The Maid's Motto

Kat returned from lunch and saw the red blinking light indicating she had a voice message. Her business partner, Cheryl, had been busy all morning and was still on the phone. Although the two women jointly owned KC Cleaning, they made the decision to take care of their own clientele. That didn't mean they couldn't help each other out, but for the most part, Kat had her clients and Cheryl had hers.

Kat picked up her phone and played the message. She could faintly hear a man's voice in the background, but it was mixed in with various weird noises and sounds. She listened to it four more times and gave up. If the customer really wanted her services, they would call back. Cheryl got off the phone and handed Kat a message.

"Customer called and requested a cleaning two times a week."

"You're not taking them?"

"They specifically asked for Kat." Cheryl smiled. "Someone's building a reputation."

Business started to pick up after a slight change in marketing where she made the switch in professional name from Kathy to Kat. Kat was so fun, fresh, and friendly. It made her more approachable than the older sounding Kathy. Once they met her in person, it always sealed the deal.

Kat searched for the potential client's house on-line and discovered it was secluded in a quiet part of town. The kind of neighborhood for the old and retired. Normally she would decline clients in secluded areas, however the neighborhood had nothing but a good reputation and she decided to at least do an inspection first. There were too many horror stories in the cleaning business because people never did an inspection and only learned after that it should have been a hard pass.

***

Kat drove up the long driveway and pulled up to the house. Whatever she looked at on the Internet was not what she saw before her. In place of the old beat up house was a sleek modern white and black house with floor to ceiling windows throughout the top floor. From the looks of the yard, they also invested in a landscaping service.

Kat had a good feeling about this client. Someone with a house like that must be worth working for. She parked the car in front of the closed two-car garage and got out. Smoothing her skirt out and internally calming the nerves, she knocked on the door. Meeting new customers was an awkward experience. She was an attractive young woman with vibrant blue eyes and long red hair. Every guy, young and old, thought they might have a shot with her. It took a few weeks to get over that hump, but after that, it was smooth sailing with the client.

An older man answered the door.

"Hello. I... sorry, I was expecting someone younger from our conversation on the phone."

Kat squeezed her lips. Not a great start by insulting the client's age.

"The owner is a busy man. Any services related to the house; you will deal with me personally." The man said.

"And you are?"

"You can call me Mr. Wallace. Now please do come in."

Mr. Wallace stepped aside and motioned her in. The inside was exactly how she expected it from the outside. White walls with beige hardwood floors and accents of black in every room. The place looked spotless. Why would they need a cleaner?

"Should you sign our contract, we are obligating you to only clean three rooms at the moment. After four weeks, if we like what you've down, we will include the rest of the house." Mr. Wallace said. "If you follow me, I will show you the first room."

Kat nodded and followed Mr. Wallace. Usually the owner wanted the entire house cleaned, which was sometimes impossible given how messy people could be. The limited rooms and cleanliness were already checking a lot of her boxes off. As they passed the hallway, Kat noticed a large red door at the end. It was so out of place with the rest of the house, she wondered what was behind it.

She turned back and saw Mr. Wallace patiently waiting for her.

"What's behind the red door?"

"Am I hiring a professional cleaner or a detective?

Kat squeezed her lips tight. She really didn't want to lose this job. It twice the money for less work than she normally did. Mr. Wallace and Kat entered the open concept kitchen. Its black cupboards stretched around one corner with a matching island in the middle of the white tiled floor. On the opposite side of the room was the dining table with six chairs around it.

It had become a habit to be vigilant about potential problem areas while cleaning, but Kat couldn't see anything. The counters were clear, the floor was clean and there were no dishes in sight.

"This is the kitchen." Mr. Wallace said in a tone that reminded her of a teacher addressing a class full of misbehaving kids. "Here you will do the dishes, wipe down all surfaces, dust all surfaces, sweep the floor and mop the floor."

Standard cleaning. Except usually when the customer said that, the counter was fully cluttered, and the floor was too gross to even walk on. How would she fill the expected time if everything was already so clean? The only thing out of place was a small red mat in the corner of the kitchen. There were no indications what it was for, but the red color caught her eye and reminded her of the mysterious door.

