My Opera"She Said Yes" Chapter 1
Sunday, June 12, 2011 8:07:16 PM
“Please have a seat and tell us about yourself, Miss Spence.” The eldest Sparrow brother, Mitchel, smiled charmingly at me and indicated the only empty chair in the room. The brothers had already all introduced their selves to me.
Tucking my skirt under me I sat down and forced a smile at all four of the Sparrow men who sat in front of me at a long rectangular oak table. “Please call me Luce,” I began. “I know you’re probably looking for someone with chef experience or at least someone who has worked in a restaurant but I promise you all that I can cook. I can make simple dishes as well as more advanced ones and—”
“You’ll have the opportunity to prove your talents to us in just a bit,” Mitchel interrupted me. “For now though just tell us about yourself. Why would you like to work here?”
I shrugged. I didn’t have a ready answer for that. “I’ve heard about your family from…others and I thought it would be a nice change of pace to work for men who, from what I have been told, show women respect and kindness.”
“You’ve heard about us?” Stephen, the second eldest Sparrow brother asked. He smiled slightly at me. “From whom, if you don’t mind saying?”
I shook my head quickly. “Oh I’m sure it’s no one any of you know.” I didn’t see how Harold could possibly actually know any of the men seated before me. Well, other than Jacob who I knew Harold did indeed have drinks with on occasion.
The Sparrow brothers were all obviously wealthy and in a completely different class than Harold could ever hope to be in. I felt certain now that most of the things Harold had ever told me about the men curiously studying me was all just hearsay and gossip.
The brothers were all alike in looks, with dark brown hair that was naturally a little unkempt looking and midnight blue eyes that twinkled with natural warmth and cheer. Except for Jacob. His eyes lacked any warmth and his face had a glum look like he had just lost his best friend.
“You said you’ve heard about us, though. From whom?” Stephen prodded.
Closing my eyes I shook my head again. Images of Harold immediately flooded my brain. Images I never wanted to see or experience again.
“It’s okay Spence,” Bryan, the second youngest of the Sparrow men said. He reached a long arm out in my direction. “You’re safe here.”
“Thanks.” I forced a watery smile. “My name is Luce, though.”
“Oh I know that,” smiled Bryan. “I just like Spence better.”
“All right what do you say we skip ahead to the cooking portion of the interview, and leave the question and answer session for later,” Mitchel suggested. “As our morning cook you will be expected to put up with four very distinct menus. We will give you our breakfast preferences when you arrive each morning and I will warn you that you will be expected to cook very different things.”
I nodded. “I can handle that.”
“My Lord,” Jacob, the youngest Sparrow brother muttered. He glared at me. He’d been glaring at me from the very beginning actually, but I wasn’t taking it personally. It seemed Harold was right about this brother. Jacob did indeed seem to have a naturally sullen disposition and I assumed he was one of those people who found life more enjoyable by being miserable. As long as he didn’t take it out on me I felt I could handle him.
“Oh. Yes.” Mitchel cleared his throat and looked around at his brothers. “You are to refer to each of us as my Lord. I am my Lord Mitchel; Stephen is my Lord Stephen, and so on.”
“I prefer Master Jacob,” Jacob said crossly.
“As you wish, Master Jacob,” I answered with a smile. I had had to call Harold “Daddy” for over six years. I could easily handle calling one very pessimistic man Master. “I know that I’m applying to work as the morning cook but I assume since it is after noon that you all would prefer lunch type meals—my Lords?”
Mitchel nodded. “You will serve me first, then Stephen, then Bryan, and finally Jacob.”
“I’ll have a turkey and Swiss sandwich on whole wheat bread. Honey mustard on both slices of bread. Put the meat on first, then cheese, then one leaf of lettuce. Sandwich pickle after the lettuce. Some barbecue chips on the side and I’ll take a beer to drink.”
Impressed by the precision of the order I gave Jacob an impressed nod. “As you wish Master Jacob.” I smiled. “Who’s next?”
“Are we sure we want to hire someone with a past?” Jacob groused roughly two hours later.
