Maid for Millions

Working as a maid for one of the most well-known CEOs in the country was not on the list of future careers that I wanted to be in. This happened by accident. I was looking at different jobs in a temp agency because I had just graduated college with my bachelor’s in criminal law and was desperate to start working as soon as possible. So here I am interviewing with what I feel is the American equivalent of Niles from the show The Nanny. When I first got here, I was terrified and intimidated by the forty-story tower standing in front of me. My first thought was, “who the hell was this guy?” Walking into the building, I was scared to touch anything. Decorated with pristine white walls and black accents placed intricately around the lobby, it felt like I was in a company building instead of an uptown loft building.

The receptionist was a lady that looked like she was in her late twenties to early thirties, with her brown hair tied up in a low bun at the base of her neck. Hearing the tapping of her acrylic nails made me think that she was more than just a receptionist or that she was using the company’s computer to try to post something witty and intelligent on Facebook, or her blog. When I got up to the front desk, she didn’t even acknowledge me until I cleared my throat to try and catch her attention. When she finally did look up at me, she gave me the typical fake, barbie doll style smile that I have received from every receptionist I have encountered. “Welcome to the Tower Townhomes. How may I help you today?” The perkiness in her voice made me internally cringe.

“Hello, I’m here for an interview with Mr. Salvatore about a job opening.” I replied getting straight to the point so that way I didn’t have to deal with Malibu Barbie for long. She started typing on her computer again making me think that she didn’t hear me. After a few awkward moments of silence and my failed attempts to find something interesting to look at she finally looked back up to me and said quickly, “Go to the elevator that’s at the end of the hallway and type in the code once you are inside. The elevator will take you to the top floor where Charlie will meet you in the foyer to begin your interview.” Once she was done giving me instructions, I went back to being invisible to her. Reading the six-digit code that was written on one of her post-it notes I made my way to the other side of the building to the perfectly polished elevators. Standing in the elevator I can see my reflection staring back at me. I couldn’t help but nervously fidget and pick at the nonexistent lint located on the sleeve of my black blazer. I felt that I was appropriately dressed for this interview with a black knee length pencil skirt, a pale blue blouse, and two-inch-high pair of black heels. It wasn’t too difficult for me to find professional type of clothing because of all the interning that I had to do my final year of law. Which did not end how I thought it would, because if it did, I would be working at a law firm right now and not interviewing for a position that I don’t even know will be.

What felt like an eternity later, I finally made it to the top level where I was supposed to meet Charlie. Walking into the foyer it felt more home-like than the lobby on the first floor. Waiting for me at the only door present was a man about six-foot even with graying hair and a permanent look as if he had smelled something rancid. “Ms. Volk I’m presuming? My name is Charlie Richardson, and I will be interviewing you today for the position available. Now, if you do seem acceptable to me, I will escort you to Mr. Salvatore’s office and we will begin simple introductions. Follow me please.” The man who introduced himself as Charlie said. He had a subtle southern accent to some of his words that would have fallen on deaf ears had I not been from Texas myself. When he ushered me into the loft, I was a little taken aback by how prim and proper everything looked. At first glance you can tell that the placement of every item was planned out and chosen to follow a specific theme. From the picture-perfect fireplace to the kitchen that any cook would die for, I felt out of place and extremely anxious to get the interview over with.

Charlie led me into the library and sat down behind an enormous oak desk that should be in any business tycoon’s office. “Can I offer you anything to drink Ms. Volk? Water? Coffee? Tea?” Charlie said expectantly. Shrugging my blazer off, I sat in the plush maroon velvet chair and replied, “No thank you Charlie, and please call me Katya or Kat.” Giving me a quick nod, Charlie began to sort through some paperwork that was lying on the desk and pulled out a file that had K.V. scrolled on the top of it. Charlie cleared his throat and said, “Now, this is the file that the temp agency sent over. After reviewing it, I felt that I would like to at least talk to you first before I make my decision. Now, do you know what the position you are applying for is?” I don’t even understand what in my file would make him want to talk to me first, because all the other employers that I have spoken to have either called me to tell me that they decided to go with someone else or they didn’t even contact me back at all. “To be honest, I don’t know what the position is for, but I desperately need a job.” I replied hesitantly. All I received from Charlie was a noise that let me know that he heard me but nothing else. The atmosphere was tense because I felt that I needed to be as professional as possible, but Charlie wasn’t asking me many questions or even looking at me to begin with.

“Well, the position is for a maid. You will be cleaning the loft and any extra chores that Mr. Salvatore sees fit. The loft does take up all the top two levels of the building, so you will not be cleaning it alone. There is one other maid that is employed here that will be helping you if you get hired here. Why should I hire you Ms. Volk? You have no experience along with a degree that would be able to get you a much better job.” Charlie finally said after a few agonizingly long moments that I felt were never going to end. I was not expecting Charlie to ask me why he should hire me. After letting what he said sink in for a few seconds, I responded with, “Well Charlie I may have a degree that usually would be able to get me a better career, but I can’t seem to find employment in that field. I am a quick learner, and I am willing to work as long and as hard as I need to make sure that everything is above the standard that Mr. Salvatore is used to.” Charlie leaned back in his chair while crossing his arms over his chest and had the look on his face as if someone just agreed to a deal that signed their life away.

