There are perks of working for the wealthy from being able to get into the last clubs with a generous free bar tab, to inside knowledge, gossip and Christmas bonuses. But like everything, there is a good side and there is a bad side..

With every Zak, there is a Grantley... 

Grantley was a first class creep in the male breeding pool. Summoned up from the deepest of pits, he was one man that made my skin crawl.

"Good morning, Rileyyyy." He speaks, almost purring my name.

He accentuates my name every time, whether its to gauge a reaction, I don't know. But I don't rise to it, I simply smile and remain polite, after all, you kill them with kindness. Right?

"Good morning Grantley." I answer stepping into his home. 

From past experience, I've learnt to keep the cleaning caddy in front of me. He has been known to launch an unexpected hug, and likes to hold on for a little too long.

As usual, the house smells of dusted sweets, like the travel sweets you get in small tins for the car. There is a sweet smell, but the dust is keeping it down and almost snuffs out the fruitiness.
Grantley is a few inches taller than me, his hair is down to his shoulders, with a receding patch happening on top. An unshaven face with leering eyes looks back at me as I fix a smile.

"Lovely day." I acknowledge. 

He looks over my shoulder before his eyes narrow slightly "I don't care much for the sun. Come along."

I follow, after the small man in his blue shirt and brown blazer. His outfit wouldn't be such a fashion crime, if he had chosen dark pants, but he went with light grey.

"I believe it's the second floor today." I say as we pass the stairs. 

"Actually, I have guests coming over and I would like you to clean this floor. Starting with the lounge." He says looking at me over his shoulder. 

I suppress my urge to whine or make any kind of noise that could be misconstrued. 

Now I know what you are all thinking...
Riley, it is his house, he can tell you what rooms to clean and he has guests coming over so cut the guy some slack!

In the past, I might have been in agreement with you, however I knew Grantley all too well and knew that he would also be in the lounge this morning 'Reading his paper'. Which is really code for watching me the entire time and not in an endearing kind of way.

I've spoke to Rachel a few times over this, but with a man who pays as much as he does, she simply advises me to let the guy have his kicks. Which is easy for her to say when she is sat in an office. 

When we step into the lounge, Grantley makes his way over to his armchair, and sits down before picking up his paper. With a nod, he opens it up and begins to 'read', leaving me to start my job.

The first thing I do, is hoover, making sure I go behind and under everything, leaving no floor space untouched. The second thing I do is polish.

With a giant mirror in his lounge, its not hard to see Grantley poking over the top of his newspaper, he is too busy staring at my backside to notice that I've caught him in the mirror.
"Did I tell you that I'm having a few guests over?" Grantley asks out loud making me turn, as I do, his eyes move up to my face, making a small pitstop on my chest.

"You did. Is it a special occasion?"

He smiles "I do not need an occasion to entertain. A lovely evening with pleasant company should not require an occasion."

I give him a small smile and try to continue when he speaks again. "Do you do much entertaining, Rileyyy?"

"A little, but only on occasions. Birthdays, Christmas, July 4th, that kind of thing."

He nods. 

Eventually, I have done every surface in the room, except one... The table beside his armchair. Glancing over, I see that only a pen is sat on top, with no other clutter, it means I have to clean it too.

I plan my quick approach, or at least I try to, however Grantley is like a predator waiting to pounce and sure enough, as I reach the table, he knocks the pen onto the floor. 

"Oops, would you mind?" He asks. 

"Not at all." I smile bending down to pick it up. 

The heavy breathing that suddenly occurs has me straightening up quickly, whilst his eyes finally fall away from my chest. I wipe the table over quickly before setting the pen back down and leaving the room to begin elsewhere.

My relief is short lived as minutes later, I feel eyes burning my back and turn to find Grantley lingering in the doorway, his eyes all over my body and a smile that makes my skin crawl.
I go through a range of topics in my mind to distract me, and none of them work until I hit upon one that had kept me awake some of the night... Zak.

Was that him outside my apartment?
How does he know where I live? Why was he there? Was it even him? Perhaps that wasn't his car? Maybe it was someone else's? A hire car maybe?
If it was him, why would he come to my house?

By all scales, it's weird. 

I barely know the guy and what conversation we have had, doesn't construct a good enough reason to find out where I live and skulk outside my home. I don't think any reason can justify that.

Maybe I got the plate wrong? Maybe-

"Rileyyyy.." 

My heart sinks and instead of telling Grantley to take a hike and leave me alone, I smile and turn giving him my best self. "Yes sir?"

**********

"This is a service call to make sure you survived Grantley." Avery speaks down the phone.

I laugh as I settle into the van "I did. Just... Oh Ave, he is so weird."

"Does he still do that thing? With the newspaper.."

"Hide behind it and make out he's not staring at my ass or exciting himself behind it?" I ask. 

Yes, I've caught him on a few occasions with some caressing of himself through his pants. I know he is in his own home, but whilst I am there, he should really take that into the privacy of his own bedroom and not in the lounge where he expects me to work!

"Yeah, that." She answers. 

"Oh yes. Still as creepy as ever. So how were the girls last night?"

"Ah. I want to ask you something first. Why did you want to know car details?" 

I bite my lip and try to scupper up a half decent excuse. "Um, well I.."

Think Riley! Think!

"I wanted to know if the cars I saw were actually his and not hired, you know how people like to create the image, I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't falling for it."

Silence lingers before Avery accepts it and moves on. "Right.. The girls, oh they are sleeping perfectly now."

I glance at my watch "But its like 1pm. Why are they asleep now?"

"Because they didn't sleep at all last night. World war 3 kicked off. They both started fighting, both were crying about going to bed. They won't say why but I am getting really concerned. Their teacher rang me yesterday as well after I picked them up... They are falling to sleep in class."

