Riley pushed his messy brown hair out of his dual color eyes as he looked around the room, making sure he had all the furniture and the floor covered in plastic. He taped down a few pieces of plastic, making sure everything was safe from the paint. With a final check he nodded in satisfaction. He had always prided himself on remembering little details like this that made his jobs come out more professionally. It had to be after all since he had his own business, Jack's, a small business where he did various jobs of gardening, repairs, and painting.
Riley turned on his small radio and began preparing his paint. An energetic melody came through the small speaker as Riley rolled the sponge like roller through the bright blue paint. At first he was merely nodding his head to the beat, but as the song continued he began to quietly sing along. As he began spreading the paint across the dull grey wall he found himself starting to dance in place and sing a little louder.
"I said ooh, ooh! You got me in the mood, mood! I’m scared but if my heart’s gonna break before the night will end, I said, ooh, ooh we’re in danger! Sleeping with a friend, sleeping with a friend!" Riley sang with a strong, deep voice as he danced with the roller, spreading more bright paint against the dull wall, "We are both young, hot-blooded people! We don’t wanna die alone! Two become one, it could be lethal--"
Riley stopped, looking towards the door as he felt like he was being watched.

Jamie came in at his usual time with his backpack, biting his cheek at how much he hated himself. He wasn't allowed to let his employer, Harvey, see him out of his uniform, which was a stereotypical French maid's outfit that barely did anything to conserve what little modesty he had, since it was all he was allowed to wear, plus polished shoes that made him a few inches taller but introduced walking difficulty into everything he did. Perhaps it was Harvey's plan, to have Jamie stumbling all over the place and falling often so the skirt of the dress would fly up. He felt dirty every day, but he couldn't say no to the money he'd been offered since he'd nearly been homeless before Harvey found him.

Today was the same as any. Harvey, however, had mentioned that he was having some rooms repainted and to be careful, or to offer help where he felt it was necessary. It was late morning, after breakfast but before lunch, and Jamie was holding onto a large basket of clothing he'd gathered from the basement to fold in Harvey's room. He usually dragged it up the stairs backward to avoid trips, and more often than not Harvey was staring at the top of the steps as he waited. But this time he was in his office, making the usual business plans with his usual clients and associates. He dreaded the get-togethers Harvey threw because he was supposed to allow any passing comments, slight touches, or general requests his friends had, and they just loved pushing the limits of his terms and conditions.

A curious sound was coming from one of the rooms upstairs, and Jamie paused, blinking. It was music, of course, but he heard something else. Someone singing along. He approached and set the basket down, stepping around it to peer inside. He was the one Harvey said he'd hired to repaint some of the rooms. A rather large man, not too big, but larger than Jamie. He swallowed carefully and bit his lips, watching the figure move, until he stopped and looked directly at Jamie. He squeaked, backing away and falling into the basket, lunging up to pull the skirt down over himself.

Riley's face turned bright red when he realized he had an audience. Of course someone was bound to hear him, why wouldn't they? It was just another moment where he acted without thinking first. Then when he saw the smaller figure fall back he went a little redder. He quickly set the roller down and ran to the other person to see if they were okay.
"Oh geez! Are you o...kay?" Riley blinked when he realized it was a guy wearing the maid outfit, 'I thought it was a chick at first. Why's he running around like that? Maybe he's into that kinda stuff?'
"H-here," He held his hand out, offering to pull him up as he smiled at him, "Lemme help you up."

Jamie gasped, pulling his legs up in a shoddy attempt to hide himself. It was stupid to have put the basket behind him anyway, and to make things worse, the larger stranger had seen him and approached. His heart immediately sped up, painfully beating against his sternum as his irrational fear took hold of him. Jamie could barely hear what the stranger had to say. He swallowed hard, offering a slightly shaking hand.

"T-thanks..." Jamie stepped back and around the basket when he was on his feet again, smoothing down the skirt and pulling it as best he could. "I... Um, M-m.. Mr. Stenner requested me to... to ask if you would need any help... with anything..." Please say no please say no please please please... He'd not made a habit of talking to men larger than him for a few years, and being in the presence of someone that looked like he could easily ruin Jamie put him in a state of shock.

