Episode 5: "Alicia The Maid."

Alicia woke with a start.

"Oh fine, you live." Delilah twirled a finger around the rim of her glass.

Alicia looked to the voice and she fought the urge to frown and roll her eyes. "Where's Christian? What happened?"

"Asking for him already." Delilah finished her drink and set it down, Alicia watching as she approached her. She smirked. "Relax, little girl. He'll be around. But he asked me to get you ready, shadow you and what not." She flipped her hair back.

"Get me ready?"

"Yeah, don't look so surprised girl. Did you think Christian was kidding when he said you'd be working tonight?" She sqautted down.

"No, but..." She sat up. "I was hoping to get some training in before everyone started to arrive. So I wouldn't be in anybody's way." I don't want to look like an idiot! she thought.

"Yeah well, that's too bad. You shouldn't have fainted."

"You would to with the kind of pressure that's been put on me." Alicia gave her a look.

"What pressure?" Delilah rose an eyebrow.

She thought it wise not to speak anymore about it. Perhaps Delilah went through something similar and if that was the case, then of course she'd be jealous. She thought about what Christian said in regards to her being jealous of anyone he takes that's new. He must've been through quite a few girls, she thought.

"I'm thirsty. Is there any water to drink?"

"Yeah, on the table." Delilah said, straightening up. "And, this is your uniform, unless you want something...custom made." She picked up a white bag. She was fuming on the inside. It was not uncommon for Christian to allow the girls to pick out a uniform they wanted, or would want custom made. She was angry that she had to be the one telling her this. And quite frankly hated that she would be Christian's new girl. She would sooner have her in a burlap sack serving customers then in a maid's uniform.

"Custom made?" She asked.

"Yes." Delilah said. "Christian has you wear a default uniform, if you're a new hire, and then pick out a uniform in this brochure here. Or, you can have it custom made."

"Was yours custom made?"

"Yes. You are allowed three outfits. Each can be a different color or style, or you can be like Rick and choose all three of the same style and color."

"Rick?"

"You'll meet her."

"Her?"

"We don't discriminate on names here. Now, get up. I have a lot to show you in a very short amount of time."

Alicia did as she was told, and went towards the pitcher of water. She poured herself a glass and Delilah turned the lights up as they were dim.

She pulled out a white uniform and leaped on the inside at Alicia's expression.

She pulled the glass away from her lips and swallowed. "That's hideous! What is this! The 1950s! Oh my gosh! That's awful!"

"Well, it was the only thing in the back that could fit your small self. Belonged to a girl who no longer works here. It was during a costume party we all had a couple years back. It's a Small-Medium."

"Is it clean?" She asked.

"No, Christian let's all of his costumes rot."

Alicia stared at her, not sure if she was being serious.

"Yes, this is clean." She rolled her eyes, hating that she had to be so honest with the girl as she was sure she'd go back and tell Christian everything. That, and they had cameras. Strategically placed. Not even she knew where most of them were, only a couple.

Alicia took it from her.

"And this is the brochure." Delilah placed a pamplet down with a couple anime girl characters smiling faces. "Go through it while you're dressing," She turned and entered the code to get out. The doors unlocked. She turned to her. "See what you like, and report it to Christian. Or, if you don't find anything you like, you can go about customizing it."

"Yeah, how does one go about customizing it?" She flipped through it, already seeing some she liked and some she defintely wasn't wearing. "Is it only the ones in here that can be tweaked, or I can have a completely different one?" She looked to her.

"You can have a complete different one within reason. I mean, Christian's rich but he's not a bank." She flipped her hair midway and stopped.

Alicia had risen an eyebrow.

"Probably shouldn't have said that..." She said.

"That's okay. I won't tell." Alicia said.

"Doesn't matter." she said, staring at her. "We have cameras. It'll get to Christian's ears sooner or later."

"And since I have to--" She closed her mouth and folded her lips. And since I have to drive home with him I would have seen it anyway.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Alicia said. "Can you show me to the bathroom--shoot!"

"What?"

"I don't think I have shoes to go with this outfit!"

"Relax. There's some white sneakers in the back."

"Sneakers and everybody is wearing heals?" Not that she could walk in them.

"Well honey, that's what you get for being a new hire." Delilah mocked her. "Now, march!"

Right. This woman was still a manager so Alicia felt inclined to show her that much respect, but that was it. She thought about make-up, as Delilah was wearing it and wondered if she would have to too?

