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Then I think of Yuliana.
Of the phone sitting heavy in my pocket, waiting for another call from the front office of her school and the decision that she has been expelled.
Private preschools are not cheap. I won’t be able to pay the deposit at a new place without a job. Even the tiniest gap in my employment could derail her entire year.
So, with my beautiful daughter’s face in my mind’s eye, I take a deep breath and push through the double doors.
The room is uniquely quiet. The moment I open the doors, I can hear the sound of my heart racing. I can hear the individual carpet fibers crunching beneath each of my steps. I can hear the three sets of eyes in the room shifting towards me.
Most importantly, though, I can feel one set of them glued to me.
I wanted to slip in and out unnoticed like a good maid should, but I feel like there’s an overhead spotlight shining directly down on me. The beam narrowing in for added dramatic effect.
“Finally,” Viktoria says, her shrill voice slicing through the tension. “There you are. I thought you forgot.”
“I was just making sure everything was exactly as you asked.” With a placid smile, I set the drinks on the table in front of them.
Viktoria and Leonid are sitting next to each other in high-backed chairs. Kirill is opposite, though I haven’t dared a look at that side of the room yet. Pure heat warms the side of me closest to him as if there’s a furnace blowing air directly at me. I’m afraid to turn in his direction and singe my eyebrows.
“When did you order drinks?” His voice is an ominous growl.
If Leonid notices the danger he’s in, he doesn’t let on. He just grins. “Your staff here is so accommodating that they practically met us at the door.”
“Rayne was happy to serve. Weren’t you, Rayne?” Viktoria’s upper lip is curled back. She is enjoying this far more than any sane person should.
I’m a maid. My job is to clean the house and serve Kirill’s guests. Smile. Nod. Be pleasant.
“I’m always happy to do my job to the best of my ability,” I say, imagining I’ve had a lobotomy to get through it.
I give everyone—except for Kirill—a parting nod and turn back towards the doors.
I’m only halfway across the room when Leonid speaks again.
“Speaking of, I’m short-staffed for the party tonight. Apparently, some mystery illness tore through the catering company I was going to use. They offered to send a few of the women who are still healthy, but I’m not going to be responsible for getting everyone in the underworld sick.”
“It wouldn’t do a lot to build those bridges,” Kirill agrees flatly.
“Would anyone from your staff like the extra work?” Leonid asks. “I pay fairly.”
Viktoria gasps. “Oh, how wonderful! Rayne would love that, right? She loves subbing in when another woman isn’t around.”
Her analogy is too on the nose to be missed, but again, Leonid just grins at me. “Is that right?”
“No,” Kirill says decisively. “Rayne has better things to do. There are plenty of actual waitresses in this city.”
Kirill doesn’t actually think I have better things to do. As far as I can see, there are only two possible motivations: one, he doesn’t want me to hang around with his rich friends and business partners, or two, he doesn’t think I can hold my own with the likes of Viktoria.
In either regard, I don’t need his protection. I told him I can hold my own, and I intend to do just that.
I lift my chin and turn to face Leonid fully, putting Kirill at my back. “Actually, Mr. Kozlov, I would love to work your party. I could always use the extra money.”
“Really?” Viktoria purses her lips in doubt. “I assumed you had a rotation of men paying for your time and skills.”
A mistress is one thing, but is Viktoria really suggesting I’m a prostitute? I grit my teeth and bear the insult. I better get used to it if I’m going to spend an entire evening in her company.
“Working as a maid in Mr. Zaitsev’s house is my only position currently,” I say with a false smile on my lips. “I have more than enough time to help you, Mr. Kozlov.”
Leonid claps his hands together and folds them on the table. “Wonderful. You’re doing me a huge favor. Finding an entire staff the day of an event is not for the faint of heart. Maybe that’s what did Arnov Lenin in, eh?”
