The Unknown Master (closed to DangerousDarkEyes)

[LassardLost]

LIVE-IN HELP at McCALLISTER ESTATE
Live-in house help required, by owner of McCallister Estate. Responsibilities include general household management, including but not limited to: housekeeping, weekly groceries, indoor maintenance (outdoor maintenance not required). Cooking skills will be regularly put to use. Secretarial work may also be required intermittently, with potential to transition to business assistant if owner's satisfaction is met. Some training will be provided in secretarial duties but none in household management which will be 90% of the work. Live-in will be provided with private quarters which include 50 square foot bedroom with full bath, separate sitting/living area, kitchenette, storage room. Contact for interview and discussion of monthly compensation (with performance-based bonuses).

Lassard read the advertisement over a few times and then copy-pasted it into the various magazines' ad sections, and of course, on craigslist. He had owned the 103-acre estate, but hadn't been there much in the past several years. His work as CEO of Genyx Medical had taken him to various locales around the world, where he had established himself as per his liking. Mostly he preferred the apartment in London - large by London's standards, and overlooking the River Thames. Then there was Singapore, Spain, Malaysia and Switzerland - all of which had been wonderful places to stay for several months at a time. In between he had stopped at various locations in western Africa, where he participated in medical aid ventures, mostly to keep his Emergency Medicine clinical skills sharp, and in the process offer a little bit of help to people who needed it. It was the same impulse that took him to west Africa that kept him from deeming himself a monster as he wrote the ad. With his "mission" trips, he assuaged his conscience that all he did with his medical degree was become filthy rich off of a software that assisted radiologists with enhancing CAT scans, and essentially just lived the good life with no concern for, well, anything really. There was the remnant of that eager-eyed medical student that had chosen the field for humanitarian reasons in him somewhere, and he was critically ill, but he was well enough to create a constant simmering guilt. And now, another part of him needed to manifest. The part of him that was born in hotel rooms and pent houses. The part that woke up next to a different woman every other week. The part that kept looking for more, but somehow never found satisfaction. After a bad car accident in Hong Kong, and spending a month in a hospital, he decided to return to the outskirts of Chicago and run his business from his original home, the Estate. But the Estate needed maintenance... and, as he had now realized, so did he.


Lassard walked to his northern office wall, the floor-to-ceiling glass wall casting back a pale reflection of himself as he looked outside at the cloudy day. He needed a woman in the house. He was tired from the life he had left behind, evne though he had a large bank account to show for it. There was something not right, and all he knew, was that he wanted a woman in his life. But he also knew that this impulse wasn't exactly wholesome. He didn't know more than that. He didn't want to. So all he did was remind himself that he was not a bad guy. And that there was nothing wrong with living the good life. So he wrote the ad. And now he waited.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Although Mary was only 23, she had been working as a maid since she was 16 to help pay the family bills. This kept her away from home most of the time, especially when she had taken jobs that wanted a live-in maid. Then many times she would mail the money home to her parents, other than the few dollars she kept herself for personal needs. Even though she was sending them money, she knew it wasn’t all that they needed, not with having 5 younger siblings to raise.

For the most part, all the people she did work for had always been very nice. Usually the only reason she was let go was because they either moved or died. The last woman she had worked for had been an elderly bedridden woman who still wanted her house to shine everyday. Although she had a nurse, Mary also found herself catering to the woman’s needs such as waiting on her with food or snacks, getting her things to drink, even just sitting and chatting with her or writing letters for her. They had become very close and Mary still felt a pain in her heart the lady had left.

Now she was out of work and although she went home, there definitely wasn’t any room for her to stay there. She slept on a small couch in the corner of the small living room. Her family had barely enough food for themselves let alone enough for her. They lived about an hour outside of Chicago, the same house she had been raised in since she was a baby. It was practically fallen down and she hoped some day she would make enough money to help them get out of there, into a nice neighborhood and a nice house. Mary Peterson had big dreams, yet she was realistic about them, knowing it was going to take a lot of hard work to accomplish those dreams. She was saving up to go to college where she could earn a business degree, but for now she was picked up the newspaper and was looking for work.

That morning while sitting drinking some coffee she picked up the newspaper and went directly to classified ads. There she saw it:

LIVE-IN HELP at McCALLISTER ESTATE
Live-in house help required, by owner of McCallister Estate. Responsibilities include general household management, including but not limited to: housekeeping, weekly groceries, indoor maintenance (outdoor maintenance not required). Cooking skills will be regularly put to use. Secretarial work may also be required intermittently, with potential to transition to business assistant if owner's satisfaction is met. Some training will be provided in secretarial duties but none in household management which will be 90% of the work. Live-in will be provided with private quarters which include 50 square foot bedroom with full bath, separate sitting/living area, kitchenette, storage room. Contact for interview and discussion of monthly compensation (with performance-based bonuses).

This sounded better than she could imagine, but would she qualify. Well, she thought to herself, all she could do was try. To think she even had a room that was bigger than her families front room. It almost sounded too good to be true. Mary made the phone call and made an appointment for 10:00am that morning. She looked at the clock, noticing it was already 7:00am and she still hadn’t taken her shower yet.

She showered, shaved her legs and then went thru her closet to find something presentable to where. She at first thought about jeans and a blouse, but then decided that it might be better to wear a nice skirt. Since it was at an Estate, she figured they probably had uniforms and most of the women’s uniforms were dresses or skirts. She put on a white blouse with a blue skirt, white undergarments, hose and her white shoes that were good support for being on your feet all day.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her 5’4” slender frame looked quite professional. She had only a touch of make up on and had let her brown hair hang down on her shoulders. Her teddy bear brown eyes were clear and bright and her smile was perfect, having straight white teeth which she always took care of. Satisfied with the way she looked, she grabbed her purse and the directions and hurried out the door.

