Caroline decided to call up her Mom and get her advice. She was always such a wonderfully understanding and smart lady. She called her up on her cell phone. After a few rings, Patricia picked up.
“Hey Love,” she said.
“Hi Mom! How are things going?” said Caroline.
“Oh, can’t complain. Things have been pretty good with me. I won at Bingo today, and the prize was $50! Can you believe it? I am going to be buying my friends lunch tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful to hear, Mom. I have been assigned to clean Liam Telson’s penthouse condo this coming week. I am a little nervous that I might bump into him. I don’t know what I’d have to say.”
“Just be yourself, honey,” said Patricia.
“I know Mom, but it’s hard when we are so different. He is, well, about to inherit billions and I am just a maid. I don’t know if I am the right woman for the job.”
“You will do wonderfully,” said Patricia.
They chatted about various topics for a few more minutes. Caroline wanted to know how her younger sister, Alicia, was doing. She had just turned eighteen and was about to graduate high school. She had a new boyfriend, Mike, who had been going out with her for about six months. He was on the lacrosse team and drove a mustang. They were both excited because the prom was coming up and they would be going together. Caroline was quite pleased to hear that Alicia was doing well. She loved her sister and wanted nothing but the best for her, but they didn’t talk as much as they probably should have. Caroline was just so busy with work and her social life. There didn’t seem to be time for much more. She resolved to give Alicia at least one phone call a week going forward. Maybe she would even stop by and see her on her prom night. That would be fun, she thought.
Caroline was scheduled to clean Liam’s place on Tuesday and Thursday. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she had other houses to clean. Monday passed relatively quickly, and when Tuesday rolled around she was positively nervous to enter Liam’s place. When she approached the elevator and took it up to the twenty-second floor, she was amazed at how classy his place was. The elevator doors opened right into the living room, which had several leather couches, a big-screen TV, and a pool table. The suite also had three bathrooms and four bedrooms. She realized that it would take her a few hours to clean the whole place. So she got started right away.
Two hours into her cleaning, the elevator door opened and Liam entered. He looked tired from a busy day of working. He also had his golf clubs with him, so it looked as though he had been busy playing. He set his clubs aside and plopped down on the leather couch. He looked over and saw Caroline there but didn’t pay her much attention at first.
“Boy am I tired,” he said, almost as if to himself.
“Busy day at the office?” asked Caroline.
“Well, no. I don’t go into the office most weeks. I’ve been playing golf all day and the club was serving the most dreadful martinis.”
Caroline chuckled to herself. She couldn’t believe what a spoiled brat he was coming across as.
“I haven’t had a martini in years,” said Caroline.
“You poor thing,” said Liam. “How do you manage?”
“Well, I am mostly busy with my job as a maid. The spare time that I do have I spend with friends and family.”
There was a few moments’ pause. Liam sized up Caroline and was oddly struck by how beautiful she looked. He had always had a thing for black women but had never dated one before. He wondered, secretly, if she could be the first. However, she was only a maid. She was so far below him in the social ladder. His parents had raised him to go after rich, white women only. He could imagine their disapproval already if he brought home a black maid. They probably would even reconsider their plans to leave him the billion-dollar company. So Liam resolved not to act on his feelings right away. He decided he would just play it cool and see how things went.
“So, how long have you been a maid for?” he asked.
“Since high school. So it’s been about four years now.”
“Do you like it?”
“Well, at firsts it was a lot of work. It took me a while to get used to it, but I’ve gotten much better over the years and I actually do enjoy it now.”
Caroline felt a bit embarrassed telling Liam about how she felt regarding being a maid. She could just tell that he was the type that never talked to maids. Unless… Unless he was attracted to her. Could it be? He looked kind of flushed and pale. Then her dreams were shattered with what he said next.
“You know, I’d prefer it if you didn’t talk as you cleaned. I have a lot on my mind and I don’t usually converse with my maids.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll just get back to cleaning.”
The rest of the hour went by rather awkwardly as she finished cleaning up. She didn’t even say goodbye to him as she exited the condo with her cleaning equipment and left the building. She got on the subway and took it all the way back to her dingy apartment, which was a forty-five-minute commute away. She had never felt so embarrassed in her whole life.
When Thursday came and it was time to return to Liam’s condo, she resolved not to make any eye contact or to start any conversation. She decided she was just going to get on with her chores and not trouble him at all. He was clearly not the type that would ever be interested in dating a maid.
When she arrived at his door at seven o’clock in the evening, he was there again with several of his friends. They were all getting drunk and chatting. They were talking about the stock market. His friends were complaining that they were losing a lot of money with the most recent recession. Liam was telling them that they needed to ride it out, and if possible, buy some more shares as prices were low.
“You are one lucky bastard,” said one of his friends, a short, stocky guy who looked like he lifted weights. “If I had your money I wouldn’t even be worried about losing a few hundred million in the market.”
“I’m not rich yet, Emilio,” said Liam. “My parents have to die before I inherit the money.”
“Yes, but your name is on their will. Everyone knows you will be the city’s next billionaire. You can charge whatever you want to their account. Like those hookers we got in Vegas last month. How awesome were those?”
