Page 28 of Dark Holiday

“Sounds good. Count me in.” The sooner I get him out of my brain, the better it will be for both of us. Standing, I clear my plate as Ryan and Brittany whisper together. I don’t really care what they’re talking about anymore; I just want to clean out my gym bag so I can soak and go to bed. If I thought walking on high heels was bad, throwing in working out is so much worse.

Rummaging around in my bag, I pull out my workout clothes and separate my underwear. My sports bra is crumpled up inside the bodysuit, but my panties aren’t where I put them. Frowning, I pull everything out and turn the bag upside down. Leg warmers, socks, bra, and bodysuit. I turn the suit inside and out, but nothing.

Frantic, I dig down into my bag again, but it’s nowhere. Perhaps I left it in the locker room? The problem is, I have a distinct memory of shoving it into my bag. It’s one of the nicer pairs I got from Daniel. Part of me felt that if I wore the underwear, it would be like him cheering me on as I pushed myself to finish my workout.

Looking back on it, the sentiment is stupid, but it worked. Now, I’m missing a pair. Without it, that’s one less bra and panty set I have. Not only that, it proves that yet again, I’m unreliable. If I can’t even keep up with a pair of panties, then how in the hell do I think I can manage being his assistant? Hopefully, I’ll find them in my locker when I go to work tomorrow. If not, I don’t know what I’m going to do.

* * *

Thank God for Jack. He didn’t even bat an eye when I mentioned wanting to come in early. Like clockwork, he showed up and brought me to work. No questions, no side looks. I need more men like Jack in my life.

Walking into the gym, a few guys are already working out, but not so many that I worry about being watched. I slip into the locker room and head straight to where I was yesterday, but nothing. Not even a scrap of lace or satin. Grumbling under my breath, I retrace my steps, but still no sign of them.

If I dropped them anywhere, surely the janitor saw them and threw them away. Now that I have money coming in, I can always just buy another set of the panties, but that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have lost them in the first place. Stepping into the office, I glance around. Silence. Since I’m the only one here, I can go ahead and start cleaning up Daniel’s office before he gets in. Perhaps if I act a little more proactive, it will make up for all the ways I’m failing.

I step into his office and switch on the light, a gasp strangled in my throat. There, on his desk, are my panties. How did he find them? I creep over, glancing around, just waiting for him to jump out and question me, but he doesn’t. The closer I get, the hotter my cheeks become. White, crusty stains lay splattered over the dark, purple satin. Someone came on them. Was it Daniel?

“Ahh. Yes.” As if I conjured him with my mind, the booming voice sounds out from behind me. “I found something of yours. Care to explain?”

“I. What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He clucks his tongue as he comes around the desk to stare me down. “You’re not going to start this off with a lie, now are you? I know it comes second nature to you.”

“Why do you have my panties?”

“I already told you. I found them.”

“Like this?” Please, God. Please let him say he’s the one that came in them. I would just die if it was someone else. Oh, God. What if it was John? Daniel’s face is blank as he sits down and props his feet up on the desk, his heels mere inches away from the stained panties.

“Oh, you mean with cum dripping off of them? What do you think, Cindy?”

Just the way he says my name sends a frisson of desire lurching through me. It was just my name, but it held every promise of dark and decadent things yet to come. “About what, Sir?”

“Who’s cum do you think this is?”

“I-I haven’t the faintest notion.”

“Really? Is that another lie, Viper?” His words, though soft, hit me like acid. I hate that he sees me this way, but really, what other side of him have I shown?

“Was it you?”

“And what would you say if it was? Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

“I would be relieved.”

For a moment, a spark flashes through his eyes, almost feral, predatory, but in one blink, it disappears. “Would you now? And why is that?”

Can this really be happening? Can he really expect me to tell him what I’m thinking and feeling? “Because…”

“Because?”

Fuck. “Because it beats the alternative.” It’s not one hundred percent a lie. Daniel using my panties as his personal cum rag is far more desirable than either a stranger or even John.

“Oh, I’m sure,” he smirks, staring at me in that unnerving way of his. His eyes bore into my soul, demanding I tell him my secrets.

“What else do you want me to say?”

“The truth, Viper. I’ve only always wanted the truth from you.”