A touch

GRETCHEN

Maria downed another drink.

What was that? Her tenth cosmopolitan?

She slammed it down on the table. It was lucky that the frail cocktail glass didn’t actually shatter from the impact.

The sound from it didn’t seem to bother other people in this luxury lounge. Everybody else was so invested in their own conversations, and the slow tingling of the piano was so stress-reducing…

Well, to everyone except Maria, I guess.

“Is… everything… okay?” I felt compelled to ask.

“…Sure,” she gave the shortest answer she possibly could.

I think she was getting drunk. Her eyes were beginning to glass over.

…Good, right?

I mean… it was what I was ordered to do, after all.

‘Get her drunk’. That was the only thing I needed to do. And then make up some excuse and leave.

What happened after that… I had no idea.

He didn’t want to tell me, so that I’d react in a natural manner.

…Well, he didn’t say that last part, but I wasn’t stupid. It was obvious.

And what was my reward?

…He didn’t promise me any.

…But, maybe… If I did a good job…

He’d fuck me like the bitch cunt that I was?

Really punish my birth canal with His massive tool?

Fuck me so hard up the ass I’d spit up His cum?

Oh God…

Last night was so… unbelievably… mind-blowingly… euphoric.

…I know the master fucked me so roughly… mainly… for Mimi’s eyes…

But still, it didn’t mean that- I mean, yeah, it was obvious he was interested in Mimi too, but- it, it wasn’t certain that Mimi was that into the whole thing…

If- If he actually planned on hitting her… she’d- she’d put a stop to it, right?

I mean we… were still sisters after all, and why -why would she want my guy? I mean it’s be weird- since I was still with him and… and…

Right?

I mean… Well, it was actually hard to get a read on her…

When I tried to apologize that she had accidentally seen me in that state in the morning… She just weirdly pretended that she didn’t know what I was talking about.

But she was so jittery.

And then she left. Like, really, really quickly.

She forgot some of her clothes in my apartment too.

…It was not like her. She was acting like a… blushing little teenager.

But-

“Waiter! Could you bring me and my friend another one?”

Oh shit. I was lost in my thoughts again.

I flashed a smile at the waiter and nodded in agreement. I mean I was still nursing my previous one, but it didn’t matter at this point.

For some reason, this operation was really easy.

I didn’t even have to try. Maria was willing to get drunk on her own.

I never saw her like this. I wonder what triggered this behavior in her.

“So, uh, what’s-“ I stuttered, trying to think of something new to talk about. These last few days with her… had been a little draining, to say politely, and I was running out of things to say.

She interrupted me. “Drink up. We’ve discussed enough work already. I just want to have fun for now.”

“Oh, okay!” I exclaimed happily, downing the appletini in front of me.

I briefly considered letting out a small wooah after getting it all down in one shot, like I did so many times, yesterday, with my sister… But this was my boss… and this place was, well, a little more sophisticated.

I decided not to scream like a fucking teenager. Probably smart.

She smiled at me. But she wasn’t staring at my face anymore.

“So when did you get a boobjob, Gretch?”

My face went pale, as I shockingly realized that top button of my jacket had gone loose the moment I tilted my head to drink the cocktail.

These damn boobs. Just that small movement was enough to make them burst out. My old clothes didn’t fit around these monsters anymore.

My amble cleavage was now completely exposed to my boss.

I chuckled, embarrassedly.

“ahahaa, well I… actually, it… it was more like…”

“I mean it is weird. I don’t remember you taking that many days off recently. Wouldn’t that take at least a week to heal?”

I swallowed.

She was in her damn detective mode again.

That strange feeling when it feels like she scopes out your whole soul, trying to find something secret about you.

The problem here was, I couldn’t answer her even if I wanted to.

Jack didn’t tell me how this happened. Even though I was sure that he knew about it.

I tried not to think about it too much. After all, he had ordered me not to worry about it, so I really did try my best… to not think about the weirdness… of it all.

But… Maria demanded an answer.

Mercifully, the waiter brought the new drinks just then.

But she wasn’t drinking. She was still focusing on me, waiting for my answer.

I think I was starting to sweat.

I couldn’t come up with anything!

Then she finally relented. “Look. Are you ashamed about those? I don’t care. I mean sure. We’re supposed to be a high-class fashion magazine. I wouldn’t want my lead editor turning into a trashy bimbo, but I’ve got nothing against some small… adjustments.”

She was smiling.

So she was joking.

I let out a small, nervous laugh.

“ha-ha-ha! Ha!”

Oh God. That sounded so weird.

