AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Marcella frowns. “Tut-tut, darling. We don’t use that word, it’s derogatory.” She turns to me, offering a plate of cupcakes. “Cherry, and the nine other lovely women employed to fulfill her role, is a valued part of our staff. Her role isn’t conventional, but it’s certainly not solelyfucking.She just served us brunch, didn’t she?”
I blink.
What?
“She’s employed as staff—as far as her contract goes, she’s a housekeeper, I guess,” Marius says. “But she’s available to fuck when requested.”
“By whom?”I hear myself asking.
“We receive many guests,” Marcella puts in. “My husband works from home, these days, you see. Business associates, friends… The house is always busy. And my boys have certainly appreciated the presence of these ladies a time or two.”
I’m too shocked. “Is it legal?”
“It isn’t illegal,” Marcella assures me. “They’re housekeepers. What they do with their bodies is never forced, and not directly compensated.”
“Like escorts,” I say, still marveling at the fact that this seems to be normal to Marcella.
She says she’s not used to this house, but her behavior suggests otherwise.
“With a generous permanent contract, and full healthcare.”
“Dental and vision, even!” Marcella chirps.
Right. Dental and vision. I take a cupcake and shove it in my mouth before I say another word.
Marcella smiles knowingly. “I knew you’d understand. Marius wouldn’t bring a woman who doesn’t accept different ways into our fold.”
I’m starting to grasp I don’t need to feel bad about my initiation. Marcella definitely knows about it. And she doesn’t mind.
“Now, tell me everything about you, sweetheart.”
82
SARAH
Marella is weird. I don’t feel nearly as comfortable with her as I did with Liliya. She’s lovely, of course, but there’s an edge to her underneath it all. Something a little dark, a little hollow.
As the champagne in the bottle goes down, and the tray of sweets empties, I realize what she reminds me of. Physically, she’s an older Dez: light hair, bubbly presence, curves in a small, athletic package. But her attitude, views of the world, and her ethics—gray, rather than black-and-white? That’s all Riley. I don’t doubt she would absolutely have taken Marius’s side in the clearing that first day. She would have shot the picture and moved on.
I haven’t really stopped to wonder what my views of all this are. I guess, I believed the world was simpler, before. Even though what happened to me in my youth sucked, I figured it was all because I was dealing with bad guys. And in my naive mind, good people, normal people, weren’t into degrading, deviant stuff.
My time with Violet has made it clear that I was just wearing blinders. The world is a lot more complex. People can be goodandwant to spank others with a paddle. Or a cane.
I guess I’m a little like them, too. But it’s still very new to me, so I can’t help being shocked every now and then.
No less than when the door opens and I see…Marius.
The man who enters is Marius, only slightly taller, a little older, more distinguished.
I’m in the presence of Midas himself, Mr. Goltz. Marius’s father. The man who’s going toinitiateme.
The eyes that narrow on me are like Markus’s: shifting. One moment, they’re icy blue, but the next, they’re much darker, and when they turn to his wife, they’re a green tinted with flecks of gold.
“Well, what have we here? And why wasn’t I invited?”
His voice makes me think of Marius’s, except it’s a tiny bit deeper.
I shiver.
