Chapter Two
Quick pulse and ready to run. The heart knows the hunter is near.
I was on my way to the university campus to check out my newest acquisition, a pub.
Today I would be meeting the staff to decide which of them I would keep and then run interviews for new hires to replace those that received their walking papers.
I owned many clubs but was happy to add this campus bar to my repertoire.
It was well established, and made a great profit.
The only issue I’d come across was the repeated closures due to underage drinkers.
That would stop under my new management.
My mind had been on Maddox since watching the car pull away from the bar Saturday night. That was two nights ago. I should have moved past our little dalliance by the time the vehicle disappeared. Why did this particular woman capture me when I’d had so many others?
Maddox had a tenuous innocence that needed guarding, and for some reason, the responsibility was mine.
She was one of those women who were ignorant of their treasure, allowing the sharks to swim around her and go in for the kill.
That and she was easy on the eyes. Hers were blue, not dark like sapphires, or light like many of Nordic descent.
No, hers were some type of light turquoise that I couldn’t put a name to.
Then again, it wasn’t so much the color, as what lay in the depths, coupled with her pale porcelain skin, legs for days…
I knew nothing about her, yet I felt like I had borne witness to the fabric of what made her unique, and that was what was haunting me.
I pulled up in my Ferrari. Oh yes, I was the pretentious wealthy bar owner and loved playing up the role.
I wasn’t disappointed as a cluster of employees and wannabe employees were lined up along with the few patrons waiting for a table.
I was happy to see that the pub was well attended and an obvious favorite on campus.
I grinned inwardly at the catcalls from the women and the “way to go, man,” comments from the guys.
I shook hands with the manager, and she escorted me to the back office that was overcrowded with bar paraphernalia, books, print-outs and an old computer on a desk with two chairs, summed up in one word, tiny.
“Sonya, let's start with our current employees. Are any worth keeping?” Sonya sat down opposite me and went over her list of staff. By the time we were done, I had decided to keep the kitchen staff, at least for now, one waitress and two bartenders.
Sonya sent in the staff, and one after the other, I let them go with one month's salary, generous, but I wanted this pub to maintain its standing on campus, as students were 80% of the drinkers.
I had let the others go because they were either underage or were overly tolerant of underage drinking, which was not only my biggest pet peeve but completely illegal.
I was bored to tears and looking forward to the end of the interview process, when my last appointment for the day walked through the door.
She stopped so quickly, the automatic door hit her as it tried to close.
Her jaw dropped open, the shock she felt evident in her expression.
A familiar blush crept from her neck to her lovely pale face, Maddox.
Two emotions warred for equal attention as I looked at her… amusement. Her eyes were so full of expression, and her mouth, with those sultry lips, couldn’t tell a lie. Secondly, anger. Was she applying for a job with her fake ID? Was she precisely like those dimwitted servers I had just let go?
Maddox turned to flee, but moving quickly out of my seat, I grabbed her arm before she could.
“You’re not going anywhere, little girl.
Now sit down.” Maddox sat down across the desk from me, her eyes as big as saucers, from surprise, but also, a little fear.
Good, she should be afraid of me. I was a dangerous man.
“You came here to apply for a job.” I barked out my statement with enough edge to make a grown man shake. She would know how displeased I was at seeing her here.
“Yes.” Was all she said, as nothing else was forthcoming. I continued.
“Were you planning to apply with your fake identification? You did read the ad and know that those applying need to be a minimum of twenty-one.” She gulped, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes.
“Yes, to both, sir.” On the one hand, I was proud of her for telling the truth and, on the other, furious that I had been right.
“Oh no, you don’t get to call me sir, as if you respect me.
You clearly have no respect for me, or rules, or you wouldn’t be breaking them.
Do you have any idea how close this place has come to being permanently shut down?
I got a steal on the purchase because little brats like you think they can get away with anything. ”
My frustrations from the past two hours poured from my mouth, and Maddox got the full force of it. The tears that had been threatening trickled down her face. I wasn’t moved, all I saw was black and the need for Maddox to know the extent of my displeasure.
“This was your last warning Maddox. Your picture will be posted, so no one will allow you entrance. I will pass it along to every bar on this campus. Not only will you not be hired, but you will not be allowed in as a patron either. Do I make myself clear, young lady?”
