Helena could barely keep her eyes open.

Since the drive to the mansion was forty-five minutes away from the motel she was staying at, she had to wake up at three and then leave at four in the morning while it was still dark . After stopping at 7/11 for a small coffee, she sped right over to the mansion in uniform.

While on the freeway, Helena tried to take a sip of it. but someone slammed on their brakes really hard in front of her. She panicked trying to stop in time, accidentally squeezing the cup in the process and spilling most of it on her lap. She let out a frustrated groan, praying that it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, when she looked down, it made a giant round black stain on her white apron.

"Oh great." She groaned.

When she arrived and parked across the street from the mansion at 5:00 am, she tried to use napkins from her glove compartment to dab out the blotch.

As Helena pushed open their gate, she saw Mrs. Daville heading out the door.

"Good morning Mrs. Daville." She waved out, trying to sound cheerful and hide back her yawn.

Her employer gave her a quick look over, saw the stain on her dress and scoffed. "Your shift hasn't even started. How do you manage?" She didn't allow Helena a response. She held up her hand in front of her to stop with any excuses before heading out the gate to a waiting limo.

Helena rolled her eyes as it drove away, but when Mr. Reider opened the door and greeted her in nothing but a giant red robe and bear slippers, she brightened up instantly.

"Good morning." He smiled at her, sounding preppy even for this hour.

"Good morning to you too." She responded with a smile of her own.

"Hope it's not too early for you. We have coffee and muffins inside if you want it."

As Helena entered the mansion, she could already smell the freshly baked goods with the strong aroma of brewed coffee. The entire room was warm from a heater too, making her feel all warm and cozy but drowsy all over again.

"No thank you," She denied politely. "I'm afraid of getting any more on me." She showed him the stain mark and he chuckled.

"That's alright. Today my wife requested for you to train with Madame Lidiya for nine hours. You will have lunch in between of course." He paused and winked at her. "I'm sure somewhere down the line we'll find time to get that off you and wash it."

"Right, of course." She smiled. His wording is so out there. She thought.

To her, it seemed like he chose his words perfectly just to see if he could get a reaction out of the person. But Helena wouldn't allow it to affect her. She had her mind set to working all day, making the money back for Mrs. Daville and then some for herself. Maybe even make enough to afford a dorm at school for once instead of that crappy motel near it.

"Madame Lidiya should be in the laundry room. Do you remember how to get there? Or would you like me to show you?" He offered.

"I remember how to get there." She told him, which she did, she made mental notes of the entire tour yesterday. That and there was no way she could spend another minute alone with him looking this delicious in his bright red robe and bear slippers. Even though he was covered almost head-to-toe, Helena knew she would lose it if she saw the knot around his waist happen to loosened up a little or if she saw his calves, despite how ridiculous it sounded.

"Splendid." He said, presenting her with another smile that made Helena suck in her breath.

She pointed down the hall to her left. "It's this way right?" She asked, already heading in that direction.

"Right. Try not to get lost now little lamb." He teased her.

Helena's face turned red as she bolted down the hall and quickly opened the door leading to the laundry room.

"Everything alright myshka?" Madame Lidiya asked, surprised when she came in.

"Yeah, um, yes ma'am. I...just thought I was running late. I didn't want to keep you waiting." Helena said nervously.

"Well no need to rush, Helena. Your face is turning pink! Here, let me get you some water."

"N-No it's fine. Thank you though." Helena smiled and joined her side. "Now, where should we begin?"

Madame Lidiya spent hours going into details on what her duties were going to be and what the family was strict on, what to avoid, the whole know-how. She learned that the misses absolutely hated the smell of lemons so they couldn't use any cleaning supplies that were even remotely close to it. However, she loved it in her food.

Strange woman.

Helena also learned how the couple likes their pillows fluffed and stacked specifically. Mrs. Daville loves hers with one giant pillow in the middle with two little ones on the side while Mr. Reider prefers two long pillows stacked behind each other. She never met such complicated people but it oddly intrigued her to know more about them.

As they traveled around the house going into each room that she was assigned to, ever so often they would cross paths with Liam and he would catch her eye. He showered, switched out of the robe, and was now wearing a long sleeve sky blue dress shirt paired with khaki shorts. His hair was dark and damp but curly on top of his head and as they passed him to his bathroom, Helena's knees almost gave up on her.

The shower smelled clean of which type of soap he was using mixed with the scent of his cologne. It was overpowering, like an intoxicating tease and it wasn't fair. He kept it pretty tidy too. No hairs on the sink or overflowing trash. Thank goodness there wasn't much to show in there; her thoughts were running wild as Madame Lidiya described how to properly clean the shower and the only thing on her mind was his muscles flexing as he scrubbed his entire nude body from the top of his neck, down to his toned back...

They left pretty quick before her mind ventured too far.

Madame Lidiya spent the whole time talking without Helena saying much. She nodded her head when her trainer pointed out the chores here and there and answered the occasional question when she had one. But as the time ticked by, she found her eyelids drooping.

