Chapter 1
Megan looked at her cheap wristwatch and saw it was five after nine. She put her dish towel down on the table she was cleaning and went to the front door. Like second nature, she looked out the window, turned off the sign and locked the doors.
“So, how was your first day?” Megan asked walking back to her table. She picked up the cloth and wiped down the other end as she chatted with one of the newest waitresses Robert had hired.
“It was a little nerve-wracking. I’m not used to such big crowds.”
“Things will fall into place after a few shifts.” She smiled.
Joselyn was pretty, young and innocent. Megan almost felt bad for her, working in a place like this. The restaurant itself was nice enough. It was rated four stars for elegant restaurants and when they had a full house, Megan would bring in almost five hundred in just tips alone. Good respectable customers who tipped well always made a good waitress happy. It was the owner that negated the positive.
Megan was seasoned. She had been working there for about five years and got good at avoiding him. She felt like a veteran even though she was only twenty-three. She knew she didn’t want to be a waitress all her life but college was expensive and even though she was offered, she wasn’t going to be a dancer. Her long brown hair and big dark brown eyes could have gotten her into any job if she was ready to expose herself that way. She had morals and she wanted to make a difference.
Robert Gustaf had owned Gustaf’s Bistro for over twenty years. Everyone who was anyone knew him and his customer base showed that. He was everyone’s buddy and did favors even if they didn’t ask. Years of doing this, you build up a circle of friends you can rely on no matter what you need.
This made what Robert did, all the more impossible to stop.
“I think you’ll like it here once you get established and you learn the ropes. Just one piece of advice.”
“I’ll take anything you got.”
“Steer clear of Robert.”
“The man who hired me?”
Megan nodded. “Trust me, you’ll last longer here.”
“He seemed nice enough.”
“Take it or don’t.” Megan shrugged. "I haven’t been working here for five years without learning a few things.”
Joselyn sat down and propped her head up on her hands. “Is he mean?”
“Not usually. He likes the ladies. Just keep your eye on him when he’s around, and don’t get yourself caught being alone with him.”
The girl leaned back in her chair, her eyes growing wide. “Please tell me what I got myself into.”
“Nothing if you listen to what I say. I have managed to avoid his advances and you can too.”
The front door opened and Robert walked in with a brown paper bag in his arms. He stopped at a nearby table and smiled at the two girls.
Joselyn quickly put her head down and Megan grabbed her bucket and went back to the kitchen. She dumped the water and rinsed the bucket, putting it back into the closet. As she walked back into the main dining room, Robert was sitting next to Joselyn, winding a strand of her hair around his finger. He was bent down toward her as he talked. Megan couldn’t hear what he was saying but she was sure if it continued, Joselyn wouldn’t be back.
She rushed over and heard him say “we could watch a movie, grab a beer. I can show you some pointers on how to be a good waitress.”
“Hey Joselyn. You ready?” She grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the table. “I promised to show her around town tonight. Everything is cleaned up for tomorrow. Good night, Robert,” she called out. Without waiting for his repercussion, Megan pulled Joselyn toward the door.
“Oh my…you were right.” Joselyn had that scared little girl sound in her voice. Megan unlocked her passenger car door and Joselyn climbed in.
“Just stay away from him and you should be fine,” she said shutting the door. She walked around the car and climbed in. As she pulled away from the parking lot she looked at Joselyn.
“He is usually in the restaurant in the mornings and about two or three hours after it opens. After that he is out the door.”
Joselyn nodded, listening to every word Megan said.
“If you work morning shift just keep busy and stay around customers if he is around. Otherwise, you are pretty safe.”
“So, is that what happened to the girl I replaced?”
“Actually, he fired two girls and two others quit. That bag he had in his arms was more than likely porn.”
“Porn? You mean like sexy movies?”
“He likes to go to this place called Underground Love. He loads up on triple x movies and rumor has it he even hires prostitutes out of there.”
“He doesn’t take them to the restaurant does he?” The poor girl was getting weirded out.
“Not usually, but one of the girls who used to work there said he invited her into his office one time and one of the hookers were in there, half naked and ready to go all girl on girl for him.”
“Oh….God! What did she do?”
“She tried to call the police and have him arrested.”
“Tried?”
“He told them the woman was his girlfriend and the waitress walked in on them. Case dropped.”
“Well, has he ever…you know….” Joselyn’s cheeks grew a deep shade of pink.
