Hello, slammin' pipz? How you been? Very sorry for the late upload. But hey, I managed to make another chapter in the midst of my crazy schedule. So as I always say, enjoy reading and review of you wanna- it's my joy. Yeaaaaah! ROCK ON! Peace out! Chu! :*

-toucHeart-

White Camellia- You're Adorable

Gorgeous Atobe Keigo opened his eyes to the upbeat music of his mother's daily routine exercise, a blank expression on his face. He jumped out of his bed, put his red robe on and went to his window which directly faces the garden and flashed the very first grin of the day. "Good morning, Atobe household."

Butler Michael opened the door a few seconds later, "Good morning, Young Master." He set a fresh bunch of white camellias on the coffee table, followed by his breakfast tray. He greeted back, took the pen and the card Michel gave him and sent the bunch to Adel.

"Hold it," the maids and Butler Michael looked up from their preparations, "I feel like having breakfast in the garden today. Set it outside."

The maids and Butler Michael nodded, "Yes, Young Master."

As they were leaving his room, Atobe asked, "Has mother taken her breakfast already?"

"Not yet, Young Master."

He smiled. "I see. Set her breakfast with mine, too, please."

"Yes, Young Master."

"How is the new recruit's performance coming along, Michael?"

There was a short, surprised pause before, "Managing, Young Master."

He chuckled. "That's good. Just keep being honest, alright? Monitor her each and every move."

A smile traced Michael's lips, pleased with his young master's mood this early in the morning. "You seem to be having a lot of fun, Young Master."

When Atobe opened the sliding glass door that leads to their magnificent garden, his eyes immediately followed the movements of the two women on the grounds exercising. "Oh yes," he stepped out into the sunlight, "Yes, I am."

Irah panted as if all the breath from her body has been sucked out by a vacuum cleaner. And yet, she couldn't stop and could only laugh and smile with Atobe Nerissa as they did another round of jumping jacks, along with the upbeat music. The moment her feet landed the ground at the last count, the music ended.

Still panting, she fetched the Madam of the House her towel.

"That was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" Madam Nerissa asked her.

"Yes, Maam!" she replied, cheerfully and truthfully. She just came in this morning at the Atobe household, caught Nerissa's eyes, got invited to exercise and had fun. Atobe Nerissa is a gorgeous woman, full of confidence and intellect, not uneasy to deal or talk with and the epitome of every lady-like manner imaginable. She adored the way she walks. She wanted to walk just like her. There was something in her steps that reminded her of her sister.

Nerissa took the drink she offered her and consumed it with finesse. Then, with another excited gleam on her eyes, she turned to her saying, "Shall we do another round?"

She was having a hard time refusing her through her dynamic chatter when a voice stopped the Madame from turning the music again. "She has chores to do, Mother."

They both reeled and saw Atobe Keigo. Demon King.

At the sight of her son, the Madame excused herself and approached him. Atobe Keigo's expression softened. He took her mother's hand as he always does early in the morning and kissed it. Then exchanged, the cheesiest but, she must say, the sweetest greetings of the morning. He pulled his mother a seat and got ready to have breakfast.

The moment he sat himself down, he looked straight at Irah and said, "What are you doing way out there? Come here and tend to my needs."

Ugh! Here he goes again! She stomped her way into the row of maids and stood the farthest away from him. She closed her eyes tightly in frustration and the conversation they both had after she woke up that night came flooding in like her favorite gravy on her chicken.

"What? What're you talking about? This was not in the deal! Me being your personal maid for one week was definitely NOT in the deal."

Atobe leaned back against his chair comfortably. "But my Mother wouldn't accept an explanation of me helping you out on Chotaro. She's a hopeless romantic and would say to leave you two on weaving your own fairytale." He placed a bookmark on the second foreign book he's been reading, "Besides, even if she'd accept, she'd offer her help without my permission and be a humungous bother."

"B-but…"

"One week is all I need. It would be just in time for the Opening Ceremony Ball. What'd you say?" She was about to refuse when he cut her short. "No, don't answer that. You don't have a choice but to grab it. The perfect time for the perfect training in preparation for the perfect ball to catching your perfect Prince Charming…"

A war waged within her. Under the same roof? One week? TORTURE! But…

"And soon… a perfect wedding…" Atobe continued to make the tempting proposal.

"Why are you really pushing it, dimwit?"

"I am anything but a gentleman. And a gentleman has a clear conscience; he also doesn't stand idly by when his friend needs something. He makes a move and awards those who help him in his actions."

Friend? Her? Now, that appealed to her. That's a step.

Wait.

Step towards what?

What was she hoping for? So what if he sees her as a friend? A lot of people do. Why does his opinion matter so much?

"Hey," Atobe's calling wakened her from her flashback.

"Yes, young master," Irah approached him and replaced the girl at the very first of the line. The row shifted. The tinkling and churning of the dining utensils were singing with the peaceful and calming music of the nature. Irah closed her eyes. The sound was very fun to listen to. She was having the time of her li-

"Water."

She snapped her eyes open, irritated. Her pretty expression immediately turned horrid and the music screeched to a stop like a sound of an old beaten up record. Atobe's amused and challenging eyes met her gaze when she looked down at the table. She lifted her chin up.

"It's right there in front of you, young master." She gestured gracefully to the pitcher of water three spoon's length away from his plate. Since she met the Grand Lady of the House this morning, she felt this nagging need to possess just a little bit of her elegance in her system.

"I see it. Pour me another glass."

