01

I pull into my parking spot a whole twenty minutes early. I’m always early. I pull out my phone and open Instagram, losing myself for a solid eight minutes of peace before moving on to Tumblr. I scroll through the gifs of cute animals and reposts from Reddit before a slow-motion gif of a naked male torso passes by. Scrolling down a little further reveals it isn’t only a torso.

« Oh, Mickey, you’re so fine, » I quip to myself. Mickey Vale is quite the exhibitionist, which makes sense considering he’s a porn star. I appreciate the view for a moment before moving on.

Nudity and sexuality have never made me feel intimidated or nervous. To me, it’s just another incredibly enjoyable part of life. It might be because I’m a medical student and am a bit desensitized to the body in general. Or maybe because I’m naturally a very open and blunt person incapable of honest emotions. Either way, I enjoy male objectification as much as the next girl. Having been single for years, I am very fond of consulting the internet in its various forms to help cope between Tinder dates. I follow a few porn stars on Tumblr specifically for that reason. And that is why I look at it in my car and not at work.

I close the app and grab my bag. As I walk through the service entrance of the lofty boutique hotel, I am immediately inundated by the smell of bleach and fabric softener. Once I’m inside the locker room, I stack up my bag and shoes in my cubby. I run into Maria V. and give her the standard morning greeting. « Good morning, Maria V. » There are two Marias that work here, V for Velasquez and G for Graham. I wasn’t super fond of either one, but they didn’t need to know that.

« Buenos días, Penny. How are you today ? » she greets me with her slight accent.

« I’m fine. How are you ? »

« Very good. Do you have school today ? »

« Yes, every Tuesday through Saturday. » My classes were always annoyingly scheduled in the afternoons or early evenings. It was either work part-time for less money in a doctor’s office, or work full time with overnight shifts here.

« Oh, no, no, » she scolds me like the grandmother she is. « You work too much. You should focus on school. »

« If it paid for itself and my rent, I would. » She gives me a frown and an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

That was enough of mandatory pleasantries for me. I go to the changing room and switch out my sweatpants for the stiff, cotton dress that was our uniform. I pull up the annoying 1950’s stockings and pin them in the garter clips, then pull my dress down over them.

As I open the changing room door, I nearly bump into my boss. « Oh ! Hi, Travis, » I greet him, ducking around him to go back to my cubby.

« Hey, Penelope. How are you ? » Travis is half of the pair of brothers that own the hotel.

He and his older brother Terry were gifted the hotel from their father’s empire. The rumor was if they were successful enough, they would inherit more. That would seem perfectly normal if they weren’t 23 and 25 years old. They never worked a day in their life before they started running this place.

Even though I technically have a mom, I could barely expect her to give me the time of day, let alone something profitable. We have nothing in common other than our age.

« I’m great. Thanks. » I grab the hair tie from my bag and comb my fingers through my long hair.

« You look extra pretty today, » Travis says to me. He is always hitting on me or asking me out, which makes me uncomfortable. He’s my boss and not a great one at that. It’s never going to happen. « Special occasion ? »

« I think I actually slept a full eight hours last night. That’s special to me. »

He chuckles oddly. « Okay, well … I’ll let you get to it then. » He still doesn’t leave. I look at him and smile as I twist my hair up into a bun. He’s so awkward. « Have a great day. »

« Yeah, you too, » I say with a smile. I have to play nice. I don’t want him to fire me.

He walks off finally and I let out the breath I was holding. I go over to the schedule and see where I’m placed for the day. The three suites again. An entire floor all to myself. Peace and goddamn quiet.

♡♡♡

I exit the elevator on the top floor. The suites are easy. Large spaces feel less monotonous and repetitive than the standard rooms downstairs. The only downfall is if the guests decide to have a massive party and leave the massive rooms in complete disarray. Either way, it gives me time to myself to study in my head, or listen to music without the constant interruption of taking out my earbuds when I was on camera between rooms. The penthouse has no sign on the door. « Housekeeping, » I say with a knock and make my way in.

The bed is a bit disheveled and there are personal items on the desk and dresser. The living space looks untouched. I decide to start with the trash and move onto the bed after.

I’m tying up the bags when I hear a clinking sound come from the bathroom. I stop to listen for a moment, but it stays quiet. I continue with my work until I hear the door open.

The guest walks out of the bathroom in one of the robes, drying his buzz-cut hair with a towel. « Oh, I’m sorry, » I say to him. « I didn’t think anyone was in here. There wasn’t a sign on the door. »

He looks up at me and I feel my eyes widen. He has the perfectly symmetrical face of a model, with a strong, chiseled jaw, sculpted lips, and hooded, dark brown eyes. His olive skin is perfectly sun-kissed and flawless. He’s gorgeous.

« Don’t worry about it, » he says genuinely with a kind smile. « I don’t mind. »

« I can come back later. »

« No, please. Stay. Do what you need to. You won’t bother me at all. » He is one of the nicest guests I’ve ever had the discomfort of running into. I smile and return to cleaning.

« Would you like fresh towels ? »

« I would love fresh towels. Thank you, » he smiles an incredibly handsome grin. He walks over to trade me, and I get a better look at him.

Something about him seems so familiar, but I can’t place it. His face relaxes as he walks away and it clicks. Every inch of my skin prickles into goosebumps. I stare at him, trying to convince myself that I’m wrong, but I’m not. I just looked at him. I just saw him naked on Tumblr.

« I’m sorry, but are you … Mickey Vale ? »

He turns to look at me and smiles. « Yes, I am. How do you know that ? »

« Oh my god ! » I try my best not to completely fangirl over him, but my heart is nearly beating out of my chest with excitement. « I’m a huge fan. »

He looks surprised. « You ? Really ? »