Chapter 19
Stella, the punishment-craving brat, was making me wait.
If I had the time, I would have gone up to my room myself, reminded her how valuable my time was with a belt, and then forced her to sit still to eat breakfast with me.
Sadly, I didn’t have the time for that this morning, and I sent Hamilton to deal with her for me.
He apparently didn’t have to go very far.
I could hear them arguing just steps outside of the formal dining room.
“No,” she said. “I have appointments that I have to see too.”
What appointments could she possibly have? I didn’t know, and truthfully, I didn’t care. She needed to learn the rules of this house.
Rule one: if you lived in this house, you ate breakfast at this table every single morning.
I couldn’t hear exactly what Hamilton said, but after a moment, he directed her into the dining room.
I stood as a gentleman should when a woman approached the table.
She was dressed all in pink, her arms crossed over her chest like a little angry Barbie.
With a quick wave, I signaled to Hamilton that I would take care of getting her seated and he could let the chef know that it was time to serve breakfast.
Even though now we were running four minutes late.
He quickly pivoted on his heel, turning to anticipate my needs. I have to say, Hamilton was my best investment. I’d picked him straight from the Prestigious Butler Academy, Bespoke Bureau in London.
Classically trained, British Butlers were a must in my line of work. Not only did they anticipate needs, but they were discreet and always distinctly aware of who signed their paychecks, and their loyalty was unflappable. There had been many times my son tried to bribe him to keep his mouth shut about sneaking out. Each time, Hamilton took the bribe and then immediately reported my son’s whereabouts.
You could only buy that kind of loyalty.
He’d be discreet about what was going on between Stella and me. He also managed the rest of the staff with an iron fist, ensuring that they worked at the same level he did. At all times.
Stella could pout all she liked.
It wouldn’t matter this time.
She would be learning her lesson soon enough.
I walked around the long, elegant table and pulled out her chair, motioning for her to sit.
Her lips twisted like she wanted to refuse, but I raised an eyebrow.
Thankfully, she was quick enough to learn that that expression was a threat, and one she should heed.
Sulking, she stomped over to the seat, and then her breeding took over, and she gingerly sat while I pushed in the chair. I didn’t miss her slight wince once she was in the chair.
“Is this really necessary?” she said, crossing her arms.
“Yes,” I said, moving back to my side of the table.
Less than thirty seconds after I sat down, Hamilton stepped into the dining room and held open the door for the kitchen staff. They placed the breakfast items on the table: pastries as well as omelets, coffee, tea and juices, fresh fruit, toast, and potatoes in three different ways. As well as a plethora of breakfast meats.
I stood again and selected for Stella.
In time, I would let the staff serve her, but this time, I would take care of it. She was far too thin. She needed to eat more. I piled her plate high with eggs, potatoes, bacon, and toast. Snatching a small crystal cup of cut fruit, I placed it all in front of her.
“I can’t eat all this!”
“Try,” I ordered as I turned to make us both a cup of coffee. Already knowing how she liked it from observing her at a cafe cart outside the courtroom, I added a sugar substitute and a little skim milk, then set the cup in front of her.
I loaded my plate up next with the proteins and carbs I was going to need to fuel my day, as well as a large cup of hot coffee.
“So what are your plans today?” I asked as I took my seat.
“Just a few errands to run,” she bit out.
“Good, then let’s make this quick. Let’s go over the rules that you seem to have already forgotten.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything,” she said, staring daggers at me.
“Really? I haven’t forgotten anything what?”
Her face paled as she looked at a maid and the footman, who stood by the door, waiting to see if we needed anything, and Hamilton, who stood beside him.
“In this house, the staff sign ironclad NDAs. When it is just us and the staff, we are in private.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything, sir,” she said between clenched teeth, and I barely heard it.
It was good enough for now. I understood that she was embarrassed by the way her cheeks glowed, and even the maid had a blush on her face as she stared down at her toes.
Hamilton had no expression at all.
Still, I wasn’t going to fault her for being embarrassed.
“Let’s go over all of the rules again and give you more details, shall we?”
“Yes, sir,” she said as she picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of cantaloupe.
“Good. Breakfast is served at 7:00 a.m. in this dining room, and if you are in this house, you will be here at 7:00 a.m., fully dressed and ready to enjoy your first meal. This is the meal where we will go over our itineraries, and I will let you know if there is anything pressing that I need you to do that day.”
“Is there?”
“Is there what?”
“Is there anything pressing that you need me to do today, sir?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. You need to be here and ready to leave with me at noon.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“If I had wanted you to know where we were going, I would have told you.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, staring back down at the plate.
I took a sip of my coffee. It really was the best blend. I had the beans flown in from Marrakesh. Batcha coffee was the only coffee I drank, and I could tell by the way her eyes lit up when she took a sip of it herself, Stella liked it too. And that told me a very valuable truth. She could not afford to be poor.
Her tastes were already too delicately honed to a life of excessive pleasures to ever survive the working class.
“I’m not going to go through an entire list of do’s and don’ts, but there are certain things that I will be expecting of you.”
She didn’t say anything. She just set her coffee cup back on the table, folded her hands in her lap, and waited.
“You are to accompany me to events, to be on my arm presented as my ward. You know how these events are. You know how to behave, and I expect you to behave as such. If you have any questions about what is and isn’t inappropriate at any given event, look for one of my daughters. They will tell you exactly what I expect.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You are also to stay out of my business. That means you don’t pry into conversations that you do not belong in. If I am having a conversation with a business associate while you are on my arm, you should be talking to their wife or their daughters, or looking around and not listening. Those conversations are not for your ears, is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“In return, you get a roof over your head. You are able to buy whatever you want, and then as I mentioned earlier, in six months we will announce our engagement. Then you will have another five months to plan the wedding. I believe your new card was given to you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. The event we’re going to later is not formal. It will be outside, more of a garden party. Buy what you need. Do what you need to do to be presentable by noon.”
“Yes, sir.”
She was trying to go for malicious compliance. Saying only what I told her she could say. She could do that all day long. Every time the word sir came from her lips, my cock twitched.
“Good girl,” I said before I drained my coffee and stood to head to work.
I had a meeting in twenty minutes, and I had to get into my office at the financial district. There was some business I preferred not to handle in my home.
Hamilton was already waiting by the door with the travel mug of my coffee as well as my copies of the paper which I would skim over in the car.
I stopped when I reached Stella and watched.
She sat there, her arms neatly folded and her breakfast barely touched.
“Do not leave this table until your plate is empty.”
“Yes, sir,” she bit out through clenched teeth.
With a chuckle, I rewarded her reluctant obedience with a kiss on her forehead, confident in her complete submission to my demands.