She was glad that the drive wasn’t more than hour or so and she had no time finding it. The front lawn was beautifully landscaped and the house was enormous. She was a bit nervous and prayed she would get the job.

At 9:55 she rang the door bell and a man answered.

“Hi, I’m Mary Peterson. I have a 10:00 appointment for the job interview.” she said, friendly enough and smiling.

 

[LassardLost]

“I need plasma! Do we have plasma?!” Lassard yelled out as he saw Felix’s eyes roll up into his head and blood come out of his nose. He looked at his gloved, bloody hands. Marshall stood in front of him, towering over him like a mountain, his arms crossed. Lassard had started Felix on a blood thinner a week ago – he would have had a stroke otherwise. He definitely needed it. Definitely. He made sure with the clinic’s resource allocation unit that Felix would be one of the few to afford the blood thinner. But something had gone wrong, and now he was bleeding to death in front of him. “Marshall, for the love of God, tell me we have ONE fucking unit of plasma in this place.” In this remote village on the north east corner of Cote D’Ivoire, Marshall was the experienced clinician on the ground. He shook his head. Lassard heard the voice echo in his head, “GO BACK TO THE BOARD ROOM WHERE YOU BELONG MCCALLISTER. YOU KILLED HIM. YOU KILLED HIM. YOU-“ Lassard shot up in bed, sweating, chest heaving. It was the third time he’d had the dream since he had arrived back in Chicago. Sweat ran down his bare, well-formed chest. Despite having had several hours of sleep, his dark brown eyes looked tired, his black hair short and scruffy. He was usually clean shaven, but hadn’t now in a few days. His strong shoulders glistened with sweat in the morning sun as he sat at the side of the bed holding his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. “Get a grip, man,” he mumbled to himself as he got up and walked to the shower. It was 9:30 in the morning and he had his first interviewee coming in half an hour.

Water ran down Lassard’s body. He stood at 5’10” with an athletic build, his upper body evenly balanced with his firm thighs and well-developed calves. Images of Felix flashed in his mind amidst a swell of anger. It had been his first time on a medical mission since he had left clinical work and become CEO. He had been out of practicing for over a year when he had landed on the makeshift helipad of the forest town. Everything about his work there was uncontrollable, in sharp contrast to his business life. There was a time he had thrived in entropy - namely, his first years working in an emergency room in Detroit - bug once he had become involved at Genyx he quickly learned how good he was at producing results when he had control. The board had seen it too, and thus put him in charge. After he purchased the company he ruled it with an iron fist, if enshrouded in a velvet glove. If he didn’t like the décor in the lobby of one of his office buildings, he politely “asked” the company’s interior designer to change it – specifying which kinds of plants he wanted where, what brand of furniture should be purchased and which types of lighting should be used. The board frequently chided him for being too involved in the details, but couldn’t say more because he produced results like nobody else could. The truth was, he thrived because of his level of control. And the way he commanded his minions was fair and reasoned. If one of his people screwed up a project because of negligence, he was calmly - but immediately -fired. If they screwed up for any other reason, he sent them for more training on the company’s tab. He invested where investment was required, and he shed filth when housecleaning was required. The people who worked under him loved him. They knew what to expect from him - it was all performance based, but with the understanding that they were all human at the end of the day. The people who he had let go, of course, hated him but knew that they had no case against him.

The only place within his line of work where he didn’t have as much control as he wanted was in his business deals with other companies, many of which were accomplished over dinner, wine and sex. Many of the higher ups from companies he had bought out or struck lucrative contracts with were women, and while he had had his fair share of party girls, most of his significant sex life was actually part and parcel of business. Lassard was physically attractive, physically strong and materially powerful. And he wasn’t a dick. This meant that his attractive, strong and powerful female counterparts found a perfect match in him, and, interestingly, never had an issue with suggesting to him that things might go more favorably on the business end if the bedroom end was addressed as well. Lassard obviously had no problem with this, except that he found most of these women were very aggressive in bed, and wanted him to take on roles that he often didn’t feel comfortable with. One woman came out of her bathroom in a leather get-up, a whip and long stiletto heels. Lassard had objected, but she made it known that the deal rested on it, and promised to be gentle. He left the hotel with several marks on his body, none of which broke skin, but all of which hurt like a bitch. The millions it brought him was worth it, though he ended up fucking the poor little Vietnamese girl he was seeing at the time a little harder than usual the next night.

At 9:55AM the bell rang. Lassard hurried down the main spiral staircase to the main foyer wearing comfortable khaki pants and an cream white loose button down shirt, the top buttons undone. A large chandelier hung in the entrance way. He opened the door, and liked what he saw immediately. Before him stood a young woman, probably in her early-twenties, with straight brown hair and beautiful brown eyes, a pleasant smile, and a petite build.

“Hi, I’m Mary Peterson, I have a 10:00 appointment for the job interview.”

Lassard shook her hand and welcomed her in, “I’m Lassard McCallister. Nice to meet you. Please, come in.” He moved to the side and gestured inward, letting Mary walk in. He watched with amusement as he saw her wide eyes look around the large foyer, the spiral stairs and the expensive décor. “I’ve had this place for several years, but I just started living here recently.” She was professionally dressed, but it didn’t stop his eyes from moving up and down her body just before she turned around to face him. She was very pretty, and not like most of the women he had interacted with in the past years. She was so... neat and well put-together. She seemed focused. She really needed this job, he assessed. A very slight smile appeared on his face as he took her in. “Might as well be yours to manage if you fit the bill,” he said nonchalantly before leading her to his office on the second floor. Gesturing to a chair that he pulled out for her on the opposite side of his desk, he sat down in his leather seat. “So, Mary. Do you fit the bill?” Unless she really bunged things up now, as far as he was concerned, she did.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Mary was quite surprised by how handsome and well built the man was. She was even more surprised that he answered the door himself instead of some stuffy shirted doorman. She imagined that he had an entire staff that took care of the house, although he still might have, she thought to herself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Callister,” she said and shook his hand firmly, noticing his hand was warm and smooth, which was very good for a doctor.

