Maid for the Mafia
It was you...

**ROMANY**

Just as I peeled around the corner to my hallway I thought I heard a door slam. *No... Alex wouldn't be coming after me. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself.* But then I heard footsteps. Footsteps other than my own *and* much faster than my own. I super sprinted the rest of the way to my room and dove inside just as I thought I heard someone call my name. Slamming the door behind myself I flipped the dead bolt as fast as I could. My chest heaved as I stood there, out of breath from my mad dash back to safety. *Why oh why didn't I knock like a normal person? I'll never get the image of Stella's anorexic body out of my head now!*

Gross! I mean I was disgusted. I could not believe I let that bastard put his dick in me. *It felt good though... really, really good.* "Enough!" I hissed to myself, tensing as something thudded against my door. "Romany!" Alex's voice sounded. "Open the door."

I shook my head, knowing that he couldn't see me, but not giving a damn.

"Romany! It's not what you think," he grumbled.

I laughed, I couldn't help myself. *I think I just saw you boning your assistant.* "It's not what I think that's bothering me, it's what I saw," I snapped before I could help myself.

"I am your boss!" he shouted, pounding a fist on the door. "Now open this fucking door."

"Nope! I have to flush my eyes out. Please just go away!" I snarled.

"Fine," he said quietly. "Don't open it then."

I sighed, hugging myself and facing the balcony. *Good! Go finish Stella off. I'm sure she's waiting for her Master to return.*

The sound of a key in the lock had me spinning back around to watch the deadbolt turn. *Well damn, of course he has a key.*

Alex's face was twisted in anger when he stepped into my room. His eyes flashed wildly and I tensed thinking he was going to throttle me for walking in on him during their *'splendor'.* He didn't. Instead he began pacing back and forth in front of my door.

"You weren't supposed to see that! You were supposed to wait for me here until I came for my key. You were *supposed* to knock!" he shouted.

"You should have locked the damn door and I would have!" I sapped.

"I don't owe you an explanation! You are not my wife, or my girlfriend! You are my maid!" he scolded without looking at me. "Exactly," I agreed. "So please, if you don't mind. There's a meeting tonight and I have to get ready for my punishment."

That stopped him. He froze for a moment and closed his eyes as if remembering something unpleasant. Then he finally looked at me, his gaze strangely soft. "You are going to hate me," he warned, walking my way slowly. "Tonight, what I'm going to do to you will change the way you look at me forever."

My brow furrowed, wondering how severe this punishment of his was actually going to be. I lifted my chin, not wanting to show him my fear, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. "I'm pretty sure that what I just saw already did."

He flinched, stopping in his tracks right in front of me. He smiled sadly, his eyes lowering. "You have alot of fucking nerve," he said, chuckling. "Taking Damien into your bed, then Mickey out in the pool. Talking to Enzo like he's some old friend of yours when you truly do not know him at all." He shook his head and I fisted my hands at my sides.

*He was right. I didn't know what the fuck I wanted. I had no right being angry.*

"Were you aware that Stella told the staff that I was hired as a whore for the men and they were not to respect me?" I hissed. "Did you tell her to do that?"

His head jerked up, his eyes heating. "She did what?"

I nodded. "After I was attacked, Simone apologized to me about the way they had been treating me and-"

"The way they had been treating you?" he interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. Like garbage. Each and every time I walked down the hall I was shunned or ignored or glared at. When I went out to swim that night they brought me an empty plate for dinner - but I assume that was your doing. Trying to teach me a lesson."

"I did no such thing. I instructed Stella to have your dinner sent to the pool. As far as I was aware, she did that."

"No. She did not," I informed him. "In fact, someone even locked me out of the house that night and I had to find another way in. When I asked her about it, she admitted she'd done the honors herself."

He was shaking with rage, I could see it in every line of his body. When his green eyes met mine this time, I could see something in them. Something like regret. "I didn't want to fuck her," he whispered and I laughed, but he went on. "I have used her before. On more than one occasion. But she's not what I want. She never will be. Especially after..." he trailed off and looked away, toward the clothes on the couch. "The only way I was even able to do it, was to picture her as someone else."

I swallowed the unease that had begun to gather in my throat and said, "Thank you for the clothes. They're... beautiful."

He smirked, lifting his head to stare down at me. "I have to warn you. Tonight, if you do not do everything that I tell you to, you will suffer for it."

"Suffer how?" I couldn't help but ask. Was he going to spank me in front of everyone? Or *fire* me?

He grit his teeth, his eyes falling over me slowly. "You are such a sensual creature, Romany. More so than I think you even realize." He leaned forward, placing his lips near my ear. "Tonight I will teach you what it means to be truly desired. I hope you are ready." Then he started walking backward, toward the door.

"Wait! After the meeting," I started. "I thought maybe Simone could join me in the pool. Would that be okay? Could she... swim with me?"

He smiled, his brows shooting up. "If you still feel like swimming after tonight, then yes. She may." He got to the door, put his hand on the handle and said. "You. It was you I was picturing when I was with Stella. In fact... it's you that I have been picturing since the moment we met."

Then he left.