by Jodi Cooper
I wasn’t sure why they made me so uncomfortable, but they did. I poured my clothes into the nearest washing machine and cringed at the number of quarters I had to put in it just to start the thing. Once they were busy washing, I bought a tiny bag of sour cream chips from the vending machine and sat down with my cell phone to read a book with my Kindle app and hopefully ignore everyone else in the room.
Once my clothing was done washing and drying, I folded them up and took the hamper out to the car. I realized that I had forgotten my purse on the bench inside the Laundromat, but by the time I had gone back in to retrieve it, the purse was gone.
What a bad run.
I looked around the room to see if anyone had guilty eyes, but not one of the men looked in my direction.
After looking around for it a little more, I figured it was a lost cause, so I left and drove home. I guess it was a good thing that there hadn’t been any more than a few dollars in there, though I dreaded having to call the credit card companies to have them reissue new cards. Plus my driver’s license would need to be replaced, and I hated going to the DMV just as much as everyone else did.
I didn’t wait until I got home to try to remedy my money situation.
Before I shifted my car into gear, I took Bradley’s business card out and punched the numbers into my cell phone.
Although it was late, he answered straight away.
I announced to him that I accepted his offer.
He seemed very happy, and he asked me to meet him at his mansion Friday evening in order to start training for the evening. He indicated that he wanted me to stay the weekend in order to help clean the place and help the kitchen staff to prepare some of the food ahead of time.
My prick of a boss was catering in some of the main dishes, also.
I shouldn’t have been shocked when the billionaire told me how much he was offering me to do the gig, but I was.
He was paying me nearly three months’ salary for a weekend worth of work.
When I hung up the phone, I sat in the uncomfortable seat of my car for a few minutes.
Okay.
Sure.
This could work.
Three months’ pay for one weekend worth of work.
Yep.
I texted the girls from work and they were terribly jealous but excited. They were nice girls.
In Brianna’s text message, she warned me about the weekend.
“Be safe,” she texted twice.
Due to my naivety, I dismissed her concerns.
Maybe I shouldn’t have…
Chapter 9
I couldn’t believe the enormous mansion once I arrived.
The extraordinarily long driveway was made of cobblestone, and huge statues adorned each side of the driveway. Off to the left was a large gazebo for entertaining guests, along with a beautiful garden as far as the eye could see. There was a white picket fence lining much of the property and a beautiful white horse barn off to the left. I could see a pasture full of horses in the distance and wondered if Bradley rode them around the property regularly.
I could also see a row of tennis courts and a few people dressed in white shorts hitting the ball back and forth between them. Cherry blossom trees were scattered throughout the property.
It made me want to curl up under one to read a nice book.
The building and its entryway were even more immaculate than I imagined. The mansion had beautiful, shiny black marble flooring throughout and a fireplace that covered an entire wall in what I imagined was the main living room.
There was an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, in addition to a whirlpool and sauna. The countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms were all covered in beautiful and expensive granite.
Once I got inside, Bradley took my coat and showed me to my room.
I was surprised that he didn’t have a butler greet me at the door. The room that I was to stay in was gorgeous, with a canopy bed and huge fluffy comforter and pillows. I had a large high definition television to watch anything I wanted on it, and full access to the servants’ kitchen and all of the food I could ever imagine. This was the best place I had ever seen, let alone stayed in.
I was surprised at how well Bradley treated his help, while at the same time a little envious that I couldn’t work for him full time like the others. I fell fast asleep that night, dreaming of all the things that Bradley would do in a wonderful place like this.
Upon awakening on Saturday morning, I showered and changed into fresh clothes. The soft towels were clouds of pleasure. I could sleep on one of these.
It almost felt like I was on vacation.
There was even a mint on my pillow and my bed was tidied when I returned to my room. The beautiful sun was shining through the windows and elegant window coverings as it rose in the sky. It was a perfect day today. I was glad for the nice weather, but a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to get out and enjoy the sunshine because I had to work today. There would undoubtedly be other sunny weekends and they would look better from my new apartment once I completed this job.
Since tonight was the night of the dinner party, I made extra effort to look my best, despite the ugly waitress uniform I was expected to wear. I wore the best high heels, the best earrings, and the best makeup that I had in an effort to have Bradley notice me.
I started to think with the special treatment that maybe I was one of the girls that he had his eye on. After all, why didn’t he invite any of the other waitresses from the restaurant to come and work for him?
Once I was dressed, I passed through the living room and saw Bradley.
Nerves instantly filled my stomach.
Was this the moment he professed his unending love for me?
“Jasmine.” His greeting was blunt. “You can head into the servants’ kitchen and ask for Gretta. She will get you all set up for tonight. I have some special guests coming, and I want to make sure that their time here is fun.”
I nodded and followed his instructions.
