by Vera Roberts
Mariana checked out the local bulletin board at school and saw a cleaning service hiring for another worker. At first, Mariana scoffed at the idea. Her? Cleaning homes? She barely liked to clean her home, let alone someone else’s. She wasn’t going to fulfill anyone’s Black maid fantasy. She was certainly no Mammie from Gone with the Wind.
But daily calls from the various creditors and collection agencies reminded Mariana she better suck it up and get real. The sooner her debt was paid off, the sooner she could quit her job and relish her free time. Broke, desperate, and needing to pay off multiple credit cards, Mariana reluctantly signed up. I just hope I don’t smell like bleach.
“So what’s new with you, supermodel?” Mariana asked.
“Photo shoots here, music videos there,” Sarah was bored of it already. Sarah was Mariana’s best friend and roommate. Black. Tall. Leggy. Light-skinned. Boy-shaped. A part-time fashion model and a 24/7 Jesus freak. A conservative girl who didn’t see the problem with the occasional drunk, sloppy blow job. “I’m just trying to hustle while looking for my big break. It’s coming soon, I just know it!”
“That is so cool! You’re going to take over the world, you know?” Mariana was proud. “All supermodels started somewhere.”
“Yeah but I’m just itching to get out of the ghetto glam. No one in Paris knows what a video girl is.” Video girls were models that were prominently featured in hip-hop videos and related magazines. Sarah stood out like a sore thumb amongst the big booty and plastic girls she regularly competed with. There was nothing remotely hip-hop about her. “I want to be on Vogue. I want to grace the inside ads of Vanity Fair. I want it all!”
“Then go for it!” Mariana took a bite of her taco. “There’s nothing stopping you. You got the looks and you got Eric. You’re going down the right path.” Eric was Sarah’s boyfriend. He had been regularly scouted by several NBA teams since his freshman year at UCLA. It was only a matter of time before he picked a team.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Sarah took a sip of water, “so how about you? You found a job yet?”
“I applied for some cleaning service at school,” Sarah shot Mariana a disbelieving look, “yeah, I know. You know my ass can’t clean!”
“It’s not so much you can’t but rather you don’t want to.” Sarah chuckled. “I’ve seen your bedroom.”
“Hey, it’s only me in it most of the time anyways.” Mariana shrugged. Dirty clothes were often mixed up with clean ones. Leftover fast-food bags and takeout filled her trashcan. There was a smell coming from the bedroom that she hadn’t quite pinpointed the origin. “Ain’t like I’m about to have a boyfriend anytime soon.”
“I thought you were talking to that one guy, what’s his name?”
“Omari and fuck no,” Mariana rolled her eyes. “He wanted to woo me by text message and then go over to his place to play video games. First of all, what’s wrong with the dude if he can’t pick up the phone and, I don’t know, call my ass? Second, video games? That dude really thought I would be down for some damn video games? Who in the hell does that shit? Oh, I know who. Broke-ass fools, that’s who.”
“Mari, you’re beautiful and sexy. You’ll get a boyfriend.” Sarah reassured.
“Oh baby girl, I know I’m fly,” Mariana chuckled, “I just don’t want a man.”
“Oh, let’s not start that that shit again,” Sarah shook her head.
“And what shit is this?” Mariana asked.
“The Ms.Thing. The I-Don’t-Need-A-Man-Because-I-Can-Do-Bad-All-By-Myself shit. You sound like every other Black woman in America with that.” Sarah shook her head. “And they’re the same women screaming why they aren’t married by the time they’re 35.”
“Because I don’t need a man because I can do bad all by myself, thank you very much!” Mariana dusted her shoulders off. “A man doesn’t define me.”
“He shouldn’t. He should complement you.” Sarah added.
“Okay, Sarah, who do you think I should date?” Mariana asked. “Seriously, now. With me and my mouth? Who do you think would date me?”
“You need someone who would put you in your place when needed but be the freak in the sheets when you want it,” Sarah sexily smiled, “a guy who can take charge.”
“I sound like a slave,” Mariana huffed.
“You need to let a man be a man. He doesn’t have to be domineering, per se. Just dominant,” Sarah shrugged.
“Dominant, huh?” Mariana rolled her eyes. “What’s the difference?”
Sarah didn’t want to go too much into the difference without revealing her own sexual fetish. “Just trust me on this. Once you meet him, you’ll know that’s him.”
“Anyway, I’m fabulous by myself,” Mariana said proudly, “besides, there’s not one man out there that can tame me. No man can handle all of this.” She moved her hands over her body. “No one.”
Chapter Five
So this is heaven, huh? I’ll take it.
After the scandals of the century erupted, Caprina did the unthinkable and laid low. She granted no interviews, did no press, and no modeling. She was advised to drop off the radar and she ran with it. She traveled the globe once again, by herself and some friends. It was a pleasure to experience the world as an independent woman and not some hanger-on of a dude.
