Auctioned to Him 7: The Contract

by Charlotte Byrd

  David looked at me and then sighed. He knew that he didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to final decisions. At the end of the day, I was still his boss, even though he was ten years older than me. “Fine, Sebastian. We’ll take Jane. I’m sure it will all work out just fine. But please do keep Martin on file.”

  “Wonderful! That’s decided then. Abbie, you can give Jane a call in the morning and set things up. Right guys, that’s a wrap. Party time!”

  Chapter 7 - Jane

  “Psst. Danielle. Over here.” I waved to Danielle the moment I spotted her. She waved wearily at me and carried on working. I had rushed all the way to Palms Casino to see her with my big news. I’d been a waitress before and I knew that any distraction was normally welcomed, but it seemed that things were very different when you waitressed in a casino. For a while Danielle completely ignored the fact that I was even there. She carried on with her work and focused on the job at hand and didn’t once look my way. I had to admire her for that. I took a seat at one of the empty chairs and watched her. She was wearing a very short, very tight and very revealing dress which I’m sure was part of the reason why she was tipped so well. I noticed all the men looking at her – the way her legs looked as if they went on forever and ever. She might not have big breasts, but she certainly made up for it with those legs. Most of the time she was delivering drinks to the black jack players, who played in a separate room to the rest of the casino. I couldn’t see what was going on but from what Danielle had told me in the past I knew that these were the high rollers who played with a minimum bet of $500. I couldn’t imagine ever taking a chance with that much money but I knew the deal – in order to win big you had to bet big. Every time I saw her coming out of the room I hoped that they treated her well in there and that they appreciated her hard work. But she always came out with a smile on her face and I knew that she loved what she did. She was good at it too. It was clear to see that. And after watching some of the other waitresses I knew that she was the best at what she did. She had a no-nonsense attitude, a bit of sass, and enough flirtation to get her what she wanted. I made a mental note to remind her that drinks were on her that night.

  I spent some time watching the rest of the people. Some looked ecstatic, winning wads of cash at a time. Others looked despondent and I could see them doing calculations in their head and trying to figure out if they could still carry on playing. It was both an exciting and depressing place to be in and I was fascinated by the different characters that milled around. I’d always been a bit of a people watcher and this was probably one of the best places to do it in. Mostly because people didn’t seem to worry about anyone other than themselves and it was easy to just sit and stare.

  “How you doing lovely lady?” I looked up and saw an elderly gentleman leering down on me. That’s when I noticed one of my buttons had come undone and a good portion of my cleavage was showing. I wanted to quickly do up the button but I didn’t want to make it obvious so I just left it.

  “I’m doing great. How about you? Making lots of money today?” I knew I had to be polite. This was where Danielle worked after all and it was not fair on me to make a scene. Plus, he seemed like a nice enough man.

  “Oh yes. Today is a good day. A great day in fact. Yesterday, not so much. But you know how it goes – you win some and then you lose some.” I wanted to ask him what the point was then but I decided against it. These casino people did not want anyone telling them what to do with their lives. This was their little escape from the world and in a way I did understand it. Sometimes all you needed was a bit of a break and if the casino was the place for them then who was I to tell them otherwise.

  “Well, I’m glad today is good.” I wasn’t in the mood to talk but he certainly was as he made himself comfortable next to me.

  “You’re not playing?” he asked.

  “Oh no, not me. I’m actually here to see a friend. She’s working so I’m just waiting for her to take a break.”

  “Oh, which friend? I come here often, I probably know her.” I wanted to say that it was obvious that he came here often – from the bloodshot eyes and the pale skin. This was a man who didn’t spend a lot of time outdoors.

  “That one over there. Danielle.” I pointed to her. At that precise moment she was bending down to give a seated customer a drink. She is all legs.

  “Danielle. Of course. The pretty one. She’s a doll.”

  “She certainly is.” Danielle would hate hearing someone call her a doll and I tried not to laugh, putting it in my mental notebook to tell her later.

