Chapter 1 Shock
Juniper's POV
I've only been working at this job for a week and to say I'm tired of it is an understatement. It's not like I'm not used to this kind of work, I am. But for some reason, this seems... different.
Being a maid is not all it's cracked up to be. All it takes is one look at my uniform and over-privileged assholes think they can do anything they want to me. They call me to clean up their mess and when I bend over they squeeze my ass! I would love to turn around and smack them, but I also don't want to lose this job!
To be honest, I have no idea how I got this job in the first place. I just got a call about two weeks ago saying they were hiring at the Charlotte Embassy Hotel. I showed up and they hired me on the spot... Which was weird because they didn't ask if I'd had any experience as a maid (which I have) or if I really wanted this job, they just assumed I did.
Back when I was in high school I worked with my mother, who happened to be a maid, and she taught me everything she knew... But that doesn't mean I wanted to spend my entire life being a maid.
I've been looking for a job for the last month, ever since my mother died. It was a freak accident. She was driving home from her shift, and was T-boned. The officers said she was dead on arrival. I guess I should be grateful she didn't suffer, but it doesn't hurt any less.
I don't like to think about it. I saw her body when they asked me to identify her. She'd been crushed to death. Just remembering it tightens my stomach into knots and gives me panic attacks. It's hard to breathe through the pain and the loss. But I can't grieve forever. I have to keep moving forward.
At least that is what the world is telling me. I can't stay in bed and just die because the most important person I have died. If I want to eat, I have to work.
Mom didn't have a lot of money. She had her own maid service, which was quite successful and I waited tables and we made it work. I have no idea who my dad was, because the moment mom told him she was pregnant he took off. Bastard!
But that leaves me in my current predicament. I lost the only parent I've ever known. The one person who loved me my whole life, no matter who calls me a freak.
I didn't make any friends at school, because like I said, I'm a freak. Well, I'm not, but people can't seem to get over the fact that my eyes don't match. It's a mutation called heterochromia, hence the freak.
The only person who ever thought my eyes were pretty was my best friend Gabe... Well, until his grandfather noticed I was getting too close to him and he fired my mother and sent us away.
Well, I'm not gonna cry over what could've been. If life has taught me anything, it's that I need to be tough and guard my heart. I can't let what people say about me decide who or what I am.
Currently I'm pushing a cart full of cleaning supplies up to the Presidential Suite. Apparently there was a big party up there last night and it is now my job to clean up their mess. And for some reason they insisted I show up right now!
I really don't care as long as I get paid. I'll just run a hot bath tonight after I eat my cup of noodles and pretend it's full of bubbles. I can pretend to be a good little submissive maid and dutifully clean up other peoples crap as long as it means I get to eat.
I sigh and pull myself together as I knock on the door. "House keeping," I announce myself.
"Enter," came a demanding feminine voice from behind the door.
I take the key card I was given and scan it. The lock blinks green and the lock releases and I turn the handle and push the door open, dragging the huge trolley behind me.
I don't have to look around, I've cleaned this room 3 times in the last week. I know the place is huge and it's probably the reason the other maids made me do it. Whatever! I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make money.
"You can start with the seating area, it's a disaster. Make sure you scrub the floors. There is something sticky," the demanding blonde smirks at me.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes, but end up sighing anyway. "Yes ma'am."
I wish I was allowed to listen to music while I worked, but for some reason it's against the rules here. Which makes ignoring the pompous blonde all that much harder.
It will be fine! I'll just focus all my attention on the job in front of me and block her out, just like I did to all the mean girls in high school. It's a learned skill and it comes in handy at times like this.
And then I pull my cleaning cart over to the seating area. The place really is a disaster. What the hell were they doing up here anyway? There are cups and discarded food items scattered absolutely everywhere!
I don't say anything as I grab a pair of disposable latex gloves and grab a large black bag. This is going to be a long morning!
