The Housekeeper, Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Jess
I woke up feeling far more rested than I had the previous day. Unfortunately, that relief ended up being quite fleeting. For starters, the mortifying memories came rushing back, one after another. Then, as I shifted on the mattress, starting to sit up, I noticed the wetness both beneath me and between my legs.
“No . . . ” I whispered to myself. It was still too early for me to have much of a voice, though I was suddenly a lot more awake than I was a few seconds ago.
As badly as I wanted to close my eyes and wish away the fact that I had somehow wet the bed, staying on the gross sheets for longer than I had already been lying on them was out of the question. Throwing off the comforter and awkwardly climbing out of bed, cringing at how both my underwear and skimpy shorts were clinging to me, I assessed the damage.
The sheets were both yellow and absolutely soaked; even without my glasses, I could tell how bad it was. My main concern was cleaning the mattress itself, as the rest would come out in the wash. The lingering embarrassment didn’t help anything, nor did the wetness of what I was wearing. I was left with the impossible choice of undressing when I had nothing to change into, or staying in the soiled clothes until I figured out what to do.
For starters, I stripped the bed, using a dry section of the sheets to wipe at my crotch. Anything to make the state of my pajamas slightly better. My glasses were nowhere to be seen, which further complicated things. This was also my first time sleeping in the guest bedroom. Since it had been locked ever since I took a shower on the first day, I really wasn’t familiar with the space outside of when I dropped my bags in the room. Taking a minute to look through the drawers and closet, it didn’t take me long to figure out that there was nothing to be found. Probably because a guest would normally use those places for whatever she packed, and all my possessions had been confiscated.
Leaving the bedding bundled up on the floor, planning on coming back for it as soon as I had assessed my options, I cracked the bedroom door and listened for voices. The house was dead quiet as far as I could tell. If it was just Hannah here, that made sense. However, her girlfriends could have easily stayed over. Maybe they were in the basement, or not awake yet? I had no idea what time it was, so the latter could have easily been the case.
I didn’t want anyone to see that I had wet the bed, and still didn’t understand how something like that could even happen to me. As humiliating as doing so during the day had been, at least I had the excuse that I was constantly being put in desperate situations where I wasn’t able to hold it. But at night? After making it back to the house, I really hadn’t had that many fluids. Regardless, it wasn’t a good look.
But also, I couldn’t just walk around bottomless in the middle of the morning. I hated being exposed, and had dealt with enough public nudity to last me a lifetime at this point. All that time being naked hadn’t numbed me to the concept, however. If anything, it made me lean towards staying in the disgusting, piss-ruined pajamas I was still wearing for the sake of protecting my modesty despite how Hannah and her friends had already seen everything numerous times.
Tentatively stepping out into the hallway, realizing as I did so that sneaking did nothing for me when Hannah was the only one who could provide me clean clothes, I made my way to the stairs and down to the kitchen. That’s where she started her day yesterday, after waking me up in such an awful way and demanding that I make her coffee.
When she wasn’t there, I was both relieved and unsure of what to do next. I obviously wasn’t going to knock on her bedroom door and wake her up if she was still sleeping, as I didn’t even want to start thinking about what the young blonde would do if I disturbed her when she was enjoying a lazy summer morning. But I basically couldn’t do anything without her permission, either.
Speaking of embarrassing. I was supposed to be Hannah’s babysitter, yet I had absolutely no say in anything at the moment. My clothes were missing, save for the ones that had been used as rags. I couldn’t take a shower or wrap a towel around myself, both because she kept the bathroom doors locked and due to how Hannah would yell at me if I covered up outside of what limited clothing items she offered to me.
Just when I was about to get the laundry started, if only for the sake of feeling like I was making progress despite not having much of a plan, I noticed what was waiting for me near the end of the kitchen island. I probably would have seen it the moment I walked in if I was wearing my usual contacts, or the ugly fallback glasses. Stepping closer, I saw that there was a single toasted bagel on a plate, as well as a small bowl of fruit. Next to the small breakfast, there was a note from Hannah that required me to really squint in order to make out the words.
Jessie–
My friends and I will be out for a few hours. When I return, I expect the entire house to be vacuumed and dusted, the dishes washed and put away, and all the laundry to be done. Oh, and have lunch ready for us. Good girl.