"Any questions?"

She wanted to ask about the mat, but fearing another sly comment, withheld her question. Soon enough she'd find all the answers once she worked at the house long enough.

"No, sir." Kat said to show some respect. She already called him old and wasted his time, behaving like a true professional, like Kathy, would serve her better for the remainder of the inspection.

Mr. Wallace turned and brought her to the next room. The living room. Again, her mind to went to work searching the floor, furniture, and walls, and again nothing was out of place.

"This is the living room. Here you will vacuum the furniture, vacuum the floor, put away any items, water the plants and dust."

In the middle of the room, Kat noticed a large mirror. It had a red frame which clashed with everything else. Another mystery to be solved.

Mr. Wallace continued the tour to the final spot, the main floor bathroom.

"This is the bathroom. Here you will clean the toilets, clean the sink, clean the shower and scrub the floors."

The bathroom was about triple the size of her apartment bathroom. From her quick inspection, it looked liked the bathroom hadn't been used in years. This might be the easiest job she ever accepted. Even if she took the time to clean everything over, there was nothing the client could complain about.

As they walked out, Kat spotted a red electric toothbrush resting on the corner of the vanity. Why was there a toothbrush in the main floor bathroom? Maybe it belonged to Mr. Wallace. Kat cast the thought aside and came full circle at the entrance. Mr. Wallace opened a door to a small empty closet in the entrance hallway.

"You will put your belongings in here prior to your cleaning." Mr. Wallace said.

"Understood, sir."

Usually she found her own spot in a house, so it was nice to have a designated area for her purse.

"Shall I send you over the contract?" Mr. Wallace said.

"Do I get to meet the owner?"

"Not today."

Kat bit her lip. A man of mystery. He could be a hot young stud. Or he could be a creepy old man. If she was dealing with Mr. Wallace, then she already had an idea of what the day-to-day client was going to be like. Besides, she'd be crazy to turn down a job she could do in her sleep.

"Please do, I'm looking forward to working here."

"There's one other thing." Mr. Wallace said as he pulled a phone from his pocket. "Besides email, this is how we will contact you."

Kat grabbed the phone. It was brand new and looked like the latest model.

"You're giving this to me?"

"As long as you are employed here, you may keep the phone. There's unlimited calls, texts and data."

Kat blushed. "Well thank you, that's super generous."

She placed the phone in her purse. This was the like the dream client every entrepreneur hoped for. Kat said goodbye and went on her way. She was excited to get started.

***

"How was the client inspection." Cheryl said as Kat entered the office.

"Interesting." Kat said putting her things down. "He has like a...butler I guess, who watches over the house. I didn't actually meet the client himself."

"So, are you going to take it?"

"It's like double the normal rate, I'd be foolish not to."

Kat didn't want to rub in all the other amenities or clean state of the house. She knew how envious she got when Cheryl came back beaming about a new client.

"Good luck, girlfriend." Cheryl said.

"How was your morning?"

"Ughh." Cheryl said. "Lucas called me again. Wants me to do another shoot."

When they first met, Kat was envious of Cheryl's natural, beautiful blond hair and curvy body. She modeled when she was younger until she eventually became a playboy bunny. After a few years, she slowly fell out of love with the business and opted to do modeling on the side with the ambition of running her own business. Kat had expressed interest in starting a cleaning business and the two went to work on the plan. A few moths later, KC Cleaning was up and running, both girls with goals of one day owning their own home.

Unlike Kat, Cheryl had plenty of exes, mostly from when she was in the industry. But none were more passionate and unwilling to let go than Lucas. He was the last tie she had, which is why Cheryl couldn't cut him loose so easily. The worst part of all was his nickname for her: Bunny.

"What kind of shoot?"

"Domestic maid. It's for some lifestyle magazine."

"You going to do it?"

Kat knew the answer. Cheryl always complained, yet she always came through. And they were always sexy photos. She'd give Lucas credit where credit was due, he was one hell of a photographer.

"We'll see."

