Chapter 3: The Hire

"Fucking great..." Faylen sighed, staring at the bedsheet in front of her.

Three distinct ropes of her cum stained the fabric. Despite that, her arousal still hummed in the background. What a great way to start the day. Now she had to figure out how to dispose of the evidence before Satia saw it and confirmed her earlier suspicions.

*How does one even get rid of something like this..?* She knew maids took bed sheets away for cleaning, but she had never done it herself, nor had she watched them. She wasn't sure if they paid attention to the cloth or just tossed it into a washing machine. She stared at the bed, trying to figure out a reasonable solution, when suddenly a thought struck her.

Why do I even care..?

She paid maids to clean up after her--that was their job. Simple as that. Exactly the same scenario she envisioned for Elysia. If she couldn't boss the staff around, how could she ever hope to be assertive enough to command the pink-haired demon?

Besides, she wanted to use the playrooms soon. It wasn't like she was going to start cleaning up after herself now. Slowly nodding, she grabbed the sheets and pulled them hard, folding everything into a messy ball of cloth. That should be enough courtesy from her, right? She glanced at the clock--12:18 p. m. The drive to the café would probably take about half an hour--she'd have to ask Satia or the chauffeur for the exact timing--but there was still time.

Fueled by her thoughts--and probably some residual arousal--Faylen was determined to turn them into a real conviction: to care less about what people thought of her and to be more decisive, more dominant. Something she had lacked ever since she'd been left alone. Nodding slowly, she threw on a bathrobe, grabbed her phone, and moved to the door. Hoping to meet Satia on the way, she chose a bathroom in another wing of the mansion.

Wandering between rooms in her properties was often a source of headaches for her staff, but Ms. Acheor had never realized that it could be inconvenient for them. She thought of it as a way to get in some daily movement. After all, depending on the mansion, it could be anywhere between eighty and a hundred fifty steps--and that added up quickly.

As she walked, she pulled out her phone. She swallowed hard, looking at the picture, and just then it vibrated again.

I couldn't find any other picture of myself, but I thought you should know who you're looking for! See you in the café--looks very fancy!

Faylen shook her head slowly. There was no way Elysia was trying to pass this off as a normal message. She had just sent a horny picture as her first introduction... Looking over it again, Faylen's thighs pressed together. It was just so unreasonably hot. She swallowed and began to type a reply, thinking of her new resolution.

No problem. In my opinion, you should lose the lingerie.

She hovered over the "Send" button... *Nope. Way too horny.*

*No worries,*--her fingers hovered over the screen again, and she realized she was standing still instead of walking.

*Was she supposed to be flirty and horny or cold and professional..?* Probably somewhere in between, but she just couldn't find the right words. It seemed better to lean toward professionalism.

No worries, it's good to put a face to the name.

She fixed a disobedient lock of hair getting in her way. Was there a way to improve that message..? With a sudden idea, she changed the word 'face' to 'body.' And--sent.

She took one last look at the picture and tossed the phone into the robe's pocket. Her body felt warm and tingly as she continued walking. Everything seemed just a touch more colorful, her steps had a bit more spring, and the flowers planted in the corners seemed to smell just a little stronger and nicer than usual.

Unfortunately, Satia was nowhere to be seen when Faylen reached the bathroom. She didn't bother locking the door, immediately shaking her arms so the robe fell to the ground. With a smile, she stretched fully, watching her reflection in the tall mirror. For a few seconds, she held the pose, admiring her curves.

With a sudden thought, she bent down to fish her phone from the robe and pulled up Elysia's picture. She placed the screen on a countertop and carefully recreated the pose. It didn't feel like it suited her all that much. The cutesy bend of knees and arms just didn't sit right with the blonde.

She tilted her head and pouted. Well... maybe she was just meant to be the boss, even in sexy pictures? With that, she changed her pose multiple times, trying to look elegant and commanding. None of them looked quite how she intended. And all the while, her eyes kept dropping down to her phone to look at the picture one more time.

