Page 8 of Forbidden Mistress

My shoulders sag in defeat as I realize that after my bills are paid, I’ll only have twenty dollars in my account. And there’s still that late tuition notice hanging over my head.

With a deep breath, I walk into the Hill House. One of my housemates, Sam is studying on the couch. She turns to see who’s just come in. “Oh, hey Cassie, I thought you had to work. Is everything okay?”

I hadn’t planned on telling anyone quite yet, but whatever. I swallow a lump in my throat. “I was let go.”

She turns her whole body, shock registering on her face. “Oh no!”

Avery walks in with a bowl of cereal in her hand. “What? What happened?” She looks between Sam and me, all the while shoveling a spoonful of fruit loops into her face. “Did I miss something?

“Cassie just got fired,” Sam supplies.

“Let go,” I correct. “And it’s fine. I’ll find something else.”

My stomach sinks even as I say it and put on a brave face for my two friends. After a little more chit-chat, I head off their rapid-fire suggestions of where I’ll be putting in applications by heading upstairs.

“I’ll ask around for any open positions. There might be something on campus,” Avery calls after me.

“Thanks!” I say without losing a step or turning around. I just want to curl up my bed, hide under the covers and scream into my pillow. I don’t do that, though, because as soon as I get up to my room, I remember that Haley has the day off work, and a late class, so she still sleeping.

So instead of screaming into my pillow, I do the next best thing—I throw on some yoga pants and head over to the university gym. I spend some time on the elliptical, then join a Zumba class that starts up. It feels good to expend my energy in a constructive way. By the time the class is done, I’m exhausted.

The next day, I start pounding the pavement after class, looking for jobs in my area. I have some experience with working as a server. I dip into office buildings in search of a light office job but only end up leaving my CV in a handful of places with no promises of a callback.

As the days pass and stretch into a week, I can feel the anxiety start to creep up on me. Unemployment won’t kick in for weeks yet, and even then, it’s a fraction of what I can earn at a full-time job.

As I’m updating my job search spreadsheet, I start looking for retail jobs as well, though I’m aware that it’s the wrong time of year. Jobs that are easy to pick up during the holiday season are ever-so-challenging to find in the early spring.

Without realizing what I’m doing, I also find myself Googling Lucien. He and his mysterious gifts are still on my mind. On the internet, I discover pictures of him from his law office and at local public events. Tall, dark-haired, brown eyes, handsome face, nice physique. He’s even hotter without the Green Man mask and I start to fantasize about him and what he could want from his mysterious gifts.

I decide to stop playing coy and email him to set up an appointment and tell him about the case I want to build against Liam. I ask him if he does pro bono work, since I’d recently lost my job.

Hopefully he’ll end up telling me what he’s expecting to accomplish with his mystery deliveries.

While waiting to hear back from him or any prospective employers, I manage to wrangle up some dog-walking money from a couple of the professors who live nearby, but I’m still pretty broke. I grit my teeth at the thought of asking Lori for another loan. I’d do anything to avoid that. It’s a pride thing. Even if I tell her not to mention it to Liam, I know she will. And I don’t want him to know my business. Especially how much I’m struggling.

After walking Professor Andrade’s adorable corgi, Matilda, I enter Hill House one late afternoon. Avery, Sam and Haley are sitting on the couch, watching a Hallmark movie and munching on gluten-free snacks. Avery points to a table by the door. “Cassie, you got yet another delivery from your secret admirer! I signed for it.”

There’s a large envelope with my name on it. I blink, excited. Could this be in response to my email to Lucien?

Thanking Haley for accepting the delivery, I decide to take the envelope up to my room and open it up away from prying eyes.

Inside is a formal letter addressed to me using my legal name:

Dear Cassandra Fitzgerald,

We are pleased to offer you the following position.

Assistant Hospitality Hostess

Location: Obscura at Exeter House, Malibu, CA

Pay Rate: $150-$250/hour commensurate with experience. (Negotiable).

Hours: 10-15 per week (negotiable). Evenings. Flexible.

Should you choose to accept the position, please see the instructions on the attached sheet. We’re thrilled to welcome to the Exeter House family!

Kind regards,

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