H
I frowned at the casually demanding note, as well as the way that I could practically hear her verbal tone of ‘good girl’ as I read it. She and the others had been kind enough last night, and one of them had been thoughtful enough to leave something out for me to eat. However, I was still clearly being perceived as Hannah’s maid, and treated as such in her absence.
At least I had an answer in regards to Hannah’s whereabouts. It would have been nice for her to tell me when she would be getting back, both so I knew what the deadline was for all those chores, as well as when to have lunch prepared. I still didn’t really know what a rich girl like Hannah ate; she and her friends had been pretty unhealthy since my arrival, so I could potentially get away with something basic like sandwiches. I also wasn’t that great of a cook, and didn’t know what to do about that if I was expected to prepare meals for her more often moving forward.
As for my current situation . . . I glanced left and right, as if Hannah was suddenly going to appear despite what she had written. It was just before 9 AM, and I was assuming they’d be out until 11 or 12 if they wanted lunch upon arrival. Then, blushing slightly, I peeled off the damp shorts and panties. It definitely felt wrong to be hanging out in someone else’s house completely bottomless, not that I had ever walked around like that outside the bathroom, but this was the only way to keep Hannah and the others from finding out what I did.
Laundry was on the list, which meant that I could throw these in with whatever else needed to be washed. As long as they didn’t get back before 11 AM, I could probably finish a load in the washer and dryer while I had the place to myself. Then, I just had to make sure that my bedding was in the washer as well. Also, considering Hannah was constantly bossing me around and treating me like her maid, I doubted she’d be sticking her head in the laundry room.
There was a lot more to throw in the machines than I expected. All three girls had stripped their beds and dumped their sheets and comforters in the hallway near the door to the laundry, and that was only the beginning. Upon entering, I saw a hamper half full of clothes, as well as a pile of delicates set aside with another note Hannah had left for me–Hand wash.
I absolutely wasn’t going to get the bedding done before noon; three hours wasn’t enough for that many loads, plus comforters tended to take longer in the dryer. For now, the best I could do was throw all the clothes in the washer, including my soiled ones. I briefly considered adding my top as well, but being half naked was bad enough. It didn’t matter that Hannah wasn’t here; I really didn’t want my breasts out like that, plus I wasn’t wearing a bra. The thin pajama top was bad enough, especially with the AC on while I was bare below the waist; just the thought of someone seeing my nipples poking out of my shirt caused my blush to deepen.
The shivering wasn’t the only thing I was thinking about in terms of my body. I also felt a faint need to relieve myself, which was confusing. If I wet the bed, how could I already have the urge to go again? Then again, it was probably a bit psychological, since part of my morning routine involved using the toilet.
Ugh. Morning routine. I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet, either. But wait, could I access my toothbrush? It was just now hitting me that I hadn’t done so last night, and there was a good chance the bathroom doors were still locked. Suddenly feeling very overwhelmed by the ever growing to-do list in my mind, I took a deep breath and made a list of priorities.
Start the washer. Clean my private areas and thighs, even if I had to use hand soap by the kitchen sink. Brush my teeth, if possible. Eat breakfast.
Okay. I could manage all that. Considering I had to wait for the washer to finish before I could start rotating through the various stages of laundry, I had some time after loading all the clothes in. After an awkward rinse in the kitchen, I went back upstairs and had to deal with the frustrating confirmation that I had no access to the bathroom. Returning to the kitchen, hoping the one need would go away while also lamenting my poor dental hygiene over the past few days as it hit me that I hadn’t brushed my teeth in quite some time, I found some cream cheese in the fridge and took a short breakfast break before tackling the rest of the chores assigned to me.
I was grateful that Hannah’s place was so secluded. As I moved from room to room, the windows didn’t stress me out nearly as much as they normally would when I knew that no one would be walking by or potentially looking over from another house. Finding the vacuum, I got to work.
It never got any easier being bottomless. After thoroughly making my way through every room on the main floor, I switched the laundry over and started my bedding next. I figured it was worth the risk, since the job wasn’t going to be done no matter which order I took. Then I hauled the vacuum upstairs, doing my best to not feel awkward and self conscious with every breeze that brushed against my womanhood and my bare ass.
With no phone, I had to rely on the kitchen clock to keep tabs on the time every time I passed through. All the while, there was the problem that I had no idea when the girls would return. By the time I was done with the vacuuming and dusting, I at least got the comfort of pulling the borrowed underwear and PJ bottoms out of the dryer, avoiding the humiliation of Hannah learning what I did overnight.
