NO MAN LIKE HIM

1

Forty five minutes later, they were walking down the empty and quiet street of Bourg-la-reine, the luxurious neighborhood where Gigi Montagne lived. The houses were absolutely stunning there but so far from each other. Sasha often wondered if the people living there ever met each other.

Gigi Montagne's house was of a decent size but still too big for a woman living alone with her son. Sasha pressed the code at the door and got in alongside Thomas. As soon as they were inside, the boy was climbing up the stairs and towards his room. Sasha, on the other hand, went looking for her boss.

She searched in the living-room, kitchen, office and garden but finally found Gigi in her bedroom, on the second floor. Sasha knocked before pushing the door open.

The room was dark, curtains drawn and a heavy smell of alcohol and cigarette floating in the air. Sasha could make out the shape of a woman on the bed. As she got closer, she recognized Gigi.

Her brown hair was spread on the pillow and her arms were limp on each side of her body. She wasn't sleeping but wide awake, staring at the ceiling. The red in her eyes proved that she'd been crying.

"Mrs Montagne?" Sasha whispered.

The older woman looked at her without moving an inch of her body.

"Emm...I brought Thomas. He is in his room now. Do you...Need anything?"

Gigi blinked before sitting up. She groaned and held her head.

"What time is it?"

"Six, Mrs. Montagne."

"God...It's like someone hit me with a fucking brick. My head hurts."

Sasha gulped, looking at the few bottles of alcohol on the nightstand and on the ground. No wonder she had a headache...

"Do you perhaps need a pill?"

"Ugh, no. I guess it will pass. Just...just go home, Sasha. I will see you tomorrow at the office."

"Alright. Just a reminder, you will have a meeting at ten with Mr. Lankry. You missed it last week and he wasn't very happy..."

Gigi looked at her assistant in a way that made the poor girl tremble. She tugged a few strands of hair behind her ears before turning around and walking toward the door.

"Wait." Gigi stopped her before she touched the door's knob.

"Yes, Mrs Montagne?"

"Have you found a housekeeper yet?"

"Not yet, Mrs Montagne. I am struggling to find the right person but I have a few good candidates in mind."

"How fucking hard is it to find someone who can clean this house?"

Sasha bit her lower lip. She wanted to tell her boss that the problem wasn't to find someone who could clean, but someone who was willing to work for her. Everyone knew how difficult Gigi Montagne was, now more than ever.

"I want you to bring someone by the end of this week, Sasha. This house is a mess and I can't stand it anymore."

"Sure...Sorry Mrs Montagne..."

The woman made a sign with her hand, asking Sasha to leave. The assistant didn't need to be asked twice. She was out of the room in the blink of an eye. As she walked back to the subway, she couldn't stop thinking about Thomas. Who would make dinner for him? Make sure he did his homework and tuck him to bed at night?

The housekeeper she had to find needed to be someone who likes kids, just so she could take care of Thomas. It wasn't part of the job description but Sasha felt too much pity for the young boy and wanted him to be between safe hands.

But it was very difficult to find the right candidates. People didn't like housekeeping jobs because they were not paid enough for all the struggle involved. Plus, Gigi Montagne was known for being an influencing business woman but especially, she was known for her bad temper. She terrorized her employees at the office and no one was crazy enough to want to work in her house. Sasha was very unsure that she could find someone before the end of the week.

Those were her thoughts as she walked down the busy streets of Montreuil, the city where she was born and raised. Her eyes were distracted by the shop's lights, the people coming from every direction and the delicious smell of fast food. She wanted to get herself a french tacos for dinner but just as she was about to walk toward one of the cheap restaurants, someone bumped harshly against her shoulder.

"Ouch."

Sasha barely had the time to register what was going on. Next thing she knew, the man that bumped against her had her purse in his hand and was running away.

"Hey!" She shouted. "He took my purse, help !"

People looked at her with confused expressions. None tried to help until a man came out of the tacos shop with a frown.

"Where'd he go?" He asked quickly.

Sasha pointed with a trembling hand, tears filling her eyes. She had all her cards in that purse. The man that spoke to her ran to find the thief but Sasha had already made up her mind: she was done for. Her back hit the wall of the tacos shop and she slid down until she sat on one of the tiny steps leading to the door.

People went their way, oblivious to her misery. Her whole body was trembling and she hugged herself, wiping away the tears that escaped from her eyes. She felt terribly alone and helpless.

A gasp escaped her lips when a while later, someone placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder.

"Miss?"

She looked up and found a set of warm brown eyes. It was the man from earlier, the one that went after the thief. He held her purse in his hand, a smile on his face and blood ran down the side of his head toward his beard.

"I got your purse back. It's alright. Here."

He handed her the black purse and Sasha clutched it hard. She stood on shaky legs. The man sighed, hand on his waist.

"That punk ran fast but I was the best sprinter in my school when I was younger. Won medals and all, I could have been an athlete if I wanted to. Anyway...I caught up with him and took your purse back."

"You're...Hurt..." Sasha mouthed, still shaken.

The man touched the side of his head and looked at the blood on his fingers. He shrugged.

"Oh well. The main thing is that you got your stuff back. I will be alright."

Those last words had a weird effect on Sasha. She felt warm and fuzzy as if someone lit a fire inside her.

"Thank you..." she cried. "Thank you so much."

"You don't have to thank me. Anyone else would have done the same. Just be careful next time. People are crazy around here...you could have been hurt."

Sasha's eyes scanned the face of the guy she believed was an angel. His chocolate skin glowed under the yellow light of the tacos shop, contrasting beautifully with the white of his teeth.

"Miss?" He said after a while, his head leaning to one side.

"Are you looking for a job?" Sasha blurted out suddenly.

The man's eyes widened.

"Eh...What?"

"A job. I want to offer you a job."

The man scoffed, confusion clear on his face but his smile never faltered. Sasha's eyes glowed with determination. She was convinced this was the right person to work for Gigi and take care of her son. An angel sent down from heaven. Only he could fight against the grief that her boss carried around and Sasha was ready to do anything to convince him to take on the challenge.

Luckily, it wasn't going to be too hard because the man asked:

"What kind of job?"

And Sasha smiled wide when she saw the glimpse of interest in his pretty brown eyes.

"The kind that could change many lives for the better..."