An email popped up drawing Kat's attention to her screen. It was the contract from Mr. Wallace. She opened the document on her computer and read it. All standard contract stuff including the pay and time. But there was one rule that was not mentioned. Kat was to wear the maid's uniform provided to her. If the owner had guests, he wanted roles to be established to avoid confusion. It was an understandable position, but she wished she had some input into the outfit. Some outfits weren't meant for housework despite the way media portrayed them. If she didn't like it, was it worth bringing up? There was only one way to find out.

***

Kat showed up half an hour early and was greeted by an appreciative Mr. Wallace. She needed time to get dressed and didn't want to waste the employer's time. Mr. Wallace led her to a guest room where the outfit was laid out on the bed. Kat had mixed feelings about the uniform. She was expecting a sexually appealing uniform to the point that it was a foregone conclusion in her mind. Instead it was plain black dress that stopped just above the knees complete with a white apron, gloves, and headband. There were no designated shoes which meant she'd stick with her black sneakers. Overall, there was nothing sexy about it besides the person wearing it.

The irony of being disappointed she didn't have to flaunt around in a sexy two piece complete with garter, stockings and heels wasn't lost on her. It was the aspect of being forced to do it that got her mind going. Choosing to wear that was just asking to be treated inappropriately. If such a generous client wanted that, how could she say no?

Kat put on the uniform, which was a perfect fit, and placed her clothes in her purse. She looked in the mirror and despite what she was given to work with, still managed to make the bland uniform look flattering with her B cup tits providing a little cleavage thanks to her push-up bra. She tied her red hair up in a ponytail behind the headband. It was time to get to work.

Kat started in the kitchen and did her scheduled tasks. The first few tasks went by so fast, she slowed down to ensure she finished in the allotted time. There were no other jobs in the morning time slot, and she didn't want to short her pay because she was too efficient. All she had to do was meticulously inspect each area to ensure it was thoroughly cleaned. It wasn't being dishonest, if she was making an honest effort with the time.

After her final duty of scrubbing the floor, Kat moved out of the kitchen and headed towards the living room. She stopped in the hall and stared at the red door. Her ears perked up as a sound carried down the hall. She couldn't quite make out what the sound was, but the source couldn't be more apparent. Kat walked slowly towards the red door. Such a random aesthetic choice for a beautiful home. The only purpose for something so bold was a conversation piece for guests. Which meant something cool had to be behind it.

As she got closer, the sound was still unrecognizable, even as she stood right in front of it. She turned her head and put her ear to the door. The sound stopped. Kat moved away from the door, her head suddenly spinning. She took a moment to orientate herself as her head felt a strange sensation. The sound returned drawing her attention back to the door. Except it wasn't coming from the door. Somehow the new phone she was given was in her apron pocket, even though she distinctly remembered leaving it in her purse. Along with it were two wireless earphones playing music synced from the phone. It was the same mysterious sound she thought was coming from behind the door. Putting the earphone on, she realized it was techno music with crazy binaural sounds and incomprehensible lyrics. How did they know what her favorite music was?

In her few years of cleaning, it never occurred to her to wear headphones for music. But hearing the beats that focused her mind on daydreaming while her body carried out the routine, mundane work, made her realize what she was missing out on. Kat checked her watch and noticed how much time had passed since the kitchen. She had two rooms to do with not much time left. Thankfully, there wasn't much that could noticeably be missed from a quick clean. Grooving to the music as she strolled down the hall, Kat went back to work to finish her first day.

***

"Perfect. Now give me some bedroom eyes."

The camera flashed twice more. Cheryl's eye's narrowed as she stood with one foot on the bed and one foot on the ground in what was one of the most ridiculous maid costumes she'd ever seen. Black lingerie with a small white apron, choker, headband, and pair of gloves as accessories. Her heels were also unnecessarily high at 6-inches. Being in the cleaning business, the idea of wearing this outfit while doing laborious tasks was an amusing notion. With one hand on her hip, she moved the feather duster around in a dusting motion with her other hand.

"Perfect. Hold still, Bunny."

