by Ray Gordon
‘I’d like to think you’ll be at Hadleigh Manor for several years to come,’ the woman went on, ‘but I have to accept that you’ll probably want to move on some day.’
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ the girl said carefully, ‘but...’
‘But what, Hayley?’
‘The things you’re making me do...’
‘Do they worry you?’
‘Well, yes,’ she admitted.
‘I don’t see why they should. You’re simply attending to my needs. It’s all just part of you performing your duties and looking after me.’ The woman smiled and sighed dreamily. ‘Now, I’m feeling tired so I want to have a nap. Your clever fingers have got me all relaxed. You go downstairs and get on with something and I’ll call you later.’
Leaving the room Hayley didn’t know what to think. What she’d just been doing troubled her; massaging her boss’s vagina, pleasuring her... how far would the woman want her to go? Where would their intimacy end?
Chapter 4
Hayley woke to the sun streaming in through her window at the dawn of her third day at Hadleigh Manor.
‘Hayley,’ Michael called urgently through the closed door as he tapped on it.
‘Come in,’ she said, grabbing the quilt to cover her naked body.
‘It’s Belinda,’ he said, opening the door and staring at her. ‘She’s not at all well.’
‘What’s the matter with her?’ Hayley asked, genuinely concerned.
‘The doctor’s just left.’
‘Is it her head?’
‘No, no, he reckons she has food poisoning.’
‘Food poisoning?’ Hayley echoed. ‘But she’s hardly eaten anything since she fell over. What did the doctor say, exactly?’
‘He’s going to run some tests. She’s sleeping, but if you’d look in now and then to check up on her?’
‘Yes of course,’ she said. ‘But what she’s eaten is exactly the same as we’ve eaten.’
‘The doctor did say she might have been poisoned by something other than food.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I don’t know. Something might have got into her water or coffee.’
‘How could that happen?’
‘You tell me, Hayley.’
‘The water is all right, and we’ve all been drinking from the same coffee pot. Are you saying that someone has deliberately poisoned her?’
‘I’m not saying anything. All I know is what the doctor told me.’
‘That someone has poisoned your wife?’
‘He just thought it odd, that’s all. He did say it’s not serious, once he’s run the tests we’ll know what the poison is and hopefully how she managed to take it.’
‘Well I hope you don’t think it had anything to do with me.’
Michael shook his head. ‘No, I know you don’t like Belinda but I don’t think you’d do such a thing.’
‘I wouldn’t poison her,’ Hayley stated flatly.
‘No, of course not,’ he concurred. ‘Well, I have things to do so I’ll see you later.’
As he left the room and closed the door Hayley frowned. He did think she had something to do with it, she was sure. It was a ludicrous and unforgivable thing to think of her. But he was right about one thing; she didn’t like Belinda.
Having showered she dressed in her short shirt and blouse and left her room. It was bad enough that she’d been blamed for hitting Belinda with a shoe and knocking her to the floor, but to now have Michael think she’d poisoned his wife was just too much.
Creeping down the stairs to the landing below and kneeling outside Belinda’s door, she spied through the keyhole. She could just make out the woman still in bed, seemingly sleeping as she always slept late in the mornings. But something wasn’t right, she instinctively knew as she made her way down to the kitchen.
‘Damn,’ she cursed, trying the backdoor only to find it was again locked. This wasn’t to keep some man out of the house, she mused, it was to keep her in. Moving through to the dining room she was even more determined to get out of the house when she discovered that none of the windows opened. Creeping into the study she sighed, for all the windows were either locked or screwed shut. The house was like a prison, she thought, returning to the kitchen and wondering how she was going to get away.
Looking down at her blouse, the swell of her breasts, the shape of her nipples clearly visible, she wondered whether to make her escape the next time Michael left the house. She wasn’t prepared to endure Hadleigh Manor for a moment longer than she had to. The time had definitely come to leave.
‘I have to go to the shops,’ she said as Michael wandered into the kitchen.
