The Contract

CHAPTER 1

Maribelle Ames looked at her watch for the hundredth time in what seemed like hours since she arrived. The dial had only moved four minutes from the last time she had checked. What was taking so long? God, all this waiting was not helping her nerves. Sitting in the plush and modern waiting area on the sleek black leather sofa, Maribelle wished she was back in the comfort of her own apartment lounging on her small yet stylish purple sofa, trawling through endless job vacancies on her trusty laptop.

A week ago, she would have done anything to even set foot in one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, Mayflower & Sons, but as the minutes ticked by and her nerves escalated, she was beginning to think that this may not have been such a good idea. After graduating with a first honours Law degree from the University of Kent and spending months applying to law firm after law firm and receiving polite rejection, she decided to grab the bull by its horns and take matters into her own hands.

So what was her clever idea? It was only just sending her resume neatly disguised in a silver gift box, wrapped with blue ribbon and addressed to a Mr Alexander Mayflower, one of the senior partners and the eldest son of Mr James Mayflower. It was a moment of madness that was either going to pay off or prove to be another one of her famous 'Belle's Hells' embarrassing moments. She had no clue as to what prompted her to pull such a stunt but the word 'desperation' seemed to spring to mind.

'Moment of truth', she muttered under her breath as she spotted a smartly dressed blonde woman, holding a blue file with perfectly manicured hands, teetering towards her on what seemed like legs that refused to end. Damn, she knew she should've opted to have worn her black power skirt that showed off a great expanse of smooth leg instead of the settling for the safe option.

After hours of contemplation the night before, she decided on her white silk blouse tucked into cream tapered trousers that were just the right length to show off her slim ankles. Teamed with a well-cut cream waistcoat that hugged her in all the right places and her beloved Stella McCartney nude courts, she thought she had chosen well. Her dark auburn hair had been swept into a classic chignon which emphasised her high cheekbones and long neck. She kept the make-up minimal with only a flick of mascara to accentuate her already full eyelashes and a hint of a rosy lip gloss on Cupid's bow lips.

No, she made the right decision, she thought. She wanted to portray an image of business and not an 'I'm ready when you are, Mr Mayflower'. Besides, if those were the kind of employees this firm were looking for, she would be more than happy if she were to be turned away.

'Miss Ames, if you could please follow me, Mr Mayflower will see you now,' beamed the blonde bombshell. Maribelle picked up her handbag and the portfolio that was sitting on her lap, threw 'Miss America' a polite smile and proceeded to follow in her Gucci-clad footsteps.

'Just through here, Miss Ames', said the receptionist as she knocked on a glossy red door and pushed it open. Maribelle cautiously walked through the threshold and entered into an exquisitely decorated office that clearly shouted wealth, importance and prestige. Her heels sank into the caramel-coloured carpet that was so soft she felt like she was walking on clouds. There was a huge mahogany desk directly in front of her that held a state of the art desktop computer, an intercom system, various piles of paperwork and a lonely black coffee mug. A deep brown leather desk chair stood proudly behind the desk that appeared as if it would recline to an almost obscene angle. To her left, there was another sleek leather sofa, this time the same deep brown as the desk chair with a low coffee table perched in front. A marble ashtray and black coasters were arranged neatly to one side. To her right, a massive selection of books was displayed on a stylish bookshelf that spanned the length of the wall.

But what struck Maribelle the most was the breathtaking view from the office. The enormous glass windows overlooked a great expanse of gorgeous greenery, blossoming flower buds on tall fruitful trees and a clear blue sky that allowed gracious amounts of sunlight to shine into the office and dance merrily on every available surface.