Chapter 1

I stepped out of the limo, and chastised myself for not waiting for the driver to run around and open the door first.  Sending him a disgusted look, I took a step away from him.  “You smell.  I would have thought that opening my door would be enough to let you know that I did not want you near me.”

The old man’s face dropped, and I had to stop myself from reaching out and pulling him into a hug while whispering that this was all an act.  This wasn’t who I truly was, only who I pretended to be.  “Yes, Miss Herring.”

Letting a small smile slip onto my face, I made my second mistake on the job.  “Call me Dorothy.”

The crows feet around his eyes deepened as he smiled at me.  “Hodge, you can call me Hodge.”

The way his eyes lit up, the way he straightened, I knew that the real Dorothy was just as nasty as I had thought she was.  If she wasn’t, why would the man state his name as if it was the first time I would have heard it?  I leaned towards him, making sure to keep the nasty look on my face.  If anyone were to look at the exchange, it would look as if I were reprimanding him, and by the look on Hodge’s face, he was waiting for me to lash out also.

“If I’m mean to you, you’ll understand, right?  It is not who I am, but what I have to do.”

Understanding flashed in the man’s eyes, and I knew he was smarter than he let on.  Was I naïve in thinking I could have a friend at this massive place, should I have kept my secret to myself?  It didn’t matter, because the fact of the matter was that it was too late.  I had already let the driver know I wasn’t who I seemed.

“Now, grab my bags,” I said, pulling away from him while rolling my eyes.  “The days in Fiji were amazing.”

“Gave you a nice tan, Miss.”

This time, I kept the smile off my face.  Hodge was a smart man indeed, noticing my small hints.  I had needed a way to explain why I was darker than the prissy heiress was, and a small trip to Fiji explained it. 

Walking behind Hodge, I scanned the area, trying to keep the fact that I was cataloging everything in my head a secret.  He went up the stairs, rolling my two bags behind him.  The heels clanked on the stone walkway, up the stairs, and paused while Hodge opened the door for me. 

“Your mother won’t touch you,” he mumbled, “but your father still loves you, no matter how mean spirited you are.”

I blinked at him, but didn’t say another word.  Putting my trust in the driver was a smart choice; I could see that now.  The man knew a lot, most likely more than all my people combined did.

A tall woman stepped out of a room to the left.  The sitting room, I acknowledged, remembering the floor plans I had studied before I came.  She was tall, and the saying cold flashed through my mind as I looked at her platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.  She looked at me, hesitance in her eyes and body language.  She didn’t know what to do with me, didn’t know how to handle my being here.

“Hello, Dorothy.”

“Hello, Mother.”

Her eyes widened, and Hodge coughed behind me.  Damn, why hadn’t Mitch briefed me better, told me the things Dorothy wouldn’t have said, wouldn’t have done? 

Before we could say another word, a man came from the same room.  This must be where Dorothy got her black hair from, because the man's hair was pitch black with lines of grey at his temples.  The smile on his face was genuine, the warmth in his eyes for me.  “You were gone for a week, but it felt like years,” he said while taking a step towards me.  His hand jerked out, and I placed mine in his.  He shook it before dropping it with a sad smile.  “The sun did wonders for you; you look more healthy, does she not, Lisa?”

“Lovely,” Lisa, Dorothy’s mother, mumbled.

The man nodded his head as if accepting the words.  “Good.  Now, Dorothy, we have your floor ready for you.  A bath should be drawn, bubbles in it just as you like.  While you are resting, we’ll have a small meal prepared for you.”

Inclining my head, I turned my back on them and began walking up the stairs.  Stopping midway, I glanced over my shoulder with narrowed eyes.  “Are you going to stand there all day or follow me with my bags?”

Hodge snapped to attention.  “Sorry, Miss,” he said in a cheerful voice while scrambling after me. 

Rolling my eyes, I didn’t say another word as I ascended the stairs.  Counting floors, I waited until I reached the third before stepping off the stairs.  It opened to a large sitting room, small rooms branching off in different directions.  I raised my eyebrow at the place. In the plans, they hadn’t put in the fact that there were virtually no doors.  Maybe one or two doors were on various rooms, one the bedroom and the other a bathroom.

Someone grunted behind me, reminding me that Hodge was behind me.  Turning towards him, I reached for a bag.  He shook his head at me while pulling it away from my grasp.  “You’re never alone,” he whispered.  “Remember that.”

Nodding, I took a step away from him.  He was right; I couldn’t let my conscious get in the way of this job.  There were always people watching, and if I couldn’t keep up the façade of being a bitch, my cover would be blown.  Dorothy would be compromised, they would try to find the woman, and our plan of catching one of the biggest crime bosses in the area would blow up in our faces.