There were a few seconds of silence before he said, “I’m glad to hear that Ms. Volk. When would you be able to start?” I tried to hide the excitement that I felt take over my body and calmly said, “I would be able to start today if needed.”

“That won’t be needed Ms. Volk. The position does require you to reside here so that way confidentiality is less likely to be violated. Working for Mr. Salvatore does require extreme confidentiality because he is such a highly known individual. Due to this, you will have ten days to get everything in order for you to live here. The other maid that you will be working with is Ms. Emilia Rodriguez. She has been with the Salvatore family for twenty years and knows the ins and outs about how the house should be. You will be working with her for two weeks for a trial period to see if you are a good fit for this position. Do you have any questions before I take you to meet Mr. Salvatore?”

I didn’t hesitate when I answered, “No Mr. Richardson, I do not.” He gave me a quick nod before turning on his heel and responding with, “Follow me please.” Exiting the library, I noticed that we went out of another door than the one that we went in. Walking down a hallway that seemed to never end, Charlie finally stopped at a door that was to the right. Charlie knocked on the door a few times and waited for the deep reply of us being welcomed in. Adjusting my blazer one more time to make sure that my appearance was presentable I entered Mr. Salvatore’s office. It looked like a mini version of his library. There was a large oak desk that was suited for a man of his position. In the corner of the office there was a decently sized couch that looked like it could sit a few people comfortably without them being crowded.

It was a quick glance about my surrounding because I didn’t want it to seem like I didn’t respect him. When I finally did look up to Mr. Salvatore, I was taken aback by the man that I was looking at. He was wearing a suit and tie ensemble that meant that he was dressed for success. He looked to be about 6’4” he towered over my five-and-a-half-foot frame. It looked like his suit was custom made to fit every curve and muscle on his body. He wasn’t lean, but he wasn’t extremely muscular. With light brown hair covering his head and sapphire blue eyes staring back at me, I felt trapped in his gaze. He had a thick beard covering the bottom half of his face making him that much more attractive. I don’t know how long that I was staring at him, but the sound of a throat clearing brought me out of the fog that I let myself sink into. Charlie walked forward and said, “Mr. Salvatore, I would like to introduce to you the new maid, Katyana Volk. Ms. Volk meet Mr. Liam Salvatore your new employer.”

I took a step forward with my hand out and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Salvatore. I am looking forward to starting my employment with you.” He didn’t say anything; all he did was take a few steps forward and start to circle me like a wolf hunting his prey. I could feel his eyes on me, I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about everything about me. I dropped my hand feeling embarrassed that he didn’t even acknowledge a simple polite greeting. After a few awkward moments of him circling and me just standing there he finally stopped in front of me and met my gaze. His eyes were an even lighter shade of sapphire in person, almost a baby blue. I saw a hint of a smirk grace his lips when he finally spoke, “It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Volk. I’m looking forward to your employment as well. Hopefully you find some, joys working here.”

I had never heard a voice so deep as his, I had to fight the chills that were trying to run down my spine. It may be my hormones, but it felt like he was flirting with me. Before I could ask any questions, I heard him say, “Let’s discuss our terms of employment for you. Since you will be living here you will be on call for lack of a better term. You will be working Monday through Friday and have the weekends off. This will be your payment along with the dress code you are expected to have.” With how my personality is I didn’t even think when I heard myself say, “So I won’t be expected to wear a skimpy maid’s outfit?” Feeling all color drain from my face I tried my best to stammer out an apology as Liam tried his best to keep a straight face. “No Ms. Volk, you won’t be expected to wear the typical maid’s uniform. The dress code will be casual clothing like jeans and a shirt. The only time that I require business type clothing is when I have important guests coming over. You will be required to sign a nondisclosure agreement due to my status and the things that you will find out about me.” As he said this, he slid over a thick packet of papers across the desk. I felt like I was about to sign my life away with how intimidating it looked, but I knew better than to sign without reading it.

After flipping through a couple of the pages I asked Liam, “Am I able to read this over a get it back to you? I know better than to sign anything without actually reading the fine print.” He seemed impressed that I wanted to know what I was signing and sat back in his chair. Seeing him put his hand up to his mouth I couldn’t stop the thoughts running through my head about what those fingers could do. Stop it Kat. You can’t think like that about someone who is hopefully about to be your employer. Let’s see what is in the NDA first before I officially accept the job. Nodding at me he said, “Yes Ms. Volk. I expect the paperwork to be back here in three days, if you decide not to sign the NDA than I regret to say that you won’t be offered the position. I do have things about myself and my life that need to remain private and can’t take the risk of being exposed.”

Nodding my head, I replied with, “I completely understand Mr. Salvatore. With a public position like yours I would be taking the same precautions as well. I will be getting back to you with my decision, and I hope that there isn’t anything in the document that would cause me to think otherwise. It was a pleasure to meet you and I appreciate your time today.” Gathering all my belongings I said goodbye to Liam and Charlie showed me the way out. Heading down the elevator I finally let all the tension leave my body and the reality of the past couple of hours hit me like a train. How am I going to work for a man that would have me running away from one look? From what I have seen of his home he doesn’t need another housekeeper. Maybe Ms. Emilia is retiring and needs someone to take over her position. I wasn’t sure about working here but I did need the money and I had to much pride to ask people for help. I did know one thing, working for Liam Salvatore was going to be either the best thing I have ever done, or one of the worst mistakes that I will ever make.