Anne stood at the oak door, intimated by the size and grandeur of the house, she turned to wave to her father as he continued down the front path, leaving her alone to face her interview. She knocked three times and was let in by a maid who looked her up and down quickly, raised an eyebrow and led her through to what must have been the main office. Anne entered the room and immediately saw behind the desk, Madame Thurso, the lady of the house. The Madame didn't look up from her papers and, thanking the maid, continued to read her documents. She bit the top of her pen as she read, her red lipstick surrounding the black handle in sharp contrast. She flicking over to the next page and glanced up, her gaze lingered on Anne's face then trailed down to her chest which was modest clad in a white button up shirt, tucked into her mid-calf length grey skirt. Anne suddenly felt self conscious and wondered if she had unbuttoned too many of the top buttons, although she had double checked to ensure she wasn't showing too much cleavage. Perhaps her heels were too high, she should have just worn flats. As she fretted over her clothing choices the Madame sighed and gestured to the chair in front of the desk.
"Have a seat please, we're just waiting for the Master of the House" and she returned to her paperwork. Anne moved quickly to the chair and sat, smoothing her skirt down to cover as much leg as possible. She looked around the room, taking in the shelves of artifacts and antiques. Fearing she might look too curious, Anne soon turned to the desk, quietly taking in the detail while trying not to appear as if she was watching Madame Thurso. The desk itself was solid and expensive looking, Anne's eye trailed over the intricate carving work scenes along the desk depicted deformed figures wrapped around each other, stretched out and twisted they piled over each other all the way down the legs to the ground. As Anne's eyes followed the scenes down to the hardwood floor she caught a glimpse of Madame Thurso's heels, pointed wickedly on the ends and much higher than Anne had ever dared to wear herself. The cuffs of the Madame's woolen slacks had risen slightly higher than intended revealing the tip of what must have been a tattoo on her ankle. Anne craned her neck slightly to make out the shape but quickly snapped her eyes straight forward again as she heard the door open behind her.
"My love, thank you for joining us" Madame Thurso purred to the newcomer. Anne tilted her head to see behind, trying not to look too eager. She had only ever seen Master Thurso from a distance. He stood in the doorway, tall and imposing, his dark hair swept over his forehead in a curl giving him a boyish charm while his sharp chin and cheekbones gave him the air of someone much more intense. He nodded to his wife and closed the door behind him, in a tone much softer than expected he replied,
"I'm sorry I kept you," he leaned against the door, still behind Anne, "Please, let's begin"
"Anne, is it?" Anne turned back to Madame Thurso at the sound of her name.
"Yes, Madame." Anne blushed quickly at the timid tremble in her voice and cleared her throat, "thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me, I think you'll find my qualifications are extremely strong and I have several references..." she pulled her letter from her past employer out of her bag and handed it too Madame Thurso then waited anxiously as the Madame reviewed the letter. Madame Thurso's eyes darted across the page then back to Anne's face. Madame Thurso chuckled,
"It seems my dear that there's been a misunderstanding..."
"Oh no," exclaimed Anne, "please, if the position is already taken I can also work as a maid or even a chef's helper, I do really need the work..." Anne trailed off as Madame Thurso stood and walked around the desk. The Madame leaned against the desk, her thin frame shown off in a well tailored suit which emphasized her small waist and hips. A thin chain with a small charm lay just above the dip of her breasts which were framed by the v-neck of the satin blouse she wore. The Madame looked Anne up and down slowly, Anne crossed her ankles, placing her hands in her lap, trying not to look nervous. She licked her lips. The Madame glanced over at Master Thurso, still leaning with one shoulder against the door. Anne flicked her eyes towards him and saw him standing with one hand in his pocket, the other playing with the chain of his pocket watch. Madame Thurso reached forward and brushed a hair out of Anne's face,
"No my dear, you see - this isn't an interview, your father sold you to us, you're our slave."
Anne stuttered, "No- no, there's been some misunderstanding..." She stood up and moved towards the door. Master Thurso stepped forward, lightly wrapping his hand around Anne's upper arm stopping her motion.