Chapter 7

Narrator-

When Cara and Cindy emerged onto the second floor and began heading down the hallway on the right-hand side of the building, one of the first details Cara noticed about the hall was the choice of Décor. The Hallway itself contained five brown doors in total, with two doors on the right side, and three on the left. In between each door was a large space occupied by grand potted natural plants. The Hallway concluded with a large window, adorned with white sheer curtains that looked out over the East side of the habitation.

Nonetheless, of all the beautiful arrangements, the wall decorations are what truly captured Cara. The walls beheld various grayscale portraits of men and women in what Cara found to be very exposing outfits and erotic positions.

On one picture frame, there was a woman with darkened lips and a lace mask on her eyes. She was seated in a chair, her legs spread apart, her arms bound behind her back. There was a man standing behind her, and though Cara couldn't see his face or body, she saw his strong fingers wrapped around the woman's throat.

In a second frame, a woman stood with her back to the camera. She wore dark lingerie, and her legs were also spread apart, though she stood on tall sharp stilettos. In her hands she held a whip, and facing her and the camera, was a shirtless man bound to the chair and gagged which what appeared to be a ball on a leather strap.

A third photo held the memory of a woman on her knees. Her back was to the camera, and her spine was aligned with an intricate knotting design, which allowed for the binding of her wrists and her ankles. By the fourth photograph, which beheld the frozen frame of a man pinning a woman to the wall, while one hand held her neck, the other snuck up her short dark dress and cupped her thigh, while his teeth bit into her bottom lip, Cara wanted nothing more than to run out of the mansion. The last photo Cara saw just as she turned away, was that of a masculine hand digging into the flesh of the back of a woman's thigh.

Cara released a soft gasp and all but tore her eyes away from the scandalous shots. She tried to focus on the large, natural potted plants that lined the base of the walls, and after every two doors the ladies passed, Cara noted a camera. There were also cameras nested in the corners at the end of the hall.

It seemed Jason wasn't kidding about the security, Cara thought while her eyes bounced between the spying objects.

Those cameras that Cara now stared directly into allowed Jason to witness her reaction to the artwork that bedazzled the halls of the East wing of his home. He found her reactions to the photos from looking at one frame to the next, until she peeled her gaze away completely, to be interesting. And once again, the words good girl echoed in Jason's ears. He felt his right pointer finger twitched against his will, and Jason suddenly clicked the spacebar on his keyboard, switching the camera angle to another view, just so that he no longer had Cara on his screen.

Meanwhile, back in the hallway Cindy turned to the last door on her left-hand side towards the end of the hall, and ushered Cara inside the bedroom. Upon entering the chamber, Cara was surprised to find that her belongings were already on what she assumed to be her bed.

At first glance the room itself was a basic setup. It was a bit larger than what Cara was used to, and it housed two beds. There were large windows that looked out onto the green field below, and in between the two windows were two glass doors that led to a balcony. There were also two parallel doors on the opposite wall facing the beds. In between the doors, there was enough space for a dresser which matched the white beds. In the corner between the opposite wall, and the balcony door was a sitting area, comprised of a love seat, coffee table, and a television handing from the wall. Cara released a soft sigh, hoping to not appear too overwhelmed.

Cindy closed the door, and began her presentation, "So we'll have to share a bathroom and closet." She pointed to the two doors cornering the dresser.

"But the nightstand by your bed is empty. When Jason mentioned that you were coming yesterday, I moved my stuff to one side of the closet. The side of the room that your bed is on, you can decorate with anything you like." Cindy explained.

"Great, thanks." Cara replied, although she still wasn't too excited to move in.

Cindy flashed Cara a beautiful white smile, "girl when I tell you I am happy that you're here, and you're a sister too!" Cindy cheered while poking her elbow into Cara's side.

This close encounter caused Cara to giggle and relax just slightly, while she took notice of the small diamond in the crook of Cindy's right nostril.

"That's a cute piercing." Cara complimented while walking to the bed and placing her purse down.

"Thanks. My ears are triple pierced and check this out." Cindy exclaimed before lifting her shirt and exposing a belly ring as well.

Cara nodded with a smile and commented, "cute."

Cindy brought her shirt down, then asked, "what about you? Any piercings? Tattoos?"

"Me?" Cara pointed to her chest, before raising her hands, "Oh no, my mom wanted me to stay a bit on the simple side." Cara admitted, then her eyes began to take notice of some more grayscale portraits on the wall that bordered Cindy's bed.

"Hey, are these all you?" Cara asked I curiosity, while carefully approaching the photographs for a closer look.

"Yep. All this chocolaty goodness on a masterpiece of film." Cindy bragged.

