NO DOUBT [bwwm]

• 6 • The Tempest

I drove up a hill and took a right where gates forced me stop and wait. A manly voice spoke through a speaker, "Who are you?"

I rolled down my window to answer, "I'm Josie Valentina? I'm here for housekeeping."

The speaker made a broken connection sound and I felt vibrations indicating me that the gates were about to open. When they did, I saw a huge house, or rather a mansion, surrounded by a well taken care of garden. You could tell they had a solid staff. The house was so big, I had a hard time imagining myself cleaning every single room.

I parked, said a little prayer to my guardian angel Mama Rose, and took my time to get off the car and make it to the front door. The latter was probably 8ft tall, adding to the magic of the Ricci Residence. Two very tall men were guarding it, so I had to repeat the reason to my presence before I was allowed in. The inside was just as luxurious as the outside, if not more. The whole place gave strong victorian vibes, I couldn't help but admire. The decor was simple, I'd even say bland, which surprised me, I'd have thought Giulia, especially, had more lavish tastes.

"Ah! Josie, you're here at last," Giulia exclaimed from the top of the grand staircase which was surmounted by a fairly large chandelier. I checked the time; I was ten minutes early.

"It's nice seeing you Ms Ricci, I love your house," I smiled, but she waved my compliment off while stepping down the stairs.

"Glad you do, because I hate it! We've only just moved, but we have yet to decorate it," once she arrived at the ground level she handed me a piece of paper, "All you need to know I've written down here, since it's your first day I'll go over it quickly. On Saturday - like today - you'll have to clean the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the entrance, and the library. Stefano takes a lot of pride in that room, for some reason. On Sunday, you do the bedrooms as well as the bathrooms. No entering any rooms you're not supposed to clean. All the material you'll need are in kitchen's closet, and if you've got any type of question ask me, I'll be with the gardener today, or ask my husband, but only as last resort. He's usually in his office, you won't miss it. Questions?"

"No, everything's clear, thank you," I swallowed and took the piece of paper from her hands. She nodded and walked off to the backyard.

Without further thought, I got to work as I figured out where every room was. The most logical place to start was the kitchen where I did some basic organizing of the pantries and the cabinets. As I was wiping the counters, the sound of the main door closing shut echoed through the house, startling me.

"Dove sei, Mamma?" Where are you, Mom?

It didn't take long for me to recognize the disembodied voice of the younger Ricci brother. His confident, decided steps made their way to the kitchen and I cursed myself for being in that place, in that moment.

"Well, damn me, I think I found better," he stopped in his movements and smirked as his eyes landed on me and scanned my body. I wondered if he knew how greedy his look was.