  “Can I get you a drink?” His attention was back to me, although I noticed how he had stared at Danielle’s legs.

  “Oh no, that’s okay. Thank you though, that’s very kind of you.” A drink from him would only make him stay longer and I was never one to take drinks from people that I didn’t know.

  “Nonsense. I will not take no for an answer. If you’re going to sit here and wait you might as well get a drink. I could do with a few moments more of rest anyway. Excuse me Michelle, can you please get the two of us a glass of champagne. You can put it to my account. Thanks my darling.” He said to a waitress that had walked past. She grinned at him and told him that it would be her pleasure. He wasn’t lying when he said he came here often. When Michelle got back she handed us each a glass.

  “Thank you.” I said and took a sip. And I had to admit, it tasted good. It tasted far better than the bottles that I bought myself. But that could very well be because of the environment I was in now. Everything just seemed expensive. Even my taste buds.

  “No, thank you. It’s lovely to take a break. I’ve been on my feet forever.” The man continued to talk without rest and I found myself getting agitated. I wanted to sit in peace with my drink and watch the rest of the people. But he had given me a drink and I felt bad just getting up and leaving him. Thankfully I saw Danielle coming my way and I shot her a grateful smile.

  “Hi Peter. I see you’ve met my friend Jane. Thank you so much for keeping her company while I worked. I have a small break so I’m going to steal her away from you. But I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” She looked at him with so much sincerity that I even believed it.

  “Absolutely, have a good break my lovely. You deserve it. And Jane, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

  When we walked away I noticed that Danielle was laughing. She looked at me, “Well I saved you there. You looked like you wanted to run away. Oh well, at least you got a drink out of it. Peter is harmless though. He loves having someone to talk to. He’s here every day and has never tried anything with any of the waitresses. Trust me, when you’re here long enough you get to figure out the nice guys from the creeps. And he’s definitely a nice guy.”

  “He was certainly looking at you like he liked you though. He was staring at those long legs of yours like he wanted to take a bite.” I told her.

  “Yeah, but he never does anything more than look. Trust me. But anyway, listen, I’m sorry about ignoring you when you came in. They are very strict here about taking breaks or even talking to friends or family. And the big boss was walking around today so I couldn’t even try my luck. I’ve only got a little bit of time and then I need to go back out there again. What’s going on? Why are you here? Oh! Have you come for a job?” Her eyes widened at the prospect. I’m not sure why because she should know that I’d be terrible at the job.

  “No, no. I haven’t. But I have come to tell you some news.”

  “Yes?”

  “I won the contest!” I declared and raised my arms in the air. As I did some of the champagne spilled on me. “You see,” I said, wiping it up, “I told you I’d be a bad waitress.”

  “What? Oh Jane, that’s brilliant news.” Danielle came in for a hug and squeezed me tightly. “So what does this mean?”

  “It means I have to start on Monday morning. They phoned me and gave me the news today.”

  “Wow, Monday already!”

  “I know. But I’m gla
d. I’d rather just get right into it. If it was any longer I’d just get more nervous than I am right now.”

  “So what exactly are you going to be doing?”

  “Well, I’m going to be heading this big social media campaign based on my own ideas and collaborating with the rest of the marketing team. Sounds like they have no intention of me leaving anytime soon either so there’s a chance this might be a permanent thing. But either way it means that I actually have a job! A real job!”

  “So you can stay! You don’t have to go back to Arizona and you don’t have to bump into Justin the Idiot and Amy the Other Idiot.”

  I laughed at that. “Exactly! I can stay!”

  “I’m so happy for you Jane. You deserve this. And… you can start the job with a lovely tan now and a sexy Brazilian wax.”

  I shushed her and giggled, “Danielle! Don’t say that out loud!” She laughed and then I laughed too. I felt on top of the world. Just then I heard someone yell “JACKPOT!” and for a brief moment I thought they were talking about me!