Maddox stood up on wobbly legs and grasped the edge of my desk to keep from tipping over. “Yes, sir, perfectly. Please may I go now?” I should let her go, or she may end up bent over my desk getting her ass striped and then fucked.
“No, you may not. Did you know I bought the pub, that I was the new owner?” She shook her head in the negative.
“Why did you want to work here?” Not wishing to answer me, Maddox glanced at the door just like her first night with me.
She wanted to run. I got the impression that was her MO, running away when things got tough.
“I needed the money. My dad lost his job and can’t help me with tuition.
My next payment is due in four weeks. I thought if I could show the dean that I was employed then maybe he would give me a break and more time to come up with the balance.
” Well, now I felt like a shithead for being so cruel to her.
“I have applied for twenty jobs in the past two days, and no one will hire me because I have no experience. This was my last resort. Someone told me that they hired underage here, and I thought if I looked good enough, they wouldn’t ask questions. I’m sorry, I didn’t consider the consequences.”
I was a total dick and needed to fix this. I could give her the money, but somehow, I knew she wouldn’t take it.
“Maddox, please sit. Maybe there’s something else you can do. What are you majoring in?” Maddox took a breath and plunked onto the seat. I handed her a tissue and she dried her face and then took a fortifying breath before answering me.
“Economics with a BA in business. I like numbers. They don’t lie and are never wrong.
The predictability of it makes sense, and I don’t, uh, get nervous with numbers like I do with people.
My father also works in the field. You would think a company would want experienced accountants, but they opt for new grads willing to take a much smaller salary. ”
This was a different Maddox from the one I met or the one that had been shaking only moments ago. When you got her talking about school, and work, she was more than capable. A plan began to form, one in which she worked for me and under my tutelege.
“Maddox, how would you feel about a bookkeeping job?” She smiled, and her face brightened. “Very open. Who do I call to schedule an interview?”
“No need, you just passed. You will work for me. I need someone to run the books for this place. In my experience, even managers sometimes skim, and it’s easy when there are cash sales.
I would need someone to check the nightly totals against the amount of product sold.
I would also like a spreadsheet which I will go over in detail with you and a weekly walkthrough of stock to ensure the balances. ”
Maddox took in a deep breath and let it out very slowly. “May I ask what it pays?”
“You may ask. What are you worth?” This was her chance to show me what she was made out of, to ask what her service was worth, and let me know how she viewed herself.
Someone who had already been beaten down always accepted the minimum.
The entitled group were usually arrogant and had nothing to back up their requests, asked too much and expected it.
I suspected Maddie would fall into line with just below the maximum.
I suspected she had value but knew I didn’t know it yet.
So, imagine my surprise when she gained the lead over me.
“I’m requesting the mid-entry range. But I ask that after three months, I get an increase, and qualify for a bonus on the condition that you are perfectly happy with my performance. I will expect a raise regardless, with the option to profit share down the road.”
Where was the innocent brat from the other night?
“Maddie, I want you in a schoolgirl uniform on Saturday Night, with pigtails and school-issued white underpants. Is that clear?” I was throwing her on purpose. Her directness while admirable was changing our dynamic, and I wanted to see if she was a natural submissive.
Her eyes grew wide as she nodded her head. “Words, young lady.”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed readily. “But, well, I don’t own anything like that. I uh, don’t even know where to go to get those things.” Aha, there she was. My little Maddox exhibiting a dual personality, delicious.
“Text me your measurements, and I will have everything you need delivered before Saturday Night. Now, you better leave, or I will bend you over my desk and fuck you senseless.” She jumped to her feet, but not before I caught sight of her dilated pupils.
She was at the door when I called out her name, “Maddie.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, turning back to me. “Your conditions are acceptable. I will send you my email address, along with a list of the required paperwork. But I have one condition of my own.” She waited, unconsciously nibbling her bottom lip. Damn, little girl was making a tent in my pants.
“No. More. Bars. I want your word.” She bestowed a beautiful smile on me.
“I agree to your terms. I won’t apply for bar jobs or try and get in using my fake ID. I promise.” Something in the way she said I promise made me feel like she was promising something contrary to what I’d just said.
“See you Saturday, Daddy,” she said, and bounced out of my office. I leaned forward on my elbows and ran my hands down my face. What a handful she was, and all mine to mold as I wished.