Bound by Fate (3 page)

A sudden knock on the door woke me from a
blissful, deep sleep. Moaning, I rolled to my side and opened my eyes slowly. A
smile formed on my lips as I realized I wasn’t waking up in some smelly alley
in the middle of the city; I was lying in a luxurious, comfortable bed, under
the roof of a mansion. Outside I heard birds singing to each other, and the
faint sound of a horse nickering. When was the last time I had felt so peaceful
upon waking?

Oscar opened the door, and noticing that I
was awake and staring at him silently, he walked in, carrying a hanger that
held a white blouse and charcoal-colored skirt. He placed them at the end of
the bed and quietly picked up the signed contract from the desk, studying it
for a moment.

“The kitchen is downstairs, straight through
the foyer and to the right. There will be some breakfast waiting for you. The
maid will then tell you where to start working.” He gave me a small smile
before leaving as quietly as he came, shutting the door softly behind him.

Excited to actually be able to do something
productive rather than being pushed here and there by a bunch of strangers, I
pushed the blankets off and studied the clothes Oscar left for me. Although I
seriously lacked fashion knowledge, I knew the clothes had to be designer. I
took my white slip off and began taking the blouse off the hanger when I
realized I didn’t have a bra to wear with it. Frowning down at the fullness of
my small, perky breasts, I knew that I wouldn’t look as sophisticated if I wore
the blouse without one. I imagined the smartly dressed business women I would
see in the Financial District walking to and from work with an air of
confidence surrounding them. Whoever Victor was, I wanted to do my best to look
as professional as possible in front of him. Right now, I was a businesswoman
as well.

I thought I had no other choice but to make
an embarrassing call to Oscar for him to get me a bra when I finally remembered
the large, mahogany armoire next to my bed. Opening one of the two drawers
underneath the cupboards I found ten neatly folded panties on one side, and a
selection of bras in matching colors on the other. I decided to wear white. I
wasn’t expecting them to fit me at first, but as I slipped my legs through the
panties and hooked the bra in place, I knew it was an exact fit. Of course, the
women at that Victorian building had measured me from head to toe. Now I knew
why.

I rushed to button up the blouse and zip up
the charcoal, knee-length skirt so I could admire myself in the full length
mirror next to the vanity. Holy hell, I looked so much different from the girl
who had been taken off the streets just yesterday. I marveled at how clean my
slightly tanned skin was, how my honey-colored hair hung in waves all the way
down to my waist. Perhaps I might even be considered pretty. My large, dark
eyes took in the narrow slope of my skinny shoulders and my slender legs. I
suppose having a meal three times a day will change my malnourished body soon
enough. Thoughts could not even describe how thankful I was for that. I found
myself grinning as I brushed out my long hair with a comb I found on top of the
vanity. A pair of small pumps had been placed next to the door. I put them on
my feet and walked around gingerly. It was my first time wearing heels and I
was frightened that I would fall flat on my face.

The entire house was completely quiet as I
made my way to the kitchen. I had a strange feeling that I was trespassing on
someone else’s property, so I decided to tiptoe down the stairs, not wanting to
make a sound and disturb anyone. The kitchen door was wide open and I was
relieved to find two older women in the room; one was hovering next to a giant
stove, and the other was mopping the floor. They both noticed me when I came in
and stopped what they were doing immediately.

“Oh, you’re the new girl!” The woman with the
mop exclaimed. She had graying brown hair and pretty green eyes. “Take a seat;
we’re just about to have breakfast before we start working. Betty, the new maid
is here!”

The heavyset woman by the stove had stark white
hair and a kind face. “Wow, aren’t you a cutie,” she said, making me blush.
“I’m Betty, the cook, and that’s Karen. We’re glad to have you on board.
Breakfast will be ready in a sec.”

I was still not used to being treated so
kindly, and with a shy smile I took a seat at a small, wooden table in the
center of the kitchen. The cook, Betty, handed me a plate of sizzling bacon,
eggs, and a slice of toast. “Hope you’re hungry!” she said as my mouth began to
water. “I have enough for seconds.”

“Thanks so much,” I said and dived right in,
forgoing the set of cutlery in front of me as I picked the bacon up with my
hands and chomped down on it greedily. Betty and Karen laughed as they joined
me with their food.

“I’m sure Mr. Draper is going to change that
bit about your manners,” Betty told me, her voice still kind.

I looked up at them, embarrassed. “I guess
I’ve picked up some bad habits,” I said as I wiped my greasy fingers on the
napkin next to my plate.

Betty waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t
worry about it now. When you’re with us, just eat however you want.  Enjoy
your food.”

After the first few bites of the delicious
breakfast, the women began chatting. “Have you met Mr. Draper yet?” Karen asked
me. She gave me a look that confused me, like I was supposed to know something
I didn’t. Did they know about the contract as well?

“Not yet,” I replied staring down at my food.
I thought about the power exchange relationship I had signed for. “He sounds
kind of scary, to be honest.”

The women both chuckled and looked at each
other with knowing glances.  “We’ve both worked for Mr. Draper’s family
since he was very young,” Betty told me. “So I suppose we’re a bit partial to
him.”

“Who is he exactly?”

“He is the owner of Draper LNG. It’s an oil
and gas shipping company. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

I looked at them blankly. “I don’t think
so...”

“Mr. Draper took over from his father a few
years ago and has grown the business tremendously since then, which in turn has
made him one of the more important people in today’s business world.”

I furrowed my brow. This talk was opening a
new sphere of knowledge for me. I wanted to know more, but I was suddenly
ushered out of the room by Karen, as Betty started to clear the plates.

