Housekeeping

by Summer Cooper

  “Can I help you with something?” he asked, folding his arms on the desk and giving me his full attention.

  I shrugged. “I came to see whatever else needs doing around here. I’m done with the last task, so I was thinking of making some rounds in the departments…”

  He nodded slowly, considering.

  “That would be useful, actually. I haven’t had the chance to get out of this office much if it isn’t for some meeting. Make the rounds. I’ll be getting some reports from the departments and you can help me assess them.”

  “Sure,” I said, turning around to leave. “I’ll get to that now. I’ll send some quick reports tonight and we can talk tomorrow.”

  “Good luck,” he called as I left, and I could hear he was already getting distracted with his own work.

  The floor I was on only held the executive offices. Other offices were on the lower floors, and I made my way down to the closest one. As I was passing through the hallway, a maid walked past me, and that was all it took to bring back the image of that maid from earlier.

  Laura. I’d asked the woman they’d sent yesterday—who’d been more than ready to throw herself at me, even though I’d turned her down—about the other maid. She’d told me her name was Laura, though I didn’t get a second name or much information about her besides she was a generally happy person. Not that I’d seen that particularly.

  A smirk crossed my lips as I thought of how she’d looked at me this morning. She’d been smiling of course, but I hadn’t missed the hostility in her gaze, like I’d personally offended her. And even then, she’d been looking at me, checking me out the entire time. I almost got the idea she resented me for being so good looking.

  She was so fucking fun to tease, which is why I’d tried to be fast with my showering, just so I could see her reaction to seeing me in nothing but a towel and still wet at that. She did her work pretty fast though. Not that I’d messed up my suite so badly after a group of maids had cleaned after my latest party. I’d only had a small gathering with some of my friends who’d hung around after the party, though they’d probably be leaving soon. Just as well, because I had work to do.

  So far, no one had reported my partying to Trent, and I only knew that because I knew he’d complain if he’d actually heard something.

  Laura, though… it wasn’t usual for me to get someone so stuck in my mind, but I had to admit she was interesting. She was spunky, and as much as she played at being polite, I knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who’d take my shit. Every time I saw her, she was seemed to be looking at me with irritated eyes, with just a hint of interest that told me she at least found me attractive. She’d been looking around at the mess I made with disdain and resignation. Every time I saw her expressions, before she tried to hide them, I was left smiling.

  Her body doesn’t hurt, either.

  She wasn’t like one of the skinny girls that usually made a play for me. She had some delicious curves I couldn’t help but want to lay my hands on, and she wasn’t throwing herself at me for my looks, or my money and connections, so she was a challenge.

  “I can't touch her,” I muttered, a frown replacing the smirk on my lips.

  In spite of my attraction to her, she was still a maid at my dad’s hotel. It would be so fucking hypocritical of me to try to do more than tease her, when it was me who kept warning Emily against fraternizing with the help. She was just making friends with them. I wanted to take this woman to my bed and keep her there for a while. It was always me who cautioned her about being friends with them, because it was bad for keeping up her image, and the family image. I couldn’t just eat my own words and pursue this woman.

  How long would I be able to hold out though? The more I got to know about Laura, even if it was only in bits and pieces in our short, impersonal encounters, it only fueled my desire for more. As odd as it felt, I was really growing to like her, considering my eyes always looked toward her, and I had no idea when I’d even started doing it. I just realized one day, that when I had my room cleaned and she was among the maids doing the cleaning, my gaze always found her.

  I knew she was a bit older than me, but age was just a number, right?

  8

  Mason

  Things were getting busy, and it was a while before I stopped and realized it had been more than a week since my last party, or for that matter, any sort of fun.

  “Hey, Mason!”

  I looked over my shoulder to see Kevin running down the hall to me. I sighed and walked the few steps to the elevator and pressed the button for one going up. Then I turned around and waited for my little brother to catch up.

  “What’s up? I’m surprised to see you here,” I said trying to be friendly, but it didn´t work, because I knew that with Kevin I was wasting my breath.

  “We’ve both been working here,” he pointed out.

  Sure, why the hell was I so distracted?

  He came to a stop beside me, grinning. “I’m done with all the stuff I was supposed to do outside of the hotel. What about you?”

  “I have a few reports I’m taking up to Trent,” I said, holding up a folder to show him. “After this, I’m going to have a quick little vacation before he finds more work for us to do.”

  The elevator opened before he could say something in response. The few people inside walked out, so it was just the two of us as we got inside the elevator.

  “There’s still no word on Dad,” he said, leaning against the wall. “I tried talking to Emily and Mom, and neither of them had anything to say. Mom was acting weird and Emily kept changing the subject.”

  I narrowed my eyes, suspicions about Dad renewed. I didn’t share any of them with Kevin though. He probably had some of his own ideas anyway. I pushed those thoughts to the side as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened on my floor. I walked out with Kevin, and we both headed for the office.