“Yes. He has messed around with a few of the girls who work for him. That’s why we are constantly hiring new ones.”
“Why doesn’t anyone sue him?”
“You don’t think some have tried?”
“What happens?”
“He makes up some excuse. The girls are jealous of his relationship with his girlfriends or they aren’t getting paid enough. Whatever it takes.”
“It’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not. His word is gospel around here.”
Megan pulled up to a corner and waited for the light to turn.
“I’ll get out here. I just live down the street. Thank you for the ride.”
“No problem. Remember what I said. I’ll see you tomorrow sometime.”
Joselyn nodded and shut the door. Megan watched her walk down the street until the car behind her let her know the light was green by laying on the horn until she moved.
Megan got back into the restaurant at two o’clock that next afternoon. She had been working the evening shift for the last two years and preferred it that way. Just as she was getting her apron on she noticed Robert’s office light on. She looked at Amy and pointed at his door.
“What gives?”
“I guess he decided to stick around today.”
“Fuck.” Megan poured a glass of ice water and sipped it.
“Megan?” Tonya came out from the back. She was the head morning waitress and seemed to enjoy keeping Robert Gustaf company in his office. Megan and Amy gave each other the look. They both knew why she was the head morning waitress. “Robert wants to see you in his office.
Megan grimaced, walking toward the back as Amy gave her a sympathy smile.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Come in, come in. Shut the door.” He had his head down, pencil in one hand and calculator under the other. She quietly closed the door and sat in the furthest chair from his desk. The place was covered in boxes of files, stacks of paperwork and magazines. The thought of how anyone could have any sort of sexual relations in this office crossed her mind. “Since I have had to let a few of the others go, I have decided to go over everyone’s work reports.” He finally looked up and smiled. “You’re first.”
Okay, so maybe this is a legitimate meeting. She let her guard come down some as she listened to what he had to say. She wasn’t nervous about her work ethic at all. She loved her job and the customers loved her.
“You have been with us here at Gustaf Bistro for about five years now and you are a damned good waitress.”
“Yes sir.”
“I feel like, being here for that long you would have grown to a higher position by now.” He stood up and picked up the report he was reading. Walking around the desk, Megan followed him with her eyes until he got behind her. She heard the click of the lock on his door and she froze. “What do you think about a promotion?”
“I think that would be wonderful, Mr. Gustaf. I definitely think I have shown that I can handle the work load here.” She stood up to turn around, to be sure that was all he wanted. When she got to her feet, she felt his hands on her shoulders pushing her back down again. He walked around her and leaned up against the desk.
“I think you and I should get to know each other a little better, work side by side with one another and then we will see how it goes.” The smirk on his face and the way his eyes cascaded up and down her body made her ill. This wasn’t just a business meeting. Megan was his next victim. “What do you think?”
“I think…I have proven myself over the five years I have been with you and if you gave me that promotion, I could better utilize my work skills and improve your restaurant.”
“I have a few ideas where your work skills would come in handy.” He licked his lips and leaned toward her, putting his hands on the arms of her chair. She slid down into her seat and prayed he wasn’t making a move on her.
“Sir? Um…Mr. Gustaf….” He lowered himself down on her and she tried not to make a scene that would get her fired. Just before his lips touched hers, she slid down further, falling off the chair and onto the carpet. He pushed the chair back away from her and helped her up.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said pushing her hair back away from her face. She felt his hands touch the top of her chest and slide down into her uniform. He grabbed hold of her breast and squeezed it.
“Mmm, yes, I think this is going to work.”
Megan shoved his hand away and slapped his face. She stood there staring at him with wide eyes.
“You slapped me?”
“I’m…yes.”
“You shouldn’t have slapped me.”
Megan’s heart jumped. Robert grabbed her by the neck and pulled her toward him. He wrapped his arm around her head and covered her mouth with his. He leaned over her as his tongue pushed into her mouth and he grabbed her between her legs with his other hand. Megan struggled to get away from him as she felt his fingers struggle to get up underneath her dress. He hooked his finger into the side of her underwear and yanked them to the side. She squealed and tried punching him to get some space between them. He grabbed her hair and pushed her toward his desk, bending her over and holding her there. She could feel the weight of him on top of her. She filled her lungs to scream but his hand covered her mouth, his fingers grabbing hold of her lips and pushing into her mouth. He pushed them so far in that she gagged, her eyes tearing up. She felt his other hand fondled her under her dress again. He pushed her underwear to the side and slid his fingers inside of her.
