CEO's Maid in New York (BWWM) √

15. HER OTHER MAN (edited)

Cindy's POV

I woke up with the sun shining through my window. I looked at the clock and it was ten in the morning. I quickly got off my bed, brushed my teeth and took a shower.

As soon as I was done and dressed, I dashed down the steps to begin my morning chores, knowing quite well that Mr. Martini would not be home this late in the morning.

I boiled the kettle and began to make my tea and I even grabbed a slice of bread or two to eat.

"Good morning Cindy" I turned around and saw Mr. Martini standing in the kitchen, I dropped my bread onto the marbled floor.

"I'm, I'm— I'm sorry sir, I wasn't aware that you'd be home today" A small smile appeared from the curve of his lips and he made his way towards me. I also took a step back.

"Don't you know that there are thousands of people in the world who are desperate for that piece of bread that you just dropped onto that floor?" Mr. Felix asked me and my nerves took over my body. I began playing with my hands and looking at the marbled floors instead of him.

"Can you stop doing that!" he yelled at me and I quickly looked at Mr. Martini, trying to hide my tears away from him.

"I'm sorry sir" I apologized in a small-horsed voice. He slowly walked past me, poured himself a hot cup of black coffee and walked passed me again, then he simply left.

I could not settle and I lost my appetite, so I focused my energy on cleaning the house and washing the windows. I tried doing any chore possible that kept me, as far from Mr. Martini as possible, luckily for me he was nowhere to be seen.

After completing all my chores, I packed my handbag and left the house for a while, because today I was going to do a little shopping of my own.

Later in the day, I silently slipped into the house so that Mr. Martini would not notice my late arrival. Shopping today took a while longer than it should have. Today I had the opportunity to meet Rosh again and he even helped me pick out my new phone, which I tucked deep inside my small handbag.

I quietly tip toed into the living room at three in the afternoon that day and so far Mr. Martini was neither in the living room nor in kitchen. I wondered to myself if he was still sleeping or not?

I quickly but silently made my way up the steps.

"Hello Cindy" Startled. I looked up and there he was at the top of the steps, sipping on his expensive and probably imported Brandy.

"Oh, hi sir— I thought you were sleeping"

"Well you my dear, you thought wrong. Where have you been?" He asked me in his no nonsense tone.

Do not tell him the truth, just do not do it. I told myself inwardly.

"I, I—" I tried to explain to him but I could not think of a lie soon enough.

"I'm asking you for the last time Cindy, where have you been?" he yelled at him so much that I jumped up in fear.

"I went shopping sir" I told him and that was the honest truth but not the complete truth.

"You went shopping, for what exactly?" Mr. Felix questioned me further.

"Nothing—I mean I didn't find what I was looking for anyways"

Mr. Felix raised his eyebrows and sipped at his Brandy and made his way down the steps towards me, he looked a bit tipsy. He grabbed me by my arm and sat me down onto the steps.

"Cindy please, I want you to be honest with me. All I need to know is where have you been?" He asked me one last time.

"And why would I do that sir?" I challenged him; he irritably ran his fingers through his hair.

"Cindy I was worried about you. I mean do you not watch the news of people disappearing, especially women? I'm going to ask again, where were you at Cindy?"

Looking down at the floor, that way I could not look Mr. Felix in the eyes. I was so scared that I could almost hear him angrily breathing in and out, sounding more like a lion readying himself to devour me whole.

"I, I went to the mall to, to—"

"Spit it out!" He scolded at me and banged his hand against the steps

"I went to buy a phone sir" I spat out. I looked up to look into his face, the muscles in his face relaxed and the color slowly returned.

"Why would you need a phone when we've got a land line phone at home?" Mr. Felix asked me as though I was a prisoner and he the warden.

Come on Cindy think of something quick!

"Yes sir, I know but what if I'm not a home and I want to contact you?" I told him, this making sense in my mind.

"Why would you need to go out when you've clearly got everything you need right here?" Mr. Felix pressed on, forcing me to fish for more lies to tell.

"Yes sir but New York is very beautiful and I really would like to see it more. I'll like to visit Central Garden and the New York Zoo" I lied, knowing that I had wanted to see none of these things. I watched, waiting in anticipation for his reply and for a moment or two, I thought that he would say no. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay you can keep the phone but if you're going to leave the house call me and inform me beforehand"

"Yes sir, I will do just that. Should I warm your food for you sir?" I asked him, trying to draw his attention away from the current situation.

"Yeah sure, I will be in my room and when you done you can bring the food up to me" Mr. Felix replied and placed his hands into his pocket.

"Yes sir?"

I nodded and watched as he slowly walked up the steps. Something was off with Mr. Felix; leaving work early was not his thing. I could tell from the ways his employees looked at me that day when I was at his office to deliver his lunch, because he often forgot to eat. What was even worse was him taking a day off .That man is a mean working machine.

I quickly prepared his dinner for him, put it on a tray and took it up to his room.

"Come in!" He replied after I had called out to him from the other side of the door. I walked into his room and placed the tray of food onto his table and I turned to leave.

"Cindy" Mr. Felix called out to me and I froze.

"Yes Mr. Martini" I answered him.

"You clearly are never going to stop calling me that? Look I'm sorry about how I reacted today; it's just that New York is filled with good and bad people" He confessed and I too knew that he was right in what he was saying.

"But no one will want to hurt someone like me" I grew the courage to tell him.

"Cindy, I am a lawyer and I have been in courts where I had to evaluate some of the most disturbing images. Young innocent women like yourself get killed for doing practically nothing"

"Yes sir, I understand"

"Just watch out for yourself" He warned me and I nodded my head and left his room, still not understanding the softness that was in his eyes when he spoke to me.