Chapter Two
I walk down the steps to exit my apartment building and head to my car. It’s a beautiful Tuesday morning. The sun is shining and the breeze in the air makes the heat bearable.
I’m feeling confident in my outfit choice. I’m wearing a navy blue pencil skirt and cream blouse. The navy pencil skirt, along with my light brown hair, makes my blue eyes pop. I never usually wear make-up, but today is an exception. I have applied some light concealer, mascara, and nude lip-gloss.
I consider my eyes my best feature so I can afford not going overboard with make-up as long as my eyes stand out. I have loosely curled my hair today to give it some bounce. Navy heels finish my outfit off and add a good three inches to my 5'5" frame.
I hop into my Corolla and put my keys in the ignition. I take a deep breath while pulling out of my apartment complex at 7:15am exactly. I'm right on schedule. I continue to take a few more deep breaths to calm the nerves I suddenly have.
I’m prepared to hit some traffic on my way over to Mr. Price’s estate, but surprisingly there is none. I pull up to the gates outside the home twenty minutes before the interview is scheduled. There is a gentleman sitting in a small brick structure outside the gates and he waves me over. I drive up right next to him.
“Can I help you?” The man says to me while giving my car a look over.
“My name is Mia Dechino and I'm here to interview with Mr. Price.” My nerves are back. This place is huge.
The man starts hitting some buttons on the tablet in his hands. A few seconds later he looks up at me and speaks.
“Nancy, Mr. Price’s personal assistant, has you down here for an interview at eight this morning. If you just pull through these gates and continue down the road you will see an area where the driveway splits three ways. You will continue straight away to the front of the estate. Someone will be there to take your vehicle and Nancy will walk you in.”
“Okay. Thank you, sir.” I roll my window up and wait for the gates to open completely, following the driveway all the way up to the front of the estate. Sure enough, there is an older gentleman waiting near the front of the house. He waves me over and once I put my vehicle in park he is opening my driver’s side door.
“Hello, Ms. Dechino. I am Michael. I will take your vehicle while you go inside with Nancy. I'll have your car waiting for you once your interview with Mr. Price is over,” he says, standing at my door with his hand stretched out, waiting for me to hand him my keys.
“Thank you, Michael.” I keep my communication short. I’m not used to having people do things for me.
At that moment a beautiful woman who looks to be in her early thirties walks out the front doors of the estate. She has blonde hair that can only come from a bottle. Her brown eyes are washed out by the heavy make-up she has applied to her face. She is tall with a model’s body. Her breasts are on display in a tight corset. She's wearing a pantsuit over the corset with the jacket open to display her body. Her slim frame leads me to believe her breasts are surgically enhanced.
She's definitely the type that stands out when she walks into the room.
She approaches me with a stern look on her face. You can tell she isn’t someone you mess around with.
“Hello, Ms. Dechino.” She reaches out her hand to shake mine. “My name is Nancy and I'm Mr. Price’s personal assistant. You're a little early for the interview,” she says, glancing at her watch. “I love someone who doesn’t make me wait around and Mr. Price loves punctuality in his employees. If you just follow me, we will head over to his office.”
I’m not sure if I should reply to her greeting, but luckily Nancy doesn’t wait for one. She immediately walks into the estate with me following.
I’m in awe the moment I step into the home. It is gorgeous with a wide-open floor plan. The main room is white with a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. The ceiling is two stories high and displays beautiful artwork you would expect to see in a gallery.
We start walking down a hallway to the left of the main room. Nancy refers to this as the west wing of the home.
We walk past several doors and another hallway. We approach the end of the hallway in the west wing where beautiful oak double doors stand. Nancy opens the double doors and we walk into a room that looks like a typical lobby in an office building.
There's a desk that sits to the right of another set of oak double doors. An impressive phone system is on the desk, and file cabinets behind it. There are six chairs lined along the wall to the left of me. A coffee table is placed in the center with all the latest magazines and today’s newspaper.
There’s also a 40-inch flat screen TV on the wall that has on one of the local news stations. The TV is to the left of the double doors. I assume Mr. Price’s office is behind those doors.