“Plus, all the blow,” said a second friend. “Don’t forget that.”
The friends all chuckled. Caroline kept her eyes down and began to sweep the floors. She hoped that none of them would start a conversation with her so that she could just finish her work and be done with the whole scene. She was not so fortunate. Emilio noticed her and called her over.
“Hey! You there!” exclaimed Emilio.
“You mean me?” asked Caroline awkwardly.
“Yes, you. Come here. I want to talk to you.”
Caroline walked over to the men sheepishly and kept her eyes on the floor. She felt very embarrassed. She never consorted with rich people, let alone people whose assets were in the hundreds of millions. These people could buy and sell her like that. Then she remembered her Mom. Her Mom had always told her that true worth was on the inside. This thought gave her a much-needed boost of confidence.
“You know, you’re pretty cute,” said Emilio. “Have you noticed this, Liam?”
“She’s only been over once before,” said Liam, somehow managing to dodge an answer to Emilio’s question.
“What is your name?” asked Emilio.
“It’s Caroline Williams, sir.” she said modestly.
“You are quite a nice little piece of ass, you know that?” said Emilio frankly.
There was a pause. Caroline was quite embarrassed. Being around so many rich, white people made her feel small on the inside. Finally, Liam stepped in.
“Emilio, cut her some slack,” he said. “She’s not just a piece of ass. She’s the best maid I’ve had come in here. Last Tuesday she did such a good job I hardly recognized the place after she left.”
“So what?” said Emilio. “She’s just a maid. Wha
t, you got a thing for this girl?”
Liam’s eyes shot daggers at Emilio. Caroline could tell that he was almost as embarrassed as she was. It was evident that he was defending her against Emilio. Why would he do such a thing? Again, Caroline entreated visions of the two of them together, as a couple. White and black. Rich and poor. The very idea sent shivers through her and gave her goose bumps. At the same time, she knew it could never be.
“Emilio, one more word out of you on the subject and I will buy your dingy little million-dollar company, fire the staff, and export the business to Mexico, leaving your ass without a job.”
Emilio and the other friends had a good, hard laugh at that statement. Caroline felt relieved. Liam had managed to divert the attention away from her and back onto the friends.
“I’m going to clean, now,” said Caroline.
Liam gave her a nod of approval and the friends went back to discussing the state of the economy. When Caroline had finished cleaning the vast penthouse condo, she gathered her things and once again entered into the long commute home. She did not know what to think about the encounter this evening. Liam had defended her, there was no denying that. For some reason, whenever Liam made eye contact with her, Caroline could sense some small attraction beneath his gaze. The possibilities flowed through her mind as she sat on the uncomfortable seat of the subway. She envisioned herself and Liam, on a plane to Paris. She pictured herself eating caviar with him on a beach in Hawaii. She pictured making love to him in a five-star hotel at some exotic location half-way around the world. Most of all, she envisioned herself having his child, and raising a family with him. With his wealth, the universe would open up. She could escape her mundane day-to-day life and enter a world she could only dream about. It wasn’t just the money. She was attracted to him. It was a strange attraction because she wasn’t used to wanting to sleep with white guys. He was so handsome and so different from the guys that she usually went for that her fantasy began to cause her to ache all over.
That weekend, Caroline resolved to call her little sister and see if she wanted to get together. Maybe she could bring her new boyfriend as well. She called Alicia on her cell phone Friday afternoon.
“Hello?” answered Alicia.
“Hey girl, it’s your big sis,” said Caroline
“Hey Caroline! I was just thinking about you. What’s up?”
“I want to hang out with you tomorrow. With you and Mike. I’ll treat you both to a nice sushi lunch and some ice cream afterwards. What do you say?”
“That sounds wonderful. How does two-o’clock sound? I have to spend most of the morning studying for an exam with Mike. You should come over then. Mike can drive us to the restaurant. Mom will be happy to see you. She always is.”
“Great! See you tomorrow at two then.”
The rest of the day passed quickly enough, and before Caroline knew it, it was time to meet Alicia and Mike. She took the bus to their place on the outskirts of the city and once there, rang the doorbell. Her mother came to the door.
“Mom!” exclaimed Caroline. “So good to see you!”
Caroline wrapped her arms around her Mom in a loving embrace. The two hugged for a few moments.
“Alicia is just getting ready,” said Patricia. “Come on in and have a seat. I’ll bring out some tea and crackers. Have you met Mike before?”
“No, Mom, I haven’t,” said Caroline.
Mike came thundering down the stairs of their home and entered the living room. He was a tall, young, black man with an athletic body. He extended out his hand for Caroline to shake in a very proper manner.
“Nice to meet you, Mike!” exclaimed Caroline. “I have heard a lot about you.”
“Likewise,” said Mike. “Alicia talks about you all the time. You are a goddess in her eyes.”
Caroline laughed.
“I highly doubt that. It’s nice of you to say. Thanks,” said Caroline.
