11. Definitely Nothing P-Diddy Here
DEFINITELY NOTHING P-DIDDY HERE
Fable
I park where Noah instructed in front of a stable house turned six-car garage. Coach lamps bathe the structure in warmth that feels bright compared to the road here, where low fixtures barely cut through the darkness beyond.
I studied the place on Google Maps before coming. The mansion is surrounded by woods and set up on a hill about half a mile from the Hudson River.
Bear sleeps in his carrier on the passenger seat. I let him stay in the car but leave the door cracked open.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Noah runs at me from the shadows and tackles me with a big hug.
I have to reach up to hug her back even though she’s bent over. Bear meows, announcing he’s awake. In terms of meows, his ranks at a kitten level.
“I hear someone.” She releases me and opens the door to see him. “Hey, little guy. Aren’t you a fur ball?” She runs her finger over the mesh carrier where his nose presses. “You didn’t tell me he looks like an Ewok.”
I giggle. “I haven’t heard that one.”
She straightens, and I lean back to look up at her face, far above mine, her wedge boots pushing her height past six feet. I used to tease that she isn’t allowed to wear heels around me.
Noah stares at my face. “What’s up with your eye?”
I let out an annoyed sigh. “Is it still red?”
“What happened?” she asks with concern.
I don’t want to confess that my fear of thunder caused it, or what I thought was thunder.
I was crouched in the little closet, scrambling to pack and get here, when a blast ripped through the air, so loud I thought lightning struck the roof.
I whipped around to look out the window and hit my eye on the doorframe.
My heart galloped for long seconds as I listened for rain or another crack.
If it had been pouring, I wouldn’t have driven this far.
I don’t want to admit that either, or explain that the sound was just a car backfiring on the street.
“I tripped over a bag. It’s no big deal; I just hope it doesn’t bruise. Does it look like it will? I really want to make a good impression here this weekend.” I need to. “I can’t do that with a black eye.”
“It’s a little puffy and red, and your eye is bloodshot, but we can fix it with makeup and Visine. Plus, you’ll be wearing a mask while you work so no one will notice anything.” She brushes my long hair behind my shoulder. “No one will notice. I promise.”
“You’ll have to teach me how to do it myself, in the slim chance it bruises.
I can’t show up at the Ashfords with a black eye.
With Wes there, things have been… problematic.
” I told her I saw him but didn’t confess I caught him jerking off in the shower.
I’m so mad at myself for watching a man I hate, and even more mad that I didn’t have it in me to quit that day.
No matter how badly I wanted to, I need to see if I can get a job here before resigning from the Ashfords’ household.
So far, Wes hasn’t told anyone about what happened either, and I haven’t seen him since. Maybe he didn’t recognize it was me.
“Who is causing problems?” she asks, confused.
“Garden guy. Bear.” She nods in understanding, and I go on.
“He goes by Wes, apparently.” Haven was talking to another staff member who said his name is Wes and kept referring to him as that.
Maybe she doesn’t know it’s Wesley, or she overheard Mr. Ashford and his half-brother calling him Wes during the bruncheon, and it’s his nickname.
She knows more than I do, having served them that day, and she’s worked for the family for almost a year.
“He never gave me his name when I found him in the garden, remember? I Googled him after I learned who I saved, but it only showed his formal name.”
It was six years ago when I told her what happened after we returned to the US. She knows what he did and how much I hate him, but maybe she doesn’t remember all the details.
A door closes with a snap at the garage, and a burly Asian man walks in our direction.
I stiffen and lower my head, fixing my hair to cover my eye.
“Relax,” Noah says. “This is Jay.”
“Hi.” He waves.
“Jay is head of security,” Noah explains. “He runs the place with Camila. She’s head staff leader. I’ll take you to meet her next, but she already approves of you because of me.” She smirks and brushes fake lint from her shoulder.
“I really appreciate this.”
“Says the girl who refused my offer so many times in the past.”
“Three.” I make clear. “And things are different now.”
“Lucky for me.” She puts her arm around me as Bear continues to meow. “Jay will get the cat and your things and park your car in the employee lot, then we’ll ride with Camila to the main house.”
I tense and glance at Bear.
“I’ll take good care of him,” Jay says. “Scout’s honor. I’ll get him to your room and give him some water. He’ll be fine.”
He’s good with people, at least at the shelter he is. “The plastic bag has his food and bowls.” I point to them. “Are you sure about taking them?”
“My girlfriend has a cat she can't live without,” he comments and opens the passenger side to talk to Bear.
“Just leave your keys on the seat for him,” Noah says, and I tense again.
“What if I need to leave or get something from my car?” Not having easy access to it makes me anxious.
“He’ll bring your keys to your room. If you need to leave, one of the staff will get your car for you. You’re safe though, I promise. Anything you might need will be provided. And as you saw from the two gates, no one is getting in without Jay’s knowledge.”
I did find it weird that I had to pass through two separate gates to get here. I haven’t even seen the mansion yet. “There’s a lot of land here. How is the property monitored?”
“Cameras, alarms, and a fortress wall,” Jay answers as he grabs my bags, the litter, and the litter box.
I turn to him. “Are you sure you don’t need help? That’s a lot.”
“This is nothing.”
“But the litter box…” It’s empty and wrapped in a trash bag. Still, I feel bad.
