Pieces of it All (12 page)

She placed her hand on the cold, sage colored granite. In the middle of the room was an island, fitted with its own sink and electrical outlets, and stainless steel appliances throughout. Four stools rested underneath the breakfast bar.

"This is spectacular," Harvey said. "I'm not so sure we can do this in five hours! Hell, I'm not even sure about ten!"

He was right. How could they possibly get this done? "We can't get every nook and cranny, it's not possible." Great. Her first job and she'd probably fail. Her aunt made this seem so simple, but holy crap this was a lot to do.

"Where should we begin?" Harvey asked. He looked around the room, absorbing the enormity of everything. "Let's start upstairs. Bedrooms."

"Do you think it makes sense for us each to focus on our own rooms? Maybe you go upstairs and I'll work down here? Or just clean room by room together?"

He loudly spoke as he went back into the breezeway for their cleaning supplies. "Let's head up and get the bedrooms done."

This didn't make sense to Beth, though. She chased after him. Unless they stood in the same room, it was near impossible to hear each other. "If this is a party, I'm sure the guests won't spend a lot of time up there. I think we get downstairs done first, and then do a little bit upstairs."

Harvey headed up the stairs. "Well, this is where I want to start."

She watched him disappear with a bag of cleaning supplies. She couldn't figure out the logic in working on the bedrooms. The kitchen, the dining and sitting room, these were the places that would be filled with people. Ugh. It all laid on her to get the downstairs clean. Great. Granted, she
was
supposed to clean the entire house herself anyway, and her parents assumed she was there alone, so if she had to clean the main area herself, what was the big deal? They'd get so much more done if they worked together, though. Screw it. He could do it himself. Holding back a grunt of annoyance, she evaluated the rooms. The caterer's needed a clean kitchen, so she'd start there.

Beth stood in the gigantic kitchen, uncertain of where, or even how, to start. She didn't have any cleaning experience outside of her bedroom, and that was mediocre at best, which her mom proved many times over by redoing everything Beth touched. What should she do first? Clean the counters? Wash the dishes? Should she sweep? She had to start somewhere. Counter tops. That's what she'd do.

Harvey had taken the dusting supplies with him upstairs. She started to take her spray cleaner and rags out of the bucket and put them on the counter. She reached into her shorts pocket, grabbed a rubber band and pulled her hair back. She knew she'd get hot and didn't want her hair in her way. Today she chose to wear small jean shorts and a cute yellow tank top with lace around the edges. This way she didn't have any sleeves and have to worry about rolling them up. It didn't matter if she got grimy and dirty. She turned on the faucet, placing her hands underneath, waiting for the ice water to warm. She rang the soaked rag out, tossed it on the counter and picked up the spray and spritzed all around.

"This is crazy," she said out loud. "Hopefully this won't take too long." She picked up the rag and began to rub the cleaner in by pressing in a circular motion. The smooth, masculine counters were cool to the touch. She imagined what her bare skin would feel like against this granite counter top. She pictured herself sitting there, legs wrapped around Harvey, his head nestled between her breasts, licking and tickling her while she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling at it. Stop. She had to stop these lusty fantasies. She shouldn't have dirty thoughts in a stranger's home, but she couldn't help it. She imagined Harvey upstairs, cleaning the bedroom. What did it look like? Did Dr. Naise share his bedroom with a woman and were pictures of them together scattered around? She envisioned a silk robe hanging off the hook in the bathroom. Once she finished the downstairs, she'd feed her curiosity and check it out. She continued to scrub the counter tops until she had cleaned every square inch.

She placed the dirty rag in the second bucket they brought with them for laundry. She washed her hands in the sink to get rid of any of the cleaning residue she left behind. A pond in the backyard caught her gaze. It wasn't enough to live along a lake. What a view to see every morning! "This is gorgeous." She wanted to share this moment with Harvey, and went to find him.

