Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 32431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
I sat in the chair he offered by the wave of a hand and folded my arms in my lap. He didn’t say anything for the first ten seconds and it forced me to look up at him. Was his stare always this intense?
“Good, you’re with me. We have a lot to go over. I’ll tell you now that I’m a hard task master. I work hard and I’ll expect the same of you. More often than not you’ll be here late. You don’t have a family to get home to do you, or a significant other that has a monopoly on your time?”
“No, no one.” I cleared my throat and pulled myself back in the game. He seemed to be studying me but that could be because of how close we would be working together in the future. It made sense that he would want to know everything about the woman who would be just a few short feet away from him, seeing as how he’s so secretive.
Still, his silent stare as if he were searching for something made me uneasy and I was close to losing my nerve when he finally spoke.
“Here, I need you to look this over carefully and sign on the bottom line.” He held out a sheaf of papers before pulling them back. “My word, your position here is not contingent on whether or not you agree to this. One has nothing to do with the other? Are we clear?”
I nodded my head although was in the dark. What does that mean? I got it as soon as I saw what was written there. My hands and legs started shaking as I read and my mind went through a myriad of emotions. I was afraid I’d finally do that fainting thing any minute.
I couldn’t look up, couldn’t face him. “I’ll give you some time to look it over, take your time.” He left the room and I was able to breathe again. I drew air into my lungs and released in a methodical way to keep myself from hyperventilating.
This was a completely different kind of contract to the one I’d just signed downstairs. I bet Julia had never seen the likes of this one. I had a lot to think about and though he’d said to take my time, how much time did I have?
My job wasn’t threatened by my refusal to agree to the terms he’d listed here, but could I trust his word? Everything in me told me that I could. Now the only question left was did I want what he was offering. Spelt out in black and white was a proposal for me to become his mistress. I sat there in a daze for a long time just reading and rereading. There was to be total secrecy if I decided to go along with it.
He promised to provide for me during our relationship with a nice severance package if things fell apart in less than a year but more than six months. There was to be no contact in the work place unless initiated by him. I wasn’t allowed to discuss any aspects of our relationship, intimate or otherwise.
My time would belong solely to him without exception, barring emergency. In short, if I signed the papers in my hand I would be signing away a lot of my personal rights.
I read farther down the paper after I’d taken that in. It read like a Victorian missive between a man and the woman he’d chosen to be his kept woman. I was to be outfitted in a new wardrobe of his choice and basically be his sole property for the duration. I would be available to him anytime anywhere no question.
There was a lot of other stipulations listed on the very precise well thought out document, but most of it seemed more trivial than the more salient points. The most glaring one being that no matter what, I couldn’t say no. Could never turn him away for any reason. And always his needs and his wants came first.
My body was way ahead of me. The mere implications of what it all meant made my untried body go up in flames. There was only one catch. If he was looking for his usual bedmate he’d chosen the wrong girl.
Was I cut out for this? Sitting behind a desk daydreaming was one thing, but could the sheltered girl who’d had less experience than the average high-schooler fulfill the demands spelt out here?
He came back to the room what seemed like hours but in actuality couldn’t have been more than half an hour later. “Well?” He inclined his head at the papers in my hand.
“Um, I think there’s something you need to know. I’m a…” I swallowed hard and turned beet red. I couldn’t say it. But apparently I didn’t have to.