1. Veronica #2
I’d kill to look like her, but instead I’m skin and bones with my tiny breasts that I hate.
I’m not saying I’m ugly. On the contrary, I make heads turn wherever I go.
But I don’t have many curves; I’m five-foot-ten with long legs and shoulder-length colorful hair that changes practically every month.
I do have nice symmetrical features, though, tanned golden skin, and dark sapphire-blue eyes. Then there’s my full tatted sleeve and piercings, a few along my ears and a septum.
Such a contrast to the girl I used to be…
I offer her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. We’ll try to keep it down next time.”
“It’s fine. I should be used to hearing those sounds by now.
My brother was an expert at creating them.
” She scrunches her nose in disgust and places two plated omelets down on the island, then comes to sit at my side as we dig in.
“Today’s your first day, right? Do you know whose place you’ll be taking care of? ”
I wipe my mouth on the napkin she set out beside me.
“Yes, and no. Cecilia texted me the address and told me to just say my name and someone would escort me up. But the guys are coming back this afternoon, so I’m supposed to meet whoever it is then.
I’m going to head over early to get it all cleaned up and make a good first impression, hoping that will seal the deal. ”
“That’s a good idea. But you’ll definitely get the job; your cleaning and organizing skills are impeccable. They’d be stupid not to want you. I’m just surprised Cece didn’t tell you who it was.” She frowns.
I shrug in response. “She said something about not wanting to give out their information or whatever without their permission. I can understand that.” Aubrey nods in agreement.
Cecilia is one of our friends, well, originally Brey’s friend since I only met her back in November. She’s also married to Silas Hayes, the New York Griffin’s team captain, which is how she got me the job.
Aubrey met her three years ago through her brother, Greyson Ford, who’s also on the team and one of Silas’s good friends.
From there, she met Morgan, who’s married to Clay Burkley, another player and good friend.
There’s also Emma, who’s dating Greyson.
They have a thirteen-month-old daughter named Gracie, while Cecilia and Silas have a seventeen-month-old son named Dante.
That only leaves two others in our little group, Noah Adler and Gabriel Ellis. Also known as the twins. And no, it’s not because they’re related. They’re just two dirty man whores who do everything together. And I mean everything.
Noah is a defenseman on the team and Gabriel is a goaltender.
Those two are very hands-on and have absolutely no filter when it comes to women.
They clearly believe they can get whatever they want thanks to their so-called fame.
And apparently, I’ve become their main target over the last seven months.
Something I have no intention of indulging in.
As much as they can get on my nerves, I love them. Every single one of them. When I met Aubrey at NYU, she and I bonded instantly. She was the shy girl, and I was the loud, outspoken one. We had most of our classes together, but outside of school, we didn’t see each other much.
That was until she mentioned wanting to move out of her brother’s place and was looking for a roommate.
At that point, I was living in some shitty little studio that was infested with bugs.
So I jumped on the opportunity, and since then, we’ve spent every waking moment together.
Add in the rest of the gang, and we’re like a newfound family.
One I desperately needed.
“Well, let me know how it goes. I’m off today, so I’ll see you later at Greyson and Emma’s for dinner.”
“Will do. I’ll leave you my car since the address she gave me is close by, then take an Uber or whatever over to Em’s.” I finish off my plate and orange juice, then rinse them off in the sink before placing them in the dishwasher. “All right, I’m out of here. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck!” she exclaims as I head out the door.
Taking the subway, I make the five stops over to my destination. The address isn’t super far from where we live, but on foot that’s like a forty-five-minute walk. Not that I mind walking; I would have done it if I hadn’t been wearing my stilettos.
Once I exit the subway, I do the five-minute walk to the high-rise I will now be calling my place of work. Wow. This place looks way too luxurious for someone like me.
The condo Aubrey and I share is really nice and probably way out of our budget, but Greyson didn’t like any of the options we showed him that were within our price range.
So, he bought us our place, and we pay him rent every month, even if he constantly tells us we don’t need to.
But we’re grown adults, the reasonable thing for us to do is pay rent.
But this place, this place looks like only the rich can afford it, with its around-the-clock doorman, front desk service, and shiny facade. Of course, a fancy hockey player would live here, most likely in the penthouse. From what I hear, most make millions a year.
I walk up to the grand front doors, where an elderly gentleman opens them for me with a tip of his hat. “Good morning, Miss.”
“Good morning.” I smile at him as I walk past and head for the desk where a man waits behind a hidden computer screen.
“Good morning, how may I help you?” he asks when I stand before him. There’s a name tag on his uniform that reads Antoine.
“Um, hi, Antoine. I’m starting a new job here and was told to give my name, and that someone would help me up. Veronica Masters.”
“Yes, Miss Masters. We were awaiting your arrival.” He smiles.
“Graham here will escort you up to the penthouse right away. Here is your key for the future. There’s a private elevator to the side that will send you straight up.
If there’s anything else we can do for you at any given time, please let us know.
We’ll be happy to help as best as we can. ”
I take the shiny black keycard from him and place it inside my purse immediately, not wanting to lose it on my first day. “Thank you.” I turn in time to see a man, Graham I presume, arrive at my side.
“This way, Miss.” He brings me to the side, where I was told the private elevator resides, and places his own black card in front of a sensor seconds before the doors open.
We step in, and he presses one of the three buttons on the panel.
P, for penthouse; G, for garage; and L, for lobby.
We shoot up and within seconds the doors to the elevator cab open once more.
I walk out into the foyer, and my mouth drops open as I stare into the open space of the room, completely stunned to silence.
I hear Graham say something behind me, but my mind is in shock at the view before me, making me only catch the end of his speech. “—should be returning shortly. We’ll advise them of your arrival. Have a great day, Miss.”
All I do is smile as he steps back into the cab and leaves me to my own in this ginormous place. I put my bag above the small table by the entrance, then wander farther into the penthouse.
Huge wall-to-ceiling windows greet me, giving a beautiful view of Manhattan, with light and dark gray furniture that adds contrast to the white walls.
The floors are a form of black wood that would normally have a glossy feature, but they look like they haven’t been washed in days, maybe weeks.
Off to the left, I can see a beautiful white kitchen with shiny black countertops, and beside it is the dining room that sits on a higher platform but is still open to the rest of the room.
At a quick glance, the place looks pretty well kept. Until you notice the multiple cups spread across the counter, the dining room table littered with random things, dishes in the sink, and very suspicious-looking marks on the glass windows.
Okay, this place is actually pretty filthy.
I give myself a quick tour of the penthouse, trying to determine where to start off.
The main floor consists of a home gym, office, library, laundry room, as well as the kitchen and living room.
A beautiful dark staircase that looks like it’s suspended in the air leads to the second level that contains the master and two guest bedrooms, although they all appear to be similar in size.
By the end of my tour, I’ve concluded that whoever lives here are massive slobs. Two of the rooms look lived in, while the other looks like a spare room filled with things they don’t know what to do with.
And don’t even get me started on the bathrooms in this place. Jesus, I really have my work cut out for me. With a deep sigh, I go in search of cleaning products and get to work, deciding to start off with the upper level.
As I’m heading back to the main floor, after finishing four hours of work upstairs, my phone buzzes with an incoming notification. I take the final steps to the landing and put the cleaning supplies down in the kitchen, then pull out my phone from the hidden pocket of my skirt.