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Date: 31/10/13 - 09:30am

My eyes didn't open at first; they never did. My eyelids felt heavy and my single-bed was the only thing keeping me safe from the cold surrounding the rest of my bedroom. I could easily heat up the rest of my room, Mr.Harrington paid me more than enough money to live on, but why would I do that when I could seek refuge under my soft, blue linen sheets? Of course, I never took any thought to how I'd force myself out of bed in the morning; I only got as far as turning my alarm clock off before withdrawing my hand and tucking it back under the sheets, curling up into a ball and sinking into my bed some more.

I never took much time to decorate my flat beyond my bedroom, seeing as I spent most of my week around Harrington's manor. The layout was pretty simple; walk in and the boiler room is on your left, as well as the corridor leading to the bathroom and main bedroom; go to your left and you'll find the slightly smaller guest room. The living room is straight ahead, as well as the kitchen, both with hard but smooth wooden flooring and cream wallpaper. The bathroom was slightly more cheery; a mix of white and sky blue tiles covering the floor and walls like a chessboard. My sky blue bedroom was the most decorated; one bookcase for my books and another for my DVD's, a tall rail for whatever clothes I needed to hang up and a TV and games console resting on a chest of drawers. Everything I needed to entertain myself was in my bedroom, and right now I didn't have the strength to separate myself from my bed.

Harrington needs his food, Rob. I thought to myself, trying to find some motivation to get out of bed and take a shower. You're lucky to get a lie in; he's sleeping in until eleven o'clock today.

I was lucky to even be employed. A shy, twenty-one year old snow-white mouse doesn't exactly stand out in a pile of job applications. It was purely chance that Mr.Harrington walked into college at the end of my two-year catering course, ending up with me as his waiter; two years on I could still remember exactly how he got me to visit him at his manor the next day:

*****

So I take it a mouse like you has no trouble with employment? He said casually, trying to form a conversation between a waiter and his valued costumer.

No...no, I'm currently unemployed. Waiting until the end of my course when I have more qualifications under my belt, which shouldn't be long. I replied; he was on his own and I had nobody else to serve, so it didn't bother anyone if I hung about to talk. Nobody's interested that I'm leaning; they're interested that I've learned and have a piece of paper to show it.

And you're definitely set on catering? He asked as I topped up his wine. I replied with a short nod. You know, if you're over eighteen, I might have some use for you at the end of your course.

I-I'm nineteen. Harrington took me by surprise. I didn't imagine he'd offer me a job straight off the bat; maybe that was why he was at the college, looking for 'new blood' as it were.

To put things blunt, I need somebody who knows how to cook and serve before my food goes cold. He replied with a hint of bitterness before taking a large gulp of wine and a mouthful of his meal. My last chef was a little slow; not only that, but there was little creativity to his meals as well, so I let him go. Middle-aged guy with plenty of experience though so he wasn't stuck for work after I fired him. How are your grades? What kind of dishes do you cook?

Well, I've received more distinctions than merits, but I don't think the grade boundaries are set very high. I mentally yelled at myself for including that last part; never address any negatives when you're being offered a job. B-but I can make pretty much anything if I know what to do.

...I'd like you to consider visiting me at my manor tomorrow afternoon. The black cat announced, reaching into his pocket and handing me a card telling me his address. Don't be nervous; you're the first person I've come to so far, so you won't have to worry about any other applicants. Just turn up at one o'clock, show me what you can do and I'll decide by next week if I want to hire you. Besides, I've never had a mouse around my manor before.

T-thank you, sir. I accepted his offer eagerly; I barely knew Mr.Harrington back then; but I did know he was rich, and opportunities like that only came around once in a lifetime...

*****

So I took that shot, and it was ultimately worth it. Harrington got me making his breakfasts, his lunch and dinner every weekday. It was exhausting but satisfying being the only one in the manor's kitchen most of the time; the only time I got any help was when Mr.Harrington was entertaining company, which only occurred once a week - twice at a stretch. Other than that, it was just me and him most of the time. Sometimes he'd be socialising with his cleaners, his bed-makers, maybe the odd reporter or two, but he always seemed to pay special attention to me whenever I was around; at first I thought it was him easing me into my new workplace, but after two months of serving him I'd finally caught on to his game.

