Maid For You

Chapter 4

"You!" I forgot all the etiquette taught to me only an hour ago. It was him! It was him! There before me stood that awful jerk from the store! The one I had kicked out! He was Prince Coleman! It couldn't be so!

This had to be a joke.

"Cassandra Carmichael." He grinned wickedly. "Now, funny story, didn't you say before that you wouldn't even care if I was the crown prince?"

I tried to remember our conversation. I had said that.

"Well then, I don't think you were telling the truth now, were you, Cassandra Carmichael?"

I took a deep breath. "I meant every word I said, your highness," I scowled.

He looked annoyed. "I don't believe you! You said I was a waste of space!" Prince Coleman crossed his arms.

Luke's mouth dropped.

"You said I was a stupid commoner," I shot back, likewise crossing my arms.

"You ARE a commoner, stupid!"

"I may technically be a commoner, but I'm not stupid."

"Not stupid? You are literally my maid!" He laughed triumphantly. "You kicked me out of your shop, insulted me, acted all proud and superior, and look at you now! You're my maid."

I was so angry I could slap him; but then I would probably go to jail for assaulting a prince. I inhaled slowly, and looked the Prince dead in the eyes.

"That's pathetic, Prince Coleman."

He stared at me with squinted eyes. "Well, I suppose it is pathetic for you-"

"No, you're pathetic," I interrupted him. I heard a sharp gasp from Luke.

Man. I was going to miss Luke when Coleman fired me. Maybe I could ask for his phone number before I was sacked and deported.

"I'm pathetic? You throw out meaningless insults, Cassandra Carmichael!" yelled the Prince.

"No. What you've done is probably the most pathetic thing I've ever heard of. Some random girl from a different country doesn't take your crap, and doesn't cow tow to your condescending behavior, and so when you see me you take it upon yourself to give me an invitation to your home, to offer me work, all so you could deliver that stupid one-liner to me that you've probably been mulling over for days?! You pull all these strings just so, what, so you can have the last laugh? Are you really so sensitive that you'll let one stupid argument with, as you like to call me, a commoner turn into this whole big fiasco where you employ me as your servant, force people like your butler and Missus Lucille to train me, and have people quickly fit a maid outfit for me, just so you could tell me that you're a crown prince?! That's the most pathetic, sad thing I've ever heard. You must be really bored if you're so obsessed with me."

Silence. The Prince and Luke stared at me with dropped jaws.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning to do." I mentally prepared for him to tell me to pack my bags and go. But he didn't. I went over to his bed to begin making it.

"I'm not obsessed with you," Prince Coleman grumbled quietly as he sunk into a chair. I chose not to reply, but continued fixing up his bed.

"Um, uh, Prince Coleman, you called me here?" Luke said timidly, reminding him of his presence.

"Oh. I was going to tell you something," he mumbled, his face resting on his hand. "I forgot what, though."

"I see, your highness," Luke nodded. The discomfort was almost tangible, the Prince undoubtedly glaring daggers at me while I cleaned.

I wish he would just fire me already and get this waiting over with.

"My bed is normally crisper than that," he broke in obnoxiously. "My other maid made it so the covers were pulled in tighter."

"Yes, my Prince," I sighed, readjusting the covers.

"I'm not your Prince," he said obnoxiously.

"I'm sorry, I was told that that was one of the titles I could call you. I figured calling you 'Lump of Coal' would be too informal," I said, giving him a sickeningly sweet smile that I knew would annoy him. I figured I was screwed anyway. Luke was stifling a laugh with a cough.

"No one has ever mentioned calling me a lump of coal!" the Prince cried. "Where do you even come up with these ideas?!"

"My degree was in creative writing. My head is always full of ideas," I replied.

"So you've actually graduated college?" he replied in disbelief.

"Yes. Have you?"

"Of course!" he spat.

"Congratulations."

"What's wrong with you?!" He shot up from his chair and marched over to me.

"Look, I know you're going to fire me, so what are you waiting for?" I sighed. "As much as I like having a job, I'm not dumb enough to believe that you are actually going to let me work here. The only reason I'm here is because of your weird revenge scheme. So why don't you just fire me already?"

The Prince drew his mouth into a tight line. "Ugh, it's too much of a pain to fire you." He rolled his eyes. "And," with a smirk, "It looks like I proved your assumption wrong yet again."

Luke was clearly stunned.

"Oh!" I replied. I actually have a chance here? I began picking up some of his clothes strewn on the floor. "Well, if that's the case, I suppose I'll be seeing you," I told Prince Coleman. "If you hate me calling you my Prince, then what do you want me to call you?"

"Oh, so you're actually being considerate?" he drawled.

"You are my employer, and it's my job to be considerate to you," I informed him.

"Well, since you think I'm hot, you could call me your royal hotness." He was smug.

My nostrils flared. "Excuse me?"

"You said so yourself, remember?"

"No."

"You called me a hot," he told me slyly.

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure my emphasis was on the jerk part of that rant."

"Still, you can't deny that you're attracted to me," the Prince went on. Was he flirting with me?