I dug my fingernails into my already clenched fists in an effort to lessen the severity with which I wished to smack Jacob upside the head. He had been putting me down ever since I had served him his sandwich and it had quickly gone from annoying to maddening. Who did he think he was to judge me without getting to know me?
Luckily I had Bryan on my side. “Oh I don’t know, Jake,” Bryan drawled. “We all have pasts and as long as it doesn’t interfere with her work I don’t see why she shouldn’t be given a chance. She’s exceptionally talented in the kitchen.”
“Exceptionally talented?” Jacob mocked with a scoff. “She made you a cheese and tomato omelet.”
“With a side of fried potatoes,” Bryan reminded his brother.
“Yeah, well—”
“Enough, Jacob!” Mitchel roared. “You’ve made your opinion of Luciana perfectly clear.” Mitchel grimaced and sighed. Mitchel continued to use my full first name, despite my assurances that I was quite fine with him calling me Luce.
“All right. Bryan, you’re clearly in favor of giving Luciana a chance…your thoughts, Stephen?”
Stephen shrugged. “She’s rather timid and shy right now but I am sure we can liven her up in no time.” He flashed me a wise smile. “It remains to be seen how she’ll fair first thing in the morning with all of us being less than our best but she has talents in the kitchen and is nice to look at so sure, give the girl a shot.”
I stifled a laugh at Stephen’s words. Harold was right about this brother as well, it seemed. Stephen was clearly the more loquacious one of the Sparrow brothers, using a lot of words to say something simple. But he had been kind to me so far and he had essentially just said I should get the job so I would more than willingly put up with his rambles.
“Okay so that is two to hire her and one against hiring her.” Mitchel drummed the fingers of one hand on the table, his eyes roaming my face thoughtfully.
“You’ve proven that you can cook but you have yet to have to deal with us first thing in the morning so here’s what we’ll do. You will start out on a probationary period for let’s say a week and if all goes well we’ll take you on permanently. You will report here tomorrow at six-thirty in the morning. That will give you plenty of time to fully acclimate yourself to the kitchen and prepare our meals.”
“And coffee,” Stephen interjected. “We live on coffee first thing in the morning.”
“You can make coffee, can’t you?”
“Yes, Master Jacob,” I lied. I had made the occasional cup of coffee over the years for Harold but he liked his coffee the way he liked his tea: watery and weak. Something told me the Sparrow brothers liked their coffee strong.
“We have a coffee maker you’ll use. You’ll just need to put in the right amount of coffee grounds,” Mitchel said to me.
“Before you leave today I’ll show you how to use it so that you’re prepared for tomorrow,” Bryan offered.
Smiling my thanks I nodded. Addressing Mitchel I said, “Thank you for the opportunity to work for the four of you, I truly appreciate it and I will not let you down.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way this time tomorrow, Spence,” Bryan murmured.
“Moving on,” Mitchel said with determination in his voice, “there are a few things to go over before you leave, Luciana.”
Like what, I wondered.
“You will be here no later than six-thirty each morning, Monday through Saturday. You will have Sundays off. Because you have no true cooking experience pay will start at twelve dollars and will increase if you make it past thirty days here.”
So far so good. “That’s fine. Anything else, my Lord?”
“Dress. We do not enforce a dress code per say but we do ask that our employees dress in a way that suits their position of employment and in clothes that are not too loose or tight and aren’t dirty or overly worn out.”
“Not a problem,” I assured Mitchel. And it wasn’t. Harold had bought me plenty of clothes over the years, citing that his slave was an extension of him that couldn’t look too shabby or too rich. Having no clothes of my own and little money I had kept a majority of the clothes Harold had given me, telling myself that with everything I had done for him or had done to me by him over the years I had more than earned them. I didn’t feel right keeping the clothes but I hadn’t had much choice.
“Good,” approved Mitchel. “You will also stay out of areas that are off-limits. For you that’s basically every room where the door is closed. The living room and our office are open to employees and obviously you will have access to the kitchen and this dining room but that really will be about all.”
“Well,” Stephen began, “there is the bathroom just down the hall from the front door that is open to all employees. And if you ever need to change your clothes the guestroom across from that bathroom is yours to use.”
