SSMM Ch24

“I have to show some CCL solidarity too. Ingrid’s my sister.” Ava shrugs. “Let’s not screw up her thing.”

“God. I have gotten so out of touch with people who are not sociopathic narcissists.”

“It’s hot, right? How sweet I am?”

“It so is,” Jane says with a snort. “Smart too. There’s stuff I should wrap up. This way it won’t be hanging over me.”

“I’ll help. I got Annette her deal. I did my part. I’m all yours,” Ava says.

“This is going to sound weird, but this might be the best date I’ve ever been on,” Jane replies.

“This is a date?”

“Yes. And we need to get dressed, but it’s late. I’m done doing effort,” Jane declares, setting off down the hallway. “How much luggage did you even bring? Do you need to borrow something?”

“I have stuff. Nothing cute.”

“You want to meet in the kitchen in ten?”

“Sure.”

As Ava returns to her room, Karina enters the hallway. She looks startled at the sight of Ava, but only for a moment. There’s a little blush, then a wave, which Ava returns. They can both play it cool. But Karina’s not playing. Ava’s an easy enough simp that she would have absolutely, unquestionably spent the night with Christy. Karina’s being smart. She and Christy do have a professional relationship. In her mind, Ava salutes Karina as she undresses and climbs into the shower. She’s not gross or anything, but that stuff with Chitose was intimate and she’s been going through this day always in various states of arousal. She doesn’t want to smell like sweat or like the other thing.

She towels off, leaves her damp hair down, and puts on clean shorts and an undershirt that she would normally sleep in. All bras are inherently tyrannical, but doubly so for women built like Ava. She chooses freedom and heads to the kitchen, where she finds Jane wearing cute, short, teal jammies. It’s a matching set. Stunning.

“I feel like I’m Aladdin and you’re Jasmine,” Ava says.

“I’m literally a maid. You went to college and work for a big company,” Jane notes.

“I don’t have anything like that.” Ava gestures at her outfit.

“One of the guests,” Jane makes quotes, “Left them. Which means there’s a non-zero chance that Viv’s hand has been in here.” She plucks at the shorts.

Ava tries not to laugh. “Neat.”

“Right?”

“What are we doing?”

“Just loose ends. People I didn’t see after dinner,” Jane’s about to go on, but she jumps in surprise at a particularly loud crash of thunder. The rain pounds the windows harder. “And there’s that. It’s finally getting serious, so we need to make sure everything’s closed down the way that it should be.”

“I guess that’s not the type of thing that Viv thinks to worry about,” Ava says, following her out of the kitchen.

“She’s not completely helpless, but right now she’s thinking about you. Or me. Or the Swedes, I don’t know. And she’s drunk. On nights when she doesn’t drink and she’s not horny, she’s really not that bad.”

“Must not be, or you wouldn’t still work here.”

“Truth.”

There’s a lot of stuff on the first floor. Jane is checking doors and windows, which is easy enough for Ava to help with.

“She didn’t eat her food,” Jane explains as they go to Hailey’s door. “I just need to make sure she doesn’t need a tampon or some ibuprofen or something. We get that sometimes. Lots of guests here, and they’ll forget something or need something and be too embarrassed to ask.”

“You are cool and beautiful and I bet when you’re working normally you are not the most approachable,” Ava says. “Like, I wouldn’t want to ask you for a tampon.”

“Is this flattery? I can’t tell,” Jane notes. They reach the door and she knocks gently. “Hi, Hailey. It’s Jane, the maid. Just checking to see if you need anything.”

“The hot maid,” Ava corrects her.

“I should get my business card changed.”

There’s no answer. Jane simply unlocks the door and opens it to peek in.

“Hailey?” she says.

There’s a lumpy shape in the bed, lit by the TV. Jane closes the door and shrugs at Ava.

“I don’t want to wake her up.”

“She’s fine,” Ava agrees. They’ve all been there.

The next stop is Kia, who is visibly uncomfortable. A drop of sweat rolls down her forehead as she answers the door, holding her robe shut tightly.

“What’s up?” she asks.

“Last call if you need anything,” Jane tells her.

“I’m good.”

“OK. Sweet dreams.”

Kia shuts the door.

“She didn’t seem great,” Ava notes once they’re away from there.

“Well, she is in some kind of thing with Aubrey.”

“I’m telling you that Viv knows and she doesn’t care,” Ava says. “I’m calling it right now.”

“It would still be hard for Kia. What if she wants more? What if she’s the jealous one? What if she wants to be the one Aubrey’s snuggling with all night?”

