Page 21 of Hotel Mallois

"See you tomorrow, Jodie," Sarah says goodbye to her coworker after their shift ends.

Jodie Sinclair remains in an odd mood that doesn't let her think straight. She slept poorly last night and has been lost in thought all morning. She scolds herself for her attitude because she was the one who rejected Katherine Taylor, but it infuriates her to know that her boss only made advances because she'd had too much wine. With this thought, she arrives at the penthouse and sighs when she realizes she left her access card at home, inside her uniform pants that she tossed in the laundry basket. She has no choice but to ring the bell and hope Katherine is there, but to her surprise, the blonde she expects isn't the one who opens the door.

"Hi," the stranger says in a honeyed tone accompanied by a wolfish gaze that leaves Jodie's heart racing.

The woman in front of the cleaner smiles and moistens her lips.

"Can I help you?" she asks after Jodie's silence.

"Yes," Jodie manages to say, not immune to the girl's stunning beauty, "I work in Ms. Taylor's penthouse."

"Then come on in," she replies, and when Jodie enters, she follows her with her gaze. "What time do you finish your shift? I know a bar nearby that serves the best mojito in all of New York."

Jodie is stunned, she hasn't even had time to think about who this woman might be, but immediately rules out that she's another one of her boss's flings, because if her ears haven't failed her, the girl just asked her out with complete boldness.

"Caroline..." Katherine's voice suddenly echoes from across the living room.

When the doorbell rang, Katherine was finishing a call, so her sister Caroline, who was there beside her, signaled that she would answer it. The middle Taylor sister heard Jodie's voice and immediately intuited what would happen next, knowing her younger sister never misses an opportunity to flirt when an attractive woman crosses her path. She wasn't wrong - the brazen Caroline Taylor was trying to pick up her employee. The annoyance is immediate, and Katherine can't remember when she last felt such rage course through her veins watching her little sister flaunt her potential.

Caroline turns and, seeing Katherine's icy expression, raises her eyebrows and lifts her hands in surrender.

"Sorry. I didn't know you two were involved," Caroline replies with a mischievous smirk, "you don't tell me anything anymore."

Katherine shoots her a look that could wipe out an entire state.

"We're leaving," she says, approaching Jodie with no desire to respond to her sister's provocation. "I don't want you bothering the guests or hearing anything about you in this hotel, understood?" she adds threateningly.

Caroline smiles daringly, making the vein in her older sister's neck throb with the force of a thousand demons.

"Yes, ma'am," she answers, winks at Jodie, and turns to head out to the terrace.

Katherine feels her chest vibrate and an annoying buzz pierce her eardrums. Caroline has always been like this, a bold woman who with just a sideways smile - a Taylor trademark - can bring the world to her feet. She's the youngest, the most attractive, and above all, the smartest, but also the one who gives her two sisters the most headaches. Katherine has never minded her flirting with any of her girls, but what she just felt now when she saw those immense blue eyes land on Jodie scares her, and deeply.

"Good morning, Mike," Jodie smiles genuinely when they exit to the hallway and the bodyguard appears like a shadow.

Mike answers while throwing an inquisitive look at the cleaner upon seeing his boss's twisted expression. Jodie, who hasn't noticed the harsh exchange between the two blondes, shakes her head, and Mike frowns.

"Always the same, damn it," Katherine mutters so low that only her bodyguard understands what she's talking about and can't help but laugh.

"Your sister, right?" Mike asks.

"The one and only," Katherine responds and releases an impatient sigh.

Jodie finally emerges from that silly daydream she seems to be stuck in and understands that this Caroline is the youngest Taylor. Besides Katherine having talked about her the other night, the physical resemblance is incredible. The difference is that Caroline is noticeably younger than Katherine, and her style of dress is the complete opposite of the hotel owner's, as the cleaner can't imagine the blonde of her dreams wearing either a miniskirt or such a daring neckline as Caroline's.

"Where to?" Mike asks once they've gotten into the car.

"City Hall," Katherine responds with a seriousness that sends chills down their spines.

They've been going from place to place for almost three hours, including the new Magnolis hotel. Mike limits himself to driving in silence while Jodie takes notes and even makes several calls her boss requests. Katherine is so irritable that neither of her employees dares to say a word. The Mallois hotel owner unconsciously huffs every time she reads something on her phone, mutters certain words that Jodie has never heard from her, and keeps giving orders like she's an army captain.

"Have you heard anything about Caroline?" Katherine asks Mike as the bodyguard parks in front of the hotel.

"She's not at the hotel," Mike answers and looks in the rearview mirror as his boss relaxes. "Seems she went out with your father and hasn't returned. They saw her leaving in the truck more than an hour ago."

Jodie notices how that tense expression that has been accompanying Katherine for hours suddenly disappears, and although she can imagine many things, she doesn't want to be the one to guess what's bothering her boss.

"I need to know when the furniture arrives at the Magnolis, call the limo company and the cleaning service," Katherine fires one order after another, and Jodie just writes while walking behind her boss.

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