The Butler Did It
Note: everyone in this story is 18 years of age or older. This story has a lot of character buildup. Today, there are almost no openings for butlers. Since the butler in the story isn't in his eighties and with an old family, It will take some effort to make the story somewhat believable without making the butler a gigolo. I have no intension of writing a dark story. The erotic parts come late in the story. (If I get anything wrong, remember this is fiction and I'm neither rich nor a butler.)
Jonathan James Worthington (he goes by James) had an unusual childhood. His parents were servants for a very rich east coast family. His father was the head butler and his mother was the head housekeeper. Although by the time James was a teenager, there was only one male servant, his father the butler. There were only three housekeepers. His mother spent much of her time training new housekeepers as it was difficult to retain the younger housekeepers.
When James reached his teen years, he started doing odd jobs around the estate and at nearby estates. He helped serve at large parties, maintained swimming pools, washed cars, and did a little gardening. Once he had his driver's license, he ran errands and did delivery. James had a very strong work ethic that he had gotten from his parents.
For James it wasn't just work for work's sake, he had a plan. He was saving for Butler College in England. He wanted to be a butler like his father. Both his parents tried to discourage him because it was a dying profession. His father even noted, "Even if you find a position, it will probably be with an older family. When the parents die a decade or so later, their children won't want the mansion or the servants. The mansion will be torn down for development and you will be let go. Then you will be of an age that it will be difficult to find any position, let alone change profession."
That didn't deter James. As soon as he was old enough, he got a chauffeur's license and started driving limousines along with his other endeavors. Not long after that, James had saved enough to fly to England and attend Butler College.
At Butler College, James was surprised to discover just how few students there were. He took advantage of every minute at the college. If optional classes were offered, he signed up for all of them.
After he graduated, James returned to the eastern US. He was not surprised to learn that his parents warnings had been correct. There were no openings for butlers. So he leveraged his skills, holding multiple jobs. Weekday mornings, he worked for a pool maintenance company. Evenings he worked as a host at an upscale restaurant. Weekends he drove limousines. This did not deter James because he knew that he would find a butler position eventually.
James wasn't just trusting to postings at employment agencies. He spent some of his time networking on the web and with servants in the area. Most of the local servants were nannies. It seemed that technology and cleaning services had made other servants almost obsolete. Still, it didn't deter James.
James did date, but his girlfriends didn't last long. All too soon they learned that they came second to his passion for becoming a butler. When he was about thirty, James decided to have a vasectomy. He felt that a family would restrict his options for finding employment.
When James was approaching his thirty-fifth birthday, he got his first lead. The nannies told him that their families were talking about a nasty divorce that had just been finalized between a couple that had been married almost twenty years. It seemed that the husband had been stepping out on his wife for several years. Everyone thought she had to suspect something, but ignored it. It caught up to him when he got his twenty something secretary pregnant. The divorce was pretty ugly, but the wife hired an aggressive lawyer. Her settlement included the mansion, its furnishings, alimony, and a large amount of money.
What encouraged James was that the husband took both of the servants (their contracts were with him), all the cars, canceled all other services, and apparently took the contents of the wine cellar. These were things that James could handle easily.
James called his employers at the pool company and restaurant to let them know he would be taking off a couple of days. He spent that time preparing his resume, getting one of his 'butler suits' cleaned, and washing his used Tesla Model Y.
At ten o'clock the next morning, he was ringing a doorbell in the city's most expensive neighborhood. The house was very large and much newer than the mansion that he had grown up in. The house was set on a large lot. The door was answered by a quiet, reserved woman wearing a simple housedress. She was a little shorter than James and obviously about a decade or so older.
James introduced himself and mentioned that he had heard that she might be in need of help. Handing her his resume and references; he then mentioned that he was a classically trained butler and asked if he could interview for a position. To be presented with a classically trained butler that wasn't in his sixties or seventies intrigued her. So she agreed to hear him out, introducing herself as Mrs. Barbara Benton.
She led James into the living room. Following her he noted that, even wearing a housedress, her body had some very nice curves. In the interview, James went over his skills and tried to tailor them to what he thought she needed. She wasn't easy to convince, but James had waited years for this opportunity. When he mentioned that he could do some cleaning, she mentioned that it took several people to clean the large house. His response was that he could believe that and if she didn't have a cleaning service, he could suggest several that he had worked with, that were excellent. He had prepared for this (he really didn't want to have to clean a huge house alone). He pulled out a sheet with the names of the cleaning services that included his notes about their rates and services.
