Tempting Faith

*** Chapter 3. The Interview

Faith was surprised to get a response to her application within ten days inviting her to an interview in a well known 5 star hotel close to Edinburgh Castle. She replied confirming that she would attend, and immediately hit the internet to delve into the Company who would be interviewing her. A browse of the company showed one lady who had tremendous presence in the company hierarchy photo. She also had a reputation in business as someone not to be messed with!

It quickly became apparent that the family who had placed the advert were very well known, rich, and influential. Faith was shocked to see all of the gory details about a husband and wife who died in a horrific car crash. The picture of the little boy who had suffered the loss of his Mum and Dad was very poignant. She viewed Internet pictures of Corporate headquarters, the family business crest, and history that were matched by impressive pictures of Oil platforms in the North Sea. There was no doubt about the calibre of this family.

Undaunted by the power and influence of this family, she headed up the hill to the interview. An interview board of three people that included the company’s HR Manager Gordon Mc Lennon, a company consultant called Jim Guthrie, and most imposing of the three, Rhona Ferguson, who surprisingly put her immediately at ease.

Although she felt that her life was being held under the microscope, Faith held her head up, and answered all of the questions posed clearly, and succinctly. Her personal details were gone into in great detail, including her religion, health, marital status, independence from her London based family, and her current employment.

When asked how much notice she would need to give her employer, she replied “ Three weeks is the normal notice required”
“We will see about that, should you be selected” replied the enigmatic Ms Ferguson.

Later that evening she headed to the Drop-in Shelter in Broughton St. to do her three hour stint. Her friend Morag, a brash tattooed butch lesbian, immediately pounced on her asking how she got on with the interview.
“I really don’t know, I assume I am in with as much of a chance as anybody else who applied as they seemed to be only interviewing women”

“Well, how did the interview go? Who asked all of the questions?”
Faith replied:-

“Initially, the questions about my education, employment and current address were asked by the HR guy, with the management consultant taking notes. Then, Rhona Ferguson, who was very overpowering and observant, began to ask me about my family details. She paid a lot of attention to my personal life, who was paying rent on my flat, particularly probing my love life, or lack of it! My willingness to travel at short notice to the boy’s location appeared to get a very positive response, so.... I am hopeful, but probably not very optimistic. It would be good if I got it as I am coming to the end of my rent year so will have to have a chat with the landlord if I am going to stay!”

When her stint was finished her and Morag went for a drink in the local watering hole. After she entered a single girl slipped quietly in to the bar, to observe and take notes for her boss, Jim Guthrie. When she approached Faith offering to buy her a drink, Faith was too shy to introduce herself. She felt abashed and uncomfortable chatting to a stranger she hadn’t been introduced to by friends so she declined the offer, stating that she was “with someone”.

The girl quietly left the bar soon after this while Faith stayed on for a while, enjoying the atmosphere of the sisterhood, who appeared to be in a constant flux of break-ups and recriminations, followed by stolen kisses in the darker confines at the rear of the bar with a mixture of new acquaintances and exes. It bemused Faith to see one girl who had propositioned her last week, hitting on a girl who she had broken up with three times already!

Faith eventually headed home on foot, slightly merry, in the company of Morag, who offered to make her a hot cocoa, much to Faith’s amusement. She had heard from a mutual friend how demonstrative Morag got once inside a friend’s apartment, so she firmly declined the offer and headed for her own humble flat, to continue with a story she had begun to write.

A week went by uneventfully, until a letter inviting her to a further interview arrived in her letterbox, signed personally by none other than Rhona Ferguson.

*** Chapter 4. The Second Meeting.

Faith was surprised when she read the venue of the second meeting as she had always assumed the Hotel in question was not really a business venue. In fact it was among the very few that welcomed and entertained the gay community. She immediately sent of a letter accepting the invitation, noting the dress code which was a little unorthodox, and it didn’t specify an exact time, but an instruction to “wait in the bar until met”!

Having struggled to find anything suitable from her rather staid wardrobe, Faith decided to purchase an outfit that wouldn’t look out of place, hoping that at some future date she might get the chance to wear the somewhat risqué short tartan skirted outfit again.

Having taken a taxi to the Hotel, Faith looked in vain for the well dressed, carefully coiffed Rhona Ferguson. Having failed to find her she ruefully awaited her arrival. She decided on a non alcoholic spritzer and sat down on a bar stool. The bar area soon filled up for what appeared to be a pre-arranged cabaret night.