"They're beautiful." Cara mused.

Then she frowned, "but wait, don't you think having a belly piecing in this environment is dangerous?"

"What do you mean?" Cindy now asked.

"I mean it's a club, what if it gets caught on something while you're dancing. That's gotta be painful." Cara replied.

Cindy took a moment to understand what Cara said, then her eyes widened in realization.

"Oooh, you don't know what kind of club this is, do you?" She wondered.

"Jason said it was an exclusive club, I just figured it meant more high end." Cara admitted, suddenly feeling dumb.

"Ah, but it's not a regular club honey. It's a BDSM club. Very private, only people with connections and big bucks can get in here."

"BD what?" Cara shook her head while squinting her eyes in confusion.

"Aww you're so cute." Cindy pointed and pinched Cara's nose.

Cara crinkled her nose but said nothing in regard to Cindy's comment.

"See this," Cindy motioned to the piercing in her mid-drift, "sometimes it's actually part of the fun." Cindy wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm so confused."

"Babe, it's a sex club." Cindy said bluntly.

Cara blinked, then gulped, then blinked again.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cara felt like she almost choked on her own tongue.

"BDSM is not always about the sex, but because this is more of an entertainment aspect, this club is a sex club where people come and explore different sides to themselves." Cindy said casually, while flopping down on her bed.

She assumed a comfortable position, of leaning back on her arms, and sitting with her thighs apart, while keeping her eyes on Cara.

"I um- I- wait, so when Jason said 'entertainers', he wasn't talking about dancers?" Cara felt lightheaded.

She slowly began to understand why her dad didn't want her involved in the first place.

"No."

"So it's prostitution, just high end." Cara voiced, her tongue going into a panicked rant.

"Nah babe, I'm gonna stop you right there." Cindy lifted her hand, in sign of halt.

"That P word is not appreciated around here, okay? This is a lifestyle that everyone here has chosen and consented to. There is nothing that happens here, that shouldn't, okay? So let's just get that out the way, and if I were you, don't mention that word in front of the others." Cindy lectured.

Cara shook her head, her nose prickling.

"I'm sorry, its just- I honestly don't know what I expected to find." Cara explained, while leaning her back on the door, and facing Cindy.

Her brain appeared to have shrunk in her skull, for Cara felt extremely light-headed, as a heat emitted from her chest and heated the skin on her neck and face.

"So you signed up for a job without knowing what the job entailed? That's kind of dumb." Cindy didn't mince her words.

"More like desperation." Cara muttered and shook her head.

Cindy sighed and leaned her head to the side while analyzing Cara. Seeing this, Cara looked away and cleared her throat, in sign that she was uncomfortable.

"Babe, if you're gonna be working the floor, you're gonna have to get used to people staring at you." Cindy noted.

"No, actually, I was hired as a secretary, so I'm not worried about being too involved in the club." Cara admitted.

At least for now, that notion was the only thing keeping her from running out her the building with flailing hands above her head.

"So then what's the problem? You're gonna be fine. It's almost dinnertime, so when we go downstairs I'll introduce you to everyone. No one here is going to bite, and just because it's an adult club doesn't mean you're gonna get hurt. Jason made sure that no one is to be harmed under his roof. You're gonna be fine." Cindy reassured.

Cara smiled but wasn't entirely convinced. She missed her dad, and all she could think about was going back home. Cindy was nice, Cara had to admit that. But still, she felt that this wasn't her place.

Cindy realizes that they had both been quiet for way too long, but before she could break the quiet air, a knock vibrated against Cara's back.

Cara lifted her spine off the brown wooden door and twisted the handle. She pulled the door back to reveal one of the butlers from downstairs. It was a tall black man, with a beer belly. He had one arm folded behind his back, and the other palm rested flat against his swollen stomach. The man held his chin so high, Cara could swear she saw the boogers in housed in his large nostrils.

The butler's black eyes looked over Cara's head and he spoke, "Miss Thompson, your presence is requested in Mr. Trujilo's office. Please follow me."

Then, he turned sharply and began walking away. Cara looked after the departing bougie robot, then she twisted her spine and focused her perplexed gaze on Cindy.

"Oh that's Marcell, girl." Cindy brushed casually.

"You'll get used to him. Come on." Cindy then invited, and soon the ladies fell in line behind the walking, stiff butler.

The girls were lead down the stairs, by following Marcelle down the left side of the double stairway. Once they reached the first floor, and stepped onto the smooth, glossy marble-styled ceramic, Marcell made an acute right, and began walking down the hallway which led below the balcony of the second floor. While Cara followed Marcelle, her eyes held no strict direction, for they bounced all over the place, as if looking to learn all the secrets of this grand building. The decoration on the first floor was similar to the second, with the natural greenery, artwork, and white sculptures. The only thing missing where the black and white erotic portraits.

