It was the summer before my senior year of highschool, just days after my eighteenth birthday. My friends were out sunbathing near the springs or having sleepy sex in a tent during the early morning of a camping trip.
Meanwhile, I was sitting nervously in my car, stalling for time by applying another layer of lipstick with my rearview mirror. I was wearing my most uncomfortable shoes and my hair was curled meticulously, falling over one of my shoulders. I must have looked stupid sitting in my parked car in the long driveway in front of the country house, but I allowed myself until exactly five minutes before my interview time before I got out.
When the dreaded numbers finally appeared on my dashboard clock, I got out of the car and carefully picked my way up to the front porch, praying that my stilettos would not betray my balance. I rang the doorbell and felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and bolt back to my car.
I couldn't tell if the feeling was instinct or irrationality. Before I could decide, one of the tall french doors swung open. A beautiful girl my age stood in front of me now, smiling with glossed lips and perfect teeth. "Hi!" she said in a friendly voice.
"Hey-" I started, even more nervous at the sight of her. "Is this the right place? I'm here for a job interview, I saw an ad on Craigslist."
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "That's my dad."
I had no idea what to say so I just nodded, feeling my head bob awkwardly up and down for a little too long. The girl giggled and made a gesture at the foyer behind her, welcoming me into the house. I stepped over the threshold, trying my best not to trip while doing so. My body felt like it was about to fall forward at any second due to the height of my heels.
"Nice house," I said plainly.
The house was actually incredibly ornate. Where a country home would hang rustic signs of roosters on metal buckets, this home hung fine art in heavy wood frames. The stairs of the home were marble and spiraled three stories above our heads. A domed skylight bled white sun down into the foyer, soaking into the the cherry red wood floors. I could catch a glimpse of more stylish rooms beyond the foyer and my curiosity was piqued since this would be my new place of work if I was hired.
"We just moved here," the girl said. "My dad's business has been really big lately."
"Do you live here too?" I asked her, trying hard to formulate a sentence that sounded normal and didn't showcase my nerves.
She raised her brows while smiling. "Yeah."
"Ah," I responded, spiraling into another nodding session.
"Oh, I'm Lynnae by the way," she said. She was holding onto one of the spindles of the staircase in either hand, displaying her slender body to me. She was barefoot, wearing short-shorts and a too-small t-shirt. Her pink phone case was sticking out of her back pocket. She was looking at me with happy but intense eyes. "My dad's name is Robb Sterne."
"Oh," I said, trying to look away from her body.
A tall older man with a salt and pepper beard appeared in the hallway to our left. "That will be all, Lynnae," the man said. Lynnae giggled and ascended the stairs, her bare feet slapping against the marble. The man removed his reading glasses and folded them, placing them in the breast pocket of his dress shirt. "Are you responding to the ad?" he asked.
"Hi Mr. Sterne, I'm Jamie Hopkins," I said, carefully walking toward him with my hand extended for a shake.
"Jamie," he repeated. "Lovely name for a lovely girl." To my surprise, he took my hand, turned it and planted a kiss on the back of my fingers. The soft tufts of his beard and mustache surrounded the warm sensation of his lips in a surprisingly pleasant way. I didn't have any time to voice my confusion however, because Robb said, "This way," and walked back into the hallway.
I followed, anxiety once against shooting through my body. I didn't feel like running was an option any more. We have already been introduced after all, I thought.
We entered a large office decorated in deep navy blues and accented with white. I sat in a wingback chair in front of the desk that was covered in files and sheets of paper. "I've just been so busy," Robb said shuffling the papers together rapidly. "No time for anything personal." He looked up and gave me a charming smile as if I was in on some kind of joke.
I smiled back and watched him as his hands moved deftly through the stacks. I guessed his age to be late fifties. Despite this, his hair was a thick plumage of white and grey hair on his head that current released a single curl over his creased forehead. His eyebrows were thick over almond shaped dark eyes. His muscular arms were also covered in dark hair. I stared at his forearms, where his rolled up sleeves met his skin and I could feel myself start to blush. I had no idea that someone of his age could still look so...good.
After a few more seconds of organization, he sat in a wingback chair of his own. He laced his fingers together over his trim stomach, looking over me with a sigh. Then he asked, "So. What made you respond to the ad?"
"Ah," I felt completely lost. The unexpectedly handsome face across the desk seemed to drain all my answers out of my mind. "My parents made it clear that I'm no longer welcome in the house after graduation," I began.
Robb held his hand up. "College?" he asked.
"Highschool," I corrected.
"But you're still," he paused. "Of age to work?"
"Uh, yes," I said dumbly. I thought the age to work was fourteen in this state?, I thought to myself. Robb seemed satisfied with my answer and sat back again. "Sorry to interrupt."
"It's okay," I said, searching my mind for what I was saying. "Um, so, yeah, I'll need a car and a place to live by next spring, so that's why I'm applying."
Robb gave me a steady smile. "What makes you fit the job position?" he asked.
My rehearsed answers finally came back to me. "I'm a hard-worker and I like to learn new things," I said with a smile.
"Good," Robb said. "Any experience?"
"Yes," I said, lying.
"Good. And whom did you work for?"
"My brother," I lied again.
"Really?" he said, leaning forward. "And you...liked it?"
"Yeah," I said, attempting a probable story. "I was reluctant at first but I knew I didn't have a choice," I feigned a laugh. "He ended up being the best to learn from."
"Wow, Jamie," Robb said with a wicked smile. "I think I like you already."
I felt my stomach turn over at his words. Again, the impulse to escape came over me but I let it pass. Robb picked up a pen from his desk and brushed it against his lips, studying me for an extended moment. I could hear the grandfather clock ticking in the corner. I looked down to avoid his stare.
"May I see you without the top?" he asked.
I was confused. Does he mean the top layer of my hair? I thought. I brushed some of my hair from my shoulder, letting my curls hang down my back rather than down my front. I looked at him for clarification.
"Without the blouse," he said in a soft, calm voice.
I felt my heart drop in my chest. "Why?" I asked, quietly.
He didn't break eye contact with me. The pen in his hand clicked once. "Just want to see the body I'm hiring. Also, all office clothing needs to be completely up to standard," he stated.
I felt speechless. I knew that this happened to girls occasionally, but I didn't expect it on my first ever job interview, especially not with someone as charming as this man. I didn't want to foil the chance of getting the job. It was evident that he could give me a respectable wage.
Instead of arguing, I got to my feet.
I untucked my long-sleeved white blouse from my pencil skirt and unbuttoned by blouse from bottom to top. When the buttons were undone, I let the fabric fall off of my shoulders and slide down my arms behind me, collecting at both wrists.
I stood there exposed, realizing with a somewhat frantic thought that this was the first time anyone had seen me in just a bra.
Robb stared at me with an expression I had never seen on someone's face before. It was of hunger and restraint, softened at the edges with obvious admiration. He kept his hand near his mouth. His eyes traced the edge of my body, looking back and forth between my breasts and my face.
"Skirt?" he said after a long silence.
I paused but then slid the zipper on the side of my hip downward. My skirt fell into a black circle around my feet. Robb again took in the sight of me over the space of several seconds. His eyes fixed on my legs and clicked his pen loudly. "You will need to get a garter," he muttered.
"What's that?" I asked, half wanting him to define what a garter was and half wanting him to repeat himself.
