Page 47 of Their Courtesan
Chapter 13
JUDITH
Judith hadn’t been this nervous since her first week at the Château.
Not that she would ever broadcast that nervousness. Wasn’t good for business, and it wasn’t her style, either. Confident, sexy, and able to take the hits as they came. That was her motto in life.
This, though? This was different. This was her possible future. She hated relying on men like this, but oh well, that was the career she signed up for!
Today I find out who bid on me.Judith paced the floor in front of Monica’s chambers. Her lady-in-waiting peered through a crack in the door, probably debating whether or not to shoo Judith away. Somewhere in that office Monica was going through documents, doing her own hmming and hahing before bringing in Judith and getting her opinions. No one had as much freedom of choice as Judith did at the Château, but at the end of the day, she was still at the madam’s mercy.Please don’t make me be with Nicholas Mills. I don’t care how rich he is.Did Miguel bid? How about Seth? Ha! As if. He hadn’t said anything about it when they were together Sunday afternoon. All they did was talk about growing up, his stint in med school, and the most erogenous zones on the body. That, of course, led to a lot of sex. Funny thing? Judith felt weird about charging him for her services. She always charged for the intercourse and what came with it, because that’s where her big money was – and because Monica would be auditing her for that – but things like a second blowjob or letting him eat her out for twenty minutes straight before he stuck it in? Discounted.
She didn’t know if she did it to keep the miser around, or because she…likedhim.
Fuck my fucking life.
The door opened all the way. “The lady will see you now,” Matilda said, prim in her black and white uniform. She was young, but not dangerously so. Out of college, maybe. Younger than Judith and Monica. Regardless of how old she really was, Matilda came off as nothing more than a young teenager trying to make her way through boarding school. Judith often ignored her, as she was meant to be ignored at work. In moments like these? She looked right in Matilda’s brown eyes and asked, “What’s her disposition?”
“Excuse me?” the maid squeaked.
“What’s Monica’s disposition? What’s her mood?”
Matilda looked away while she thought for a moment. “Pregnant.”
“Fuck!” That didn’t tell her anything! Other than she was moody, bitchy, bloated… someone could have bid a hundred thousand dollars on Judith and Monica would still be acting like her world was crumbling from within.Okay, so it is…
She found her boss sitting at her desk and gesturing to the seat in front of her. There were two black boxes on her desk. “Sit down, Judith. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
Gulp.“What are those?” Judith asked, perched on the edge of her seat. “How many bids did I get?”
“One thing at a time.” Monica finished clearing off her papers and pens, folding her hands on her desk and leveling her gaze at her #1 employee. “First, I want to make sure we’re on the same page. Before we discuss who did or did not bid, I want to ask… what do you want most from working here?”
Judith shifted in her seat. “To make money, of course.”
“Good. Now, what do you want most from your patron?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“Not at all, but it will help me think.”
Always the shrewd businesswoman. Sometimes that didn’t work in Judith’s favor, though. “I want the best balance of money and comfort possible.”
“What do you mean by comfort?”
Judith bit her lip. She didn’t like being this out of sorts in front of Monica.I forget that we’re a business relationship first and foremost.It didn’t matter how much they got along personally. At the end of the day, Judith’s job was to make this millionaire more money. Monica was dedicated to her enterprise… many had expected her to retire and sell the Château when she married. On the contrary, Monica insisted she had no intention of doing so, and kept working even when she became so pregnant she could barely walk without the help of Matilda or someone else at hand. Judith understood. Monica had not grown up with many means. The self-made rich assholes were always the hardest working.
“I want a man I am comfortable with. That I get along with. We don’t have to be a perfect match, but I refuse to accept someone that I dread to see. Mitch wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t totally into him either. I know it’s work, but I like to think I’ve proven myself and earned a bit of fun with a patron.”
“I see. This will be interesting.”
Judith couldn’t take her eyes off the black boxes. “How many bids did I get?” This was either a good sign… or a terrible one.
The edges of Monica’s mouth twitched. Was she smiling? Unamused? Fuck! “So far we have received two bids for the minimum amount.”
Phew!Two was good! If they were both interested, they could get into a bidding war, and Judith would be rich!All I have to do is what I’m already doing with them.Such as entertaining them… and herself.
“So who was it?”
Monica pushed the boxes forward. “See for yourself.”