Marcelle reached two large brown double doors, with thick glass centers, embellished with intricate designed carved in the wooden frame. He didn't go through the doors, but instead made another acute right, and led Cara and Cindy towards the East wing of the mansion again. This hall held no doors, until they almost reached the end of the hallway, which once again finished with a large window and sheer curtains. Towards the end of the hallway, Marcelle passed a first door, but continued walking. The butler then abruptly stopped at the second and last door on the right-hand side pf the hallway. Cindy had to hold Cara's shoulder to keep her from running into Marcelle.

Across the door, Jason concluded the list of affairs he wanted Cara to handle in her clerical position and had just retrieved the printed page when the door knocked.

Sitting in his chair, Jason looked at the door and spoke firmly, "come in."

Marcelle opened the door inwardly, with his back parallel to the wooden surface and his right arm outstretched, while his left upper extremity still remained glued to his lower spine. Cara sent Marcelle and strange look, and carefully stepped into Jason's large office.

"I'll wait for you out here sis." Cindy said, right before Marcelle pulled the door shut.

Cara looked at the closed door, while her palms instinctively rubbed against her thighs. Something she did often, and it almost became routine for whenever she was under stressful or uncomfortable situations. Gulping, Cara turned and looked at Jason, who's desk was located to her left, and of course finding his eyes locked on her form. The moment she noticed his eyes on her, Cara felt her guard shoot up. All the anger which had taken the backseat when she was with Cindy flooded her being all over again, and this time it was doubled after all the new discoveries Cara made about this place.

Cara walked from the door and made a left heading towards the large mahogany desk. The office was clean and organized. When facing Jason's desk, on the left-hand wall, next to the office's entrance, was a floor to ceiling dark bookshelf filled with printed material, and small sculptures and marble stumps. The right-hand wall was occupied by a sitting area, mini-bar, and a door that led to what Cara assumed was the bathroom. Behind Jason, were glass windows, with two doors leading outside. Aside from the large paintings from various artists, Jason's office held no other photos.

Cara walked in straight line until she reached on f the two chairs that faced Jason's desk. She sat down without waiting for an invitation. Her spine was straighter than a large wooden ruler in a kindergarten class. Cara crossed her right left over her left and crossed her arms. Then she slowly allowed her back to settled against the cushioned rest provided by the backing of her wooden chair. Then she waited.

Jason kept his eyes on Cara the entire time. He wasn't surprised by her entrance, nor the performance of her assumed position. Jason leaned his arms on the table, his fingers intertwined. He knew that Cara wouldn't speak first, however he was curious to see just how long it would take before Cara showed her true colors under his roof.

"I hope that so far Cindy's made you feel welcomed and familiar with your room." Jason stated carefully.

Cara wasn't sure how to answer. She found the way Jason spoke to be strange if not old school.

So with a shrug she replied, "Yeah, I guess."

Jason nodded.

"I'll plan to have her give you a quick tour of the mansion before we have dinner." Jason continued, however he could tell by Cara's stiff posture and slightly agitated breathing that she was keeping herself from lashing out, and Jason quietly counted the seconds.

"Whatever you say." Cara replied almost sardonically, though she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

Jason nodded again, but he felt the tick in his brain. He wasn't used to someone as stubborn as Cara, and her behavior was quickly irking him.

Needing to limit as much of their interaction as possible, Jason moved to the reason why he summoned her in the first place. Pulling a two-page packet from his right, Jason turned the paper around and slipped it on the desk towards Cara. Cara's eyes looked down at the paper for a second, then she looked back at Jason.

She rose an eyebrow but didn't utter her question.

Jason didn't answer, though her actions were clear. If Cara wanted to address him, she knew what she had to do.

When Cara realized that Jason wasn't going to speak, she gave up. Cara threw her hands up and stood up walking a few steps away from the desk. She kept her back to Jason and tried to breathe. She shook her head. There was no way she was going to remain silent.

"Alright dude, listen." Cara turned around.

Jason smiled internally, seeing that it didn't take her long to lose her composure.

"You can't just show up to my house and drag me here, only for me to find out that this is a twisted club. I don't want anything to do with whatever kinky BS you have going on here. I'm also not gonna let you sit up here and try to intimidate me. I am a grown woman, and I'm not gonna sit here and entertain whatever archaic misogynistic complex you're taking on. You're a sick man for preying on helpless people and I'm already tired of your BS. None of this is okay, and I'm not gonna deal with it." Cara snapped without missing a beat.

