Author's Note
Risk Versus Reward is a prequel to Girl Friday and focuses on the story of Karin, the 'H.R. Lady' who provided Charlotte's rather unique interview experience when she was hired. You do not need to read Girl Friday to understand what's going on in Risk Versus Reward. But if you enjoy this story, Girl Friday should most definitely be on your reading list.
In the previous installment of Karin's continuing saga we got to see the softer side of everyone's favorite P.E. teacher, Mistress Betty Nguyen. The crop wielding, squat thrust loving woman who paid top dollar at auction for Desi and Karin seemed intent on feeding them as much as fucking them, and in the end included Karin in her plans for opening a new version of The Academy.
But every great weekend comes around to Monday morning eventually. What will Karin's Monday be like. Keep reading to find out.
I hope you enjoy Karin's continuing story.
WaxPhilosophic
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Chapter 19: The Counter-Offer
When we arrived back at The Academy early Monday morning, I was ready for a nap. Barring that I would have settled for one of Miss Smith's flowy body-painting sessions or even one of Miss Chowdhury's human appetizer tray demonstrations, as long as I got to be the one lying down and not the one doing the work of blending up the hummus.
To say that I was worn out after our little weekend that consisted of all fucking for the rest of the day would have been the understatement of the century. I honestly don't know how Desi was able to function this morning let alone stand up, but we hadn't taken but two steps inside the building when she was already checking out one of the flat-panel monitors, pouring over the day's class offerings.
Personally, I found myself still wishing for the snug comfort of that big king-sized bed the three of us shared, because when Mistress Nguyen wasn't bound and determined to wring every last cent of what she spent at the auction out of Desi and me, it was actually a rather pleasant place to be. The farmhouse bedroom was cozy and the whole place smelled like Betty's home cooking. And it really wasn't too bad when the mistress was trying to collect her expenditures from our hides either, just sweatier and bouncier and maybe a little stingier from time to time. I smiled at the memory.
"Karin, you need to check this out."
"Nothing too stressful, OK Des? Please? No calisthenics, no Contemporary American Literature, and certainly nothing involving a squash court. Maybe see if the lab-coat girls need guinea pigs for their massage class. I could totally go for that right now."
"You need to look at this."
"Desi can't you see that I'm ..." I turned to look at the monitor Desi had her gaze fixed to and the words stopped. My jaw was still moving, but I probably looked more like a fish out of water -- a minnow that some cruel kid had plucked from the stream and left to writhe around on land while he stood over it, fascinated by its desperate movements, but not feeling an ounce of empathy for the poor creature as it lay dying. That's the kind of dread that filled me as I looked at the monitor -- the monitor with my picture on it and the words, 'Lost Kitten. If found, please bring to headmistress's office right away.'
I knew exactly who was behind this, and it wasn't Headmistress Hendricks. She was just a pawn in the whole scheme the way I figured it. No, the person behind this was none other than Doctor Spiced Mocha Latte Tina Moreau herself. She may have been outbid at the auction and lost me for the weekend, but she was not the kind of person to go skulking back to her lair to lick her wounds. That was not her style at all. She would be out on the offensive and this trick with my picture on the monitors all over school was just the beginning.
For a brief moment I felt rather flattered to think of these two powerful women competing over me, Doctor Moreau and Mistress Nguyen vying to win my affections, my soul. And if it came to blows my money was on Betty Nguyen all the way, but I knew it wasn't going to be that kind of a fight. Moreau would use her position at the school to make sure she got exactly what she wanted and nobody was going to stand in her way. She had already proved that with her little stunt of demanding my presence in the headmistress's office, and I knew it wouldn't stop there. If for one minute Doctor Moreau suspected that I had fallen for the charms of a certain P.E. teacher, I had no doubt that she would have Betty fired on the spot. For Desi's sake and for Betty's, I didn't want to see that happen.
"You going?" Desi's mouth was twisted up in a concerned grimace.
"Don't think I have a choice."
"You always have a choice. You could always turn around and walk out the door."
"And go where, exactly Des? Back home? No thanks."
Desi shrugged, but said nothing further. We both knew what I had to do. But I wasn't going to march so willingly to the gallows, and I decided to stop off for a yogurt first. I was hoping they still had key lime pie flavor, it was so good it was almost like having dessert for breakfast, and I really needed the guilty pleasure of a little comfort food right now.
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When I got to Headmistress Hendricks' office she was the only one there, standing straight and proper beside her desk and rocking that pencil skirt like only she can. That surprised me a little as I expected to see Moreau there wearing a hole in the rug as she paced back and forth impatiently awaiting my arrival. So when I was greeted with a cheery 'Hello Dear' in that lovely English-accented voice of hers, I quickly forgot about my trepidation and began to think about stockings instead -- specifically the sexy seamed stockings that rose from Miss Hendricks' shiny black high heels, clinging nicely to her exquisitely toned calves before disappearing under the hem of her skin-tight skirt.
"Hello Miss Hendricks," I said. "You were looking for me?"
"Um, yes Karin." She cleared her throat. "Well it wasn't me specifically, dear."
"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Might as well get it out in the open. I knew what was going on here, even the headmistress seemed to be intent on avoiding the obvious truth this morning.