Pulling out her cell-phone, Helena checked the time to see that it's only been five hours. There were still four more to go. A yawn escaped her mouth when Madame Lidiya came over and sat down a tray of salted chips and a sliced turkey sandwich in front of them as they sat in the dining room. After thanking her, she took a bite, greedily chomping down on the juicy part with the lettuce and tomato.

"I must of talked ear off. Sorry about that myshka."

"Don't worry about it." Helena yawned again. "Sorry, please ignore that. I swear it's not you. I guess I'm not used to waking up so early."

"You will need to get used to it soon." She took a giant bite of her sandwich and talked as she chewed. "It might be normal time to clock in next few weeks."

Helena nodded, only half hearing what she was saying while toying with a loose piece of tomato.

"Well we've gone over laundry, cooking, the master bedrooms and his bathroom. That leaves living room, offices, guest room and misse's bathroom."

"Got it..." Helena replied wearily.

"Bosmo myshka, look at ya. You look, how you say, out from it." Madame Lidiya swallowed her food and wiped her mouth. "Look, I live on property with other maids in boarding rooms. You should go take nap in my room for rest of lunch."

"You sure? Won't I get in trouble?"

"Don't worry, I insist. Just come back in 30 minutes and we'll continue from there. No harm done."

"Alright. Thanks Madame Lidiya."

****************************************************

The boarding rooms were huge and inside were a lot of the maids and some butlers who worked at the mansion. Many were bustling about; a few of them stopped what they were doing to politely introduce themselves to Helena while others hurried off on their way without even a glance.

Madame Lidiya took them to a wooden door marked with the number 23 in tiny gold plating. When she opened it, it led into a small quaint room that had two twin sized beds and an old fashion bulky tv. It was adorable and all over the furniture had stitched quilts and other cute trendy items that were quilted in many different bright colors.

"Here you are myshka, make yerself at home." Madame Lidiya offered.

"Thank you." Helena replied gratefully. She stripped out of the apron and most of her uniform before climbing into one of the beds. "I'll be real quick, I promise."

"Don't worry pretty head. I'll see you in hour and half." She told her and shut the door behind her.

Helena nuzzled into the pillow and fell asleep in less than a minute. Her mind drifted and soon she found herself dreaming about Mr. Reider.

He was facing her, surrounded in a cloudy empty white room, and wearing the same fuzzy robe she saw him in this morning. Helena greedily drank in his features as they were alone, admiring the twinkle in his green eyes and the small dimple on the right of his chin as he smiled at her. His hands were buried in his pockets and the rope around his waist was knotted at his crotch like a gift ribbon dying to be pulled.

Without hesitation, she approached him. Her body was suddenly tingling as she toyed with the belt, debating whether or not to pull. What am I doing? This was crazy! Plus he's taken. But...someone would have to be crazy enough not to see how stunning this man was. Any woman would have been insane not to want just a little taste... So she tugged a bit, enough where it opened out to reveal his chest.

Something made her wake up suddenly and when she checked her phone, she shrieked and hopped out of the bed, seeing that she was over an hour late. She rushed to the chair for her outfit but in its place was a note with her backpack next to it.

Well isn't that nice. Helena thought and changed into a pair of black tights with a long tee shirt from inside her bag. After she jogged over to the main house and opened the door, she found Madame Lidiya dusting around the living room. She greeted her with a smile. "Get enough sleep?"

"Yeah. Sorry I overslept."

"It alright. I'm sure you needed it. But where is uniform hun?"

"Huh? The note told me to meet you and your daughter here to get it." Helena said, confused.

"Bosmo, it's been a long time since then. I thought she would have dropped it off back at room by now. Maybe she's on way to do it. Go see if you can catch her?"

"Alright." Well the place is big, maybe we just missed each other. As Helena head back outside she heard an obnoxious giggle coming from the courtyard. When she rounded the corner, she found Mr. Reider talking to a young girl in the same maid uniform. In her arms looked like she was holding Helena's folded uniform. "Oh that must be her."

As she got closer to them, she could hear their conversation.

"Oh Liam! You are so funny! You can't be saying stuff like that!" She giggled excitedly. She could definitely tell this was Madame Lidiya's daughter because of her strong Russian accent.

Mr. Reider laughed with her as she latched herself around his arm. "What if your wife heard you say that to me?" She said, lowering her voice into a whisper.

"Uh-hem?" Helena cleared her throat awkwardly.

Both of them looked surprised at Helena but then the girl's happy expression darkened.

"Hey Mr. Reider." She smiled at him.

His eyes sneakily scanned over her outfit and he smirked, his breath hitching a bit. "Good to see you again Helena."

"And hello...?"

"Alice." The young girl stated quickly, still clinging onto their employer.

"Right, nice to meet you." Helena responded dryly and felt a ping of annoyance. "Your mother told me that you would have my uniform from the wash. Is that mine by chance?"

"Oh, yes of course." She sang and pushed it into her hands. "Fresh from dryer."