I was starting to get so nervous that I felt sick to my stomach. He looked so damn sexy at that moment that I had forgotten what I was doing.
Gretta was a large German woman with a DD bust and a giant bun in her hair. I suspected that she ate much of the food she cooked. I grinned at the thought as she led me around the kitchen, showing me where all of the pots, pans, and utensils were stored. She busied me with random chores around the kitchen, helping to prepare and bake pastries and snacks for this evening. She asked me to slice cheese and sausage onto a platter, and to make some fruit punch for the guests in a large pitcher that she gave me.
I was glad that the tasks were easy, and it seemed that I could do the work without a lot of effort. The kitchen staff were a jovial bunch and they made me feel welcome instantly, making jokes and telling funny stores while they worked.
I wondered if tonight was about a very important business deal that needed to go through for Bradley. He must entertain business guests at home often in order to make the billions of dollars that he has made.
Or maybe it would be his family coming for dinner.
What would his family be like anyway?
I hadn’t read the tabloids to see if he came from money, or if he had earned all of his money by himself, independent of his family.
During my school days I did some part-time waitressing, so I had a handle on what I needed to do. I set the table with beautiful silverware and expensive china plates. There were silver pitchers, gravy boats, and platters to hold the huge array of food.
I folded the cloth napkins in an elegant fashion and noticed that they were embroidered with initials – most likely Bradley’s or his family’s.
I knew Bradley was a billionaire, but he really went all out on this party. There were media trucks pulling up in front of the grand gates leading into the mansion. Every newspaper in the city must want an exclusive report on the progress of this party. No doubt they would be interviewing the guests.
In the aft
ernoon, the catering truck pulled up from the restaurant.
The head chef greeted me with his usual grumpiness, and I helped to carry all of the main dishes that were being catered in.
There was lobster, prime rib, caviar, and wines of different flavors available for the guests. He was really going all out on this meal. I was a little envious that I wasn’t coming to the party as a guest. Bradley sure threw nice parties.
Once most of the food was stored safely to prepare for efficient serving during the party, Gretta asked me to help prepare the house and the dining area. I helped to put up vases of beautiful fresh flowers throughout the house. At her suggestion, I splashed a bit of vanilla fragrance here and there to make the house smelt warm and inviting.
Gretta showed me Bradley’s music collection, so I selected some music that would help to create a relaxing ambiance. I was surprised to see that he likes much of the same music that I like. I wondered if he and I were close in age, as I had never thought to ask him. I had hoped Bradley was proud of the efforts that we took to make his meal a success for his guests.
At 6:00 p.m., Bradley entered the main room sporting a flashy suit. He was freshly showered, clean-shaven, and dynamic.
“How do I look?” he asked me, straightening his tie.
I looked him over and was hesitant to respond. I wasn’t sure that the question was appropriate, since I was merely his kitchen staff and hostess to his guests.
“Please be direct and truthful. This meeting tonight is very important, and I need to make a great first impression.”
I picked up a little bit of nervousness from him, which I thought was unusual for a confident man who could make money from his wit and charm alone.
“You look wonderful, Bradley.” I smiled warmly and curtsied.
I imagined that was what kitchen help would do.
Or maybe it was supposed to be a bow.
Either way, he laughed at my response.
Knock, knock.
That was the first of the guest to arrive, and Bradley asked me to answer the door.
I was excited as I approached the entrance.
Was it a movie star?
A politician?
Maybe another billionaire?
As I swung open the door, nerves filled my stomach.
Oh…
Chapter 10
By the time I had opened the door the sixth instance, I was flabbergasted.
Each guest was a beautiful woman dressed stunningly in a cocktail dress and high heels and ecstatic to see Bradley.
“Are you his sisters?” I finally had the nerve to ask one of them.
She giggled like a schoolgirl. I’m sure if we were still in school, she would tease me about that. Actually, she didn’t look like she had left school too long ago.
Each of the girls that entered the mansion looked at me with distaste or ignored me altogether as I welcomed them into Bradley’s home.
They tossed their coats and handbags in my direction, and I hung them up in the cloakroom.
Bradley charmingly kissed each of them on the back of the hand, and then led them into the room where he entertained his guests.
I watched him move around and greet each girl one by one, touching each of them and kissing each one’s cheek.
It didn’t take long before I realized that Bradley hadn’t kissed me on the cheek the way he had greeted these girls. I guess I wasn’t anything special to him after all.
Foolish girl, imagining being his bride was just plain silly.
“Jasmine, would you bring a platter with glasses and a bottle of champagne? Ask Gretta.”
Of course.
I had to get back to work.
After all, that was the reason I was here, wasn’t it?
I nodded and fetched the bottle and glasses, pouring each girl a glass of wine.
They were falling all over themselves in front of the billionaire’s eyes and throwing themselves at him. It was hard to watch.