Jason remained in his earlier position. The ticking in his brain increased, and he felt the tremor of the pressure in his skull and the tension in his chest vibrate through the musculature of his index finger.

Jason didn't grind his teeth or set his jaw in a stiff line. He didn't clear his throat, and not even his breath was excited in any way.

The only response he gave to Cara's rant was a simple motion of his head in the direction of the chair her person once occupied, and in a subtle order, he said, "have a seat Miss Thompson."

Cara scoffed, "Of course. You know what Jason," Cara lifted her right middle finger, "sit and spin, a**hole."

"Miss Thompson, please have a seat." Jason instructed again.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Cara lifted her hands in question.

Her round eyes were open wide though her face was marred with a clear expression of agitation. Jason's calm attitude was getting under skin. Cara felt like she was fuming, her anger bubbled through her scalp, and she felt like causing some damage.

"I will not repeat myself again Miss Thompson." Jason exclaimed, though his tone only hardened by a note.

"Gosh you're infuriating." Cara groaned but threw the towel in anyway.

She sat back down on the chair in a slumped posture and wanted to cry. She picked up the paper, and her angry eyes began to scrutinize the inked letters on her page. Her left leg bounced, while Cara pressed the line between her thumb and index finger against the bone above her upper lip. while resting her left elbow on the arm of the chair.

Jason, noticing Cara's submission released a slow breath. He felt his anger dissipate only a little. But the pressure of Cara's disrespect still weighed against the walls of his skull. Nonetheless, he had to conclude his instructions and end both their miseries.

"As you will see, your duties will be simple and basic for someone in your position. You will be expected to update our membership logs monthly and ensure that each member pays their monthly subscription in a timely manner." Jason began to speak, though he noted the angry tears that silently flowed from Cara's piercing gaze.

"You will also be expected to book our monthly appointments, which includes the perks for our entertainers. You will be expected to monitor the payments to the vendors that service the mansion, which include the massage therapists and personal trainer. While I handle employee payments, the mansion itself has a general bank account which all my entertainers are privy to. It is your job to ensure that all transactions are accounted for at the end of the month, to avoid any fraudulent activities." Jason continued further.

Meanwhile, Cara had no choice but to listen to him, for her eyes read nothing on the paper that she squeezed in her hand. Somewhere between listening to Jason's instructions and the flowing of her tears, her knee stopped bouncing. Though her shoulders were still stiff, and her chest felt tight from the pent-up emotions of aggravations that she couldn't vent, Cara still found herself calming down. But she didn't answer Jason.

"Miss Thompson?" Jason called out.

He understood that she was angry, but nothing would be solved from her throwing a tantrum just because she couldn't act civil. And Jason made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate any disrespect. He was becoming very drained from repeating himself to Cara, and just hoped the redundancy of their conversations would soon end.

"Understood." Cara said lowly.

Jason didn't nod for he wasn't entirely pleased. But nonetheless, he sighted and continued, "Now by next week, I'd like that you have an appointment date settled with Miriam, our costume designer. I will send you a list of the themes for next month, and you need to relay the message to Miriam, so that she may meet with the entertainers and design their outfits accordingly."

"Fine."

"I also need for you to book Christos, our photographer, set the appointment for either the end of the month to early next month. The club's anniversary is in two months, which means it will be time to shoot and publish our annual catalog."

Cara once again felt like rolling her eyes, but it seemed huffing, and puffing would get her nowhere with Jason.

So instead of replying with 'whatever', she cleared her throat and placed the paper back on the desk.

"Fine." Cara said again.

"Alright. Tomorrow, I will have Cindy accompany you to the mall so that you may purchase anything you feel you will need for this position. This includes outfits, materials, electronic devices, and so on. If there is anything you may also wish to purchase for yourself and for your room, feel free to purchase them as well." Jason offered.

"I don't need your money." Cara replied, almost insulted.

"However true that may be, I do require my employees to live up to a certain standard, and that includes you Miss Thompson." Jason shot down her insult quicker than a blocked basketball.

Cara frowned and tsked, while turning her face away from Jason in anger. She rolled her eyes and all but huffed out a frustrated breath.

"Now please sign the second page, and we can get a move on." Jason, once again let Cara's behavior slide without any reprimand.

Cara rolled her eyes again, and grabbed a nearby pen, which had been neatly placed on the right side of the table. She flipped the page and scribbled her signature, then shoving the paper back in Jason's direction, she threw the pen onto the desk, and crossed her arms again.

