Jewel

4

Julie moans a bit at her memories before she manages to wake up. It's the memory of the man attacking her that makes her eyes fly open. She feels the back of her head expecting to find a great deal of pain and at least a goose egg if not a wound needing stitches. Instead she finds her hair clean and blood free and no pain at the spot she knows the man hit her.

She looks around the room and doesn't recognize anything. It's far more luxurious than anything she's ever known. The bed is large and comfortable. She doesn't know what size, but it's larger than her twin size or her parents queen size beds.

The room is large and open, she's seen apartments smaller than this room. There is a door across from the bed that is slightly open and she thinks it might be a bathroom. Another door next to that one and one on the wall next to those two doors. She wonders which door leads out of the room and what the other door opens into. 

Looking at the other side of the room she notices the room flooded by moonlight as the larger window is uncovered by drapes, although she notices that there are drapes pulled back.

She sees a sofa in the middle of the room and two chairs forming a comfortable looking area to talk to others or curl up and read a book. She sees a cabinet with a large flat screen television sitting on it.

Lastly she notices the bedside tables that sandwich the bed near the headboard. There is a lamp on both sides. She gingerly moves testing to see just how sore she will be and turns on the lamp on her right.

Only then did she notices that she wasn't dressed in the clothes she was in earlier. She wasn't even dressed in female clothes.

The man's shirt she is wearing is huge on her and could almost be considered a dress. She gets a whiff and leans back. She sighs in pleasure at that smell. She knows who this shirt belongs to, well not his name, but she knows it's her stalker. Even though she knows that he's been stalking her she isn't afraid. The man could easily have left her to the man that attacked her or killed her while she was completely helpless. The fact that he brought her here and didn't tie her up or otherwise restrain her reassures her. 

Perhaps she judged him too quickly.

The door opens and a female walks in, "Bout time you woke up. The master said to feed you when you did. Follow me," The female orders and there is something in her tone that makes Julie's back stiffen.

But, Julie stomach starts growling. Her parents hadn't let her eat before ordering her from the house and she is hungry. She wonders just what this master wants with her as she follows the maid down the stairs and through a bunch of rooms to a kitchen. Julie is thankful she has a good sense of direction and is pretty sure that she can find her way back to her room. If that is where she will be staying. If she stays.

The maid all but pushes her to some stools at the counter and Julie more gracefully sits herself there. The maid doesn't like her, that she figures out. She just doesn't know why, she hadn't done anything to the maid. 

The other person in the room must be the cook because she kindly asks Julie what she would like to eat. She gives Julie a smile and immediately sets to work fixing some food for the newest arrival at the house. She had heard the orders the master had given and she wasn't about to disobey. She thinks that the maid is foolish to treat the new human like she's been doing.

"Here you go, Miss. Enjoy. Is there anything else I could get you before I retire for the night?" The cook asks the sweet girl in front of her. She wonders how the girl caught the attention of the master and feels for her. Once brought into the house and this world it is very difficult to leave it. Usually death being the only way. The girl is young, not yet twenty the cook estimates. The poor thing. She wonders if the girl's parents have even realized that she's missing yet?

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," Julie says then takes a bite of the food before her. She moans in pleasure, this is the best food she's ever had. "This is perfect. Thank you so much." Julie manages to say before she crams more food into her mouth.

"Slow down or you'll make yourself sick and the master wouldn't like that." The cook warns, but she smiles warmly and there is an undertone of amusement to her words.

Julie's mouth is too full to talk but she gives the woman a nod to show that she heard and understands. The maid had been listening and gives a snort.

The cook turns to the maid, "You should take heed, Candy. The master won't like your attitude to the young miss here."

Candy, the maid that had brought her to the kitchen, merely snorts at the warning.

The cook shakes her head at the foolishness of some people and retires to her apartment off the side of the kitchen.

"Once you finish that food you can start your duties." Candy says once the cook shuts her door. She wouldn't dare say anything before the cook couldn't hear her.

"My duties?" Julie says once she manages to swallow the food in her mouth.

"You didn't think the master brought you here for you to laze about did you? You can start by washing these dishes and cleaning up the kitchen." Candy orders then leaves the room.

Julie just shrugs and returns to her food. It's been a long time since she's had such a filling meal and she's not going to let the poison of the maid or the uncertainty of her future ruin it.

Once she finishes eating she slides off the stool and takes her dishes to the sink. She collects the dishes that had been used in making her meal and finds the cleaning soap and sponge. She starts cleaning, humming to herself. She doesn't notice the entrance of two people into the kitchen as she cleans.

Candy is watching the female do her job and smirks in satisfaction. She wouldn't be so happy if she had noticed the entrance of the second person.

When she hears the man speak the smirk slides off her face and she does her best to hide her sudden fear.

"Why are you washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen?" Adam asks his guest. He stands in the entrance to the kitchen with his arms crossed and his feet spread. The scowl on his face would make most people run from him.

Julie startled looks to where the voice comes from. "I was told that I was supposed to clean up."

Hearing those words, Adam's scowl becomes even darker, "Who told you that?"

Julie sees Candy standing not too far from Adam and rudely points to the maid, "She did."

Adam directs his scowl, that didn't seem to bother Julie at all, towards his maid. She on the other hand flinches when he looks at her. "Candy? Why is my guest doing your job?"

With his words, Julie stands up and stops cleaning. She is considered a guest and the maid lied. She watches with interest how the maid will react.

Candy steps towards the master and although she is frightened she faces him. "I was jealous of her and wanted to humiliate her."

Julie just raises an eyebrow. Why would the maid be jealous of her?

"I see. Go wait in the living room for your punishment." The man, her stalker, the one the maid refers to as the master orders.

Much to Julie's amusement, Candy doesn't hesitate to leave and she has no doubt that Candy will wait in the living room until he gives her, her punishment.

All her amusement leaves, though, once the man turns his attention to her. "What is your name? I can't keep calling you girl."

Julie sniffs. She thought about not answering him, but he did help her and even fed her.

"My name is Julie Thomas."

"Well Julie Thomas, welcome to my home. I had hoped to be there when you awoke, but business kept me away. 

"My name is Adam Demarco." Adam smiles but Julie doesn't show him that she's startled by his announcement.

Inside though, she's saying, 'shit, shit, shit.' Her stalker is none other than one of the richest and most powerful men in the country, if not the world. Now, what the hell is she going to do?