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Chapter 2
Sloane
Jackass. He just left without even asking for my name. I’ve never called someone a bad name in my head immediately after meeting them. No wonder Liam sometimes calls him Max the Ass.
This is why I prefer animals. They’re never rude. If they hurt you, it’s never personal. They don’t judge you for wearing the wrong outfit for a job you never got a description for.
An animal also wouldn’t walk around like a male supermodel, exposing his tight abs, tan skin, and significant package. Not that I was looking… on purpose. But for heaven’s sake, it was impossible not to notice.
That and the fact that he didn’t get my phone number. I guess if he wants to contact me he’ll have to go through Liam. Serves both of them right. Max, for being an inconsiderate douche, and Liam for volunteering me for this damn job in the first place.
First thing’s first, I’d better get the lay of the land. I’m actually looking forward to exploring this monstrous house. But not in these heels. Toeing my shoes off, I shrug to myself. What Max doesn’t know won’t hurt him. If he has a problem with his employees not wearing shoes, he can assign me some other task or give me a heads up on my actual duties. Which had better not include daily lavatory cleanings or I’m out of here.
Curiosity has me peeking in rooms, wandering through hallways, and checking things out. He didn’t specify where the cleaning supplies are, so I feel completely justified in my snooping. Half the rooms don’t have any furniture at all, like he’s only halfway moved in.
As I poke my head into a formal library with an enormous fireplace, I have to admit that the man has taste. At least when it comes to his home. The library has the potential to be a reader’s dream with two stories of space for books, overstuffed sofas, and plenty of indirect light coming through the floor to ceiling window.
I’m tempted to stay and find a nook with a book, but I’m getting paid. Just because my employer is an attractive ass doesn’t excuse me from doing my job. At least not until I tell him so, face to face.
Eventually, I find the cleaning supplies tucked in a random linen closet. A few minutes and rooms later, I enter what is clearly the master bedroom. Rather than the gaudy raised platform with a four poster bed, it’s actually a gorgeous room. Enormous, obviously, with hardwood floors, pale grey walls, a sitting area with a fireplace, and a king size bed. The furniture is dark wood, and the room is decorated with white and cranberry accents.
One door leads to a massive walk-in closet that probably looks even bigger than it actually is because there are hardly any clothes in it. Maybe a half-dozen suits, a few pairs of dress shoes and sneakers, and some casual clothes. Everything takes up maybe an eighth of the space.
The closet sparks an idea, and within a few minutes, my dress shirt and cardigan are discarded on Max’s bed, and I’m wearing one of his simple white t-shirts. There. It’s a little tight around the bust and hips, but it’s long enough to cover most of my skirt. Plus, now I don’t have to worry about getting cleaning supplies on my nice clothes.
I’m about to head into the bathroom—the hell I’m calling it lavatory—when I hear banging from somewhere down the hallway.
“What the…?” This calls for some investigating. Max didn’t say anything about someone else being in the house. I grab a mop and tiptoe quietly toward the noise. It’s coming from one of the rooms I haven’t explored.
With my cat-like stealth skills, I peek around the door jamb.
“Set the desk down there.” From behind, I see a woman directing three hefty guys to arrange furniture in what looks like a home office. What am I supposed to do? I barely wanted to deal with Max. Now, I have to figure out how to navigate an entire crew of people just down the hallway.
The woman turns, and I see her familiar profile.
“Paige?” The name escapes before I can think about it.
She turns toward the door and sure enough, it’s Conal’s girlfriend.
“Sloane! What are you doing here?” As she speaks, I remember the family barbeque where Paige announced she’d gotten the job as Max’s interior decorator. My brother, Conal, looked prouder than a peacock. I can’t believe I forgot she might be working here.
Straightening, I loosen my hold on the mop. Paige is a sweetie pie, and practically family, so it’s easier to chat with her.
“Liam got me a job as Max’s personal assistant,” I explain.
Paige gives me a once over and grins. “Personal assistant, huh?”
Blood rushes to my cheeks as I remember I’m wearing Max’s shirt instead of my own. “I just started today,” I stammer. “He didn’t tell me I’d be cleaning bathrooms.”
“Bathrooms?” Paige’s eyebrows hit the sky.
“I think he forgot I was coming, so he assigned me some BS work.”
Paige rolls her eyes but doesn’t say a word. After all, she’s contracted to work for him. “Well, if it gets too bad, you can always go back to the animal shelter. Although, between me and you, he needs someone who doesn’t cater to his every whim.”
“The semester at veterinary school just ended, and I’m still volunteering at Penny’s Pups in my free time. This is just my day job.”
Paige nods in approval. It feels good to have her support, especially when I’m not one hundred percent certain what I’m doing here.
