The room he led me into was huge, decorated in dark manly tones. I was astonished by its sheer size. The room had a huge amazing fireplace along with a separate sitting area off to one side of his bed that included a big-screen TV. I saw a gaming console as well as a stereo system. "This my dear is my bedroom, my sanctuary. This is the room you will be responsible for keeping clean," he says motioning to the room with his arms.
"It's a pleasant room," I said, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Thanks, dear, and through here..." I watched him push a panel on the wall revealing a secret room hidden inside the wall. The fact that it was a secret room made me feel uneasy before he even told me what it was. "Is your room, Naomi? It's the accommodation I mentioned earlier. Trust me when I say it's much better than living in a cage down in the basement."
I stared at him in astonishment, then walked around him into the tiny room to take a look. It was quite comfortable, but there were no windows, and this bedroom was much smaller than his. The room itself was quite a bit smaller than his, but it did have a bathroom that doubled as a closet, so the basics were taken care of. But the fact that it didn't have any windows made me very nervous... "No windows?"
"Yeah, so once that door is closed you will be locked in until I decide to let you out," he says, smiling at me.
"Locked in?"
"I built this room here just in case I ever needed it and I'm using it for you," he says, smiling at me again.
"Well," I say, motioning to the room around us, "I guess I should say thank you?"
"Why does that sound like a question?" he growls out as he crosses the room closing the distance between us. He was staring at me, his eyebrows furrowed.
As he reached out to me, I backed away from him, and I saw anger in his eyes as I looked up into them. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. "Because I'm not sure if I should tell you thank you or if I should try to run away again. I'm not sure what's going on here."
He smiled down at me inching closer to me. "What is going on here?" he asked calmly, pointing to the small room we stood in. "In case I need you in the middle of the night!" I do not want to have to search for you down in the cages, and while you are here you are still working to earn back all of the money that your family owes me by working for me as my maid until I am satisfied that it is paid in full plus interest," he growled out, obviously frustrated with how I was reacting to him.
"Okay... fine... I'm sorry!" I whisper, as he wraps his hand around my wrist and pulls me closer. "W-what are you doing?" I ask shyly.
"Nothing to be afraid of, I am only wanting you closer. Let me show you your uniform now!" He says as he pulls me back into his bedroom.
"My uniform?"
"Yes, your uniform. I am giving you three of them, and I expect you to keep them clean yourself, and you will wear them whenever you are performing your duties for me. I am willing to give you one full day off a week. Does that sound doable to you?" he asks as he finally stops in front of his couch in the sitting area. "These are your uniforms. Do you like them?"
I turn to look at them. He's got to be kidding. These are costumes for Halloween, not uniforms. No, sluty maid outfits are not my idea of a uniform. I turn back to him narrowing my eyes at him. "Seriously?" I ask, stomping my foot, demanding an answer.
He furrows his brows as he picks one up. "What's wrong with it?" he innocently asks.
I take a deep breath. Not wanting to question him right now, I take the outfit from his hands and run my hands along the silky fabric. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," he says simply smiling at me. He watched me very carefully.
"What should I do about high school?" I asked him quietly.
"Wait, are you still in high school? I thought you were 18?" he asked, his eyebrows still furrowed and looking like he was seriously deep in thought.
"Yes, I will be graduating in June. I'd really like to be able to finish out my senior year!" I begged, but inside I knew it was pointless, as he just told me I had to work for him as his maid and get one day off a week.
"I'll look into it... maybe we can find you a tutor or something. But, one thing is for sure here Naomi, you will not be returning to school anymore," he said smiling as if trying to rub it in. I stared at him with fire in my eyes. How dare he? I worked very hard for this diploma. I had every right to get it.
"Why can't I go to school?" I ask him with hope in my eyes.
He glared at me, "I am not willing to talk about this anymore, my decision is final!" he hissed at me.
"Yes."
I was upset that he shut that down so swiftly, but what else could I expect from a cold-hearted gang leader anyway? These types of guys were always the "do as I say" types. "Okay, now get changed!" He scowls at me, glancing briefly downward at the uniform I held in my hands. He turns his back on me without making a move to leave the room.
I looked at him in confusion. "Um... can I have some privacy, please?" I ask snapping at his back.
"Not going to happen." I stared at his back for a second, wondering why he wouldn't just give me some privacy. However, I changed into the maid's uniform he wanted me to wear and cleared my throat to let him know I was ready. I watch silently as he turns around to face me. A smile slowly creeps across his face as his eyes dart up and down my body as he yet again assesses me.
"Okay, it looks pretty on you... follow me I'll take you to Mrs. White.
She is the one who manages my maids. She will familiarize you with everything you need to know and provide you with all of the supplies you will need. But you answer me, got it?"
"Got it," I answer him with a small smile, following behind him as he walks through the rooms and hallways of his home. He leads me down the stairs where we stop in the kitchen. That was the time I saw a very pleasant middle-aged woman in regular clothes and a colorful striped apron thoroughly cleaning the room.
"Mrs. White, this is Naomi Clark. She will be my personal maid from now on. She will be responsible for keeping my personal spaces such as my bedroom, bathroom, and office clean. She will need you to show her where to get supplies and such. Then she needs to report back to me. I have a meeting today she doesn't have to attend, so you can bring her back to me in the office afterward." He gave her instructions without even looking at her. His eyes never left me.
"I've got it, Mr. Hawthorne," she says, looking over at me, as he turns and walks out of the room leaving us standing there in the kitchen, without another word to us. I just give her a friendly smile.
"Oh my, what in the world are you wearing?"
"He told me it was my uniform," I replied with a smile.
"I see..." she says and I watch as she sets the wet rag she just used to wipe the counter down on top of the counter closest to her.
"What does that mean?" I asked, unsure of what to do. Should I be questioning her?
"Oh, nothing sweetie, I'm just hoping for the best for you!" She smirks. I squint at her, with furrowed brows. Wondering what she meant by that.
"What?" I looked at her with confusion.
She smiles slowly while taking a deep breath. "Honey, I've been here for five years. I know him better than most here. I think I might be the only one staying on as an actual employee of his after my loan is paid off. I am pretty sure that he's got it bad for you... who in your family owes him money?" she asks me.
"My dad," I answer as I sigh.
"Well... follow me, I'll show you where everything is located in this house," she says as she steps towards the door off to the side of the kitchen.
"Thank you but why is it I have to report back to him when you are the one in charge of all the maids?" I ask, stepping into a fully stocked supply closet. It had everything I would ever need to clean any room. However, I knew that some of the supplies I would never use, but it was always helpful to know where everything was.
"Because, dear, he has to have control... he is the boss, the king of his gang. You will have it much better than most of us if you let him control you while you are here," she says handing me a bucket with most of what I will need to clean his bathroom and bedroom.
I took the bucket from her. "Okay, thanks, I will keep that in mind," I murmured. I didn't like this one bit.