'He seems like a... delicate little thing.' Riley thought when he saw the other young man shaking.
"Oh, no, I think I'm fine in here. Thanks though." Riley replied, studying the young man for a moment, "Are you alright? You seem..." He paused, searching for the right word, "Really uneasy. I didn't see anything if that's what you're worried about."
As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted saying it. He had been like this since he was a kid, talk first and think later. No matter how much Aunt Milly tried to remind him to think first, it was as if his filter were permanently broken.
'Way to go Riley.' He told himself, 'I don't think anything else could have sounded more pervy.'

Jamie gaped silently for a moment, feeling his face flush, then shook his head hard. "N-no, I'm not, just... I'm just, not..." He sighed, bending with his knees to grasp the basket and pull it up in front of himself. "I just... w-wanted you to know... if you need... need h-help I'm... I'm always around... almost..." With an undignified lowering of his head, Jamie hurried away, down the hall while feeling his face burn as if he were looking into a large bonfire. He desperately hoped the man hadn't seen anything, since he wasn't allowed to wear anything that would preserve his dignity beyond the dress, the stockings, and the shoes.

He nudged his way into the room he'd been heading too before, gasping and dropping the basket when he saw Harvey. "S-Sir! What...?"

"I thought I'd take a small break from the endless calls and watch you." Harvey wasn't, by far, an ugly man. His hair was natural, pitch black with only a few strands of gray if one were to look especially close. Sharp, bright hazel eyes that seemed to stare directly into one's soul underneath gently arched, intense brows, and a natural tan that was even throughout what Jamie could see. He wouldn't have minded being the man's friend if circumstances had been different. He swallowed again, submitting under the heavy gaze and picking up the basket again, this time bending at the waist as Harvey requested he do when in the man's presence, and took the basket to the bed, where his back was to Harvey as he folded the clean clothing. He tried not to focus on the feeling of an observational, studious gaze evaluating every inch of him.

'Yup,' Riley thought as he saw the young mans face turn several shades of red, 'I said a little too much.'
"I-I'll try to find you if I need anything." Riley called after him, before making his way back into the room.
He turned the radio down some as he reclaimed the roller. He thought about the blonde as he began spreading paint again. 'He is pretty cute, but what's he so nervous about?' He thought for a moment, 'Could it be that outfit? If he didn't like it though wouldn't he just not wear it? Or at least get a longer skirt?'
Riley frowned a bit as he rolled the sponge through the paint once again.

Jamie was quiet as he folded clothing, fully aware that he was being watched from across the room as Harvey sat in the chair near one of the two large, arched windows in the room. His hands shook from time to time when he swore he could feel the set of eyes try to pull him away from his work with the sheer force of will. Nothing had happened to Jamie that he hadn't agreed to, but he felt like the temptation would, someday, get too strong for Harvey to pass up.

He jerked without realizing it, and dropped a shirt at his feet. Cringing inwardly, Jamie bent at the waist to retrieve it without turning to face Harvey, ignoring anything he thought he heard. Then he got back to work, picking up the first pile he finished to put away. "Jamie, love."

He froze, a step away from the dresser. "Yes, Sir?"

"If you would, you can leave the rest and start lunch. I'm sure our newest worker will be hungry at about this time."

Jamie nodded, placing the clothes in the top drawer. "Yes, Sir, I'll get on it."

"I've no doubt." As Jamie left, he was sure he heard the growl in Harvey's voice get a bit lower. But he shook himself and hurried out the door.

Riley had just finished putting tape on the wall, a trick he used when making stripes for accents. His mind still wondered about the young man he had met. He frowned a bit as he started to get a nagging feeling that told him to be concerned for the young man. He quickly shook his head as he opened another can of paint.
'It's none of my business! If the guy wants to dress that way it's his business!' He told himself, 'But why did he look so uncomfortable? If he didn't want to wear something like that he'd just say so right? His boss can't make him do stuff he doesn't want to do right? But what if he's one of those people that can't say no to others?' Riley shook his head again before he poured the darker blue paint into the tray, 'I need to stop this! What if he's dating his boss and this is some kinda...' He blushed furiously at the thought and quickly shook his head again, nearly loosing his paint. He sighed as he caught the tray, 'I-I need to stop this. Just focus on my work and call it a day!'
With a nod to himself he dipped the brush into the paint and continues to spread it over the wall.

