by Dalia Wright
“And… Josh is waiting for me in there?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She nodded. Her mind raced. “Who exactly are you?”
The young man smiled as they headed towards a set of glass doors. Melina nodded her thanks and stepped into the building. Her eyes went wide as she looked around. It was huge. He lives here. If he was looking for someone to care for the place was she going to have to clean all of this? I’m not sure I can do that, she thought as the young man fell into pace with her and they made their way towards the elevator.
She turned to look at him as they stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Chris, ma’am. My family as been serving the Voughbrights for longer than I can remember.” Voungbright? Sounded fancy. Melina bit her lip. What was she about to get into here? It will be fine, she told herself. “Ma’am, you must understand one thing before meeting Josh in person. He’s… a very unique person. You must be careful not to… push too many buttons.” And for a split second Christ looked worried.
Melina’s heart jumped into her throat. She had no clue what she was supposed to say to that, so she just nodded. “Um, alright. I’ll be careful not to do anything…” anything what? She honestly had no clue what would push his buttons. She was about to open her mouth and ask when the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Melina almost gasped when she saw him. He was a foot taller than her, with short black hair and bright green eyes. The kind of eyes that a movie star should have. He glanced over at her, giving her a once over. Melina’s cheeks flushed, part of her wishing she had worn something more form-fitting. She sucked in a deep breath and forced one foot in front of the other as she made her way over to him.
“You must be Melina.”
“Yes, you must be Josh.” She held her hand out for him and they shook.
“I’m sorry to make you come all the way out here. Please sit down and we can talk more.”
Melina took a chance to look around as he guided her into another room. The house looked like something you would see on TV, on some sort of teen drama where everyone’s’ parents were rich and all the 16-year-olds drove Audis. She took a deep breath as her heels tapped softly against the marble floors. Wow, this place is amazing, she thought. I wonder if he lives here alone. No, a man in this house, and looking like him, didn’t live alone. There was no way.
Melina took a fraction of a second to give his behind a once over. Yup, there was no way a man who looked like that didn’t have someone. Even in a form-fitting suit she could see his muscles flex. Sitting down across from him, Melina waited.
“Tell me, do you have many friends?”
“I… no. I only have one person I would somewhat consider a friend in the state,” she admitted. Why would he need to know something like that?
He nodded. “And what do you do in your free time? Why did you move here?”
Melina wasn’t sure what one to answer first. “I came here to follow my dream job. Act-”
“Are you must of a partier?”
“No.”
The questions just kept coming, so fast and nonstop. “Are you in school for anything?”
“No.”
“Are you in a relationship?”
“No.”
“What size are you?”
Melina choked on air. “Excuse me?” Why the fuck would he need to know something like that? Was this some kind of creepy right-out-of-a-porn place that only allowed thin, attractive girls? Well I’ll be failing on one of those accounts. She thought, and for a split second had to force herself not to smile.
“What size do you wear?” He stared at her blankly, waiting.
Melina swallowed dryly. If that was the most personal question he asked it wouldn’t be too bad. Right? She knew she needed the job.
“4.”
He nodded, taking everything in for a couple of seconds. “And you plan to be in the area for a while?”
“Yes. I plan to stay here.”
“For work?”
Melina shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere else to go anyways, so why not stay somewhere it’s nice?” She looked away. She didn’t want to admit that she had no one who would be there for her. She had no one who supported her. Doesn’t matter. I’ll make this work myself. She was going to make it here because everyone told her she couldn’t and she was determined to prove them all wrong. Everyone who had told her all her life that she couldn’t do it. She was going to show them they could. She was going to show her mom that she could make it, without becoming a hooker or a stripper- ideally.
Josh studied her carefully. He didn’t say a word.
“One last thing,” he said looking away from her, “my ad in the newspaper was not quite forthcoming.”
Melina’s heart skipped a beat. What did he mean? She sucked in a deep breath, waiting.
“I’m not looking for a caretaker.”
“But-”
“Yes, I know that is what the ad said, but… the truth is I’m looking for… more.”
“More?” Oh god. I knew this was a bad idea.
“Yes, more. Of course it will take time for us to warm up to each other, and for things to look legit. But eventually, say four of five months down the road, I’d like you to marry me.”
Melina stared at him blankly. Was he asking her to be his girlfriend or bribing her to be his wife? She couldn’t tell.
“Well, what do you say? Of course, I won’t force you into it, and once the paperwork is signed, if you change your mind we can work through that.”
Paperwork? Melina took a deep breath.
“You’ll make $9000 a month, then after the marriage you will have full access to my bank accounts as you see fit.”
$9000 a month?
It’s not like she could say no to that, and she knew it.
There was something about her that he liked. He just couldn’t put his paw- er, hand on it. Maybe it was his other side that liked her. Maybe it was the fact that she looked so angry with him when he asked her dress size. It wasn’t for kinky reasons- really.
