The Arrangement [Box Set] (22 page)

She realized as she looked at her supple, perfectly toned body that her position in the world had changed drastically since moving to the Oaks. Before, she’d been what she would have described as a normal woman. She had a husband and an ordinary life. All she needed to do was keep her husband happy and her life would run fairly smoothly.

Now, her life was different. Her happiness and security depended far more on how good she could look, how sexy she could become and how much she could satisfy all of these important lawyers and clients in the city. She was a doll now, or a concubine, someone who existed for the pleasure of others. In fact, she didn’t really know what she was.

She laid out a selection of lingerie and dresses on her bed and looked at them. She didn’t know what to wear. She would have called Midge to ask what she was wearing but she didn’t have a phone thanks to Walter.

She pressed the button on the intercom and asked for Carla to be sent up. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Carla came in.

—April! Not again.

April looked down at her naked body and laughed.

—Not that, she said. I need you to help me get dressed.

Carla looked at the dresses and lingerie on the bed.

—April, this underwear is so fine. Look at it all.

April looked at the lingerie she’d bought at The Lace Cat and her confidence increased as she appreciated how beautiful and expensive each piece was. There were corsets and stockings and panties of the finest fabrics. The problem was that her dresses weren’t nearly as fine. They were nice clothes, that was for sure, and they were perfect for the life she’d had a few weeks ago. But now they looked cheap and tawdry next to the expensive underwear. She could see the difference in quality.

—I wish I had a dress to go with the underwear.

—There’s this one, Carla said, holding up the black dress that Herb had sent over the night of the dinner party.

April’s heart fluttered at the thought of what had happened that night. She realized she might be in for a night like that again. She desperately wanted something nice to wear.

—I wore that last time.

—Too bad. It’s really beautiful.

—I know.

She looked at each dress in turn and tried to focus on its strengths. They weren’t bad she supposed. There were dresses she’d bought in London and Paris on her honeymoon and had hardly worn since. She picked up a white lace dress that she thought was probably the sexiest thing she owned. Apart from the bodice, it was mostly see-through. The lace was fine and in an intricate flower pattern. The skin on her arms and legs would show through and at the body there was a silk camisole with a short skirt beneath the lace.

—I was just going to say that one, Carla said.

—Will it be ok?

—It’s perfect. Besides, all they’re going to want to do is get you out of it.

—It’s not nearly as naughty as the dress Herb bought me.

They both looked at the short black dress Herb had bought. It had actually been Kit who selected it, April remembered.

—Beggars can’t be choosers, Carla said and picked up the white dress and held it up to April’s body. This one will be perfect.

—Now, what underwear will I wear with it?

Luckily the underwear was all of outstanding quality and she didn’t have any trouble choosing a white lacy corset with garters and white stockings to go with the dress.

She went into the bathroom and rubbed scented lotion all over her body. Then she applied her makeup and got dressed in the lingerie. She showed Carla who was waiting in the bedroom. Carla said she looked perfect. She felt great. She’d had such good treatment at the spa and the lingerie was of such good quality that she felt she’d never looked better. She was ready to take on the world, which is how she needed to feel if she was going to be any use impressing the firm’s clients. The corset sculpted her body perfectly, pressing in the sides of her waist and lifting her breasts. Straps hung down from the bottom of it, waiting to attach to stockings and she had Carla help her clip them on. She wasn’t wearing any panties so there was nothing covering her between the corset and the thigh high lace stockings.

—They’re going to be all over you, Carla said.

—Really?

Carla nodded. —Now get the dress on. I want to see how the whole package looks.

Before she could get the dress from the bathroom there was a knock on the door.

—Come in, she said, realizing that whoever it was would see her bum and vagina uncovered. She didn’t care. She needed to get in the mood and get her confidence up for what was ahead of her and having Jake see her in her lingerie was a good way to start.

It was Jake as she expected. His eyes grew when he saw what she was wearing. She took that as a good sign.

—There’s a phone call for you, madam.