Nancy walks behind the desk and picks up the phone. She hits a few buttons and puts the phone to her ear. I continue looking around the room while I await further instructions from her.
“Mr. Price, I'm standing here with your eight o’clock appointment for the housekeeping position. Should I let her in?” Nancy speaks into the phone.
She waits a few seconds listening intently to whatever Mr. Price is saying on the other line. “Okay, sir. We will wait until you come get us. Thank you, sir.”
Nancy hangs up the phone and looks towards me.
“Mr. Price is just finishing up an important business call. He should be out here shortly to get us.”
“Okay. Thank you, Nancy.”
We wait for a good fifteen minutes in awkward silence. I try to say something, but change my mind the minute I lift my head. Nancy stares at me the entire fifteen minutes with a look of confusion on her face. She finally breaks the silence and directs an odd question at me.
“Ms. Dechino?”
“Yes,” I'm hesitant with my reply to her.
“From what I understand you were sent over from the temp agency. Was it Jessica who sent you over?”
What an odd question. I got the impression that Jessica is the one who handles Mr. Price’s business through the agency. Who else would have sent me?
“Yes, it was Jessica.” I reply with a confident look on my face.
“Are you sure it was Jessica? I know there are a couple other women who work in that office… so maybe there was a little confusion on who actually set you up with this interview.”
Now I’m a little annoyed and I snap back a quick reply.
“I am actually positive it was Jessica. I have worked with her the past four months and I spoke with her in great detail yesterday evening. She thought I would be a perfect fit for this position.”
Nancy looks at me for a good twenty seconds before she seems satisfied with my answer. She starts typing away on the tablet she’s holding in her hands. She remains this way the rest of the time while we wait for Mr. Price.
I'm starting to second-guess my decision on coming in for this interview.
Suddenly, I hear movement and look up. Nancy is walking towards me with a tight smile on her face.
“Mr. Price just messaged me and we are free to go in now.”
I follow her through the second set of double doors and into a beautiful office. The furnishings are all in dark wood or black leather. The walls are painted taupe, which complements the furniture well. There are expensive paintings on the walls. The office has a simple beauty to it. The desk in front of me is huge and demands attention in the room.
I look behind the desk in front of me and stop breathing.
Oh. My. God.
Mr. Price stands up and I can’t believe how handsome he is. He’s impeccably dressed with a lean muscular build. His face confirms that he has to be the most gorgeous man on the planet and his hair is a sexy kind of mess. He must have had a stressful morning because you can tell his hand has been in his hair… a lot.
Nancy steps up to the desk and looks my way as she speaks.
“Mr. Price, th
is is Mia Dechino. She is interviewing for the housekeeper position,” Nancy states, standing next to me.
I've completely forgotten she's here. I’m too distracted by the beautiful man in front of me. I've never seen a man like him before. I've never had this kind of reaction to a man’s appearance before.
I want to eat him for breakfast.
Mr. Price walks over to me and extends his hand for a handshake. I don’t react at first. Him standing so close to me makes my body forget to react to the simple gesture.
I compose myself and lift my hand to meet his. Once our hands touch I feel tingles go up my arm and through my body. It’s an electric shock to my system. I have never felt anything like this before. It feels amazing and scares the shit out of me.
Mr. Price is silent as he stares at our hands that are still connected. I have a feeling he felt it, too.
“It is nice to meet you, Mia. My name is Sebastian Price, but you may call me Mr. Price.”
How odd that he gives me his name informally, but then tells me to address him so formally. I decide not to dwell on this.
“It is nice to meet you, too, Mr. Price. You have a beautiful home,” I say confidently. I’m a little surprised that I can form sentences at the moment
“Thank you,” he says as he lets go of my hand, dropping the only connection our bodies have with each other. “If you have a seat we can get started with the interview.”
He walks back around his desk as he addresses Nancy, ”You can leave now. I will expect you back here in twenty minutes to escort Ms. Dechino out.”
The look of shock on her face is priceless.
“Are you sure, Mr. Price? I usually stay with you during your interviews. I can take notes if you would like?”
“That won’t be necessary, Nancy. Just be back here in twenty minutes.”
