Employed

I was reeking of nervousness as I arrived at my apartment. What have I done? Am I really ready for this? I was submitting my body to be used as a tool for pleasure, literally a sex toy. I know that A job relationship built on sex is bound to fail, but I intend to make the most of it while I can.

A large part of me felt guilty; this isn’t who I am. I know I am not a saint, but I never would have imagined becoming someone’s sex slave by consent. I have until tonight to change my mind, or I am stuck with that decision.

I don’t even know this man, except that he is cocky and controlling. I know nothing about Maxwell Blackwood. What if I just ruined my life with this very decision? What if I contracted a deadly disease or lost my life in the process? He made it clear that he would do whatever he pleased with my body, and that scares me.

I pushed the front door open after unlocking it and walked inside, immediately locking it. I froze immediately; something was wrong. There was a different scent in the house—not unfamiliar but different.

I took a step forward into the sitting room when a loud scream escaped my lips as I almost jumped out of my skin. "Holy freaking Mary!!"

"She is not here, just me!" Jennifer laughed as she stood up from the couch.

"You scared the life out of me; how did you get in here?" I screamed, holding my chest in panic.

"Hahaha, I still have one of these," she giggled, jingling the house keys in the air. Of course, she never dropped her spares with me after moving out; how did I not realize?

"What’s up, girl? You were acting all weird last night, and you didn’t return my calls this morning, so I thought I would come check up on you."

I sighed and tossed my handbag on the sofa. "You mean right after you asked me that very silly question?" I scoffed.

"Chill, babes. It was just all fun; what’s happened to you?"

"Uh-huh! Maybe my sense of humor is damaged, or maybe you shouldn’t be making a friend think of memories that hurt her. Forget about it; it is in the past now." I quickly waved the discussion off; I had more important things to deal with right now.

"OMG, you are really broken, girl. Where are you coming from, anyway?" She asked as her eyes searched me, scrutinizing me from head to toe.

"I took the job," I said almost in a whisper, and I quickly headed for the bedroom.

"Huh?" I heard Jenny’s faint voice from the living room and then her footsteps as she followed me behind.

I got into my bedroom, and she followed immediately. "What job, Anna?" she queried.

"The position of Personal assistant to the CEO of Blackwood precious stones and jewelry is that job." I announced as I unbuttoned my shirt.

"What?" Jennifer gasped. "Isn’t he the same guy that asked to get into your pants first?"

"Correct," I muttered, with no remorse or reaction accompanying the word. I was already judging myself; I didn’t need judgment from my friend as well.

"Anna… You gave in to his request? That is absurd; you know you shouldn’t just give yourself to any man; word gets out real quick." She warned.

"Leave me to bother about that, Jen." I said in a whisper as I unhooked my bra and tossed it to the bed, breathing out in relief. Wearing that thing is so suffocating.

What was so special about my body anyway? I guess I should ask Mr. Blackwood. If he does not require every employee to suck his dick, then what makes me so special? I am gorgeous, right? But there are much prettier girls in this city with class; I am just a nobody.

My body, huh? The same body I had given to Jimmy on a platter ended up abusing me; he cheated on me for months, and I never knew. Even when I found out he didn’t have any regrets, it took him weeks to come and apologize. So who says I can't submit that same body to someone who has more to offer?

My deal with Mr. Blackwood leaves out emotions and feelings. I just happen to be his sex partner, and I get over ten thousand dollars monthly. That is worth it to me!

"Well, it is not totally a bad idea if you ask me; it just feels weird because I am the crazy friend. I think it's a double win for you anyway. You get a good job, and you are sleeping with a billionaire. I think that is every woman’s dream, so don’t be moody about it; be happy."

I paused halfway with the shirt hanging on my neck and turned to face her. I was surprised at how fast she switched from judging me to celebrating. Perhaps she was just being a good friend, except that she looked legit excited about the news.

"Really Jen? You think so?" I asked for confirmation.

"Of course! Who knows? He could even fall in love with you and ask you to marry him," she teased.

"Okay, now you are wild." I laughed. "I doubt he cares about me; he made it clear that he just wants my body. But the good news is that I finally have a good job; I don’t have to be his plaything forever, just long enough to have a good footing on my own." I replied.

I walked out of the bedroom and back into the living room, with Jennifer tailing behind like a fly. I grabbed my laptop and opened my email. The mail had arrived as expected; it was an online document, and so I uploaded my signature without caring to go through the details of the letter.

I was just excited to finally be employed. For what it's worth, this means a lot to me. Jennifer and I ended up in the kitchen shortly after, where we made lunch while she filled me in on gossip from last night.

For the first time in a few months, I wasn’t depressed, and that gladdened my heart. I could feel it in my heart that I was about to be genuinely happy again, and even though none of that made sense, I looked forward to it. They say you can't be unlucky for three hundred and sixty-five days; maybe my happy days were finally close.

Hours later, Jennifer and I were watching a movie when a knock sounded on the door. We looked at each other, almost tempted to ignore it like in the old days when we lived together.

"I will get it," Jenny said with a smile.

"No, I got it." I cut in and stood up immediately.

I rushed to the door, not wanting to miss any part of the movie. I opened the front door to meet someone I believe to be a mailman, and well, that cap gave him away at first sight.

Hello, can I help you?" I asked immediately with the door half open while staring back to catch a glimpse of the TV.

"Yes, I have this envelope and these keys for you," he announced, jiggling a bunch of keys in the air.

I stared at him in confusion; that was a car key—a Honda product, I could tell. "Um… Sorry, Mister, I think you have come to the wrong address." I said it immediately.

"No, I am quite sure that I am at the right place. Are you not Annabel Joseph?" he queried.

I nodded slowly, still puzzled as to why a car would be delivered to me. Was this a prank?

"Yes, I am Annabel Joseph, but I didn’t make an order for whatever that is." I said, pointing to the car keys.

"Well, this is the key to a brand new car parked right in front of this building," he said. My eyes followed his finger, and my jaw dropped when I saw the car. Who had sent me a car?

"I guess you would find answers to your questions in this letter, ma’am." The delivery guy added it and handed the envelope to me.

I tore open the envelope immediately and saw a large MB signature. I knew I had seen it somewhere before, and then it struck my mind. "Maxwell Blackwood!!"

"Oh my God!" I screamed in shock as I read the letter. It was indeed from Mr. Blackwood; he had informed me in the letter that all employees of the company get a car for work every year. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

My scream drew Jenny’s attention, and she joined me at the door. This has to be a trick; how is this possible? A car?

After accepting the key from the delivery guy, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Mr. Blackwood. He didn’t pick up the first time, so I had to call again.

"Was the letter not sufficient information?" His deep voice rang from the other end as soon as he took the call.

"So it was really you?" I queried.

"Per company rules, yes, Miss Ann. Your two months’ salary has also been paid upfront to your account as requested; the financial team will send you an email for confirmation soon. Now if you don’t mind, some of us have our evenings to get back to." He blurted and ended the call.

"Rude, but sweet!" Jennifer exclaimed as she overheard our conversation over the phone. "I think I like him already; congratulations, Anna; you have finally gotten it all." She exclaimed.

I didn’t catch most of what she said afterwards; I was too excited to think straight. Was this the beginning of something good in my life, or have I made the worst decision of my life?

Only if I knew how that one decision was going to change my life drastically. Meeting Mr. Blackwood was the beginning of a change in my life, and things were never going to be the same again!

**