The first room Harvey found himself in must've been Dr. Naise's bedroom. The masculine decor shouted single, eligible bachelor. Numerous shades of brown spread throughout the wood floor, reminding him of the rings of a tree. A rug filled with reds and creams covered the floor underneath a sleigh bed. He had seen those types of rugs before at carpet stores, and they ran thousands of dollars. His striped bedding matched the rustic red curtains touching the ground. A sliding door with fogged glass caught his eye. He set the cleaning supplies he had brought up with him down carefully, as though just enough pressure would damage the beautiful wood. He put his hand on the door and slowly slid it open.

The flooring continued into the small room with drawers of various sizes from the floor to the ceiling on either side. Halfway up, directly in front of him, they stopped to allow crisp, white dress shirts to hang. Recessed lighting highlighted the clothing. This man had swag. If Harvey hadn't become an alcoholic and ruined any chance of rising to the top, this is what he would have striven for. Dr. Naise, featured in local magazines, flaunted his riches with his expensive taste. He probably fucked models, maybe more than one at a time, and tossed money at them. Money and pussy. He probably had it all.

He opened the drawers one by one, revealing dress socks, T-shirts folded perfectly, and boxer briefs. A man with a closet like this had jewelry of some sort. Expensive cologne bottles and tie tacks filled the middle drawer. He slid open the third one. Jackpot. Six watches lined up in a row with today's missing. "Son of a bitch. This guy's got one for every day of the week." He wrapped and tightened one around his wrist. Damn, it looked sweet on his arm. He returned it to its slot. Too obvious. The second Dr. Naise opened the drawer he would know something was missing.

Next to the watches, a square drawer with a tiny knob hid. He touched the knob, exhaling the breath caught in his chest. He opened the drawer, a gold band stared back at him, the perfect circle laying on the suede lining. He picked it up with his index finger and thumb and brought it closely to his eyes. No inscription was present on the smooth gold, nor did recognizable scratches or dents exist. A perfect band, one that would be ideal for marriage. Unless the Doctor had a serious girlfriend, Harvey doubted he intended this ring for a woman. More than likely it was a family heirloom or a gift of appreciation due to his own generosity.

Harvey never remembered his mother wearing a wedding band in the picture he had. He looked for one, but he couldn't see one on her finger. His parents must've been married. It sure would've been nice if his father gave him her ring. He didn't have anything of his mother's. He craved for something he could hold onto, knowing it had touched her skin, felt her warmth. How could his father have
nothing?
Not one thing in the house belonged to a woman, unless it was a pair of nasty underwear from one of the tramps his father brought home and fucked senseless until kicking her out the next morning. Harvey's mom wouldn't have worn something flashy. No. Not from the picture. She was classy, conservative. If she had a wedding band, it probably would've been much like this one. He slid the ring into his pocket. "Ouch!" He sucked on his finger after slamming it shut when Beth called his name. He hopped up from his sitting position, raced out of the closet and closed the door. He grabbed the dusting spray and sprayed some onto the dresser and began wiping.

Beth appeared in the doorway. "How are things going up here, Harvey? I think I'm done in the kitchen."

"Already? That was pretty fast." How long had he been in the closet snooping?

"I didn't have you to distract me." She winked. "Are you finished?"

He sprayed more on the dresser again and wiped a few smudges. "I think so." He wanted to be finished. Dr. Naise's bed was right there, unused, the bedding perfectly smoothed out. Looking at Beth in those short shorts, he wanted to rip them off of her and toss her on the bed. She got his dick so hard. He didn't know how much longer he could go with only the kissing. Her lips were incredible, and they'd be even more incredible wrapped around his cock.

"Let's get to work together on the rest of the house. I'm sure Dr. Naise will appreciate a clean bedroom, but I think most of the guests will stay downstairs."

Harvey grabbed the rag and dusting spray in flustered agreement. The list of dirty things he wanted to do in the room was endless. "Okay. We'll work together to get this done soon. I'll just do a quick dusting and sweeping of the rooms. It should only take about ten minutes. Meet you downstairs?

Beth bounced on her toes and rubbed her hands together. "I'll be waiting," she said. She was so sweet the way she relished every moment, even something as mundane as cleaning. Beth represented the good side of everything, even him.

