Chapter 4: Nicole

“I’m sorry if I seem unprepared,” I say to Beth, as I ferret in the filing cabinet for a job application form. “We’re all busy preparing for the re-opening.”

“I understand,” replies Beth. “Melissa warned me that La Chatte Heureuse isn’t your typical resort.”

I find what I’m looking for and begin my practised spiel about the club and the working conditions on the island. Leaving aside the nature of the club, living and working at such a remote location doesn’t suit everyone. When I start describing the club’s caste system, and the mistress-slave lifestyle, I expect Beth to run for the door. To my relief Beth doesn’t freak out.

“So, do I get to wear gear like you, or will I be expected to go around like Melissa and flash my tits at everyone?” asks Beth.

“At first, neither,” I reply. “New employees are attached to the Lady caste until they decide which caste they wish to belong. Membership of the Lady caste is included in your employment package. The annual fees for the Mistress and Slave castes are reduced for staff, but the Mistress caste is still quite expensive.”

So far Beth has listened intently. Far from being alarmed, she seems to relish the thought of working here. I don’t know what Melissa has said to Beth, or to April, but we have possibly solved one of the numerous challenges facing us. I tried to persuade April to hire a qualified gardener when we first discussed maintenance of the buildings and grounds, but April adamantly refused. Melissa has obviously succeeded where I had failed. That’s yet another bizarre twist in April’s and Melissa’s closely guarded relationship.

I complete my session with Beth by providing her with the forms she will need to apply for both job and membership of La Chatte Heureuse. I ask Helen to give Beth a quick tour of the staff dormitory and facilities on the second floor, hopefully giving Beth a chance to ask a member of the Lady caste about living here. Personally I find the Lady caste too tame. You need to be a member of the Mistress or Slave castes to enjoy all the fun to be had on the island. However, the Lady caste has the largest membership of the three castes, and not solely because it has the cheapest membership fees. There are many who simply prefer to watch others playing out a mistress-slave lifestyle.

Even though it is approaching time for our evening meal, I return to work. The expectation here is for us to work whatever hours we need to do to get our job done. At times like these, it means long hours and limited free time. However, it all balances out over time and we get generous leave allowances. It isn’t an arrangement that suits everyone, but our close knit community makes it all work.

I break for our evening meal and then work late into the night. Consequently I oversleep and miss seeing Beth leave in the morning. She and her colleagues depart on the early morning outbound ferry. Normally the outbound ferry doesn’t leave until mid-morning, but Kirsty needs to make a second journey to collect the barge from the warehouse at the north-end of the lake. As it’s Kirsty’s first trip to the warehouse since the closure, she asks if she can take Melissa with her to help in case of any problems. We’ve received confirmation that the barge is loaded ready for departure, but we’ve no means of knowing if the barge is capable of being moved. It has been moored at the dock for several months and that end of the lake can get overgrown with reeds. Moving the barge from the dock may require clearing a path through the vegetation.