“The sooner you realize who the boss is around here, the sooner you will learn to respect who I am. There is a level of authority around here and it is time that you learn your place, whore.”
Megan felt her body being jarred back and forth as he slammed his fingers deep inside her repeatedly. He let her go and turned her around.
“Get on your knees.” His glare burned into her.
She slowly lowered herself down in front of her, surrendering herself to him. She watched him smile as he unbuckled his pants, letting them fall to the floor. She crawled closer to him and reached up with her hand, lightly grazing his balls with her fingertips. When he put his head back and let out a sigh she grabbed hold of them and squeezed them with everything she had.
Robert let out a yell and smacked her in the side of the head. She saw shards of light pierce through her peripheral vision but didn’t let go. Standing up slowly she got in his face and growled.
“Look at me you piece of shit.” She squeezed harder. “I don’t care who you are and what kind of power you have. You will not treat me like you have treated those other girls. I’m a damned good employee and you’d be a fool to let me go.”
“You…have to…let go…please.” She could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“As soon as I do, you are going to sit down in your chair, over there and let me walk out of here. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” he said quickly, nodding profusely. “Yes, I will.”
She started pulling him in that direction until he reached his desk and then let him go. He almost collapsed to the floor as he fell into his chair. He rubbed himself between his legs and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
Megan felt empowered and liberated as she walked to the door. She unlocked it, looked back and scowled at him.
“Megan,” he whimpered just after she walked out of the room.
“Yes?”
“You’re fired.”
Megan looked online when she got back to her apartment.
“There are tons of jobs in this city. I don’t need that asshole.”
She spent the rest of her afternoon calling a couple of higher end restaurants looking for help but none of them seemed interested in her after she gave her name. The last one she spoke to she began to get angry.
“With all due respect sir, I am a good waitress. I have a lot of experience and I work hard.”
“I’m sorry, but you don’t quite fit what we are looking for.”
Megan re-read the advertisement out loud. “Waitress wanted, one to two years’ experience for a high end restaurant. I worked in two similar restaurants and I have five years in the last one. What more do you need?”
“Someone who hasn’t gotten fired for sexual connotations. Have a good day miss.”
Megan put her phone down, feeling defeated and on the verge of tears. She got up to get a beer and caught her image in the mirror. Growing up she often heard other girls admitting they wished they had her long wavy hair and flawless skin. These days, it was more of a curse. This was the second job she has gotten fired for because the boss wanted to use her as a play toy. She closed her eyes and wondered how different it would be if she cut her hair short. Her phone interrupted her thoughts and she swooped over to grab it hoping it was one of the other employers calling her back.
“Hello?”
“Good afternoon Megan.”
She cringed. “Hello Tony.”
“Do you have my rent?”
“I haven’t picked up my check yet. I have to get it tomorrow.”
“Your rent is due today. In fact, you owe me for two months. Why don’t you pay me for last month now and tomorrow when you get paid you can catch up this month too.”
“I…don’t have it.”
“None of it?”
“I will though. I promise you. Just give me until the end of the week? Please?”
“What the fuck.”
She heard a click and plopped down in her chair. She couldn’t get the money by the end of the week. She would have been lucky to get it by next month.
“I need to think outside the box. I don’t have to waitress. There’s got to be something else I can do. She started googling different job opportunities and looked through help wanted websites.
“What’s this?” She pulled herself closer to the desk and clicked on one ad that was looking for a live-in housekeeper. “How hard could that be?” She read the details and re-read them again. “Who needs experience cleaning someone’s house?” She picked up her phone and dialed the number listed.
The phone seemed to ring endlessly until the voicemail picked up. The man’s voice was deep, monotone, very straightforward. She didn’t’ know what to make of it but she left a message.
“I’m responding to the ad online for a live-in housekeeper? My name is Megan Jenkins. Please call me whenever, day or night.” She tried not to sound nervous or desperate as she left her number but after she disconnected the call she thought she did. She looked through more online ads in hopes that something would stand out to her but her hopes dwindled and she ended up drinking her last two beers for dinner.
“Hey. I heard what happened. I’m so sorry.” Joselyn got Megan’s number from one of the other girls at the Bistro and called her as soon as she heard.
“It’s fine. It was going to happen sooner or later.”
