Page 17 of Maid for the Alien Prince

“Alas, no.”

She shook her head. “I’ll pay you back with money. Not with… anything else.”

“You’re in no position to make demands. This is the offer. Take it or leave it.”

“But… But… I came here to pay you back.”

“And you will. By providing a service.”

Camila slammed her tiny fist on the desk. “What am I? A common whore you can buy off?”

I sighed. “The role of the Steyatt mate is a dignified one in my culture.”

“Well, having sex for money has a very different meaning in mine.”

“It’s not for money. It’s for heirlooms.”

“Same difference. You’re honestly telling me getting drilled every day for the benefit of the male is somehow a dignified vocation?” Camila said, stunned.

“Trust me, you’re not my first choice either,” I snapped. “But here we are. Me in need of a mate and you in need of paying a debt. Now, are you interested or not?”

I stood up and was prepared to drag her out of the room if she answered to the negative.

She just looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear. Her attention trailed down to the front of my pants and then made its way back up to my face.

“Do I have a choice?” she said.

I fell back into my chair. “Sure you do. We begin from tomorrow. Until then, I suggest you move into the palace. I may… require you at a moment’s notice. That is all.”

She opened her luscious mouth again to argue before thinking better of it and closing it. She slowly—very slowly—got to her feet and glared at me the entire time.

“I’ll show you out,” I said.

I led her toward the door. She trailed me by some distance and made me wait.

Why? To feel like she exerted some kind of control over me? She was to be sorely mistaken.

“Seven days and all your debts are wiped clean,” I said. “You will belong to me for the next seven days and seven nights.”

“I… I need to think about it,” she stammered.

“You have until you leave this room to decide.”

“How long is that?”

“One minute.”

Her expression was a fascinating study as she considered a thousand different objectives at once.

“Seven days?” she said.

“And nights,” I added.

She drew up to me, looked me over, and then jabbed a finger in my face. “Fine! I accept. But you’ll hire me as a maid. I don’t need gossip circulating about what we get up to here!”

I grinned. “A maid? Are you sure you can play the role?”

“I know I can!” she snapped. “And know this: I will not enjoy a single minute of it!”

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