Kaitlin and Marie, Chapter 2

Jennifer's first assignment for Kaitlin was for her to call every person involved in the El Dorado account and explain that she was no longer in charge. If they worked in the same office, Kaitlin was to talk to them in person, but the speech as the same:
	"Miss Royal will be managing the account from now on, and I will be her assistant," Kaitlin said again and again – the words were always bitter in her mouth.
	The words were bad, but the job was truly odious. Jennifer expected Kaitlin to make every single cup of tea the woman drank – and she even expected Kaitlin to pop by her office at the top of each hour and say, "Can I freshen up your tea, Jennifer? Do you need anything else from me?"
	Soon, Kaitlin was doing things well outside the scope of an executive assistant such as returning clothes to the store for Jennifer and even grocery shopping on the woman's behalf! She wanted to quit more than anything, but that was a bit more complicated now.
	The condo Kaitlin had just paid $525,000 for had seriously depreciated in value. Apparently some famous Internet celebrity had pulled out of buying a place there and even trashed it on social media due to some frivolous disagreement. That became a news story, and Kaitlin's building had a really hard time attracting new residents since it had lost its cool edge. Values were free-falling; people were desperate to sell and every morning Kaitlin awoke in a condo was worth less than it was the day before even though she still owed the original $525,000. How embarrassing, that the first investment of her adult life turned into such a poor decision.
	Marie knew about this, of course, and was already using it as another means of gaining control over Kaitlin's life.
	"Why not turn it into a short-term rental unit?" the blonde woman mused one day, as Kaitlin gave her her daily foot massage.
	"Ah, I don't know."
	"Nonsense! It would solve all of your problems. I can even help you manage it – I have an account set up already."
	Kaitlin sighed, and continued massaging Marie's bare feet which smelled as offensive as the did on the day Kaitlin first complained about them.
	Per Dr. Francine's instructions, Marie wasn't washing her feet as often as she did at the start of this process. The result was quite noticeable; the aroma was perceptible from across the room but up close it was overwhelming. Acrid, a bit sour and sweet like overripe fruit – the unfortunate girl could only bite her lip and withstand the foul odor for hours on end while Marie smiled down at her.
	"What is your condo valued at now, so I can start setting rental prices?"
	"$320,000," Kaitlin muttered, feeling more demoralized than ever. Marie choked back a derisive laugh.
	"Don't be so sad! There's nowhere for it to go but up, right? That's how investments work, you just have to hold on. Technically, you haven't even taken a loss yet; it's just a paper loss. If its value goes up to $800,000, you will make money, won't you?"
	Kaitlin had to agree this was correct, but she couldn't see how it would do such a thing. She asked Marie how it could possibly happen. The dominant woman clearly enjoyed having Kaitlin approach her as a mentor like this.
	"Let me worry about that part. I will have a photographer come by and take photos of your condo so we can create a profile."
	There was a knock on the door.
	"Come in!" Marie called out.
	Kaitlin froze – she was utterly embarrassed that someone was about to see her massaging Marie's feet. So far, none of their co-workers had caught on to this new arrangement. Doing this in private was one thing, but what would people say if they knew Kaitlin was acting like the woman's personal foot masseuse! Jennifer opened the door, and strolled in, taking quite a bit of interest to see Kaitlin kneeling down like that doing such intimate labor.
	"Jennifer! How are you, my dear?" Marie said, as the statuesque woman approached to kiss her on both cheeks.
	"I am good. What is going on here?" Jennifer asked, pointing to Kaitlin.
	"Oh, this is part of Kaitlin's therapy. In order to help her overcome her phobia of women's feet, she needs to be exposed to mine as often as possible. Hard work, right?" Marie joked raising one foot higher up so that it was nearly touching Kaitlin's nose.
	Jennifer laughed.
	"You know, if that were me, I would not participate in her therapy for free," the aristocratic woman said.
	"What do you mean?" Marie asked.
	"Well, think about it: you have to make your feet available for her. That costs you time. Shouldn't she compensate you for it?"
	Marie looked pensively down at her slender foot, held between her employee's soft hands. She had suggested Kaitlin do this before, but coming from another person seemed to give the idea more gravity in the woman's thinking.
	"Yes, I see your point. But Kaitlin is in dire financial circumstances. I couldn't ask for her to give me money."
	"That's the easiest part!" Jennifer said, "you've heard of sweat equity, right? If Kaitlin doesn't have the money, she can work on your behalf as payment. Have her do things you would prefer not to do yourself: ironing, laundry... Do you have a good maid right now?"
