Heat rose in the room as Octavia came back in. Not from the added person in a small space, but from the way Jay’s blood started to flare up due to the sight of her maid in her pajamas.
There was nothing scandalous about the grey thermal set. But the way the pants hugged her figure, Jay could tell that, while petite, Octavia had some curves.
Curves that she found herself wanting to explore.
What the hell has gotten into you? She’s the help.
Jay’s mind tried in vain to redirect her attention, but no longer did she care. After all, it wouldn’t be the first maid she slept with. But something told Jay not to even attempt it. Octavia was not like the women that frequented her bed, or the maids that enticed her in the first place. Not only did Jay know Octavia would shoot her down, but she feared it would be the straw that forced her out.
The last thing Jay wanted was for Octavia to leave.
Jay bit her lip as she watched Octavia move toward the bed. In the rockstar’s artistic mind, she heard Barry White singing in his soulful voice as a hypnotizing beat played. Octavia’s movement matched the rhythm of the song as she sauntered toward Jay. Hair blew around her face as she shook it out of its ponytail. An inviting smile pulled on Octavia’s lips as she saw Jay sitting here. Jay wanted to accept this invitation to her world. She yearned to lay back and take the woman in her arms, hold her and become lost in pools of red eyes.
In reality, Octavia’s entrance into the room was nowhere near as erotic. She moved slowly to the bed because she clung to her stomach, trying to silence the pain. Tears streamed down her face, from how bad the cramps were. Plus, she threw up a little in the bathroom, which stung her eyes and made liquid spill. Octavia took her hair out of the ponytail before pulling it back up into a high bun.
“How are you feeling?” Jay asked, standing up to help Octavia to bed.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the help. A surprise to both of them. “I feel awful. My periods are always this bad, but I never get used to it.”
“I can’t even imagine. Have you eaten?”
Octavia shook her head, no. “I don’t need to eat.”
“Actually, that could be a big reason why you are in so much hurt. I’ll--” Octavia groaning and covering her eyes cut Jay off. Fear turned her blood cold. “Are you okay? What’s the matter? How can I help?” Jay was a rambling mess. So scared that something terrible was happening to her maid.
“Answer your phone,” Octavia muttered.
Jay pulled the device out of her pocket. Three missed calls from her girlfriends, Tina and Ty, in the last five minutes. Her phone was on low. How Octavia could hear it and it had that much of an effect on her, was mind-boggling.
“I don’t need to answer it.”
“But--”
“What’s important right now is that you are taken care of.”
Octavia huffed out and glared up at her boss. A skeptical brow raised, she asked, “Why do you even care? I’m just the maid, remember. Invisible…”
Having her words thrown back at her caused Jay’s stomach to tighten. “You are the maid,” she said, testing the boundaries and placing a hand atop Octavia’s. She pulled away but didn’t move her hand entirely out of reach.
Red eyes pulled Jay in, forcing her to bare her soul. “Why do you care?”
“Because you matter.”
They held each other’s gaze for a moment. Octavia did not want to let Jay in, but she knew it would make working for her easier. Plus, she appreciated Jay’s caring side. No one had ever been this attentive to her. It was a surprise coming from the rockstar who genuinely seemed to only care about herself.
Jay had no idea where the words came from, but they were sincere. Yes, Octavia was her maid, but in the month, they’d known each other, she made an impact on Jay’s life. Even though Jay hated change and didn’t want whatever Octavia would bring to her world, she couldn’t help but sense that she needed it.
“I guess I am a little hungry,” Octavia said, breaking eye contact so she could shift on her side. Jay took a seat beside her, gazing down at the woman.
Out of instinct, Jay combed a piece of hair behind Octavia’s ear and smiled down at her. “I’ll order you something. Here...” Jay said, pulling out her phone to pull up her DoorDash app. “What do you fancy?”
“I don’t know. You choose. And your girlfriend texted you.” Jay took the phone back with a quirked brow. She could have sworn there was a hint of jealousy in that last statement.
Jay let out a nervous giggle, “Which one,” she blurted, instantly regretting it.
Octavia couldn’t help but let out a little laugh, which sent Jay’s heart into orbit. The sound reminded her of the first sunny day after months of darkness. Except it was so much better.
“I do have a few girlfriends.”
“How do they feel about that?”
Jay shrugged. “I pay most of them, so it doesn’t really matter. Even my long-term girlfriend is in the relationship for her own personal gains.” Jay smiled to herself and shook her head, amazed by what she said. “Can’t believe I told you that.”
A smirk pulled at Octavia’s lips. “What? Never told anyone that before?”
Jay nodded, “Not even my assistant. I’m sure she knows, but…”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
Jay returned her maid’s smile before shyness took over and forced her gaze back to her phone. “So how about--
“Pizza,” Octavia said, finishing Jay’s thought.
“Yeah… And since you are on your period we should get--”
“Fudge brownie bars.”
All Jay could do was smile as she ordered their meal.
Chapter Seven
“In New York, only fifty people have tested positive for Coronavirus. Those people are in isolation, and we believe they will make a full recovery. We are taking this issue seriously and are doing a thorough spray down and decontamination of people coming from China. The American people have nothing to fear. The common flu has killed more people than this virus.”
Jay changed the channel, tired of hearing about this stupid virus that was killing her career. Sure, the media might have been downplaying it. But by the way, her label and manager were acting, she knew that it was probably a lot worse in China than people let on.
“Octavia, can you bring us an ale?” Jay yelled from her spot in the living room.
Dressed in a red robe and panty set beneath Felicia was cutting up a few lines of coke for them to share as Jay flipped through channels.
Jay’s eyes lit up as she saw Octavia come in with their beers. Red eyes met Jay’s, drawing her in until they moved to the powder-stained table, then changed from annoyance to nothing.
Everything seemed to slow as Octavia set the beers down right beside their drugs, her glare dipped to the powder then met Jay’s gaze. A slight shake of her head and disappointed glint to her face told Jay all she needed to know.
Jay watched Octavia leave the room, and head to her personal quarters, never once turning back.
“Shit,” Felicia said, pulling the rockstar out of her thoughts. “You do realize your maid just looked at you like a mom looks at an unruly child, right?”