  Chapter 8 - Jane

  “Are you ready for the big day?” Danielle asked as I stepped into the kitchen. She was sitting in front of an array of healthy food which made me feel slightly guilty about the chocolate muffin I had scarfed down the moment I had woken up. A glass of orange juice, a bowl of yogurt and slices of avocado and eggs were placed on the table and I couldn’t believe that she ate like that every day. Granted, it was probably why she looked the way she did and I looked the way that I did. Perhaps some of her habits would rub off on me by the end of my stay.

  “I guess so. It’s hard to be ready when you don’t know what to expect. I’m quite nervous but I’d be nervous on the first day of any job. Do I look okay though? I want to at least know that I look okay. I have some time to change if I need to so be honest with me.” I twirled around. I was wearing dark black jeans and a pretty green sleeveless shirt and black heels. It was elegant but not too fashionable which is what I wanted to go for – because fashionable was just not who I was. In fact, if I could’ve rocked up wearing trainers I would’ve been far happier. Or pyjamas – now THAT was good work gear. But this was day one and I still had to make a good impression. Perhaps once they got used to me I would be able to wear what I liked. I had to giggle at the thought of going to work every day in my sleepwear.

  “You look gorgeous Jane. Actually I wish you would wear heels more often, they suit you. Hang on though, you’re missing something.” Danielle ran upstairs and then came back with a beautiful silver necklace for me to wear. On the end dangled a little horse shoe.

  “Danielle!” I gasped, “I cannot possibly wear this. It’s beautiful.”

  “You can and you will. Because I got that for you to say congratulations on the job and I forgot to give it to you. It’s my way of saying how absolutely proud I am of you. Instead of moping in a corner you got far away from that jerk and found yourself a new job. You’re starting over and you’re doing it with such style. So this is not just a good luck for the job necklace but also a good luck for the rest of your life necklace. You’ve got this Jane! And you’re going to rock your first day today. This job is perfect for you.”

  “Ah… you’re amazing. I don’t know what to say. Danielle, I love it. My lucky necklace.” I felt tears rushing to my eyes. Danielle had been so good to me since I had moved in with her. After what Justin did to me I seemed to get emotional every time someone did something nice.

  “Don’t cry now! You’ll ruin your make up. This is meant to be a happy necklace.” She must be using the term ‘make up’ very loosely here because all I was wearing was a bit of mascara and a dash of lipstick. But still, she was right, I shook my head and smiled instead.

  “Thank you. It is a happy necklace. No more tears.”

  “So, what time do you have to be in?” She asked me, looking at the clock above her.

  “They were quite nice for my first day, I must admit. I only have to be in at 10.30 today. But I’m going to go early to scope it out a bit. I always feel more comfortable when I have a better idea of a place. I actually should’ve done this before instead of on the actual day but alas it’s too late.”

  “Time for a quick coffee before you go? I’m leaving in about twenty minutes so maybe we can leave together then. I can never leave for work without a decent cup of coffee. I hope they have good coffee where you work because where I work it is awful. Pity I can’t drink on the job because they make a mean cocktail!”

  “Yes! Absolutely. Coffee is needed. Although, a cocktail would be nice too.”

  Afterwards we said our goodbyes and we headed off in different directions. I arrived at the Sunrise Casino with over an hour and a half to spare which was perfect. The moment I arrived I felt overwhelmed by the place. I had a vision in my mind that it was going to be similar to Palms Casino, where Danielle worked. But I was very wrong and now I knew why Danielle was so impressed that I would be working here. Sunrise Casino looked to be almost triple the size, and despite this it was still packed with people milling in and out. It was absolutely exquisite and a lot of attention had been given to the details, which was immediately obvious to me the moment I stepped inside. I felt like I was treating myself by coming here. The whole place felt exciting and extravagant. My marketing mind tried to figure out a way to describe it. Classy came to mind. So did fancy, high-end, cosmopolitan, expensive, elegant and sophisticated. I quickly wrote these down – these were important words to remember for any sort of marketing strategy that I might do for them. Looking around I noticed a great deal of people walking around as if it were their home and I realized that many probably came to stay here for days if not weeks at a time. The first thing I noticed about the place was the pool. It surrounded the entire place and the only way to get in was through a passageway on either side of the four corners. These were completely covered but see-through so that you could walk across without danger of falling in the pool but still be offered a fantastic view of the outside. Already now, so early in the morning, there were people swimming and lounging outside. This pool was a great selling point for the casino and would make for incredible photos. I wondered briefly if the pool was heated or not and made a mental note to find out at some stage. A heated pool in winter would go a long way in marketing.