	"That's a great idea!" Marie responded.
	"Actually, my previous maid was just deported and I haven't found someone willing to work as hard for the same amount I paid her. Seriously, maids these days think they are too good to get on their hands and knees and scrub my floorboards... Kaitlin, would you be alright with helping me around the house?"
	Both Jennifer and Marie looked down at the elfin girl, who felt very put on the spot. For how outraged she was at this suggestion, Kaitlin had to play it cool.
	"It might not be a good fit for me," she said truthfully, "I don't enjoy things like cleaning apartments and doing laundry."
	Marie was incensed at this. She pulled both feet away from Kaitlin and gave her a withering glance. Immediately, Kaitlin was filled with regret: any time she stood up to the powerful woman, it ended badly for her.
	"Well, I was trying to be generous, but see where that got us! I DO agree that you should pay me for helping with your therapy. If you prefer not to work, then we will need to find some other way to compensate me for my time."
	The threat was vague, but that only made it more pernicious. It broke Kaitlin's resolve immediately.
	"No! I'm sorry, Marie. I would be happy to clean your apartment --"
	"You mean to work as my maid?" the woman corrected Kaitlin rather impudently.
	Kaitlin flared her nostrils. From executive assistant to maid; could she go any lower?
	"Yes," she said through gritted teeth, "...to work as your maid."
	This act of submission satisfied the blonde woman, who was all smiles again. All was forgiven, but there was still Jennifer to consider.
	"Does she give a good foot massage?" the British woman asked.
	"Heavens, yes! Sometimes, I almost fall asleep she's so good!"
	"Could we talk to her therapist about having her work on my feet, too? I wear high heels all the time, and they are absolute murder. It would really help me, having a foot rubber like Kaitlin in my employ."
	Kaitlin turned to the audacious woman, looking at her long, alabaster white legs. True enough, she was wearing a pretty pair of platform sandals, open-toed, showcasing her hot pink pedicure. Kaitlin had never seen the woman in flats, come to think of it.
	"I suppose so," Marie answered, "but don't expect her to pay you for it. Remember: she works for me."
	Jennifer clapped her hands together, ecstatic that she would now receive lengthy foot massages at work.
	"Thank you, Marie! Oh, and the reason I came by was to say I landed the El Dorado account; their budget is 1.5 million dollars."
	It was the ultimate affront to Kaitlin that Jennifer would collect the commission on such a lucrative deal. Jennifer stood to make about $120,000 from the project that Kaitlin had done 99% of the work for. It nearly moved Kaitlin to tears, knowing that the money that would have lifted her from poverty was instead going to Jennifer Royal, who was rich enough already. And Jennifer would probably make Kaitlin take the commission check to the bank and deposit it into her account, perhaps tipping the girl $5 for her efforts.
	"Excellent work, Jennifer!" Marie said, "You are an asset to this company. Let's get lunch later and discuss where you want to go from here... Back to work, Kaitlin!"
	The difference in tone was stark; when Marie spoke to Jennifer she was full of respect and positivity. When she spoke to Kaitlin, she was curt and condescending. The two women wrapped up their conversation, and only then did Jennifer deign to speak to the girl kneeling on the floor.
	"See you soon, Kaitlin! Don't wear your hands out too much – I need a very long foot rub today."
	As Jennifer left, Marie placed both of her bare feet back onto Kaitlin's lap, to pick up where they left off. Kaitlin resumed kneading the woman's soft soles, pressing hard enough to manipulate the fascia in the way she knew Marie enjoyed. Her skilled thumbs went up and down the woman's pampered soles, and for the millionth time she wondered how such a beautiful woman with such beautiful feet could have such an offensive odor about them. Marie did not allow Kaitlin to use scented oils like she did in the beginning – as though she was becoming proud of her unique musk.
	And now Kaitlin would have to clean Marie's apartment, too.
	When Kaitlin finished her duty, Marie kicked her out of the office to have her privacy – yet another slap in the face to be dismissed like some sort of menial. It showed that the intimate favor of massaging Marie's feet meant nothing; she didn't even receive a thanks.
	Margeaux texted Kaitlin inviting her to lunch, and with Marie's permission she left the office to meet at a nearby restaurant.
	Kaitlin gasped when she saw her friend; the way she was dressed was completely different than her normal style!
	"Hey Kaitlin," Margeaux muttered, blushing to be seen in her skimpy outfit.
