Chapter 2
Megan nestled her face into the soft pillow and let the smells of bacon and grapefruit seep into her senses. She felt a dull pain in the back of her head before she opened her eyes. She tried wishing it away wondering why it was so bad. She didn’t take Joselyn up on her offer to have drinks and she didn’t eat anything bad. In fact, she didn’t eat anything at all. Her interview! Her eyes flew open and she focused her eyes on the soft white curtains covering the window on the far side of the room she was in. The window was open a couple of inches causing a light breeze to ruffle the curtains.
She looked around without moving much and noticed the beauty of the room. Everything was white with light pink accents to offset the canvas. Nothing was out of place and everything was crisp, clean and perfect. She slowly sat up as the last events of what she remembered came back to her. She was just about to meet Mr. Dean at his front door when she must have passed out. She put her hands on her stomach as it reminded her of why she passed out.
She pulled herself out of bed and went to the window.
“Where the hell am I?” The view told her she was about three stories up and the landscape reminded her that she was in Mr. Dean’s home. She gasped and turned quickly. A sharp pain shot through her forehead that almost made her collapse again. She eased over to a vanity mirror and sat in front of it. An old antique looking porcelain brush with gold painted trimming sat on the small desk. A small comb to match beside it. She looked in the mirror and felt the gauze covered bump on her forehead. A small patch of dried blood had seeped through. She tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry. Her stomach hurt and her skin was pale.
“God, I’m a mess.” She bent her head down, stretching the muscles of her neck and wished for some of that bacon she kept smelling. “I need a shower first.”
She shuffled into a small bathroom off the bedroom and turned on the water. Before it got too warm she let the water pool into her hands and brought it to her mouth. The cold melted down through her esophagus to her stomach and felt good all the way down. She drank a few more handfuls before pulling her charity shop outfit from her body.
The water couldn’t get hot enough as it cascaded down her back causing goosebumps to form. She let the heat from the water penetrate her face. The soap she found smelled like roses and softened her skin. It was the best shower she had taken in years.
She wrapped a large white towel around her and walked back to the bedroom, carrying her clothes. The vanity mirror was a little nicer to her this time as it showed some signs of life in her cheeks. She pulled the towel off and looked her body over in the mirror for any other signs of bruises or bumps. She towel-dried her hair and pulled the brush through until it was soft and straight. When she stood to reassemble her outfit she heard a knock on the bedroom door.
“Hello?”
She recognized the voice as the man at the front door.
“Just a second.” She was yanking her skirt on and trying to cover herself in case he decided to come in prematurely.
“I just wanted to check up on you. I heard the shower running and assumed it was you.”
“I hope that’s okay,” she said, pulling her sweater over her head.
“Of course it is. Are you doing alright?”
“I’ll be much better once I eat something. You can come in.”
The door opened and Jensen walked in. He had an air of confidence Megan found quite alluring, the skin of champagne satin sheets, his suit was crisp and tailored to fit him perfectly and his smile was brilliant. She remembered that smile just before she fainted.
She put her head down in shame when she remembered that he was the one who she fainted in front of. “I’m…sorry for what happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” He reached his hand out to her and opened it. There were two pills sitting on his perfectly sculpted palm. Megan just looked at them and then back at Jensen. “It’s ibuprofen, for your head.”
She hesitated and then picked them up off his hand. She took the glass of orange juice he offered her also.
“Thank you,” she barely said.
“Would you…like to come down for some breakfast?”
Her stomach answered for her with a loud grumbling sound. She slapped her hand over it and felt her face flush with embarrassment. “Sure. Thank you.”
She followed him out of the room and down a hallway lined with plush ivory carpeting and down a spiral staircase. He led her through a large living room and into an equally large dining room. The table sat twelve people comfortably and half of it was covered in fruits and breads, sliced ham and sausage, eggs and fried potatoes and three different kinds of juices.
“Whoa.” She stood in the doorway and just stared at the amount of food before her.
“You are welcome to sit anywhere.” He smiled, pointing to the chairs around the table. He stood by the head of the table until she slowly walked in and sat down two chairs from him. “Help yourself to anything here. I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I had the local bakery deliver a little bit of everything. You must be famished. Sit. Eat.”
She picked up an apple and dove her teeth into it. The sweet juice spread across her tongue as she chewed the soft fruit. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the flavor, not remembering when an ordinary apple tasted so good.
“We have tea in the kitchen as well.”
Megan looked up at Jensen realizing he was amused by her eating habits. She picked up a slice of warm banana bread and shoved half of it into her mouth. She turned away from him as she half-ass chewed it before swallowing it. She took another big bite letting the warm sensation melt in her mouth.
“So you are here for the house keeping position?”
She stopped chewing and looked at him. Half smiling, her face got red realizing her true intentions of being in his house. She quickly chewed up what was in her mouth trying to cover her mammoth attempt at being dainty. She took a sip of orange juice he poured her and she put the rest of her bread down on her plate.