  Half an hour later, I was walking out of the office, leaving Trent to deal with Kevin. My stomach growled as I got back into the elevator, and I ran a hand over it, realizing I hadn’t eaten the whole day. I figured I’d just go down to my room and order room service, but as I went to push the button for my floor, another thought occurred to me. One that made me smirk.

  It had been some time since I’d seen Laura. I hadn’t forced her to come to my place to pick up after me again. Since I was seriously working, I didn’t even get to see the maid that did clean my place anymore, not that I made much of a mess when I spent most of the day out of the room.

  So instead of pressing the floor to my room, I pressed for the lobby, checking the time on my watch. It should be late enough that most of the staff were packing up to go home, leaving the staff on the night shift.

  I got out and headed straight for the staff area. I hadn’t been there in quite some time, but I always knew where it was because there had been plenty of complaints about me sent to my father, particularly the cleaning staff.

  I ducked into the room without bothering to knock, and at first, I didn’t think there was anyone in there, though the light was on in the room. After a moment of listening, I heard a sniffle and paused before retreating from the doorway. I was torn for a moment, wondering if I should interfere or not, but then took a step inside.

  “Hello?” I called, so whoever it was wouldn’t get spooked.

  I’d walked in this place enough times to know the layout. The front was a lounge room with several seats and tables around the room, with a few plants, framed pictures, and knickknacks to brighten up the space. There were doors that led to the lockers where the staff stored their uniforms. Doors that led to the main kitchens, and an open arch that led to the kitchen used by the staff for their meals. I’d found it ridiculous that they had separate kitchens, but I wasn’t about to tell Dad how to run his business.

  The sniffling was coming from in there, and when I followed the sound, I found just the person I wanted to see in the last state I expected to see her in.

  “Laura?” I sa
id. “Are you crying?”

  She must not have heard my call from before because when she looked up at me, there was shock in her expression. There were also tear tracks on her cheeks, and she wiped them away quickly with another sniff.

  “Sorry,” she said quickly, her voice thick. “Um, it’s just the onions. I figured I might as well make something to eat before I head home. Some of the guys coming in for the night shift aren’t the best at cooking, and usually food is left for them but everyone ate it all today.”

  I wanted to point out that I hadn’t asked for an explanation, but she probably didn’t need me to be snarky at that moment. Instead, I looked at the counter in front of her, then arched an eyebrow.

  “You know, that would have been a good excuse if you’d cut any onions,” I said motioning to the vegetables she’d cut up. There wasn’t an onion in sight. “Unless you want to tell me the carrot made you tear up. Maybe the cucumber?”

  She blinked at me, then looked down at the counter. When she looked back up there was a trembling smile on her lips as she let out a small huff.

  “If you knew it was just an excuse, you could have let me off.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not the kind of guy that does that.”

  She sighed, though the sound almost sounded fond. “No, I guess you wouldn’t be Mason Thompson if you did. You’re too fucking tenacious for your own damn good. Or so the stories go, unless it had to do with your dad.”

  I let out a sigh myself as I moved closer to lean back against the counter. “There’s no point in going against Daddy dearest. He claims to only want the best for us, and children are meant to be obedient, no?”

  At that, she gave me a wry look, before she went back to cutting vegetables. While she did it with ease, it wasn’t as fast as I’d seen Emily work the few times she’d forced me to sit down to one of her meals.

  “Can I ask what is making you cry? If it’s something no one should know, I promise to keep it a secret.”

  “It’s nothing,” she said dismissively.

  “It can’t be nothing,” I said insistently. “Not if it’s making you cry alone. If you’re hesitating because it’s me, just think of me as some random person and tell me. I’m a pretty good listener.”

  She snorted, though I couldn’t know if it was because she didn’t want to spill her troubles to a random person or me of all people. Maybe it was a reaction to me calling myself a good listener. There were more sides to me than just being a partying playboy, and I hoped she’d stick around long enough to see that.

  “It’s… my friend,” she said haltingly. “She, um… she worked here with me, as one of the chefs in the kitchen. I’m just a little sad because she moved. It was sudden, and I know she’s in pain wherever she is, but I can't do a thing to help her.”

  “Why did she move?” I asked, frowning.

  She stopped her cutting to stare up at me, the look searching. I tilted my head in a silent question.

  “My friend, you see,” she started, keeping her eyes on me. “She has this man she likes. Well, more like, has been in love with for years, only this man never gave her a second glance or a kind word. Until recently anyway, and she didn’t outright tell me but I guess that they had an affair. But the man was someone important, someone powerful, and he’d broken her heart before. So she left before he could have the chance to break it once again.”

  I arched an eyebrow in the middle of her story, wondering if she was telling me the plot of some romance novel. But she’d obviously taken this seriously, so I decided to do the same. Then I frowned, wondering… there was no fucking way it could be my dad, right? It would be nothing like him, but I’d no problem picturing him in a whirlwind romance with a younger woman. From what I knew, it hadn't been long after Trent’s mom’s death when he suddenly married my mom and had the three of us.

