Episode 4: Caught In The Act
1124 Words
Xander’s POV
"Is that…?" I started, touching my face. The scent was sweet, but it was not the smell of the cafeteria.
I looked at Nora on her knees. Her fingers trembled as she tried to gather the spilled milk. Her eyes were wide showing a level of grief that did not match a spilled drink. She looked like she watched her own life drain to the ground.
"Wow, Nora. You really do know how to get a man's attention," I said as I kept my voice cold to hide the sudden pull in my chest.
"I am not trying to get your attention!" Nora snapped, looking up with rage. Her face was flushed as tears tracked through the dust on her cheeks. "For the love of God, get over yourself. If you were not creeping around the hallway, I would not have spilled everything.”
“You spilled milk on me, Nora Ellison. Not the other way around," I countered, stepping back to save my cuffs from the puddle.
"You know what? Why don't you clean yourself up, Mr. Rhodes?" She stood up, grabbed a cleaning towel and threw it at my chest. It hit my tie with a thud. "Some of us have work to do."
She turned to leave. Her shoulders shaking. I saw damp patches on her uniform.
"Wait. Just wait." I reached out, grabbing her arm.
"Why?" She yelled as she spun around. Her voice echoed. "What else do you want from me, Xander? Haven't you taken enough?”
I looked at her eyes. I wanted to know why she looked broken and cried over milk. But the words stayed in my throat.
"Just take off your stupid shirt," She said, stepping into my space. Her hands flew to my chest. She unbuttoned my shirt with frantic movements.
"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to pull back, but her grip was firm.
"Give me the shirt! Let me clean it!" Nora yelled, dragging the fabric off my shoulders.
"I was not asking you to clean my shirt, Nora." I said as I grabbed her wrists to stop her.
"Are you serious?" A sharp voice echoed through the hallway.
I looked over Nora's shoulder. Jane stood there holding a stack of reports.
"I asked you to clean, Nora. I did not ask you to undress the boss." Jane walked toward us. "Now you are asking to get fired. This is a high level of misconduct. How dare you?”
Nora dropped her hands and her breathing became shallow. "Please. I have been working all day without a break. I need my break now."
"You see how she plays the victim, Mr. Rhodes?" Jane said, turning to me for agreement.
I remained silent.
"I asked her to clean all the rooms on the ten floors, but she is slacking off.”
"Sir, that is over two hundred rooms," Thomas chipped in. He looked at his tablet. "That is impossible for a full team."
I looked at Jane. My jaw tightened. "Are we short-staffed, Jane?"
"No, sir. We are not short-staffed. Nora can handle it. Anyone can," Jane replied, looking at Nora with disgust. "She is only acting innocent to fool you, Mr Rhodes.”
I looked at the vacuum cleaner.
"If it is so easy, you do it," I said, grabbing the handle of the vacuum cleaner and handing it to Jane.
Jane’s eyes nearly bulged out. "What?"
"I want this hotel spotless before the end of work today. Show us how it is done." I made sure she saw the steel in my gaze.
"Mr. Rhodes, you cannot be serious!" Jane’s voice was high.
"Come on, Nora. Let's go." I did not wait for Jane's tantrum. I grabbed Nora's hand and pulled her along.
I led her toward my private suite. As we got inside, I let go of her hand. The silence was a relief.
"There is a bathroom in the corner," I said as I removed my soaked shirt. The milk felt sticky against my skin. "You can change into your normal clothes. Thomas will get you a fresh uniform."
Nora did not say a word. She just stared at my bare chest. She looked like she was wondering if I was the same man who threw her out two years ago.
She walked to the couch, dropped her bag and phone and turned to leave for the bathroom.
"Hey, wait." I called out. She stopped. "Why were you crying, Nora?"
She did not reply. She gripped the hem of her apron.
"It does not affect my job, does it?" She asked, trying to avoid the question.
"So the rumors are true?" I stepped closer. "Your father disowned you. Now you work as a cleaner for cash?"
"Yes and yes." She replied, looking up. Her eyes were hard. "Does it make you feel better? It is your fault, anyway.”
"My fault?" I asked. I felt indignation. "I am not the one who took advantage of me. Remember?"
“Pfft.” She scoffed.
She opened her mouth to argue, but her phone rang on the couch. The vibration hummed against the leather.
She ignored it and turned toward the bathroom.
I walked to the couch and picked up the phone. I intended to hand it to her, but the screen caught my eye. The lock screen was a photo of a baby that had dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Hey! Give me that!" Nora yelled as she saw the phone with me.
I raised my hand higher. I looked at the caller ID. It said Daycare.
"Is this an important call, Nora?" I asked. My heart hammered.
"That is none of your business!" She yelled, struggling to reach my hand. "Give it back!"
"It’s my business because you are at work. You cannot take personal calls." I kept my voice flat.
"Alright. Keep holding it over your head. See who wins." She said.
She reached down. Her fingers grabbed my belt, and she began to yank at the leather.
"Hey! No! Nora, stop!" I yelled, trying to stop her with my free hand. I still held the phone high.
"Why?" she yelled.
"Do not!" I yelled.
The buckle snapped open, and my trousers fell to the floor. They pooled around my ankles.
"Huh!"
Someone gasped from the doorway. Papers flew into the air.
I reacted immediately, grabbing Nora. I pulled her to my chest and buried her face in my shoulder to cover her identity.
I was standing in my suite shirtless, my trousers were at my ankles, and I was holding a female staff member against my bare skin.
It looked like I was harassing my cleaner. A scandal that would destroy the Rhodes name.
- Writer
