Darker The Forbidden Berry

“Hmmm?” She turned her head and glanced at Jaleeyah.

“Are you really okay with this? Like, I was playin’ before, but I’m really worried about you.”

“There’s no reason to worry. You saw all the contracts. As a lawyer that should make you feel very happy.”

“As a lawyer in training, I know that contracts don’t always mean anything,” she sighed.

Aja reached out and put her hand on Jaleeyah’s arm, holding it gently.

“Take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay.”

“I feel like you should be freaking out a little more.”

“I’m not going to freak out because there’s no point in it,” she shrugged a little. “It’s not like he’s going to murder me! Too many people know about this! It’s a terrible set up for murder.”

“What if it’s a cult?”

Aja could not help but burst out laughing, shaking her head.

“Now you’re really getting crazy. It’s not a cult. It’s a rich family that never figured out how to set boundaries with their adult son; so now I have to do it. It’s not as crazy as you think. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Jaleeyah held up her hand and nodded.

“I’m not going to keep arguing. If you feel like you’re making the right choice then…I’m going to leave you alone about it.”

Aja knew Jaleeyah was not being difficult. She was nervous and Aja was too, but the amount of money on the table was too much to turn her nose up at. If she did this job, she would come home with enough money to get them set and keep them set until they graduated.

The urban shopping and hip restaurants of downtown Detroit eventually turned into middle-class townhouses and eventually into grand houses with lush lawns and perfectly manicured flower beds in the front. Aja had grown up seeing beautiful houses like this and never in her life did she think she would find herself in one of them.

The car came to a slow, rolling stop in front of tall, wrought iron gates. A long winding driveway led up to a four-car garage that was attached to a beautiful, Victorian house. It was clearly original for the area and had been kept up beautifully. The front yard was easily the size of a football field and a towering willow tree shaded the front of the house.

“Holy sh*t. This is where you’re going to be living?” Jaleeyah whispered, pulling up to a small black box.

“I guess so. I did not expect it….”

“Te’Aja?” A distant, high pitched voice came from the box.

“Sh*t! Oh…Jeez!” She cursed, clearly surprised.

“Sorry! I did not mean to frighten you! Mr. and Mrs. Somerset told me you would be coming by today.”

Aja stared at the box for a moment, clearly confused. Finn was definitely a guy, and the person on the com box was definitely a woman.

“Um yeah. I’m Aja.”

“Great! Give me just a minute!”

There was a soft click followed by silence. After a few moments, the gate started to squeak and swing open. Aja looked at Jaleeyah and grinned, nudging her a little bit. They drove up the driveway and parked the car on the other side of the garage door. They both got out and went to the large set of French doors. The stained glass inside the windows was beautiful to look at but made it impossible to see inside the mansion.

Aja reached up and knocked gently on the door, jumping a little as it swung open before she could knock a second time. A short figure stood in the doorway, shrouded by the darkness behind them. She reached up and flipped a switch and the hallway behind her illuminated. She was a short woman with auburn hair, pale skin and striking blue eyes. Her wide smile was warm and welcoming.

“Aja?”

Aja nodded and stuck out her hand to shake the woman’s hand.

“The one and only.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you. I’m Rachel. I’m the housekeeper! I stuck around a little late today so I could get you in the house.”

“Really? I thought I was meeting Mr. Somerset today.”

“Finn? Oh no! He’s on a business trip. He won’t be home until Friday.”

Aja cocked a brow, a little surprised by the answer. That was two days off. Why were they having her start work if the man she was supposed to be keeping an eye on was not even around?

“I’m a little surprised,” Aja said, looking around.

Rachel stepped aside to let them in, closing the door behind them.

“The Somerset’s are very much into making people feel at home,” she explained. “They probably wanted to give you a few days to get used to the house. It’s massive.”

“I can see that.” Her eyes followed the massive staircase in the foyer that led up to the second floor. “Where am I staying?”

“Oh! How silly of me! That probably should have been the first order of business, hmm?” She said with a smile.

Rachel waved them through the entryway and as they walked Aja peaked into the living room which looked surprisingly normal except for its size. They walked through the open kitchen and she could not help but admire the industrial gas stove and large, shiny marble counters. The overall color scheme of the house seemed to be soft blues mixed with whites and a little bit of green for interest. She watched a lot of home renovation shows and this house was certainly decorated in a farmhouse style. The Somerset’s must have watched the same shows.

They walked right through the kitchen and to a set of French doors that matched the ones in the front of the house. Aja could see bits of green peeking through the stained glass. When Rachel opened the doors, Aja grinned and looked at Jaleeyah who seemed a bit more excited than she was at the beginning of all of this.