Mr.Harrington enjoyed flirting with the people who worked for him, male or female and especially if they were young; I guess to him having someone like me around was like a dream, given the 'predator/prey' kind of relationship our species shared and how good it felt breaking such a large social taboo. It came as a large shock at first; the first time he came up from behind and hugged me around my waist I was almost going to throw him off and report him for sexual harassment. I was close to calling the police, as well, but something stopped me as soon as I got my phone out, and I just...didn't do anything.

I allowed things to carry on for a while longer, eventually learning to enjoy the moments when he'd stroke me along my tail or come up from behind and take in my scent. Anything intimate that happened between him and any of his servants stayed in the manor. It wasn't as if people didn't know what he got up to, but he wasn't going to show it off to the world; personally I was amazed he managed to hold on to his company and reputation given the rumours - most of them being true - that went around.

And that's why you love him. I thought to myself, finally finding some motivation to get out of bed as I reached to my bedside table for my glasses. No matter how much of a naughty cat he is, he always manages to land on his feet. Hell, he's the reason you landed on your feet.

I forced my feet off of my bed first, dropping them onto the soft but cold tan carpet below. I'd already wasted ten minutes internally arguing with myself, so I couldn't stick around in my flat for much longer. Harrington would...well, he wouldn't be mad at me; he was never mad at his servants for their shortcomings, but he'd be disappointed. That thought was more than enough for me to haul the rest of my body out of bed and exposing myself to the ruthless cold inhabiting my flat.

Forty minutes to shower, dry my fur, brush it down and have a cup of coffee. I calculated, wondering if I had time to even have breakfast in my own home. By then it'll be twenty past ten, I need ten minutes to get to the manor, then half an hour to make Harrington his breakfast by eleven o'clock...no, no I won't have time for breakfast.

Oh well. I would be at the manor for the entire day, and he'd never deny me anything to eat. Halloween was one of the holidays Harrington exploited in order to throw his own wild parties, and he needed a few hands on deck; including me.

**

Harrington Manor - 11:05am

I quickly navigated my way through the manor's many corridors, dressed in my usual attire; black shoes, black trousers and a formal white button-up shirt. I was worried half-to-death that I was late with Mr.Harrington's breakfast. I underestimated how long it would take to build a perfect fry-up. Of course I hadn't seen him yet, so for all I knew he could still be asleep; but I always knew he enjoyed a fry-up for breakfast, especially in such cold autumn weather. That and he'd need a fair amount of protein to keep him going through the night, hence why I put an extra fried egg on his plate instead of another slice of fried bread.

I was lucky to have entered during one of the manor's 'quiet moments'. None of the other servants were in yet, seeing as most of them stayed behind last night to prepare the manor for Mr.Harrington's tenth Halloween party. All the electric candle-lights had been replaced with a more sensual red bulb and all the paintings of Harrington's family members had been taken down and stored somewhere safe, leaving the pale-yellow walls bare; it seemed counter-productive to have a painting of somebody staring at you while you were busy trying to bone someone in the middle of a corridor.

Both my hands were occupied as I stopped at the door leading to Mr.Harrington's bedroom, one holding his food and the other holding a newspaper and a tall caramel latte as his drink. Fortunately I'd spent a long time exercising my rope-like tail, managing to flex and coil it around doors with ease; it took a few seconds, but I finally succeeded in wrapping my tail around the handle of the door and pulling it down, hearing a satisfying click as the door gave way and allowed me into the bedroom.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I saw the big black cat still splayed out in his bed, breathing steadily and peacefully. I set both trays down carefully on the mahogany chest just sitting at the foot of his red, four-poster bed. Harrington's room was fairly large, almost like a sitting room if you got rid of the bed. A coffee table, a leather sofa and a large leather chair sat on the far end of the room next to the large glass window which would allow a pleasant view of the town if the curtains weren't closed at the time. His personal bathroom was on the left as you walked in, while his wardrobe and dresser was on the right. A lot of the time he shared his bedroom with another lucky person; sometimes that lucky person would be me, but the cat had to save his energy for the party; and for there to be a party, he'd have to wake up.