“I am going to bathe,” I mumbled, knowing that my idea of asking Hodge questions would have to wait.  Maybe, the next time he drove me somewhere, I could drill him about how the house worked, what Dorothy did and didn’t do. 

Reaching for my bag, I sighed when he pulled it away again.  “It has my bath supplies.”

“I will bring it to the bathroom door for you, Miss.”

“Fine,” I mumbled, knowing that the man would get his way.

Kicking off the heels, I let out a sigh as my feet connected with the carpet.  This is what clouds must have felt like.  At least the woman had taste.  I had to admit that her floor was beautiful, the colors weren’t over the top, and the carpet was delightful.  Would they find it odd if I lay on the ground right now, ran my fingers through the carpet?  Most likely.

I stopped at the bathroom door and turned towards Hodge.  Holding my hand out, I let out a breath when he finally gave me my bag.  Inclining his head, he nodded towards where the bedroom was.  “I will place your other bag by your bed, Miss.  Do not forget the book you ordered me to buy.  It is in the first pocket.”

Even though I nodded in answer, the truth of the matter was that I didn’t order him to buy me a book.  Whatever the man was speaking of, he obviously wanted to keep it a secret.  I watched his back as he walked away.  If I played my cards right, made sure that I didn’t break my cover, I could make a good friend in Hodge, and maybe, when this was all over, I could get him a different job, one that he deserved.

My hand connected with the door, pushing it open.  Stepping inside of the bathroom, I smiled; letting Dorothy slip off my face was a relief.  I could smile; I could dance in circles if I wished.  I was in the bathroom, and no one was watching.  Reaching behind me, I went to push the door closed, but when it slammed shut on its own, I let out a surprised yelp. 

Someone pushed me against the door, and before I could stop them, their lips were on mine.  The man’s hands ran over my body while I stood there frozen.  Nowhere in the file had they said anything about a man. 

“Dorothy,” he groaned, snapping me back to the present.

I pushed on his chest, but he kept going, his hands grabbing at my thighs and lifting me up.  Wiggling, I pushed at him again.  “Stop,” I mumbled when he pulled away from my mouth.

His hands dropped, he looked at me in confusion.  “What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” I replied before mentally slapping myself.  He wasn’t asking me what was happening; he was asking me why I stopped him.  “I need a bath,” I told him with a smile.

He frowned at me before moving his body away from mine.  “As cold as ever,” he whispered while rolling his eyes.  His hands reached towards the buttons of his shirt.  His fingers unbuttoned one at a time, a blank expression on his face. 

My eyes widened.  Sure, I had done things for the job that I wasn’t proud of, but this was a little too much a little too fast.  My hand scrambled behind me.  As soon as I grabbed the doorknob, I yanked it open and made my exit.  Leaning against the door, I let out an audible groan.

“Have a nice bath?”

Jumping, I narrowed my eyes at Hodge.  His eyes were filled with amusement as he nodded towards the bathroom door. 

“Yeah, nice, surprising bath.  Get me out of here.”

He chuckled.  “There is a lot you need to learn, Miss.  Come, tell them you forgot about a hair appointment you made; we need to talk.”

He began walking away from me, but, to be honest, I was afraid to move, afraid that as soon as I took a step away from the door that the man on the other side of the door would escape. 

Hodge paused at the opening of the floor.  “Do not worry, Miss.  He stays until he knows no one will see him.”

My hands covered my face, as it turned red.  I definitely needed to have a talk with Hodge and another with Mitch.  This was turning upside down fast.  I pulled myself away from the door, but as I began walking away, I remembered where my phone was, in the bag, which was now in the bathroom with some mysterious hot man.  All I could do was follow Hodge to the stairs while hoping that whoever the man was, he wouldn’t answer the phone when Mitch called.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I glanced at the door attendant.  “Would you tell my parents I will not make it for dinner?  I have a hair appointment I just remembered.”

“Yes, Miss, but-”

“No buts,” I snapped with narrowed eyes.  “Do what I tell you or I will have your job.”

I could see the anger flash in the man’s eyes, but he just inclined his head.  “As you wish.”

“Good,” I said, sending him a smug sigh.  As I walked from the house, I could hear Hodge cough a laugh in front of me.  As we reached the limo, and he opened the door for me, I saw the smile on his face. 

“What?  Was I too hard on him?”

He looked over his shoulder and shook his head.  “Yes, the poor sap was trying to tell you that you forgot your shoes.”