Chapter 3: The First Day

*Kennedy*

The smell of deep-fried dough hit my nose first, drawing me out of bed like a beignet starved zombie. I stumbled into the kitchen with blurry eyes but could see the doughy goodness on our cheap linoleum kitchen countertop placed neatly on plates. I also spotted two to-go-coffee cups which I knew were filled with Cafe au lait. Not even bothering to sit down, I inhaled one of the beignets while standing over the kitchen sink.

"Geez Ken, you'd think the beignet police were coming to get you by the way you're inhaling that." Hannah said, sitting at our kitchen table. I was surprised to see her out of bed so early in the morning.

"Thanks," I choked out on powdered sugar, taking a sip of the warm coffee to wash everything down. "You didn't have to get these, I could've eaten cereal."

"We always eat cereal," she rolled eyes, "plus this is a congratulation on your new job, you have to start the day off right. I was feeling good this morning and needed to stretch my legs and get out, the apartment has been claustrophobic lately."

It was good to see Hannah well enough to walk a few blocks, it had been several weeks since she felt like that. Her illness had kept her inside most of the time, she was either too weak or too sick to go outside for longer than five minutes. As soon as I got my first paycheck I was going to splurge and surprise her with some nice outdoor furniture for our balcony, which was currently being used as a retreat for stray cats, but if there was something comfortable out there, I know she would enjoy the fresh air.

"Your dad would be proud of you, you know," she cooed.

I'd like to think he would be. The five years before his death were a struggle, he had never been good with holding down a job and by the time I went into my first year of college I had lost my dad to cancer, our house, his small savings, and my college fund that I had been putting money into since I got my first job at thirteen to pay for his medical bills. I had to live off of student loans and odd jobs. I didn't regret any of it, because all that money prolonged my dad's life just long enough for him to see me graduate. He was the only blood related family I had left. He had no brothers and sisters, his parents long had passed, and my mother had left us when I was three months old, never to be seen or heard from again. I desperately wanted my family back, so when Hannah was my roommate my first year in college, I had officially adopted her into my family, whether she liked it or not.

When Hannah got sick during our freshman year of college and had to drop out, she moved back home with her mother, her father moved to Canada, made a new family and forgot all about her. Her mother was pretty useless, she was never home, unemployed, and refused to take care of Hannah. So, after freshman year, I moved us into this rundown apartment that never had hot water, electrical outages every other week, and peeling paint on the walls. She never complained though, and I happily took her to her appointments, cleaned and fed her when she didn't have enough energy to move, and supplied her with medication. Hannah had been in and out of hospitals since her illness began. Doctors can't identify what is wrong with her, there is no prognosis or diagnosis, but eventually her vital organs would fail her if they don't figure something out.

"Thanks Hannah," I smiled tightly, trying not to let the tears in my eyes fall, "I should probably get ready, don't want to be late."

It would take thirty minutes to get to the Massi's, twenty minutes alone to get out of the city and I was hoping my car that I rarely used would make it. I hadn't driven it in weeks, I walked everywhere, and Tia's was less than a mile away. Eager to get an early start, I quickly showered, washing away the beignet remnants I knew I still had on my face. I took time to brush my hair and do my makeup, hoping to make a good impression. I hadn't spoken with either of the Massi men yet, all communication had been through their assistant, Grace. I still wasn't sure why they decided to hire me without a proper meeting, so I wanted to look my best. Swiping on red lipstick and a few coats of mascara was my idea of cleaning up. I let my muddy blonde hair fall naturally to my shoulders. I had intentions to keep it down, but I knew by the end of the day it would end up on the top of my head. I grabbed my bag off the counter, but hesitated at the fridge, I wasn't sure about the lunch situation. Would there be a kitchen I could use to warm up food, what about filling up my water bottle? A wave of anxiety flushed through me. I decided to go with light snacks for the day, just to ease my nerves about it all and shoved a sleeve of crackers, granola bar, and banana in my bag. Hannah had moved to the couch with a pile of new books I had picked up from the thrift store for her and the laptop I had built off of used parts.

Hannah had consumed all her time reading books, when she found out that she could make some money doing book reviews, she dove into it. It was work she could do without leaving the house and it didn't require a set schedule. We had agreed that I would pay for all the bills, including her increasing medical costs, and whatever small money she made from book reviews she would put into savings, and we were only to use it if we absolutely had to. The Massi's were paying me more money than I thought I deserved, but I wasn't going to get paid for another month with them. Tia was happy to give me a partial advancement on my paycheck to help with all our expenses, but it would leave us short on rent for the month, leading us to dip into her savings. Hannah decided to get in a few more reviews than normal to subsidize the money we were going to use.

Worried that she was going to push herself too much. Reading and writing weren't exhausting, but her energy was minimal. "Don't overdo it Hannah, we will be fine in a month or two once all that money comes in."

"I am not worried about it, before long we will have more money than we will know what to do with, and maybe by then you can afford to buy some clothes that aren't so depressing."

I looked down at my long pencil skirt that went nearly to my mid calves. I wasn't exactly tall, short was in my gene pool, my dad was on the shorter side, and I guess so was my mom. The skirt was all I could find in such a short amount of time at the thrift store, and the black button-up blouse was plain, but I staple I could wear over again. I was a jeans, jean short, and t-shirt kind of girl, with the occasional casual dress when it was really hot outside. I had no idea how to dress my body for work.

"I can't believe you will be working with Lucas Massi," Hannah beamed, "he is so sexy. I don't know if I could be in the same room with him without fainting. I'm so jealous and will need to know every single detail when you get back."

"I am there to work, I don't need to be drooling over my new boss. Also have you seen the women he has been pictured with, they are all tall and gorgeous and well put together, I am short and nerdy and kind of a mess."

"But such a cute, hot mess." Hannah quipped back, "But you're probably right, you shouldn't get involved with your boss, especially one that pays so well. I also heard a rumor that they were part of the mafia anyway."

I breathed out a sarcastic laugh, "Where do you hear this stuff? I swear that family has new rumors about them every hour. They are probably just as normal as me and you."

"Right," she screeched sarcastically, "normal" she mouthed silently, and air quoted with her fingers, "you can't have over a billion dollars and be normal."

"They don't have a billion dollars, the company does, there is a difference. Anyway, I've got to go, don't want to be late." I hefted my bag that could carry a small child over my shoulder.

"Have a good day, and if you see anyone wearing tracksuits and gold chains, run for it, the money isn't worth the jail time." She laughed to herself as I closed the door behind me.

***

As I pulled through the long willow tree lined driveway, I was surprised at how secluded the house was, especially being so close to the city. I was expecting a traditional southern mansion with columns from porch to roof, and plantation shutters framing the large windows, but instead the creamy colored sandstone that acted as the siding of a very modern, boxy hacienda style home reflected off the sun making it look like it was glistening in diamonds. The driveway merged into a circular area, with a fountain in the center of it. Not sure where to park, I pulled my car to the edge of the pavement, leaving enough space for other cars to get around, but not getting my tires on the grass.

I stood in front of the door for an unknown amount of time, right before I made a motion to knock Lucas Massi strode out. A foreign energy struck me so hard that it nearly caused me to stumble back, but I stayed stagnant, admiring the man that was before me. Lucas was magnificent, those cerulean eyes torching my body in a way that made me feel emboldened. I had the impulse to run and never return, but the incomprehensible thrill of desire told me to stay.