Page 33 of The Roommate Subtext

A long pause. About what? she replied.

In general, he clarified. I don’t want you to lie to me. I won’t ask you any identifying information, but when I do ask you something, I want the truth. Or you can tell me you don’t want to answer. But I don’t want you to lie to me.

She paused a long time. He’d have thought this would be an easy yes for her, and the length of time before her response could have been its own red flag.

Yes, of course, she wrote at last, as though she hadn’t left him on read for several minutes. I want the same from you.

He relaxed. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been. Agreed. Do you want to play right now?

Yes, she responded immediately. I mean, yes, please. Sir. Whatever.

He smiled at the phone. Do you want to call me sir? Does that help?

Well I’m damn sure not typing out “Pimpernel” every time.

That made him chuckle. There’s no good way to abbreviate it, either. Maybe I should have picked a different name.

Too late now, she sent. What do you want me to do?

Normally he liked to plan these things, but he hadn’t expected her message tonight. Do you own any lingerie?

I’m not sending you pics.

I know you’re not sending me pics. Do you think I forget that fast? God, she was reactive. Maybe you can trust me a bit.

Just wanted to reiterate my boundaries.

Right. This was all about boundaries, wasn’t it? Same thing with no physical descriptions, no small talk. A game of power exchange without exchanging any real power. Got it.

I do have some lingerie. I have matching bras and panties, and I’ve got some silk nightgowns and a few other things.

She had probably worn these for some boyfriend, maybe let him remove them. Put on something that makes you feel sexy. Maybe a little slutty.

OK. Give me a minute.

I can wait. He took the opportunity to go out into the kitchen and refill his water glass. Maggie’s door was closed now, with light creeping out from under it. He’d have to be quiet.

Suddenly, her door opened, and she stopped short at the sight of him in the kitchen. “Oh,” she said. “You’re up.” She was already in her nightclothes, a pair of sleep shorts and a button-down sleep shirt made of soft cotton. It was purple trimmed in white, not designed to be especially sexy or tantalizing, but she looked cute.

She scanned his torso. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, but she’d seen him without a shirt before, including recently when she had teased him about stripping for her. She was still staring, so he held up the glass, face suddenly hot. “Getting some water.”

“Yeah, me too.” She walked past him, grabbed a glass from the cabinet, and filled it. Her movements were stiffer than normal, like she was agitated. Maybe he was giving off guilty vibes, and she was responding to them. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” He watched her close her bedroom door before he returned to his. He turned on the fan, and the low hum muffled any other noises, as long as he stayed quiet.

It was another few minutes before Rose’s message came through. All right.

What does your lingerie look like?

It’s a sheer lace negligee. It has ribbons that tie over the nipples. It’s black.

He could picture it, even if he couldn’t picture her, even if he had to consciously stop using Maggie as a placeholder in his mind. He tried imagining a woman with long brown hair, much longer than Maggie’s.

Is it open at the bottom like a dress?

Yeah. It has matching underwear, but I didn’t put them on.

You won’t be needing them. He was hard again. How does it feel to be wearing it?