Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 112600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
He still wasn’t making eye contact with me.
Was he feeling guilty, perhaps? I started to second-guess what I’d done to mess with him—for a millisecond. Then I snapped back to reality, reminding myself that he’d stolen my damn panties in the first place and had therefore asked for it. He started this.
He loosened his tie. His hair was a bit unkempt. One thing about Hollis, he was even sexier when he was mad.
He took another sip of his wine and finally asked, “Any reason you’re sticking around? Something you need to tell me about Hailey?”
“No. Not at all. Hailey’s great. She’s cleaning up her room. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about what we did today.” After a few more seconds of awkward silence, I said, “Have a good night.”
“You too,” he said, massaging the tension in the back of his neck.
Awkward. Awkward. Awkward.
As I walked out the door, I realized I was sort of jealous of my own undies and the fun they might be having tonight without me.
Chapter 16
* * *
Hollis
Ever wish you could go back and change something you’ve done? A stupid mistake made on impulse that had lasting repercussions?
I have many regrets in life. But if I could change only one thing, it would be the moment I ever thought it was a good idea to slip Elodie Atlier’s thong into my back pocket.
Apparently, I believed I could get away with murder that night. Instead, I opened a huge can of worms I wouldn’t be able to get myself out of. I certainly never thought she’d taunt me about touching them the second I walked out of her bathroom. Perceptive thing, she is.
At this point, I suspected she knew I did more than touch her lingerie. Was there a chance I might have gotten lucky and the theft had gone unnoticed? I suppose. But the not knowing was driving me crazy. The uncertainty kept me agitated all day and unable to focus on my job. Basically, I was now paranoid, as if I’d committed a crime and knew the police were going to show up at my door any minute.
But as the evening wore on, I calmed down somewhat. Hailey told me all about their day at the museum over dinner. Elodie’s lasagna was phenomenal. After a couple of glasses of wine and a full belly, I felt a bit less on edge.
I decided to assume that even if Elodie suspected I’d taken the thong, there was no way she could prove it. That seed of doubt would always exist. Eventually, this whole situation would blow over.
Later that night, as I lay in bed, though, I realized how depraved I really was. Because as much as I regretted taking her thong, I kept thinking about the fact that it was under my pillow. I wanted nothing more than to take it out again and use it for inspiration as I jerked off. What’s one more time?
Yes, I’d in fact masturbated with her panties over my face last night and was now considering an encore.
I’d convinced myself that if the opportunity arose and I could get back into her house, I could return them—maybe slip them behind a radiator in the bathroom or something. It would be like this whole thing never happened. So, taking them out one more time would harm no one. Right? No one would ever know.
In the end, though, I rolled over and decided against it.
I can’t.
But after several minutes of lying there staring into space, insomnia won. I finally succumbed to the fact that I would need a release to fall asleep tonight. I slipped my hand under the pillow and pulled the thong out.
My heart went from racing excitedly to skipping a beat when I noticed the silky fabric. The hot pink color. This was not the same thong.
This. Was. NOT. The. Same. Thong.
I stared at it in my hand as if it were alive.
What the fuck now, Hollis?
How did she know to look under my pillow? What was she doing in my bedroom? I wanted to give her a piece of my mind for trespassing. How dare she snoop when I was at work?
But she had me exactly where she wanted me, because I couldn’t even address it to reprimand her.
I was madder at myself than Elodie. I’d caused this. Why? Because I was impulsive, horny, selfish—and a goddamn panty snatcher, apparently.
I opened my bedside drawer and threw the hot pink thong into it before slamming it closed. So much for sleeping now.
I stared at the drawer as if I’d stuffed a body in a trunk. Elodie could have taken her black thong back and left nothing behind. She could’ve snapped a photo to taunt me. Instead, she opted to leave another one. She was enjoying this little game, messing with me, capitalizing on my sexual attraction to her.