The Invitation by Samantha Hyde

 
     
     
     
    The
Interview.
     
    Nancy sprang up
from the plastic seat when the door she had been nervously watching
opened.
    “Miss Nancy
Cooper?” called out a beautiful blonde from the doorway.
    “Yes,” Nancy
stammered.
    “Please come
through, Mr Sharpe is ready to see you now.”
    On shaking legs
Nancy made her way across the empty function room of the town hall.
Her heals echoed loudly in the barren room, making her feel
ridiculously self-conscious.
    The woman
watched her impassively, her face as carefully composed as her
smooth updo and the sharp black business suit that showed off her
long, tanned legs. Nancy felt shabby and inadequate in comparison.
Maybe she shouldn’t have worn the black, ankle length skirt and
plain white shirt. OK, both items were fitted and clung to her
curves in all the right places but she still felt like a tramp
compared to this leggy blonde goddess. The woman just reminded her
how short she was, how boring her shoulder length brown hair was,
and how her curves were in danger of getting out of control and
sliding into ‘fat’ territory.
    Once in the
small interview room, the woman immediately took a seat in the far
corner as if to be as unobtrusive as possible.
    Jasper Sharpe
stood up to greet her and extended his hand across the basic, fold
up plastic table.
    “Nancy Cooper,
I am delighted you could make it today. Please, take a seat,” he
said, gesturing to the plastic chair on the other side of the
table.
    He sat down too
and nodded briefly towards the woman. “That’s my assistant, but
please, pay her no heed. It is solely I who will be conducting this
interview.”
    Nancy glanced
over at the woman but she kept her head bowed and avoided eye
contact.
    Could this
be any weirder, Nancy thought. She was pretty close to walking
out of the little interview room and forgetting the whole thing had
ever happened.
    But not close
enough to actually doing it. Even though her gut instinct was
screaming at her to get the hell away, his offer was ultimately too
intriguing. She had to know more before she made her final
decision.
    She certainly
hadn’t expected him to be so handsome. And he was a lot younger
too. The combination made her even more nervous, if that was
possible.
    “May I just
start off by saying how sorry I am about your Mother.”
    Alarm bells
instantly went off in her head.
    “How do you
know about my Mother? And what does that have to do with anything?
I’m sorry Mr Sharpe, but I’m finding all of this a little strange.
I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what this
mysterious invitation to some dinner party is all about. And how
and why did you choose me in the first place?”
    “Please, call
me Jasper.”
    “Then Jasper, I would really like an explanation.”
    “As stated in
your written invitation, this an interview to see if I think you
will be a suitable guest for my little soiree. And of course, an
opportunity for you to decide if you wish to attend or not.”
    “Fine. But what
is it exactly that you’re inviting me to attend?” She opened up her
shoulder bag and pulled out the invitation, unfolding it and laying
it flat on the table. “Your answer to my question is about as
obtuse as your invitation.”
    She didn’t have
to read it to know what it said. She knew the strange words off by
heart:
     
    Dear Nancy
Cooper,
    The millionaire
Jasper Sharpe cordially invites you to attend an interview at the
town hall on Thursday at 10.30 a.m, with a view to winning the
opportunity to attend a Black Tie party which he will be
hosting.
    The successful
applicants will be picked up on Friday night at 8 p.m. and
transported to Mr Sharpe’s home. The overall winner of the party
games will leave with one million pounds. Jasper Sharpe looks
forward to meeting you on Thursday.
     
    “I am an
exceedingly rich man, Nancy, as I am sure you have gathered. And I
am an altruistic man, up to a point. Think of this little get
together as a fun game for me, at