Faith became intrigued when a cabaret artiste took the stage. She proceeded to give an over the top performance of some very raunchy songs specifically tailored to suit the mainly lesbian audience. The thundering applause of her audience who appeared to know all of her signature moves showed that this event was a regular occurrence for this crowd. Her chorus lines were echoed by the audience whom she egged on mercilessly, as she crooned in her own unique style. One particularly risqué song with gestures aimed straight at her by the artist had Faith blushing to her toes.

As the set drew to its finale The artiste “MS Behavin” lips heavily glossed in an outrageous lipstick and thick eyelashes strutted among the crowd swaying intimately among her favourites. She rubbed her body in an unabashed and very brazen fashion against all of the females she appeared to fancy. When she got as far as Faith, she effortlessly pulled her off the stool, tilted her back, grabbed her hair and kissed her until Faith couldn’t help but give gave a strangled moan of encouragement. She suddenly pulled away from this “finale” to tremendous applause.

Before Faith could draw breath the artiste vanished. Faith was left to pull her skirt down to a more modest pose, and hastily grab her clutch bag.

Faith had to make a quick dash to the ladies restroom to attend to her own very badly smudged lipstick and make an attempt to calm down. As she viewed herself in the mirror she could still feel the power of that kiss that had so successfully drawn out her repressed but passionate nature.
“Wow, who was THAT?” is all she could think.

As she made her way back to her seat the crowd had settled again in their own seats before the next act was due to perform. She then spotted Rhona entering in a totally feline looking ensemble, comprising a one piece skin tight black catwoman suit and 4 inch thigh high leather boots and faux fur jacket. A very nonplussed Faith could only gaze open mouthed as Rhona sat beside her.

Rhona gave a sexy chuckle as she saw the effect her outfit had on her guest. She ushered them to a quieter part of the hotel where they could talk in peace.

“Let’s get straight down to the nub of the matter, Faith. You have got the job, if you want it. All of the details are in this envelope. You will be required to live-in at the address with us. When you have settled in and met Finlay we will discuss and agree how to tutor him. I love him so much and want to be a part of his education. I want you to feel that he is your family too, like .... a little brother, to be loved and cherished. There will be the three of us in my home plus the staff. You will have your own suite, with limited time off, as and when Finlay goes to visit other members of the clan”.

She candidly looked into Faith’s eyes, holding her mesmerised in this gaze as she said:-
“I am sorry we had to ask so many personal questions, but I needed to know that you would have the time to commit to us. By the way, I myself am also single.”

Faith wordlessly nodded her understanding of this oblique statement, which clearly mirrored her own status.
“Well Faith, do you accept the job?”

Faith recovered just in time from the influence of the Scottish accent which was so captivating.
“Yes, of course. Thank you very much”

“Good, I am glad to hear it, as you are quite well qualified, and most importantly have the right personal attributes that match the requirements of the job. You see I really do need a girl who can become a big sister figure in Finn’s life, and devote herself to him and his education, full time. He needs a lot of love right now, to help him get over the loss of his parents who I also miss very much.

Our family including myself are well known to the Lord Mayor’s office. I have taken the liberty of requesting that the lady Lord Mayor agree to a shorter notice, so you will finish up in your current job this Friday at lunchtime. You will be collected at your flat at 1 p.m. on Saturday and driven to my home above Ballater. Here is an introductory pack to the company, with my home email address and phone number for your parents. I have included a cheque by way of an inducement to take the job. It will help to settle your affairs, and cover your removal expenses. You can arrange with our company removal company to move your things into an annexe I have on my property”.

Rhona departed with a suggestive friendly wave, as a stunned Faith watched her leave. Faith always was an easy target for a woman who could walk that walk, and was mesmerized by the performance. The sexy sway of those hips was the most tempting thing she had seen for a long time. Her careful perusal didn’t reveal a VPL, which caused faith’s eyebrow to arch up in fascination!

She felt that her decision to accept the job had been manipulated by the sheer power of Rhona’s strong personality, which didn’t brook any kind of refusal. Although she felt that she had been mesmerised by Rhona she wasn’t sorry that she had accepted this job. Her interest in teaching would mean she would be more fulfilled. Her mind wandered to practical matters, such as how to wind up her apartment quickly, and whether she may be able to get any of her initial deposit back from the landlord.

She headed home by taxi, quite pleased with herself. She was still feeling the power of that mysterious kiss, which left her feeling like putty. Once home she read the contents of the envelope, staggered by the generosity of Rhona’s cheque which would allow her to pay for the removal of all of her belongings to her new address, and address any outstanding bills, with enough left over for a weekend flight back down south.

