Werebeasties

Her new boss walked to a wingback chair near the fireplace. The way he moved was sinuous and predatory. It reminded her of big cats in their natural habitat. Like lions that stalked their prey. Dominant and deadly. Adam settled in gracefully. He grabbed a folder from the side table and started to flip through the pages. The contracts Reyes had had her sign were longer than the Congress’ annual budget bills.

Adam peered from the top of the folder. “Have a seat, Ms Knight.”

Sam decided to sit in a chair next to him. The room had a small sitting area across from the bed. The chair was plush and comfy, making her want to sink in and take a snooze. She couldn’t do that. Sam straightened her posture, hoping she’d appear more sophisticated than she really was.

His gaze cut to her. “We hired you here for nothing but to fulfil our pleasure. Do you understand the extent of your employment?”

Sam gulped hard and nodded.

“Please state yes or no.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That means you can’t refuse any request we have in mind.”

“I understand, sir. Yes, sir.”

“Do you?” Adam leaned forward. The twinkles in his eyes burned bright. “If I wake you up at three in the morning to bunny fuck you, you have to be willing and enthusiastic.”

Heat seared her face. She understood what she was going into without needing it to be put out so bluntly. “I understand, sir. Ms Reyes explained each clause of the contract very thoroughly.”

Adam looked pleased. “Are you an anal virgin?”

The heat slammed back tenfold. “I…uh yes, sir. Sorry, I’m inexperienced in that area.” Jared was the king of vanilla and his laziness included sex. She’d had to do all the work and the kinkiest thing she had ever tried was a reverse cowgirl. She hadn’t cared for that

either. “But I’m a fast learner, sir,” Sam added hurriedly, hoping her haplessness in sex wouldn’t make her employer change his mind.

Somehow, Adam didn’t seem disappointed. He flipped through more pages. “Why did you divorce your husband?”

The question came unexpectedly. Jared had been her high school sweetheart. She and Jared had married right after they’d graduated. They’d been young and very much in love. Love alone didn’t warrant a good life. A year had passed when she’d finally seen Jared for who he was—a lazy, good-for-nothing bastard. While she wallowed elbow-deep in cleaning up animal carcasses in the factory, Jared sat in front of the TV and drank beer. Laziness alone she could tolerate. After all, he was her husband and they had taken a vow, for better or for worse. But then Jared had started to cheat on her and hadn’t bothered being secretive. She’d asked for a divorce. Jared had refused. He’d said he wouldn’t let her go, no matter what.

At first, she’d thought Jared’s reluctance for divorce was because deep down, he loved her. It had taken her six more years to realise that Jared didn’t want a divorce because he didn’t want to lose his lifestyle. If they split up, he would’ve had no one to support his habits. So when Sam hit him with the divorce papers, Jared had gone to an expensive divorce lawyer and hit her back with a ridiculous divorce settlement. Her own lawyer had lost in front of the judge. She had to pay Jared a sizeable sum or she’d lose everything.

Sam cleared her throat. “He’s an ass, sir. And I finally realised that and did what I should have done a long time ago.”

Adam flooded her with a pitiful stare.

She didn’t know why, but a roll of anger quickened past her. She didn’t need pity. She could take care of herself, thank you very much. All she needed to do was lie on her back and spread her legs for Adam and his colleagues for a month and she’d be home with that hundred grand and could settle all of her problems.

Adam returned his attention to the folder. He skimmed and plucked some sheets. He handed them to her. “These are our health examination papers. We are clean. Same as you.”

“Yes, sir.” Her gaze darted from top to bottom of the document. The doctor who had signed the paper was from the same exclusive clinic that had also examined her. Then she noticed her employers’ age. Adam Hauser was thirty-two, only six years older than her. Calvin Neutzel was thirty-three, and David Strauss was thirty-four.

So the other two were also young. Here she’d thought she was going to entertain a bunch of fat, balding, rich old men. The job suddenly didn’t sound that bad at all and maybe she would actually enjoy it.

Adam closed the folder and put it back on the table. He steepled his fingers. His expression wavered between solemn and curious. “I want you to strip, Ms Knight.”

“Strip?” she echoed.

“Take off your clothes. We want to see what we’ll get for our money.”

Self-consciousness knifed her back. They had taken photos and videos during the interview, but none of them had involved nude pictures. Now she was worried. What if Hauser didn’t like what he saw and decided to cancel the agreement?

During her seven-year marriage, Jared had complained that she’d let herself go. But Sam hadn’t really cared what he’d thought. Try working twelve-hour shifts in the factory and coming home to cook and clean up his lazy-ass mess. She hadn’t had time to take care of herself. Sure, she had plumped over the years, but she hadn’t really ballooned either. Still, it didn’t make her feel pretty or presentable in front of her new employer.

Gathering the rest of her wits, Sam hauled herself from the chair. She unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it from her shoulders. Her jeans came off next, after she’d slipped off her sneakers. She regretted not wearing sexier underwear or a bra. Hadn’t thought to buy some, on account of her limited budget. Her undergarments always came from a Kmart bargain bin. White cotton panties and a cream-colored bra. They looked like granny gear, but they were comfortable to wear.

Adam stared at her critically. “All of it, Ms Knight.”