Nancy looks a little stunned by Mr. Price’s dismissal. She shoots me a dirty look that is so quick, I’m sure Mr. Price missed it.
“Yes, sir,” Nancy replies and then exits the office.
I'm sitting in a large chair facing Mr. Price’s desk, waiting for him to start the interview. I'm anxious to get the interview over with, but I’m not sure if I want him to speak.
I'm enjoying the view too much.
“Well, Mia, I have looked over your work history and the documentation the temp agency sent over. You seem to be overqualified for this position. You have an associate’s degree and it states on your paperwork that you worked in the banking industry for the last two years. That is until you abruptly quit five months ago.”
He doesn’t continue and I can’t find the words to speak. The silence lasts for what seems like forever.
“Well, is this accurate?” Mr. Price asks me, looking confused on why I haven’t spoken yet. He leans forward in his chair while he awaits my answer.
My brain is screaming for my mouth to speak…
Speak, Mia!!!
I finally open my mouth, “Yes, Mr. Price, that is accurate.”
He adjusts his body back into his chair. He looks a little more relaxed now.
“Why have you decided to waste a degree and slum it as a housekeeper?” His question catches me off guard.
“Well, I don't see it as wasting a degree. Cleaning a home is hard work and I have respect for anyone who does it.” I don’t like the fact that he implies the job is beneath me.
I continue speaking, “As far as why I do it? I’m afraid that is a personal question that I do not wish to answer.”
I don’t want to tell him the real reason behind my desire for the job. Cleaning is physically exhausting work and I need it to keep my mind busy. I need anything to help me forget.
It’s quiet for a couple moments. He's watching me intensely and I start to feel self-conscious under his stare. He's looking me over and I can’t read his facial expressions to figure out what is going through his brain.
God, is he gorgeous. It should really be illegal to look as good as he does.
He breaks the hold his eyes have on me and looks over a few pieces of paper that are on his desk. He's visually scanning the paperwork the temp agency sent over. He looks up again and starts to speak.
“I see here that you’ve had some great referrals from some clients at the temp agency. I guess you're good at your job. This is a live-in position, are you aware of that?”
“Yes, sir… I mean, Mr. Price.” He smiles at my response.
Wow, his smile is breathtaking. He shouldn’t be able to just unleash that whenever he feels like it. I smile back at him, not knowing what else to do. I don’t want to sit here with a stupid look on my face. He makes me anxious and I have a feeling he knows this.
He continues speaking as if he can read my mind.
“You seem a little nervous and I don’t want that. I want you to be comfortable in this interview. You can refer to me as Sebastian if that makes things easier.”
He waits to see my response, but when I don’t have one he continues, “When you’re around other members of my staff I would appreciate being spoken to as Mr. Price, but when it is just the two of us you can be less formal. Does that help?”
Huh? I don’t want special treatment.
“If it's all the same to you I would prefer to call you Mr. Price. It will minimize any confusion.” I want to say ‘Can we get to the job details, please?’
He looks at me like he’s trying to decipher his next move. I’m beginning to think I’m some game to him.
“I would prefer you call me Sebastian. If you are feeling any confusion then you can call me Sebastian all the time. In fact, please, just refer to me as Sebastian. This isn’t a request.”
Not a request? Who the hell does he think he is? I don’t have time to dwell on these thoughts because he continues speaking.
“We have that settled…,” is it settled? “So let’s get to your job details. My wife and I are the only ones who live in this home. You will rarely see us together though. You will be working primarily for me, but if she needs anything you will be expected to help her, too. You will work five days a week and have a complete benefits package. You are free to do whatever you like in your free time, but keep in mind that you are still one of my employees. You need to conduct yourself in a respectful manner when out in public. Will any of this be difficult for you?”
That is humorous. He has nothing to worry about with me. I never go out.
“No, Mr. Price… I mean, Sebastian. With time you will see that I'm always on my best behavior. You'll have no problems at all,” I answer, hoping this interview is over soon. I am starting to feel the heat under his stare.
He’s watching me again with a look of almost… is it… adoration? He has that look like I am the new puppy his parents brought home or the baby sister brought home from the hospital.
Scratch that. I don’t want him looking at me like a sister.
