Chapter 1
Sabrina
Oh God, I hope I don't throw up. What a horrible first impression that would be.
Sabrina swallowed down her nervousness and shifted a bit in her seat, twirling her auburn hair in her fingers. Anything to distract herself from the swarm of butterflies that was currently terrorizing the inside of her belly. The eggs and bacon breakfast had seemed like a good idea a few hours ago, but she began to question it now that she was about to face the most important interview of her life and it didn't want to stay down.
The air of the small square interview room was cold as the air conditioner refused to turn off. It was a stark contrast to the heavy, humid air outside and in a few more minutes, Sabrina thought she might be able to see her breath. She rubbed her arms, wishing she had worn more than a thin dress shirt. She hadn’t brought a jacket, or even a cardigan. Besides the fact that she didn’t own one that was near nice enough for the occasion, she hadn’t even thought about it until now, and why would she? Summers were exceptionally hot and stuffy in Memphis.
She’d arrived ten minutes early just to be safe, but those extra minutes were now passing painstakingly slowly. She wiped her sweating palms nervously against the fabric of her skirt. She’d worn an ensemble of some of the nicest pieces of clothing she owned: a long black pencil skirt, her favorite black heels with a silver buckle near the toe, and had even borrowed a slim, light blue blouse from her mother.
It was best to fill the time preparing, she’d decided, and had since spent the last several minutes running over some scripted answers to a few predicable questions.
I’m an especially hard worker and it’s one of my greater strengths, although I’m equally dependable and loyal. I found your ad online and immediately thought my traits aligned with the description.
Then came her Aunt Faye’s voice at an internal pitch louder than Sabrina’s own thoughts. Don’t overthink it, she’d said. You’re a smart girl with a good head on your shoulders, act like yourself and that alone will be enough. A subtle smile formed in the corner of her mouth as she recalled her aunt’s prep speech the night prior.
A dark table loomed in front of Sabrina. On it was an empty notepad and a single pen. On the wall behind the desk was a pane of glass that Sabrina recognized as a two-way mirror. She'd worked at a retail shop that had one in the security office. It had a different tint to it or something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that it was no regular piece of glass. Instinctively, she’d sat facing the mirror, wondering if there was someone on the other side.
For that reason, she tried to maintain a stoic expression as she waited, desperately doing anything to keep her nerves from showing on her face. It’d also kept her from checking the wall clock too frequently, not wanting to give off an anxious impression.
Any minute now, she thought, resisting the urge to check her watch.
The unhinging of the outside door handle was the first thing she heard before the door opened slowly. Whoever was behind it was concluding a conversation before stepping in. The voice was feminine.
“No, that is exactly what needs to happen,” the woman said. “Take care of it, please.”
A well-dressed lady stepped through the door and shut it delicately behind her. She was wearing black dress pants with a tight fit around her waist and thighs. She had a thin white shirt tucked into them, with long sleeves and a collar that lent her a business-like appearance.
“Hello,” the woman said, while extending a hand. “I’m Valetta. We spoke on the phone.”
“I remember you,” Sabrina said, standing up to shake her hand. “It’s great to meet you in person.”
The first phone interview had mainly consisted of standard interview questions, but she knew to expect a much more thorough inquiry for their in person meeting. Her past interview experiences never involved anything too intricate and were always designed for simple jobs, ones where her personality wasn’t much of a focus. Getting hired was always easy, but making enough money to pay for college was not. This job, however, would make the goal attainable for the first time in her life, and that was exactly why this interview was so crucial.
The job sounded simple enough. She'd simply be the personal assistant for a traveling foreigner, but the pay for this position was several grades above any wage she’d ever made before. Since it was only for a limited amount of time, she could pick up with school immediately after. She couldn't have designed a better summer job.
“Please take a seat.” Valetta spoke the words with a thick, but pleasing, accent. It was something Sabrina remembered from their first conversation, which made sense given the job description. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Sabrina did as she was asked while Valetta sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. Valetta set down a some papers and her phone, and organized them before looking up.
“Thank you for meeting us here,” Valetta said, a polite smile crossing her face. She was probably a few years older than Sabrina's mother, but with less worn features.
“Oh, of course,” Sabrina said. “Thank you for meeting me.”
“It actually worked out well for us to come to Memphis,” Valetta replied. “This hotel had an open room and everything after the flight was pretty effortless. After the difficulties we've had setting up this trip, this was a welcome change.”
“You've had a difficult trip? Is there anything I can do to help?” Sabrina asked, in an attempt to make the conversation a little less formal.
“Thank you for your offer. Our current trip plans changed, and we're having to hire a local instead of bringing our own staff,” she said, shaking her head. “But, we couldn’t be happier with the amenities here. Memphis seems like a wonderful city, at least from the small amount that I've been able to explore so far.”
“It is a very fun city,” Sabrina agreed. “The food here is some of the best in the United States, not to mention the music. It's an amazing place, as long as you can handle the heat.”
“Yes, it’s hot where we come from too,” she said, as she made an upward sweeping motion with her hand. “But you Americans love the A/C.”
“It's true,” Sabrina said with a chuckle. “We like air conditioning almost as much as we like Walmart and hot dogs. You know, the finer things in life.”
Valetta bowed her head in a short laugh. “When we last spoke, you said that you grew up here in Memphis. Out of curiosity, have you done much traveling?”
“Not much,” Sabrina said, instead of not at all.
“Perhaps that’s about to change,” Valetta said, fixing her gaze on Sabrina as she laid her palm on the folder in front of her. “I’d like to get started.”
“Sounds great,” Sabrina said, as her heart thudded behind her rib cage.
“Wonderful,” said Valetta with a perfect smile. “I'd like to go over the job responsibilities again. I know we went over them over the phone, but it is crucial you understand them.”
Sabrina nodded. “Of course.”
“This is a temporary personal assistant position,” Valetta started off her speech. “Above all, my client’s privacy is the most important thing. Many of the position's responsibilities are designed to protect his identity and ensure that his whereabouts are not discovered. This means that you will be the face of almost all procedural requirements. Hotel, restaurant, and all other reservations will be made in your name. If room service is desired, you will order it, receive it, and do all the talking to staff members. You will also clean the room yourself so that no member of the house keeping staff enters my client's quarters. Just to be clear, this isn’t a ‘bodyguard’ position. However, if a difficult situation should arise, you will be entrusted with prioritizing the security of my client’s identity in every decision you make. Think of the job as something between a maid and personal assistant. Does that make sense?”