Heels

The next morning, Jackie Jean was standing in front of the mirror in three inch heels, wondering how on earth she would ever survive this new job of hers. Heels had never been her thing - they were uncomfortable, difficult to walk in and made her back hurt, and she really couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Sure; her ass certainly looked more bouncy, she observed as she turned in the mirror, and her legs looked longer and leaner, but all that came crashing down when she tried to walk in them. She took a few steps in them and lurched her back, deflated at how stupid she looked.

"Good lord, what are those?"

Jackie looked up to find her grandmother, Geraldine, in the doorway. She was wearing her plush robe, and looked like she had just gotten out of bed.

"Heels, grandma. Work-thing."

"Oh, don't tell me you're going back there after yesterday?" She asked, stepping into the room and sitting on Jackie's bed placing her old hands in her lap. Geraldine had been horrified when Jackie came home the previous day and told her about what had happened in what Jackie now mentally referred to as 'the Sharktank'. "A smart girl like you could work anywhere, and that man sounds awful, he will never appreciate you for what you are."

Jackie pressed her lips together in a kind of smile and sat down next to her mother, feeling relief go through her feet. "That may be true," she said, "But it's still a great opportunity for me. And it's only 365 days, if those other girls made it, i can too." Geraldine looked pained and Jackie ran a hand though her dark hair. "I did some research Grammy," she said, taking her hand, "My processors are all out there, doing great things. Having worked under Casper Welhaven means something."

Geraldine looked sour, a look that was for some reason very cute on her old, wrinkly face. She looked like a miffed cat. "Having suffered under, you mean," She raised her voice as Jackie tried to interrupt, "I don't want you to come home crying, Jeanie, it breaks my heart."

"I was just shocked, grammy," she explained, "Now I know what I can expect. A lot of crap and abuse, but that will tell my next employer that I'm able to handle rough and challenging situations, that I can keep my cool, you know?"

"You don't need Casper Welhaven to do great things, Jackie," Geraldine said insistently, "You'll do fine on your own."

Jackie sighed, giving her grandmother's hand a kiss. "The pay is good, Grammy, much better than anything I could ever have dreamed of at this point in my career, and..." she hesitated, not wanting to word the sentence on her tongue.

"And we need the money," Geraldine finished for her, "for my medical bills." Her brow raised and she was about to say something unexpected, Jackie knew that look, but it disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. She sighed in acceptance. "I wish..." she began, but couldn't finish, shaking her head.

"So do I," Jackie replied, giving her a soft smile, "but not because I have to work for Casper Welhaven. I want that. It will be..." She corrected the hem of her skirt, avoiding eye-contact, "interesting."

Geraldine snorted. "I'm sure." She stood up, eyeing the shoes on Jackie's feet. "Those look horribly hurtful." Geraldine was, like Jackie, a strong believer in that shoes should be comfortable. Jackie could only guess her mother felt the same way, since she could not remember seeing a single picture where she wore heels.

"I'll get used to it. Makes my ass look awesome." Jackie leaned back on the bed, giving her grandmother a cheeky smile.

Geraldine snorted again and shook her head as she left the room, "Breakfast is on the table," she informed her granddaughter.

~

As Jackie Jean looked up at the tall building where she would spend much of her time in the days to come, she had mixed emotions. It was really just as the pretty blonde had said: great job on paper, horrible in real life. She bit her lip as she followed the dark, sleek building to the top, her eyes landing on the top floor where she knew she would find Casper. Her stomach did a flip. She could only hope that today would be better than yesterday, and this seemed to be the most reasonable philosophy to have in her situation.

One day at the time.

She was just about to waggle her way towards the building and into the sharktank where she had been told to meet, when a sleek black limo pulled up on the curb behind her. She turned around and saw none other than Casper himself step out wearing a white shirt, grey slacks and a black woolen coat. He nodded to the driver as he had his briefcase handed to him.

The gorgeous, blonde man looked as amazing as the day before. She had heard the devil was beautiful, and she considered Casper's appearance to be a confirmation of this.

"Triple-J!" he exclaimed when he saw her and broke into a big smile, "you came back!"

After recovering from the icy shock going through her veins from seeing him before she had mentally prepared herself, she responded, "Yes, well, I work here now."

"Good to hear you've got some spirit," he said and smiled, "you wouldn't believe the amount of girls who never come back after the first day," he brushed off his coat and started walking towards his building, Jackie tripped after him, trying to get the hang of the shoes. "Never really got why, I'm not that bad."

Jackie did not share his opinion, but found it best to not voice hers.

"Good that you're here though," he said over his shoulder, "It's so troublesome to file in a new secr-" he stopped in his tracks when he noticed her shoes and Jackie's stomach dropped. "What are those?"

"My shoes," Jackie said nervously, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "you said I had to wear heels."

He looked as her like she had just pulled a prank, and there was a long silence where they looked at each other. She was rather surprised when he burst out laughing in the middle of the street. She blinked. "Oh Jackie Jean," he said when he caught a breath, then started laughing even louder as he placed his hands on his knees and bent down and looked at the heels. "What are those, two inches?"

"Three, actually..." she said quietly, not looking at him and feeling quite deflated. This was not going to be a good day, judging by the giggles he was having over her shoes. She didn't know how she could even be possessed to think so.

"Well, it was a nice try," he said, mirth still in his voice, straightening up and placing his gloved hand on her lower back, ushering her into the office, "You really are very endearing, you know that? When one gets past your appearance, I mean."

Jackie didn't have anything to say to that, she merely let him guide her into the building like a lost sheep, shuffling her feet, avoiding eye-contact with the people inside.

"Uma!" Casper called out as they came into the lobby.

Uma appeared in front of them like magic. Jackie got the same raised-brow treatment as the day before. "Yes, Mr. Welhaven?"

"Take this one to the wardrobe and sort her out, will you? I can't work with this," he said in a very business-like tone,"And do something about the eye brows, they look like bushes," he said. Jackie's hand involuntarily shot to protect the hairs above her eyes and Casper shook his head before catching a glimpse of her shoes, letting out a little laugh again, "Three inches..."

"Right away, Mr. Welhaven," Uma said and smiled with her perfect teeth. Jackie was beginning to loathe everyone who worked here, and darkly looked around as Casper headed for the elevator in long strides she could tell all ready she would have difficulties keeping up with, especially if his reaction to what she considered high heels said anything about the monstrous heels she would be wearing in the future. She looked around at the heels the other girls were wearing and felt her stomach sink yet again. It had to be somewhere around her knees by now, and it wasn't even lunch time yet. She vaguely wondered if she even had lunch.

The people around her were people of the only kind that seemed to reside here, perfect, polished people with no flaws. No normal human being would feel at home in such a place. Jackie could actually not remember any time in her life where she felt more out of place.

"Stella!" Uma snapped her fingers and motioned for a tall brunette to come over. 'Stella', who was as annoyingly beautiful as the rest swiftly came over, slapping shut the phone she had been talking into moments before.

"Yes?" she asked, raising her perfectly plucked eye brows in anticipation.

"Her, wardrobe, now."

Stella turned her icy blue gaze to Jackie as if she hadn't noticed her before, and her face scrunched up. Jackie had to contain herself not to shoot her a nasty glare. In stead she smiled meekly, and looked away. "Oh, I see what you mean," the brunette gave her a once over, apparently not appreciating what she saw, "I'll take her right now."

"Good," Uma said, and left Jackie with the tall brunette.

"Follow me," she said, and swiftly turned to the left in a manner much like the blonde from the day before.

Jackie Jean could do nothing but scurry after her, having the distinct feeling that every step she took was a step towards her doom.