Gathering up everything, her purse stayed around her body, she walked out the door and the butterflies descended.

She saw flashing lights but more importantly, a couple of new co-workers

One girl rose her eyebrows and then rolled her eyes. The other looked her way, smiling some.

At least someone was welcoming.

"Ricky! Julia! Come meet the new hire!"

She wondered if the girl who rolled her eyes was Ricky. Her name, though a guy's, screamed 'bully' all over it.

One was pale with a very light tan, the other her color, brown.

They came over.

"This is Alicia June."

The pale one snickered.

"Oh! Can I call you 'AJ' for short!?" the other one asked. Her hair was blonde and in pigtails that were wrapped on either side of her head, with the rest flowing down.

She was very pretty to Alicia.

The pale one had green hair, along with her maid outfit being green, white and black. Aside from reminding her of leprechaun or even 'Buttercup' from Powerpuff Girls, she was okay.

"Yeah, that sounds a lot better than 'Alicia June'." She remarked.

"Well, I don't plan on having you call me by my first and last name." Alicia said. "Alicia is fine. Or you can call me 'AJ'. She smiled at the other girl.

"Great!" she said. "I'm Ricky by the way!" She held out her hand to shake.

So you're Ricky? she thought. So then you must be Julia... She shook Ricky's hand and looked to Julia.

Julia eyed her up and down. "Because I'm being paid I'll introduce myself. The names Julia." She didn't hold her hand out for Alicia to shake.

"Hm, Alicia." She looked away.

"So this is the girl replacing you?" Julia asked.

Delilah gave her a look.

"Oops. Didn't mean to say that out loud." She turned away. "Don't be an idiot, new girl."

Alicia feeling upset watched her walk away. Julia chuckled, looking at her again before she left out.

"Don't worry about Julia. Once she see's you as someone to respect, she'll lighten up." Ricky said.

"I don't care if she personally respects me or not. Just in the workplace. If this is the kind of environment that Christian has me working in--hmm...."

"What?" Ricky said. "You don't like the boss or?"

"He's very unique, I'll say that much. And he's given me a job, so there's that..." She pulled her mind from thinking any further about it.

"Yes, well, Christian has very unique tastes and as to why he settled on you--"

"Oh give it a rest, Delilah!" Ricky said. "You've been complaining about this girl since she's been unconscious."

"You are so lucky I can't fire you!" she hissed.

"Hmm, yes, that is too bad." Ricky turned to Alicia. "I'm a maid, but I'm also the superviser here."

"Oh really?" Alicia said, feeling better already.

"I come in about three times a week, well for the night shift. Make sure everything is running smoothly. Christian texted me and let me know that he hired someone new."

"Oh." She nodded.

"I'm normally active during the daylight hours."

"Oh, okay. Well I'm not complaining. The more help I can possibly have, the better."

"Of course. Although you will have to be kind of fast here. Delilah will keep you, up to speed." Ricky eyed her.

"Yes, Ma'am." Delilah said in a childish tone and rolled her eyes.

"Good. Let's go ahead and get you changed. The bathroom is right over there."

"Thanks." She said, "I love your outfit by the way."

It was all navy blue other than her socks and flats, and complimented her skin tone well. It looked more like a lolita outfit than a maid's and was very modest. It was a one piece dress, that stopped above the knee but the 'skirt' area frayed out some, and black bows were sown in on the ends of either side. She wore a black apron that that stopped a little before the dressed ended, and black fingerless gloves. Completing her look was a a black frilled headress piece and what appeared to be black diamond studs in her ears.

"Thank you!" she said. "It's actually in the brochure! Just don't get the same outfit as me, okay?"

"Oh, I won't." she said

Delilah watched them walk to the bathroom.

Ricky turned. "Delilah, where are the shoes? She'll need them." She turned to Alicia. "Hopefully they'll fit."

"I know right?" she said.

"They're in the back. I'll get them." She turned away, cursing under her breath.

Ricky walked inside with her. "Now, just change out of everything, and I'll be right back with a key to your new locker."

"Okay." She said. Her cell vibrated.

"Oh, got a text?"

"Yeah, I'll check it later." Alicia said. It was probably her mother again.

"Okay, I'll be right back. Christian should be here any minute to, so..." she pulled out her phone from one of the apron pockets.

"Yeah."

"Yep! Hurry! Hurry!" she said.

"Okay!" Alicia turned toward a stall as Ricky left out. She lowered her head and turned to look in the mirror.