“I’ll show you where you’ll be working this
morning,” said Karen. She led me out of the kitchen and back towards the
entrance of the mansion. We turned to an open room on the side of the foyer.
“This is the parlor.”  

A chandelier hung down the room, illuminating
a small wooden table that held a stainless steel tea set, surrounded by red
cushioned chairs. A fireplace sat on the far side with candelabras perched on
both ends. It was an ornate room that seemed untouched, like no one ever used
it, as though it were all just for show.  All of the decorations and the
fancy furnishings seemed like a waste to me if no one ever came in to enjoy it.

“Today you’ll mop the floor in here and dust
absolutely everything that you see.” She handed me a feather duster and pointed
to a mop and bucket leaning against one corner of the room.  “Mr. Draper
will come by after you’re done to make sure not one fleck of dust is
overlooked, so be as thorough as possible.” I must’ve given her a worried look.
She walked over to me and patted my shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll be upstairs,
so come get me if you need anything.”

I started mopping the hardwood floors, easily
losing myself to daydreams while I worked. Cleaning was kind of relaxing and I
was happy to be doing something. I got so caught up in it that I almost forgot
about the other part of my job—the sexual part of it—but it still lingered in
the back of my mind. When I finished pushing the mop around every inch of the
parlor, I took the feather duster and swiped it around everything in sight. A
cloud must have moved passed the sun because a sudden burst of light shone
through the windows into the room. I stopped what I was doing for a moment to
peer outside. The lawn below shone an emerald green under the morning sun, and
the horses behind the white fences sat in the fields, basking in what little
warmth the winter had given them.

I quickly remembered my task at hand and
continued dusting the parlor. I walked past a table and jabbed my hip painfully
on the sharp edge. “Shit!” I hissed, rubbing the sore spot.

Footsteps came to a sudden halt just outside
the parlor. Thinking it was Karen, I glanced up sheepishly only to find a man
standing at the doorway. A wave of embarrassment warmed my entire body at the
sight of him, and I felt my cheeks turn red. He was incredibly handsome,
wearing a fitted black suit with a white shirt. The top of his shirt was still
unbuttoned, and he had a tie hanging loosely around his neck, as though he were
in the middle of putting it on. He looked like one of those models on advertisements
next to department stores I used to camp out in front of during the night.

No, he was more handsome than that. He had
stunning blue eyes, like the color of the stormy sky outside the window this
morning—a bluish-gray. His mouth was set in a stern line, and was framed by
neatly trimmed stubble around his square jaw. Despite the severity of his gaze,
I could sense a bit of softness on his lips and his eyes that he did well to
push away.

I suddenly felt the warmth of the sun fade
away from the windows, causing the room to darken as it hid back behind another
cloud.

“I don’t appreciate that kind of language in
this house,” the man told me. His voice was cold, causing me to shiver in
alarm. Was he angry with me?

He entered the parlor, and I realized I was
backing up slowly as he approached. My heart started to beat faster and faster
as he neared. I winced as my body hit the side of the table. Now there was no
escape. “I’m so sorry,” I mumbled to the man. As he came near I caught a whiff
of the same expensive cologne I smelled on the leather jacket last night. Of
course, this must be Victor Draper. Nervous, and not really knowing what to do,
I offered him my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I began, but immediately
stopped short. Victor gave me a dark look and I knew I must be doing something
wrong. My heart fluttered erratically, and I felt my breath come in short
spurts, causing me to feel dizzy. I remembered the contract, and how I was
supposed to address him. “Sir...” I added, hoping it wouldn’t be too late.

Victor ran his hand through his stylishly
messy dark blond hair and frowned down at me. “Turn around and bend over.”

I dropped my hand. “What?” I exclaimed,
making no move to do as he asked me. He then grabbed me by my waist and turned
me around, pushing me down so I was bent over the table. I tried resisting,
only having his fingers dig deeper into my skin. My elbows dug uncomfortably in
the wood as I stared down at it. By now my heart was pounding loudly in my
chest and in my ears, and I started to panic as his hands pushed my gray skirt
up over my hips, revealing my bare legs and white panties. Oh God, he was going
to have sex with me here and now. Was I even ready for this? I glanced over at
the door. I felt the urge to escape, but I knew that was useless considering
the tight grip he had on me.

I felt a stinging blow to my ass and I
realized he spanked me. Time seemed to slow down as my eyes widened with shock
and I slowly turned my head to stare at him. I started to form a question, but stopped
at the sight of his stony glare.

“Turn back around,” he ordered.

As I did, he spanked me again. I let out a
small yelp, and was confused by the sudden burst of arousal forming in my body
while I had my ass was exposed to him and to the rest of the household if they
were to walk by. My mind struggled to understand the unfamiliar mixture of
pain, humiliation, and desire. Was something this painful supposed to feel
good?

“Keep count,” he told me gruffly.

“Two,” I whispered.  Tears formed in my
eyes from the stinging. “Three.” The force of his blows sent my body forward,
causing the edge of the table to dig uncomfortably into my stomach. By the time
I counted to ten he stopped, letting me straighten back up. I let out a gasp of
air I didn’t know I was holding in. I started to turn around and stopped. I had
to be very careful around this man, which meant I would need to choose my words
carefully. “May I turn around, Sir?” I asked him, hoping those were the right
words to use.

“You may.”

I relaxed. My body was on fire from the
spanking, and all I could think about was how I had disappointed him. Was he
still angry with me for cursing? Will I get kicked out and have to go back to
living on the streets?  The thought of being cold and hungry again made me
frightened. If I had any chance of living here, I had to apologize to him. “I’m
so sorry about what I said,” I told him. “If there’s any way I can make it up
to you...”