As for the other clothes, I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Letting myself into Hannah’s room felt like something I shouldn’t be doing without permission, plus half the outfits belonged to Willow and Lillian. I ended up just folding them and leaving them in a stack on the kitchen table while the machines worked on my bedding, then returned to the laundry room to deal with the more daunting task. Though I had been given a note to do so, and had been called a servant/maid countless times, that didn’t make it any less weird to be handling another girl’s undergarments.
However, I was on the clock, and would almost certainly get punished if I specifically chose to avoid this. Making up an excuse like ‘I ran out of time’ would only delay the inevitable, since Hannah would just make me do it anyway. So, with a hesitant sigh, I picked up the bra on top of the small pile and held it underneath the running water.
After the arduous process of washing each garment by hand and hanging them up to dry, I made my way back to the kitchen. The urge to use the toilet hit me again, no doubt because of all the running water over the last half hour or so, leaving me with another choice. I could hold off until Hannah came back, which should be soon-ish, and hope that I’d be given access to the bathroom again. After my emotional outburst yesterday, as well as how she and the others weren’t as cruel when I returned from my extended streak on her property, it was possible that she’d listen to reason if I requested a basic human need in a polite manner. At the same time, all the bathrooms were still locked. Considering that Hannah and company probably had to go at some point last night or this morning, it wasn’t as if she just forgot about it before leaving me here alone.
The other option was relieving myself outside. Similar to how doing laundry allowed me to avoid being caught in an embarrassing situation, I could always suffer through the degrading act of squatting somewhere in the yard. Actually, I could do that and have a conversation with Hannah, if only to avoid having the conversation while needing to pee.
I decided against it, only because it was pushing 11 AM and I didn’t want to deal with the misfortune of being out there if the girls got back sooner rather than later.
Instead, I channeled my focus into making lunch for the girls in the hopes that it would keep my mind off what my body was signaling to me. My initial impulse was to make them sandwiches, until I thought about how risky that was when I didn’t know any of their preferences or dietary restrictions. I committed to the idea, however, and adapted by going for a sandwich bar.
As much as I didn’t like being treated like a servant when I was really supposed to be supervising Hannah, I was a little bit proud of the lunch set-up by the time I was done. I had taken out all the meats and cheeses, preparing all of them in convenient stations for the girls to build their own sandwiches, followed by toppings and condiments.
The bagel and fruit from a couple hours ago hadn’t been that filling, and I was tempted to make one for myself to stave off the hunger that was creeping up on me. I didn’t, for the same reason I didn’t pee outside; knowing my luck, I’d be halfway through eating when Hannah arrived. For all I knew, she and the girls would circle around back and use the sliding door to let themselves in, if their plan was to immediately hang out by the pool like they did yesterday.
Hannah had really done a number on me; she wasn’t even here, and I was hesitant to do something as basic as providing myself my daily allotment of calories. I had food, right here, yet I didn’t want to undo what seemed like progress yesterday evening. If I could just follow Hannah’s harsh rules until she and I talked, I was hoping that we could get to some semblance of normalcy despite everything she had put me through.
Maybe I was being naive, or wishful, or a little bit desperate. She still pretty much held all the cards, and I didn’t want to risk pissing her off if there was a chance that I could convince her to scale back the entitled and needlessly awful way she had been treating me.
Now that I was thinking about it, I had really wasted my time at the house. On the one hand, I had completed her whole list save for the last couple loads of laundry, with just enough time to spare. On the other hand, should I have been looking for my phone or laptop instead? Messaging Hannah’s parents was absolutely the best way to get her in line, provided they had enough authority from afar. Except my devices could be hidden anywhere, and such a search probably would have been fruitless.
Overthinking wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Besides, it was time to switch the laundry again. Plus I still had to make my bed, and whatever beds Willow and Lillian had slept in. Similar to my hang-ups about the clothes, I didn’t plan on making Hannah’s bed until she told me that I could go into her room.
Just as I was returning to the kitchen with an armful of clean sheets, I heard female voices outside. Then a more distinct one, calling to me from the front door. “Jessie! Hey, Virgin! Come here. We need you to unload the car. Oh, and I have a fun surprise for you!”