Call Me Master

4

The morning sun filtered through the balcony doors and onto my face, irritating me enough to make me sit up and stretch my limbs. I scanned the room for any sign of the Master, but he was gone and that was just fine by me! After changing clothes and grabbing a few of my things, I ventured down to the kitchen to fix myself my first cup of coffee for the morning. As I approached the counter and saw what was sitting on it, a smile spread slowly from ear to ear.

Hen must've just gotten back from the market. Looks like she got a few of the things I asked for, too!

As I went about rummaging through the unfamiliar kitchen and preparing my breakfast, my mind wandered to the Master. For some reason, I expected the night to be terrible! At the very least, I expected to be held down and fed from. I mean, isn't that the main reason a vampire buys a pet? To not only claim a mortal's life for himself, but also satisfy his ridiculous bloodlust?

Dismissing the less-than-desirable scenes beginning to play out in my mind, I poured myself a cup of coffee then carried it and my plate to the table and took the seat furthest away facing the entryway. My buds went straight into my ears and, at that point, I lost myself in my daily dose of YouTube.

After eating and cleaning up the mess I'd made, I trudged up the stairs to begin my daily chores. I wasn't exactly thrilled about them, but I wouldn't be complaining about them any time soon – not audibly, at least, although I did suspect that the Master could somehow hear what I was thinking regardless.

I mindlessly went about gathering our dirty clothes to toss into the basket that was resting on the bathroom floor, then I got to work on the bathroom itself; it didn't take much time and effort to straighten up, which I appreciated immensely. From what little I'd already been a witness to, he was proving himself to be a neat and tidy man.

Brownie points for him.

I moved on to straightening up the bedroom, starting with making the Master's bed and folding my bedding neatly to place into the closet. Next, I gathered the few pieces of trash I'd collected from around the room and tossed them into the little bin that sat on the floor beside the desk, but since the bag wasn't full enough to be taken out, I left it be. After a few touch ups and a final inspection, I grabbed the laundry basket then headed downstairs for the laundry room.

While I walked, I marveled at my picturesque surroundings, admiring the color scheme and lavish decor that truly brought the place to life. Stopping for a moment in the foyer to stare at the two large, sliding-glass doors towards the back, my imagination ran rampant picturing what it might look like out there.

I wonder if there's a pool or AT LEAST a hot tub that I'll be able to soak in – assuming the vampire will ever let me, of course!

After dumping the clothes atop the washer, I wandered back the way I'd come while carelessly swinging the basket and humming softly to myself. As I glanced toward the ballroom, something flashy caught my attention at the entrance, prompting me to backtrack and peer inside. The instant, magnetic pull from the beautiful masterpiece sitting just feet away had me dropping the basket at my feet and folding my arms across my chest in attempt to simmer my fingers' itch to let loose on those keys, but since I positively didn't want to upset the Master by helping myself to his belongings, I decided to just go on about my business.

Up in the room later and with boredom setting in, I settled on the couch and played around on my phone until I started to smell something mouth watering in the air. My initial thought was Hen; she must've just started cooking lunch, and just in the nick of time, too! With the appealing aroma piquing my curiosity, I wandered down to the kitchen to investigate.

My hunch was correct! She was standing at the sink rinsing fresh mushrooms and humming a tune under her breath when I approached her. Turning her head to acknowledge my presence, she smiled sweetly. "Good morning, Miss. How are you? Did you sleep well?" she sang?

"Good morning, I'm good, and better than I expected I would have," I replied in the order in which I was asked, tucking some hair behind my ear as I spoke. "Yourself?"

She lit up like a light bulb, dumping the mushrooms into the strainer to give them a good rinsing. "Positively splendid, my Dear!" she exclaimed, a broad smile stretching across her delicate face.

I couldn't help but return her smile with one of my own, albeit not quite as wide and definitely nowhere near as beaming. "May I be nosey?" I asked shyly, then I took a big, exaggerated whiff of the air around me.

"Of course you can," she replied kindly as she dried her hands on a towel.

"What'cha cookin'?" I asked, then she went off on a whole separate tangent about the imperativeness of cooking chicken to the proper temperature and something about a broken measuring cup as well, forgetting my question entirely. "Anyway, lunch will be ready soon, Miss," she announced as she happily went about her preparations.

"Mind if I sit here and wait?" I asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Not at all, Dearest," she sang, then she began to hum another tune and we largely ignored each other while she finished making lunch.

For a long while, I zoned out reading an article that one of the local news affiliates had posted, paying zero attention to the bustling woman until a steaming plate of food was placed before me. My mouth watered in instant recognition of the dish – it was Chicken Marsala in true Italian fashion!

"What would you like to drink, Dear?" she inquired as she made her way to the refrigerator.

"Oh ... water, please," I answered plainly.

Nodding, she pulled an ice-cold bottle from it then handed it to me, then she took her seat and watched me closely for a few moments before she turned her attention to her own plate.

"Thank you for lunch and for getting the stuff I requested, Miss Hen," I piped up after a stretch of hearing nothing but the quiet. "You don't know how happy it made me when I came down this morning and saw it sitting on the counter."

