Paid To Love

Episode 37

Paid To Love EPISODE 37

Victoria's POV

The rain had been pouring all morning. I woke up at least three times this morning. I looked up, looked around. Then slept back each time. The lack of action was tiring.

I had been away from work for a while. I forgot to come In for work when my boss had requested. I guess from the whole contract arrangement to Henry and the car accident, I have been pretty busy. Not to mention the whole Gerard thing. How could I think he was alive? Well I did see the body, although it was pretty unrecognisable but it was his clothes and his stuff and his car too. Although the footage did show that someone got in the car with him but the police didn’t even mention that to me.

Anyway at this point I needed a job. I couldn’t spend all day in Henry's house one more day. I mean it was fun but I felt like I needed more. To see more and actually keep my mind off some of these conspiracy theories. My boss from the coffee house was pretty mad at me for missing most of my shifts and I needed a job so I called Zoey for help.

“Hi Zoey, how are you doing?”

“I'm fine. Don’t tell me you’re already bored? It’s barely midday yet. “

“You can’t blame me Zoey. The boredom can kill.”

“Boredom? In that house. He had Netflix remember?”

“Yeah, but you know I want a bit more. I’m just tired of sitting at home all day. I wanna do something not just sit here feeling useless.” I said in despair.

“Well, you could come back here but honestly the boss is pretty angry and you are pretty much suspended.”

"Come on, really, suspended?" I replied flatly.

“Yes, but I've got good news for you.”

“Is it something that will get me out of the house?”

“Yup, there’s an opening in a restaurant in town.”

“Wow, really? What type of restaurant and how’s the pay?”

“There you go, already thinking about the pay. It’s a really high end restaurant though.”

"Wow, then the pay must be nice?”

“Yeah, but I’ve got a friend that worked there before and she says the people who come there are rich snubs and really awful mannered people. I’m not sure it’s the kind of place for you. “

"I’ll do it. Trust me if I can handle Henry then I could probably handle some rich old snubs too. Plus I know the money Henry had paid me was enough but if I wanna find out more about Gerard then I think I might need the extra cash. “

“Are you sure about that. I heard the place can make you go mad.” Zoey said sounding worried.

“ Yeah. I haven’t gotten a house yet and I wanted to save what Henry was giving me so I would rather use the pay for the rent. And plus that Mercedes won’t buy itself. “ I said smiling.

“You love that Mercedes all ready? Why don’t you marry it.” She joked.

“Zoey, stop it.” I laughed.

"When can I start?"

"Well that’s the thing. They need someone urgently. They have these events they’re holding this month and a lot of international guests will be around so they need people daily so you can start this evening if you want. I could talk to the manager."

"Tonight is great actually. I will just text Henry later that I’ll be back late. You should just arrange it all and I'll be there."

“Ok, miss Netflix is not enough for me.” She joked again.

“It actually isn’t. You know. Thanks a lot Zoe.”

“It’s alright, that’s why I’m here.”

I hung up the phone and glanced at the time. She was right, it was barely midday, just eleven thirty, why was I so bored, it felt like it had been at least four o’clock. Anyway that meant I had more than enough time to get ready.

At the least it would get me out of Henry's house for in the evenings. The pay dounded nice and it was per day so I could miss some days.

I actually remembered that I had crashed the Mercedes and I didn’t have a ride. I texted Zoey to pick me up after her shift so she could give me a ride to the restaurant. Henry had told me to text Gerald if I needed anything, but I didn't want to bother the poor guy. Handling Henry was enough of a worry for him and a big head ache at that. It was my fault I'd crashed the Mercedes but he had to go fix it up on top of the office work he still had to do because of Henry. And my old car was parked at Zoey’s place anyway. She quickly texted me back what time she would pick me up.

I laid back on the couch, What was I going to do for the next five to six hours? I could go back to the Jacuzzi but I had already gone like twice today. I'd wondered how the car crashed into the toll gate though. The rain was heavy but I could still see a bit. The gate was meant to be open but all of a sudden it dropped right when I turned into that road. I couldn't stop thinking about it. When I remembered the actual details, It didn’t really seem like an accident anymore. It felt planned. Because that toll gate dropped at the exact moment I turned. Maybe I was just paranoid, maybe hanging around detective Sidwell so much has got me chasing conspiracy theories.