She spent the next week packing away all of her personal items from her work desk, giving notice to the Shelter that she would not be returning, and saying farewell to all of her friends. By the time Saturday morning arrived she had the removal company in early to pack and transport her things. With her tenancy refund she had upgraded her PC and wardrobe (to include two sturdy outdoor outfits, including walking boots, and some new sleepwear and underwear). Just in case she got to go out socialising, she also packed her new dressy outfit, not sure if she would ever wear it again.

She bid farewell to the black work skirts and two work blouses which she gleefully tossed in the charity sack, and left at the front door!

Right on time, a limousine arrived to pick her up, driven by a very distinguished chauffeur, who politely put her bags into the boot, and provided her with a flask of hot chocolate in the back seat. The chauffeur’s name was Jock, and he briefly gave her details of the route and how long it would take to get to Ms Ferguson’s house.

The back of the car, a gleaming Bentley, was very plush, and had an in car entertainment system, which was playing a continuous series of musical chart hits.
That didn’t stop her gazing out at the wonderful scenery as the car effortlessly dealt with any bumps in the road.

*** Chapter 5. The Highlands

The River Dee flows from the Highlands through the Cairngorms eastwards into the lowlands towards Aberdeen. The town of Ballater which was close to the route of the river was quickly left behind as the limousine headed up a picturesque valley to a stunning property. As the gates opened to admit Faith, she saw for the first time the size and style of the property that was to become her new home. As the car pulled up at the door of the imposing mansion, Rhona Ferguson (looking like a stern headmistress) was on hand to greet her. A fleeting erotic image of her with a school cane ghosted through Faith’s mind as she shook hands with Rhona. A very shy boy had to be coaxed out from behind his Aunt’s legs to shake Faith’s hand.

“My name is Finn, and you are very welcome to aur keep” said the boy in a rehearsed speech.
Faith immediately saw the trust wavering in his eyes as he held out his hand to take her inside.
“I am Faith, and I am so glad to finally meet you”.

She firmly grasped his hand as he guided her into a large lounge with a roaring log fire. She smiled as Finn held on to her hand as she sat down.
“So, Finn, you must tell me what you like to do, and what your favourite movies are”

The boy launched into a description of all of his favourite characters, including Kung Fu Panda, Woody, Thomas the Tank engine, and Fireman Sam. He then smiled as he begun to show her around the mansion.

They passed through a large formal dining room into a somewhat more relaxed kitchen with its own impressively large range cooker. This well designed room featured a large Belfast sink, held an old well used kitchen table and carved wooden chairs. In the centre of the table was a tray of piping hot pancakes, scones, cream and homemade jam. The enticing smell of scones had Faith’s mouth watering.

Rhona indulgently buttered the pancakes & scones and they all sat down to their first meal together. Faith could see that Finn had a good appetite and was very alert when spoken to by his Aunt Rhona. It was obvious that although she loved him very much, she was firm with him.

As a result he was perfectly able to put a napkin on his lap as he climbed into his own specially made chair. Rhona pushed his chair to the table as she bid Faith to sit beside her. An unexpected jolt hit Faith’s thigh as Rhona placed a napkin on her lap and smiled sweetly at her. They enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea together, as Finn asked Faith if she knew how to play any of his favourite board games. She nodded, happy to confirm that she knew all of his favourites.

Faith told him about the story time in the library, and the children’s art classes that she ran. Finn’s eyes lit up when she told him about all of the stories she knew about King Arthur’s knights, Robin Hood, Sinbad, dragons, and hobbits.
“Faith, it is going to take a week or so to prepare the annexe so I hope you don’t mind sleeping close to me and Finn while we get the heating for that area finalized”

“No, not at all, once I have a comfortable bed I am easy to please. Could I have a little time to get unpacked?”
“Of course, follow us and we will show you to your room. Come down to the kitchen when you are ready”

They climbed an impressive staircase to the first floor and turned left to a large landing with a series of bedrooms off it. Rhona showed Faith to the guest suite, (which was much larger and warmer than her flat) just across the way from Finn’s room. Her suitcases were all present and Rhona explained that the rest of her belongings and furniture had been delivered to the annex at the back of the mansion.

Rhona and Finn left her in peace to get unpacked, and set up her PC and mobile phone charger. She placed a single photo of her Mum and Dad by her bedside as she placed her PJs on the bed. She sent an email to her Mum to let her know that she had arrived at her new address. She smiled contentedly as she saw the large dressing table set up with a welcoming gift basket of Chanel products, which was uncanny, as that was her favourite brand of cosmetics!

She quickly skipped her way down the landing and stairs to the kitchen to thank Finn and Rhona for their thoughtful present. She brought a gift of a Lego set for Finn, which they set about making on the table. Faith got the thumbs up from Rhona who confided that Finn’s room was more like a Lego town than a bedroom!