“Go with Noah. I’ll take care of everything. From the way this cat is meowing, he wants out. I don’t blame him.”
Fighting my urge to do this all myself, I set the key on the driver’s seat. “Thank you.”
He nods.
“This way.” Noah leads me through the door into the massive and empty garage. “No cars?”
“It’s for the Lords only.”
“They’re not really Lords, are they?” How could they be when two are American?
“No, but a couple are noble in England. A Lord and a vicar or some shit.”
I laugh. “A viscount?” When I found out Bear was Wes, the earl’s son, I did research on all that, too, out of curiosity. “Vicar is a minister.”
“Not my business.” She waves the topic away.
“Do you think you were with one of the nobles that night?” I follow her to another door leading out the back.
“He was American, I think. And his dick was from a fantasy realm. That’s all I know.”
I laugh, a little jealous that she’s able to live so freely. I haven’t laughed this much in a long while. “Thank you for this, Noah. You were right. It is good for me.”
She glances at me with her chocolate eyes. “The fun hasn’t even started yet.” We exit into a well-lit gravel parking lot surrounded by manicured hedges lined with yellow flowers. A gorgeous lady who could pass for Wonder Woman stands next to a black SUV.
“Camila,” Noah waves a hand at me. “This is Fable.”
I swallow my nerves about my red eye and meet her gaze head-on.
She’s the kind of woman who doesn’t look like she tolerates bullshit.
Nothing I’m not used to, but I show up polished and prepared, not like I’ve been in a fight.
I also left straight from work, changed out of my uniform in a rush to get Bear and pack my car, and am not half as presentable as I like to be.
I hold out my hand. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for this opportunity.”
She focuses on the red skin around my injured eye, then runs her gaze over my white button-down shirt, jeans, and sneakers, as she sizes up my body.
“Tiny but a beauty,” she says with a slight paisa accent.
I know it well from a co-worker in the past who was Colombian.
“We only have one other petite girl. You’ll do nicely. ”
I bite my tongue to keep from saying I didn’t know this was a hire based on looks. I’m not in a position to speak up, not with how desperate I am for a solid job now that the Ashfords may not work out.
We file into the black leather interior of the SUV. Camila drives while explaining the job, how it all works, where the staff stay, the rules about what happens during the day, what’s off-limits to employees, where we get food, clothing, and a dozen other details.
It’s a lot, but nothing I’m not used to when taking a new service job for a wealthy family.
“The house is shaped like an upside-down T,” Camila explains.
“There are three wings: east, west, and south. The staff stay at the farthest end of the south wing. The kitchen is in the basement. The Lords have rooms on the third floor in the east wing. The guests get a few there too, but most stay on the second floor of the east and south wings. The first floor is where everything else is: the gaming, billiards, ballroom, dining, lounging, and entertainment rooms. The great hall, library, and gallery. Sometimes, the parties spread throughout there. The entire east wing and most of the south wing have been renovated. The west wing hasn’t been and is unsafe for anyone. ”
I hold in a squee. I’ll definitely be visiting that half for social media content.
“Costumes are provided to all staff, as well as private bedroom and en suite bathroom. Guests and staff must wear masks at all times, even during the day when parties aren’t happening.
Employees can only remove them in the staff wing.
Anonymity is strictly enforced here. No phones during the parties, including guests.
“A wristband is given to everyone with an alert button in case they need help of any kind: injury, illness, though rare, a fight, or inappropriate fondling. Nothing is tolerated without consent. The security team is vast and ready to assist anyone at a moment’s notice. It’s how the parties stay safe.”
Definitely nothing P-Diddy happening here.
“If you want to be considered for a proposition by a guest, you place a red feather in your hair. Guests wear a red sash. Each signals you’re available, though you are not required to participate or do anything beyond your cleaning and serving duties.
No feather means you are left alone. If you are singled out and you are not into the person, you can politely decline.
There are plenty of people open and ready to step up.
Sex only happens behind closed doors, which is why there are so many guest rooms. It isn’t an orgie. ”
“Think of it like a club with a hotel,” Noah says.
The road straightens, and a glowing mansion comes into view.
Lights illuminate the grand exterior and spill from many of the windows.
It looks like the White House, only considerably larger.
Stone stairs, the length of a bus, lead to towering pillars that rise to the three-story roof and frame the entrance.
Spotlights shine on fountains surrounded by garden beds on either side of the stairs.
It’s old, grand, and speaks of an opulent era that no longer exists.
“The west wing doesn’t look ruined,” I murmur with disappointment.
“The front side was redone to conceal the mess behind it,” Camila says. “Trust me, it’s not a place you want to explore, which is why it’s off limits.”
We all get out near the stairs that lead to the ginormous white front doors.
“There are some forms you need to sign in my office.” Camila checks her elegant gold watch.
“Let’s meet there in an hour. In the meantime, Noah can give you a tour, show you your room, and answer any other questions you might have.
” She holds out her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Fable.”
“Likewise.” We shake, and she strolls up the stairs like a movie star.
I look at Noah once Camila is inside. “I bet she’s a favorite of the Lords.”
“Just one.” Noah smirks. “He’s one of the tall Lords, and he never strays from her.” She shrugs. “Now, let’s hurry. There’s a lot to do before the party at ten.”
Good thing I don’t require a lot of sleep. I won’t be getting much here.