by Nella Tyler
I said nothing. So much for gaining direction from him, I thought.
“I've also hired a chef and a gardener. I might hire more help later on, but it depends on how you guys get along with the workload." He paused and smiled sheepishly. "I've never taken care of a home like this before and figured I could use some help."
There was nothing I could really say to that. At least, he was being honest. I liked that he wasn’t putting on snobby airs. I gazed up at him, my thoughts racing. My head came up to his chest, so he must have been a couple inches over six feet tall. His eyes roamed over me again and I wondered if I should have worn a uniform. I was dressed in a pair of tan loose-fitting linen pants and a similarly loose-fitting cotton top, with collar and sleeves. I wasn't sure what I would be doing on my first day, or if he even required a uniform, so I had decided to wear something that I could work in if he decided to put me to work right away.
I thought that a short in person interview would probably be appropriate, but instead, he gestured for me to follow him.
"Let me give you a quick tour of the house. Then you can get started."
I said nothing. I got the impression he assumed I knew what I was supposed to do. I wasn't about to dissuade him of that. I needed this job, not so much for the money, but for my own self-confidence and self-esteem. I supposed I could just wing it. After all, I had grown up with maids. I basically knew what their chores involved. If nothing else, I would grab a feather duster and some polishing cream or even a mop and pick a room and start.
He led the way through the mansion. The ground floor encompassed the main living area, which frankly, I figured didn't get much use considering the all white furniture still look brand new. Either that or he had yet to host his first party. Beyond the formal living room was a comfortable den, which definitely looked more lived in.
The den boasted a comfortable leather couch, an ottoman, bookcases lining the walls, and an oak entertainment center holding the large flat screen TV and stereo system – definitely more user-friendly. Beyond the den was the kitchen, with an island in the middle. A rack filled with dangling pots and pans was situated over the island. There were granite countertops, a shiny stainless steel fridge, stove, dishwasher, and microwave, Saltillo tile floor, and dark oak cabinetry; a gourmet chef’s dream kitchen. I felt a twinge of envy. My condo was nice, but…
On the other side of the hall opposite the kitchen was a formal dining room with a large table, covered at the moment with a white tablecloth. Glass-door cabinetry copied the cupboards in the kitchen, filled with what looked to be fine china and service ware. I wondered if any of it had been used yet. Next to the dining room stood a bathroom, and then, under the stairs, a storage space.
Upstairs, he showed me each of the six rooms, one of them serving as his office, three equipped with their own en suite bathrooms complete with glassed-in showers and step-down bathtubs with Jacuzzi jets. At the end of the hallway stood a floor-to-ceiling window. He led me toward it. I stood beside him, thinking that he smelled good. Oh God, Old Spice. I loved the smell of Old Spice.
He pointed to the backyard. It was huge, so large I couldn’t see the boundaries for the landscaping, trees, and hedges. Directly below the house was a nice arrangement of shrubbery and hedges – all green. Beyond the tall hedge, I saw the glimmer of a sparkling swimming pool surrounded by flagstone. Between the house and the hedge, behind which the swimming pool was situated, was an exquisitely cared for rose garden, complete with vine-encased arbor toward the back.
He turned to me.
"Any questions?"
I got the feeling that he was hoping I would say no, so I shook my head, but then quickly changed my mind. "Just one."
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Am I required to wear a uniform?"
He smiled. "No, wear whatever's comfortable for you." He paused. "You ready to start tomorrow morning?"
I nodded. When he looked at me, it seemed as if his eyes peered right through me, seeking out every thought and idea. I schooled my expression, fought against the urge to wonder what it would be like to kiss those luscious lips, and followed him back downstairs. It was the oddest job interview I had ever had, but I supposed it had gone okay.
He took me back to the front door and opened it. I stepped outside and turned to glance over my shoulder to bid him goodbye. I was somewhat disconcerted to find him staring at my butt. He quickly recovered and nodded politely.
"See you tomorrow, then."
“Yes” I stammered. “See you tomorrow.”
Chapter 3
I showed up for work the next day wearing a comfortable pair of Capri pants that ended just below my knees, booty socks, and a pair of tennis shoes. I finished off my “work uniform” with a dark blue scoop neck T-shirt, but not too much of a scoop. Luke once again met me at the door and gestured me inside, and then, mumbling an excuse, headed upstairs, saying he had to work in his office, but to knock on the door if I needed anything.
He seemed more nervous than I was, and since he offered me no directions for my job description, I got the impression that Luke might just be a little bit overwhelmed with his new role in life. It was obvious to me that he wasn’t quite sure how to act. I suppose that was natural, suddenly coming into money and being not quite sure what to do with it. Still, if he weren’t careful, someone, somewhere down the line, would be sure to take advantage of him. Like his current “girlfriend” – and I used that term lightly.
