raking his hands through his thick hair. “It’s me. I…” He shook his head then stared into my eyes. “Being around you here it’s… God, Lottie, I’m trying really hard here to take things slowly. That does not include pinning you down and living out all the scenarios I fantasise about pretty much all the time. But having you here in my house is making things…” he laughed. “Well, it’s making things hard – literally and figuratively.”

I felt heat hit my cheeks as I pressed my lips together.

“Come out with me now.”

“What?” I frowned. “But Ollie, I’m working.”

“Well, I happen to know your boss and I know that he doesn’t give a fuck if you skip a few hours of cleaning.” His tone turned cajoling as he aimed a crooked smile at me. “Come on, Lottie. Just a few hours outside the house. I’ve cancelled the rest of my day. Don’t leave me hanging. I promise it’ll be fun.”

I bit my lip. Fun. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I did something just for fun. Without obligation. Without worrying constantly. Ollie held out his hand to me and I hesitated for a moment. But only for a moment.