At exactly four o’clock, two women emerged from the room. One began at the front and the other moved to the end of the line. They asked to see the resumes of the people waiting in line. Sophie watched as they glanced over the pages. With some, they nodded and hung on to the resume. For others, they handed the resume back and pointed back down the hall toward the foyer. Those women left quickly with dejected looks on their faces. Sophie realized they were screening the applicants.
Finally one of the women reached Sophie and took the resume from her. “I see you worked in housekeeping at the North Shore Hotel,” she said. “That’s good. Do you have a driver’s license?” Sophie nodded. The woman gestured for Sophie to move up the dwindling line and then moved on to the next candidate. She was encouraged that she had made it past the initial stage. Once the field had been narrowed, the applicants were called into the room one at a time. Some of the interviews seemed to last a long time, while others were very brief. Sophie shuffled from foot to foot, her legs aching from standing for so long.
At last it was her turn and she was shown into the room. Seated in two armchairs at the far end of the room were a man and a woman. As Sophie approached, she felt a jolt of recognition. The woman was a petite blond with flawless hair and makeup. Her legs were crossed elegantly at the ankle and she looked up at Sophie with large blue eyes. Without rising, the woman gestured at an empty chair in front of her.
Sophie sat, gracefully, she hoped, in the chair and folded her hands in her lap. She was trying to figure out where she recognized the woman from. She was reasonably sure that they didn’t move in the same social circles, and yet, there was something so familiar about her. Sophie was staring at the tiny blonde so intently that she didn’t hear the man talking to her.
“Sophie!” he said sharply.
Sophie started and turned toward him, a flush creeping up her neck and face. “I’m sorry, sir,” she murmured. “I just feel like I know your wife from somewhere.”
The woman laughed. It was a deep, throaty chuckle that made Sophie’s stomach tighten in an unfamiliar way. “I get that a lot,” she said in a sexy purr. “My name is Kendra Hughes Sullivan.”
Sophie smacked her forehead. “I am so dumb!” she exclaimed. “I should have known right from the start! I’m such a fan, Mrs. Sullivan!” In her head Sophie was mortified at the stupid fan-girl gushing that she couldn’t seem to stop. Sitting in front of her was one of Canada’s most famous exports. Kendra Hughes. She had starred opposite some of the top actors in Hollywood, though she preferred to work out of her native country as much as possible.
“Well, when it’s out of context, sometimes the recognition doesn’t come right away,” Kendra said. “I’d rather you didn’t worry about that. Right now we just want to know about you.”
“Oh, sure,” said Sophie. “Ask away!”
“Your resume lists five years’ housekeeping experience,” Mr. Sullivan began. “That would suggest you are capable in that department. How are your cooking skills?”
Sophie took a moment to think, and then said, “I have always enjoyed cooking even though I don’t have any work experience. I like to try out new recipes and I can plan out menus. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of chance to cook for more than just myself and I would love the opportunity to refine those skills.”
Mr. Sullivan nodded. “Of course, with my wife being who she is, we would require you to be extremely discreet,” he said. “We would rather not see private information appearing on TMZ or the like. Nor would we want paparazzi showing up at our home.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it is to have people poking around into your personal lives,” Sophie said. “But you can be sure that I would hold your privacy in very high regard.”
“Our home is quite large,” Kendra said. “And one or both of us are frequently away. Are you okay with staying there by yourself? We have a minimal staff and only the housekeeper lives on the property.”
“I’m quite used to being on my own,” Sophie told her. “I think it would be nice to not have to worry about noisy neighbors or traffic.”
They asked more questions, and Sophie answered them to the best of her ability, feeling that things were going well. For a movie star, Kendra was very easy to talk to. Mr. Sullivan had a quiet, commanding voice, and Sophie found herself hoping that they would like her enough to offer her the job.
“Very well, Miss LaPlante,” Mr. Sullivan said finally as he stood. Sophie got to her feet as well. “I think those are all the questions we have right now. We’ll be in touch.” He held out his hand to shake hers.
