One summer in college, sick of selling frozen yogurt at the mall, I decided to venture out on my own and start a cleaning business. There was a wealthier neighborhood a short bike ride away from campus, and I knew that if I could just get a few well-paying clients, I wouldn't have to work nearly as many hours. Fortunately, within the first couple weeks of posting ads on Facebook and in the local coffee shops, I was starting to get some phone calls with requests for cleaning, and was soon heading out for my first gig.
The only thing I thought was a little odd was that this man who called said he only wanted the master bathroom cleaned... yet he was willing to pay for my full two hour minimum service. I figured that meant either his bathroom was super disgusting or he just hated cleaning his bathroom. I couldn't help but hope it was the latter.
Either way, that hot Sunday morning I put on my jean shorts and a tank top and rode out to the house with a backpack full of cleaning supplies. Besides the fact that I was a dirt-poor college student, and couldn't afford a car, I liked that riding my bike everywhere kept my petite frame in lean shape and I got a free tan while I rode.
The man who answered the door had a well-groomed beard and full head of grey hair, although he looked like he couldn't have been over 50 years old. I was startled to see he was wearing only a bathrobe and slippers, but since it was just after 10 am I figured he was probably a late riser and hadn't had time to get ready. He smiled warmly at me, introduced himself as Cole, and ushered me into the house.
He showed me through his very tidy house to the master bathroom toward the back. I wondered at how someone who clearly managed to keep their entire large house so clean could need just a service for the bathroom. But if that was really all he needed and I got to keep a larger paycheck, who was I to complain?
Fitting for such a nice house, the bathroom was, admittedly, massive. With a huge jacuzzi tub, a spacious walk-in shower, tile floor, and a double sink, not to mention not one, but two small toilet rooms on either end, I could see how a job like this could take close to two hours. The bathroom was not really dirty, however, but I was not about to talk myself out of a gig.
I set my backpack down and began to pull cleaning items out to set on the countertop. As I did, Cole pulled out a stool from under the vanity countertop and sat, one leg crossed over the other, watching me. Was he going to do that the whole time? I really hoped not.
Since it was my first cleaning job and I hadn't been prepared to handle telling a client not to watch me, I simply smiled and moved to spray glass cleaner on the mirrors.
"Elle, could you actually start with the tub?" Cole said, simply.
I paused and looked at him, the spray bottle hovering in my left hand. Not knowing what else to do, I finally nodded and took my sponge and cleaning spray over to the jacuzzi. I started to spray down the tub, having to bend over and lean on the tub with one hand to get the far edges of it. I then had to get on my knees to begin scrubbing the closer sides of the tub with the sponge.
As I was doing this, I felt his eyes on me. I glanced back over my shoulder, peering through my long blonde hair, trying to be subtle. Cole was leaning back against the countertop, sitting with one leg resting across the other, revealing muscular legs and very likely nothing underneath the robe. His head was cocked slightly to the side as if in consideration.
My stomach did a little flip. I had not expected this cleaning business to be a spectator sport, and it felt odd, yet somehow not predatory.
"You're doing well, so far, Elle." Was all he said, seeing me look back.
I spent the next five minutes cleaning the tub, before Cole directed me to start on the floors. As I got on all fours to scrub the grout on the tile around the tub, I started to wonder if I was seeing a trend... or if I was just imagining things.
Nope. Definitely not imagining things. I looked over to see Cole staring directly at my ass.
"Um, hey - excuse me. What are you doing?"
Cole smiled down at me comfortably, apparently not put off at being caught in the least. "It is a beautiful view. I am admiring it."
"I didn't come here to be admired, I came here to clean your bathroom."
"Why not have a little of both?" He said with a small chuckle. "Truthfully, I wanted to have you come here without any further expectations just to see if you would do it for me... and I think you will."
Thinking back, hearing a sentence like that normally would have had me running right out the front door. Something about the way he said it, though, gave me more of a thrill, and kept me in place, perhaps partly out of curiosity and partly out of pure shock.
What did he mean, do it for him? My mouth popped open as I searched for some response to this.
Before I could sputter any kind of reply, he leaned forward and said, unwaveringly, "I have a kink of watching hot young women clean, and my last girl has recently moved away. I am looking to fill that vacancy and I pay very handsomely for this privilege."