A smile spread over his lips. “Thank you for your time, I’ll be sure to have Chris contact you about when you start.” He stood and she followed suit, extending her hand to him. Josh didn’t normally like shaking people’s hands, but this time he did. Like the first time they had shook hands, he didn’t feel anything. His heart skipped a beat. Why? He had gone his entire life feeling it when he touched other people. That urge. The one that made him stay inside so much.
“It was my pleasure.” She gave a wide smile and he took a second to give her one last once over. She was beautiful. Although what she was wearing was simple, it hugged the curves of her body and he loved the way it did. He forced himself to look away from her before he started leering.
As he turned on his heel he headed for the kitchen. She heard Chris offer to take Melina home, but she declined saying that she had somewhere else to go before heading home. Josh pulled his phone out of his pocket and reread the messages they had exchanged. She had given him her phone number in case he needed to call before they’d met.
“Well, sir. What do you think?”
“I think she’s perfect.”
There was something about her that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he didn’t care. She would do a good job, and it was always good for him to have a female around the house. It seemed to calm him. growing up with his mother it had always been easier to control himself. Until she passed away.
“When she touched you….”
“Yes.” Josh didn’t need Chris to finish his sentence. He knew what his friend was about to say, and it was true. It hadn’t tried to take control. Maybe that is just because she’s a girl.
It had been hard to learn how to control, and even still he wasn’t good enough. If he were good enough then he wouldn’t need to hire her for help. I’ll get there. He told himself, but he wasn’t so sure that was the truth. Josh took a deep breath as
he turned to his friend. Chris looked happy. His eyes sparkled.
“She’ll be good for the house.”
“She will.” Josh just hoped that he wouldn’t screw this up.
“Sir, relax. Everything will be alright.” Chris said as if he’d been able to read his friend’s mind. He padded over to the counter and poured himself a glass of water. “Really, what is the worst that can happen?”
“I could kill her.”
Chapter Three
Melina couldn’t believe it. It had sounded like she got the job! She was going to finally have somewhere to work. Although she wouldn’t need to pay rent if she was going to be living with him. her heart skipped a beat at the thought. He was gorgeous, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of living with him. I mean, it’s kinda freaky. I hardly know him. He could be… well, who knows what he could be. She’d just have to sleep with her mace close in case he tried anything with her. I mean, it’s not like he was going to expect her to sleep with him right off the bat, right? He had said they could get to know each other. That counted for something, right? She took a deep breath, her heart raced the entire way to the theatre. She stepped into the theatre to see that several people were already there getting ready.
“Melina!” Jenny called, waving her hand from the stage.
Melina smiled. When Josh asked if she had friends she hadn’t been lying when she said no, Jenny wasn’t quite a friend, but it was the closest thing she had to a friend and everyone needed someone they could rely on, right? Well, Jenny was that. She was someone Melina could talk to.
She made her way to the stage and joined Jenny up there. “How’s it going?”
“You won’t believe what you missed,” Jenny hissed, “Mike and John got into a huge fight.”
Melina listened as Jenny dished all the details. Not that she really cared about the details, but Jenny liked to talk, so Melina listened. Maybe that was one of the reasons Jenny liked talking to her so much. Whatever, it’s just nice to have someone I can talk to if I need to. Though Melina was always careful about what she told Jenny. After all, she knew Jenny liked to gossip.
Melina reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of yoga pants. Something that would be good for stretching. She removed the dress once her pants were on, having worn a tank top under her dress in case she didn’t have a chance to get back to the house before coming here.
Dance had always been her passion. Dance had always been what she wanted to do- so when she was 19 she moved out of her mom’s and to New York, where everyone who wanted to be a famous dancer went- right? The truth is, she’d considered a couple other places, but she had been so caught up in the idea of living here. Now she wasn’t sure that had been her best move.
Finally, Jenny stopped talking. Melina finished nodding, pretending to listen and started her stretches.
“You looked like you’ve got something on your mind.” Jenny said.
“Yeah, I just… might have got a job.” She wasn’t going to jinx herself and tell anyone it was a done deal until she started working there.
“Really? That’s great! Doing what?”
Her brow furrowed. The truth was, she didn’t really know. “I um, haven’t gotten all the details yet but it’s looking promising.”
“The details for what?” His silky smooth voice made Melina’s heart skip a beat. She spun to see Seth standing there, a grin over his lips.
“A job that I might have.”
“A job? And here I was worried it might be a boyfriend.”
Melina’s cheeks flushed. While she loved the idea of Josh being a boyfriend, there was something about him… wait. Why would Seth be worried it was a boyfriend? Her heart started to pick up a couple of beats.
“So, are you auditioning today?”
“Yes, are you?”
Seth and Melina had met through Jenny. At first she had thought they were dating, but she quickly realized they were just friends.