"Is something wrong with your arms, young master?" she asked as sweetly and innocently as she could, feigning shock and worry.

"Why do you have to ask? Just do as you are told."

"Well," she pretended to sigh her relief. "Good to know you aren't hurt in any way. Although I must say, your tone when you speak isn't really that of a gentleman." She lifted the pitcher and filled his cup. The moment the water was halfway up from the brim, she set the pitcher down, made sure he saw her eyes dripping with annoyance and sarcasm and turned to stand on her place in the line. But, Atobe's arm shot out from the table and grabbed hers. She tripped back in front of him.

Her patience wore off. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU INGRA-!"Shoot, the Madame was looking at her weirdly, "Y-young Master?" Recovered. "Is anything the matter?"

"You."

"HUH?" she exclaimed a little too loudly. She cleared her throat. "Pardon me, Sir?"

He sighed and signaled a butler nearby to pull her a chair. The obedient butler complied. He looked at her; she made a face at him.

Madame Nerissa laughed out loud. That ended the skit.

"Sit down, dear, and join us. It's the least I can do to pay you for accompanying me in my exercise."

"B-but-"

"I insist. Come. It's be more enjoyable. Right, Keigo?"

Atobe didn't even flinch. Bastard…. Oh well.

"Thank you very much, Maam." She said as she sat down.

"Good morning, everyone!"

The Atobes turned in surprise and she in dread as her beloved elder sister approached the table with genuine and elegant grace. The air and sunlight seemed to follow her as she walked. Shit!

This is bad. She hadn't told her elder sister the deal with her job yet. What in Pete's name is she going to do? Her train of thought stopped abruptly when Atobe excused himself from the table and sauntered in all manliness towards Adel. The two of them looked perfect, smiling and walking side by side.

"They look perfect," Madame Nerissa echoed her thoughts.

"Yeah."

"How boring."

W-what? With wide, surprised eyes, she reeled towards the Grand Lady of the House who was smiling sweetly amidst her piercing, confused gaze.

"Boring," she said again. I know that! I heard, dammit! What I want to know now is why you think that way! She wanted to shout her thoughts to her face, but respect and modesty prevented her from doing so. She knew better, Thank God. Besides the two lovers were now only a stone's throw away of from the table.

"Mother, Adel has come to visit us."

"Yes, dear. I can see that." She almost laughed.

"How do you do, Madame Nerissa?"

"Very well, Adel ojou-sama. Your parents?"

"Great. They send their regards."

"Send them mine as well. Please. Have a seat. Join us for breakfast."

"Uhm- I…"

"Here you go."

"Oh, b-but I…"

"My sister doesn't really eat anything that has butter for breakfast, Madame."

Everyone turned towards Irah, now the one pulling her sister her seat, the one she was supposed to sit in.

"Irah? What are you doing here?" Adel's face registered complete and pure surprise.

"Part-time job, Onee-chan. Didn't I tell you?"

"No!"

"Really?" she scratched her head and laughed sheepishly, as if to put the subject off. "Now you do. I'll just bring the newly baked wheat bread over. Would you like that, Onee-chan?"

Her elder sister just sighed her surrender. "You sly, sly, meanie," her sister ruffled her hair. "You know that's my favorite kind of bread."

With that she skipped to the kitchen in a jiffy. Okay, she lied. She ran.

The two-way kitchen door swung wildly within Michael's line of sight. "Irah ojou-sama! Please refrain from running in the halls."

"Yes!" she stopped. "Irah. Only."

Michael just went back to washing the dishes, ignoring her correction.

"Sir, is the wheat bread ready?"

"Yes, did someone request for it?"

"Yes, Sir." She came towards him.

"The Madame?"

"No, Sir. The guest."

The plate Butler Michael was holding would have hit the floor with a resounding crash if not for her catching it.

"Michael-san, Sir?"

But the butler had already straightened his tie, grabbed the basket of freshly baked bread and left through the door in a blink. Irah could do nothing but watch him go by.

"Amazing," was all she could say. "Oh well, might as well finish this. I am getting paid after all." So she continued to do her job, humming a tune. For awhile, she was like that.

"Where did you hear that music?"

"Shit!" since she was washing the bread knife, she cut herself from its blade. A bead of blood settled on her thumb and soon flowed like a creek from her finger down to her palm. "Owww…" she sucked on her finger.

"Give it," Atobe grabbed her hand. She jerked it away. "Stay put, dammit." Before she could say anything, Atobe had already pulled her finger into the warmth of his mouth, gently sucking it.

"What are you-!" she held her breath when he bit on her flesh gently. She looked up at his face and almost stopped breathing when she was met by his intense purple eyes. She felt her cheeks burn. The blood drained from her finger as Atobe continued to suck it out. After a while, his tongue grazed her wound gently. The sensation was maddening. Her cheeks' reddening didn't get any better. Soon, in the most erotic way it could ever be done, he pulled her finger out of his mouth, his eyes never leaving hers.

"The bleeding stopped." He said in a husky voice.

"Y-you shouldn't have done that! What are y-you, s-some kind of vampire or something?"

He just chuckled.

A bird chirped.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Please don't do that again…"

"W-what?"

"What you just did…"

A drop fell on the sink.

"And sorry for the trouble."

"No problem."

The sound of the fridge seemed to drown everything out. Including the crazy beating of her heart.

"Hey, Atobe-"

"Irah? Atobe Keigo-sama? Where are you?" Adel's voice called out in the near distance.