I truly hadn’t realized until that moment how desirable Bradley and his money really were.
The whole situation was making me sick.
I couldn’t believe that I had signed up for this and was quite puzzled as to why the billionaire would have ever invited me here.
Surely there were other waitresses or chefs that he could have used?
“What is this…?” I stuttered when I was back in the servants’ kitchen. “I mean, I didn’t sign up to cater to Bradley’s harem. Is this some kind of a cruel joke?”
I watched Gretta as she slapped the hand of one of the dishwashers who was trying to sneak a piece of cheese from one of the serving trays.
Then she turned to me and tried to give me an explanation.
“Sorry, dear.” She could see the look on my face. “This is no joke. Bradley is a very eligible bachelor. Those are the daughters of some of the most successful business men in L.A., most of them beautiful models whose families are very well off. They have been bred to marry a wealthy man like Bradley. Everyone is vying for Bradley’s attention until he picks his bride, of course.”
She seemed to be so matter-of-fact about the topic.
“He has plans to marry by the end of this year, you know. It is our responsibility to ensure that his guests are treated like royalty while they are here. All eyes are on this event; Bradley is getting a lot of publicity out of this to improve his business relationships, and it is likely that the woman that comes out on top of Bradley’s list tonight will be chosen to be his lifelong wife.”
The more she talked, the more my insides sank. Everything had seemed so perfect only minutes ago.
“Like a royal family marrying into another royal family?” I asked.
Gretta laughed heartily. “Ah yes, I suppose that could be one way to look at it.”
I recalled what Brianna had said about the article in the newspaper.
Of course. I’m so stupid.
This dinner party was scheduled in order to find him a suitable mate.
I was foolish enough to think that he had been coming to the restaurant regularly to see me. Of course he wasn’t. It’s the best restaurant in town – of course that’s where he would dine.
I was puzzled at why he told me that I was beautiful and flirted with me all of those times at the restaurant.
A billionaire dating a lowly chef… it was a preposterous idea after all.
I felt a little silly that I had believed such a childish thing. All through my school days, my mother always teased me for having quite the imagination.
What broke my heart and spirit the most, and made me envious of these women, was that all of the ladies were wearing diamonds and the most expensive designer dresses and they got no shortage of attention from Bradley.
My little earrings wouldn’t even land on his radar.
In short, I had no remote chance in showing off my beauty to Bradley when held up to these women.
Even the artwork hanging on the walls of his mansion looked nicer than I did in my worn-out waitress outfit.
The dinner party started to get more high-spirited as the participants consumed more wine. I was surprised by how much the girls could drink – they must be quite seasoned at it.
But soon enough, they became quite inebriated.
They were playing games and becoming quite rowdy each time I returned to the table with more food.
Eventually, each time I came in the room to bring more food for the participants, I noticed articles of clothing were being removed.
First, their shoulders were naked.
Their silky skins were beautifully exposed. Even I wanted to touch their soft skins.
Then other parts of them subsequently were revealed.
They laughed and chuckled as if they expected this of Bradley and had come for the very purpose of showing him their nudity. I could tell that Bradley was getting more and more excited as the night wore on.
I brought a salad bowl to the table, filled with greens, and some salad plates
for the women.
He was no longer looking at me as I brought out the food, almost as if I were invisible. I really started to wish that I were in fact invisible.
As I approached the table with the crackers and cheese, I realized the girls were all ridiculously gorgeous, and they had been wearing the sort of dresses that I could only have dreamt of wearing. These women looked so insanely beautiful, that I felt quite inadequate standing next to them.
I knew I didn’t stand a chance against them.
As I laid the cracker tray with the rest of the food, I realized the woman to my left was peeling off her blouse right at the table. Everyone at the table hooted and yelled in response to her flashing her bare chest.
At first, I waited for Bradley to get up and leave the table.
After all, with the news crews outside, how could he possibly let something like that go on at a dinner table of such a publicized event?
I couldn’t imagine that he would ruin his reputation like this.
Some of these girls were daughters of rich businessmen that he worked with on a regular basis.
Surely, they wouldn’t want their daughters treated like this in Bradley’s mansion.
My father would be furious if he knew a potential suitor was being so disrespectful towards me at a party like this.
As I brought out more food, I realized Bradley had no intention of leaving the table, nor did he have intention of chastising the girls for exposing their tops in front of the others or acting so uncivilized at such a party.
I was caught by complete surprise when I realized they were playing strip poker right at the dinner table.
Then it dawned on me.
Was this guy really going to pick a wife by eliminating these women using a game of strip poker?
Was he going to take the winner to bed with him at the end of the night, seeing as how the girls would all be naked?
Or would he take all of them to bed?
I don’t want to be here for that.
I don’t want to witness an orgy on the dinner table.