“Yup. I hope I don’t get stuck with you.” He gave her a wink. “Not sure I’d be able to pick you up.”
Melina felt her cheeks grow warm. It was true, for a dancer she wasn’t quite the ideal shape. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried to lose weight it just didn’t work. She knew that she was probably the biggest girl in the room, and that never left her feeling confident, but that wasn’t going to stop her from following her dream. She forced a smile over her lips.
“I’m glad to hear you got a job though, you deserve it. I know how hard you’ve been trying to get something. Looks like stuff is finally looking up for you.”
“Thanks, if I could get this part it would be even better.” Melina grinned. She knew she was a good dancer, but it was hard for people to get past the weight. It’s not like she was unhealthy or even very large… she just… wasn’t small enough.
“I’m sure you’ll get the part, eventually. I’ve never seen someone dance like you.” Seth gave her a wide smile.
Jenny excused herself, heading for her backpack. Melina glanced over to her, then back to Seth. “Thanks. I know it takes time, so I won’t be surprised if I’ve gotta keep trying, but I’m not going to let it stop me. I’ll keep trying.”
“That’s good. For you to be so determined. I hope it works out for you. Anyways, I’ve gotta head out for a few. Maybe we can hang out some time, though. Sound good?”
Did she just get asked out?
Her heart skipped several beats. “Yeah, sounds good,” ahe stammered. Wow. Maybe her life really was looking up. She had a job, she had a future date. The only way it could get better is if she could land this part. It wouldn’t be a big part, but it would be something and that was what mattered right now- building her resume.
Two hours later it was underway. Melina still had a long time until she was on stage, but she watched quietly as everyone else made their mark on the scouts. There were a couple girls up there who did a wonderful job, and when Jenny went up, she blew everyone away. Jenny was a wonderful dancer, and truth be told, Melina was a little jealous.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, letting her know someone was calling. She jumped to her feet quickly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She stared down at the number. She had no clue who it was. She glanced around. What if it is Josh? She had given him her phone number. Her heart skipped a beat as she answered the call and lifted it to her ear.
“Yes?” She whispered rushing out of the room. In the hallway she felt a little better. She kept an eye on what was going on inside the other room.
“Ma’am.” It was Christ.
“Yes?”
“You’re expected here within the hour.”
“I… excuse me?”
A loud sigh came from the other end of the phone. “You are expected here within the hour. Is that an issue?”
“Well-”
“Is this really how you want to kick off your first day of work?”
Her heart skipped a beat. It was her first day of work? Since when? They hadn’t told her she was starting work!
“Please let yourself in. We’re on the penthouse, the door will be unlocked.”
Without another word to her he hung up.
Asshole, she thought as she moved her phone away from her ear and made her way back into the room. She looked around. Everyone was waiting for someone. Shit, I hope they didn’t call my name.
“Rebecca?” someone called out – it sounded like it wasn’t for the first time either. A sigh of relief passed through her lips. “She must not be here; alright, let’s move to the next person. Melina.”
Melina’s heart caught in her throat. She took a deep breath. That was her. She had to go up on stage now and she only had one chance for this. She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. Alright, I can do this. I just gotta go up there and do what I’ve been practicing for ages. It was a basic routine that still showed just how experienced she was. She’d be able to nail this like she had others. She was a good dancer, and even though she never got hired,
she always got told they were surprised by how good she was. She slowly made her way to the stage, dropping her phone by her purse as she passed it. On the stage she could feel all eyes on her. She took a deep breath and readied herself, then turned to the man in charge of the music. She gave him a single nod.
He said I had to be there right away. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking while dancing, but she couldn’t help it.
She didn’t want to ruin her first day of work. She didn’t want to get fired on her first day. Too bad. If he had been such a concern they would have told her, right? But still…
She felt her feet fumbled over each other. She felt the hard floor against her knees before she realized what had happened.
Melina’s cheeks burned a deep shade of red as she felt tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. She’d just done herself in. She was fucked. I botched my audition. She couldn’t believe it.
Someone in the back ground cleared their throat. Melina could feel all the eyes on her. The music had stopped.
Without a word she stood, forced a smile over her lips and locked eyes on the three scouts. “Would you like to take a few moments?” An elderly woman asked. The look on her face told Melina that she had already made up her mind about Melina.
“No, but thank you for the offer. You have a lot of other performers to see, and I won’t waste your time.” She could feel her legs throbbing. She knew that, in her current state, she wouldn’t be able to do half as well as she should be able to do- not nearly good enough to get the part.
She avoided all eye contract as she made her way down the stage and picked up her purse. The only person she dared look at was Jenny. Her heart sank, knowing that soon she would be the topic of Jenny’s gossip.
Not that Melina cared right now. She could feel the tear slide down her cheek as she hutched her purse over her shoulder and headed for the exit.