Since he had already gone over the minimum duties of a butler, he pointed out that he could cook (learned from his mother and classes at butler college) and was a licensed chauffeur. To that, she pointed out that she didn't have a car. His response was that he had a fairly new car and that it was parked out front.
James felt that she was wavering, he had nothing to lose, so he made a suggestion, "Why don't you try me for six months at half pay and during that six months, you can let me go at any time. After the six months you can decide to continue my employment at full pay or send me on my way." His pay rate had been included in the resume that he had given her.
She looked at his resume, observing the pay requirement. After some consideration, she said that she didn't know where she could put him up. He asked if there was anywhere away from the main part of the house. He just needed a small room with access to a little used bathroom. She thought about it and remembered that the house used to have a mother-in-law apartment over the garage. It had been used when some of her exes relatives visited. She warned James, "I do have something. The space hasn't been used in years and it's become storage for the garage. It will take a lot of cleaning. But, it does have a full bath and a small kitchen" James had to hold back his excitement. He responded, "I can clean the space, find another area to store anything that needs it, and get rid of anything that isn't needed."
Mrs. Benton liked his response, then considered for a while and asked, "When can you start?" Again, James had to hold back his excitement. He responded, "I have a couple of employers that I will have to give two weeks notice. Will two weeks from tomorrow work for you?"
Mrs. Benton responded, "That will work for me." James thanked her (his excitement showing) and asked, "Would it be possible for me to start cleaning my quarters before I start, that will allow me to start without distraction." He added, "Obviously, there will be no charge for the time before my official start."
She responded that she liked that. Since the space had its own entrance through the empty garage, she gave James the key to the space. He looked at the key like it was gold. At thirty-five years old, he would finally have the position that he always wanted - Butler!
The same day, James called the pool company. He would be taking two weeks of the vacation that he was owed and that would be his two weeks notice. The owner was reluctant to lose James, but he understood the opportunity for James. James also gave two weeks notice to the restaurant and the limo company. He arranged to vacate his apartment early (he would loose a couple weeks rent, but it was worth it).
The next day, James drove to the residence. He rang the bell and Mrs. Benton answered.
James asked,"I would like to start cleaning the servant's quarters, if that is okay?"
Mrs. Benton responded, "That's okay. Is there anything that you need?"
James answered, "No, nothing. Is it okay that I pull my car into the driveway so you know it's me working?"
Mrs.Benton's response was, "Yes, that's fine."
James pulled his car into the driveway and unloaded the cleaning supplies. This would be the first time that he would see where he would live, hopefully for the foreseeable future. He grabbed some of the supplies and proceeded into the garage and up the stairs. He had earlier noted that the garages were attached to and had a direct connection to the house. This would be convenient for his job.
When he opened the door; he was greeted with piles of old tires, shelving with cans of oil, and other stuff. The room was obviously a good sized living room. James walked around the debris and into the kitchen area. Nothing seemed to be stored here, but the room was dirty and the sink hadn't been cleaned since someone scrubbed grease off their hands. He opened the door on the far side of the kitchen, observing that it opened into short hallway. On the right side was the bathroom. It was also obvious that the toilet and sink had been used, but not cleaned. The tub was just dusty. He continued down the short hallway, opening the door to the bedroom. While it was furnished, it was obvious that it had not been used in a long time.
James set to work. First, he removed everything from the quarters and organized it in one bay of the garage. The tires, oil, and anything car related would be trashed or recycled. Any broken furniture, that couldn't be repaired, would also be trashed. He took inventory of anything that he would need to repair, any furniture, and any other supplies that he didn't have with him.
His plan was to clean the quarters and paint the first week, then move in the second week.
James was about half way through cleaning when Mrs. Benton appeared at the door. James greeted her and apologized for how he looked.
Mrs. Benton responded, "That's no problem, I know that it's a dirty job. I brought you some ice tea. Would you like anything stronger?"
James answered, "The ice tea is perfect. Thanks!"
Mrs. Benton observed, "I can't believe how much you've done in just a couple of days."
James was happy that she noticed his work ethic. "It should be ready for painting in a day or so. Then I would like to start moving in next week, if that is okay?"
Mrs. Benton responded,"That is fine. Let me know your expenses and I will reimburse you." She then paused and added, "Since I mentioned paying you, how do I do that. Do I just pay cash or what?"
