Maisie
Upon entering the house, my heart wept for the mess made by law enforcement. All books were removed off shelves and left helter-skelter on the floor. Drawers throughout the building were pulled open, some dumped out and others left intact and made untidy. Everywhere I looked, something waited to be put back in its place and my anxiety levels spiked. While I understood the why, I hated that I had to clean this all up. It's bad enough having an employer who insists I wash his sex toys for him.
As if washing lube and blood off toys isn't disturbing enough. Sigh. Plugged headphones into my cellphone and activated Pandora. With tunes as motivation, I got busy getting things in order. If the boss came home, he'd have a shitfit with how things are, and I'd get blamed. 'Why didn't you clean up as they did this?' I can imagine him railing at me, kicking debris out of his way onto his sulking chamber to play the piano and work off his anger. The man could be so predictable.
Haven't heard anything from Tobie. Hope he's safe from the boss' anger. When the boss flew off the other morning to join up with Tobie, I heaved a huge sigh. Although my beloved Tobie told me to go to my sisters, I didn't. I couldn't. If anything happened, I needed to know and being out of the realm of knowledge upset me. Of course, Tobie didn't know that, how could I tell him? The best way to stay safe from a predator is to keep your eye on it so one can sidestep any swipes of a claw. That said, the worst thing aside from washing the sex toys was hearing the boss lay into the missus, hiding out in his gaudy whore-house inspired room. Knowing that she wanted free and I couldn't do anything without massive repercussion upset me. But at least Tobie comforted me. The missus had no such thing- I know the boss never comforted her, not the way a person needs.
I felt sorry for the missus.
A phone call stopped my reverie and cleaning. As if thinking of the man conjured his vocal presence. I answered, "Hello, Tobie." A smile lit my face, I could feel my lips forming a grin that the best man I've ever met and loved was thinking of me as I thought of him, and then reached out to contact me.
"Maisie! So glad to hear your voice." He sounded dog-tired, and my heart beat harder in anticipation of cuddling next to his slumbering body. "Things have changed. Big time. You sitting down?"
As I sunk onto the floor in lotus position, I replied, "I am now. You alright? Everything okay?" The pounding of my heart changed tempo, more frantic than before at the thought of what could be so important that he basically suggest I brace myself.
He didn't hold back. "The boss died. He thought the missus was hiding in a forest and a big deer gutted him. He was warned by the property owners to leave, but he didn't. I'll be flying back with his remains. The missus is safe. She's staying at the Four Seasons there in Seattle. She's got bare essentials, so if it's not a problem, can you pack a bag for her? Somber stuff, she's mourning her marriage more than him right now. After I deliver the boss to the funeral home, I'll be at the house." His voice softened. "I miss you."
My heart fluttered with his sweet sentiment before everything else fully sunk into my head. "The boss... is dead? Do the police know? Because they left the house a disaster area. Been working on it for over an hour and there's still so much to do." I don't have a job now, being that my employer is deceased. Perhaps the missus will keep me on, perhaps not, maybe she associates me with her husband.
"I'll help you when I get there. Take it easy, okay Maisie?"
I loved that he offered to help. I could imagine getting on my knees and adoring him forever if he vacuumed. Best fantasy ever. "Thank you, Tobie. See you when?"
"Three hours, I'm thinking."
My heart sank a little. I hoped he would say an hour, tops. With the house a mess, and the boss gone, it upset me, I'm not afraid to admit. "Okay. See you then."
He hung up without saying goodbye. Maybe he's really tired? Or perhaps the call got cut. What if I said something that upset him? But what? Deep sigh. Try not to read too much into it. After all, he's a body guard and his boss died- I don't think that's going to look so good on his resume. Poor Tobie, he needs a hug.
Back to cleaning, making stacks of papers to be sorted through later and assembling little odds and ends like pens and ketchup packets in a small plastic bucket. After a while, I made my way to the master bedroom to assemble a suitcase for the missus. The bedroom was in as much shambles as the rest of the house. Went to the closet and gathered several outfits. From the dresser, I fetched underpinnings. Shut the suitcase, put it on the floor and then extend the handle to roll it through the house to the entry way. As I passed through the hall, I noticed the door open to the 'play room' and saw that everything was gone, with the exception of the bed and St. Andrew's Cross.
My, they were thorough.
After depositing the suitcase by the front door, I wandered to the kitchen and tackled that mess. Silverware lay upon the floor, along side pots and pans, cooking utensils, spices and pantry goods. After sweeping up the pound of coffee beans from in front of the stainless steel stove, I felt my anger boil. A lot of it was directed at those responsible for carelessly flinging things aside in their quest to find incriminating evidence. But an even larger amount was aimed at a dead man who would never feel my passive-aggressive ire for his being. Hell, with all the cabinets gutted, I might as well rewash and organize everything.
Lost in my little world, I nearly jumped out of my skin when arms wrapped around me from being while I was elbow-deep in dishwater.
He plucked the earbuds from their resting place and breathed a sultry, "Hello Maisie," into my ear.
Shivers ran from the top of my head and down my spine, like a slalom of excitement. "Tobie!" I removed my hands from the warm water, hastily dried them on a dish towel, then turned to face the man who held my heart. Heavy bags sat under his eyes, tell tale indicators of his lack of sleep. "Oh, honey. You look terrible."
A half-smile tried emerging on his face. "I feel terrible."
I grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to my room. I hoped it wasn't trashed, and luckily it wasn't. I suppose the hired help's rooms weren't as interesting as the rest of the house. Pushed him onto the bed and laid next to him. "I suppose you can take a shower first, but I want you to rest. If the missus is at a hotel and the boss isn't going to show up soon, I'm sure we can let the house sit as is for a night."
Tobie sat up and bowed his head down. "I don't deserve you, Maisie. Not that you're an object and without opinion, but I think you could do better than me. I haven't been forthright with you."
A knot formed in my throat. "Are you... married?"
He shook with a deep and short-lived laugh. "Hell no, not any more. Maisie, it's nothing like that. It's worse." He turned to face me and I could see the sorrow eating away at him. "I've lied to you from day one. I was hired by the boss as a bodyguard, but I was placed in his way by the FBI. I am Special Agent Tobie Kahan McArgus. I stuck to the boss because of his involvement with Margot Ivanov. She was under investigation for human trafficking and child pornography, among other things."
Cold. I felt cold. Not so much from his revelation about his identity, but that horrible woman was worse than I thought. "I knew you weren't who you said you were when you told me what to do with the bloodstained clothing. A bodyguard would be more concerned with not incriminating his employer. You, however, weren't going with that angle."
Unease filled Tobie, causing his spine to stiffen and his shoulders to straighten. "You did?"
"Yes. I have my own confession." It was my turn to feel dread and face potential rejection.
His eyes clouded with apprehension- I'm assuming apprehension because that's what I felt. "What?"
I swallowed hard and met his gaze. "I'm pregnant."