  Inside the place offered hotel rooms, spas, bars, restaurants, shops and even a movie theatre. It was like a mini city in itself. I supposed the main idea was that once you were inside Sunrise Casino there was no reason to go out. Everything was here at your disposal. I walked up and down the corridors, checking out all the shops on offer and peeking into each one. Again, people were already buying – waving around credit cards as if it were no big deal to them. I also found a crèche at the end of the hallway where parents could leave their children while they spent the day winning (or losing) their money in the casino. One of the carers waved at me and I waved back. All the kids were sitting on the floor with colouring books and pens and all of them looked very happy to be there. Geez, this place has everything! I marvelled. I had to admit, I was impressed and it suddenly dawned on me that I was now about to start working there. No wonder Danielle was so impressed when I got the job.

  I checked the time and saw that I still had about half an hour to waste so I headed straight for the bar. I wondered if it was too early to have a cocktail but then decided that it was – especially when I saw the fancy coffee machine standing at the bar.

  “Welcome to Sunrise Casino. You’re bright and early today. You picked a good time to come and watch the world go by. How can I help you this morning? Anything in particular that you feel like?” Said the friendly voice from the other side of the bar. He was smiling at me as if I was someone that came there all the time. He immediately put me at ease and I wondered if they had gotten all the staff to act this way. I liked this. A lot of places I visited showed workers displaying very poor acts of customer service and it always reflected badly on the place itself. Was there anything even wrong wi
th this place? I guessed time would tell.

  “I’d love a cappuccino. Thank you. I had my eye on your machine the moment I came in.”

  “One cappuccino coming right up. Yep, this is my little baby – it makes the most amazing coffee and I barely have to do anything other than push a few buttons. Although I shouldn’t have told you that. No, let me take that back – it’s me that makes it taste so good.” He laughed.

  “Oh, it’s definitely because of you. I bet you if I had to make a cup it would come out terribly. It is not the machine that makes the coffee, but the man behind it.”

  I watched as he used the machine with ease and breathed in deeply as the smell of coffee rose into the air. Then he handed me the cup. I took a grateful sip and then swivelled around. When I had first turned to face the barman there was nobody next to me but the moment I turned around I found a man standing right in front of me. The most gorgeous man that I had ever seen in my life. Unfortunately I greeted him with hot coffee spilled all the way down his shirt.

  “Shit!” He said and jumped back. The coffee was piping hot.

  “Oh no! I’m so sorry!” I said and then proceeded to try wipe the coffee off him. A ridiculous motion because all I was doing was spreading the wetness over his shirt. I could literally feel his abs through his shirt and I wondered how someone had the time to create a body like that. I looked up and tried to stay calm. This man was beautiful – which was not a word I generally used to describe anyone. He looked like a painting – or a photo that had been photoshopped to perfection. If these were the type of guests that I was going to see every day then I truly had hit the jackpot. He was glaring at me with these intensely dark brown eyes that never wavered and I knew that this was a man that always got what he wanted. I felt a shiver go right through me. He looked down at his shirt which was now completely ruined and I watched as hair moved down across his face. It was dark brown, similar to his eyes and I had to physically stop myself from reaching out and touching it. What is wrong with me? Take a hold of yourself Jane! I admonished myself. This was very unlike me.