Chapter 1
Mariah
The morning had been a total bust. The dishwasher broke, leaving water all over the kitchen floor, the dog had run off again, and now one of her favorite employees wanted to talk with her. Mariah had barely made it to the door of her small office when her assistant Karen informed her that Josie was on the phone and was 'less than happy'.
"Fine. Give me two minutes to get a cup of coffee before my head explodes." Mariah walked to the kitchenette her brother Freddy had helped her put into her studio-sized office. Having to work her way up from complete poverty to living from paycheck to paycheck meant nothing even remotely extravagant existed in her world. The tiny office was a recent addition because business was doing good, and her maid service was finally starting to take off.
Karen had been a good friend through high school and the two were inseparable, so when Mariah needed an extra set of hands to help out, Karen jumped at the opportunity.
Mariah smiled at the thought of her friend having to deal with Josie when she was in a tizzy. The woman was the best worker Mariah had been able to find, but Josie was high maintenance at best. For Josie, having come from a strong family of women, cleaning was an honor and not to be thought of as lowly or demeaning. It was a good policy, unless she was dealing with a strong Alpha male.
Darren Botelli was most certainly that. Mariah sat down at her desk and picked up the phone. She hadn't met Mr. Botelli in person, only spoke with him on the phone when he'd first ordered her services. He was highly complementary on her staff, but couldn't seem to keep one of them for more than a week. If Josie was calling to quit as well, Mariah would only have one choice. To go herself and see if there was something amiss. Maybe it wasn't the girls at all, and rather the client. She would kindly direct him to another maid service if that was the case.
"Josie?" Mariah lifted her coffee mug to her lips, blowing softly.
"Oh my God! I cannot believe the nerve of this man, Mariah. He's the biggest male chauvinistic pig in the universe. He stood over my shoulder again today while I cleaned his house, pointing out every little spot I missed and giving me pointers around every corner."
"Yes, I've heard he's really particular. He's lucky he's a good-looking man. Some poor woman will eventually put up with him for his looks and his money, but not his attitude. I'm not going back. Fire me if you want, but I work for you because you're a great boss. Being micromanaged is my number one pet peeve. This guy has it down to an art." The girl let out a frustrated huff.
"Maybe if I spoke with him things would change. I hate to lose you out there. His account is a rather large one because of the size of the home and his requirements." She sat her cup down and leaned back, trying to work through how she was going to not only continue to run her company, but now clean some wealthy asinine chef's large rental home.
Having lived in Martha's Vineyard her whole life, she was more than used to people like him, but it would seem that her staff wasn't. It was rare to find a non-transient employee because of the fluctuating opportunities around them.
"You can talk to him all you want, and good luck with it. He's a total ass. I'm not kidding. Like the kind of guy you visualize taking a rolling pin to." She huffed again, and though the situation was upsetting, Mariah couldn't help but smile. Josie was a bit dramatic herself. Having her work for Mr. Botelli probably wasn't the best match up.
"All right. Consider yourself released from the job. Did you let him know that you wouldn't be there anymore or is that something I get the pleasure of doing?"
"I packed up this morning before he woke up and got out of there. I spent the entire night pacing the floor. I mean, it's tough. The house is right on the beach, and he's impossibly handsome, so the view is incredible no matter where you are, but just the thought of him berating me again left me packing up and getting out."
"All right. It's all good. I'll put together a bag and get over there for the next few days. Hopefully I can set him straight."
"Good luck, boss. Let me know where you want me next. I really am sorry. You're not upset with me, are you?" Josie's voice softened.
"No. I don't want you in a hostile work environment. I'll take care of it myself."
"I have no doubt that you will, but be careful. He's the kind of man who will steal your attention and drive you mad because his attitude matches up perfectly to his looks."
Mariah took a quick sip of her coffee, being careful not to burn her tongue. "That makes little to no sense to me."
"He's sexy as hell, Mariah. Most men with looks and money are assholes."
"I'm aware unfortunately. He seemed like a professional on the phone, but maybe that was just part of the ruse." She let out a short sigh. "Either way, I'll transfer you back to Karen. She can give you a new assignment. We had a couple more come in over the weekend."
"All right. Thanks for being so great, and good luck. You're going to need it."
Mariah chuckled and hung up the phone. Working for Mr. Botelli probably was a bit of a strain, but there were quite a few positives to the job if she recalled.
Getting up, she moved to her file cabinet and pulled out the information on the illustrious Italian chef. The file lacked a picture of her new client, but the location of the house left her with little question as to how beautiful it was. She needed a bit of a vacation anyway. Cleaning someone's large home daily wouldn't be too trying at all, seeing that she'd started the company on the back of her own shoulders.
