Mysterious Lord

I woke up, put on some comfortable jeans and a black tank top and went downstairs.

I went straight to the kitchen and found no one. I followed the voices and arrived at a large dining table, which was plentifully stocked with all kinds of food. I found Maria, Will and Ben sitting at the table.

- Err... uh... Good morning - I waved shamefully.

- Good morning, dear, why don't you join us? - Maria asked nicely.

- Ah, yes. - I looked at the chair at the other end, where Mr. Colleri should probably be sitting, but wasn't.

- Oh, forgive Mr. Colleri, he's very busy, but he left this for you. - She handed me a folded piece of paper. - He said he'll be back for lunch, and then he'll meet you in person.

- It's all right.

I walked over and picked up the envelope. I then sat down in the vacant

I flipped it open and read it.

Nicole.

I'm ashamed of my absence, but you should know that I'm a very busy man. I'll be back for lunch, and I look forward to meeting you in person.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Colle.

Wow, so formal just to say you'll meet me for lunch.

My thoughts were interrupted by Will and Ben's intense conversation.

- Do we always have meals here? - I interrupted the conversation unintentionally.

Maria brought her coffee cup to the table and commented.

- Mr. Colleri is imperative with this, he demands that we have coffee together, not as employees, but as a family, even when he's away. He likes habits to be carried out according to his order.

- Oh yes. - I continued serving myself.

- I'm sure you'll like him. He has a big heart, he's a good man.

I smiled into my glass of juice. Just him accepting a stranger into his home, welcoming her so well, letting the servants eat at the table with him, like a family, are noble gestures. It's not at all common for people like Mr. Colleri to treat their employees like that.

- I'm sure I will," I replied at last. - And who else lives here?

- At the moment it's just us," Ben replied with his mouth full.

- Other employees work here, but we're the only ones who live here," Will added.

- We spend most of our time in the staff house. Maria lives here in the main house, with you and Mr. Colleri.

- Mr. Colleri seems to have so much money, I don't want to sound rude, but I've never heard of him or seen him on television. You know, people with so much money usually take part in reality shows, dating programs, some kind of show like "Largados e Pelados"...

They laughed, then Will answered the question.

- Not Mr. Colleri, he shies away from the spotlight. It's almost like he's allergic or something. The man has such a private life that he barely has any employees. I think he feels better acting for himself.

- Yes, I understand, but what about relatives? Children, wife, grandchildren?

Will let out a low laugh.

- No, he doesn't have anyone, and I don't suppose he's old enough for all that either.

All that.

- I can't wait for my boy to find a nice girl. - Maria sighed

My boy? How old would Mr. Colleri be? I thought about asking, but I knew I was sounding like a curious teenager, so I let it go.

We ended up changing the subject. Gradually, everyone left and took their places.

- Nicole, darling. Would you help me clear the table?

- Oh, of course. Immediately. - I got up and followed Maria. She explained the job to me, it really wasn't that heavy. Then she showed me the house and its property. We spent an hour getting to know everything, I was delighted.

Nicole, can you take the clothes out of the dryer?

- That's fine.

- In the meantime, I'm going to finish the top. There's a gray suit that Mr. Colleri will wear to the meeting tonight. He needs it dry and ironed, could you put it in the dryer for me?

- Of course, Maria. - I went to the laundry room. First, I took the clothes out of the dryer. Okay. First part done. Now suit... Suit... I found a gray suit under some protective plastic, hanging up.

When I took the suit out of the plastic, it smelled like a man. It was a woody scent, with cinnamon, an intense mixture that went down well. I found myself, for a moment of distraction, imagining what he looked like. Silly me, I'd had enough trouble imagining it. And I was there to do a job.

Once I'd done as I was told, I went upstairs for my next

instructions.

- Oh, Nicole, I'm so glad I found you, I was just on my way down. Well, Mr. Colleri has just arrived. I wanted to take a shower, as lunch will be served soon. Could you bring him some coffee from the office?

- Ah... Of course. - I went straight down to the kitchen, which smelled of seafood. I met a middle-aged woman in a housekeeping uniform, her hair tied up in a bun with a safety net. She was cooking. When she saw me, she turned around, leaving the sauce boiling, dried her hands on the cloth resting on her shoulders and approached.

- Ah, hi, so you're the new housekeeper?

- Yes, I am. Nicole. Nice to meet you!

- Pleased to meet you! I'm Julia.

- Well, I'm looking for coffee for Mr. Colleri.

- Ah. Of course, he always has a cup of coffee before lunch.

I took a cup, poured it with the coffee that was ready on the island, and put it on a tray.

- He drinks his coffee with exactly two spoonfuls of sugar and one spoonful of cream.

- Oh, yes.

The sugar is on the top shelf of the cupboard on the left.

I opened the cupboard and took out the sugar, adding exactly two spoonfuls. I took the pot of cream, prepared it properly and started walking towards his office. I found the door leaning against it and pushed. It creaked slightly when I entered.

Mr. Colleri's feet were resting on the table, next to his laptop and a jug of water. He was reading a newspaper that covered his face.

- Maria, you know you don't have to bring my coffee here - the man with the sexiest voice I've ever met said. I wondered if I should just leave the coffee or say my name.

- It's Nicole, Mr. Colleri.

At once he lowered his legs and the newspaper. Oh, he was perfect, I couldn't remember ever seeing anyone so beautiful. He must have been at least 1.86m tall. His eyes were blue and his blond hair was cut low. He had a well-groomed goatee that screamed the word "man". His body was strong, he was wearing an Armani suit, possibly tailored, and black loafers.

- Oh. Forgive me, I thought you were Maria. - He gave a sexy smile, stood up and took the tray from my hands. - I don't make a point of having my coffee served here, I usually get it from the kitchen myself. The Maria who ended up bringing me here.

I was speechless, I just watched him put the tray down on the table and pick up the cup to drink his coffee. For a moment, a flashback went through my head, of the night I slept with Luck. Somehow, there was something about Mr. Colle that reminded me of him. Or I was just a bit needy. He took the first sip of his coffee and then spat it all out and had a coughing fit.

- Oh my God! Oh my God! What's wrong, Mr. Colleri?

He couldn't speak, he was choking. I went over to the table, picked up the jug of water and poured it into the empty glass on the side. I handed it to him and he drank it quickly. He took a quick breath of air and then managed to speak.

- Nicole, who the hell made this coffee? - he said in a hoarse voice. His face was red and his eyes were watering.

- I-I... - my voice shook.

- That coffee was salted! - there's just a slight hardening around his jaw as he grits his teeth.

- I'm sorry, I didn't know, I thought it was sugar. - I was so embarrassed.

His face was impassive and he stared at me, looking furious. I didn't have anything to say, I'd put salt in his coffee. It was the first time I'd seen him and, instead of making a good impression, I nearly choked him to death.

- You need to pay more attention when you prepare something - he said in a calm voice, still hoarse but firm. Mr. Colleri snorted. - However, it was nothing serious. - He sniffled again to clear his throat. - It's okay," he said, his voice dropping an octave.

- Really? - I asked, feeling the heat creep into my cheeks.

- Yes, just get those things out of here. In half an hour we met in the dining room.

I collected everything and left without saying anything.