"Maybe it's time to take them to the doctors again?" I suggest.

"I already have. Apart from growing, there is nothing going on. They are both in perfect health, perfect weight, I did a food diary, we have tried everything. Other than pump them with pills, which I am not doing."

"Don't blame you." I frown. 

"Yeah well the doctor acted as though I was a bad parent because I won't dope my kids up for some sleep. If they are gonna sleep in the day, then so be it. I'll just have to change my day to suit their needs."

My heart goes out to her and everything she has put up with since moving. Our mom really wasn't much help, if anything, she put the boot in at a time when my sister really needed her.

"How about I come around tonight? Help out? Give you a break?" I ask.

I already know she will try and refuse, but I hush Avery up and insist on coming over to help out whilst she can take a hot bath and do a Riley Classic. By having a hot bath and a glass of wine.

"That sounds to die for." My sister responds.

"It is. My water dispenser is a wine cooler now. Joel wasn't impressed but I think it work-"

"Joel was at your apartment?! Riley!"

"Not like that!" I exclaim. "He has a key, still! I got home yesterday and he was just... There. Mavis battered him with her broom."

My sister laughs. "She has a mean right."

"I know. Split his eyebrow. Anyway, he came over to talk, I asked him to leave, he left, I forgot he had the key, chased after him but by the time I got downstairs he had gone."

"So he still has a key?"

"Yup." I sigh.

"Do you want me to pay for the locks to be changed?" She asks seriously.

"What? No. No save your money for the girls. I'll get the key back from Joel. He has promised to come and see me again. Aren't I the lucky one?"

"You need to cut all ties." She answers. 

"I am in the process of it. Nothing of his remains in that apartment so there is no reason why he needs to keep coming back as though I have a revolving door. I just need that key." I tell her. 

"You do..."

"So... What do you want for dinner tonight? I'm cooking." I say pulling on my seatbelt.

"By cooking, you mean take out right?"

"100%."

She laughs "Oh I don't know. Surprise me."

"I can do that. By getting all the food for just me and you can have dust."

"I don't have dust in my home, I thank you very much."

"Yeah, yeah. Bet I find some." I challenge. 

"Well if you do, then I will need a cleaner and guess who has just volunteered themselves." She giggles. 

"You wish. I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you too! Drive safe!"

After hitting up the second job of the day, I finally get home around 5pm. So consumed in online ordering the food for tonight, I don't see the items on the doorstep until I almost step on them.
Looking down, I find a small gift bag and some flowers sat on the doorstep. 

"What the..." I crouch down and pick up the flowers. There isn't a note with them but I place them in the crook of my arm.

I'm going for the gift bag when Mavis opens her door suddenly and smiles "Evening my dear."

"Good evening Mavis, how are you?"

"Wonderful. You?"

"I'm good thank you." I smile back before I realise I owe her an apology. "I'm sorry about Joel. He mentioned he had a run in with your broom."

She smirks slightly "He did."

"He said you thought he was an intruder."

"That is what I told him. But I decided to give him a good whack for his behaviour. I hadn't had the opportunity and after he hurt you.." She tuts before reaching out and patting my arm.

"You wicked woman.." I scold before winking "Thanks. You did a good one."

She laughs.

"I did my best. Now what are these?" She asks looking at the flowers in my arm. 

"A gift. Not sure why or who from. Did you see anyone around today?"

Like the wiser old woman, she zips her lips closed and shortly after says "There is a card in the gift bag, I believe."

"So you didn't see the person but saw that they left a card?" I guess.

"I am a woman of many talents, my dear."

With a playful roll of my eyes, I open up the giftbag with one hand before Mavis takes the flowers from me. The first item I pull out makes me frown.

"What is it?" She asks from behind the flowers.

"My purse..." I reply turning it over to find a small note stuck on the back.
'You forgot this. I am returning it.' 

"I didn't even know I had lost it." I answer before realising there was one more thing in the bag. Pushing my purse into my handbag, I pull out the second box. 

The next one is small, it's black and covered in soft velvet.

"Oooh what is that?" Mavis says shuffling closer to see. I'm left stunned as I open the box and see what is inside. 

"Oh my god.." I whisper in surprise. "It's-"

"Beautiful.. Rose Quartz. Real Madagascar Rose Quartz." Mavis says making me look over to her. "Antiques are my thing darling. That is the real deal. Who sent it?"

I have a suspicion from the item alone, but I don't want to confirm it..

Inside the box is, as Mavis said, a beautiful Rose Quartz rosary, with a silver crucifix, laid on a black cushion. There is a note on the inside of the box, which I had failed to notice before, because the beauty of this piece was stunning.

"I want you to believe... To believe in things you cannot." I read from the card.

"Mysterious." She says before taking one last look at the rosary.

It's funny how she uses the one word, I have used to described someone else as of late too. 

"Simply stunning. It will look beautiful against your tanned skin too. Whoever bought it, bought it with you in mind."

"Pink Quartz is one of the birthstones for October isn't it?" I ask. 

She thinks for a few seconds before nodding. "It is. Along with Opal and Tourmaline."

"My birthday is in October.."

"Well whoever bought it, certainly put thought into it." She answers. Mavis goes to speak when her phone begins to ring somewhere within her apartment. "I have to go my dear."

I take the flowers back "I'll see you soon." 

"Will do!" She sings heading for her door. 

I'm unlocking my front door and pushing it open when Mavis appears around her door jab. "Riley?"

"Yes?" I ask looking over to her. 

"That man, who dropped them off... Very handsome and polite. I like him." She then winks before disappearing inside leaving me to shake my head with a smile. 

Of course she would...