The week went by pretty fast, and it was already Sunday now. Sunday. I was here on Monday. I've been at this place for seven days and away from home for even longer. I can't imagine how worried my mum and Iris are about me. The thoughts haven't managed to leave my head, no matter how hard I tried to accept this new life I'd been brought into. Anxiousness is still pooling in my mind at how I'm going to explain everything. Lie about everything. I sigh, knowing if I keep thinking about it, it just won't help.
I was woken up early this morning by Sam, because she, Elena and Vera were going shopping.
"Elodie, do you need anything? It's on us, since you're new here and can't use your money yet. Anything you need?" Sam questioned as she and the others were getting ready to leave the maid quarters together, all dressed up and ready to go out into the city. Something I wish I could do if reality wasn't dawning on me - and if I was even allowed.
"Um- no I don't think there's anything I need, I'm all good," I told her, smiling. It's nice that she cared enough to ask. I'm glad there are some people here I've managed to get along with.
"You sure? Oh well, we'll probably get you something anyways-"
"Sam there's no need-"
But Sam insists. "Yes there is girl, now shut your pretty ass and we'll be back soon, I hope you'll be allowed to come with us next time. Go do something while we're gone, take a walk in the gardens or something, raid the fridge, take a hot shower, relax." She tells me, breathing in and then out and laughing. I smile at her as Elena comes back into the room after leaving just a second ago.
"The guards are waiting, we can go girls. Bye, Elodie! Occupy yourself while we're gone please, we'll get you something!" Elena says, as she and Vera walk out of the door, Sam stopping for a second to blow a kiss before smiling and leaving, shutting the door behind her.
I got up from my bed and walked over to my drawer. If I stay in my room all day, I'll just be wasting my free day. It's going to be a few hours until the girls get back, so I'm alone until then. Even better, with my thoughts. Sam said I could go out for a walk in the gardens. I think that's what I'll do. There's nothing else. I don't know what the mansion has here, but I don't feel like exploring much today.
I open up my drawer, taking out a pair of black leggings and a knitted jumper I got gifted from Helen once for Christmas. Her knitted jumpers are the best. I smile at the memory of Helen and her love for knitting. I'm happy this is one of the things that was brought back from my place since it's important to me and it holds a nice memory.
I get changed into the outfit, brushing out my hair and slipping on the shoes I got given as part of my maid outfit. There's nothing I need to take with me, nor do I actually have anything to take with me in the first place, so soon after the girls leave, I do too. I close the door behind me, leaving the maid quarter's hallway and finding the door to the garden, which Minnie had shown me earlier this week. I walk out of the door close to the kitchen, stepping into the garden and breathing in the fresh air. I feel like I haven't done this in forever. Minnie didn't show me around the garden much but I think I can manage to find my way back inside later.
I walked down the path of the garden, already surrounded by greenery on both sides of me. Once I turn a corner around the building, I almost gasp at the beautiful sight of blooming flowers blossoming around an elegant fountain. I walk over, dipping my hand down and touching the water as it flows to the bottom of the fountain bath. There's a range of flowers encircling it. Different coloured roses, daisies, orchids, tulips and daffodils, carnations and lots more to which I wasn't familiar with names. I don't think I've ever seen a prettier flower display.
I leave the fountain spot, carrying on walking around the garden, trying to calm the thoughts in my head. I pass two of the maids I saw in the kitchen a couple of times this week and smile at them, earning beams from them both as they move past and carry on speaking together.
While I'm still exploring the gardens outside, admiring the flowers all around, I hear a small noise coming from somewhere near me. I turn to look behind me, then back in front, but I see nothing, so I take a step to walk again, but I feel something brush past my leg. I look down and see a small ginger cat.
I can't help the delighted look on my face. "Oh shoot," I kneel to get closer as the cat brushes my knee, "Hi there, little one," I say quietly, petting the cat, and then stroking it. It seems to like physical touch a lot because it cuddles right into my hand as I stroke its fur.