"Mister Harrington." I sat down on his bed, quietly calling his name in the hope that he was going to do things the easy way today; that was not the case. "Mister Harrington, get up." I had to repeat his name a few more times, but I finally managed to get his eyes to flutter open, revealing his emerald-green eyes.

"Mmm. Morning Robin." Harrington called me by my pet name, reaching up with his right paw and stroking it along my left cheek. "Do I smell a fry-up? Is that for me?"

"Of course, sir." I pulled away nervously and got up on my feet again, switching back into formal-mode as I got up to bring his breakfast over. "Two rashers of bacon, two pork sausages, slightly burned just how you like them, two triangles of fried bread, two fried eggs and some baked beans on the side; along with a tall caramel latte and your newspaper."

"You certainly know your way to a man's heart." He smiled at me as I put his breakfast down on his lap and his coffee on his bedside table. I always responded with a nervous blush; I'd been serving him for two years, but I never handled myself very well when he started flirting with me. "So, what do you think of the manor now that it's been redecorated?"

"It'll be nice once the evening sets in and we can turn on all the red lights." I replied, walking over to the window to allow some natural light into the room. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what do you have planned for this year's event?"

"I've got a couple of the 'knights' coming in this evening. All the others complained last year after ending up with muscle pains the day after." Mr.Harrington made a start on his breakfast, looking as if he was contemplating what he would do this year; it wasn't like him to leave things until the last minute. "I've got a tailor and a hairdresser coming in at half past two. I rented a suit; one half is white and the other half is black. Meanwhile my hairdresser is going to dye the right side of my body snow-white. Then I've got a couple of ferret-girls coming in this evening; they were here last year. One of them has black fur; the other one has white fur, so I'm going to have them with me when I make my appearance."

"It sounds a bit complicated the way you say it, sir." I confessed, returning to my place at the side of his bed as I tried to guess what else he had planned. "Do you need me to prepare some drinks for the guests this evening?"

"Definitely; go with what you feel is best." He replied, counting on me to use my own initiative. I already thought it out the day before; about twenty white wines, twenty mixes and some beers and ales would do for a start; anything else would have to be on demand. Fortunately a few more servants were coming in during the evening to take care of the bar. "Have you eaten today?"

"I didn't have time to have breakfast at home, so I made some peanut butter on toast while I was in the kitchen." I answered bluntly. Mr.Harrington never made much of a fuss if I took any food from the manor's kitchen; most of the time I had to since I was around all day, other times I'd get a longer break than usual and I'd go home and eat there.

"You should eat more. You look a bit skinny." Harrington remarked. He had a point; I ate enough food during the day, but I still kept a slim figure. But I could hardly fit a lot of food in such a small stomach, so I left things as they were.

"You didn't seem to disapprove of my slender figure last Saturday night, sir." I retorted playfully but calmly. It wasn't rare for my black-cat-master to request my company on one of my off-days. "Judging by the way you were ravaging my body, I'd say you like me as I am."

"Speaking of which, I found a costume for you." The black cat pointed his fork at me, swallowing his breakfast before continuing. "I'm not sure if you've noticed it hanging up on one of the kitchen doors."

"Ah yes. I thought it was for someone else, sir, so I didn't pay much mind to it." I did happen to see something hanging up on the kitchen door as I went in. A suit-protector hanging up, but knowing my master it would be something perverse. "Shall I take a look at what I'll be wearing while you finish off your breakfast, Master Harrington?"

"Of course; as you were, Robin." He smiled warmly at me and waved me off. I always felt a little bad for leaving him alone in a manor so large; I even addressed this to him once, but he always tried to reassure me that he didn't feel the least bit lonesome, especially during the 'quiet hours'.

I soaked up the silence as I exited the master bedroom; on a day like Halloween Mr.Harrington would always be looking to stir up some excitement. From what I saw, he didn't cope well being rich and having nobody to talk to; most of his servants were too formal to talk to their superior, and his equals were far too formal to have a good time with. Sometimes I wondered if he'd hired me purely for social interaction, but those thoughts are dismissed as soon as I made his meals or if he started 'harassing' me or inviting me to his bedroom for the night. He liked his servants, and he enjoyed making full use of their 'attributes'.

And as his servant I was more than happy to let him do that.