She closed her eyes against the glaring light of the afternoon sun as it poured in through the windows. She needed to get her head on straight. She needed to put aside the wants of her body and make sure that her babies were first in all things. They were the most important thing in her life. Her job was gone, which meant her sliver of savings would dwindle quickly. Not for the first time since hearing she was carrying twins, the idea of David’s money helped lift some of the burden of worry. But then the weight of her obligations to David for that money pressed down on her. David might be calling his babies an investment, but where did that leave her? The babies weren’t there yet, so she couldn’t rightly consider any of the money he would spend on her as part of his “investment.”
She could work. Perhaps the hotel had an opening for a maid or a laundress? She could work for her own food and necessities, and let David spend his money on whatever the babies would need once they arrived.
Expensive clothes, shoes, bags, manicures…. David had all but compared her to Rinna, the bitch who used him for all she could get and then expected to lie to his face and get away with it.
Damn, that woman had really done a number on David—which pretty much fucked up any chance Diana had at having any sort of amiable relationship with her babies’ daddy. Would she attempt to seek any connection to a man who turned her world upside down and continued to spin her until she didn’t know which way was up?
It was bad enough that they’d had sex again, even though she told herself she wouldn’t give in to him again. It was like she was an addict and he was the crack cocaine. She couldn’t not see him without wanting to take a hit, fill her veins with his nearness, fill her body and soul with the pleasure he could give her. And now that her heart was involved, she was more a mess than ever. A lot had happened since that last time, though.
Sighing, Diana sat on the couch beside the in-suite phone and picked it up, dialing the front desk.
“Thank you for calling the Serata Incantata, this is Melia, how may I direct your call?” a sweet, too happy voice asked.
“Melia, can you direct my call to the manager, please?”
“Certainly. Hold a moment, please,” Melia chirped, making Diana cringe. What did she have to be so happy about? Grumbling, Diana realized she was taking her anxiety out on the poor woman, and hated herself for it.
“Hello, this is Ms. Travato, how can I help you Miss Bluth?”
Diana sputtered. How did the woman know it was her? Then it hit her…she was calling from the penthouse suite. Everyone knew who she was.
“I would like to inquire about any open positions within your hotel.”
“Open positions?” Ms. Travato parroted. “As in a job?”
“Yes.”
There was a heavy silence on the other line, but then Ms. Travato replied, “I do believe there is a position open in the laundry room.”
“Perfect,” Diana blurted, eager to take whatever she could.
More silence. “If you are certain… Please meet me in my office within the hour.”
Diana hung up the phone with an inkling of purpose, the first she’d felt since being escorted from the Kilgore, Ayers, and Beecham offices.
Taking the next forty minutes to unpack her clothes into the large dresser and armoire in the master bedroom, Diana grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit in the chef’s kitchen. The penthouse hotel room was basically a penthouse apartment, complete with room service and other thousand-dollar amenities.
With a job and a kitchen, she wouldn’t make use of room service. David’s investment didn’t include Diana’s strange new pregnancy craving for grilled cheese and pickle sandwiches. She’d put food in her own belly, but she’d certainly spend tons of David’s money on the gear she bookmarked on the Target Baby site.
Descending to the lobby, Diana headed toward the front desk. The woman there smiled at her, recognition shining in her eyes.
“Ms. Travato is waiting for you. Please follow me, Miss Bluth.”
Not surprised at the well-oiled machine that was the Incantata, Diana followed the fresh-faced woman down a long hallway, through a set of swinging double doors, and down another hallway. The woman stopped right outside a large oak door, the nameplate beside it read Mona-Lisa Travato – Manager.
The woman knocked a single time then opened the door.
“Diana Bluth here to see you, Ms. Travato.”
“Come right in, Miss Bluth.”
Diana held her breath and crossed the threshold into a room she wasn’t expecting. Yes, it looked like an office, but rather than it being as pristine and organized as the rest of the building, it was cluttered, on every surface, with paperwork, what looked like fabric swatches, and thick binders filled to overflowing.
“Please don’t mind the mess. I am in the midst of preparations for remodeling the owner’s suite.”
Diana smiled. “I can understand the mess then, and besides, it doesn’t bother me at all.” She wasn’t as…stuffy as most of the other guests that stayed at the Incantata. She didn’t mind a mess as long as it had a purpose. Diana took a seat in the empty seat across the desk from Ms. Travato.
The door behind her closed, signaling the departure of her escort.
“Now,” Ms. Travato began, leaning forward in her seat. “Tell me why you are seeking a position at the Incantata. I am aware that your room is paid for and that we are to put all of your expenses on the room.”
A sick twisted in Diana’s gut. “I would rather pay my own way. I know I cannot afford the nightly rate for the room, but I can at least afford to buy and prepare my own foods, and use my own toiletries. I might be here against my better judgement, but I