The first thing I need to do is pick up all the empty cans of beer and quite a few plates of... something. There are also spilled plastic cups of what I'm assuming were filled with some sort of alcohol. I have honestly lost count, but eventually, I'm finished.
Now to sweep up the crumbs of... well I'm assuming it was food left all over the place. I think it's better not to ask. This task is a little harder than it sounds because some of the crumbs get caught in what looks like vomit. EW!
The snooty lady wanted me to get on my hands and knees and scrub the damn floor. Yeah, I'm not doing that! That is what my trusty mop and bucket are for!
I can hear her in the background giving instructions on how she wants things done, like she owns the damn place. As far as I know she doesn't. They were just renting it for the night, so why the hell is she such a bitch? I know how to clean a room without her hovering over me!
Once I have the floor clean enough to reflect my annoyed face, I replace the mop and bucket and grab the tiny hand vacuum to clean up the crumbs from the couch and chairs. I'm surprised the crumbs didn't get ground into the furniture!
Then I go scrub the kitchen area clean and restock the teas, coffees and creamers. check the cups to find they are completely empty and refill them. Make sure they have enough sugar packets and napkins and stirring sticks. I don't bother with the alcohol, that is not my department.
Done, I go into the bedroom to pull the bedding off the king-size bed. I don't want to know why it looks like this. It's none of my business and all I get paid for is to clean, not to wonder why the hell the bed looks like it was torn apart by a tornado last night.
As I'm pulling off the comforter and hear the snooty lady chuckle, "You may be coming back again to clean the bedding, maid. I'm planning on using that bed over and over again."
I don't say anything, I just continue to take apart the bed, wondering why the hell I'm doing this now when there are still occupants in the room. All I know is my boss told me to come up now, so I did.
I also don't know why the hell she thinks I give a damn about how much sex she is planning on having! What is the point in pointing it out? Does she think it would mean anything to me?
Well, it doesn't. People have sex all the time... Well, except for me. But that is beside the point. The point is, she is acting like a child trying to rub it in my face, when the fact of the matter is, I DON'T CARE!
Suddenly, the ensuite bathroom door opens behind me and I can feel the steam exiting the damp room, hitting me like a sauna. The smell is somehow very familiar, but I just can't quite remember where I know this particular fragrance from...
A sudden memory flashes through my mind and my heart rate picks up. I remember where I know that scent. And I also know it's gonna trigger something like tears.
I really shouldn't be here! I don't know why they couldn't have called me in an hour, or maybe three? I'll come back when the place is a complete disaster once again and clean it all up, but I need to leave... Like, right now!
I hear a shocked gasp. "June?" asks a deep masculine voice.
I freeze. I know that voice. And there is only one person who calls me that. I can't be here. I don't want to look! I need to run away and never return to this damn hotel!
But like a train wreck that is bound to happen, I turn in almost slow motion, scared to see what I know I'll find. But what my heart is afraid to see there.
And there he is. Dripping wet from a recent shower with a towel around his waist. His body ridged from absolute shock. His thick dark hair falling in his striking blue eyes. Something passes behind those beautiful eyes. Something that looks a lot like regret.
I don't want to analyze whatever the hell it is that has him looking at me. If it's karma or Fate or destiny or whatever the hell a life full of unfortunate events has me end up at his feet, when I know damn well I can't be anywhere near him.
I need to leave. I need to run. I need to move to New Jersey where he'll never find me and he won't know how he's broken my heart right in two.
But I can't. Because my feet are frozen to the floor and my eyes refuse to move from the face I loved so much.
I spent years memorizing every inch of this face. Every smile and every tear. Even then I knew I was nowhere near his league. He had so many girlfriends, I lost count... And somehow, my heart really didn't care. Just being near him was enough for me... Until I wasn't.
This is what happens when you care too much. When you love too much. You get shattered into a million pieces with no one there to pick you back up. So I try to remember this is why I steel my heart. Keep it tucked away from anyone... Because this... It just hurts too damn much!
"Gabe."