No make-up, her face was a little dry, and her lips were a little crusty. She wanted to cry but she had done enough of that. Eyes burning, she entered the stall and closed the door. It came with a mirror inside it. Pulling out the dress, she guessed it was okay.

She quickly got out of her clothes and slipped it on. It was a little snug around her waist and gripped her hips. She may have been small, but she had a figure that was sure to show. She smiled at this and then grimaced.

The dress stopped a little passed her knees. Her hair was in braids, so she wasn't sure how it would all work out. She restyled it into a bun, and slipped on the headpiece that came with it. She looked herself over in the mirror. The uniform fit her just right. She turned in a circle.

"Not bad..." she whispered. "Not bad at all." She then pulled on some new stockings that came inside the white bag.

"Hey new girl!"

She jumped in a fright.

"Shoes." Delilah said, placing them on the counter.

She left out before Alicia good say anything.

Ooh! she thought. Folding everything up and making sure everything was in the right places, she unlocked the stall and stepped out. They weren't sneakers, but a pair of loafers. They seemed brand new as far as the white color went.

She stepped into them. They barely fit. She walked around in them. It felt as though they wanted to slip off, but if she walked liked there was something stuck up her butt she should be okay. Not.

She filled the front and back ends with some tissue, careful for it not show or ride up as she walked about. She had to get another outfit.

The brochure. She didn't think she had time to look over it more. She would later.

Ricky came in then. "Oh! Don't you look cute!"

Alicia blushed with a smile. "Thank you..."

"How does everything fit?"

"Definitely looking forward to my own uniform."

"Right, well Christian's here."

Butterflies swarmed her stomach. "He is?"

"Yep, just arrived. And here's your key--you know what, just let me take these things from you." She took her clothes. "I'll show you where everything is for the night once we're done or have a quiet minute. It just turned seven so things are really getting started."

"Oh, okay." Alicia said.

"Well, come on, Miss Alicia June, or shall I say, 'AJ'.

That made her laugh a little.

Walking out the bathroom doors she turned to see Christian and all his hotness talking to the young boy from earlier.

He looked her way and smirked.

She averted her attention to the floor.

The boy said something to him and Christian nodded. He walked away.

"Wow, she looks better in that than I thought she would." Julia had come around the corner.

"Julia." He said.

"Right, this is basically the second 'boss' now." She looked at Alicia.

"Excuse me?" Alicia rose her head.

"Don't worry, you'll see." Julia turned and caught the death glare Christian was giving her.

Alicia saw it too.

"Probably shouldn't have said that..." she looked down at a storage rack and snatched up a random box to hide behind. "Love ya, boss!" she said, walking out.

"That is Julia." He said.

"I know. And like I said, your employees must really do their job here for you not to fire them based on personality alone."

"Oh! Girl got some fire in her." Ricky said.

"Oh..." Alicia laughed nervously.

"I know she does." Christian said, looking at her.

She looked to him and then away.

"Well, let me put your things away. Uh, you want me to get that?" she motioned to her purse.

"Uh yeah, just let me grab my phone." She pulled it out and it lit up.

"Oh! No cellphones, it's a distraction. I have one, because I'm the superviser."

"Oh, okay." Alicia placed her phone back inside. Her stomach twisted into knots. The text was from her mother, and she didn't like all what she had read from it so far.

"Alicia, your father and I have decided to move the date to you being out of the house by..."

She couldn't read the rest of it.

"All right. I'll leave her to you while I place your things away." Ricky said. "Good luck, AJ."

Alicia watched her walk away with her things and wished for a moment she could join her to read the rest of that text. She probably could have too, had she spoke up.

"Alicia." Christian said, observing her facial expressions. She looked sick again.

"Yeah, I mean, yes?" She looked to him.

Dubsteb music played though the speakers then, and the lights were turned down.

"All right! Who's ready to party!" Julia yelled from a microphone.

"Come join me in my office, please?" He said, walking passed her. He opened one of the private rooms. She wordlessly walked in, remembering her screwdriver and fork were inside her purse.

Christian closed the door behind her.

There was a desk, with a computer, lamp, phone and small plant. He had no picture frames of family members. The walls were painted in red again. A leather red cushioned chair sat behind the desk.

He took a seat in it. "You may have a seat."

She sat down in one.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Did he really just ask her that? From her fainting, to the possibility of her being used just to have a place to rest her head, to her mother's texts, to her now rude co-workers, excluding Ricky, he asked that question?