She was astounded by the size of the entryway and how well it was decorated. She followed him to his office and sat down, crossing her legs.

“So, Mary. Do you fit the bill?”

“Well, I’d like to think so. Here are my references,” she said and handed him several papers with very good references on them. “As far as my housekeeping, you might say I’m a clean freak, I like everything to look shiny and knew all the time. I’m not afraid of hard work or being told what your preferences are as far as cleaning and cooking go. I am a very good cook and if I can’t make what you have a taste for, I’ll find a restaurant and order it.” she replied, smiling at him, not once taking her eyes off his.

“As far as secretary skills, I have a little experience in that, I can write letters and I’m very good at answering phones and taking messages. Is there anything else you would like to know?”

 

[LassardLost]

Lassard liked her. She was confident. He reviewed the references she handed him and they all seemed fine by first glance, and that’s all he planned to do with them. As she spoke he checked off the requirements. Cleans. Cooks. Shows initiative with the restaurant comment. And good enough with the secretarial stuff. Could always be trained.

Lassard noticed that she kept her eyes fixed on his, and her voice almost started fading into the background as he allowed himself to get lost in them. “…there anything else you would like to know?”

Lassard remained quiet for a moment, observing her. “Your skills sound good. You carry yourself well, Miss Peterson. But more than a static skill set I like the people who work under me to have the potential to learn and adapt. You… strike me as someone who fits that description – but of course, correct me if you think I’m wrong.” He paused, looked down at a pen that he was twirling in his fingers, then looked back up at her. “I see your resume says you live right here in the Chicagoland area. Do you have family here?” Lassard needed to delve in a bit deeper. Learn more. Something in the back of his mind told him this information would be useful to him.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

“Yes, I live with my parents and 5 siblings. Our family is quite large, just west of outskirts of Chicago. I’ve lived there most of my life, at least until I was 16 and able to get out and work. Although I did finish school. I was taking the school/work course where half a day you go to school, the other half work.”

She watched as he looked over her references and twirled his pen in his fingers. She guessed that he didn’t do much of the hiring, or maybe had other people usually do that. She also had a funny feeling that he liked her, at least enough to ask about family.

“Do you have a family, Mr. Callister, or should I call you Lassard? Or are you living in this big beautiful home by yourself, which would be such a shame.”

 

[LassardLost]

“I see.” A large family. Putting herself through school. Lassard was pretty sure he had her figured out. Her last comment caught him somewhat by surprise, and he smiled at her. “Heh. Well, yes. I do live in this big house by myself. I run a company called Genyx Medical. We can talk about the details later, but I’ve been living in various parts of the world for the past several years, and this place has basically been gathering dust. Actually, I haven’t walked through large sections of it – the East and Southern wings in particular.”

Lassard got up from his chair and walked to the window, holding his hands behind his lower back as he gazed outside. He needed time where he wasn’t looking directly at Mary. The thoughts undressing her had already started entering his mind, but… this would possibly be the first time he would have to work at it. He didn’t like the idea of that. One thing at a time Lassard. He thought to himself as he spoke again, “And actually, the name is McCallister. You can call me Dr. McCallister for now. And,” he turned around to face Mary. “I have a sister. She’s settled with a family in suburbs outside New York.” Walking up to her he extended his hand to help her off the chair. “We can continue to talk on the tour?”

Mary placed her hand in his as she stood. He nodded his head in a simple gesture of etiquette as she did, and led her to the main corridor. Her skin was so smooth, so soft. Perfect. He started showing her the rooms one by one.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

“I’m sorry about the name, Dr. McCallister. You have a beautiful home here. All the rooms are different and so huge, whoever did your decorating had very good taste.” she said as they walked thru a couple of the rooms. Strange, he’s still holding my hand, I wonder why.

“I take it that you’ll be needing me to get every room in spic and span shape, although they are not that bad at all. You’ll have to show me to where the kitchen is and give me some ideas of what you like to eat. Do you expect me to do the shopping or just give you a list?”

Why is this man not taken by some woman, he’s got everything, good looks, a doctor and a mansion, and that’s only saying what I see now. I don’t know how he came to avoid the vows, unless…maybe he was…no…he’s a lady’s man, why settle down now, he’s got lots of time.

“What was that, Dr.McCallister?” she asked not hearing what he had said too lost in her own thoughts of him.

 

[LassardLost]

Lassard enjoyed the cadence of Mary’s voice as she started assessing the rooms and commenting on what she thought he wanted. “Yes, of course. Keep them all clean. You don’t have to go crazy over it, just make sure things aren’t growing cobwebs.” He walked her a bit further down the hall, heading towards her section.

“You’ll have to show me to where the kitchen is and give me some ideas of what you like to eat. Do you expect me to do the shopping or just give you a list?”

Lassard smiled, “Very good, Miss Peterson – you’re really thinking ahead. Ha. I’ll show you the kitchen in good time and, well, as for food – just cook whatever you like, I like pretty much everything.”