“Good to know. Thank you.”
“Oh. You’ll no doubt find at times that you’ll need to do some shopping before you get cooking,” Mitchel said brusquely. “We will reimburse you for such purchases. Just make sure it’s a separate receipt and that you get it to me before you leave each Wednesday. You’ll be paid every other Friday.”
“That’s fine, my Lord.” And it was. With the money I had saved up from taking from Harold and the money I’d earn working here I would be fine. Apartments in this area of Star Croite were reasonable, with rent averaging around four-hundred-and-seventy-five dollars a month.
Hmm. I’d no doubt have to pay first and last month’s rent all at once which would be nine-hundred-and-fifty dollars. And then there was the security deposit which would likely be another few hundred dollars. Ooh. Well, I’d have to worry about that later. The hotel I was currently staying in was only thirty dollars a night. It would have to do for now.
Mitchel nodded. “And finally, you will show all of us respect at all times. This means no lashing out on any of us in anger. We are not the easiest guys to be around in the morning but we expect you to keep your cool and remember who works for whom.”
“Not a problem, my Lord.”
Mitchel shook his head at me. “I wasn’t finished, Luciana,” he said severely. “If you break any of our rules you will be punished. As you may have guessed with us asking you to refer to us in a certain way, we practice a light form of dominance over our employees. Failure to comply with our rules will mean a swift and immediate punishment of our choosing.”
I knew nothing about dominance and I had to admit that Mitchel’s words did somewhat frighten me but I pushed aside my fears to confidently tell the eldest brother that I understood. I didn’t really, but I felt certain I could follow their rules and never have to find out what it meant to be punished by them.
Mitchel raised a dubious eyebrow but said nothing. With a sigh he eventually said, “I think that covers everything. We’ll see you tomorrow at six-thirty, Luciana.”
Realizing I had been dismissed I began to stand, stopping when I heard Bryan say, “Make sure you get plenty of sleep, Spence. You’re going to need it. The first day is always the hardest and we won’t be going easy on you.”
Tucking my skirt under me I sat down and forced a smile at all four of the Sparrow men who sat in front of me at a long rectangular oak table. “Please call me Luce,” I began. “I know you’re probably looking for someone with chef experience or at least someone who has worked in a restaurant but I promise you all that I can cook. I can make simple dishes as well as more advanced ones and—”
“You’ll have the opportunity to prove your talents to us in just a bit,” Mitchel interrupted me. “For now though just tell us about yourself. Why would you like to work here?”
I shrugged. I didn’t have a ready answer for that. “I’ve heard about your family from…others and I thought it would be a nice change of pace to work for men who, from what I have been told, show women respect and kindness.”
“You’ve heard about us?” Stephen, the second eldest Sparrow brother asked. He smiled slightly at me. “From whom, if you don’t mind saying?”
I shook my head quickly. “Oh I’m sure it’s no one any of you know.” I didn’t see how Harold could possibly actually know any of the men seated before me. Well, other than Jacob who I knew Harold did indeed have drinks with on occasion.
The Sparrow brothers were all obviously wealthy and in a completely different class than Harold could ever hope to be in. I felt certain now that most of the things Harold had ever told me about the men curiously studying me was all just hearsay and gossip.
The brothers were all alike in looks, with dark brown hair that was naturally a little unkempt looking and midnight blue eyes that twinkled with natural warmth and cheer. Except for Jacob. His eyes lacked any warmth and his face had a glum look like he had just lost his best friend.
“You said you’ve heard about us, though. From whom?” Stephen prodded.
Closing my eyes I shook my head again. Images of Harold immediately flooded my brain. Images I never wanted to see or experience again.
“It’s okay Spence,” Bryan, the second youngest of the Sparrow men said. He reached a long arm out in my direction. “You’re safe here.”
“Thanks.” I forced a watery smile. “My name is Luce, though.”
“Oh I know that,” smiled Bryan. “I just like Spence better.”