‘But we have everything delivered,’ he countered.
‘There are things I need,’ she insisted. ‘Personal things, Michael.’
‘Hayley, we have everything delivered,’ he said again.
‘I don’t care, Michael,’ she persisted. ‘I need to do some shopping and you can’t keep me locked up here like a prisoner.’
‘I know what you’re up to, young lady,’ he stated accusingly, frowning sternly. ‘I know what your game is.’
‘What my game is?’ she echoed. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘You hit Belinda, knocking her unconscious,’ he insisted. ‘And now, it seems, she’s been poisoned.’
‘Wait a minute,’ she gasped. ‘If you’re going to start making accusations like this I think I’d better speak to a solicitor. To accuse me of doing such things is totally unacceptable.’
‘It’s all right,’ Michael interrupted, holding up his hands in a placatory manner, ‘don’t panic.’
‘Don’t panic?’ she snorted. ‘I’m as good as imprisoned here and now you’re accusing me of attempting to murder your wife!’
‘Of course I’m not, Hayley,’ he said, trying to defuse her emotional outburst. ‘Before we say any more let’s wait until we hear from the doctor. By the way, Dave Ruby just rang me.’
‘Oh?’ Hayley said, calming herself a little.
‘Yes, he’s coming over here this evening,’ he told her. ‘He’s between gigs at the moment so he’s paying us a visit.’
‘Michael, I appreciate what you’re doing for me,’ she said, not wanting to alienate possibly her only ally, ‘but I’m not so sure that I want to be a housekeeper any more. Not for you, Dave Ruby, or anyone else.’
‘Oh, I see,’ he said, looking disappointed. ‘That’s a shame because he’s coming over especially to talk to you.’
‘To talk to me?’ She was shocked. ‘Well, I—’
‘But I’ll call him back and tell him not to bother.’
‘Well,’ she said, trying to retrieve the situation, ‘I suppose I could at least talk to him.’
‘Hayley, I told you before that you can’t mess us about. Either you want to work for Dave or you don’t.’ He held his hand to his head and sighed. ‘All this unfortunate business with Belinda is, well, it’s a nightmare. It’s really getting me down.’
‘You don’t have to tell me that,’ she concurred with feeling. ‘To suggest that I poisoned your wife is not on.’
‘Do you realise that whether a poisoning is deliberate or accidental, a doctor has to report it to the police?’
Hayley had never heard of such a thing before. ‘No, I’ve not...’
‘As I said, let’s wait until we hear from him,’ he went on. ‘In the meantime it might be a good idea to take some water and perhaps some fruit up to Belinda.’
‘All right,’ she sighed, realising he wasn’t going to allow her to leave the house, and as she filled a glass jug with sparkling water and put it and a clean glass on a tray she decided to wait until she’d spoken to Dave Ruby before doing anything rash. It would probably be easy enough to break out of the house if she absolutely had to.
/> ‘The doctor’s just phoned,’ Belinda said as she propped herself up on her pillows. ‘I was poisoned, young lady.’
‘Yes, I know,’ Hayley said, placing the tray on the bedside cabinet. ‘Did he say what it was that poisoned you?’
‘Weed killer,’ the patient said. ‘And the gardener always has weed killer in his store.’
‘You think the gardener did this?’ Hayley was shocked by these very serious developments.
‘No, the gardener doesn’t come into the house, let alone into the kitchen where he could contaminate the food or drink. And I really don’t think my husband would try to do away with me, so that only leaves you.’
‘This is ridiculous!’ Hayley exclaimed. ‘Why on earth would I want to poison you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Belinda said, ‘but you’ve already assaulted me and knocked me unconscious.’
‘But that was an accident, and you know it,’ Hayley protested, realising she was slipping deeper and deeper into what appeared to be some kind of a trap. First there had been the lure of working for Dave Ruby, then Belinda’s dramatic fall, and now a supposed poisoning. She also realised that whether this was a trap or not wasn’t the point; the point was that she could find herself in very real trouble if she wasn’t careful. Belinda was clearly a scheming and dangerous woman, and her husband was obviously under her thumb and would do or say anything she asked of him – including lying for her.