I looked around, feeling rather confused and not knowing exactly where I should start. I decided the kitchen was as good a place as any. If he didn't have any specific instructions for me, then I would just start cleaning. I made my way down the hallway to the kitchen. It was empty and I wondered about the chef he had hired. I knew some of chefs didn’t want anyone in the kitchen beside themselves, but until I received such instructions, I explored. I looked under the kitchen sink, but found no cleaning supplies there. I then noticed a narrow cupboard next to what I assumed was the door leading out to the garage space. I opened it and nodded. I had found the broom closet. At least, that’s what my mother called the place where the cleaning supplies were kept. Inside was a fine collection of brooms, mops, dustpans, cloths, trashcan liners, and a variety of cleansers, cleaners, and solutions.
I started in the kitchen, sanitizing the marble countertop. Several moments later, I felt a tingle at the back of my neck. I wasn’t sure what compelled me, but I glanced over my shoulder. Luke stood in the doorway, watching me. I caught my gasp before it escaped my throat and smiled politely. "Can I get you anything, Mister Benning?"
He shook his head. “Call me Luke, please."
I nodded and waited for him to say something but he didn't. He just stood there smiling and staring at me. I finally decided that I should continue with the cleaning. Only when I had turned away to continue cleaning the kitchen counter did he speak.
"Don't let me bother you," he began. "I'm just interested in learning how you work so I can gauge how you're going to perform. I don't need to tell you that this is a big house, and it can be hard to keep up with everything."
With my back turned to him, I frowned. Had he changed his mind already? Was I going to fail to even hold a job as a maid? I paused in my task and turned toward him. "Is there a specific way or method you want me to use to clean your house?"
He hesitated for a moment and again I got a sense of his uncertainty.
"To be quite honest with you, Molly… I can call you that, can't I?"
I nodded. He offered a self-deprecating smile.
"To tell you the truth, Molly, I've never had a maid before, so I don't really know what needs to be done. I'm afraid I'm not going to be very good giving you any direction."
"I understand," I said. I sought to reassure him that I could handle the job. "After I finish in the kitchen here, perhaps I can sit down and create a sort of schedule so you know what I’ll be doing on a daily basis." I could only take my example from the ma
ids that I had grown up with. "For example, I could do the downstairs one day and some of the rooms upstairs on another. If any of the cleaning tasks, such as vacuuming, bothers you, I can work on that when you're out of the house or-"
"You don't have to give me a schedule or anything," he said. "I trust that you know what you're doing and that you know how to do it. I'm just curious, is all. I hope you don't mind if I check up on you every once in awhile. I suppose it's good for me to know what to expect."
I felt a niggling of doubt. This was odd, but he was the boss and he owned the place, so what could I say? I nodded. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask." With that, I returned to polishing off the counter, using one towel for the countertop, then some kitchen wipes to take care of the stainless steel appliances.
I didn't hear anything for a while and busied myself working my way from one end of the counter to the other. I figured he had gone back to his work upstairs and focused on my work. Soon I found myself humming. When I finished the counter and turned to throw the soiled wipes into the trashcan, I was startled to find Luke still standing in the doorway, watching me. Once again I swallowed a gasp and, once again, I asked if there was anything I could do for him. He stood there, arms crossed over his chest, feet crossed at the ankles, and leaning against the doorjamb, and merely shook his head.
I felt somewhat disconcerted as he literally followed me from room to room. I didn't get the impression that he thought I would steal or break anything, but his curiosity and his eyes on me were definitely unnerving. While he was certainly handsome, and I thought it was sort of cute that he was so innocent when it came to being an employer, I was still a little creeped out at the same time. After all, his constant staring made me feel uncomfortable. I began to grow self-conscious about bending over, not that he could look down my shirt, but I didn't necessarily want him ogling my ass, either. I tried to act as natural as possible, although my nerves started jangling.
The hours passed, and by the end of the day I had managed to get through the entire downstairs. Of course, there was plenty more to do, but I had taken care of the sweeping, the dusting, and the polishing until four o’clock in the afternoon, with an hour off for lunch. I had left the property for that hour, somewhat relieved to be away from Luke's constant staring. I hadn't gone for anything to eat, but had driven off the estate and then pulled my car up against the curb of a nearby park to just watch the kids at play.
By the time I left the Benning house at a few minutes after four o’clock, I was tired, ready to go home, take a bath, and relax. Perhaps tomorrow he would be more comfortable with me in the house and wouldn't feel the need to follow me from room to room. Just as I was gathering my things to leave, he entered the foyer.
"Wait a minute, Molly, will you?"
I gazed up at him, uncertain. Was he not satisfied with my work? Was he going to fire me already? His next words took me totally by surprise.
"If you're not doing anything this Friday night, would you like to go out with me?"
Chapter 4
To say I was caught off guard would be an understatement. What the heck? Just what kind of assets did he think he'd hired me for? I really needed this job, but I had no intentions of getting physical with my boss. However, if I outright refused and acted all indignant, I would be putting this job into jeopardy. I felt like I was caught in the middle of a quandary and for the first time realized what other maids had probably gone through in their lives. I needed to be able to learn how to deal with the same problems other maids and house help dealt with. But how far did one go to keep a job?
Still, I was tired of being sheltered and pampered. I needed to learn how real-life worked, and there really was no better way to go about it than what I was doing right now. In fact, this job had already opened my eyes to a whole different world – one that I had never thought about while watching our own maids go about their business. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, I was already gaining greater understanding. I believed this new understanding would make me a more compassionate, caring, and well-rounded human being.
