Page 38 of Mayhem and Minnie

“Yes, but I could pay you in other ways?—”

“No,” I cut her off, putting my hand up. “I will not require those services from you,” I add, my face screwing in disgust.

Has she not realized it by now that I’m not interested in her physically? She must be too used to men demanding that of her that she still suspects I have ulterior motives for taking her in.

“I wasn’t offering!” she cries out, taking a step back and covering her chest with her hands. She has a scandalized look on her face that I would think to be genuine except I suspect this is exactly how she’s been living so far.

My lips tighten in a scowl. Somehow, the thought of her with some dirty bastard is unpalatable. It makes me shudder in renewed disgust, but this time it’s the type that crawls under my skin until I feel the need to scrub my skin with sharp nails to remove all traces of discomfort.

“I was thinking of something along the lines of cleaning. You like cleanliness, don’t you? I can do it for you,” she adds eagerly.

I take a moment to consider her proposition.

I don’t have a maid or a cleaner. I never had. The thought of another being in my house is too horrifying for me to allow that. But that also means I’ve had to make sure my cleanliness obsession doesn’t take over my life, which is why I spend far too much time scrubbing this place around. Perhaps a helping hand would not be so bad. She’s already going to be here.

I nod to myself. Yes, that seems like a sensible idea. However, I must first determine how she cleans.

“You may clean the common areas and the kitchen. That’s the whole of the first floor,” I eventually reply.

Her eyes shine with optimism.

“However…” I put a finger up. “I’ll need to assess your skills first. You may start tomorrow.”

“Okay. I can do that.” She nods, offering me a bright smile.

“Can you cook?”

She blinks and licks her lips. “Of course I can cook.”

I nod. “Good. Then I shall make you in charge of cooking, too. I’m very specific about what I eat and when. I’ll provide you with a schedule sheet tomorrow.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” she exclaims effusively. Out of nowhere, she launches herself at me to give me a hug.

My eyes widen in horror as I hold myself still.

She’s dirty. She hasn’t bathed in days, mayhap more. She ate things from the floor.

Using only my thumbs and forefingers, I grab her shoulders and push her back.

“I don’t like being touched,” I grind out.

“Oh,” she whispers, confused.

“There’s also the matter of your…condition,” I say as I nod at her body.

“My condition?” She frowns.

It would be uncouth of me to state the obvious, but it seems she soon understands my silence.

“But you’re dirty too. You’re covered in blood!” she points out.

My lips flatten.

“Perhaps. But that doesn’t erase the fact that you’ve been living on the streets, and you…” I trail off, cursing under my breath.

“And me?”

“I have another stipulation,” I suddenly add.

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