Mary Peterson had a way about her that put Lassard at ease. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He still felt a distance from her though – every time he thought about her in a physical way something arose in him that seemed to place her in a different light. I’ve got my servant now. She’ll do whatever I want. Lassard smirked to himself. I’ll have my way with her.


As he approached the double doors to her suite, he stopped, and suddenly realized he had been holding her hand the entire duration. He pulled his hand away, “Oh – I’m sorry, I didn't realize –"

He was caught off guard. How did you not realize this?! That is completely inappropriate, and not something you should be doing in the minutes of the first meeting. Christ, Lassard. It was highly uncharacteristic for him. And he knew that it meant that this woman had an effect on him that others had not. It was unacceptable. And it was in this moment he realized that the wall must go up. There would be no letting that 'nice feeling' he had around her get the better of him. She would be just what he wanted. A woman. Under his control.

Fortunately enough for him, it seemed she was in a daze of her own.

What was that Dr McCallister?


“Oh nothing – I just wanted to show you your suite. Here it is. Take a look.” He pushed open the double doors and stepped aside. “After you.”

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Mary’s eyes widened, she was overwhelmed by the size of the room. She was looking into what seemed to be living/sitting room, kitchenette and storage area. The size alone was bigger than her mothers entire house it seemed. It was decorated lavishly and extremely feminine, even smelling of roses that she happened to see on the table in a vase. She inhaled the scent, savoring it, roses were her favorite, especially certain white ones called the JFK Rose. It’s look and scent were elegant as well as intoxicating. It puzzled her to see it was those very roses on the table along with some red ones.

“The roses are beautiful and smell so good,” she said softly as she moved to them, feeling the velvety softness of one white rose. “I use to work for a man that grew roses and he taught me a lot about them. Ever since I’ve just been fascinated by them.”

She saw that there were patio doors going out to a small balcony that looked over the grounds in the backyard. To her surprise she saw several gardens of flowers including several varieties of roses. She turned back to look at the comfortable leather furniture in her room, a couch, a recliner, coffee table, a little breakfast nook to eat from. The kitchenette seemed to have all the upgraded appliances she would ever need which made her anxious to see his full kitchen, how it probably can’t even compare to this one. She loved everything.

“This is just wonderful, I would be happy to live in this place, its got lots of natural light, wonderful surroundings….” she let her words trail as she went to the other door way.

That was where the bedroom was with a queen size 4 post bed, made up in a soft lilac color along with freshly painted white walls. There were several vases with lilacs in them and the fragrance mixed with the roses was magnificent.
“You have wonderful taste, Dr. McCallister, everything looks and smells so good.”

She checked the door leading to the full bath and saw that it had a standing glass shower, a huge soaker tub filled with jets for relaxing her muscles. Even a box of scented bubbles was standing on the edge of the tub.

“My, you have thought of everything, I feel like I should be the one paying you to stay here.” she said, her face blushing a bit.

 

[LassardLost]

She’s almost like a child in how she looks at this place. Lassard wondered at how different the two of them must be. He stood by the entrance to the suite as she walked around, smelled the roses, looked at the garden. Seeing her so taken in by everything he was reminded of his early days in medical school. His innocence, now lost. The world seemed so big a place to him back then. So full of wonder and adventure. Like how she must see things. Again he caught himself losing his thoughts to her. To keep himself from getting too involved Lassard permitted himself to start thinking about how and when he would make his advances on her, and, more importantly, what he would do if she resisted. He would need to wait. He would need to observe and learn a bit more about her. Maybe test the grounds with some subtle innuendos. But not yet.

“You have wonderful taste, Dr. McCallister, everything looks and smells so good.”

Lassard, despite his internally confessed confessed darker needs, did also have a sense of how to make things look nice.

“I enjoy making things look pleasing to the eye. I did it for all of my offices.” And Lassard knew what women liked – but it was an uncanny coincidence that she liked the roses so much, he thought to himself. There are plenty of women out there who might consider it tacky. But not her.

“My, you have thought of everything, I feel like I should be the one paying you to stay here.” she said, her face blushing a bit.”

“Well, I think you’ll be working hard enough between the house and the office duties and other things that you’ll probably earn staying here.”

Lassard turned from her and walked out. “Let me show you where my area is just so you know where to find me most of the time. I’ll give you my cell of course. Oh – you’ll find an iPhone in your bedside drawer – that’ll be how I get in touch with you.”

In the hallway Lassard pointed down the hall to another set of double doors about fifty feet away. “There’s my area. I’ll always be either there or in the office. Or the gym, in the mornings. You’ll learn my schedule eventually.”

He turned and led her down towards the kitchen. It was larger than her entire suite. On the wall on the right was a massive range. There was a large central kitchen island with black granite counter top with hanging red lamp fixtures above it. On the other side was a large dining table, enough for twelve, surrounded by French windows all around that looked out onto the gardens.

“Most of the time I eat here. Maybe we’ll eat here together some times. Mostly though you can eat in your own area upstairs.” Lassard opened a drawer and tossed Mary a set of keys.

“House keys, and you can use the 3 series to get to your groceries and shopping .” Lassard leaned back against the wall. “I’m not going into a lot of detail right now, because there will be plenty of time for that. Also it will give me a better sense of how you operate and how well you learn if I don’t give you all the details up front. Definitely feel free to ask me questions, especially in the beginning, but don’t hesitate to take initiative. I won’t ever get upset if you do that, as long as it’s not something too stupid.”

“For tomorrow. Just start cleaning. It’ll get you acquainted with the house.”
Lassard paused. He was hungry. “For tonight, why don’t you make something for dinner. Oh – presuming you accept my offer for the job. It’s five thousand a month, I’ll make it so that ends up being after taxes.” Lassard put out his hand to shake, “Do we have a deal?”

