ALIYA TORRES
"And if anything bad happens you call me and I'll be here alright?" Ray asked and I affirmed with a nod hopping off his car.
I watched him as he went around the car to take my suitcases. Dragging them to where I stood, we both looked at the huge black iron gates infront of us.
"It's just a regular job. I'll be visiting home every weekend and it will be like I never left", I gripped his arm hugging him.
"Well this doesn't feel like a regular job, it feels like I'm sending you to college",he said sarcastically.
"Haha, very funny"
I felt his pain somehow. I remember when I heard Ray was going to college in less than a week. I was so devastated knowing that the only decent male guy I knew was leaving. Sure I came to terms with it two weeks later but it hadn't been easy for me...at all.
"Am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Karen let you come work here",he said his gruffy voice tickling the top of my head.
"She doesn't really know the whole truth",I said lowly.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh come on, Ray. You know how mom is, if I tell her am working to repay a debt she'll also want to work to help me repay it and I don't want that. To be safe, I told her I got a job in another city"
"And she bought that?"
"Not exactly. She wanted to escort me but I reminded her about the doctor's instruction of her not moving about so much. I didn't want to lie to her but am doing everyone for her"
"I know you are. And while you are gone, I'll try my best to check up on her now and then"
"Thank you"
My hands flung around his waist, my head colliding with his chest as I hugged him. I felt his hand caress the back of my head and I took the opportunity to hug him tighter.
"I guess I should be going now", he parted from me, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly like he always did when we were teenagers.
I watched as his red Honda glided down the rocky path leaving a trail of dust. With a heave, I turned around, the security guard pressing a button that automatically let me into Ethan Carter's threshold.
The walk to his house was relieving. I glanced at the wide apart eucalyptus trees, feeling the aroma of fresh earth and mint evade my nostrils.
From afar I could hear birds chatter and I smiled at the fact that maybe when I didn't have so much work, I would sprawl about in the garden, have a picnic and read a book or two.
Or maybe lay down on the fresh long grass looking at the clear blue skies and deciphering which clouds were shaped this way and that.
I suppose that's the bright side of all this. Sure the devil in the name of Ethan Carter lived here but the place was divine and heavenly.
I was probably too busy gawking at everything around me to have noticed the jet of water headed in my direction.
"Ahh", I exclaimed in surprise feeling cold water suddenly splash my face and roll down my clothes.
"Shit!" I heard someone cuss and I rubbed my eyes to see where the voice was coming from.
Droplets of water cascaded down my forehead. A huge potion of my hair was drenched and sticking to my neck and forehead like glue.
The man who did this to me dropped the green rubber hose down, letting the water drip on the ground without a care.
The man in question came running towards me. He was probably in his late twenties with a gruffy stubble, deep rich brown eyes and jet black hair that was styled as if he had been just out of the barber's shop.
"Am sorry. I didn't see you there" He said pushing his wet hair back with his large hand.
We were almost the same height. Well not really the same because I had to raise my head slightly to see his face.
"It's okay. I was too dazed to see you either"
"I've heard women say am handsome but dazed by my looks? That's a first",he said cornily and I couldn't fathom whether it was a joke or he was plainly thinking I thought he was handsome.
It wasn't a lie though, he was handsome. But not that handsome that I would feel my jaw drop to the ground.
"I-I meant dazed by the house not you. Ofcourse you are goodlooking but-"
He cut me off,
"It was a joke but I have to admit, am a little hurt that you aren't dazed by me"
I widened my eyes,
"I suppose that's another joke?" I asked cockily.
"Maybe, maybe not. Am Jai by the way, you must be the new maid",he stretched out his hand for a handshake and I returned the sentimentality.
He was rather familiar though but then again I had met Ethan Carter and if Jai was his employee, I must have met him too but forgotten about the encounter.
"Aliya. Aliya Torres", I shook his hand and Jai seemed relentless in making the handshake last all day.
"I know you",he narrowed his eyes into slits,"atleast I think I do. I can't forget a face like yours"
"Must be a coincidence because I feel like I've seen you somewhere too", I smiled.