Having been the only maid in her company for several years, she knew the most efficient ways of getting things done and pleasing the clientele. She wasn't willing to put up with much, but most people were responsive to a strong female persona, which is exactly what she was.
A knock at her door had her glancing up. Karen.
"I'll reassign Josie in a little while. I'm not too sure about you taking on this project, Mariah. You already have too much on your plate. This guy has been through four girls in the last week or so. You really think you're up for dealing with someone like him?"
Mariah set the file down and crossed her arms over her chest. Her best friend was the polar opposite of her. Karen's short, pixie-cut blond hair framed her chubby face and accentuated her pretty blue eyes, whereas Mariah was African-American with mocha skin and dark hair.
"I could use a challenge. Besides... I'm only going for a couple of weeks. It will be a bit like a vacation, don't you think?" Mariah wagged her eyebrows and picked up her purse, then her coffee.
"A vacation? Cindy went home crying last week because of this guy. He's not going to be any easier on you because you're the owner of the company. Hell, chances are that he's going to be tougher. I don't like it."
"I'm going to be just fine. This is my company, and if he's a menace to it, then I'll let him go as a client, but that's something I need to figure out. He's paying a pretty penny to have us there. I can't not check into it, Karen."
"I agree, but let me go. You don't need anything else on your plate." Karen moved toward Mariah, reaching out and pulling her into a quick hug. "If he upsets you, I'll kill him."
"Then sharpen your axe, my friend. I'm sure if he's upset everyone else that it's just a matter of time. I'm going to figure him out and set things straight over the next few days. Once I get the matter under control, we'll put someone else out there to take my place." Mariah pulled out of her friend's hold. "I'm going to pack up at the house and get over there. I'm sure you're going to be hearing from him."
"He's already left two messages. He sounds like a total ass, but maybe I'm just letting everything that's happened feed into my image of him."
"Maybe so. I'll be in touch. Hold down the fort for me." Mariah walked out of the office and jogged to her beat-up car. The first thing on her list after making sure that the company was stable and her bills were paid was a new car. Hers had started to break down every other month, but money was tight, which was nothing new.
She picked up her cell and put a call into Mr. Botelli, realizing that the conversation should probably come from her more than Karen.
"This is Darren." His voice was deep and filled with authority.
"Mr. Botelli. I'm calling from Maid's Inc." She didn't get another word out.
"Good. I've only called twice this morning. I woke up and Janie was gone. Is this how you usually run your business? Your staff get their feelings hurt and they tuck tail and run? That really doesn't bode very well for a new company, Miss..."
"Williams, and I understand that you're ups—"
He cut her off again. "I don't need your apologies. I need your solution. What are you planning to do to make right what happened this morning?"
She let out a soft breath and tried to calm herself. After being berated by her mother earlier that morning, the last thing she wanted was someone else making her feel as if she were only two feet tall.
"I'm sending another girl out as we speak. She's our best and if you don't find her work ethic and abilities suitable, then I'll regretfully refer you to another agency."
"Good. I'll meet her there in thirty minutes. Tell her not to be late. I have little patience for tardiness. Good day." He hung up without another word.
Mariah's mouth dropped open. Josie wasn't exaggerating at all from what she could tell. The man was aggressive, bossy and didn't seem to care at all about allowing Mariah to get two words into the conversation. The fact that he didn't know Josie's name left a sour taste in her mouth as well.
Having to be at his place in thirty minutes put her in a bad mood. She would have to rush through the house and grab what she could, then speed across town. It wasn't a long drive, but she was sure to hit the early lunch rush. It was a good thing that it was late April and not June or July when the Vineyard was insanely busy with tourists.
Her trailer was tiny and only had two rooms. One being the bedroom that fit her full-sized bed and the other being a living room, kitchenette and laundry room. She was hurting for space, but simply refused to rent anything bigger until she was assured that she could sustain her income for six months or more.
Grabbing clothes as quickly as possible, she shoved them in a large duffel bag and stopped by the bathroom to check herself. Her dark hair was a bit disheveled, but it almost looked appropriate against her flushed cheeks and tired eyes.
Her mother's heart condition had gotten worse since Christmas the year before, and not having her brother to help out meant that she had to juggle her business and her mom.
"Too bad she's not at all appreciative of anything," Mariah mumbled and turned her phone to silent as it buzzed. There was no one she wanted to talk to. Everyone would want something from her. They always did.