‘Now go and get on with some work,’ Belinda snapped agitatedly. ‘Go on, don’t just stand there.’
‘I’m a prisoner in this house,’ Hayley protested.
‘A prisoner?’ Belinda scoffed. ‘I like that. I’m trying to help you. You’re a vicious little brat, young lady. You struck me and knocked me out, you stole my money, you poisoned me.’
‘I didn’t do any of that,’ Hayley sobbed, finally breaking down. ‘None of that is fair. I am not a vicious little brat or a thief.’
‘Go and get on with some work and have a good hard think about things,’ Belinda ordered. ‘And come back when you’ve decided you’re going to do what I want when I want it. If you do that then all well and good, we can start afresh and put all this nonsense behind us. I’ll give you half an hour to make up your mind. Right, off you go.’
Wiping tears from her eyes Hayley ran down the stairs to the lounge, slammed the door shut and started dusting the furniture aggressively, her frustrations coming out as she polished. She couldn’t understand what was going on. She had no idea why Belinda was treating her like this. She’d done her best to get things right, or so she’d thought. Was the woman insane? Hayley didn’t know what to think any more.
But she did know that she had to come to a decision. If she left Hadleigh Manor and went home to her parents, Belinda might carry out her threat and she might end up in court on assault charges. But if she stayed, she dreaded to think what might happen to her. What did Belinda want? Was she really a lesbian?
And what about Michael? Where did he stand in all this? He must have known what his wife was like, and he must have known what she was up to. Did he condone her treatment of Hayley?
Just then the very person walked into the lounge. ‘Hayley,’ he said to her, ‘would you make up a large plate of sandwiches? Cheese or ham or whatever. I have a band in the studio and they’re all pretty hungry.’
‘Yes sir,’ she replied, interrupting her cleaning and turning round to face him. There was a band in the studio? She hadn’t seen or heard anyone arriving, and there wasn’t much music coming up from there.
‘I’m pleased that you’ve decided to stay,’ he went on, changing the subject.
‘I haven’t made up my mind yet,’ she corrected him.
‘Really?’ he mused. ‘Then why are you still here working?’
‘Michael, will you tell me what this is all about?’
‘You mean Belinda and the way she treats you?’ Hayley nodded. ‘Well, she likes you, Hayley. But as I’ve said before, she has somewhat peculiar ways.’
‘Peculiar ways?’ Hayley echoed. ‘I think that’s putting it very mildly. You do realise that she’s blackmailing me, don’t you?’
‘It’s not blackmail,’ he laughed.
‘Isn’t it? What would you call it?’
‘She wants you to stay here, that’s all,’ he said simplistically. ‘I’ll be honest with you, Hayley, she does rather have an eye for attractive girls like you. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell you that, but it’s a fact.’
‘So... she’s a lesbian?’ Hayley asked carefully, and then felt foolish as Michael laughed again and shook his head. ‘Well what then? Please tell me.’
‘She is the key to your future,’ he said cryptically. ‘I’m talking about Dave Ruby here. All you need is a glowing reference from my wife and the job’s yours.’
‘Yes but, to get a glowing reference I’m going to have to pander to the questionable whims of your wife.’
‘So?’ he shrugged. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘of course it’s a problem. What kind of a girl do you think I am?’
‘I honestly don’t see why you’re so worried about it,’ he chuckled. ‘If you keep Belinda happy and you get your reference, then what the hell?’
After he’d gone back down to the studio Hayley made the sandwiches and placed the large platter on the kitchen table, covering it with a cloth to keep the tasty snack fresh until Michael and the group came for them, then went back up to her room for a little quiet time alone to try and get to grips with what he’d said to her.