She leaned forward and placed an arm on the desk. "Nothing Christian. Nothing at all. Nothing is wrong with me, I'm as happy as I can be."

He looked her over. "Right. Well, before I put you out on the floor, I needed to be sure of that. I don't want you tripping over people. That would make a very bad first impression."

"Well you hired me..." Alicia turned away.

"You accepted." He said.

She looked back at him. They stared one another down. "Is there a way I can get out of this position? Quit or something?"

"This isn't a contract. You can leave anytime you want."

"Oh really?" She said. "Because it certainly feels like that."

"Well it's not. So don't let it get to you." He said.

"So with Delilah? She didn't quit. Judging from the way she's been treating me and what everyone is saying, I think they know I'm, directly under you or something?"

Christian shook his head. "You are a maid. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But it seems like I'm a little bit more to you, and the people around here seem to know that. Julia and Delilah have already commented on it."

"As they will. Delilah is jealous and Julia is blunt. You will be talked about regardless here."

"And being under you, forbid I'm doing anything unworthy, is going to make them talk more?"

"Yes." He said.

"Do they know about the pay raise?"

"No, not the exact amount. But they know that if I have personally chosen you, it does come with a pay increase."

"Did you pay Delilah the same price you're paying me?"

"Yes."

She rose her eyebrows.

"You will see everything once I take you to my place. Other than that, please try and focus on your work. Delilah will be shadowing you as I have said. The work is not too hard. It's more memorization than anything else. And cooking. Hopefully you can. This is a cafe."

"Aren't there designated workers for that?"

"There are, but all maids are cross-trained in all areas. You never know when someone will drop the ball, which has happened in the past. Both cooks got sick and I had to have Ricky and Delilah covering the stove."

She snickered. "Delilah can cook?"

"She has to if she wants to continue working here. I don't know about her personal skills at home."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, it's just that with how dressed up she is--"

"She wouldn't seem like the type?"

"No, not at all." Alicia said.

"That's the misconception here. This is just a job. Everyone here still has lives outside of work. They still have to go home, do whatever it is they do behind closed doors."

"Right..." Alicia said, thinking about what he would have her doing behind close doors. "And speaking of closed doors--"

"Alicia." He cut her off. "We're not discussing that here."

"Well it must be big for everyone to notice!" Her mind immediately conjured up the sexual aspect of that sentence and she squeezed her legs tighter together.

He chuckled quietly.

Did he think it was sexual, she wondered. Oh gosh she hoped not!

"Yes, well, it is a big deal." He looked down at his keyboard briefly before making eye contact with her again. And she was dressed in the perfect attire too. What a way to play with his nerves. "But as I said, you will see once we get there. Now, if there isn't anything you'd like to say to me, you may leave."

She opened her mouth and then closed it. She opened it again.

"If you can't think of anything now, just ask Delilah or Ricky. If I'm around, then you can come ask me, or Roy."

"I thought they called you 'Roy'?"

"They do, excluding, Delilah and Ricky. Julia too, as she just calls me 'boss'. But you'll know the difference. Roycel, the boy you saw me talking to earlier goes by 'Roy' as well. If we're both on the floor, everyone will just call him his full name."

"And you don't want people calling you your first name because?"

"It's not that I don't, it's just that unless I know you well, my first name is, kind of off limits."

"You sure it's not because you want no one coming after you?"

He thought about that. "No, not really. I just prefer people not to call me by my first name unless they're worthy."

"And judging by Delilah calling you that is simply because she was where I am now? Your...new little assistant?"

"You could say that. She started calling me by my first name after she became my assistant."

"Is that so..." Alicia said pondering those words for a moment before it was whisked away by her own coming misfortunes. "Well, let's get this over with...whatever happens." She stood up, thinking about everything that could go wrong, or would hurt her this night. She would see how it would go. If something didn't work out, she'd quit. Even if a part of her body was sacrificed, she wouldn't know unless she went. There was no other alternative. She looked to Christian. His eyes bore into her own.

Did he feel no remorse for his actions? But then again, should anything happen, she did sign her name on the dotted line. But he could go to jail for something like this! It was under the table! Technically, though, it wasn't. She was sure women got sexually harrassed while on their jobs all the time, despite the application not saying so. Their job was to work. What happened at their place of business was something else entirely.

She didn't think she'd be a statistic, however long or short the percentages were.

"Yes, lets." Christian said.