—Can you take a message, Jake?

—It’s Herb Kingsley.

—Herb! Where’s the phone.

—Downstairs, madam.

April followed Jake in her lingerie, gradually getting more comfortable in the lingerie, growing more confident with her body and her appearance with every step she took. She followed him along the corridor and down the sweeping staircase and through to the set of double oak doors that led to the staff quarters. All the house’s services were back there as well as the private rooms for servants. April realized she didn’t even know whether they lived in the house or not. Jake went through some swinging doors that looked like the metal, kitchen doors you see at restaurants and sure enough they led to the kitchen. She’d never seen any of this. It was like a whole other house down here.

In the kitchen was her cook, Ray, a tall, thirty-year-old with thick red hair and fair skin. He took one look at her and dropped a metal oven tray, creating a loud crashing sound. April took this as another sign that her underwear would pass muster. She was glad that nothing was cooking as it meant the kitchen didn’t stink of food. Jake brought her to the phone. It was a large white phone like a pay-phone and it was attached to the wall.

—Sorry to keep you waiting, Herb, she said as pleasantly as she could.

—Ah, April, don’t worry about that at all. It’s such a pleasure to hear your voice.

—Thank you, April said. Her mind was racing as to what Herb wanted to talk to her about.

—I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had a chance to call the girls’ school and have the mix up with the pre-approved list sorted out.

April couldn’t believe it. She’d been keeping it out of her mind but she’d been so worried about her girls. She was beginning to fear she’d never be allowed to speak to them again. As irrational as that sounded, she knew she was completely without power in this arrangement and that if Walter or Herb or Kit had told her she wouldn’t be allowed to speak to her children, there was very little she’d be able to do about it. They held all the cards, they had complete control over her life. If they wanted to keep her children from her they had that power.

She burst into tears as she realized this meant she’d be able to call the girls.

—Oh thank you, Herb. That means so much to me.

—Of course, he said. It should never have been an issue. I can only imagine how distressing it must have been for you.

—Herb, thank you.

—There’s one other thing, Herb said.

April braced herself. She was surprised at how hard her heart started pounding at the sound of that sentence. It seemed there was always one more thing. As if to drive the point home, Ray the cook came back into the kitchen, followed by an extremely attractive boy of about twenty. April blushed as she remembered what she was wearing. What was she doing? Ray and the boy pretended to be working but it was obvious they were there to look at her. They were practically drinking her in with their eyes. She realized she was quite a sight and admired her own reflection in the steel doors of a walk in refrigerator. Her legs looked long and supple and in the elegant corset and gartered stockings she looked like a Parisian cabaret girl from the turn of the century. It was no wonder the two men were staring at her, pretending to work. April had no idea who the younger boy was. She’d never seen him before.

The sound of Herb’s voice brought her back to the present.

—I’ve had a dress sent over to your house. I hope you don’t mind. I just realized you might need something to wear tonight.

April was thrilled and relieved. She had been afraid he was going to bring up something about her girls but it was just a dress. And the last dress Herb had sent her was so nice she was sure this would be a showstopper.

—That’s very thoughtful of you, Herb.

—You’ll have to thank Kit. As usual, it was her choice.

—Well, her taste is impeccable.

—I’m glad you think so, April. We’re very much looking forward to seeing you and Midge tonight.

—You’re so kind, Herb.

—Well, why wouldn’t I be, April? You’ve put a lot of trust in me, coming up here, joining our family. I believe in you, I want you to know that.

April wondered what he meant by that. She had no idea.

—And I’m certain you’ll do an excellent job impressing these clients tonight.

—I’ll do my best, Herb.

—I know, and I’m grateful to you for the effort. I can’t emphasize enough how important these guys are to us. They’re extremely powerful men. Extremely influential. If we get their business, there’ll be no limit to what we can achieve.

There were a lot of questions that April wanted to ask but she knew discretion was crucial in these matters. She had no idea who the men were or what their business was and she supposed that was how it was meant to be. If they needed her to know anything they would have told her.

