The initial chapters in this multi-chapter story have worked out to be quite short, sorry about that. I will endeavor to get them up quickly.
I am definitely hanging out at the 'reluctance' end of the NonConsent/Reluctance category. You have been warned.
With grateful thanks to Misternik for copy editing and vmc312 for being a sounding board and more general advice.
*****
She'd just finished making the bed and was smoothing down the sheets when her phone rang. It was Tracey.
"Babes are you okay?!" she asked urgently into the phone.
Andrea knew she shouldn't really answer when she was at work, but this was her best friend. Three days ago Tracey walked in on her boyfriend and her sister in bed together. To say she'd taken it pretty badly would have been a bit of an understatement; Andrea hadn't heard from her since the morning it had happened, and was worried sick.
Knowing that this was going to be a long conversation, she looked around the room. There were no obvious signs of inhabitation; the room appeared to be vacant. Slipping off her plimsolls, she flopped onto the bed. It would be fine she thought, I can smooth the sheets down again afterwards.
Stephano had decided to pop back to his room to freshen up after a grueling meeting and was astonished to find a young woman stretched out on his bed, talking on her phone. She was lying on her front, shoes kicked off and feet in the air, ankles crossed. She clearly hadn't heard him arrive and had no idea she had an audience. It took him a moment to figure out she must be the hotel maid there to clean his room.
He stood stock still and gazed at her, unsure what to do. He couldn't see her face but her arse was well and truly delectable. He watched as she unconsciously grabbed a lose lock of dark hair and began to twist it round her finger while she talked. Far as he could tell from the side of the conversation he could hear, she seemed to be comforting a friend who'd just split up with her boyfriend.
Taking a step closer, Stephano noticed the tops of stockings peeping out from under her skirt. He felt his breath catch as an unexpected surge of attraction coursed through him. He didn't know why she would be wearing them but he found the fact that she had them on underneath her uniform - and that he knew about it - inexplicably arousing.
Andrea was so engrossed in her conversation she hadn't heard the door open. When she finally wrapped up her conversation with Tracey and turned to get up, there was a man standing in the doorway looking down at her, expression unreadable. She jumped off of the bed so fast that anyone watching could be forgiven for thinking it had just spontaneously erupted into flames. Worst of all, she had no idea how long he'd been standing there.
The man was devastatingly handsome, in a dangerous brooding sort of way. He was dark, thick black hair that was harshly combed back off his face. Intensely dark, deep set eyes; sullen secretive, dangerous, with irises that seemed almost onyx black. Olive skin, a strong jaw, really great bone structure. He had a powerful, masculine beauty that was breathtaking, just looking at him she noticed her heart rate had started to increase. She wasn't sure how much of it was fear and how much of it was attraction. Even simply acknowledging that he was attractive made her insides clench. Shuffling from foot to foot nervously, she found herself unconsciously twisting the hem of her apron between her fingers.
If her line manager found out she'd been sprawled across a guests bed making a social call on her mobile during work time, well, they would have no sympathy for her friend Tracey's predicament. Chambermaids were a dime a dozen in central London, she'd known people get laid off for much less, and despite working there for over 30 months now she wasn't even on a contract.
He was still just standing there, watching her intently. She managed to stutter out a rushed, nervous apology.
"I-I-I'm sorry s-sir, I thought the room had been vacated. I promise it won't h-happen again."
He didn't reply. She wondered if maybe he hadn't understood, he looked like he could be of Mediterranean origin so she tried again, in Spanish this time.
"Señor lo siento mucho, yo prometo que no volverá a suceder..."
He lifted his hand and she abruptly stopped speaking.
"I understand English."
He did have an accent of some sort but she couldn't make out what it was. It was very faint. He was still watching her. As his eyes travelled up and down the length of her body the old cliché about 'he's undressing with you his eyes' suddenly made perfect sense. The realization made her squirm uncomfortably under his gaze.
"What happens if they find out you were lying on a guests bed chatting on your phone?" he asked, in a voice that seemed quietly menacing
"My line manager would probably sack me; she's a bit of a dragon."
She sighed inwardly. Why on earth did I tell him that?"
"Look, I'm really sorry, I'll get my stuff and I'll get out of your hair."
"Have you finished cleaning my suite?"
"No," She admitted, looking away. She immediately wished she hadn't, cringing as she spotted the imprint of her body on the bed where she'd been lying. "I still need to do the bathroom." She added quietly.
He took a step into the room and towards her; she fought the urge to back away.
"I'd like you to finish."
"Of course sir." She replied nodding slowly.
She'd never cleaned while a guest was there it felt weird. She looked at her rota sheet and realised the bathroom was due a thorough clean. This meant that either he was checking out, or he'd stayed for a week already.
His shrugged off his off his over coat and hung it over the back of a chair. Taking a closer look she could see it was expensive. The shoulders were wet, she glanced at the window, and noticed that it was pouring with rain outside.
"I could take that down to dry cleaning if you like." Andrea offered, hoping to salvage the situation and save her job.
"Thank you. That's very kind but it won't be necessary."
Under the coat he was wearing a suit, at first she'd assumed it was black but actually it was dark grey. It looked like wool and very expensive. He sat down at the table and took out his laptop. When he didn't acknowledge her again she realised she was being dismissed.
Sighing to herself she grabbed the set of clean towels and headed into the bathroom. She began with the shower, taking care to be extra thorough this time. Moving from item to item, she was so involved in what she was doing that she'd almost forgotten he was there. Right about the time that she was on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor behind the loo she felt his presence looming behind her and looked up. He was standing in the doorway, staring her with a penetrating intensity.
"Do you need to use your bathroom? I can leave."
"No." his reply was curt.
Slowly, awkwardly she stood up, feeling horribly self-conscious as she moved over to the cupboard above the sink, aware that he must still be watching her. Opening it she took a brief inventory of its contents so she could restock. She felt her skin prickle. She spun round to face him and found that he was standing right behind her, so close they were almost touching. Belatedly, it dawned on her that she hadn't heard him approach.
He looked down at her face. She was beautiful, but it was an understated beauty that you might not notice if you weren't looking for it. She wasn't wearing any make up and her hair was tied up in a simple bun at the nape of her neck. Some strands had come lose. Her eyes were her most alluring feature he decided, they were large for her face and despite her otherwise dark colouring they were a most striking shade of blue. Her uniform wasn't particularly flattering but he could see the outline of a feminine shapely figure beneath it. He wanted her, badly.
"You're wearing stockings." He stated quietly
She blinked a few times, an unconscious attempt to clear her head. Her skirt must have ridden up and exposed them as she worked. He was so close to her she could feel his breath on her cheek and she could smell him; he had a musky exotic scent with spicy undertones. She pushed the palm of her hand against her solar plexus in a bid to calm her nerves, but it did little to help. It felt like the proverbial butterflies had taken up arms and were having some kind of revolution in there.