“Did you really knee him in the balls?” she asked excitedly.
“No.” she laughed. “I squeezed them so hard he almost fell to the floor.
“Ouch! I love it. The slime ball had it coming.”
“How are you doing?”
“I’m doing okay I guess.”
“Have you been able to stay away from him?”
Joselyn got very quiet.
“Joselyn? Don’t tell me he did it to you too. Did he fire you?”
“No.” Her voice was so demure. Megan gasped and covered her mouth.
“Did you….”
“It’s no big deal. Just sex, right?”
“Oh my God. What a bastard.”
“Anyway, I am calling to see if you would like to go out for drinks later, you know, drink your blues away?”
“I…can’t.” She looked around her apartment. “I don’t dare leave. I might come back to a locked door and a barricade in front.”
“Well, if you want me to put in a good recommendation for you, consider it done.”
Megan’s phone beeped in another call and she looked at it. She didn’t recognize the number. “I have to take this call. Might be a potential.”
“Okay. Hey Megan?”
“Yeah?”
“Good luck.”
Megan hesitated. “You too Jos.”
She switched over to the other call. “Hello?”
“This is Mr. Black. I’m returning a call for our ad online for the housekeeping position.”
“Oh! Yes. Um, yes sir.”
“You are qualified to help with upkeep for a mansion and penthouse?
“Um…yes sir.”
“And you have no problems living on the premises?”
“No, I don’t have a problem with that at all.”
“Mr. Dean would like to meet with you tomorrow at three. Is that suitable for you?”
“Yes. Perfect.” She couldn’t help wonder about Mr. Black. His voice was strict, no feeling at all.
“Take down the address.”
Megan scrambled for a pen and scribbled on an envelope on her desk.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
“105 Brandon Terrace Road. Tomorrow at three then.”
“Thank you.” She put her phone down and thought about it. She thought about the way Mr. Black’s voice sounded and how he scheduled the interview with some guy named Mr. Dean. They sounded like mob bosses and it made her uneasy. She ran to her room and searched for her pepper spray just in case.
It wasn’t easy keeping busy until her job interview, especially since that was all she could think about. She worried that she would be walking into a bad situation. She didn’t know these people and with her luck, she was sure it would turn out disastrous.
She took her time putting together the right outfit to wear, nothing too revealing yet something that looked attractive on her. She wanted to look professional and show Mr. Dean that she meant business…and only business.
“There’s nothing here!” She threw a pale yellow dress she wore over ten years ago across the room and gave up.
She sat on the side of her bed, rubbing her stomach as a dull hunger pain started to surface. She was too nervous to eat, not that she had much in her cupboards anyway. She was almost out of cash and definitely out of options.
Taking the last of her cash she went to the charity shop and found a cute pale pink pencil skirt and paired it with a lighter pink sweater. She had just enough to purchase the outfit with a pair of flats that almost fit her. She took her second hand outfit back to her apartment and got ready, paying particular attention to her make-up and hair.
Her stomach rumbled again. She went to the kitchen, opening her cupboards again. The contents didn’t change from the last time she scrounged for something to eat. She took a few sips of water but regretted it as soon as she did, smelling sulfur in the air. She opted to go without until she got someplace with better water.
The drive to Brandon Terrace Road was a long one. She figured it would take about an hour but was thankful that she left early enough to stop and get some water to drink. She used that time to compensate for the time it took to find the place. She pulled into the driveway and gasped at the mere size of the place. The driveway was at least 1000 feet long with the most beautiful gardens on each side. Acres and acres of lush green grass set up the landscape for an in ground pool bigger than her entire apartment, a tennis court, a basketball court and guest houses.
“What am I doing here? I don’t belong here.” She took a minute to talk herself into it. When she got out of her car a pain shot through her stomach. She leaned up against the car and rubbed it a few times.
“Come on, just a few more minutes” Walking up the steps she noticed they were made of a black marble. “God, this place is beautiful.” The marble swirled together and seemed to move around. She closed her eyes and shook her head when she reached the large front door. Her finger pressed the doorbell and she barely heard the chimes coming from inside.
The door finally opened and Mr. Dean stepped into the doorway. His smile was brilliant.
“Hello. You must be Megan Jenkins.”
Megan tried to focus on the man’s face, but his nose went one way and his eyes went the other way. She tried to reach out to him as she felt herself fall. Before she hit the ground, everything went black.