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Mary caught the keys that were tossed her way, although she was still reeling from the look of her quarters and even an Iphone. She hoped directions came with it as she had never used one before. Now what was this 3 series he was talking about?

Before she had time to ask, she was in the huge kitchen, in awe of how fine a kitchen it was. She walked around checking out the everything, admiringly.

“Wow, one could get lost in here. This is really a chef’s kitchen and although I wouldn’t say I’m a chef, I can cook pretty good.”

She couldn’t get over all the new appliances and how big many of them were. She loved the granite counter tops and especially loved the huge double sink and work station.

“I do have several questions, like what is a 3 series and can you give me a few hints on how the Iphone works. I’ve never had to use these things before.” she said, blushing a bit.

He quickly went over the details of 3 series and showed her how to work the phone. She was extremely grateful and very glad he hadn’t made her feel stupid not understanding these things.

“For tomorrow. Just start cleaning. It’ll get you acquainted with the house. For tonight, why don’t you make something for dinner. Oh – presuming you accept my offer for the job. It’s five thousand a month, I’ll make it so that ends up being after taxes.” he held out his hand to shake. “Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, we have a deal…” she shook his hand firmly, her face beaming at the amount of money she was going to be making. Although she didn’t want him to know she had never in her life made that much money in a month. The things she could do for her family know had her glowing.

“I’ll start making dinner right away, you do look a bit hungry. You go ahead and do what ever you have to do and don’t worry about me. I do know my way around a kitchen.”

She looked into the refrigerator first, then the freezer and then the pantry filled with lots of items. She decided on the two porterhouse steaks that were in the refrigerator already thawed out. To go with it, she would make some baked potatoes and a nice salad. She had spotted the grill on the range and had to try it out for the steaks.

She cleaned up as she was cooking so there wouldn’t be much of a mess for her to clean later. It took about and hour before she was calling him down to dinner. She had his plate on the table, having made both steaks medium, hoping he would like that. Mary had her plate ready to take upstairs to her room where he had told her she would eat. Just as he was coming into the kitchen, she was pouring him and her a glass of red wine she had found in the wine cooler.

“I hope this meets with your approval. Will there be anything else before I take mine to my room?”

 

[LassardLost]

Lassard smiled gently and apologized for his assuming that she knew what he was talking about – and explained that the three series described the model of the BMW in the garage, and showed Mary the basics of the iPhone. The mix of wonder and delight at this specimen of a female that he had come across actually demanded that he laugh out loud, but he knew that would embarrass her.

After leaving her in his kitchen he locked the door to his office, sat down at his desk and swiveled the chair around to face the glass wall behind him, his feet up on the paper shredder. He stared out into the cloudy sky. Mary Peterson. Lassard McCallister. Beauty and the beast. Except this beast had no red rose. This beast is going to take what he wants. The phone rang.

“McCallister.”
“Dr. McCallister, I have Karen Wzutek on the line.” It was his secretary at the Michigan Avenue office, downtown.
“Karen Wzutek,” the name rang a bell, but Lassard couldn’t quite place it. “Ah – she’s a VP of…”
“Medsoft.”
“Right. What does she want?”
“She didn’t say, sir. Can I put her through?”
“Yeath that’s fine.”

Lassard had heard about Medsoft. They were going down. But it wasn’t their fault. They had a great product but it was badly managed by their leadership so it never took off. He would have aggressively bought their company and turned things around if he wasn’t transitioning to Chicago at the time.

“Dr. McCallister? Karen Wzutek here. I was hoping we could talk about a mutually favorable business venture.”
“Hi Ms. Wzutek. Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“Karen. Ford Grandey, our CEO, is tired out. I’m sure you’re aware of our product, CoreBlue? You and I know that it’s a fantastic piece of work, but despite that we’re in the red. We invested so much in this that the lack of return is tanking us. I’ve spoken to the board, the other VP’s… we’re hoping you’ll come in and end our misery.” She spoke quickly, as if pressured. It sounded like it naturally flowed from her personality.

“Ah. Well. I appreciate your unofficial offer. May I ask you a question? Why my company? There are a several others that could buy you out.”
“Well, your numbers are the best. You’ve the most robust growth despite the economy over the past three years. You’re the most stable, and you continue to expand and strengthen. Everyone knows that your company isn’t going anywhere bad anytime soon.”
“Very well. I’ll have my people look at the numbers and my team will be in touch with yours in the ensuing weeks. After they’ve done their bit, I can initiate a meeting with your leadership to make an official offer. I will, of course, not allude to our conversation today.”
“Excellent, excellent. And Dr. McCallister, there was one more thing.” Lassard had an inkling about where this was going.
“Yes?”
“There are two members of our board - they’re older, but very well established – who have been resistant to our selling the company. They would be the only roadblock for you.” Lassard frowned slightly, he thought he knew where this was going but apparently not.
“Ok, and?”
“Well, I have – let’s just say I have information on them that I could use to keep them quiet during the process. You don’t need to know the details.”
“You’re right. I don’t. Why are you telling me this?” There was a pause. Karen’s tone changed from her pressured speech to a slow, somewhat playful cadence.
“Well, I was hoping that we might meet for dinner some time, just you and I? Perhaps you could… encourage me to play those cards? Hm?”
Lassard clenched his jaw. The request was a reminder that despite his engineering to the detail his multi-billion dollar success, much of that success came from these kinds of compromised situations. It made him very angry.
“You called me to tell me that your company is going under and you need me to be your saving grace, what incentive do I have to take you to dinner Ms. Wzutek.”
Karen laughed. She sounded like a witch.
“Oh Dr. McCallister, please call me Karen,” she chuckled. “It makes no difference to me personally whether the company goes down or not. I could purchase a country or two tomorrow if I wanted. But you know Dr. McCallister,” she lowered her voice. “At a certain point in life, you start to realize that there are more important things than money.” Again her wicked laugh. Fine. What the fuck do I care. My company will grow stronger.
“Fine. Dinner. Eight o clock tomorrow night at Alinea’s.” He hung up the phone.
“Mother fucker.” He mumbled. He didn’t want this anymore. He had a new focus now. Mary Peterson. He didn’t want this shit.
“FUCK!” He slammed his fist against the table.