"Wow you washed her uniform for her?" Mr. Reider asked, grinning down at Alice. "That's very nice of you."

"Of course." She beamed. "I am nicest one here. Now, let us go eat! I'm so hungry. I will make you something you will love too!" She giggled and dragged them away from Helena.

"Ahaha alright Alice." He chuckled and they both headed off towards the kitchen. " We'll catch up with you next time Helena!"

Helena shook her head. She knew how good looking Mr. Reider was, it was only natural for him to attract admirers from his staff, especially with how polite he was. Even earlier in the day, Helena could have sworn she heard one of the older maids gushing about him during training. It actually surprised her that he allowed Alice to cling onto him so much. Something could be going on between the two but the way he was handling it, maybe it was just an innocent crush.

Did it make Helena jealous? Of course not. Was she lucky? Hell yes she was! But Helena wouldn't allow herself to stoop so low, especially so openly.

After heading back to Madame Lidiya's room to switch back into her maid outfit, she unfolded it and saw the giant black stain on her apron was still there.

"Fresh from the dryer, my ass." Helena groaned, rolling her eyes. She couldn't believe it. Alice had lied to her with a huge phony smile and it made her blood boil. Helena sighed; she wouldn't let it to get to her, she refused to let her anger get the best of her. So instead she walked back to the laundry room, found some soap to use and scrubbed at the spot with hot water. "At least the dryer will take care of the rest in a short time." She told herself.

Aside from another dryer whirling behind her, it was quiet and she was alone in the large concrete room until the door on the other end opened. Thinking nothing of it and that it was just another maid passing through, she continued washing at the mark before she looked up and realized who it was.

"Oh! Hello Mr. Reider."

"Hey Helena." He glanced down at her hands. "Don't tell me you got it dirty again!" He laughed.

She laughed awkwardly. "No, it's not that. It seems that it wasn't washed after all." She held up the damp spot.

"Oh, Alice didn't wash it? That's rather odd of her. She's usually pretty good with the laundry too. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. It must have slipped her mind or something." She huffed under her breath and tried to hold back the sarcasm in her voice. "Though, if you're on your way out, could you tell Madame Lidiya that I'll be running a little late? I don't want to keep her waiting for too long."

"I can definitely do that for you." He grinned at her. As he headed back out through the door, he paused for a moment to say, "By the way, you look really good in that outfit little lamb."

Helena froze and he shut the door behind him before she had a chance to say anything. She stared at where he was standing and her heart couldn't stop fluttering. She placed her hand over her chest. "Chill out. We can't get caught up with him. It was just a compliment. Get a hold of yourself." Bonking herself gently on the head a few times, she went back to the stain but her mind would keep drifting, replaying those words in her head again and again.

Time went by and no matter how hard she scrubbed, the stubborn stain wouldn't budge. With a sigh, she tossed it into the dryer. When she met back with Madame Lidiya, she had a frown on her face.

"That took a while there, myshka ."

"Sorry," Helena apologized. "I thought I scrubbed it enough to at least make a dent, but that's not the case."

"Mr. Daville told me you had to wash again. I am very sorry you meet my daughter like that. Alice has taken a liking to him and gets catty around other women if they dare look at him. I don't like it, she become as stubborn as her father. I didn't expect her to fight against what I said though."

"It's alright." Helena reassured her. "So what do we do now?"

"I, how you say, don't mean to break you, but it seems like stain may have gotten worse."

Helena gasped in shock when she turned it around. She had rushed it back on without even noticing that it had now spread across the middle of her apron. "Oh no! What should I do?"

Madame Lidiya looked worried. "I'm not sure, myshka. Misses only give one uniform a year because of how expensive cloth is. Also with amount of time you took, our shifts are now over. Why don't you go wash with our machines and see if it comes out with bleach. I'll explain to misses in morning."

"Oh...O.K." Helena said sadly. Good going Helena, way to fxck up on day one already.

As she gathered her belongings, she walked back towards the washing room and spotted Mr. Reider jogging towards her.

"Helena! May I speak with you?" He called out and stopped in front of her.

"Of course, what do you need Mr. Reider? I was just on my way home after a quick wash to see if I can get the stain out."

"No need." He smirked mischievously and suddenly embraced Helena into his arms.

"Mr. Reider!" Helena shrieked, her whole face turning scarlet. "What are you-"

"Here, don't tell anyone about this." He whispered and slipped something soft into her hands before letting her go. "Try not to get this one dirty please." He chuckled and jogged away. "Thanks for your help today! See you tomorrow!"

Helena stared in disbelief. What just happened?! She was gawking at him before she glanced down into her hand. Oh!

It was a brand new fresh apron for her. She couldn't believe it. That was incredibly nice! A huge smile spread over her lips and she felt like her heart was soaring.

Though suddenly, she felt like she had eyes on her. When she turned around, she saw Alice leaving with Madame Lidiya, and she was giving Helena a very nasty look before she left with her mother.

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