“What’s Aubrey like?” Ava asks as they enter the foyer.

“Fakest bitch to ever walk this cursed earth,” Jane replies without hesitation.

“Way to embody trophy wife stereotypes. Judgy.”

“Oh, I’m not judging.”

“You admire her.”

“I admire her honesty.”

Ava snorts. “I’d have put my bra on if I’d known we were coming up here,” she says as they climb to the door to Viv’s part of the house.

“It’s fine.”

They head inside, where they find Annette sitting beside Viv on one couch with Ingrid and Ebba on the other. The proceedings look refreshingly professional and civilized. Viv and Annette are both still drinking, but they’re keeping it together respectfully enough. Viv seems… a little bored, although at their entrance she tears her eyes away from Ingrid’s chest.

“Hi,” she says.

“Last check before bed,” Jane says brusquely.

Viv’s eyes follow her. Ava smiles and waves as she passes.

Jane knocks, then enters the massive bedroom suite at the rear of the apartment. The room has many noteworthy features, but Ava’s eyes are drawn to the huge, heart-shaped bed, where Aubrey lies on her belly on the crimson sheets in a nightie that hides absolutely nothing.

“Babe?”

“It’s just me,” Jane says, going to check the windows.

“Oh.” Aubrey sits up and puts her phone aside, frowning at the sight of Ava. “Oh. Hello, stranger who is seeing me in sexy mode.”

“You look amazing. I’m not a stranger. I’m Annette’s beautiful assistant.”

Aubrey laughs. Jane vanishes into the master bath.

“I love your toes,” Ava says.

“Right?” Aubrey lifts one foot and wiggles them, showing off the flawless, glossy paint. “Cobalt Tahoe Glitter. That’s what it’s called. It’s cute, right?”

“It’s amazing.”

Jane emerges from the bath, snapping her fingers at Aubrey. “Those windows need to stay locked,” she says, pointing.

“You know I don’t touch that stuff. And you aren’t the boss of me. I’m the boss of you. Come gimme a shoulder rub.” Aubrey scoots to the edge of the bed and does a little shimmy.

Jane strides over and rubs her shoulders. Ava half-expects Aubrey to be weird about it, but she just sighs, appearing to enjoy it. Ava’s a little jealous.

“I need a favor,” Aubrey says.

“What?” Jane asks.

“At midnight, call me and stay in the call for a minute or two.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Jane takes a deep breath but keeps rubbing. Then she shrugs. “OK.”

“Thanks.”

Ava feels much better when they’re out of there.

“Sounded like they were wrapping up,” Jane says as they head down to the first floor. “Showtime.”

“You’re enjoying this a lot.” Ava kind of gets it. Jane is… pretending here in her job. Finally doing something saucy must be cathartic. It probably also helps that she’s been blueballing herself for all this time and now hopes to get laid.

She leads Ava to her room.

“I only have two suits,” Jane says apologetically, holding them up on hangers.

“Um, the pool is outside in the storm.”

“We aren’t going to the pool.”

“Quit jerking me around. What’s this plan?” Ava asks. Both of Jane’s bikinis are blue. They’re both halters. She takes the lighter of the two.

“Hot tub,” Jane replies, stripping down. Oh. She’s getting naked right here.

Ava doggedly plays it cool and takes off her clothes.

“It’s over by the workout room. Perfect view from Viv’s room and her bathroom. She’s gonna see us and she’s have feelings. I’ve done this before. She always looks. One hundred percent hit rate. But she’s never seen me in there with someone else.”

With difficulty, Ava concentrates on dressing herself and not watching Jane. She wiggles and situates her bottoms. Jane’s suit is tight up top and a little loose downstairs, but perfectly wearable. It’s not the weirdest thing she’s walked around this house in. It’s not even the weirdest thing she’s walked around in during the last hour.

“Ready?” Jane’s waiting, holding her hand out.

Ava’s heart skips.

“Guess so,” she says, embarrassed as she takes Jane’s hand. Together, they leave the room and make their way down the hall.

“In a perfect world, Viv sees us, gets all horned up, and then takes it out on the woman that she’s actually married to, and they have a great night,” Jane says.

“That would be for the best,” Ava agrees. “What will actually happen?”

“She’ll come to join us. The only question is how long it’ll take her to show up and how she’ll play it. What do you think? Less than ten minutes? Or more?”

“What do I get if I’m right?”

“That’s a surprise.”

Ava’s pretty sure she knows what the surprise is.

How long will it take their little prank to summon Viv? Less than ten minutes? Or more?