Cheryl froze in what she hoped was her last pose. Being called Bunny triggered unwanted memories of their past life together. It was a relationship she tried desperately to make work, but when the other side refused to help, it was destined to be a lost cause. A small part of her held out hope, although she would never tell him that. If she did, he would be feeding her lie after lie until they were back together. And that would jeopardize everything she'd built with Kat and a chance at a happy life.

"Awesome job. The client is really going to love this spread." Lucas said.

Cheryl dropped the pose and cheery attitude. Their business transaction was done.

"Can I get my cut now?"

"Whoa girl, give me a second to put my equipment away."

Cheryl took her phone out and waited patiently. Lucas was always a dick at the end of the shoots. Yet, she still showed up. After 10 minutes, Lucas came back with his money box. He placed it on the high table between them and leaned on the closed lid.

"Proposition for you."

"No."

Lucas laughed. "I'll give you an extra $1,500."

Cheryl's eyes opened wide.

"Now I've got your attention." Lucas said. "All you have to do is wear that sexy outfit and work as my maid for a hot date I have."

Cheryl couldn't believe the balls on Lucas. Always pushing the envelope. Did he really expect his ex to attend to his every need while he slept with another girl? He was out of his mind if he thought...

"Bunny, I'll make it $2,000 plus tips. Final offer."

5 hours work for $2,000. She was lucky to make that in two weeks, sometimes one on a good week. It was pride or money, and she had to choose. Lucas grinned. Somehow, he already knew the answer.

***

Kat showed up for the second day already wearing the uniform and with her new earphones ready to go. She found a new play list with an 80's vibe and danced with the rhythm as she got to work. The kitchen was quick work again, until she got to the floor. It seemed unusually dirty compared to her last few visits. There were a lot of dirt marks and footprints throughout. Maybe the owner had a party. Kat went to work scrubbing. It was the first real work she felt made a difference in the house. In the middle of the floor, there was one dirty mark that swirled around, almost like a spiral. Kat started on the outskirts and scrubbed around it. But instead of moving the brush within, she continued in a circular motion. The center of the mark drew her attention as she stared. Slowly she moved the brush around. Staring in the middle.

Her watched chimed. Kat looked around dazed. The mark was gone and in its place was a floor that had been scrubbed almost too clean. Kat stood up feeling an ache down below. There was a sense of satisfaction in her body that she couldn't explain. The alarm was to signal her water break. Mr. Wallace had noticed on her first shift that she barely drank any water and told her it was required to stay hydrated. She licked her chapped lips and realized just how dehydrated her mouth and throat were.

Kat filled the set out metallic bowl with water and placed it on the red mat. She got on her hands and knees and lowered her head to drink. It was a rare trait to find a client being considerate of her well-being. After Kat was done drinking, she went back to work.

***

Cheryl showed up to Lucas's loft dressed in the requested outfit. Even on the walk from the car to his building, people eyed her up like a hooker looking for a john. It was uncomfortable, but she brought a change of clothes for after. There was no way she was walking back out in her whore get-up. Lucas was delighted and gave her a rare sincere compliment about how her curves filled out the costume well. Checking herself out in the full-length mirror in the living room, she had to admit, she looked like a blond bombshell.

Immature thoughts crossed her mind. What if this whole plan was just to get her in his loft all horny from wearing the costume. It was definitely a move in his repertoire. He approached her with that look in his eye. Was he going to try and pick her up again? Given the circumstances, could she even resist?

"So, when my date arrives, I want you to take their shoes off and then take their purse into the living room. I've also hired a private chef, so I don't need you there. Although we both know that wouldn't go over well." Lucas said. Of course, he'd throw a jab at her culinary skills. "So, I just need you to bring us anything we need and then clean up our messes. Sound good?"

Cheryl nodded. The fantasy of being won over by her ex shattered in her mind. It was a foolish thought anyway. She refocused on her task for the evening. Just do the bare minimum, get through, and collect her money. That was the goal. But who was the new girl and what was she like? A knocked signaled the answer.

"You're up. Oh, and when I request something, please say, yes sir. Got to demonstrate that respect in front of the new girl." Lucas said.