Sophie hesitated. She hadn’t thought about how they would contact her with her phone not in service.
“Is something wrong?” Kendra asked her with concern.
“Well,” Sophie began. “I was laid off when the hotel closed, and I’ve been unemployed for several months and having difficulty with my bills.” She took a deep breath and blinked as she felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes. “I’m ashamed to say that my phone service has been disconnected. There isn’t any way for you to contact me,” she whispered.
Kendra stood and slid her arm around Sophie’s waist. “Oh, honey! That’s terrible!” she soothed. “I know what it’s like when there hasn’t been a job for a while and you’re down to the end of your rope.”
Sophie stared down at the ground, her face burning with embarrassment. It was irrational, she knew. She hadn’t been irresponsible with her money. There just hadn’t been enough coming in.
“Tell you what,” Kendra said. “Why don’t you wait out in the hotel lobby? We’ll make a decision today and come talk to you after we finish with the others.”
Sophie nodded. “That is very generous, Mrs. Sullivan,” she said. “I would appreciate that.”
“It isn’t a problem! And please, call me Kendra,” she said. “Now go on out there and we’ll be out to see you in a little while.”
“Thank you, Kendra,” Sophie murmured and turned to walk quickly out the door. She fought hard to keep the tears from falling. The last thing she needed was to fall to pieces right here. Without paying much attention to where she was going, Sophie found herself back in the foyer. She glanced around and spotted a plush chair off to the side of a large fireplace. There wasn’t anyone else sitting nearby so she made her way over and sank down into the comfortable depths.
She had been staring blankly at the fire for a few minutes when a voice nearby said, “Excuse me, miss.”
Sophie looked up to see a man in a suit standing before her. He had a hotel name tag pinned to his lapel. “Yes?” she responded.
He held out a folded menu to her. “Mrs. Sullivan asked me to tell you that she will be a little while longer and to please go ahead and order something to eat,” he said.
“Oh!” Sophie said, startled. “I don’t think that I—”
“Mrs. Sullivan was quite insistent,” he responded. “We can bring the food to you here or if you would prefer to come to the dining room, we can arrange that, as well.”
Taking the menu, Sophie barely glanced at it before ordering a Caesar salad and a club sandwich. She was just anxious to get rid of him. Maybe she should leave. They obviously were concerned that she couldn’t feed herself and she didn’t want their pity. She just wanted a job. Her food was delivered shortly and Sophie picked at it as she continued to stare into the fireplace. She decided to dig out her journal and write for a little bit to pass the time. She hadn’t been at it for long when a shadow fell across her shoulder. She looked up to see Mr. Sullivan standing beside her chair.
“You haven’t eaten,” he said gruffly, pointing at the tray beside her.
“I wasn’t particularly hungry,” Sophie said defensively. “I’m not starving, you know!”
He exhaled and placed his hands on his hips. Sophie couldn’t help noticing how nicely he was built, with broad shoulders, a trim waist, and narrow hips, all shown off by his tailored suit that probably cost more than Sophie’s first car
. She lifted her eyes to meet his and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown that matched his hair and they were framed by thick lashes. The reflection of the flames in his pupils was almost hypnotic.
They stared at each other for a few moments, but Sophie pulled her gaze away first. “Sorry,” she said softly. “I just hate being pitied.”
He pulled a chair up in front of hers and sat. He reached out, took hold of her chin, and turned her head to bring her eyes back up to his. When his hand made contact, a flash of heat travelled through Sophie and her stomach, and pussy, clenched.
“What happened to your face?” he demanded.
The question caught Sophie off guard. She reached up and touched the bruised spot on her cheek. She had tried to cover it with makeup that morning but obviously hadn’t done a good enough job.
“I fell,” she replied. “And I banged my head on the doorframe.”