  Although it would certainly explain the sudden heart attack and him refusing to see us, no matter how many times we tried. But I shook that off with a chuckle. Even if there was a grain of truth in it, it was a worry for another time. Instead, I focused on the beautiful woman still crying and sniffling in front of me. She looked like she needed a friend. I was right there, so why not volunteer?

  “What exactly are you making?” I asked, stepping forward. I’d taken off my coat sometime during the day, and I undid my cufflinks, put them in my pocket, and then rolled back my shirt sleeves.

  She glanced at me curiously. “Why do you want to know?”

  I shrugged. “You’ve cut up so much; I’m not quite sure what it is you’re trying to make. If you’d like dinner, I could help you cook. As long as I get to eat some because I’m pretty hungry myself.”

  As if to agree with me, my stomach grumbled. Her mouth was open, probably to complain, but at the sound, she closed it. She didn’t give any verbal confirmation, but she did step a little to the side, giving me space on the counter.

  “You know how to cook?” she asked, as I looked around for ingredients.

  “Sure. I’m a bachelor and I live on my own. There’s a kitchenette in my suite, and I have stuff in my fridge. I’m pretty good at handling my meals.”

  Whatever she was going with, cutting up so many vegetables, I looked through the fridge and decided on steak. We worked with each other, as she made her dish and I made mine. Pretty soon, the wafting scent filled the kitchen, and I could feel my stomach grumble some more.

  Once the food was done, I set the table in the kitchen, big enough for about ten people, though I figured some of them would eat in the lounge area instead. It didn’t matter as long as they cleaned everything up later. Laura set down her dishes of baked potatoes and steamed vegetables.

  “We have a wine selection,” she told me, pointing me in the right direction. “You’d be a better pick than me. Just know we can't have too much or I’d have to replace the entire bottle.”

  I went to where she’d pointed. The selection was pretty shallow, but I managed to find a decent red I recognized as a good brand, even though I was more of a beer kind of person. I found a corkscrew and opened it.

  “Dinner is served,” I muttered as I rejoined her at the table, setting down the wine and glasses.

  I poured some wine into both glasses, then we both dug in.

  “So,” I started, cutting a bite-sized piece of the steak and popping it in my mouth. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

  She hummed. “Where do I start?”

  “I don’t care. When you were a kid, your family, friends, where you grew up…”

  “That’s a lot of questions,” she noted dryly but didn’t complain. “So, family… I guess I don’t have any. I lost my parents when I was young, Dad first, then Mom later on. I didn’t know until way later it was because my mom was sick. I think Dad just had an accident. I believe I have some relatives… but none of them stepped up to look after me before, so I went into the foster system.”

  “And how did that work out for you?”

  She sighed. “Not too bad, not too great. I was moved to a few homes, and I met a lot of good people. It’s just that… in the end, I remained alone. I made friends of my own in college, but then I moved. Oh, and I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, and lived over there until about ten years ago.” She arched her eyebrows at me. “Is that enough for you?”

  I shook my head, taking a sip of wine then waving a hand at her. “Not at all. Please, tell me more.”

  So, we ate, and we talked, and drank wine. Laura forgot her sadness, and I even got to see her laugh, surprising myself when I ended up laughing as well in some moments. Even after we finished eating, we poured another glass and talked as we drank in small sips.

  When she finished her second glass, I held up the bottle, ready to pour her more, though my glass had been empty for a while. She held a hand up before I could pour it for her.

  “I think I’ve had enough to drink for now,” she said. “Thank you, though.”

  “Oh,” I murmured, feeling a l
ittle disappointed that our time had come to an end.

  I stared at her, waiting for her move to get up to leave before I followed. When she moved to get up, only to freeze, I frowned in confusion. I didn’t get the chance to ask what the matter was though, as I watched her expression harden into one of determination like she’d decided something.

  “I need to be getting home,” she said.

  “Want me to drive you home?”

  She took in a shaky breath, though her eyes were steady as they met my gaze. “I would love that... and a little more. Would you like to come back to my place with me?”

  My eyes widened at the sudden invitation, leaving me floored but interested.

  9

  Laura

  The question was out of my mouth before I could call it back. Mason was obviously shocked about my proposition, and it was a bit of a struggle not to hide my own surprise.

  What did he just say?

  “Are you asking me… what I think you’re asking me?” Mason asked again after a moment, his voice hesitant.

  Right there! That was my chance to clear things up. I opened my mouth to tell him I just wanted the ride and nothing more. That was the path of least regret for the future, I could feel it. And yet, different words left my mouth instead.

  “Well, what do you think I’m asking?” I retorted, teasing, but with underlying unease.

  What the fuck am I doing! It hasn’t been that long since I declared I wouldn’t do anything with him because he was out of my league! Two weeks maybe? And with all the shit with Jessi…

  This was all probably a bad idea. Letting him see me cry and not sending him off right afterward was where my mistake began. I hadn’t seen him in a while, though the fantasies had held, and then to see him in the flesh… it must have been too much for me. Especially with seeing him acting like how I pictured him in some of my fantasies… an attentive man, good enough at holding a meaningful conversation. He was right. He was a pretty good listener.