Clearing her throat, she didn’t quite know where to begin. “Are you still thinking about hiring me?” she asked, amazed after what had happened.
“Well, I don’t know yet. We haven’t had our interview have we?”
“I just meant…um…after what happened….”
“It wasn’t your fault you were weak and passed out from lack of food…is it?”
“Well, no not really.”
He kept a smile on his face, obviously amused at her pathetic attempt at being civil.
“So, why do you think you are a good fit for this position?”
“I am loyal, reliable and good at what I do.”
“I assume you have a list of references in your application?”
She pressed her lips together. “Not exactly.”
“Do you have experience?”
“Not in housekeeping, but I’m a fast learner and anyway, how hard can it be to clean and keep up someone’s house?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“I have an excellent customer base with each job I have ever done.”
“So I can call your previous employers?”
She pressed her lips together again.
“I’ll take that as a no,” he said.
She put her head down into her hands. “Listen, I know it might sound like I am not a good fit here, but I am and I can prove it.”
“How so? You have no experience and I can’t seem to call previous employers.”
“I’ll work for you. A week, free. Just let me stay here and…eat.” She looked at the food and then at Jensen. “I can show you I can do this.”
He laughed. “I will definitely take it into consideration. May we continue?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Okay,” he said keeping his eyes on her. He watched her fidget a few moments longer before continuing. “What is your star sign?”
“My…my what?” She looked at him curiously.
“Your star sign? Your horoscope sign?”
“I’m a Taurus.”
“Oh? Your birthday is not long off then is it?”
“May eighth.”
“Mine is November first, making me a Scorpio.” He watched her face for any signs of knowing what that meant to her. She nodded and smiled. “Do you like cats?”
“They are okay. I had one when I was little. It ran away.”
“Tell me about your family. Are you close to your mother and father?”
“Why all of the personal questions?”
“If you are going to be living in my house, going through my personal belongings, I want to know what kind of a woman I am living with.”
Megan shifted awkwardly in her chair. “My real Mother died when giving birth to me.” She picked at her bread. “My father left me before my first birthday and I grew up in an orphanage. Was adopted out to a few families and ended up on my own when I was seventeen.”
“Why did you leave?” His eyes were fixed on Megan.
She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I didn’t get along with the last man who claimed to be my father.”
“How so? Explain.”
“It’s kind of personal.”
Jensen seemed annoyed that she didn’t answer his question. “Tell me about your work experience.”
“I worked at a college cafeteria for a couple of years, taking culinary classes part time. Got fired for stealing food. Went to work as a waitress at a nice restaurant for a year and then worked for Gustaf’s Bistro for five years.”
“So why aren’t you there now?”
“Customer’s loved me, but because I wouldn’t screw the owner, I got fired.”
“He tried to get you to have sex with him?”
Megan nodded. “He was known for it.”
“Why was he never stopped.”
“Robert Gustaf?”
“Ah, enough said.” He tipped his head toward her. “I commend you for leaving instead of giving in to his antics.”
It wasn’t a choice,” she said sternly. “He was a sleaze and I wasn’t going to let him put his hands on me.”
Jensen got up and walked behind her. Megan tensed up and just before he turned to walk back to the head of the table she got up and moved to the other end.
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t have a lot of trust in men.”
“But yet, here you are…alone in my house. Wanting to live here…to work here and be this close to me?”
“I just…I need the money. Robert has blackballed me from working in the waitressing business. You have no idea the connections that ass…. Sorry.” She sat down in one of the chairs.
“Finish your breakfast. I’ll leave you alone.”
She watched him walk out of the dining room and she went back to her chair. She filled her stomach with fruits and another piece of banana bread. A small bowl of cereal and some pieces of ham finally did her good. She washed it all down with the orange juice Jensen had poured her.
When she stood up, Jensen reappeared in the doorway. “Did you get enough?”
“What are you watching me?”
“Just good timing. Sit.”
She sat back down and watched him as he slowly walked around the table, his hands behind his back. “I like you, Megan. There is something about you that is wholesome and pure. I’d like to give you a chance.”
“Seriously?” she turned toward him with wide eyes.
“Can you be back in the morning or is that too soon?”
“Yes. Yes, of course. No, tomorrow is perfect.”
“Good.” His smile was brilliant. “I will see you then.” He leaned over the table and set a small basket in front of her. “Why don’t you take this and load it up with whatever you would like. Take it with you.” He stood to escort her to the front door.
“Oh, no. I couldn’t.”
“This is all going into the trash when you leave.”
“Okay, maybe some.” She loaded up the basket he gave her and stood there when she was done. He watched her with the same smile on his face.
“I’ll escort you out.”
“Mr. Dean?”
“Yes, Megan.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“I will let you know…soon.”
She smiled and followed him to the front door.
“See you tomorrow.”