When he continued looking at her, as though waiting for her to elaborate, she dropped her gaze. “My ex-boyfriend hit me with his elbow when I was standing too close behind him,” she admitted and glanced up to see a muscle twitching along his jaw. “It was an accident!” she added quickly. “I really was in the wrong place at the wrong time!”
He eyed her for another moment before he nodded sharply. “We want to offer you the job, Sophie,” he said to her. “You have the necessary experience but Kendra also seemed to connect with you. We’d like you to start as soon as possible. Can we send a car to pick up your things so you can come back with us tonight?”
Sophie couldn’t believe it. “Thank you, Mr. Sullivan! You won’t regret this!”
He smiled warmly at her, with a look in his eyes that she couldn’t place. “Please call me Jack,” he responded. “And I know I won’t regret it.”
Chapter Three
Sophie went back to her apartment with the driver to pack up her clothes and other essentials, only taking what she could fit into her two suitcases. Thankfully she didn’t have much to worry about. She scrawled a quick note to the superintendent, giving her notice and also letting him know that movers would be coming to pick up the rest of her things. And then she was back in the car and heading to the Sullivans’ house.
Sophie was excited to be working at all, but to be working for a world-famous actress? It was more than she could have hoped for. It did occur to her that she was driving with a complete stranger who was taking her to the home of two more complete strangers. And she didn’t know where the house was. And she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. Oh wait—she told the superintendent. So if her dead body turned up tomorrow the police would figure it out eventually.
Sophie wasn’t usually so cavalier when it came to her own safety, but she really did trust the Sullivans. It was a gut instinct and most of the time she was an excellent judge of character. Tony was a rare exception to that. He had been charming and sweet to start out with, but his behavior toward her became progressively worse. She finally dumped his ass when she came home to find him with another woman in their bed.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Sophie looked out the tinted glass into the night. The windows were so dark she had difficulty seeing anything. She could tell they had left the city, because there were very few lights. Kendra had said they lived near Hedon Falls. Sophie thought it was north of Toronto but wasn’t sure. She’d figure it out soon enough.
As the car continued on, she found herself thinking about her new employers. Kendra was just as beautiful in person as she was on the screen. She was smaller than Sophie had thought she would be. Her petite build meant she was almost as short as Sophie herself. But Sophie definitely had a few pounds more. She wouldn’t say that she was fat, but while Kendra was probably under the ideal weight for her height, Sophie had about ten pounds more than the “average”—whatever average was these days. Sophie knew, though, that there was no way she’d be secretly trying on Kendra’s clothes. Maybe that’s why they had chosen her. It was too bad, really. Kendra probably had some stunning gowns.
Speaking of stunning—Sophie was impressed with Jack. He managed to stay out of the media, and the gossip shows really didn’t say much about him. Sophie knew he was a businessman. Maybe a stock broker? She couldn’t remember. But he was just as gorgeous as his wife. Unlike Sophie and Kendra, Jack was tall, even for a man. Sophie guessed his height to be around six foot three. His shoulders were broad and he seemed to be well muscled, though his suit jacket made it hard to tell. Sophie felt a wave of heat rushing through her as she remembered watching him walk away from her before. His butt was tight and well shaped and extremely nice to look at. His hair was brown with just a hint of gray around the temples. He was probably in his early forties but still looked great. His brown eyes were quite serious and compelling. Sophie hadn’t been able to keep herself from talking to him about Tony earlier. It was as though he could convince her to spill her innermost secrets. Sophie just hoped that he didn’t ask her whether she had any lustful thoughts about him because she could end up embarrassing herself. He made her think very lustful thoughts indeed. But he’s off-limits, Sophie thought to herself. She knew how it felt to be the woman whose man was cheating and she swore she would never make another woman go through that.