‘What the...?’ she shrieked, aghast as she saw her dressing table drawers were open and that all her underwear had gone. Then opening the wardrobe she gasped and held her hand to her mouth... everything had gone! Turning and staring at the chair where she’d left her jeans, she shook her head in disbelief. Belinda had removed them too!
‘Where are my clothes?’ she demanded, barging into Belinda’s bedroom without knocking. ‘What have you done with them?’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ the woman returned indifferently, standing naked before Hayley. ‘And I expect you to knock before coming in here.’
‘My clothes have been stolen,’ Hayley went on undaunted. ‘Please give them back to me.’
‘Young lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘My underwear was in the dressing table and my clothes were hanging in the wardrobe and now they’ve all gone. You’ve stolen them.’
‘If you continue to accuse me of doing such a thing I’ll have to—’
‘I want my clothes back,’ Hayley persisted. ‘You’ve stolen them and I want them back!’
‘Bend over the bed!’ Belinda ordered. ‘I am not prepared to tolerate such despicable behaviour and tantrums from you, young lady. Bend over and we’ll deal with this now!’
Struggling as Belinda grabbed her arm and forced her over, Hayley realised just how determined the woman was. For someone who was apparently suffering from some sort of food poisoning she had remarkable energy. She’d planned this, Hayley knew as her hands were cuffed to the bedstead before she’d realised what was happening. Handcuffs? Belinda had planned this well in advance. She must have anticipated that Hayley would finally make a stand and had prepared to administer yet another spanking to quash her little rebellion.
‘You’ll start showing me the respect I deserve, young lady,’ Belinda snapped, tugging Hayley’s short skirt up over her hips and exposing the taut cotton of her white panties. ‘You’ll show me respect if it’s the last thing you do,’ she vowed aggressively. ‘How dare you accuse me of stealing your clothes?’
‘Respect?’ Hayley echoed scornfully. ‘You’re a bully and a witch and I’ll never show you any respect!’
‘In that case I’ll spank you until you beg for mercy,’ the woman growled. ‘I will not, I do not to
lerate such impertinent behaviour from girls who work for me.’
Unable to believe that she was yet again bending over the foot of the woman’s bed, that she was handcuffed to it and about to endure another gruelling spanking, Hayley instinctively feared that she’d never escape Hadleigh Manor, and as Belinda ran her fingertips over the smooth material encasing her rounded buttocks, Hayley shuddered. Was she about to be subjected to the lesbian’s intimate attention? Was this what her future held in store?
With the first slap of Belinda’s palm meeting the tensed flesh of her bottom, Hayley let out a squeal. Again and again the woman’s palm met the quivering orbs of her buttocks with a loud slap, and with the stinging pain permeating her burning globes Hayley began to piece the puzzle together. The accusation of money stolen from her bedside table was merely a ploy to manipulate, she’d faked passing out and falling to the floor, and she’d faked the food poisoning. But why would she do all that? To make sure that Hayley stayed on at Hadleigh Manor? She’d have stayed anyway had the woman been civil and fair with her. Why the need for such manipulative threats and duplicity – and physical punishment?
Straining to turn her head as the beating ceased, Hayley watched through tear-filled eyes as Belinda released the handcuffs.
‘W-why are you doing all this to me?’ Hayley sobbed, barely able to speak.
‘To teach you a lesson you deserve,’ the woman enlightened her, dropping the handcuffs on the bed. ‘Now stand up straight.’
‘But...’ Hayley began, straightening up stiffly, her skirt and blouse settling back in position, making her wince slightly as the material brushed against her punished buttocks.
‘There we are,’ Belinda gloated triumphantly, standing back and admiring the flushed, tearstained complexion of the humbled girl, ‘just perfect.’
‘Please...’ Hayley protested, ‘why are you treating me like this?’
‘To teach you some discipline,’ the woman said simply. ‘Clearly you need it. Now, I think we’ll have a little talk later.’
‘About what?’ Hayley asked, unable to come to terms with this ongoing torment. ‘I can hardly walk because you’ve spanked me so hard and you want to have a—’