His intercom went off. He hadn’t taught Mary how to use it. Dinner was ready. Lassard stormed out of his office and down into the kitchen. He walked quickly into the kitchen and saw that his place was aesthetically set with a napkin folded neatly on the side, a glass of wine set as well. Mary stood by the kitchen island with her own plate and glass of wine, smiling. Lassard looked at her, then back at the meal.

"Where did you get this napkin? Don't use these napkins. Use the other ones - the blue ones. These ones I've always imagined I'd use for dinner parties. Not just for me. And not for you either. Same for this table mat."

Lassard looked at Mary, the change in her facial expression in response to his curtness was apparent. It's for the better. She needs to know that I want things done my way.

"And for tomorrow, wear what I have for you in your closet." He had bought some clothes that were a little less conservative than her current outfit, though still workable for a househelp. "Not what you're wearing now. I don't ever want to see you wearing these clothes again. They're not bad. It's just not to my complete preference."

Lassard paused, almost starting to feel bad...

"The food looks great." He said a bit softer, slower. "You can go upstairs now."

Without looking, Lassard picked up his knife and fork, and took the first bite of a delicious steak. But it could have used a little more pepper.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Well, that explains why he would have a hard time holding onto help, that temper of his was quick, mean and very demanding, almost like some spoiled child, Mary thought as soon as he mentioned the napkins and she could tell how different his mood had changed since earlier. Although she was quite use to dealing with temper tantrums, or bad moods for that matter. One just needed to ignore them and go on.

She quickly placed her plate down on the counter and with her napkin in hand, retrieved his mat and napkin, putting them back. Then she got the blue napkins and blue mat, rearranging his food on the new mat and giving him his napkin. Before she had a chance to leave she heard his voice a bit loudly, still in a bad mood.

"And for tomorrow, wear what I have for you in your closet. Not what you're wearing now. I don't ever want to see you wearing these clothes again. They're not bad. It's just not to my complete preference."

“Yes Dr. McCallister, sir and I will remember about the napkins and mats also. I do have a question, will I have any free time or a set free time where I will be allowed to wear my own clothing, or do you wish to change that as well. I mean no disrespect Dr. McCallister, just need to know.”

He didn’t answer her question, instead telling her the food was good and she could go to her room.

“Thank you, Dr. McCallister,” she said and picked up her plate, then taking it to her beautiful room.

She sat down and the little breakfast bar that was absolutely comfortable. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was and immediately started eating. Mary noticed a newspaper on the counter as well and she looked through some of the advertisements, thinking of all the different things she could help her family out with. With all that money, she very easily get them into a rented house much bigger than what they had now. But they would need furniture and other things. She was truly excited by this and dismissed the doctor’s bad mood quickly. Everyone had their moments, she thought to herself.

When she was thru eating, she rinsed off her plate and silverware. Then she knew she had to go back down and clean up, but recalling he had said he never wanted to see her in these clothes again, she decided to look in the closet for the outfit he had put in there. It did not surprise her that it was one of the usual maids outfits, all black accept the white collar, white cuffs on the short sleeves and the white apron that went on after it. When she put it on, she was surprised at how snug it fit. Mary had no idea how he figured out her size, but he did and had gotten it right. The length was not a problem either, coming down almost to the knee. The only thing she didn’t find was hose with it, so she left her own on and then went downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/74403953@N07/6702648821/in/set-72157629919121823

When she walked into the kitchen, he had just put the fork on his empty plate and was wiping his face with the napkin.

“I hope this uniform meets with your approval?” she asked, her face not showing any sort of emotion, happiness or anger, just business like.

 

[LassardLost]

Lassard was just finishing his meal when he heard Mary walk in, dressed in the housemaid outfit he had decided would be her uniform, except she had her own hose on, which he had deliberately left out of the uniform. If he told her to take them off it might put her on guard against him, and he didn’t want that. But before leaving she had asked about her being able to wear her own clothes so he decided that would be the best avenue to pursue.

“Yes, that’s fine.” He said as he looked back to his plate and finished his food. “As for your own clothes you won’t be needing them.” He just left it at that. Then he continued, “The steak was good. Thank you. If you need cook books or want training on any particular type of cuisine just let me know and I’ll set you up.”

Out of habit, Lassard pushed his chair back, picked up his own plate and started walking over to the sink. Then realized with Mary there that he should probably let her do it. He left it on the side of the sink. “Uh, right. I’ll just leave this here then.”

As he saw Mary Peterson get into position by the sink and start cleaning he took his time checking her out. Her legs looked good, even with the hose on. He imagined what she was wearing under the dress. Her slender arms and her wonderful hips… they looked delicious. Lassard felt the flutter in his lower belly and below as he took her in.

Then before turning to leave, “In the morning I’ll be up around 5am I go to the gym but I usually have a bowl of oatmeal and orange juice before I start. Please have that ready for me when I get up. I’ll leave my suite door open, just come in and leave it on the side table. That’ll be part of your daily routine. Otherwise my day will mostly be riddled with meetings and then I have another dinner meeting tomorrow night and probably won’t be back until the next morning. When I get back, I’d like the main entrance way, my suite, and the west hall with all its rooms clean. You’re free to walk around anywhere except my office. Only enter there with my express permission, every single time. Ok?”