—Midge and I won’t let you down, she said.

—Well, thank you, April.

V

A
PRIL DIDN’T WASTE A MINUTE.
As soon as she got off the phone with Herb she dialed the number of the Greenwood Academy. She didn’t have much time left to get ready but she couldn’t put it off another second. She reached the receptionist and this time she didn’t have to wait at all. They were polite to her and seemed to know exactly who she was. It was a much better experience than the last time she’d tried to call. Someone at the school went and got Lucy and Mary for her and when she heard their little voices on the other end of the line she burst into tears. They were so sweet and innocent.

—Mommy! they squealed.

She was delighted to hear how excited they were to talk to her. She’d been terrified that she would lose them but now she realized they were missing her as much as she was missing them. She tried not to cry as they told her excitedly about all the things they’d been doing at the school. It sounded like a truly amazing place. They went horse riding every morning before breakfast. They swam in the afternoons and played tennis. They went on all sorts of field trips. By the time she hung up her head was spinning with all the things she’d been told. It was Lucy’s birthday tomorrow and she’d had a chance to tell her she loved her. She also told them she’d be seeing them at Thanksgiving although she had no way of knowing if that was true or not. She prayed it would be.

After they left she spoke to the receptionist and arranged a longer call with them for tomorrow afternoon. She also found out the address for sending Lucy a birthday present.

She wiped her tears and hung up the phone. Ray and the other boy were still at the far end of the kitchen, pretending to be at work. She called Jake and had him bring her back to her room. She felt so much better after speaking to her daughters that she didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry.

—Who was that boy in the kitchen? she said to Jake as they climbed the stairs.

April was in front of Jake and she asked the question just to break the awkward silence. She was very aware that he was looking right at her firm little ass as he answered her.

—That’s Ronald, madam. Your gardener.

—I didn’t even know I had a gardener.

—He’s very good, madam. Strong.

—Isn’t he a bit young to be working?

—He’s twenty-two, I believe.

April wondered what it would be like to fool around with the strong, muscular youth. It would definitely be something for her to look forward to.

She allowed Jake to follow her all the way to the bedroom. She knew he was enjoying the view and she was so happy that she felt like indulging him. It seemed Herb really did have her wrapped around his finger. All he had to do was allow her to make a phone call to the girls and she was like putty in his hands. She would have literally done anything for him now. She was so grateful she felt she could float into the sky and fly away.

—You’ve been crying, Carla said when she entered the bedroom.

—It’s nothing, Carla. Tears of happiness.

—What happened?

—I just spoke to my daughters.

Carla nodded solemnly. She appeared to be troubled at the news.

—I hadn’t spoken to them in weeks, Carla. I don’t usually cry when I talk to them.

—Oh no, it’s not that, Carla said.

—You look worried about something.

—It’s just, I’ve seen this before, April. This is how they control you. They dangle your children in front of you like a carrot. They only let you talk to them and see them as a reward for behaving exactly as they want.

April knew it was true. Herb’s timing was too perfect. He let her talk to the children right before an erotic date with the biggest clients the firm had ever tried to get. She was completely in his control. She knew she was. But she didn’t care. It meant so much to her to be able to talk to the girls that she’d happily do whatever Herb wanted. She almost felt like she was looking forward to the date.

There was a box on the bed.

—What’s this? she said.

—It arrived while you were on the phone.

They opened the box and found an absolutely exquisite dress. It was silk with pink lace and white fur trim. April couldn’t tell if the fur was real or not. She gasped when Carla held it up. She got right into it and of course it fit her perfectly. It also went nicely with the lingerie she’d chosen. The white fur trim came to just where her stockings stopped. When she moved it was possible that someone might see the straps on her garters. It would definitely be very sexy. The bodice of the dress was pink and seemed to match the corset she already had on. Two thin straps hung over her shoulders, holding the light dress in place. It was incredibly elegant. The straps were detailed with pink tourmaline jewels.