She looked at me in pure confusion, like she had no clue what I was even talking about! "Miss, I haven't been to the market yet. Must've been your Master," she replied, a hint of suspicion mixed within the speculation in her voice.

Really? Wow! Didn't expect to hear that.

"Hmm," I mumbled, then I shrugged it off and turned my attention to my meal, eating quietly as I listened to her happily ramble about life in the kitchen.

"Anyway, I hope you come to enjoy my cooking, Dear," she babbled on. "I don't mean to brag or anything, but I think I'm pretty decent at it. The young Master seems to approve…"

Truthfully, I didn't hear much else of what she had to say because most of my attention was on the dish in front of me; I was much too engrossed in it to pay her much mind. I'm not completely rude, though! I did make it a point to smile and nod periodically.

After we finished lunch, I hopped up to begin cleaning up my mess, however she stopped me short with a gesture of her hand and instructed me to go no further.

"We're not done yet, Dear. Sit," she politely commanded, then she pulled two dessert plates from a cabinet and a caramel cheesecake from the refrigerator. After casting me a gentle smile, she cut two small slices then placed one of them on my plate and followed it up by repeating her motions for herself.

I stared at the delectable delight before me, practically salivating despite my efforts to play it cool and not dig in until she sat back back down.

Does this woman somehow know that her dessert of choice is one of my most favorite desserts in this world?

I won't lie – I scarfed my slice down, which earned a hearty chuckle from Hen in the process.

"I see you liked my cheesecake, Miss," she noted, placing her empty plate atop mine.

As I took the last swallow of my water, I gave her a thumbs up in confirmation. "Lady, you don't even know!" I exclaimed, then I hopped up and offered to help her clean.

The woman refused my offer quickly, sternly reminding me that my responsibilities were not to her but to my Master.

On that note, I left her to her business and returned to Master's bedroom.

Truthfully, I was thankful for the man's scarce presence thus far; the atmosphere was so tense and suffocating whenever he was near me, which I mostly attributed to the fact that I fully expected him to help himself to me at any given moment. I've gotta admit how thoroughly shocked I am that he hasn't done that yet! It's made me wonder if he has a stash of blood hidden away wherever he disappears to. Perhaps my scent doesn't appeal to him in quite the manner I'd anticipated. Hell, I don't know!

***

He stayed away until right before another mind-blowing dinner, and soon after, it was time for us to bid our goodnights to the staff, who were busy shutting down the manor.

I quietly followed him up to his room, then I collapsed on the couch while he headed for the bathroom where he remained for a long while. Bored, I popped my buds in and immersed myself in my playlist, failing to notice he'd finally come out until he was standing right in front of me.

As we locked eyes, I blushed at his near-naked form, which earned a naughty grin from him. I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and back as he disappeared inside the closet, shaking my head as I looked down at my phone again. I couldn't stand how he could elicit such responses in me! I mean, what the hell was it about him that made me so...what's the word? Flustered? Weak?

Hell, let's just be frank and call it what it is, Harper – hot, scared, and bothered!

Muffled laughter from behind the closet door had my thoughts slamming to a halt. Minutes later, the door swung open and out the Master stepped in a pair of gray joggers and a form-fitting t-shirt which fit his desirable body just right while leaving the rest to the imagination.

I'd tried so damn hard up 'til then to not just openly gape at him but, good God, his body was f*cking mesmerizing! I couldn't help myself at that point, no matter how loud my better senses screamed at me to be afraid of him.

"Stifle yourself, pet," he teased as he brushed past me, sensuality lingering in his husky voice.

"I ... uh ... I'm cool," is all I could manage to get out.

"No, you're not, but we don't have to talk about that ... yet," he implied with a wink.

Um, exactly what the hell does he mean by 'that' and 'yet'?

"May I be excused for some water, please?" I suddenly blurted out.

"Go for it, my pet tomato," he taunted in return, winking again as he settled into his bed.

I sprang to my feet then dashed from the room and down to the kitchen, thankful to have put distance between that blasted vampire and myself. "Get it together, girl...," I encouraged myself aloud, opting to linger around for incredibly longer than I needed to. Eventually, I grabbed two bottles of water then headed back upstairs at a snail's pace, and when I pushed the bedroom door open I spotted the Master tucked in his bed. I ogled his features for the briefest moment then realized that every light in the room was out except for the tiny lamp that sat on the desk; it illuminated the room just enough for me to be able to make my way to the bathroom without stubbing my toes on anything. Quite thoughtful, if you ask me!

In the bathroom, I ran a hot bath then stripped naked and sank down into the tub, relaxing my mind and body for a long while before bathing and shaving. After performing my post-bath ritual, I cracked the door open to find Master tangled in his bedding with his front facing me and, much to my relief, his eyes closed.

Wrapped only in a towel, I crept past the bed and into the closet, shivering due to the feeling of eyes burning a hole straight through my backside all the while. Shaking it off, I eased the door shut then dressed quickly and grabbed my bedding on my way back out. I made my bed swiftly then laid down, yawning as quietly as I could as I popped my buds in. @MrBallen had dropped a new video earlier as part of his scary story line-up, and I was more than ready for the Sandman to bring me a pleasant dream, closing my eyes and hardly tuning in as I slowly drifted off to sleep.