I decided to focus on other things. Henry seemed a bit different. Like something was in his mind, maybe it was just work but honestly it seemed like more to me and it felt like it had to do with me. I could tell he had changed from the inconsiderate person he was before.

You’re making me worry about you.

Suddenly Henry's words rang in my ear and his worried face popped into my mind, his eyes looking straight into mine. I felt it right that moment that he actually cared, that’s why he was worried.

I blushed a bit and had this inner warmth I hadn’t felt before. I smiled for a bit then all of a sudden I snapped out of it and became self aware. It was a weird thought though. What was I even thinking about him for? But why was Hen so worried? He didn’t even get mad about the car, but he'd only been worried about me. He cared only about me.

There it was, that warm feeling again, it was becoming very familiar. I didn't like how it made me feel.

Henry's father was right whether Henry would admit it or not, financially he was out of my league. Even if he paid me this money thirty times I still wouldn’t have a quarter of what he had.

But why was I thinking of him that way like I was actually dating him. I wasn't sure how to react when he told me I wasn’t just his employee but actually something more. What were we really?. I didn't even know what we were but I felt something weird for him.

It was something uncomfortable but it was the first time where I'd felt that unfamiliar sense of warmth by being near someone.

I suddenly had this inner battle happening in my mind between one part of me that said Henry was out of my league and the other part that kept trying to say but it could happen. The battle continued within me but I insisted there was no way it could happen. wasn't. I’m sure I’m no even Henry's type anyway.

I eventually gave in and went back to the Jacuzzi, I spent my day there sipping some of the expensive wine from Henry’s mini-bar, I was sure he wouldn’t notice if the non-alcoholic wine went missing. There were still some good things about the house and the wine was definitely one of them. I kinda felt weird about spending the entire day naked in his Jacuzzi everyday but what could I really do.

Zoey picked me up after work and drove me to the restaurant. It was about five o'clock and I stepped in to the restaurant named the Del Mange Restaurant. It seemed pretty fancy though. Zoey went in with me and we went to one of the ushers showed me to the manager. We spoke to him in an office in the back and he could barely talk to us for thirty seconds without being interrupted by one of the workers about some order or the other. The entire place had the smell of expensive wine, steak, and finger food. Zoey gave me a worried look and leaned in for a huddle.

“Don’t you think this place is a bit too busy?”

“Yeah? So what?”

“Its not like the coffee place where we have a few customers. This was a bit big time in the serving industry. “

I chuckled.

“Don’t worry I'll be fine.” I gave her an I’m ok look then held her hand.

“You can grab and apron and start right now. Table five needs some drinks from the bar over there.”

He finally said and I grabbed the apron from his hand and said goodbye to Zoey.

I wore the uniform and hung my hair in a bun with a pin through the middle. I ha the apron on the black and white uniform.

"There on the far side, that’s table five. Take these drinks and go serve them.” He said putting the drinks in an Ice bucket and handing them to me.

“ We’ve got a huge table celebrating some anniversary on the other side so you all need to hurry up."

Plastering the fakest customer-service-smile I could muster onto my face, I headed over to table five and gave the two young men there drinks and then hurried back to the anniversary table to get there orders. Two other waiters where there helping take the orders. They all seemed fairly rich and weren’t really focused on the food. They on the other hand loved the drinks and that was what filled the table.

The time crawled by and I got into a routine. With the arrival of a new guest I would go off to retrieve there drinks and get back to the anniversary table as quickly as possible. What was wrong with rich people? All they cared about was drinks and steak. I’ve been here a couple hours and all they'd ordered was expensive wine. I had been used to standing behind the counter at the coffee place and handing out coffees, this was some really different s**t for me.

it was going to take a bit to get my feet used to all of the running around I have to do here.

I returned to the anniversary table and handed out the drinks to their respective owners. They already ordered stake and some pudding and the drinks went round.

This was there third order each for drinks and I knew these people wouldn’t be driving their selves home tonight.

I heard the door open again and the hosts directing the new customers towards me. I straightened out my skirt which seemed a bit jumpy because I’ve been running around. I headed towards the door and the two of them where right there. One of them walked passed me with some girl and the other pulled me away before I could say a word.

"James ?"