"Now who's cat are you?" I ask, as if I'll receive a response. "Maybe you're a stray cat," I wonder, looking around me, and noticing all I see is forests. It can't be a stray. Someone here must own it. I laugh as the cat purrs and I continue to stroke it a couple of times before I stand up and brush down my leggings, looking up. My eyes widen a little out of surprise.
Standing before me was Harlow, wearing a black jacket and dress pants, with a short white corset-like top. "Oh shit- sorry, sorry you just scared me, Miss," I told her, being polite and trying not to get nervous. I remember Simon's advice. Guess I'm a quick learner.
"It's Simon's cat. Ron." Oh.
"Is that - from Harry Potter?" I question, noticing Harlow doesn't seem very interested in my question. Not very professional, but the name just rang a bell, and I forgot who I was talking to.
"Something like that." She replies simply.
We both stand quietly, her eyes staring right into mine, however, her face holds a serious expression. I look down, noticing the cat has started to walk away now.
Breaking the awkwardness between us, I back away a step. "I think I'm just going to um- go back to my room. I think my walk is finished." I tell Harlow, nodding and turning around to walk away. But before I could make my way back the way I came into the house, my wrist got snatched and I got pulled back and around to face her. I inhale sharply in shock, my eyes widening. Being this close to her, I can tell she's taller than me, not too tall, but taller. And her eyes are a dark shade of green.
"I didn't dismiss you."
What are you - my teacher?
"Talking back now? And I thought you're attitude towards me changed for the better, guess not." She tells me. Oh my god, I didn't mean to say that out loud, enough for her to hear.
"I didn't mean to say that-"
"Of course you didn't sweet little Elodie." She tells me, pouting sarcastically, making me shoot her a frown. What the hell is she playing at?
"I need to talk to you and give you something. So behave and go." She tells me, moving her hand to another door in the distance, and ushering me to go. I do as she tells me to, not wanting to argue or cause a scene and I walk in front of her towards the door. Though I'm not sure where I'm going or why I'm leading the way, I just head for the path to the door.
I feel her staring at me as she follows, making me instantly nervous. As I'm about to reach the door, I ask her, "Where are we going?"
"My office, fourth floor." She orders, and so we make our way up to the fourth floor. The whole short journey we take through the lift is silent and awkward, and all of a sudden I wished I'd just stayed in my room today.
When we got to her door a couple of minutes later, she told me to turn around, then pressed the keys on the system on her door, before it buzzed and she opened the door. I was led inside and then sat on the chair in front of her desk. But she doesn't sit on her chair, she decides to sit on the desk, towering over me so I have to look up.
I have a weird feeling in my stomach as she looks down on me.
"You're behaviour towards me has changed since Monday. Why?" She questions, tilting her head.
"There isn't a reason," I say confidently. Yet there sort of was a reason. The girls told me more about her, and I realised maybe the first impressions I gave of myself were too much considering she wasn't just any normal person. Harlow DeLaine was dangerous.
"Tell me, Elodie, is it because you've learnt not to mess with your boss, or is it because your new little friends told you what I do? I mean, knowing now that I can hurt people ruthlessly has got to change something, right? Is that why? Are you afraid?" She throws these questions at me like a rush of waves, my mind can't even process the answers for them.
Instead of replying to her, I stay quiet. I look around without moving, acknowledging the black object on the desk behind her almost immediately. A gun. A twinge of fear shoots through me as I see it. I move my focus from the gun to her, as she continues to look down at me. I look to it again, making sure she doesn't pick it up all of a sudden, but my luck fails me again and I see her hand slowly move towards the object. Shit. This is not happening.
She picks it up, taking it up closer to her, looking at it. "Is this what's distracting you?" She asks me as her eyes focus on mine, yet I don't reply. "Well, is it? If you don't reply, I'm just going to have to keep you here longer." She tells me, humming to herself quietly as she admires the gun in her hand.
"It is what's distracting me. You- you're sick." I blurt out, my eyes gliding down to my lap. But not for long.