Faylen sighed and grabbed the phone again. With a tiny bit of shame, she typed "dominant pose" into the search engine and scrolled through the results... which were shockingly disappointing.

"Yeah, no shit, with a boot on someone's back I can look dommy too," she muttered to herself... But one image caught her eye.

Carefully, she stood sideways to the mirror, then bent her knee until her thigh was at a ninety-degree angle to her body. Lacking a better idea, she awkwardly shuffled and placed her foot on the rim of the bathtub to stabilize herself.

Back straight, face up, looking down...* she thought, checking each mental box. *Hands... just hanging freely--that's awkward...

But as she looked into the mirror, she could sort of see the idea. It didn't quite do her justice--she had to look straight, not down. And well, she was naked. Still, unlike the previous poses, this one had potential, and it made her giggle softly with excitement. With a sudden rush of dopamine, she decided to try harder--placing her phone so that she'd look down at it, setting a timer to snap a photo in a couple of seconds, and rushing to strike the pose.

After a soft click, she grabbed the device. There she was--and the pose looked great. She looked great. As if she knew she was in control and knew exactly what she was about to do. Her body flushed warm as she looked at the picture, and bit her lip.

Should she send something like that to Elysia? Clothed, of course... but like that? It felt like too much, too unexpected. The girl had sent a horny--but extremely carefree--pic. And Faylen would reply with something all serious? She placed the phone back on the countertop and sat on the bathtub rim with a soft sigh, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. She could feel all bossy and confident, but when it came to communicating, she just couldn't find her way without second-guessing everything.

A sudden knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Ms. Acheor..?" The voice wasn't Satia's--it was one of the many maids. "Are you okay?" the girl asked, tugging on the handle.

As it clicked downward, Faylen felt a spike of adrenaline. With lightning speed, she lunged for the bathrobe and covered herself as best she could.

"YES, YES! I'm fine!" she squeaked--way too loudly.

The person on the other side paused mid-motion.

"Oh. Okay. It just seemed very quiet, I got worried. I'm sorry, Ms Acheor," the voice said, retreating.

Faylen exhaled deeply, not realizing she'd been holding her breath. She recognized the voice now--it was one of the new employees. She wasn't entirely sure but vaguely remembered the name Mikka. Very young, barely eighteen. Part of Satia's new training program for maids.

"She just has too much free time, huh..?"* Faylen muttered to herself, thinking of both the maid and Satia. *"Since when is a couple of minutes a lo--Holy shit!"

The exclamation slipped out as she caught sight of the time.

1:28 p. m.? Where had the hour gone? Had she really spent all that time posing in front of a mirror? If she didn't want to be late, she had to move fast. She locked the door and darted into the shower.

Once she stopped wasting time wondering, she moved quickly. She finished in ten minutes, thankful she didn't need to wash her hair. She strode briskly to the nearest room with a vanity table and fixed her makeup. She often had it done by someone else, but she genuinely enjoyed doing it herself--and today, she wanted to try something heavier than usual.

By 2:20 p. m., she was nearly ready.

She had already decided on a darker outfit while doing her makeup, so now it was just a matter of choosing a specific set. Walking through one of her many wardrobes, she quickly picked out her look: tall high heels, stockings, a short skirt, and a crop top. A bit of silver jewellery to keep the look from getting too dark--and she was ready. Grabbing a purse, she pressed a button on the wall.

A moment later, Satia opened the door, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, Mistress Acheor?" she asked, clearly not expecting to see her already dressed and ready to leave.

"I'm going to Velvet Brew. Let Ann know," Faylen replied, slipping her phone and a few other items into the purse.

"Right now? Do you know what time you'd like dinner, if at all?"

"Yup and no."

Her butler gave a slow nod, recognizing the disinterested tone in her mistress's voice. There was no point in asking further questions--any answer would be similarly vague--so she turned to prepare the chauffeur and inform the chef of the change in schedule.

