Prologue
"Courtney! Courtney, come here this instant!"
Miss Tomyka sounded very impatient, so I knew I had better get out to the pool in a hurry! I stopped preparing her lunch and headed outside, stopping to check my reflection on the way out. My maid's cap was perched atop my head. My crisp black uniform fit perfectly, my cleavage spilling over the top of the ruffled bodice, and was offset beautifully by my little white apron and the mounds of ruffled petticoats that bounced saucily as I walked. I turned around and looked over my shoulder to make sure my stocking seams were straight. I had learned the hard way that droopy stockings or crooked seams were pet peeves of my mistress. Miss Tomyka feels that if one is to be a uniformed maid, one has a responsibility to wear the uniform well - a lesson she has reinforced on more than one occasion using methods that can only be described as "creative."
When I reached the poolside lounge chair in which Miss Tomyka was sun bathing, I asked "Yes, Miss Tomyka," as I bowed my head and curtseyed.
"Courtney, how many times do I have to tell you that my comfort and convenience are your primary responsibilities? It's hot out here and I have been waiting twenty minutes for you to come outside and refill my drink!"
"I'm sorry, Miss Tomyka," I said as I clasped my hands and stared at the ground.
"If you want to be my maid, you're going to have to do a better job of it!"
"Yes, Miss Tomyka"
"And you do want to continue serving as my maid, don't you Courtney?" she said with a sly grin.
"Yes, Miss Tomyka"
"I thought so. Now, run along like a good girl and fill this pitcher with iced tea. You may also bring out my lunch when you return."
"Yes, Miss Tomyka."
I curtseyed and turned to go.
"Oh, Courtney?"
"Yes, Miss Tomyka"
"Please put five demerits into your punishment book. We will discuss this further during your weekly review."
"Yes ma'am."
As I clicked away on my gleaming patent heels, heading back to my chores with the drink pitcher on a serving tray, I thought to myself how strange it was that just a short time ago our positions were reversed - and stranger still that I had begged Tomyka to trade places with me.
Chapter I
I had it all. Not only was I born to wealth and privilege, the fates had given me the gifts of great beauty and talent. I'm a drop-dead gorgeous blue-eyed blonde who learned early the power afforded by that money and beauty.
My talent is as a singer and dancer. So much so that I'm an internationally famous pop princess who has reigned at the top of the music charts for the past few years. My name is Courtney Lancer. Unless you've been living in a cave for the past few years, you know who I am. Your kids certainly do.
My rise to superstardom was as effortless as as everything else in my life. It's always felt to me that I was destined to succeed in whatever I chose to undertake.
One day, I lay by the pool, sunbathing in a lounge chair. I had just come off of a wildly successful six month tour. The HBO special of my performance in Las Vagas was one to the highest rated shows in the history of the network. I was taking a few months off from my hectic schedule of recording and performing to recharge and relax.
"Tomyka! Tomyka, please come here," I called.
Tomyka McKnight was my personal assistant. She had not been working for me long. After several years, my previous assistant said she was tired of the whole pop princess whirlwind and left my employ to get married and settle down.
Tomyka had been referred to me by one of the dancers in my show. It seems she was at loose ends after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Her job in New Orleans no longer existed because her place of employment had been destroyed. Tomyka was one of the the thousands of people evacuated from the hellish conditions in the Superdome and sent into Texas.
The dancer in my show was Tomyka's cousin. He was aware that my previous assistant had moved on and suggested that Tomyka might be a good fit for the open position.
"Courtney," he said, "she's beautiful, educated, organized and energetic. Her whole world has been turned upside down by Katrina. Right sow she's a refugee, but I'm telling you, this girl is a class act. I'm sure she'd do a great job managing everything you have to deal with."
I liked her right away. Even though she had been forced to flee her home with only the clothes on her back and had been through hell during the immediate aftermath of Katrina, she still radiated intelligence, class and beauty. Her presence was downright regal. With her posture, bearing and piercing eyes, she reminded me of nothing so much as a Nubian queen visiting Egypt at the time of the Pharos.
Tomyka quickly became an invaluable part of my entourage. She did a great job of organizing my impossible itinerary. There were always a lot of balls to keep in the air at the same time -recording sessions, rehearsals, guest spots on TV shows, endorsement deals (last year I made more $millions from the Barbie dolls, lunch boxes and tee shirts that bear my likeness than I did from record sales) - you name it, I had it going on.
Each morning Tomyka would come to me, looking every bit the efficient assistant and lay out my schedule for the day. I was able to accomplish more than ever thanks to her organizational skills. I rewarded her handsomely for her efforts and even asked her to move into my home so she'd always be nearby when I needed her.
I had bought a lot more house than I needed - a mansion on what can only be described as an estate several acres in size. My accountant told me it was a prudent move - either buy something or see the money disappear into Uncle Sam's black hole.
It was lonely to live by myself in a palace. During the day, Carman, the cook\housekeeper and Jorge, the driver\groundskeeper were around but they left after work, leaving me alone in the huge house at night. Sure, I could have gone out, or entertained, but I was tired after my recent tour and wanted to rest for awhile. Home was where I wanted to be, and I was very happy to have Tomyka under the same roof while I recharged.
"Yes, Miss Lancer?"
"Hello, Tomyka. I've signed the stack of papers you left with me. Please take them and be a dear? Please bring me something to drink. And for goodness' sake, please call me Courtney. I think of you as a friend, and we live under the same roof!"
"No, Miss Lancer. I am your employee. A show of respect is appropriate. I'll be happy to get you a drink."
As she walked from the pool back to the house, I reflected on how lucky I was to have found Tomyka. She did a great job as the personal assistant I had hired her to be, but also took it upon herself to cook and clean, not waiting for Carmen. If she saw something that she thought needed doing, Tomyka did it.
As pop royalty, I was surrounded most of the time by insincere sycophants - hangers-on angling for a piece of me in order to benefit themselves. Tomyka was a breath of fresh air.
As she returned with my drink, Tomyka did not look like the personal assistant in a crisp business suit that usually greeted me in the morning. This being a Saturday, she must have decided that something needed cleaning, because she was dressed in a simple housecoat, with a kerchief on her head, wearing rubber gloves.
"Thank you, Tomyka. What in the world are you doing that requires rubber gloves?"
Tomyka laughed, "I'm sure I look like something the cat dragged in. My bathroom needed a touch up."
"Why not just wait for Carmen? I pay her to be the housekeeper, not you. You do enough during the week. Come sit by the pool and relax."
"I'm sorry, Miss Lancer. It wouldn't feel right. You are the lady of the house, and lounging by the pool is your place. My place is to be working." She smiled and returned to her work in the house.