“I’m just wondering… why? I mean as far as my eyes can tell… You don’t really need something like that.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“And I really mean that. You’re… beautiful… the way you are, Gretch.”

…

Wait, what?

I mean that sounded like a nice compliment, but…

There was an odd glimmer in her eyes.

She… No way…

No way she was actually coming on to me, right?

She was definitely not a lesbian! I mean she had married, she had a daughter, she was always dating some new pretty boy…

Yeah, no… She was just drunk. I think.

And getting even more drunk. That newest cosmopolitan was almost gone already.

“Thanks, Maria, but I think… I just… I needed some… Well, well never felt quite… confident about my… breasts. Just… I’m still just getting used to them, and I’d prefer to keep them, you know, not in sight”, I said as I buttoned myself back up again.

“Really? …That’s a shame, I think,” she said as she finished her cosmopolitan in record speed.

…What?

She continued. “I don’t… mmind theem. They’re… quite… fitting…”

…How many drinks was that her for now?

It felt like a dozen.

She was really drunk. I shouldn’t make too many assumptions about her right now.

She seemed to realize she had crossed a boundary as well. “I’m sorrry, Gretch. I was jusst trying to complement you. It’s just… Let’s get another drrink. Waiter!”

She was getting a bit loud now. Other patrons were giving us nasty glances.

Wait, was that…

What were those two doing here? In this lounge?

…

Oh right. They must be a part of whatever plan this was.

And they were signaling me to leave.

Yeah, I had a feeling Maria might be drunk enough.

“Oh, nevermind Maria… and thank you… but I think I need to go the bathroom now.”

“…Do you want me to come with?”

…

That wasn’t… just a friend asking to come along with me to the bathroom.

There was a strange tone in her voice.

And the way she was eyeing me…

It was clear now.

She wanted something to happen in there.

…She wanted me.

There was no way I could misinterpret this. Not that look.

I felt sick to my stomach.

All these years of… of… mentoring me and… taking me under her wing…

Did she do all of that…

To…

I mean… she never even gave me a sign that she…

Was she too drunk to hide her feelings now?

It just felt all kinds of wrong. Like all of a sudden…

I had been just one of her playthings all along.

Was… everything… a lie?

I didn’t know what to say.

“Actually, I… I’m feeling a little sick… I’d like to be alone…”

She gave a small, understanding nod.

But…

She also lightly touched my thigh.

Caressing it.

Squeezing it.

I pretended not to notice, and sped towards the bathroom.

I might throw up for real.

MARIA

Fuck.

I’m a fucking dumbass.

Why did I do that?

When will I learn?

Never lay your cards on the table like that.

No matter if her… leg… felt as heavenly as I always wondered it would.

This wasn’t the right strategy.

I’d just tell her I was really, really drunk. Which to be honest, I was.

I would never make such a mistake in normal circuimstances.

Besides, I was content to just sniffing her hair sometimes.

Some things are not meant to happen.

…It’s just… She was finally hanging out more with me, I thought…

Nope, I ruined it.

It would take a long time to recover from this one.

Like I fucking needed this on top of everything else.

Fucking Jack Dingle was actually working for the feds. Which meant I still couldn’t release my pent up aggression on his puny body and riddle it with holes.

But goddamn it felt so good to **** him. Maybe I’d do it again. Somewhere Hayley couldn’t stop me.

If he flashed that arrogant smirk of his one more time, I might not even care about what the feds were going to do. I’d end his miserable life right there, no matter who was witnessing.

Nobody escapes my grasp.

Not even Gloria. I’d definitely find her tomorrow and give her the whooping of her lifetime.

Why did she have to intentionally make me so angry, wearing that trash? And whatever odd jewellery that was in those shorts.

God I wanted to smack both of their heads together. But then again, I never wanted to see Jack and Gloria together again. So not really.

When things didn’t go my way… I got angry. And when I got angry… I drank.

Excessively.

A really bad habit. Especially around Gretchen.

…my poor dear Gretchen.

Honestly, if she didn’t want it, I’d lay my hands off her.

Just as long… as nobody else was touching her either.

I made sure to give her enough work that she couldn’t have any free time. And meet any… love interests.

If that were to happen… Well, I’d have my ways of getting rid of them.

She was mine. And anybody trying to-

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

What?

Two new people just slid in where Gretchen had been sitting.

Two redheads.

Two gorgeous redheads.

Wait… Didn’t I know them?

“…Lana? Lana Douglas? And… And…”

“Anna-Marie. The photographer,” the woman answered.

…

What the fuck were they doing here?