He let my hand go, only to rub his chin and say with a eureka,
"Coffee girl!"
"What?" I asked in surprise.
"You are the girl from Jitters. The girl who poured hot coffee on my boss"
Ofcourse and he was the guy standing behind Ethan Carter that day. The guy who barely said a word except pull on a smug smile.
"It was an accident. Though your boss took it personally", I hissed.
Arrogant ass. I mentally thought.
"I have to agree with you, he is arrogant at times",Jai said amusedly and I gasped after figuring out I had called his boss an arrogant ass audibly.
"I didn't mean he is a bad person but he is just insufferable at times", I raised my hands defensively.
"Relax, I won't tell if you won't",he winked, gripping the handle of my suitcase from my hands.
"Let's get you settled in, shall we?"
He offered. It was ironical really. Everyone acquainted with Ethan Carter seemed nice, actually kind. I wonder what went wrong with Ethan for him to turn out that way?
I glanced back at the hose lying down against the black sleek car. The water was still running down and I bit my lip knowing how much I had to work to pay water bills back at our home and here? The water was going to waste and no one cared.
"What about the water? Are you going to leave it running like that?" I asked Jai and he turned around to look at me with an amused expression.
"Ethan really won the jackpot hiring you",he said leaving my suitcases by the door and walking around the house to switch the tap off.
I stood on the porch, the droplets of water falling off my clothes and my muddy shoes ruining the smiley emoji 'welcome' mat.
Should I have knocked?
Oh God, I really prayed Ethan wasn't around. He had this special way of making me feel bad about myself with his shallow comments and his arrogant aura.
The guy was like a tornado killing my high spirits when he was around me.
I probably should have waited for Jai to come back but what if Jai had other things to do and he forgot he left me at the door. Was I going to keep on standing there the whole day?
Bravely, I fisted my hands, knocking on the door slightly. One knock, no one came to the door.
I knocked again.
I was about to knock for a third time when the white door opened and someone stood by the doorway.
"Un espectáculo para la vista de hecho. La señora Lisa no se equivocó!" She grimaced.
The only word I had heard from all that was 'senora Lisa' which, if my Spanish wasn't wrong, meant Madam Lisa.
The plump short woman eyed me up and down before she met my eyes. I felt nervous.
Who was she? I hadn't seen her before but then again I hadn't seen Jai either the last time I had been here.
"I'm the new maid. I was supposed to come in today. I hope Ethan Carter told you I was coming"
Her eyes lit up, "The boy hardly tells us anything. Come in, dear. I have heard so much about you from Mrs Lisa"
I pulled my suitcase right in, getting rid of my muddy shoes by the door.
"You have?"
I asked questioningly.
"Don't worry, I've heard good things about you. I'm Mila and I will be helping you with everything in the house",she said as I followed her behind.
I went to the servant's quarters first unloading my clothes into the wardrobe. Even the wood that the wardrobe was made of, seemed of top notch quality.
I unpacked, going to the bathroom to place my ointments and my toothbrushes. Did I mention each room had it's own bathroom? I couldn't wait to dip my legs in a tub full of scented hot water.
Mila and I spoke a bit before she disappeared into the kitchen to make orange juice or was it pie?
I couldn't remember but let's just say I had a feeling, we were going to be great friends. She reminded me of my mother only three or four years older.
My eyes went to the neatly placed uniform I had found lying on top of my bed. It was dull, specifically grey in color.
And when I wore it, it looked like a maternity dress swallowing my petite body whole.
♪～Dos oruguitas enamoradas
Pasan sus noches y madrugadas
Llenas de hambre
Siguen andando y navegando un mundo ♪
The music startled me and right alongside it, I could hear Mila singing in tune with it. It was funny because she sounded like a cat choking on large hairball.
After I had freshened up, I picked up some bottles of disinfectants and a dusting rag by the laundry room heading to the kitchen.
I found Mila squeezing some oranges whistling and jiggling her body to the song on her phone.