Jamie walked as quietly as his heavy platform shoes would allow him, rubbing his dry eyes; they hated contact lenses, but Harvey had paid for them so he wouldn't have to wear his thick-framed glasses while working. For some reason Harvey didn't like the glasses, especially with Jamie's work... attire. He swallowed before reaching the door to the room he'd embarrassed himself outside, glancing in before making his presence known.

He wasn't dancing anymore, the new worker. He seemed to be focusing with a heated intensity on the wall in front of him, as if avoiding something. But looking around, Jamie didn't see anything worth avoiding---except him, and he hadn't made himself known yet. Maybe it was the interaction from before. Maybe the newcomer didn't like him. Jamie breathed in shakily before running the tremor out of his voice: "Ahem... Mr. Stenner says that you can take a break... because I'm about to cook." He was always the one to cook, following recipes or ideas given to him by Harvey or from his collection of cookbooks. And he always made enough for the morning maintenance men, afternoon pool boy and gardeners, an evening watchmen as well as himself and Harvey.

This time Jamie didn't wait for a reply---he hurried on, past the door and down the stairs to make his way to the kitchen.

Riley jumped hearing the sudden voice behind him, dropping his paint brush. 'Crap!' He quickly picked up the brush, setting his tray down and grabbing the cloth out of his back pocket to wipe up the splotch. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally track paint across the floor. When he looked up he saw the young man was gone.
'He's gone already? D-did I do something?' He thought as he covered his paints. He thought for a moment before slapping his palm to his forehead, leaving a bit of paint where his hand was, 'Of course he doesn't want to be around me! When he fell earlier and I said I didn't see anything, that must have come off super creepy! It's not like I was checking him out, but he doesn't know that! I should go talk to him.'
Riley checked his shoes before leaving the room, double checking he hadn't stepped in anything that could be tracked along the floor. He wondered where the kitchen would be in such a big place. After a few minutes of searching he finally came across his destination. He poked his head in, looking for the young man in the maid outfit, "Hello?"

Jamie did like the house he worked in every day but Sunday. If he could wear normal clothing while he worked, it would most likely be his favorite place, and he might have handled Harvey's creepy stares a bit easier. He sighed, looking around the large, state-of-the-art kitchen, the same as everywhere else in the house, and pulled a recipe card from the box in the cupboard. Most of the time he cooked something heavy, because the afternoon workers did quite a bit of sweating outdoors and wouldn't like anything light. Today he had randomly selected a beef stew, and had an hour and fifteen minutes to get it all finished in time. He'd worked under tighter restraints, however.

A voice startled Jamie as he was grabbing an unopened box from the bottom drawer of the fridge, and he dropped it. Miraculously it remained closed, but he ignored it in favor of the voice, spying the new worker. "Oh... Um, hi..." He retrieved the box quickly, followed by the rest of the cold ingredients, and closed the door with a hip since his hands were full. "There's, um... an hour until I'm done, but Mr. Stenner requests all his workers take their break an hour before so thy have a bit more time to rest." While he spoke, Jamie set everything down on the expansive countertop and retrieved a deep pan, putting it on the heating stovetop and beginning to slice the beef he'd retrieved into cubes. This time he didn't feel quite as scrutinized.

"Oh, alright." Riley replied as he looked around the spacious kitchen, 'Wow, this is way bigger than the boarding house's kitchen. Aunt Milly would love it!'
He stepped into the kitchen, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Actually I wanted to talk to you if that's okay? I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable or anything earlier. I didn't mean to, I just kind of have the habit of saying things before thinking. I didn't even think about it till a few minutes ago, so I wanted to come and say I'm sorry."
Riley looked around awkwardly, wondering what he should do now, 'Maybe I should offer to help with lunch?'

Jamie felt his face burn and didn't doubt it was bright red. But at least he couldn't see that, the man behind him. "N-no, it's okay." He said quickly, sliding the cut meat aside to work on more. "It's no problem, I... It's what I'm here for..." He went quiet, cutting pieces of tough sinew out of the meat before he cut it and stepped over to pour oil into the pan, followed quickly by the meat. "But... I'm sorry if I... if I disturbed you at all earlier. When..." He stopped himself, remembering the man's rather elegant movements when he was dancing and blushing furiously.