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

He answered her question, but then left her a bit puzzled as far as her other clothing went.

“Yes, that’s fine. As for your own clothes you won’t be needing them. The steak was good. Thank you. If you need cook books or want training on any particular type of cuisine just let me know and I’ll set you up.”

When he told Mary that, she really looked pleased, but more pleased that his mood had changed a bit and he wasn’t so grumpy. Although she had no idea what she was supposed to wear if she went to the store or anywhere else for that matter.

She took her plate and silverware to the sink and started to fill the one sink with some warm soapy water. She was just turning to go gather his dishes when he put them on the counter by the sink. Somehow she had the feeling he was staring at her, but then shrugged off the feeling.

“In the morning I’ll be up around 5am I go to the gym but I usually have a bowl of oatmeal and orange juice before I start. Please have that ready for me when I get up. I’ll leave my suite door open, just come in and leave it on the side table. That’ll be part of your daily routine. Otherwise my day will mostly be riddled with meetings and then I have another dinner meeting tomorrow night and probably won’t be back until the next morning. When I get back, I’d like the main entrance way, my suite, and the west hall with all its rooms clean. You’re free to walk around anywhere except my office. Only enter there with my express permission, every single time. Ok?”

“Yes Dr. McCallister, I’ll have everything ready just as you wish and will not go in your office unless given permission. I’ll just consider that off limits.”

Well he was one man that definitely knew how to give orders, not that she was complaining, it made it easier for her to know what to do, especially in the beginning.

“Will there be anything else before I turn in for the evening?” she finally asked him, wanting to make sure she had done everything to his liking.

 

[LassardLost]

“Will there be anything else before I turn in for the evening?”

Lassard paused for a moment, and he calmed himself. “You know, on second thought, when you come into my room with my breakfast tomorrow, why don’t you bring yours as well. You’re new, and since we will be living under the same roof, we might as well get to know each other. We’ll just have a quick bite to eat together before I work out and start my day.” Lassard turned to leave, but then stopped, and turned his head to his side, “Oh, Miss Peterson. You don’t happen to give massages do you?” Test the waters. Nothing physical tonight, let’s just see how she responds. Lassard had a feeling she would “professionally” say yes, the same way she had professionally displayed the handmaid’s outfit that he had arranged for her, despite it being quite a bit more revealing than her own clothes.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Now that was strange, wanting me to have breakfast in bed with him, at least that’s how it sounds. But he just wants to get to know me, that’s all, can’t possibly hurt any.

“Oh, Miss Peterson. You don’t happen to give massages do you?”

“I have given several, all though I’m not professionally trained to give one. Were you needing a massage, Dr. McCallister? Maybe a tightness in your neck or shoulders or back. I wouldn’t mind, but as I said, it wouldn’t be like a professional one.”

Well, I wouldn’t mind, how often I wish someone would have offered me a massage, especially after a long hard day of cleaning and being on my feet.

 

[LassardLost]

"Oh, you don't have to be professional." Lassard was a little annoyed at how she just took everything in stride. But then again, perhaps it was a good thing. It seemed to him that the possibility that he had less than wholesome intentions for her was completely outside of her mental framework. Hm, that may mean when I first try, she will be totally shocked. It won't work to my advantage actually.

"When you're done with the dishes please come upstairs to my room. I'll be waiting for you. A ten minute massage - yes, exactly, the shoulder and the neck, maybe the back as well - would be much appreciated, thank you.

And perhaps I'll test the waters further. See how far her professionalism carries her

Lassard got upstairs and changed into his night clothes, simple navy blue pajamas, though he left his shirt off, his muscular back revealed as he lay down on his stomach in bed with his arms up - hands tucked under his chin. He heard the knock. "Come in."

This'll be good. Once her hands touch my back, we can talk first, and see where things go.

Though usually introspective, Lassard himself had not picked up on how his interaction with Karen from Medsoft had charged his darker side. The effect of Mary Peterson innocence and gentle, professional nature was for the moment lost on him, and all he imaged was what he wanted to do to her. And how well she better obey.

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Mary thought nothing of giving the good Doctor a message. After all of his hard work and his temper earlier she could well image how much he needed one.

Once she knocked on the door he immediately told her to come in. She thought she wouldn’t be surprised by seeing him in bed, but she was. He lay there on the bed in his blue pajama bottoms, his back bare, tanned and well toned. She already knew he was handsome, but seeing him like that stirred her in a way that definitely wasn’t professional. She quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind, or at least tried to as she walked up to him.
“The best way to do this, if you’re okay with it, is for me to climb on the bed and straddle you. I can use better pressure and can reach everything better that way.”

She waited for him to say something, almost wishing he would tell her no, but nothing came from his lips. So after taking off her shoes, she climbed up on the bed, then pulled the hem of her dress up enough so that she could comfortable straddle his back. Then her hands went to work on first his neck. She massaged back and forth and especially putting pressure on the middle of his neck where he was so tense. She worked the muscles until she found them loosening up a bit.

“There that must give you a little relief,” she said and then started on his right shoulder working it the same way, shifting herself so that she could press down harder on his shoulder. She could her him moan and groan softly and was happy to see that he was enjoying the massage.

Next she went to the left shoulder massaging towards the middle of the back as she had with the right. Putting pressure in all the tight spots she found, she continued until finally she sat back. That placed her ass sitting just below his waist practically on his ass.