I feel her hand on my chin, as he pushes it upwards so I'm looking right up at her. Her hand doesn't let go. I try to pull away, but her grip gets harder and I wince as I'm forced to maintain eye contact.
"I'm sick, am I? So it was because you found out I can and have hurt people. Shame darling, but that's just what I do." She says calmly.
"Hurt them?" I question. I can't believe it, how can she be so careless and ruthless? I don't even want to think about it. "How can you torture people? Do you not feel anything towards them?" I ask her, my voice getting louder. Sam mentioned this to me during the week, luckily not going into detail, and I could have sworn the information sent shivers down my spine, just like its doing now.
"I don't do emotions, love. And I just can, many different ways, depends who the person is really."
"What do you do to them?" I ask her, frowning.
"Do you really want me to go into detail? I think It'll damage your innocence love." She tells me, pretending to feel sorry with her tone. And why is she calling me names like that? She doesn't get to call me anything.
"Fuck you," I tell her in a quiet tone, springing up from my chair and turning to leave, but Harlow has other plans than to let me. I don't even see her put her foot out in my way to trip me, but as I start to fall, she catches me and slams me right back into the chair, this time holding one of my hands in place, then sliding her knee on the chair, right in between my thighs.
Oh my god, there's the feeling again. It's a tingly feeling, but not in my stomach this time.
"How about, I fuck you?"
I stare at her in astonishment, breathing heavily. Did I just hear her right? "Wh-what?" I stutter, trying to process what the hell just happened and what she just said to me.
She smirks at the look on my face. I look down at her knee in between both of my thighs and I bite my lip because of the effect it's having on me. I've never felt this sort of thing before, but it feels.. no, no it doesn't feel like anything. I need to stop thinking.
Harlow leans her face down to the side of my face and my breath almost hitches when she gets that close. She pushes her knee a little further, pushing my legs apart ever so slightly. A gasp hangs at my lips.
"Do you like that?" She whispers and before I can make a sound, I shut my mouth, and then jam my eyes shut.
"Do you want me to stop, Elodie?" She asks me again. Her voice against my ear. She's affecting me in so many ways right now, and I don't have a clue why, but I don't want her to stop.
"No." Shoot, I understand the meaning of think before you speak now. Harlow stops her knee, this time moving her free hand down my leg and starts to use her middle finger to slowly trace down the inside of my thigh. I still felt her touch, even though my legs were clothed. It goes higher and higher, but I don't stop her.
Her finger starts moving back away, then up, and her hand is up my jumper before I can think of anything else.
I shake my head, knowing this was wrong. "I don't think we should be doing this- you're my boss and-"
"And what? I'm you're boss, I choose what I do with you don't I?" She asks me, looking up into my eyes, before diving her face down to my neck. She begins to suck on my neck, kissing and sucking in multiple places, until she hits one certain place.
"Oh my-" I moan out accidentally, not being able to help the feeling of her sucking on my soft spot. Oh god, what am I doing?
"Say my name."
She sucks harder on my neck, "Harlow." I moan again, quieter this time, letting my head fall back. I'm not even thinking anymore. She continues sucking, using the hand on my jumper to pull it down, giving her more access to my bare skin.
But just as fast as she started, she left my neck and backed away from me, getting off the chair. Why did she stop? I breathe harder again, dropping my head in embarrassment at what just happened as she walks off to the other side of her desk.
I get up off the chair, rethinking what I just let Harlow do.
"I- I need to go, I really, really need to go- This shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have done that, I need to leave- this was a mistake." I lose it, starting to walk off to leave the room. What was I even thinking, letting her do that? I've managed to be here for no more than a week and I've already got myself into a situation with my boss.
"You forgot something."
I turn and see her standing by her desk, holding something. My phone. I notice straight away when the screen flashes and a picture of me and Iris comes up. I rush over to retrieve it, and she places it in my hand with no fuss. Her expression shows nothing. Like nothing just happened then between us.
"Thank you," I say, giving her one last glance, but seeing not a single reaction from her, before leaving the office and making my way quickly down the flights of stairs back downstairs and heading for my room.
What the hell did I just do?