“All right what do you say we skip ahead to the cooking portion of the interview, and leave the question and answer session for later,” Mitchel suggested. “As our morning cook you will be expected to put up with four very distinct menus. We will give you our breakfast preferences when you arrive each morning and I will warn you that you will be expected to cook very different things.”
I nodded. “I can handle that.”
“My Lord,” Jacob, the youngest Sparrow brother muttered. He glared at me. He’d been glaring at me from the very beginning actually, but I wasn’t taking it personally. It seemed Harold was right about this brother. Jacob did indeed seem to have a naturally sullen disposition and I assumed he was one of those people who found life more enjoyable by being miserable. As long as he didn’t take it out on me I felt I could handle him.
“Oh. Yes.” Mitchel cleared his throat and looked around at his brothers. “You are to refer to each of us as my Lord. I am my Lord Mitchel; Stephen is my Lord Stephen, and so on.”
“I prefer Master Jacob,” Jacob said crossly.
“As you wish, Master Jacob,” I answered with a smile. I had had to call Harold “Daddy” for over six years. I could easily handle calling one very pessimistic man Master. “I know that I’m applying to work as the morning cook but I assume since it is after noon that you all would prefer lunch type meals—my Lords?”
Mitchel nodded. “You will serve me first, then Stephen, then Bryan, and finally Jacob.”
“I’ll have a turkey and Swiss sandwich on whole wheat bread. Honey mustard on both slices of bread. Put the meat on first, then cheese, then one leaf of lettuce. Sandwich pickle after the lettuce. Some barbecue chips on the side and I’ll take a beer to drink.”
Impressed by the precision of the order I gave Jacob an impressed nod. “As you wish Master Jacob.” I smiled. “Who’s next?”
“Are we sure we want to hire someone with a past?” Jacob groused roughly two hours later.
I dug my fingernails into my already clenched fists in an effort to lessen the severity with which I wished to smack Jacob upside the head. He had been putting me down ever since I had served him his sandwich and it had quickly gone from annoying to maddening. Who did he think he was to judge me without getting to know me?
Luckily I had Bryan on my side. “Oh I don’t know, Jake,” Bryan drawled. “We all have pasts and as long as it doesn’t interfere with her work I don’t see why she shouldn’t be given a chance. She’s exceptionally talented in the kitchen.”
“Exceptionally talented?” Jacob mocked with a scoff. “She made you a cheese and tomato omelet.”
“With a side of fried potatoes,” Bryan reminded his brother.
“Yeah, well—”
“Enough, Jacob!” Mitchel roared. “You’ve made your opinion of Luciana perfectly clear.” Mitchel grimaced and sighed. Mitchel continued to use my full first name, despite my assurances that I was quite fine with him calling me Luce.
“All right. Bryan, you’re clearly in favor of giving Luciana a chance…your thoughts, Stephen?”
Stephen shrugged. “She’s rather timid and shy right now but I am sure we can liven her up in no time.” He flashed me a wise smile. “It remains to be seen how she’ll fair first thing in the morning with all of us being less than our best but she has talents in the kitchen and is nice to look at so sure, give the girl a shot.”
I stifled a laugh at Stephen’s words. Harold was right about this brother as well, it seemed. Stephen was clearly the more loquacious one of the Sparrow brothers, using a lot of words to say something simple. But he had been kind to me so far and he had essentially just said I should get the job so I would more than willingly put up with his rambles.
“Okay so that is two to hire her and one against hiring her.” Mitchel drummed the fingers of one hand on the table, his eyes roaming my face thoughtfully.
“You’ve proven that you can cook but you have yet to have to deal with us first thing in the morning so here’s what we’ll do. You will start out on a probationary period for let’s say a week and if all goes well we’ll take you on permanently. You will report here tomorrow at six-thirty in the morning. That will give you plenty of time to fully acclimate yourself to the kitchen and prepare our meals.”
“And coffee,” Stephen interjected. “We live on coffee first thing in the morning.”
“You can make coffee, can’t you?”
“Yes, Master Jacob,” I lied. I had made the occasional cup of coffee over the years for Harold but he liked his coffee the way he liked his tea: watery and weak. Something told me the Sparrow brothers liked their coffee strong.
