I got into the elevator and pushed the button for the upper floor where the master suite was located. When I stepped off, the first thing I noticed was that my cleaning cart was still there. Alex… or someone had moved it over to the side. The second thing I noticed was that the door to his suite was open. I carefully moved across the upper balcony. All was quiet downstairs. Not even the cook came in before seven. Alex liked it that way. Those were his rules. No staff between seven p.m. and seven a.m. I got to the door and cautiously glanced inside. The bed was made and all looked neat and tidy. I hadn’t made the bed yesterday… I wondered who did. Karen wasn’t usually in on Fridays, but what if she’d come in for some reason yesterday? She liked me, but she was tough and that was why she had the job of lead staff. I’d seen her fire people for less. I looked at the cart again and told myself that if it had been Karen, she would have put the cart away downstairs where it went. Did Alex make his own bed? I guess that wouldn’t be completely odd. He’d done it before.
“Alex?” I called out to the empty room. I advanced a little further inside. The little sitting room with the big stone fireplace was empty as well and the door to the huge bathroom was open and that room was empty as well. I looked at the clock. It was six-thirty now. I had to get out of here before the other staff came in. There would be no logical explanation for me being here in a wrinkled uniform on my day off. Besides, I thought, looking into the mirror on his dresser, I looked like I’d been having wild sex all night. Or maybe that was just the invisible “Guilt” stamp on my forehead.
I guiltily retreated and headed for the elevator. I took it to the main floor and left through the locked service entrance in the back of the large, gourmet kitchen, locking it again behind me. Taking a deep breath of the fresh, salty morning air, I made my way to the employee parking area, got into my car and snuck out like a thief. I realized when I got out to the main road that my heart was pounding hard against my ribcage and my breathing was irregular. I made it home just short of hyperventilating and held my breath even as I entered my own apartment, hoping my roommate Liz had gone to work. I wasn’t going to be that lucky. She was sitting at the little dining room table enjoying her coffee as I stole through the door.
She grinned broadly and said, “Well hello. You look like you had a good night.” I imagine that in my anxious state my cheeks were probably flushed and since I was still wearing my uniform…
“Um… yeah, it was okay,” I said. “How are you?”
She raised an eyebrow and stood up. “I’m going to pour you a cup of coffee while you change. Then, you and I can talk.”
“Talk about…?”
She took a cup out of the cabinet and turned around and looked at me again. She ran her eyes over my uniform and my disheveled state and said, “Why you were out all night and you’re still in your uniform…”
“Oh, that!” I said, trying to sound sincere. I’m a terrible liar, but I was going to give it a shot. “I didn’t have any clean clothes at Jason’s, so I just put this on.”
“I’m shocked,” she said.
“That I didn’t have any clean clothes?” She shook her head. “That I stayed at Jason’s?” She shook it again. “That I’m lying?” I asked, chagrined.
She nodded then with a smile. “Go change and hurry back, I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
I changed into a pair of cutoff sweats and a t-shirt and washed my face, brushed my teeth and pulled my hair back into a ponytail at the nape of my neck. I didn’t feel any better, but I at least looked human. I met Liz back at the table and sat down, taking a sip of coffee.
“That is so good, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Now, tell me where you were all night.”
“I was at the mansion,” I said. I took another sip of coffee. It really was good. “How did you know I wasn’t with Jason?”
“He came by on his way to work this morning.”
I almost spilled the coffee, sitting it down too hard on the table. “What did he want?”
“He just wanted to pick up the jacket he left here a few days ago. Your bedroom door was closed and I thought you were in there sleeping. I started to go get you but he said to let you sleep, he’d talk to you later. Imagine my surprise when I saw you pull up out the window and then come slinking in here looking all guilty.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least Jason didn’t know. Not that it should matter to him since we’re on a “break.” But still, I wasn’t sure what I thought of myself at the moment. I was really unsure of what everyone else would think of me. Liz looked amused so far.