“Well, would you like the back down or have you had enough?” she asked politely.

 

[LassardLost]

Oh no this was not going to work.

“The best way to do this, if you’re okay with it, is for me to climb on the bed and straddle you. I can use better pressure and can reach everything better that way.”


Lassard heard those words and his mind reeled. It was too good to be true… or was it? Would he now have to just restrain himself more? Undoubtedly. Before he could say anything she had mounted him. What?! He could feel the warmth of between her legs on his lower back initially and then on his ass. It was a very good thing that he was on his stomach because he was becoming rock hard. Her massage was excellent, and he allowed himself to fall into it. Good God woman the things you do in the name of professionalism.

She asked about his back.

“Um, please go ahead and continue with the shoulders a bit more, then you can go down the back.” Her body on his – and the part of her body that was on his – was lighting up his fires. He needed to have her. His way. Now. No, no, control yourself Lassard. Control!

“So, about your clothes,” Lassard started, “you’ll find a computer console in the main closet. It has access to a few select stores I’ve chosen and you have a $1000 dollar account to get yourself started.” After her brief, grateful response – typical for her – he again sunk back into the her touch. He wanted more than ever to just throw her off him, pin her down and fuck her until the sun rose, and it took all his strength to restrain himself.

Instead he continued with his original plan. “So tell me more about your family. Are you close to them?”

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

I guess you could say I’m close to them, although I really have been on my own since about 16, working various jobs, mainly housemaids. I see my family when I can although that is not very often. There seems to be so many of us that I rather doubt that my parents miss me much.” she chuckled.

She had finished working his shoulders and had moved now to his back. She massaged his entire back, sides included, noting where there were tense areas. She leaned up and started massaging him, using pressure to help work the muscles. Several times she used her elbow, not really noticing how her breast would brush across his back when she did this.

“I do help my family financially, in these times having that many children, well, I just feel obligated to help them out. They certainly appreciate it.”

Now she had her palms down, fingers together on his back in the middle. While pressing and using that pressure she managed to rock back and forth so that her hands would put pressure in different areas.

My goodness he is so tense, but oh so damn good looking. I could almost sit here all night just looking and enjoying his back. Can’t help it, but men who went around in just jeans or pants with no shirt, well…well what have you forgotten he’s your boss. Besides what would a man of wealth and position ever see in someone like me…massage Mary…just massage…

“How is the massage, need some more?” she asked when she had massaged with every little trick she knew.

 

[LassardLost]

Lassard swore he felt her underwear on his ass as she rocked back and forth on him. This wasn’t going to last long. He could also feel a bit of her chest, though clothed of course, rub against his back. He was very hard, and his tip was becoming wet, he could feel it against his PJs. In the meanwhile, his suspicion had been confirmed that she was supporting her family, and so he had his trump card.

A thought occurred to him. “Miss Peterson.”

She responded.

When was the last time you had a massage?”

He felt her stop, just sitting there on his back. “Would you like one?” If she says no I’ll just take her. No. No you can’t let this go to waste. It doesn’t matter, you have her now. You can just cut off the funds to her family and she’ll be yours. Lassard went back and forth in his mind, but ultimately decided he didn’t know yet how she would respond to such a threat. She may consider it below her dignity and leave despite it. No. He needed to test the waters. And so he started getting up, letting Mary get off him. He turned around and sat up as quickly as he could so that his hardness would not be overtly visible, though he didn’t care if she saw the bulge. It was part of his test. He gestured to the bed, smiling at her, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

“Well?”

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Mary couldn’t believe her ears, had he really asked her if she wanted a massage? That never happened to her from any other clients. But should she let him, after all he was her boss, he was the one supposed to be relaxing.

Then he started getting off the bed and she climbed off him. She still wasn’t really sure he was just being nice or if he really meant what he said. At least not until he was off the bed and pointing to it.

“Well?”

“Well, sure why not, that is if you really don’t mind. I’ll just leave the uniform on though.” she finally agreed and climbed back on the bed.

Now she was the one lying on her flat stomach with her elbow creased above her head with her face leaning on her hands. She could feel the hem of the dress had moved up her leg, but she didn’t think it had lifted to high to be improper.

“Okay, I’m ready,” she said softly, a bit embarrassed by the turn of events.

 

[LassardLost]

Lassard saw this girl lying on his bed. Her skirt had ridden up a bit exposing more of her hose-covered legs. It’s shame she wore those, he thought as he kept himself up on his knees so as not to put his weight on her too much. He reached up and held the zipper on the back of her dress.

“I’m not going to go too far down with this, just enough to access your shoulders.” He didn’t wait for a response and just pulled the zipper down a bit, exposing her upper back, to the middle of her shoulder blades. As he reached his hands to her shoulders and starting massaging them, the zip moved down a bit more. His hands were warm and strong, though he was not rough with her refined shoulders. He kneaded them with some pressure, not too hard, not too light, just enough to feel her muscles slowly relax. In reality she’s been the one working all her life. Not you.

Lassard let out a sigh as he moved his fingers up her neck, massaging the muscles along her spine. From time to time he would let his fingers drag lightly down the back of her neck, saying, “Light touch also releases a lot of tension.”
He started moving down her back, using the ball of his hand to rub deep in to her back muscles between her shoulder blades, at times flaying his fingers out to the side across her shoulder blades, and then back in towards her spine, always incorporating gentle strokes as well.

He knew the effect of touch on a woman, and he knew his work was not being lost. He shuffled down a bit, and allowed himself to put a little more weight on Mary’s ass, so he could feel her rounds against himself. Keep it together Lassard. Keep it together. He was in a position where he could take her without notice, but he held back. With all his might he held back.