The Second Wife by Melinda Mulera (book club reads .txt) 📗

I had been sitting in the reception for the entire day and was overjoyed to see it come to an end. I wanted nothing more than to rest under a working fan and doze off to slumber after having a large spaghetti bowl with a heavy creamy garlic sauce and grilled chicken. The thought of it alone made my mouth water as I stared at the clock hungrily.

"Madness!" I jumped when a loud bang filled my ears, causing Linda to jump awake by it too. We both glanced towards the source and it was just Mrs Melding whom, as a matter of fact, looked angry beyond measure.

I did not recall seeing Mr Bronze's visitor leave the the building.

"You, you sent me there!?" She asked as she shot me a nasty glare. "Got me fired!"

"But you're the best from all of us..." I said in a mummer as I stood up and walked to the desk nervously, too afraid to approach her when I could feel she could reach out and rip my neck apart.

"Mr Bronze isn't human, that man is a beast and doesn't care whether you do a good job or not. He requests you go serve them for the rest of the three hours because I failed at it." She rolled her eyes and span on her heel and left for the doors.

"You'll get fired too!" Linda gasped at me. "Mrs Melding has enough money to last her remaining years from the fat tips she got but you... You just started three years ago! Plus you're terrible at pouring anything."

"I'll do my best..." I sighed out and turned for the elevator. "Wait but my shift is almost done!"

"You only need three hours, go before he fires you for doing nothing!" She yelled and I sighed out in boredom. "I'll make you dinner and you can pass by to eat!" With that, I instantly smiled and nodded excitedly as I stepped into the elevator.

"Make it spaghetti and grilled chicken!" I yelled and she chuckled with a nod of her head.

I clicked the golden floor button and sighed as the doors closed.

What's wrong with Mr Bronze? Mrs Melding was the best assistant this hotel had to offer and he was calling for a woman who always shook when she poured. Sometimes.

When the doors opened, the expensive lavender sent from the corridor greeted my nostrils as if telling me 'welcome, to hell'. I took in a sharp breath and walked over to the door 255.

Maybe it was my fault that Mrs Melding got fired, he must have gotten angry with my words and he is plotting to embarrass me and fire me personally.

I clenched my jaw at the thought and sighed as I knocked at the door before opening it slowly. I took a slight peep inside only to gasp at the size of the apartment.

This was just ridiculous. They were practically owning a house.

"Come in." I heard Mr Bronze say from somewhere in the room and I opened the door fully and stepped in.

Closing the door behind me, I spotted them out on the balcony and I made a beeline to them in seconds. I stepped outside and kept a good distance from them as they had taught us.

"Wow, this one is sexy!" The visitor who was in fact almost Mr Bronze's age but probably older chimed when his eyes landed on me, almost causing me to cringe in disgust. "I like this one more."

"Mh." Mr Bronze nodded as he deliberately chugged down half of the glass of wine he had in his glass and held it to me. "Pour."

I glanced around for the trolley with the wine only to spot it behind me in a bucket of ice. I quickly picked it up and flicked the lid open and walked to them, already feeling wobbly.

As gently as I could, I tilted the glass to his visitor first who also deliberately chugged down his full glass for me to pour. Successfully done with the first one and yet he laughed but didn't say anything. I turned to Mr Bronze and clenched my jaw when he was giving me a dirty look like before. I trialed his eyes down to my shirt and I cursed under my breath when a button had loosened itself under the set of buttons I had loosened earlier. At this point, the beginning of my bra was well out for the world to see.

I decided to ignore him and poured as gently as I could only to loose grip of the bottle for a moment, I successfully caught it before it could fall to the ground and smiled triumphantly. I looked up only to gasp in terror when the bottle was half way done and most of it had poured onto Mr Bronze who, as a matter of fact, was staring at me with an annoyed expression.

"So sorry!" I gasped as I grabbed the towels from the tray and quickly began to rinse him dry from his hair and then his face. I pulled the wet towel from him to grab a clean one when I gasped at what I had just done to him.

Not only did I completely mess his hair, but I also got a bit of the gel all over his face and part of his shirt, staining it a little.

"Sh*t...." I whispered under my breath as I stood aside and glanced at the ground. "I'm sorry."

His visitor burst out laughing as though things weren't as worse as it was and embarrassing me even more.

Mr Bronze slowly rose from his seat and I was expecting a slap to the face or 'you're fired!', but he simply sighed and began to unbutton his shirt.

"I need a bath, sorry to cut your visit short uncle." Mr Bronze said as he wiped his hands with the towel before reaching out for his uncle to shake.

"It's alright, you can always see me next year." The man chuckled and I frowned when they both glanced at me. I glanced at the ground as my cheeks heat up from complete embarrassment. "She's a funny one."

"Painful, I would say." Mr Bronze said and I glanced up at him through my lashes. "You can at least prepare a bath right?" He asked as he stared at me with thin lips, showing he was clearly displeased with me.

"Yes I can." I said as I stood straight, knowing I was given a second chance. "S-Should I prepare one for you?" I asked and he nodded and the instant I got the confirmation, I ran into the apartment to get away from their mocking eyes.