MAID FOR THEM

SEDUCTION 101

LIORA

I threw my purse onto the floor without a care, kicking my high heels one by one and watching as they tumbled across the room.

My feet hurt alright, but my heart hurt even more.

I walked to the large mirror and stared at myself. The red dress was beautiful and my hair was perfectly styled. Even my makeup was flawless.

Didn’t it matter to that stiff-necked man?

“Stupid,” I whispered to my reflection. “You look like a clown. Stupid.”

Series after series of his rejections, I carefully planned tonight. It was supposed to be the night. Knowing Jeronimo would be in the library after dinner, I went to him with a glass of wine.

I was ready to strike a conversation and influence him. I had practiced my smile for twenty minutes in the damn mirror.

What did I get?

I closed my eyes and replayed the humiliating scene.

He was reading a book when I walked in. Not that he bothered to raise his head when the door opened. It wasn’t until I cleared my throat to get his attention.

“Oh, Liora,” he had said in a very polite manner. His eyes never raked over my body like I hoped. “Do you need something?”

“I just wanted to see what you were reading. The house is rather too quiet for me,” I replied, trying to sound sultry.

He didn’t even put the book down. “Just reviewing some contracts. It is very boring and I doubt you will like it.”

Then he turned the page.

HE ACTUALLY TURNED THE PAGE WHILE I WAS STANDING THERE IN MY BEST DRESS!!!

He was ruining my chances every second and I hated it so much I could scream.

That was the third time this week.

On Monday, I tried to touch his arm while passing him salt at dinner. He quickly pulled back his arm to grab his water glass before I could make contact.

Who the hell even does that?

On Wednesday, I tried to compliment his tie. I told him the black made his obsidian eyes sparkle. And what did he say?

“Thank you, my wife bought it for me.”

It was hopeless. I was invisible to him. No, worse than invisible.

I fell backward onto my bed and groaned with frustration. I should call Avaline and let her know how difficult her husband is making things for her.

How would she be able to escape this beast when he wasn’t leaving a chance to be caught?

Avaline picked up on the second ring.

“Tell me it happened,” she said immediately. “Tell me you two are already staring into each other’s eyes.”

“No, ma’am. In fact, it is quite the contrary. I don’t think he wants to be in the same room with me. I’m a failure. Maybe I should leave and get some other job.”

“What did you do?”

“I went to the library today looking amazing. I wore the red dress you got me with the low back.”

“And?”

“And nothing. He treated me like I was the maid coming to dust the shelves. He didn’t even look at me for more than two seconds. I tried to lean on the desk and I almost slipped. It was so embarrassing.”

I heard Avaline sigh on the other end of the line. “Liora, we talked about this. You have to stop seeming desperate. You are trying too hard.”

“But I just have to try. If I don’t, he won’t notice me and you won’t get to find solid evidence against him. He is like an ice sculpture. The more I try to melt him, the more I freeze.”

“Men like Jeronimo don’t like to be chased. It makes you look desperate.”

“Well, I am desperate,” I admitted aloud. “I don’t know what else to do. Being nice, being sexy, being mysteri—I’ve tried everything. Nothing works.”

“You are acting as a seductress and he can see right through it.”

“So what? I’m not attractive enough?”

“No, you are beautiful,” she said firmly. “But you don’t have the energy. You are projecting insecurity and a man like him can detect that from a mile away. You need to walk in knowing you look good and you don’t care if he looks.”

Shame overwhelmed me in waves. “This isn’t me. I don’t know how to do that.”

“You just need to study.”

I frowned. “Study what? A textbook on dating?”

“No,” she laughed. “Check MyTube.”

“What?”

“I am serious. Go on MyTube. Search for dark feminine energy or how to be a dangerous woman. There are thousand of videos like that.”

It all sounded silly to me now. “So you want me to watch tutorials on how to be a woman?”

“I want you to watch tutorials on how to be a powerful woman,” Avaline corrected. “Right now, you are acting like a girl with a crush. You need to be a siren. Just trust me. Watch a few videos before you go to bed. Let it sink into your brain.”

I sighed. “Fine. I have nothing else to lose. My dignity left the moment I agreed to work for you.”

“Good. Now do as I say and let me know the good news soon. Bye, darling.”

It sounded ridiculous. Watching videos on the internet to get a man? Was Avaline actually right about these things?

I grabbed my laptop from the nightstand and opened it. I typed into the search bar: how to be a dangerous woman.

A lot of thumbnails popped up, showing women with sharp eyeliner and intense stares. The titles all looked promising.

I took a deep, calming breath. I was doing this. No backing out now.

“The dangerous woman does not beg for attention,” came the first video I clicked on. “She commands it. She is comfortable in silence and does not fidget. She holds eye contact until the other person looks away.”

I sat up straighter in bed.

“You must become magnetic. Imagine you are the prize. You are not lucky to be in his presence. He is lucky to be in yours.”

I watched dozens of videos, including one that spoke about having “siren eyes”.

“Don’t smile too much.”

“Relax your face.”

“Look at him like you know a secret he doesn’t know.”

“Lower your eyelids slightly.”

“Slow down your blinking.”

It was about to be a long night.