the one to do it. Or maybe whatever husband she finds tonight. They’ll worship her for as long as it takes to lift her skirt, but then move on when something more interesting comes along.”
Franklin grinned.
“And that won’t be you, will it?”
“Fuck off,” I said again, attempting to pull away. His grip was too tight.
Glancing back at him, I couldn’t read the odd expression on his face. Franklin looked like he wanted to tell me something, but he shook his head instead and let me go.
“Hide in the kitchens tonight if you don’t want to see her. It’ll be safer for you in there.”
Nodding, I turned and walked down a long hall, my arms reaching out to shove past a set of double doors leading into the kitchens. They slammed against the walls, drawing the attention of the other servants, before clattering closed behind me.
I spent the next several hours helping prepare the dishes that would be served to all the guests, heaping piles of every food you could imagine. Polished silver appetizer trays and glistening flutes for champagne. Nothing was too exorbitant for the bitch princess.
After a while, I was asked to deliver a few trays to the ballroom. The guests would be arriving within the hour.
I’d just set down the tray on one of the large banquet tables when I heard her voice behind me, a silky melody of sound that scratched at my nerves while forcing my pulse into a pounding beat. I refused to turn around because I knew Lisbeth would only torment me.
“Callan? Why won’t you look at me when I speak to you? Do you want to get in trouble?”
A chorus of feminine laughter erupted around her, and I turned to face Lisbeth.
She looked stunning. Her blond hair was styled back, half pulled up into a braid that crowned her head while the rest was left to flow down her back. Her white dress left nothing to the imagination, a tight bodice that showcased her supple tits while the silk below it hugged a tiny waist and round hips. I knew if she spun around, that heart-shaped ass would be on display.
Lisbeth’s head tilted to the side, a sly grin curving the corner of her mouth. Dark lashes fanned her ice blue eyes as she blinked once before saying, “I need to fix my shoe.”
Her friends giggled at her side, and I nodded my head, ever the perfect toy, and turned around to kneel on the ground.
A spiked heel dug into the muscles along my spine as she balanced her foot on my body for leverage. I wasn’t sure she was actually fixing anything. Instead she was using me as entertainment.
It must have bored her that I didn’t flinch. I’d grown accustomed to the pain she could give. Eventually, she pulled her foot back, the heel clicking quietly against the floor.
I stood and moved to leave, but she grabbed my arm.
“Won’t you tell me I look pretty?”
The heat of her breath washed across my cheek from how close she’d leaned into me.
It would be so easy to strike out and snap her neck. So easy to teach her why it’s best to leave me alone.
I couldn’t speak to her, and she knew that. But why not torture the poor servant’s kid that existed solely to amuse her?
My hand fisted, but I smiled instead, my gaze dragging to lock on the floor.
Lisbeth rolled her eyes and shoved me aside.
“You’re useless.”
Inclining my head once, I walked away, hatred rolling through my chest.
The party started an hour later, the grand ballroom filled with beautiful people in fancy clothes and the finest of everything. They drank and talked, admired Lisbeth wherever she stood, their fake smiles and envious eyes following her where she walked.
As usual, Lisbeth had her entourage close by, a coy grin stretching her lips each time they noticed another wealthy man that wanted to take her home for the night. I stood in the background watching and wondering what asshole would finally do to her what I had always imagined.
How was it possible to want somebody you hated so much? Shouldn’t the body be as turned off as the mind? It didn’t seem to matter, the disgust I felt. It only made me want her more.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to see my mother standing behind me.
“Take one of the trays around to collect their empty glasses, and I’ll follow behind to give them new ones. It’s best to keep busy.”