Alicia came thundering down the stairs next. It looked to Caroline as though she had grown since they had last seen each other. She was turning into a very beautiful, very fetching, black woman. Her hair was also longer than when they last had met. It looked as though her chest had filled out. Caroline could see what Mike saw in her.
Alicia threw herself at Caroline, who wrapped her in a loving embrace.
“It is so great to see you, sis!” exclaimed Alicia. “It has been way too long. We have to see each other once a week from now on.”
“It’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing. I have decided to at least call once a week. There is so much about your life that I want to know about and be a part of.”
“Let’s go have some sushi!” exclaimed Mike.
“See you kids later,” said Patricia. “Have fun!”
The three of them left the house and got into Mike’s mustang. They made their way across town to a sushi place that came very highly recommended to Caroline by one of her work colleagues. It wasn’t one of those all-you-can-eat places. It was a genuine, sit-down, piece-by-piece ordering place. It was a little pricier than Caroline wanted to spend but she figured treating them was a good cause. She hadn’t really been spending much money lately, so she felt she could afford to splurge a little.
Mike, Alicia, and Caroline sat at a table next to the window, where they could watch pedestrians stroll by. After ordering the food and drinks, Alicia wasted no time in getting into the gritty details regarding Caroline’s life.
“Tell me sis, do you have a boyfriend yet?”
“No, still single. I’m just a working girl trying to make end’s meat.”
“You mean there is no man in your life? That’s impossible. You are positively gorgeous!”
“That’s very kind of you to say,” said Caroline.
Caroline contemplated telling Mike and Alicia about Liam for a moment. She decided that she would mention that he was her newest client, but would leave out the part where it appeared as though he was interested in her.
“I have a new client that is a pretty interesting guy. His name is Liam Telson. Have you heard of him?”
Mike nearly spat out his soup at the mention of Liam’s name.
“The Liam Telson?” asked Mike.
“Yes. Why, have you heard of him?” asked Caroline.
“Of course!” exclaimed Mike. “He is all over the news these days. He is going to be one of the richest men in the city, if not the entire country. His family’s assets are in the tens of billions. You are cleaning his place?”
“Yes I am. Don’t get too excited though. He is kind of underwhelming in person. He has a bit of a rich, spoiled, white boy attitude. He wasn’t very nice to meet the first time we met.”
“What did you guys talk about?” asked Alicia.
“Well, he kind of talked down to me the first time we met. He said that I was ‘just a maid’. The second time we met he sort of stuck up for me in front of his friends, which was actually kind of sweet.”
“That is amazing, sister,” said Alicia. “What a client to have. Wait a minute. I see what’s going on here. You like him!”
Caroline flustered, turning red with embarrassment. She wanted to deny the accusation but felt that her sister was probably an astute observer.
“I do not! He is rich, and spoiled, and not very attractive on the inside.”
“On the outside he is dreamy. You want to sleep with him!” said Alicia.
Mike laughed very hard. Then Alicia took up the laughter, followed by Caroline. Caroline felt that it was good to laugh about the situation.
After the meal, Mike drove Caroline back to her apartment and dropped her off in front of the doors.
“See you later Caroline!” said Mike.
“Bye sis! Talk to you soon!” said Alicia.
Caroline waved goodbye and entered her apartment. She walked over to her laptop and checked her e-mail. Oddly enough, there was a new message from Liam. How did he get my e-mail address? She opened the message and it was an invitation for cof
fee on Monday at a local shop close to her place. It said that he wanted to talk about business. She was just a maid, she thought. What kind of business was there to discuss?
That Monday, at three in the afternoon, they met for coffee. Liam was wearing a navy-blue golf shirt and khaki pants, with white tennis shoes. Caroline had on her nicest, blue dress and tanned leather jacket. She sat down in front of Liam and waited for him to say something.
“Okay,” started Liam. “Here’s the deal. I have to say, when I first met you I wasn’t sure what to make of you. You have to understand, I never talk to my maids or anyone in a lower social status, you might say. There is something about you. When my friend, Emilio, put you on the spot you carried yourself well. I have been finding myself attracted to you. My parents won’t ever approve of my marrying a black woman who is so far beneath us socially. My entire fortune depends on my parents approving of me. They won’t let me see a cent of my fortune if they think I’m dating outside of my class. You have to understand; they are very into appearances.”
“I think I understand,” said Caroline. “You like me, but you want to keep it secret.”
“Secret? Yes, I suppose I do kind of think that. At least for now. At least until we can figure out what to do about everything. Are you saying that you might like me back?”
“Maybe,” said Caroline.
Liam smiled at her warmly. She could see all the pretentious nonsense disappearing. She could tell in his smile that he actually really cared for her. The feelings she had gotten at his condo were not erroneous. There were genuine feelings for her there. As it became more and more evident that Liam cared for her, Caroline found herself falling more and more for him. Their coffee date lasted two hours and it turned out they had a lot to talk about. Liam had a very interesting life, and was something of a socialite. He told Caroline about all the interesting people he had met, about the exciting trips he had been on. About eating lobster on his yacht and shaking hands with the Prime Minister of England.
No Choice but to Marry: A Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Page 37
