Free Maid to Love (Man Maid Book 3) by Rebecca Avery

he handed it to her. The card advertised the Man Maid cleaning company. Now she recognized the man’s name. He was Ian’s boss. Rusty’s address and phone number were already written neatly on the back. He nodded at her and then turned and walked away without another word.
    Her evening class seemed to take forever. Only as she headed from campus to her car did she realize she was walking faster than normal. Curiosity, mixed with a shot of worry and a pinch of excitement, were a potent concoction after weeks of nothing more than misery and heartbreak.
    As a professional she recognized her feelings for what they were. Somehow in the few short weeks she’d spent with Ian she’d grown to really like him—and not just as a friend. The promise of hearing something about him, anything, was what had her nearly sprinting for her car.
    Was that possible? Could she really be interested in Ian? In that way?
    She didn’t have time to contemplate it further. She made it across town quickly and pulled up behind Jess’s car in the driveway of a small ranch-style home. A luxury sedan was parked alongside the curb. Courtney recognized the vehicle as Kayla Brown’s car, and she relaxed even more.
    Courtney was greeted at the door by Rusty and Ronnie Brown’s dog, Sergeant Buck. Rusty ushered her inside and into the living room, which was separated into two functional spaces by a comfortable-looking couch. Jess and Kayla, along with Tori Lewis, were sitting at the dining table. Rusty offered Courtney the last available seat.
    “All I know is that this has to stop, Jess. He shouldn’t be fighting right now. Whatever is going on with him needs to be resolved before he goes back in the ring,” Tori said.
    “I don’t have much to offer by way of refreshments,” Rusty said to the group of women, interrupting Tori’s argument. “Beer, coffee or water is about it.”
    “What’s in the cake box?” Jess asked, pointing to a box in the center of the table.
    “Cupcakes, I think. Ian brought them home earlier,” Rusty replied.
    Jess pulled the box closer. Without hesitation she opened the lid, peered inside and gasped in delight. Reaching into the box, she took out an oversize cupcake topped with a mountain of delicious-looking icing. She glanced around the table guiltily. “I’m sorry, I should have let you guys pick first, but red velvet is my favorite. There’s enough for us all to have one. I just really want this one.”
    “Which one is Ian’s favorite?” Tori asked when Jess pushed the box toward her.
    “Doesn’t matter. Until he starts hitting the gym again, he doesn’t need these anyhow,” Jess replied and then took a big bite of the cupcake with a contented sigh.
    “He’s not working out anymore?” Courtney asked Jess as Rusty sat four coffee mugs on the table.
    “I have to agree with Jess on that front,” Rusty interjected after going back to the kitchen and returning with a coffee pot. “He’s the one who got all of us guys working out and eating healthy. Now he’s the one ducking out. It’s starting to show, too.”
    “So I’m doing him a favor,” Tori said before reaching into the box and selecting a cupcake.
    “I probably shouldn’t, but…” Kayla eagerly looked into the box that Tori pushed over. Then she reached in and selected a cupcake of her own.
    Rusty pulled the box over to Courtney. There was only one left. Looking up at Rusty, she said, “It’s the last one. You should take it if you are really so bent on not leaving one for Ian.”
    “I promise, you are more deserving of this than I am,” Rusty replied, pulling out the last cupcake and handing it to her before heading to the kitchen with the now empty box. “What I’m bent on is Ian either being on the winning end of his next fight or getting out of the ring altogether,” he finished, throwing the box into a recycle bin and heading back over to the table.
    “He lost a fight?” Courtney asked the group.
    “Fights. He’s lost