Chapter 9
Another day arrives, and Jodie Sinclair returns to the Mallois Hotel at her usual time. She follows her daily routine; enters the locker room, puts on her uniform, checks her work sheet, and collects the cleaning cart with everything needed to change sheets, towels, and leave everything spotless. The morning passes without incident, and after lunch, this time alone because Sarah has the day off, she prepares to go up to Katherine Taylor's penthouse. She's nervous because she doesn't know what she'll find today, though she's pretty certain it won't be Mrs. Taylor's friend—she thinks with a hint of mockery—since their encounters tend to be more spaced out. Jodie runs her hand through her hair and slides it along the ponytail she made that morning, scolding herself for keeping track of the days Annie visits the hotel. Even though Katherine might own her thoughts, and why not? The source of her solitary orgasms, the housekeeper knows she could never compete with someone like Annie, whose sophistication is worlds apart from Jodie's bearing. And the money—she doesn't even want to think about it.
She reaches the penthouse door and exhales through her nose before taking a deep breath. She takes out the magnetic key and enters her boss's home.
"How are you at taking notes?" asks the Mallois Hotel owner while flashing a smile that Jodie labels as ironic.
"Very good, actually, it's one of the best things I do," answers the housekeeper, matching her boss's tone.
It's not that Jodie has changed overnight and stopped being that reserved woman who couldn't look Katherine in the eyes without her legs shaking. The housekeeper has always had a strong character and never hesitated to hold anyone's gaze, but since the mountain of debt and problems fell on her, she had to tame that fierceness that had always accompanied her to get a job—or two—that would help her stay afloat. And when she saw Katherine Taylor and her heart decided to become a cheerleader at a football game, her mind collapsed and adopted a shyness that until now she didn't know she had. That's over now, something in her has rebelled, and finally, she can be the real Jodie in front of her boss and anyone else.
"Then you're perfect," Katherine says while searching for her purse and grabbing a notebook. "Olivia is going to be a grandmother soon and has taken leave for a few months to help her daughter. The poor thing is a first-time mother and is having a terrible time controlling her nerves."
Jodie nods, and when her boss walks past her to go to the door, she can't help but check out that round bottom she considers perfect. She asks for permission to change clothes and runs to the locker room to do so. Later, as they cross the hotel lobby, an employee stops Katherine, and she tells Jodie to wait in the car.
"Good afternoon, Jodie," Mike says with a bright smile and opens the back door of the vehicle.
Jodie freezes and has to turn her neck to make sure he's opening the door for her. She's not used to this.
"Hi, Mike," responds the housekeeper, snapping out of her trance and entering the car when the bodyguard gestures for her to get in.
Katherine, who observes the scene while walking toward the car, approaches Mike with narrowed eyes.
"You never smile at Annie like that," the businesswoman teases, "much less open the door for her."
Mike says nothing, just looks at his boss and friend, winks at her, and invites her to sit down. It's no secret that Annie doesn't sit well with the rest of the mortals.
"To the Magnolis?" Mike asks when he gets in and starts the vehicle.
"Yes, let's see what disaster we find today," Katherine responds with a gesture of weariness.
Jodie can't contain her curiosity.
"Magnolis?" the housekeeper decides to inquire.
"The new hotel," Mrs. Taylor clarifies and fixes her gaze on Jodie's eyes. "Last year I bought an old one that had been closed for more than ten years. Nobody wanted to invest in it because the heirs were asking for an absolute fortune."
"Is it worth it?" Jodie asks with great curiosity. She hasn't missed that sparkle in Katherine's eyes when talking about the new acquisition.
"It used to be. It was a relic, but the heirs' neglect made it lose customers until it fell from grace. Now what's really valuable is its land, and they wanted to sell it for a fortune."
"I hope you'll continue the story because if that hotel is yours now, you must have managed to buy it at a good price," Jodie says, seeing that her boss has fallen silent, giving it a touch of mystery worthy of a suspense story.
Katherine smiles with a mischief that takes her companion's breath away.
"I put an offer on the table, and one of the brothers rejected it immediately. I wasn't going to give them any more, so I withdrew, but just a week later they called saying they accepted."
"You accepted, and now the hotel is yours," Jodie guesses.
Katherine smiles again and shakes her head.
"No, I told them that offer was no longer valid and said I'd buy it, but for ten percent less than what I had offered."
Katherine Taylor's beauty might catch many people's attention, but at that moment, Jodie Sinclair realizes that's what captivates her least. What she really likes about this woman is her strength, that fierce personality, and how tough she is in business. Beauty is fleeting, character and personality are not.
"Now we've been doing renovations for months, and it's been a real headache," Katherine continues explaining. "They've stopped construction three times, and New York City Hall has sent several inspections."
"Construction work is such a headache. I remember when we had to close our family restaurant for a small renovation that was supposed to last two weeks and ended up taking two more," Jodie recounts, remembering her parents on the verge of a nervous breakdown every time they returned from supervising the changes and found a new drama.
"You had a restaurant?" Katherine asks, interested in her employee's life.
"Yes, The Rustic Fork," Jodie answers nostalgically.
Katherine can't see the girl's sadness because she's caught up staring at her lips and how she moistens them after speaking.
"I can't believe it," says the Mallois owner, opening her eyes wide, "my father loved the food from that place. He said they made the best..."
"Stuffed turkey in all of New York," Jodie says simultaneously, and they both smile. Jodie, uncomfortable because talking about The Rustic Fork breaks her heart, and Katherine with slightly exaggerated enthusiasm.
The Mallois Hotel owner's phone rings and saves Jodie from a conversation she didn't want to continue. Katherine apologizes and answers the call, embarking on a chat that only ends when Mike parks the car and both women get out to enter the hotel under construction. As soon as they enter, Katherine meticulously observes everything and sees a couple of things she doesn't like, so she starts saying single words that Jodie quickly writes down. The businesswoman approaches a tall, very burly man wearing a completely sweaty shirt and a yellow helmet half-worn.
"Mrs. Taylor, how are you?" asks the man, who appears to be the construction foreman.
"I could be better if this was already finished, Joshua," Katherine answers, and Jodie can't help feeling a sudden wetness between her legs as she witnesses firsthand the strong character of the woman she believes she's in love with.
"You told me this whole section would be finished this week, and all I see are holes," Katherine continues speaking, and the man nervously wipes the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
"Two guys got sick, and that's delayed us, but it will be finished this week as I promised, Mrs. Taylor. Monday we can start the touch-ups upstairs, and in no time, we'll be done," Joshua explains, holding his breath. The middle Taylor sister commands respect.
"I'll be here Monday," Katherine says and continues walking through the hotel.
For the next hour, Katherine checks every corner of her future hotel. The construction is well advanced, and she estimates they can inaugurate it in a few months. Behind her, Jodie writes everything down, and Katherine can't help feeling very comfortable with her temporary assistant. On one occasion, the hotel owner turns toward her, ready to ask her to take notes, but realizes that Jodie has everything under control and doesn't need to be told what to do. When they finish, they walk toward the exit, and Jodie doesn't notice a piece of wood on the floor, stumbles, and if it weren't for Katherine's quickness in grabbing her arm and pulling her firmly against her body, the housekeeper would be on the floor with some bruises.
"Be careful, I wouldn't want to lose my new assistant so soon," Katherine whispers in her ear. Jodie struggles to hide that she's completely willing to open herself to her boss with just a couple of words spoken in that voice that drives her crazy.