Faylen had never paid much attention to cars. She used them often, of course, but had never once considered driving herself--nor did she care about technical details. She only knew that she loved the comfort of her limousines, but hated using them in crowded areas. They drew too much attention on their own. For trips like today's--to the city--she preferred the large but far less conspicuous SUV.

The reality of the meeting sank in gradually throughout the drive. The earlier rush to prepare had left her no time to worry, but now, sitting still for half an hour, she was glued to her phone's screen, nervously biting her nails. She was still determined to appear dominant and assertive... but the closer they got to the destination, the more she had to admit that finding the right words and gestures wasn't her strong suit.

She tried to preempt the issue--imagining different scenarios, rehearsing her responses, and brushing up on what she should ask. She even practised business questions with the help of the internet. Technicalities, like time off, scheduling, and pay structures, were completely foreign to her. She got hung up on compensation first, even trying to figure out how much she was paying Satia, but when she couldn't locate the right bank account, she settled for Googling average salaries instead.

One thing she knew for sure: Elysia would need to sign an NDA. There was no way Faylen was letting any of this leak to the media, so she quickly asked Satia to send over a draft of one.

Just a few minutes past three o'clock, the car rolled to a stop in front of the café. Ann jumped out of the front seat to open the door for her employer, and moments later, Faylen's heels clattered against the concrete.

"Would you like me to stay parked nearby, or are you planning to stay long, Ms. Acheor?" Ann asked, holding the door.

"I'll be a minute. Let's say we meet here in half an hour," Faylen replied, smiling nervously as she walked past.

Without paying further attention to the chauffeur, she hurried into the Velvet Brew and glanced around.

There weren't many seats inside, but they were spaced well apart, often separated by velvety curtains. It was a touch she normally loved--for the privacy--but today it made it annoyingly difficult to tell whether Elysia had already arrived.

Just as she was about to give up and grab an empty table, she spotted a bright colour. A few curtains later, her suspicion was confirmed--a girl with pink hair was seated, enjoying a first sip of what looked like a very plain black coffee.

"Hi--Elysia, right?" Faylen asked, forcing a calm smile and offering a hand, though internally she was vibrating with anxiety.

"Nope. Sorry."

Faylen froze mid-gesture, her heart skipping in confusion. She could've sworn the girl looked exactly like the photo. Did she really--

Elysia's grin broke the facade. "Kidding! Oh my god, your face--adorable." She stood slightly and gave Faylen a warm hug, ignoring the awkward handshake attempt entirely. "Sit, please! So sorry, I would've ordered something for you, but I had no idea what you'd want. There are so many choices--I got overwhelmed and picked this boring thing!" She giggled, pointing at her drink.

Making the best of what she was dealt, Faylen sat down and cleared her throat. At least this part was familiar--this was her favourite café, after all.

"Well, you should've waited," she said with a smile, picking up the menu from the table. "I don't think there's a thing here I haven't tried." She flipped through the options. "I'll pick something better--" she paused, her voice softening, less commanding, "--I mean, something you'd like more."

Elysia glanced at the menu again, biting her lower lip in mock embarrassment. "Honestly, this place clearly wasn't designed with students--or waitresses--in mind. I'm lucky I even got through the door." She smiled, though her voice had a faint tremble.

Faylen chuckled softly, feeling some of her own tension ease. "Then consider it a treat from your boss--" she caught herself, panicked slightly at how presumptuous that sounded, and quickly added, "or at least your potential boss, depending on how this goes."

Elysia's concerned expression melted into a warm smile. "That's very generous of you, thanks. Let's make sure this goes well, then. I'd hate to waste the chance."

Encouraged by her reaction, Faylen found her footing. She dove into explaining the structure of the menu--how some options focused on sweetness, others on flavour pairings, and a few on sheer decadence. Elysia mostly listened, her chin resting on her hand, giving full attention to Faylen's animated descriptions.

Eventually, she interrupted with a smirk. "Damn, girl. You really do like your coffee, huh?"