"Miss Thompson, I will ask that you place the pen exactly how you found it." Jason didn't miss a beat.

"Jason, I swear to God, if you don't leave me alone, I'm going to jail. Trust me." Cara closed her eyes and promised.

"Fix the pen." Jason said again.

"Oh my gosh." Cara muttered, then released an exasperated laugh before turning her face up to the ceiling.

Her eyes were open, as so was her mouth. Cara slipped the tip of her pink tongue into the crevice between her canine and her left lateral incisor and tasted the mucus which thickened in her nostrils. Cara gulped back her tears, but the liquid form of her frustration was already leaking from the corners of her eyes.

"Miss Thompson-"

"Oh my gosh, Jason, shut up!" Cara shot, "You want me to fix the stupid pen, I'll fix it!"

Cara picked up the pen and all but slammed it on the desk in it's original, straight and neat position.

"Happy?"

Jason's finger trembled but he didn't answer. He placed the tip of his ten digits on the wooden table and pushed his body off the chair. Jason walked from between the desk and the chair and pushed his chair under the table.

"Follow me." He simply instructed, then began heading for the door.

Cara shook her head and opened her arms in defeat and bewilderment, then she simply stood up and followed after Jason, who opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

Cindy as sitting on an upholstered bench a few paces up from the door. When she saw Jason and Cara, she stood up and approached them. Jason didn't say a word, but simply walked towards the first door the women had passed. He inserted a key into the lock and opened the door. it was an empty room, stuffed with random objects and equipment. It had no windows, so Jason flipped the light switch so that they could see clearly.

The room was slightly larger than large-sized walk-in closet.

Jason stepped a bit further into the room and turned around to address Cara.

"This will be your office. I will these items removed, and have a desk and chair installed, along with a computer, and printer."

Then Jason looked towards Cindy, "Cindy tomorrow I want you to take Miss Thompson to the mall. I am confident that you will help her acquire everything she needs to fit right in, feel comfortable."

"Yeah, no problem." Cindy said casually, causing Cara to frown.

How the heck was Cindy to comfortable and casual with Jason? Cara wondered.

Jason nodded, and his faced relaxed to the extent Cara thought she saw him smile. But he didn't, and Cara still found that she didn't like him.

Jason looked at his watch, then he addressed Cindy again, "There's about thirty minutes left before it's time for dinner, Cindy please provide Miss Thompson with a quick tour of the mansion and provide her with a general idea and direction of this place."

"Will do." Cindy replied.

Jason nodded and excused himself silently. Cara and Cindy left the space which was to be her office, and they began walking down the hallway, back the way they came from.

"Okay, how in the world are you so comfortable with him?" Cara couldn't stop herself from asking.

Cindy sent Cara a skeptical gaze.

"The man is so freaking anal and serious, and what's with the way he speaks?" Cara ranted on.

Cindy shook her head and laughed.

"Alright new girl." Cindy stopped walking

"I like you, but I need you to slow down. Jason doesn't know you, and you have to get used to him. Yes he is serious, but he is respectful and if we return the favor then it's smooth sailing. I heard you raise your voice at him a couple times in there. He doesn't tolerate that. You have to remember that you're not on your own turf, so it's his rules that have to be followed." Cindy lectured while towards the front of the house.

"But-"

"No hun, no buts. I like that you've got spark and all, but just like Jason doesn't tolerate disrespect, you're gonna have to tighten up. The rest of the group is not as open to new faces like me, and Vincent are, and sis the only reason I'm vibin' with you is because it feels nice to see another brown face around here, aside from Thomas, and some of the members of the staff." Cindy explained, and finally stopped at the base of the stairs.

She noticed that Cara's face was slightly darkened with unspoken emotions, and Cindy sighed.

"Listen babe," Cindy placed her hands on Cara's shoulders, "I know you said you signed up for this job out of desperation, which I'd imagine would make you feel more cautious to hold on to this job for as long as possible. Like I said, you're gonna be fine, and I get that you might feel the need to make your mark in this house early on so no one messes with you, but here we're all a family, and Jason takes care of us. If you go after him, then expect for the rest of us to defend him. I already told you that you're going to be fine, but just slow your roll sis."

Cara cleared her throat, and only nodded. Cindy was right. She didn't know anyone else here and didn't want to start off on the wrong foot. Nonetheless, Cara knew that she'd never develop such said respect for Jason. He was a heartless man, and a weird in manners. Cara told herself that she was here because she had to be, which meant that it was up to her how her experience would be at the mansion. So taking a deep breath, Cara nodded towards Cindy again and released a soft smile, but in her mind, she was already marking off the days till the moment she was to walk out of those doors, and never look back.