	The strawberry blonde girl was dressed in a very brief a pair of denim short shorts, and a tight-fitting plaid shirt in a bold greenish yellow color. The strangest part was her footwear; she had on those foam pedicure sandals they give out at the salon, like she had just gotten her nails done in the middle of a workday! In fact, her toes were freshly polished in a neon yellow color that practically screamed for attention.
	"Is it your day off?" Kaitlin asked her friend, curious about her outfit decision. Usually Kaitlin dressed in business casual wear.
	"No, it's the new dress code for my office," Margeaux said, tugging the short sleeves of her shirt down in a hopeless attempt to cover herself more. It seemed like the polish on her nails wasn't dry yet, which made all of her movements slower and more deliberate. When she tugged on her shirt, it was between a dainty index finger and thumb.
	"We are trying to market to a younger crowd, so Miss Clarke wants everyone to dress like this," the woman said by means of explaining her peculiar fashion choices. She worked at a marketing firm that was apparently shifting its strategy to use yuutube stars to market coconut water or something like that.
	"I've never seen you get a pedicure before! I thought you hated it when people touched your feet!"
	Margeaux frowned, looking down at her shapely peds, although she did not admire her high arches and slender ankles. Actually, Kaitlin had never known the girl to wear sandals or even open-toed shoes. Margeaux's feet were usually kept well out of view in a pair of sensible flats or in her favorite leather boots.
	"I do. That part has been very annoying... Miss Clarke insists that I get weekly pedicures in order to keep up appearances. And she only wants us going to this one salon: some fancy place that like a hundred dollars for a service! As much as I tell the ladies who work there that I am ticklish, they don't even listen! Yesterday I had to grab both sides of the chair while they exfoliated my feet for over ten minutes. I thought I might scream, the tickling was so bad. I can hardly stand it!"
	"How annoying!" Kaitlin said.
	Kaitlin looked at the menu and was disappointed. It was difficult to process that this was their usual meeting spot, since the prices were much higher than she could afford on her current income. Soon they would need to find a less expensive place.
	"That's just the start of it," Margaux continued, self-consciously pulling her feet beneath her chair when she thought she noticed a guy staring at them.
	"They had me model for an interview while I got my pedicure. I had to smile and act like this was the best place on Earth, and they took lots of close-ups of my feet. When they saw how many 'likes' it got, they want to make it a weekly thing!"
	Kaitlin asked why Margaux didn't quit.
	"I'm in the process of looking for new work. As soon as I find another job, I'm out of here. Seriously, I can't believe they put Miss Clarke in charge of the firm... She's such an autocrat! I think her sister owns the salon we all have to patronize... The polish they use must be cheap: it chips in like, three days no matter what I do. And as soon as Miss Clarke notices, she sends me right back to the same salon for another ninety dollar mani / pedi!"
	"In the past month, I've spent more at the nail salon than I have for my car insurance!"
	Kaitlin was eager to talk about her own misfortune, but gave Margeaux the opportunity since she clearly needed to vent as well.
	"The polish takes sooo long to dry, too! Sometimes more than three hours – can you believe it? And they have the nerve to tell me to put my bare feet up on my desk, showing my soles to the entire world, because they think this helps my polish dry! I can't go to the gym after work anymore, either. Not so much because the polish hasn't completely dried, which it probably hasn't. Or that it might chip, which it almost certainly will. But because when I get a pedicure, the technician exfoliates my feet WAY too hard! Sure, they're baby soft, but I can't even use a treadmill without feeling like I'll get a blister after two minutes!"
	Kaitlin knew this was a serious grievance for her friend; the girl was a workout junkie and it was obvious that being unable to exercise was worsening her mental state. She reflected on what Margeaux's footwear said to the world, as well.
	Her old leather boots gave the girl a sense of confidence and sensibility, like she wasn't putting on airs for anyone. These neon pink pedicure flip flops were a joke, in comparison. They made her look like a frivolous trophy wife, with nothing better to do than get beauty treatments all day because she had no meaningful responsibilities. Or, considering her age, a spoiled little heiress. Kaitlin knew better than this because Margeaux was her friend, but what would others think?
	Kaitlin also knew that Marie's short-term rental strategy would likely not benefit her, but she couldn't imagine any way out of this situation. As they ate lunch together Kaitlin performed that awful calculus to see which of them had it worse. It only made her more miserable, and it took great effort to force herself to stop doing this.
	"Where r u?" a text came up from Jennifer.
	"I need a foot massage now!" came another text, and the woman had the audacity to send a photo of her feet to Kaitlin's phone!
	Nevertheless, Kaitlin paid her half of the tab and scurried back to the office, where Jennifer Royal awaited her first foot massage rather impatiently.