The Mistress

Chapter 1

Carmilla was not a spoiled girl per se, but she wasn't fond of manual work. Manual work, people, not hard work.

She was two years shy of finishing her medical studies when her parents went bankrupt thanks to the one and only Joshua King, a former family friend.

Rendered unable to pay her tuition fees, she was forced to take on a job as a waitress... Okay, not the hardest work out there, sure, but it definitely required a definite amount of deftness she didn't possess.

She was clever enough not to point out to her boss how clumsy she was though at her interview. With looks being on her side, she was given the job.

A week into it, and that's when it happened.

The one and only Joshua King entered the small family restaurant for some reason. He and an equally smartly dressed man sat at one of the tables, and just waited.

Carmilla wasn't surprised to hear some of her colleagues giggle idiotically before one of them decided to pick straws to choose who was giving to serve the two gentlemen. Carmilla rolled her eyes and decided – or rather wished – to merge with the wall.

“Not interested,” she told them dispassionately when they offered her to pick a straw.

As luck would have it, the colleague she liked the least was the one who won. She was the sluttiest of the lot. And she didn't mind showing her wild side.

"Emily," one of them called out the waitress who was sashaying on her way there, attracting stares from all around the small family restaurant, some appreciative, some indignant. "Go, get him, tiger!"

She hissed much like a tiger before she exploded into a fit of laughter...

“Aucune retenue,” Carmilla sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly, a derisive smirk stretching her lips. (No restrain.)

When Emily arrived at America's most sought after bachelor, this latter dismissed her with a wave of his hand, and said in a confident voice that left room for no argument, "I want her."

Carmilla was astonished to see his finger pointed out in her direction.

So much for merging with the wall, she inwardly sighed as she blushed crimson from the attention she was getting.

She shook her head negatively, and wished to back out even more, out of sight, where he couldn't reach her with his piercing stare.

"Is that a no, Miss..." He trailed off, feigning not to know her name.

She grimaced openly before steeling her resolve.

He can't harm you, she told herself. You can do it.

She went straight to his table with small but confident steps... the steps of an heiress, of the heiress she had been not too long ago.

"Yes, Mister?" She asked formally when she reached his table, feeling all eyes on her, more so Emily’s who had not retreated entirely.

"I've come for you, Carmilla," were his startling words.

Now, that was unexpected!

She frowned at him, disbelief etched on her face, and showing in her tone as she said, "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me, chérie," he had the nerve to smirk at her.

His smirk wasn't infectious, but it was a panty-dropping smirk. And Carmilla would be blind to say it wasn't, or frigid to say she wasn't affected.

"I don't understand," she said, her confusion clear and evident to all around.

"Follow me," he said simply.

"What if I don't?" The contradictory person that she was just had to say no.

"I know how much you abhor manual work, how much you suck at anything that has to do with using your hands. And I know that despite the hours you're putting in, you definitely won't be able to pay your tuition fees come next semester..."

She raised her hand to slap him, only for her hand to be held back by the owner of the small restaurant, who had arrived at the least convenient moment, or the most convenient, she couldn’t decide.

"Carmilla!" She said in reprimand. "Do you know who this is?"

"I could use your brains at my company," Joshua then said with a shrug, seemingly almost unaffected by her near-slap. "My lawyer here will give you the details."

And with that, he got up and left, leaving her perplex beyond reason.

“What does he want with me?” She muttered, more to herself than to anyone.

“Mr. King is, for some reasons that are beyond me, convinced you’re an organized and clever person,” the lawyer began. He adjusted his glasses before adding, “He wants you as his secretary.

“The man’s delusional,” she scoffed as she was about to retreat.

“Hear him out,” the owner of the diner, Carmen, said.

“Mr. King has been searching for a secretary to replace his own for over two weeks now. He thinks you’re a good fit.

“I’ve never worked as a secretary!” She exclaimed angrily.

“You never worked as a waitress before either,” The lawyer countered immediately.

“Here’s the contract. The offer is a really good one, if I can say so myself,” he brought a card from the pocket of his vest and handed it to her. "This is my card. You have twenty four hours to decide whether to take the job or not.

And with that, the lawyer left as well.

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