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“You’re two for two. Shall I just show you?” She turns it around and hands it to me.
I read out an address. “The Felici Building, 310, Lexington Avenue.” I wrinkle my brow as I hand the paper back. “Should that mean anything to me?”
“I might have done a booboo and double booked myself. Could you do me a solid and go clean an office for me in an hour?”
“I don’t know, Cathy. Won’t you get in trouble with the agency?”
“That’s the thing. They won’t care. They sent me a security pass to get into the building. As long as the place is cleaned, that’s all that matters. It’s only one office.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“Look, it’s five hundred dollars straight in your pocket. Combine that with how much I’ll get for my job tonight and we should have enough to get the rent arrears straightened out.”
“You don’t owe any rent. I do.”
“Only because you refuse to take any from me. Let me help out, Ophelia. If only to stop you jumping into the super’s flea-ridden bed.”
The memory of him reaching out to touch my hair makes me shudder with disgust. “All right. But when I manage to get a job, I’ll pay you back, I swear.”
“You can make your millions from your book and buy me an office to base my wonderful business in. That’ll make us even.”
“You still think you can do it?”
“What?”
“Set up your own cleaning firm. Won’t it be a lot of work?”
“Hell, yeah, I can do it. I just need some premises to bring clients into. Somewhere that makes a good impression. Somewhere central.”
“Can’t you do it all online nowadays?”
“Some of it but I’m going to be old school. Want to meet people in person. Radical, I know. Anyway, you’ve got to be there in an hour and I need to explain a few things so hush your lips up.”
I run an imaginary zipper across my face.
“Most of the building is empty today so you’re unlikely to see anyone. They want you to go down to the basement to gather up the cleaning stuff. It’ll all be on a big trolley thing. Then take the staff elevator up to the tenth. It’s the big boss’s office you’re working on. Vincenzo Felici. The instructions said he’s a real ogre so don’t speak to him if you see him.”
“Getting some real servant master vibes here.”
“Relax. He’s never there. Apparently, his office gets cleaned once a week but he’s flitting about the world so much he never so much as sets foot in it. Normal girl is off sick so they sent it to the agency who offered it to me.”
“What am I doing when I get in there?”
“There’s a list I’ll give you to take. Nothing weird. Just dusting, emptying the no doubt already empty bin, that kind of thing.”
“Anything else?”
“Nope. Nothing to it. You’ll probably be done in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes work for five hundred dollars? Seriously?”
“I know. You see why I double booked? It gets paid in cash tomorrow morning. Agency will have it on their desk for us to collect. I saw the job and I leaped at it when I saw the pay. I forgot I’d got the elementary to do after the kids disco. I thought you’d rather do the office than the school. Way less work.”
“What should I wear?”
“There’s a uniform ready on your bed. I know it’ll look baggy on your skinny ass but beggars can’t be choosers. You get the train as soon as you’re ready. I’ll dig out the security pass for you. Go get changed.”
“Yes, boss.”