Chapter Fourteen

No matter how old a girl was, one thing remained certain – a daughter always needed her mother. If Beth realized anything after cleaning Dr. Naise's house, other than she actually did a good job, was she found herself falling for Harvey, hard and fast. She liked her boyfriends in the past and they had done "stuff" together, but her body reacted with unrecognizable emotions when with Harvey. The way her cheeks flushed as his eyes met hers sent a sensation through her unlike one she had ever experienced. She kept imagining him naked, something she hadn't done before. When she lay in bed at night, she felt him next to her, touching her, her nipples hardening, waking up every morning with wet panties. She knew this was it.

With her newfound feelings for Harvey, she had to talk to her mom, even if her mom were a little apprehensive about him. Opening up regarding him without being asked won her bonus points.

Her mom was engrossed in a novel, probably the next read in her book club. The only time she didn't appear to be nursing a migraine lately was when a book kept her busy. Beth believed escaping into a fictional world and into someone else's reality served as a natural stress reliever.

"What are you reading?" Beth waited at the entrance of the living room for her mom to extend an invitation to chat.

She glanced up from the pages, and set the book on the coffee table. "Oh, this thing? An old romance novel."

Beth leaned against the door frame, resting her hands at her hips. "Do you have a second to talk?"

"Sure. I always have time for you." She patted the empty seat next to her. "Come sit down."

She curled her leg underneath her butt, not able to resist glancing at the novel her mom had been reading. The cover doted a muscular man, shirtless, long blond hair cascading down his back, his head lifted in arrogance. A dark haired female in a pink ruffled dress was nestled into his neck, her breasts popping out from the top.
Gross
. "Nice, Mom," she teased.

Her mom patted her on the knee. "We don't always read a literary masterpiece in book club. Sometimes we want a good old-fashioned romance." They both laughed. "Speaking of romance, how are things going with Harvey?"

"Pretty well, actually."

Her mom began to pick at her cuticle on her thumb. "So I've heard. Sue said Harvey went with you. You didn't mention he was joining you."

"Would you have agreed?" Beth asked.

She answered with a sigh. "I'm not sure, Beth. This is the first time you've lied to us. I'm a little upset you didn't tell me."

"I figured you'd be mad." She also assumed she would find out. Sue never kept her yap shut. "I didn't want to clean that humongous house by myself. It would've taken me all day and night. We finished by noon, and had fun." She remembered Harvey carrying her into the mansion.

"I never considered cleaning fun, but I guess a cute guy makes a difference." She remained focused on Beth. "Remember what we talked about and try not to let things move too fast," she added. "I'm glad he went with you if you weren't comfortable. When I suggested Sue's business to you, it didn't occur to me you might feel unsafe in these houses alone. If Harvey goes with you, fine. I'll talk to your father. But you need to be..." She reached forward and stroked Beth's hair. "Careful."

Now or never.
She pulled her leg out from under her butt, squeezing her knee close to her chest. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." God, was she actually bringing up the birds and the bees with her mom? Never in a million years did she think this would happen. She spent much of her time as a teenager avoiding this discussion. These feelings she had for Harvey, they overwhelmed her. She
wanted
to have sex with him. She
needed
to. She'd be denying her body its most natural desire if she didn't satisfy the need. She took a deep breath. She'd get through this conversation. "We're spending a lot of time together. In a few weeks I go off to college. A lot of girls are headed unattached, and they probably plan on going to tons of parties and hanging out with a lot of guys. I don't want to be part of that crowd."

"You don't need to be." She rested her hand on the back of the couch. "I wasn't. I focused on school, which you should too."

It didn't make sense why someone who thought education was so important never finished college. She had spent years pounding the importance of higher learning into Beth's brain, yet she'd been a housewife for the past eighteen years. Each time an opening presented itself for this conversation, Beth managed to close it.

She pulled her hair into a small ponytail with her hand, and let it flow over her shoulder. "I wasn't quite done."

Tipping her head to the side, her mom replied, "Oh?"