Loves Me Not

*REVISED* Chapter Twenty-four

"Dinner is ready, Miss Masters," Melanie's voice echoes through the intercom that is wired into every room of the house.

I pause in shoving a handful of Sour Patch Kids into my mouth as I look over at Ellie who is lazily scrolling through shows on Hulu.

"Thank fuck," she grunts as she tosses he remote down. "Because if I have to listen to you smack on that disgusting candy for another second I might literally die."

I grab her arm and pull her back onto the bed, bringing my mouth precariously close to her right ear as I chomp loudly on my treats.

"Stop you're getting sugar on my bed!" Ellie whines as she repeatedly swipes at the particles sprinkled over the duvet with one hand and shoves my face away with the other.

"Just have Melanie come clean it up for you," I mumble as more bits continue to fall out of my mouth. "Use the intercom you're so proud of."

"That's not her job," Ellie glares at me while more pieces of candy drop.

"Sorry, I'm not aware of the job description of a live-in maid." I fold over the bag of candy and quickly finish chewing the handful I've already shoved into my mouth.

"You're going to clean that up." Ellie grabs a Sour Patch Kid I accidently dropped on the bed and flicks it at me.

"Yes, Miss Masters," I slide off of the bed and curtsy, ducking out of the way when she throws a pillow at my head. "I'll clean that right away, my lady."

I sprint out of the room, slide down the hallway, and bound down the staircase directly in front of me, the patter of Ellie's feet pounding the solid Wenge flooring echoing behind me.

"Don't call me that!" Ellie lengthens her strides to try and catch up to me.

I take the stairs two at a time, trying not to fall as I fly down the 3 flights of stairs to the main floor. I leap onto cold marble of the first floor to continue my escape from Ellie, but quickly lose my footing. I stumble into the wall, and push off to the left, taking a longer route to the kitchen in an attempt to lose Ellie in the twisted hallways.

I'm looking over my shoulder, trying to see if she figured out my ploy when I run into what feels like another wall. Except this wall falls with me.

"What the..." I hear the wall exclaim underneath me.

Wait... Walls can't talk.

We crash to the floor in a heap, my hands trying to brace themselves on the floor to cushion the blow but they only press into the defined ridges of someone's shoulders.

"Wow, I didn't know you would come running back to me so soon." My head is lying on a very solid chest and a firm set of hands is resting on my hips.

Shit.

So much for avoiding him.

I can't help but bat my eyelashes down at him as I move to sit up. I end up straddling his stomach, the insides of my thighs pillowing on his pelvic bone. "Wow, not even four hours after your pseudo apology and you're already back to your old antics."

"You know I couldn't stay away for long little girl." His grin is devious as his teeth gently graze his lower lip.

"You better watch who you're calling little," I try to muster as much mischievousness onto my own face. "If you keep playing around I might decide to put all of my weight on you and snap your pelvis in half."

"Well the last time you put all your weight on it I certainly didn't snap." He accentuates his sentence with a coy wink that I match with a roll of my eyes.