He expected one room and for that room to be on the ground floor, where servants were usually housed, but they went up the back stairs from the kitchen and from there, they walked down the hall, toward a set of doors that had to be the main bedroom.
Passing the landing, he saw some of the foyer and doors that teased him. They mocked that they would open, but he’d not be allowed to cross that threshold. Trapped, he felt, and he didn’t much like it, but he tried to reason Rhianna had gotten into his head.
There was a door to the left that Mars opened and then stepped aside to allow Eli to enter. “This is your suite, Mr. Bloom.”
“Suite? I’m an employee.”
“Yes, and an important one. You’ll need to be close to Senator Madison. If he needs you, you’ll be close by.”
Eli gazed over at the double doors, the carvings there depicting angles and clouds. He guessed his experiences there would not be heavenly, but he had to push himself.
The suite was breathtaking. Light furniture and walls, deep rugs over the highly polished gray wood floors.
There was a wet bar in the back by the huge window, a window seat with soft beige pillows on either side. From there, Eli could see the garden, terrace, and trees, and off in the distance, a couple more of the lavish homes and greenery all over the rolling hills.
“This is just beautiful.”
“Senator Madison had it redone for you. It was a guest room previously. He wanted more of a homey feel for you.”
Eli turned, surprised by that. “That’s really nice of him.”
Without comment, he used two fingers to point to either side of the room where they stood. “Through the doors to your left is the bathroom, shower, tub, and plenty of towels and toiletries. To the right is your bedroom, and if you need anything changed, do let me know as soon as possible. Once your employment begins officially, you may not have time to ask.”
“That busy?”
“Yes. That busy.” He turned to start to leave, calling back to Eli, “Have a look around and if it’s to your liking, I’ll be in the kitchen, and we can finish things before you go.”
“Thanks,” he called, but the doors were already being closed.
The room was the perfect temperature, but that didn’t stop his body from breaking out in a sheen of sweat. The place was almost beach cottage style, except a more expensive version from any Eli had seen.
Soft linen couches faced each other in the center of the room, a brass and thick glass table between them holding rare and gorgeous seashells, and a crystal bowl with fresh peonies.
The wet bar had a small fridge, and it was filled with juices, expensive bottles of water, snacks, and fruits.
Above it was a miniature wine rack, with bottles the likes of which he’d never seen, all fifty years old or older. Another shelf there held the finest scotches and other spirits, as well as an ice maker below it.
The fireplace was wood burning and there was a small metal basket of wood next to the cast iron tools. On the mantle were candles and a crystal vase, with room for his own things. Not that his things would fit there.
He strolled to the bathroom and immediately forgot about the luxurious living room. There was a clawfoot tub on a platform, long gleaming faucet on the side perched over it. A walk-in shower was over to the right corner, huge showerhead in the center of the ceiling, more on the side along with five knobs to adjust the steam and flow of the water.
Everything was tiled in white and golden beige. Dual sinks sat on a counter that was longer than his present room in the house he shared. The mirrors over it were as thick as his finger and the edges beveled in a diamond pattern. Everything was clean and beautiful in the room, and there was an entirely separate room with a door for the toilet and bidet.
He didn’t think he could take another room, but he had to see the bedroom. When he did, he stood in the doorway, looking over everything from the impossibly high bed, the sleigh head and footboards, thick carpeting, and still thicker rugs on either side.
An armoire and two closets were to hold his clothes and other items, and another armoire held a television. A lounge chair was at the end of the bed, done in the same soft blue and white as the duvet. Half the bed was filled with pillows in different shades of white, blue, and tan.
A Tiffany lamp were on each nightstand, and on the left side was a gold box to set his jewelry in, if he had any besides his twenty-dollar Walmart watch.
When he found Mars in the kitchen again, even after he’d fallen in love with the suite, he had to know things he’d never ask Senator Madison. “Mars, what is this, really? I’m naïve, as my roommate likes to point out, but I’m not an idiot. No one pays this much, gives their employee all this, without wanting a lot in return.”
Mars’s eyes were less cold for that moment, and his pinched face softened. “I’ve been with the young Mr. Madison’s family for most of my life. My father was his grandfather’s butler. I have found that it’s better not to ask such questions. It…can be hard enough to take things day by day.”
“So, there is something else. Thanks, Mars, and for the record, I get it, that you can’t say.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bloom.”
“Call me Eli, please?”