Without turning to look at him, Jamie washed the counter and started peeling potatoes to dice. He would have liked to be a cook or chef, own his own restaurant. He was still living in a shoddy, two-room apartment and saving the large amounts of money he was paid for what he did so he could hopefully find a venue to buy. But that was still quite a while off in the distance.

"O-oh, no you didn't. I just wasn't expecting an audience or anything." Riley laughed, waving his hand as he walked over to the other male, "Hey, if you want I could help you make lunch?" Riley walked over and leaned against the counter with a smile, "I'm not a good cook or anything, but I could help with chopping and peeling things. I'd always help my aunt with that kinda stuff when I was a kid. That's pretty much the only useful thing I can do in a kitchen, aside from repairs that is."
Riley laughed and smiled at the other young man, 'Maybe we could get to talking and I could see if he's really okay wearing that get up.'

Jamie chewed on his tongue, glancing sideways at the man. "Um, it's fine... Mr. Stenner asks me to cook alone... I think he prefers it that way..." Any time a new worker asked to help, Harvey sent them away, telling them to keep out of Jamie's way. "But... um, if you want, you can make sure that meat browns evenly and doesn't burn..." He went for a low drawer, pausing and then dropping down into a crouch to retrieve a spoon to hand over to the new worker.

"A-and... I'm Jamie, in case you're wondering." He sliced the potatoes he was working on so diligently, as if he were defusing a bomb and couldn't spare a moment to look away.

Riley took the spoon with a nod and a curious look, 'I think I can do this. I've seen Aunt Milly do it enough times anyways.'
"O-oh! Right," Riley laughed, as he checked the meat, "It's nice to meet you Jamie. I'm Riley."
Riley stirred the meat, trying to figure out what to say to the blonde. He had never been good at small talk, no matter how much he tried. It usually just came off very awkward.
'Being blunt has always worked for me. So...' Riley thought to himself, glancing at the young man.
"Hey, I don't mean for this to sound weird or anything," Riley said, stirring the meat once again, before glancing at the other male with a concerned look, "but are you okay? You seem kind of... uncomfortable."

Jamie managed a real smile, though it was small, and went back to his vegetables, peeling carrots and slicing them down the middle. Riley. He liked that name. It sounded... calm. But names could deceive, and he was still tense, his shoulders hurting from the intensity he was keeping them at. "N... nice to meet you, too, Riley." He raised his head in acknowledgment, then returned his focus to what he was cutting up.

Then the question came and he felt his throat constrict. He wanted to tell Riley everything, more like scream it to the world, and find out if what he was doing was even legal. There was no sex involved, no one was doing anything against their will---Jamie had signed a contract, after all, had read it through and understood it. Harvey was just... creepy. "Um... I-I..." He looked up. There was a security detail in place in nearly every room of the house, but he wasn't sure if the cameras were rigged with mics. "I... don't... exactly like... m-my job..." He barely spoke above a whisper, nearly inaudibly.

Riley smiled until the other male went so quiet. He discreetly glanced around but he didn't see anything. 'Does the boss keep this place bugged or something?'
Riley made his way to Jamie, acting like he was grabbing something for the meat as he quietly whispered to him, "If you can't talk right now why don't we go someplace after work? I can give you a ride home if you don't drive."
Riley picked up the nonexistent item then threw it in the meat, quickly stirring the meat to act as if he was just cooking.
"Oh, I see." Riley said in a normal tone, making it seem like he was continuing from something else said, "You're just a shy person at first, huh?" He flashed Jamie a smile and a wink, hoping the other young man would understand that he realized they shouldn't talk here.

Jamie widened his eyes, biting back a little whimper. He wasn't quite afraid now, not with Harvey close by, and he didn't like others messing with Jamie unless he was present. It was why he could handle the stronger, larger men being present. Because Harvey didn't want his little plaything harassed. But outside the house, he was fair game. Even in his usual clothes, Jamie was an easy target, small, thin and fragile, and he'd be alone with Riley. He didn't seem too bad, but he'd been duped before and had suffered for it.

