Entente Cordial

She nodded, smiling.

"Do you need help getting to bed?"

He shook his head.

"No, no, I'm good and fine!"

She frowned.

"But you had such trouble just getting to ze bathroom..."

He shook his head.

"I made it to the door earlier today! I'm fine!"

Shrugging, Jacqueline went to fetch her purse from the living room.

"Very well--see you tomorrow!"

"Bye!" He called to her, still rather shaky.

-x-

Benji was in love.

He didn't realize it yet, but he was. It had been a while since Jacqueline had started working for him, and things were going smoothly. Sort of.

Jacqueline still hadn't given up on her plan, after all.

From the moment she had moved in, she had stepped up her efforts to seduce more money out of poor Benji; the skirts she wore mysteriously grew shorter and her blouses became lower-cut as the days went by. She also became "clumsier", taking every opportunity to bend over or trip and show off her assets.

"Whoops!~" he exclaimed, tripping so she could catch herself just above Benji's lap. "I slipped, sorry~"

Benji was dying. Suffering. He couldn't stop thinking about her, and worse, he found himself wanting her more and more and more.

But today, he felt like his head was going to explode.

"No, no, no!" He exclaimed, horrified. "I can't do it anymore!"

"Can't do what?" she asked, feigning confusion. Finally.

He began to cry. Openly.

"I-I just can't! I have to fire you, I'm sorry!" He sobbed.

She placed her hand on his arm, frowning genuinely.

"But Mister Datta...I need this job. Have I done something wrong?..."

He shook his head.

"No, it's all my fault! It's not fair for me to feel like this towards you, so I should just let you go. It's not okay for me to just keep you around, even though I have such sinful, impure thoughts about your beauty."

She giggled.

"But...Mister Datta...don't you think it's only fair if we both have thoughts like zat?"

He cocked his head to the side.

"B-but I..."

She sighed, smiling.

"Surely zere is nothing wrong with thoughts...though, I'd be more zan willing to go to ze next level, as well."

"No!" He exclaimed, horrified. "But that's so...unprofessional!"

She sighed.

"Zen what will I do?~ I need money, but you're sooooo cute..."

He shook his head.

"No, never, not even once to try it out and see if it works."

She frowned.

"Zen kindly keep your thoughts to yourself, because I will starve without zis job."

"...Maybe, if you change your profession to 'prostitute'..."

She glared.

"Oh, are you suggesting zat I am not worth ze time to win over? Zat I should put a price on my virginity?"

"No, no, no!" He exclaimed. "I-I just...I can't keep you as my caretaker and date you at the same time!"

"But I have needs!" she insisted.