Oh yeah, she noticed.
∞
After how sweet Jay was when Octavia’s period was acting up, she thought things would be different. And they were. The problem now, however, was that Octavia cared. Couldn’t help it, but she cared.
The maid had no idea what she thought would happen when they came back to the real world.
That night, Octavia was able to see who Jay was beyond fame, women, and drugs. She was delighted to see that someone human resided beneath the facade she put up.
Jay was sweet, attentive, and listened. They ate together, watched some TV before Octavia fell asleep. She even allowed Jay to relax in her bed. It was nice and easy like they could be friends.
Now, she knew that they could never be friends. Why? Because she could never be around someone like Jay ever again.
Back in her home country, Octavia watched as childhood friends killed themselves on various drugs. Watched as they shriveled up into shells. Some died, some went to jail. Some disappeared to never be heard of again.
That would never be Jay because of who she was, and Octavia did not know if that made it better or worse. Jay didn’t have to live her life this way. She did not have to associate herself with people that brought her down.
Octavia shook off her annoyance as she steadied herself into the steaming water in her bath.
Heat enveloped her body and eased the pain of her back. Hours of scrubbing filth off toilets, mopping the stick off floors, vacuuming dirt out of the carpets had taken its toll on Octavia.
She laid back in the tub, her mind consumed with thoughts of her boss. Something that had become typical as of lately. Octavia did not consider herself stupid and knew that spending that little bit of time made her care too much, and she hated herself for it.
I need to get out of this house. She thought after the image of Jay and Felicia making out on the couch popped into her head.
Octavia grabbed the phone on the toilet beside the tub and clicked on the dating app icon she hadn’t used in a while. One hundred plus notifications from men. Ten alerts from women that piqued her interest more than the men.
A woman, Lily, holding a golden retriever pup, drew Octavia’s attention. She appeared nice. Red bobbed haircut fell down her face, and black-framed glasses brought out the blue in her eyes. Her profile said she was a doctor who loved to dance, take long walks along the beach, spend time with her pup, and watch old black and white movies.
All Octavia had to see was dance and knew she’d respond to the message Lily sent. This maid was in dire need of a fun night out.
Once Octavia’s bath became too much to bear, and dehydration started to kick in, she hopped out and hurried to the kitchen for a glass of water.
She leaned against the fridge, dripping wet, and allowed the cold surface to cool her flesh.
Knock knock knock; Froze her in place. Naked and wet was not the best way to answer the door.
“Hold on a minute!” Octavia exclaimed as she abandoned her glass and hurried to the bathroom in search of a towel.
Once the towel was wrapped firmly around her chest, she yanked the door open to see her boss standing there.
“Ms. Firefly, how can I help you?” Octavia asked. She took up all of the doorway, refusing to give Jay an inch to squeeze inside.
Dark dilated eyes combed over Octavia’s body. Instead of excitement, she felt annoyed to see her boss eyeing her like that when she knew she was on something.
“Can I come in?”
Octavia shook her head, “No. This really isn’t a good time.”
The rockstar’s glazed-over eyes shot open.
“What you mean by ‘no?’” The question wasn’t asked in some type of powerplay. Jay seemed genuinely curious why Octavia told her no.
“Well, as you see, Ms. Firefly, I just got out of the bath and plan to change then sleep. I don’t feel like talking to you right now, especially in the state you are in.”
Jay seemed dumbfounded for a moment, she shook her silver bangs out of her hair and directed her eyes elsewhere before back to Octavia’s. “Uh--I didn’t do the drugs.”
Octavia quirked a brow, not believing this for a moment. “Then why is your nose bleeding?”
Jay hurried to touch a finger to her nose, seeing that it was dry. “No, it’s not--hey--” Jay said and put a hand between the closing door before Octavia could shut it in her face. “Hold on a minute--”
Annoyed, Octavia puffed up her shoulders and stared Jay down to the point that she could see the regret in the star’s eyes from coming by tonight.
“I hate liars. If you did the drugs, then admit it. Why you’d lie to me--your maid-- is beyond me. But never do it again.”
Jay narrowed her eyes at her help. “What does it matter to you if I lie or not”
Octavia returned her question with an even better one, “Why would you feel the need to lie to your maid?”
Jay took a step closer, her eyes penetrated Octavia’s with force, but she refused to back down. “Why do you feel the need to judge your employer?”
“Why do you feel the need to get validation from your help?”
Something was building between the two. A fierce tension that Octavia found hard to ignore. It rose within her and penetrated parts of her body, she’d rather not think about.
Jay decided to change tactics and said, “You sure don’t understand how this situation works--”
“Actually, Ms. Firefly...” Octavia’s voice dropped an octave to something between sultry and terrifying. She took a step forward, causing a spark to flash before Jay’s eyes. “I believe it is you who doesn’t understand how this situation works. I am the maid--the help. If you need my help, then all you have to do is ask. However, I already worked--eight hours today. So, unless you have something besides your ego that needs caring to, then I will bid you goodnight--”
“Octavia--” Jay said, dropping pretenses with a plea to her tone, but Octavia no longer cared.
Octavia took a step back, saying, “Good night, Ms. Firefly.”
The slam of the door rang between them like the first battle shot being fired off. Octavia never felt the need to be ballsy when it came to her employer, but there was something about Jay that made her refuse to back down.
Chapter Eight
“Maid, did you see my chrome silver wallet. I left it right here on the floor earlier but can’t seem to find it now.” Tina tapped a pink stiletto nail against her bottom lip as she looked around the living room for something that had been picked up days ago.
It was snowing outside, but this did not stop the Instagram model from wearing nearly nothing. Pink faux leather pants, a sparkly black bikini top, and a white fur jacket. Of course, the coat was not zipped, so her abs were on full display.
Instead of answering the woman, Octavia walked off to the foyer, where Jay kept a dresser full of wallets. She found the silver one and handed it back to Tina without so much as a word to the woman.
“God, maid, what’s up your ass?” Tina’s question was rhetorical.
“She has a name. Octavia--”
Jay froze in the middle of the foyer. Words seemed to be lost on the rockstar as she looked at her maid. It was a Sunday, so she wasn’t surprised to see Octavia outside of her uniform. But the woman appeared far more dressed up than usual. In a knee-length black sweater dress, black tights, a long grey wool jacket. Blonde hair was braided in a fishtail style that fell down her side. Red eyes shone behind the frames of silver glasses.