"Thank you for the help. I'd love to try a bunch of them. Something sweet, maybe..." She trailed off, studying her menu again and letting her finger linger a moment too long on one of the most expensive options. She glanced sideways and shook her head. "But I think I'll be good with maybe... fourteen? And don't even try to make me say the names! Seriously--'Aphrodite's Caramel Caress'? 'Emperor's Kiss Macchiato'? 'Cinnamon Whisper Cappuccino Supreme'? Who names coffee like this?" She laughed uncontrollably, hiding her face behind her hand.

Faylen smiled, trying to suppress her own amusement. "Pretentious people trying to impress each other."

Elysia rolled her eyes, still chuckling. "Well, mission accomplished. I'm impressed and confused simultaneously."

"Don't worry. I still use numbers for half of them. You won't hear me saying half that stuff over my dead body," Faylen said, pretending not to watch how Elysia was handling the menu.

But pretending didn't last long. When the waitress approached to take their order, Faylen immediately straightened, eager to assert her place in the hierarchy.

"I'll have the seven," Faylen said smoothly. "And she'll take the fourteen."

The waitress nodded, scribbled, and walked away--leaving Elysia blinking in mild surprise. She glanced at the menu, then back at Faylen, her brow lifting as a slow, playful smirk formed.

"Hmm. Not to look a gifted horse in the mouth or anything," she said, catching Faylen's gaze, "but I don't think that's quite what I asked for... was it?"

Faylen's confidence faltered beneath the direct look. Her heart thumped. She glanced down at the menu, nervously twirling a strand of golden hair. But she'd already committed.

"Was it not?" she asked, trying for a casual shrug. "I must've gotten distracted by how longingly you were staring at it. Would you rather I--uh, ask them to bring you the fourteen instead?" She immediately regretted the offer--it sounded far too eager to please for how she wanted to be perceived.

Elysia watched her fidget with quiet delight. After a pause long enough to make Faylen's heart pound harder, she broke into a warm laugh.

"No, no, I'll trust your instincts--this time." Her voice dipped slightly. "Besides, I have to admit, 'Emperor's Kiss' sounds way more exciting than whatever safe pick I made. Would you like to share it?" she asked, never breaking eye contact.

Faylen inhaled sharply. The first part relieved her--the second dragged her right back into the teasing current.

"Well, I do love that drink... so if you don't mind sharing..." she replied with a smile.

"Oh, not at all. Sharing food and drinks is so much fun at restaurants." Elysia finally broke eye contact, stretching in her padded chair and stifling a yawn. "My, so sorry. I guess I didn't really get enough sleep today after all. Hopefully, the coffee will get me focused better." She smiled again.

This was the opportunity Ms Acheor had been waiting for. Ignoring the faint blush on her cheeks, she cleared her throat and straightened in her seat.

"That reminds me--if we're going to start talking business, there are some things I need you to consider first."

"O? Business talk--sounds serious." Elysia's voice remained light. "Well, there's no avoiding it, I guess. Go on, shoot."

Despite her words, her posture didn't change one bit--still lazily relaxed in the chair. Luckily, that didn't matter to Faylen. This part was much easier for her, especially after all the rehearsals in the car.

"To start with, you'd need to sign an NDA. I hope it's obvious I wouldn't want you discussing my private affairs--or those of my staff--with anyone outside." As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and opened their messages to send the document.

That's when she realized her mistake.

Elysia's photo still filled most of the screen--a large, clearly revealing image that showed she'd scrolled back up to look at it again. If only she held her phone normally, that wouldn't be a problem--just a sudden tease. But she was intending on sending and then immediately showing the agreement, to discuss it, so the screen was pointed pretty much directly up, and the candidate in front of her was looking directly at it.

They locked eyes the moment Faylen closed the app.

"I know I said I like sharing, but I didn't mean that much, that quick, you know?" Elysia said slowly, crossing her arms. "Does this agreement bind you to discretion in any way, hm?"

Faylen's face flushed deep red. She scrambled for words. "I--I'm so sorry for that. I don't know how--uhm--"

"I know." Elysia cut her off smoothly, sitting up straighter. "You were too distracted enjoying yourself with my picture and forgot to scroll down. Now, show me the paper. I'd rather be protected before anyone else sees it. Does it cover me too, or not?"