“Are you sure it was Jessica who sent you over for this interview?” He asks me.
What the hell?
Is it such a shock that Jessica would send me over to interview for this position? I've never had such an odd question asked at any of my interviews. In fact, all of my other employers seemed satisfied that I was chosen by the temp agency to work for them.
I’m starting to get really offended.
“Yes,” I state with a scowl on my face. “Like I told Nancy when she asked me this question, twice, Jessica and I spoke in great detail about this position yesterday.”
I start to fidget as my leg bounces up and down on the chair. Sebastian is dragging his hand through the side of his hair, watching me squirm in my seat.
“When you say you spoke in great detail, did she tell you my expectations of you?” He’s looking at me curiously, like there is a hidden meaning in his question.
“No, she didn’t. We spoke more about the hours of the job, where it is located, and she gave me a little information about you. We never got around to the employee handbook,” I reply sarcastically.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Mia?”
My mouth drops open for a few seconds and I can’t speak. Then my anger takes over. “Excuse me?”
Is he joking? Does he actually expect me to answer him?
“I said, do you have a boyfriend? We don’t allow guests in the staff living quarters.” He looks agitated that he has to ask me a simple question twice.
I feel a little silly. He just wants to make sure I won’t have any unwelcomed guests on his property. He isn’t trying to invade my privacy. Wow, I must look really full of myself.
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend, and you won't have to worry about me having any unwanted guests. I want this job and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it. Plus, I like to keep to myself.” I’m starting to sweat and I can feel the nausea sweeping over me.
Why does he make me so nervous? God, does he have to be so gorgeous? Why do I feel such a pull towards him?
This is silly. I just met him and I am acting like he is some God and I am his follower.
Sebastian continues, “You will be expected to get along with the other staff members. You will be sharing living quarters with the women… among other things. Would you like to see where your room will be if I hire you?”
What does he mean, among other things? What other things will we share?
“No, thank you. I'm sure it will satisfy my needs, no matter how it looks.”
I need to leave now. I haven’t had a discussion that lasted this long in months. There is no way I can take this job. I'm acting like a complete fool and I don’t think I can be around him every day.
“Well, Mia, it was a pleasure meeting you. You seem like you could be a great fit in my home,” Sebastian says as he stands up from behind his desk.
“You signed paperwork with the temp agency saying it is okay for potential employers to run a background check. I will run a background check and make my final decision shortly. You will receive a call from Nancy letting you know either way. If you are hired you will be expected to sign a lengthy contract. I will expect you to move your things in this Friday and your start date will be next Monday. Does that work for you?”
He is thorough. I guess you have to be when you’re worth over a billion dollars.
“Yes, Sebastian.” I am so glad he’s dismissing me. I have to get out of here before I do something stupid like throw myself at him.
Right on time there's a knock on the door and Nancy walks in. I stand up and shake Sebastian’s hand. I start walking towards Nancy to leave his office.
“Ms. Dechino?” Sebastian calls after me.
Oh, God. What now?
I turn around to face Sebastian and stare right into his beautiful blue eyes. He's silent for a moment before he speaks again.
“It really was a pleasure to meet you. I have a feeling we are going to get along extremely well.”
I smile in return and then turn back towards Nancy who appeared in the door to follow her out of his office. I thank Nancy when we walk back into the lobby of Sebastian’s office. I then walk briskly through the hallway until I’m out the front doors of the large estate.
Michael is out front with my car just like he said he would be. I thank him, hop in my car, and pull out of here as fast as I can. Once I'm back on the public road I let out a deep breath.
I’m more relaxed now because the interview is over. I’m sure there's no way I will get the job. I made a fool out of myself. I’m surprised I didn’t drool all over myself. How embarrassing.
Well, if by some chance he does offer me the job there's no way I’m taking it. I like my life the way it is. It's quiet and predictable. I have to keep it that way for my sanity.
I can’t afford to let these emotions in, no matter what. I can’t care about anyone. I know if I take this position that I'll start to care for him. I have a strange connection with him and it's a connection I’m not willing to explore.
So it’s settled. If I'm offered the job I'll say no.
Easy.
Now if I can just say it and convince myself that I mean it.
The Road To Price Page 3