She made surprise visits to celebrity parties and asked for her picture not to be taken. One photograph agency managed to snag a picture of her leaving a club and posted it on their website. Caprina seethed at the privacy invasion until her phone began to ring off the hook. Fashion houses were calling her again. Modeling agencies wanted to see what her availability was like. Her picture proved that she had only aged chronologically and could still kick the tail of the young ones dominating the ads.
She hired new management and it was a decision that proved to be her best yet. She agreed to do a reality competition show, seeking the best models and fashion designers. She proved to be a hit with both the contestants and the worldwide audience. Everyone seemingly forgave her for the indiscretions from the past and embraced her with warm arms.
It had been a long time coming but there was no doubt about it: Caprina Waters was officially back on the scene.
Of course, she could’ve been a bit more powerful if the right person was by her side. Unbeknownst to anyone, Caprina had followed Scott’s career from the moment she left him. She saw how he rose to the top of the advertising industry and the accolades he was given. She saw how he turned around McCormick and Sheppard from a little agency to an international powerhouse to be reckoned with.
She also admired how he morphed his body into a god. He was named one of the most eligible bachelors in all of the US and not one woman seemed to tame him. Not one woman but…
Caprina wondered what would’ve happened if she married Scott that fateful day. She might have fallen in love with him. She might have given him some children. Or she might have divorced him a few months later. The more she thought about it, the more she concluded she did love Scott. She just had a peculiar way of showing it.
He understood her. He was the only man who understood her and still wanted to be with her. She had to know what he was up to. She had to know if he was seeing anyone. She had to know if she could get back into his arms and better, back into his bed.
It was time to play detective.
****
Scott interviewed the young women from Sanora’s cleaning service. There were five candidates in all but he already knew he was going to hire Mariana, despite never meeting her previously. If Sanora recommended her, there had to be a reason.
All of the ladies were nice and attractive. A couple of girls were more interested in him than cleaning his home as he could tell. They weren’t going to get called back. Some were more interested in the toys he owned than the house. They weren’t going to get called back, either.
It was already 8 PM when Mariana arrived and Scott almost forgot about her. He was nursing his Merlot when his doorbell rang. He opened
the front door and was graced with her beauty. She was tall with long black hair. She had a light almond complexion and doe brown eyes. “Mr. Reed?” Her voice was silk. “I’m here to interview for the cleaning job.”
She was enchantingly beautiful. Scott was instantly attracted to her. “Please, come in.” He stepped aside to let her in.
Mariana was already uncomfortable. Her potential boss was Adonis. He was tall, tanned with ebony hair and intense green eyes. He had an accent; he was a Southern boy. He was muscular as shown through his simple attire of workout pants and a tank top. He was beyond gorgeous. Mariana wished she had signed up for the cleaning service sooner.
She walked inside the palatial home and quickly scanned it. Scott had the best of everything from kitchenware to the living room to the dining room. She only imagined what the other rooms looked like. “Beautiful home you have here,” Mariana complimented. Despite being in lust with Scott, she secretly hoped she wouldn’t get the position. It was going to take her forever to clean that fucking house.
“Thank you,” Scott replied. He directed her to the dining table where he sat across from her. He drank in her beauty and felt electricity permeating within him. Even though Mariana wasn’t obvious with her sexuality, Scott was drawn in to her. He had to steady his breath. “Did you want anything to drink?”
Mariana felt the same heat that Scott did but decided it was just her nerves. As much as she loathed cleaning, she really needed that job. “I’m fine, thank you,” She pulled out her resume and handed it to Scott.
“I see you don’t have much cleaning experience,” Scott began as he perused her resume, “why are you qualified for the job?”
“I’m in school and I have bills to pay so I don’t have time to mess around. I’ll be in and out like you never even knew I was there. In fact, look,” Mariana took out a piece of paper and made a quick origami design, “I’ll even do this to your bed sheets as an added bonus.”
Scott hired her on the spot.
****
The next day, Scott showed Mariana around the home. The pair walked through all the rooms and Scott instructed her on what to do. “I’m not allergic to anything so you can use whatever cleaning products you have. If it bothers me, I’ll let you know.” He walked to his bedroom. “You’ll probably spend most of your time in here since I’m in this room the most. Clean everywhere. Sweep, mop, do whatever you got to do. I just want it spotless. Oh, and one other thing: do not open this top drawer.” He pointed to a drawer.
“That’s not a problem, you can trust me. I won’t disrespect you, Boss,” Mariana nodded.
“Scott,” he corrected.
“Scott,” Mariana smiled.
Scott walked out of the bedroom and Mariana followed. “If you do well, I’ll tip you. If you do very well, I’ll recommend you to my neighbors here. Everyone is generous with their checkbooks so you won’t have to depend on the agency much longer,” Scott wasn’t sure what Sanora’s plans were but it was best he formulated his own. “And that’s pretty much it. Any questions?”