The vehicle seemed to be slowing down and Sophie looked out again to find that they were approaching a lit gate, which barred a driveway, flanked on either side by high stone walls. The driver pulled up and rolled down his window. Sophie watched as he swiped a card in a small machine and then pressed some buttons on a keypad. As he rolled the windows back up, the gate swung open and they continued down the drive. It was long and winding and after a minute or two Sophie was sure that even if it had still been light out she wouldn’t be able to see the road. It wasn’t long before she saw lights ahead and the car pulled up in front of a huge house. Sophie had to keep herself from gaping.
The car pulled up in front of the main door, which was massive. On either side, the house stretched out for at least one hundred feet, though Sophie thought it was probably more than that, and it looked like the middle section was three stories tall. The driver had come around to open her door and she stepped out. She looked further down the drive to see that it curved around the side of the house, and she guessed that the garage was in that direction. When she brought her attention back to the front of the house, she noticed the driver standing with her bags, waiting for her to follow after him.
As Sophie approached the door, it swung open. Kendra stood waiting inside, looking tiny compared to the massive house. She moved aside so that Sophie and the driver could enter, and then she closed the door behind them. Once again Sophie found herself staring. The foyer was easily the size of her entire apartment. The floors were a white marble and led to a glorious circular staircase. The railing was a white wrought iron with gold highlights. The ceiling high above featured an enormous crystal chandelier that was surprisingly modern. Mouldings trimmed the ceiling, the doors, and the floor. The walls were a neutral beige and artwork was prominently displayed around them. There was so much to look at that Sophie found herself feeling overwhelmed.
“Follow me,” Kendra said. She led Sophie down a long hall. As they walked, they passed a number of doors. Through the open ones, Sophie saw a variety of rooms. How can two people need so much space? I don’t even know what half these rooms are for! At last, they passed into a huge kitchen. Sophie was amazed at the commercial-grade appliances, including a huge double fridge and wide gas stove. The cabinets were top quality and the countertops were gleaming black granite. On the far side of the kitchen was a mudroom. Kendra led her through it. The mudroom contained a washer and dryer and a powder room.
“That door leads to the garage,” Kendra said. “The alarm system is right beside it. We’ll show you how to work it tomorrow. There’s a powder room there, and your suite is right through this door.”
Kendra pushed open a door and flipped on a light switch. Sophie saw a small, comfortably furnish
ed sitting room with an entertainment system against one wall. Kendra opened another door from the sitting room to reveal a bedroom with a walk-in closet and en suite bathroom.
“You only have a shower in your bathroom,” Kendra said. “If you ever want a bath, let me know and you can use my Jacuzzi.”
“Thank you,” Sophie said. “You’ve been very kind.”
“We’d like you to be happy here,” Kendra said. She placed a small hand on Sophie’s arm. “If there’s anything we can do for you, just let us know.”
Sophie was startled to find her stomach tightening in response to the tiny blonde’s touch. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked into Kendra’s. Tension crackled in the air for a moment before Kendra took her hand away and moved back to the door. “Get yourself all settled, and feel free to raid the kitchen if you’d like. Tomorrow I’ll take you for the tour and let you know what your duties will be. Have a good night.”
“You, too,” Sophie said before Kendra left.
Sophie was pleased to see her suitcases beside the bed. She got to work unpacking. The walk-in closet had shelves and drawers along one wall and hanging racks on the other. At the back was a dressing table with a vanity. She set out her makeup bag and hair brush, then took her other toiletries into the bathroom.
The bathroom was small, but luxuriously appointed. The shower was a glassed-in enclosure and Sophie was delighted to see the rainfall showerhead. She decided to give it a try before she turned in for the night. She stripped and stepped into the shower, adjusted the water temperature until it was steamy, and stood under the stream. She stood there for a few moments, just enjoying the feel of the water cascading over her body. It wasn’t long before her thoughts turned to Kendra and the unexpected jolt she’d given Sophie when she touched her. Sophie had never had a reaction like that to another woman before. She wasn’t quite sure what caused it, but she brushed it off, and began to wash up.
Training the Help [Hedon Falls 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 2