Then again, he had asked me out on a date, not to come up to his room. Maybe it wasn't even a real date. Maybe he had asked so that he could get to know me better. It wasn’t a marriage proposal, for crying out loud, or a proposition. Maybe it was just his way of getting to know the people he would be working with. Had he done the same with his chef and his gardener? I had no idea. Luke Benning was nothing like what I had expected. He could be eccentric and unorthodox, as far as I knew.
Again I got the distinct impression that Luke was not at all familiar in his role. Maybe he didn't even realize that such invitations or “hobnobbing” with the staff just wasn’t done. At least, not in the circles I had grown up in. That was not to say that my family wasn’t terribly fond of our own staff and many had been with my parents for decades. This was also not to say that rich people didn't get to know their staff and sometimes grow extremely attached to them. I myself was incredibly fond of all the housekeepers, gardeners, and cooks that my parents had employed over the years.
As I stood in front of Luke, all these thoughts raced through my head. I thought that the least I could do was see how it goes. Maybe this “date” might give me a chance to understand him a little better. Not to mention that he was very handsome. Just looking at him got my nerves tingling with desire. Not that I would act on it, of course, but still, it was there and I couldn’t deny it.
I could definitely do worse. Then again, maybe he had asked because he wasn't quite sure of the “rules” and maybe he was just really nervous. It hadn't taken me long today as he followed me around to decide that it was just because he wasn't quite sure he knew what to do with himself.
So, this was a conundrum. I had grown up with money and was trying to live a simpler life in a way to gain more experience and a depth of understanding of how "the other half" lived. Here was a guy who obviously just came into money and had no idea how to deal with it. He had no basic understanding of how things were supposed to work in such circumstances. I knew only a little about his history. I didn’t know what he did for a living now. Had he ever been the boss or an employer? I sincerely doubted it.
I realized that he was still staring at me, waiting for my answer. I gave an inward shrug and figured why not? "I'd love to," I said. After all, a lot could happen between now and Friday night. Maybe he would change his mind. Maybe he would decide that I wasn't a good enough maid and would fire me before Friday came around. No harm, no foul.
At any rate, he seemed pleased with my response and smiled. He gave me a nod and then turned to go back inside. The front door shut softly behind him and I slowly walked down to my own car. Had I made the right decision? I certainly didn't want to give him the wrong impression. Yes, and he was very good looking, but it took a lot more than that to get me interested in any guy. Besides, I wasn't on a manhunt. I certainly wasn't in the market for a boyfriend and beyond that, I wasn't looking to hook up with someone rich.
The whole point of me finding a job was to convince myself that I could make it on my own. I didn't need to rely on anyone but myself to make my way in life. That was the point. Was I going to take this job as a maid seriously? Absolutely. For the time being, I needed to forget the fact that I came from money and that any time I needed it, all I had to do was run to the ATM. If I needed a lot, all I had to do was call my father and ask. Nevertheless, I had challenged myself to do this and I was going to see it through.
The idea that I might be fired on the spot if I hadn't accepted Luke's invitation disturbed me. Would he have let me go? I wasn’t sure. So why had I accepted? Why hadn't I stomped off in a huff? The truth was I was curious to know a little more about him. What exactly did he want? Why did he watch me so carefully? A thought struck me. Could it be possible that he knew my father and that my father had told him what I was up to? Was he spying on me to report back?
I shook my head. I knew most of the people my father was acquainted
with, if not directly, then through casual conversations. I had never heard mention of Luke Benning, new money or not. In fact, I got the distinct impression that Luke was new to the entire area. Perhaps over the next few days, I could do another Google search on him or at least, try to find out a little more about him – where he came from and how much money he had come into. Most of all, I wanted to get to know Luke the man. The handsome man. The sexy man. The one who kept his silence and just watched.
Just the thought of him watching me like a hawk today gave me an odd thrill. I should be disturbed, and while it had been a little creepy at times, I sensed that he was not intending to creep me out.
Perhaps by Friday night I would know enough about him to feel more comfortable getting to know him better. On the other hand, if I even so much as found an inkling of anything underhanded, nefarious, or otherwise questionable about him, I would come up with an excuse not to go out. I had no compunction about quitting if that was the case, either.
Of course, I could always just tell them the truth, that I didn't think it was appropriate for me to go out with him, but then again, I circled back to my needing – wanting – this job. Did I need it badly enough to feel pressured into doing something I didn't want to do? No. Did I need it bad enough to feel that I had to do everything he asked or my job would be at risk? No.
It was a matter of principle. Until anything untoward occurred before or on our “date” Friday night that gave me any indication that he wasn’t on the up and up, I would give him the benefit of the doubt.
Because I sensed he was so new at this, I wondered if he had asked me out to pick my brain. But why should he? After all, I was a maid. Then again, who, more than a maid, knew the inner workings of a household? How things were done and scheduled? He should already have had someone in place or some guidance from somewhere to help him through this aspect of his new environment. The more I tried to figure out what exactly was going on with Luke Benning, the more questions I ended up with.