“No, not really,” Mariana smiled.
Mariana’s smile was enchanting. I wish she would stop smiling. It makes her more beautiful. “Good,” Scott opened the front door and let Mariana out, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mari.”
“See you tomorrow, Boss,” she waved at him.
“Scott,” he corrected.
“Scott,” she smiled back.
After Mariana left, Scott placed a call to Sanora. “I hired your recommendation.”
“Good. I thought she was a good choice.”
“Is there something I should know about her?” Scott wondered why Sanora chose Mariana.
“Not really other than she’s a poor college student.”
Scott didn’t believe Sanora for a moment. He felt the heat between him and Mariana and if he didn’t know any better, he assumed Sanora had set him up on some faux blind date. “That’s it?”
“You act like there’s more?” Sanora wondered.
“Because there usually is,” Scott said.
“And you’re right,” Sanora hung up.
Scott looked at the dark iPhone in his hand. “Why do I even bother questioning her?”
****
Several weeks passed since Scott hired Mariana to be his maid. He was very impressed by the job she did. She scrubbed and cleaned everything. There wasn’t a stain in sight. She did his laundry and folded his sheets. As standard, she left an origami design on his bed when he came home. On top of it, she cleaned up his bedroom activities whenever he was in too much of a rush to take care of it himself. She was perfect for him.
“What in the hell is in this drawer that is so damn important?” Mariana wondered. She looked around and even looked through the bedroom window. Convinced Scott was not coming home anytime soon, she opened the infamous top drawer. She was stunned by the contents.
It was a treasure chest of erotic euphoria. There were dildos, vibrators, and clit ticklers. There were many different types of lubrication depending if you wanted edible, water-based, or regular. There were three whips, two were short and one was a flogging type. And don’t forget the edible creams with funny names (“Lick Me Hard”). A leather strap-on was tucked away beside a pair of fuzzy handcuffs.
There was a how-to kit on bondage and an instructional video on anal sex for beginners. A wide array of porn was neatly arranged in the far corner of the drawer. There were flavored condoms, specialty condoms and what really piqued Mariana’s interest, Magnum condoms. She was floored. She was shocked. She was aroused.
She was also caught. “What the fuck are you doing?” Scott scolded.
By all accounts, Scott was an asshole. Maybe he became that way due to past relationships or it was just his innate nature to not have too many people get close to him. But it never stopped the revolving door at his home. He bedded at least four women a month and was quite proud to be a bachelor. No emotions, no hang-ups, no problem.
Well, one problem: his nosey maid. “Cat got your tongue?” He questioned.
Mariana found herself stammering. She disobeyed her boss’ orders and could be fired right there on the spot. The last thing she needed was to be laid off during these economic times. She had to cover her ass with quickness. “I…I…forgot the underwear goes in the second drawer.”
“Funny how you didn’t forget the last several weeks?” Scott retorted.
“Oops,” was the only thing Mariana could mutter.
“Yeah, oops,” Scott was none too happy. It was bad enough his client meeting was canceled at the very last minute; now he had to deal with Mariana’s shit.
He slammed the first drawer shut, causing Mariana to slightly jump. He walked closer to her and looked down at her. He knew she was lying. The fact she was staring at the contents of the drawer was clear she was interested, even if she didn’t want to admit it. “So let me pose this question to you: if you were me and I caught you doing something you knew you weren’t supposed to do, what would you do in my position?”
Mariana knew she was going to be fired. With that thought in her head, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. She took off her tank top and exposed her breasts barely held together by the lacy red bra. What would happen next would change the scope of their working relationship forever.
“I would fuck me.”
Chapter Six
“I got the information you requested,” Private detective Dominic Esplen met with Caprina, “here’s the complete file on the guy.” He slid the file to her.
Caprina opened the file on Scott. He lived in the same home and recently had a promotion. He went on several dates a week and his paramours never made repeat visits at his home. His Mercedes upgraded to a higher class and a Harley-Davidson was parked in the driveway.
His career wasn’t the only noticeable change. His build became muscular and Caprina read he visited the gym twice a day, six days a week. The accompanying picture of Scott showed a very attractive gentleman we
aring Armani.
“He recently hired a maid,” Dominic handed over a picture of Mariana, “she cleans his home several times a week and stays a few hours at a time. She recently spent the night there.”
Caprina studied Mariana’s picture. She had deep-set brown eyes and light almond skin. Her long black hair was in a ponytail and she was lithe. She definitely fit Scott’s type if he had one. She’s a younger version of me. “Oh really?”
“I don’t know if they’re dating. It doesn’t appear to be that way,” Dominic shrugged.
Fuck buddies. “Good. Find out everything about the maid. I want to know where she lives, what she does, what makes her tick. Get her blood type if you have to.” Caprina slid the file back to Dominic. She took out several hundred dollar bills and gave it to the detective. “I’ll be back soon.”