“We have a coffee maker you’ll use. You’ll just need to put in the right amount of coffee grounds,” Mitchel said to me.
“Before you leave today I’ll show you how to use it so that you’re prepared for tomorrow,” Bryan offered.
Smiling my thanks I nodded. Addressing Mitchel I said, “Thank you for the opportunity to work for the four of you, I truly appreciate it and I will not let you down.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way this time tomorrow, Spence,” Bryan murmured.
“Moving on,” Mitchel said with determination in his voice, “there are a few things to go over before you leave, Luciana.”
Like what, I wondered.
“You will be here no later than six-thirty each morning, Monday through Saturday. You will have Sundays off. Because you have no true cooking experience pay will start at twelve dollars and will increase if you make it past thirty days here.”
So far so good. “That’s fine. Anything else, my Lord?”
“Dress. We do not enforce a dress code per say but we do ask that our employees dress in a way that suits their position of employment and in clothes that are not too loose or tight and aren’t dirty or overly worn out.”
“Not a problem,” I assured Mitchel. And it wasn’t. Harold had bought me plenty of clothes over the years, citing that his slave was an extension of him that couldn’t look too shabby or too rich. Having no clothes of my own and little money I had kept a majority of the clothes Harold had given me, telling myself that with everything I had done for him or had done to me by him over the years I had more than earned them. I didn’t feel right keeping the clothes but I hadn’t had much choice.
“Good,” approved Mitchel. “You will also stay out of areas that are off-limits. For you that’s basically every room where the door is closed. The living room and our office are open to employees and obviously you will have access to the kitchen and this dining room but that really will be about all.”
“Well,” Stephen began, “there is the bathroom just down the hall from the front door that is open to all employees. And if you ever need to change your clothes the guestroom across from that bathroom is yours to use.”
“Good to know. Thank you.”
“Oh. You’ll no doubt find at times that you’ll need to do some shopping before you get cooking,” Mitchel said brusquely. “We will reimburse you for such purchases. Just make sure it’s a separate receipt and that you get it to me before you leave each Wednesday. You’ll be paid every other Friday.”
“That’s fine, my Lord.” And it was. With the money I had saved up from taking from Harold and the money I’d earn working here I would be fine. Apartments in this area of Star Croite were reasonable, with rent averaging around four-hundred-and-seventy-five dollars a month.
Hmm. I’d no doubt have to pay first and last month’s rent all at once which would be nine-hundred-and-fifty dollars. And then there was the security deposit which would likely be another few hundred dollars. Ooh. Well, I’d have to worry about that later. The hotel I was currently staying in was only thirty dollars a night. It would have to do for now.
Mitchel nodded. “And finally, you will show all of us respect at all times. This means no lashing out on any of us in anger. We are not the easiest guys to be around in the morning but we expect you to keep your cool and remember who works for whom.”
“Not a problem, my Lord.”
Mitchel shook his head at me. “I wasn’t finished, Luciana,” he said severely. “If you break any of our rules you will be punished. As you may have guessed with us asking you to refer to us in a certain way, we practice a light form of dominance over our employees. Failure to comply with our rules will mean a swift and immediate punishment of our choosing.”
I knew nothing about dominance and I had to admit that Mitchel’s words did somewhat frighten me but I pushed aside my fears to confidently tell the eldest brother that I understood. I didn’t really, but I felt certain I could follow their rules and never have to find out what it meant to be punished by them.
Mitchel raised a dubious eyebrow but said nothing. With a sigh he eventually said, “I think that covers everything. We’ll see you tomorrow at six-thirty, Luciana.”
Realizing I had been dismissed I began to stand, stopping when I heard Bryan say, “Make sure you get plenty of sleep, Spence. You’re going to need it. The first day is always the hardest and we won’t be going easy on you.”
Jodithegirlinthemirror # Sunday, June 12, 2011 8:50:07 PM
kimmswriting # Sunday, June 12, 2011 9:50:31 PM
Lori McBroomjoemauerfan16 # Wednesday, June 15, 2011 1:46:09 AM