Completely thrown off balance and embarrassed, Faylen could only nod. Her hands were slightly shaky as she placed the phone on the table and navigated through her files. She almost went into her gallery, to get the picture, instead of a document, as she saved them in multiple formats and it seemed the easiest to go through--but caught herself at the last second. She silently thanked every god in existence for that moment of clarity.

Showing Elysia in lingerie--terrible. Exposing herself completely naked, right after--she'd probably die of shame.

Even so, the image thumbnails still appeared in the document folder. She tapped past them quickly and finally brought up the NDA. The screen filled with dull legal formatting. She exhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Okay, it wasn't that bad, princess. I'm fine. No one saw anything they didn't already," Elysia said, voice softer now. She shook her head and leaned slightly closer, perhaps out of sympathy. Or amusement. Probably both.

"I'm aware that it didn't actually expose or embarrass you," Faylen said, scratching her head awkwardly. "But here I am talking about protection and privacy while doing that." She sighed. "I'm sorry. Something like that won't happen again. And yes--the agreement protects you as well."

Surprisingly, she felt more confident after saying it. Getting the elephant in the room addressed, openly and sincerely, brought a strange sense of relief. She'd admitted the picture existed, that she liked it, and that she'd made a mistake. Somehow, that clarity felt empowering.

Elysia's smile softened as she leaned in a little. "That's great to hear... What if I gave you permission, regardless?" she whispered, tracing invisible circles on the table with one finger. "Or you gave it to me... hmm?"

Faylen tilted her head, reflexively searching for the legal implications of such a suggestion. "Well... I suppose..." Her voice lowered too. "I can't find any issue with that," she said, slowly, deliberately.

They both giggled--right as the waitress returned with their drinks.

As both girls giggled, the waitress appeared with their coffee and quickly put one in front of each of them. That completely derailed the conversation.

Instead of discussing employment--or at least the NDA--Elysia praised the coffee and asked a few questions about both their drinks, explaining how little she actually knew about it, even in the simplest configurations.

Faylen, of course, got completely lost in her explanation--covering everything from ingredients, through all the processes that went into them, and how they mixed into the final product.

She enjoyed that topic a lot since she felt very confident and could relax from the whole war for domination.

As they neared the end of their cups, Faylen's phone vibrated loudly on the table. She picked it up and read the message:

Arrived, waiting outside, Ms. Acheor --from Ann.

"Oh, shoot..." Faylen covered her mouth and looked up at Elysia. "I guess I didn't calculate very well how long a business talk would take." She winced. "I asked my driver to be here around now."

Elysia sipped the last of her drink and tilted her head. "Well, I don't think I'm ready to sign anything just yet... We did spend more time on small talk than the agreement, huh?" She leaned back with a grin.

Faylen felt torn. She didn't want to end the interview like this--but she also didn't want Ann to wait. Not only out of politeness but because parking in front of the café was probably illegal. If Ann didn't move soon, she'd get a ticket.

Scratching her head, Faylen swallowed her nerves. "Uhm... we could finish this without rushing. At my place. We could also go over the employment paperwork--I'll ask Satia to have a draft ready before we arrive." She hesitated. It felt like asking a girl to come home on a first date... bold and forward. Too forward. She tried to scold herself for it, but it still felt like asking a crush out.

"I-if that's alright with you, of course! We can always schedule another meeting instead if that's not okay..."

Elysia paused, watching her for a long second. Then she slowly pushed her empty cup forward and smiled. "None of my bosses ever invited me home before. I guess there's a first time for everything."

She stood up, lifting her hands in mock surrender. "Well, let's go. But just so you know--I am telling my friends that some psycho is taking me home." She giggled.

Faylen exhaled in pure relief. She grabbed her purse, pulled out two crisp hundred-dollar bills, and dropped them on the table. Elysia raised an eyebrow at the amount but followed without protest.