Instead of shaking his head, Jamie looked up and nodded slightly. "Yeah, just... just a bit." He stepped over, grasping the box he had dropped before and uncapping the pour spout. "Beef broth... Just... put half in, then half water. It's two cups." He moved away when he finished up the carrots, and without thinking he bent low to retrieve spices from the drawer nearby.

'Maybe I should have worded that differently?' Riley thought to himself, noticing how tense the other young man got. 'Is it more than just shyness with this guy? Or am I just over thinking this?'
Riley gave the broth a curious look as he took it from the blonde. 'Cups? I don't think I've seen Aunt Milly do this part when it comes to cooking.'
"Um... cups?" Riley looked at Jamie as a faint blush crossed his cheeks, "I don't know that much with cooking. What kind of cup am I supposed to use?"
He could just hear his aunt howling with laughter if she were to hear him ask that question. In the boarding house he didn't have to worry about cooking. Since his aunt and uncle ran the boarding house they also made sure to provide breakfast and dinner for the boarders. If it wasn't for that Riley was sure he would go hungry more often than he cared to admit.

Standing back up quickly with a few glass jars in hand, Jamie colored, fighting the urge to turn until he got back in control of his face. Then he nudged the drawer closed and set everything down, covering his mouth to hide the smile. "Um..." He cleared his throat, stepping around Riley and opening one of the cabinets and try to reach for the four-cup measuring cup above his head. Harvey always kept it out of reach because he liked to see Jamie climb onto the counter to get something. "It's, um... Two of those..." He pointed. "There are labeled lines to tell you how much. Just put two of the broth, then fill it to the last line with water and put it in."

He stepped back and pulled his clothes down, which had hiked up when he was stretching. Jamie pulled his hair back when it came loose and went back to his chopping, bent low so he didn't have to have a reason to look back at Riley or meet his gaze. It intimidated him more than it should have.

'Was he just trying not to smile?' Riley thought with a small smile before he reached for the cup the other young man pointed too.
"Alright, I think I can do that." Riley said with a smile, carefully pouring the broth in. Once that was done he continued with the water and carefully stirred it together in the pan. He couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "My aunt will never believe I learned how to do all this today. Then again maybe if I tell her she'll try to teach me how to cook."
He shrugged, looking over to the other male. He noticed how focused he was and thought to himself, 'I wonder if I could get him to open up some. Maybe we could be friends. But what if I come off like I'm trying too hard?' He turner his attention back to the pan as he let his mind wander.

Jamie shoved the last of the vegetables to the side as he fiddled for a thin plastic bag with a red pepper and a jalapeno inside, pulling both out and focusing on the red pepper first. The conversation seemed... friendly enough. Riley didn't seem put off by Jamie's interesting, if unwilling, style, or if he did he was hiding it very well. And he hadn't tried to make a move, because there was no way he would know the house was full of security cameras because Harvey was pretty tight on the paranoia. Either Riley wasn't bad, or---No, there was no way he was bad.

"Well..." Jamie sliced the pepper into four large pieces, scooped the seeds away and sliced them into strips, then large chunks. "I... I always wanted to cook for a living... I guess I do pretty... not bad. I could help. You, I mean." He moved the pepper away and cut the jalapeno in half, following the same move as before by taking the seeds out. "... If you needed help..." He added quietly."

"Really?" Riley gave him a surprised look, still stirring the contents of the pan, "That's so cool! You must really like cooking if you wanna do it for a job. Aunt Milly always told me when I was a kid that people that like to do stuff like that are usually the kindest people you'll ever know." Riley smiled at the blonde before looking back at the pan, realizing he had almost slopped some out from the side. He slowed his stirring a bit before turning back to Jamie with a curious look, "Really? Are you sure? That'd be great! Ya know, as long as it's not a hassle for you to teach me I mean."
Riley smiled to himself as he thought, 'Maybe I'm over thinking things, he seems like he's opening up some on his own. W-"
His thought stopped short when he felt a sudden sharp, hot pain in the side of his hand. He yelped, dropping the spoon in the pot as he put the burnt spot of his hand to his mouth, running his tongue over the spot as he realized he had ran his hand along the side of the pan.