Indecent Encounter: The Silverhaus Affair Read Online Free PDF Page A

felt like silk. I lingered all the way to her delicate hands and wondered again what it would be like to pull her close and kiss those sweet petal lips.
    Chelsea tugged her hands free and stepped back so she didn’t have to crane her neck as high. “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Alex. I plan to work hard and earn my pay.”
    Her words broke through the haze of my fantasy, and I asked, “You have big plans for the money?”
    She frowned then said, “This job will help secure my future, ah, career.”
    Chelsea’s blue eyes were clouded, and I instantly cooled. She wasn't the typical overt nymph featured on the website, however, her last remark set my suspicions on alert. I figured she knew my name was associated with the movie industry when she found me on the website. Career, eh? She was probably here on a roundabout path into Hollywood. My father wondered why I didn’t date much anymore. Well, this was the exact reason why. I didn’t like the feeling of being used.
    “Nice to meet you, Miss Carerra. I hope you enjoy your summer job,” I said and dismissed her.
    Too bad, I thought as I watched her leave. She was the first woman to pique my interest in a long time.

Chapter Six

Chelsea
    A s I knelt over the swimming pool filter basket, I looked up and caught a glimpse of Jamison’s face in the kitchen window. The stuffy, British butler almost looked happy. I shifted my attention back to the leaf basket and realized I had no choice but to use my bare hands to remove the decaying dead leaves and…oh, god…was that a dead frog in there? It was hard to tell for sure. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but there was something green and slimy mixed with lots of brownish black gunk. I guessed Jamison didn’t do pool duty. No wonder he looked so happy.
    I closed my eyes and tried to get up the nerve to plunge my hand into the blockage. After a morning of scrubbing toilets and floors, I was happy to be outside. The summer sun beat on the back of my uniform shirt and it felt wonderful. It helped to avert the sting of the rough cement that grated against my bare knees as I worked. I hoped the fresh air would quell my gag-reflex as I dug into the slime-filled catch.
    This was just one of the disgusting duties Jamison had for me on his list. It appeared he was determined to test my resolve. So I took a deep breath and dunked my hand in. As I pulled out the first fistful of greenish slime, I held my breath long enough to see stars.
    “Rainbow Roads,” I gasped as I flung the mass of decomposed leaves into a bucket and my thoughts turned to Karl. I’d get my brother into that program if I had to spend the entire three months up to my elbow in slime.
    I missed my brother. He had Zach coming to visit him while I was away. I knew that because Zach had been sending me emails every day . He’d even found an apartment near the program’s campus. He said we could live there together, and assured me it was an easy commute to Portland State University. Each email ended with a flurry of romantic sentiments I couldn’t bear to read. He just didn't get it. I didn't feel the same way, and I doubted I ever would.
    I shook my head as I worked. Besides, romance was the last thing on my mind, had been the last thing for a while. I’d had a short fling once with a fellow Economics major, but between classes, work, and Karl, the relationship had fizzled. That had been a year ago and I hadn't bothered since. Zach thought that meant we were supposed to be together, but I didn't even want to think about love right now. How can a person be open to love when they had so many other responsibilities?
    Like digging out slime. I looked down at the open hole looming in front of me and plunged my hand back in one last time.
    I stifled a gag and tried to think about something else, like why had Alex Silverhaus used a false profile picture? It was kind of a dirty move, but as much as I wanted to be righteously angry at his deception I