"Ai-yah-yai. That dress looks horrible",she screeched.
"I know but the boss wants me to wear it and here I am", I said dryly.
"I'll talk to him. He still has poor taste in fashion",Mila nodded her head sideways as if thinking of a distant memory.
She seemed to know him. Actually she seemed like she knew Ethan for years now.
"It's all good. I should really get to it then"
"You should rest. It's your first day, perhaps I doubt there's a lot to be done",she said warmly but nonetheless I couldn't just rest.
What if Ethan suddenly showed up and said that I was being a lazy bone taking advantage of him?
"In a house as big as this, there's always something to be done. I bet there's a room up there that needs dusting or cobwebs lying around", I insisted.
"If you insist",Mila said disappointedly.
I ascended the stairs touching the rails to see if they were clean. Upstairs, there were like seven rooms which was a surprise since he's the only that lived here.
I specifically remembered his room and my instincts told me to clean his room first. Ensure that it was squeaky clean until he saw I was taking my work seriously.
I opened the door, the smell of patchouli and sandalwood knocking my senses. His room had a black and white layout like an old polaroid producing black and white pictures.
The paintings hanging on the wall were either white with a hint of black or black with a hint of white.
His bed was covered by a white duvet and black large pillows rested on the headboard.
I walked towards the black and white nightstand against his bed using my cleaning rag to wipe the surface.
There were photo frames of him and Lisa. Another, was a photo frame of him and the woman I saw him with at the Thai restaurant.
His girlfriend, I assumed.
She was pretty though. Very pretty.
I was being nosy but the drawers also needed cleaning, right?
I opened the first drawer in his cabinet, my eyes gleaning in amazement at the numerous watches tucked in each lighted hole.
They all looked new and expensive and beautiful. How much had it cost him to buy all these Rolex watches?
My eyes went to one watch in particular, the edges of it were embedded with blue crystals or was it diamonds. I easily took it out of it's hole grabbing it and feeling it against my fingers.
It was pretty.
I shouldn't but I wondered what it would feel like to have it on my wrist.
I slowly clasped it around my wrist holding my hand out to see it against the light.
"What's this you ask? It's one of the rarest watches in the world, worn by George Washington himself! Can you believe that? How much it costs? Well I can tell you it costs more than your life", I said with a British ascent pretending to talk to someone in the room.
I was in the middle of starting another speech with the invisible paparazzi when I heard footsteps coming this way.
I closed the drawer first and when I saw the knob turning, I ran like a fast deer hiding behind the floor length curtain.
Running and hiding was a stupid idea but what would Ethan or Mila say if they found me wearing an expensive watch? They would downright conclude I was a thief.
Or maybe I ran because I felt I was in the wrong.
I peeped through the curtain seeing Ethan's back facing me.
Oh now, I was dead.
He removed his coat, then his shirt and I was left gawking at his muscular broad shoulders. My eyes travelled down his back, seeing the Calvin Klein band of his boxers show above his pants.
"Please don't take off the pants. Please get out of the room!" I whispered horrifyingly.
Except, he went ahead and took off his pants and no matter how I tried staring away, I couldn't. He got rid of his briefs and my eyes widened in horror.
He was naked. I could see his butt. I could see his entire back side and goodness gracious, he was hot! Fine as wine!
The dust rag tightly clutched against my chest tickled my nose and when I inhaled the dust in, I...I sneezed!
He couldn't have heard that, could he? It was a tiny tinsy sneeze. I grabbed the curtains harder hiding myself.
He was planning to take a shower. Once he went to the bathroom, I would put the watch back and run out of here before he saw me.
I thought I had figured things out, that was until he yanked the curtains.
"You?" He asked surprisingly.
I opened my eyes to say something but instead slowly, my eyes went down his chest, down his delicately sculptured abs and right down to his...his thing.
He was big.
It was big.
He noticed my staring and before he could say anything, I went around him, unlocked the door and ran out of his room in a dash.
I knew I was fired but the lingering image of his thing was still on my mind.
I saw it.
I saw him, naked and I-I liked it.
