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“M-Mary,” I stammered, wringing my hands because honestly, I had no idea what else to do with them. “I’m sorry I lied about the bathroom thing-”
“What else are you lying about, I wonder?”
Her question was rhetorical, but I answered anyway, probably too quickly to be trusted.
“N-nothing,” I said weakly. “I...I wouldn’t lie to you...”
I didn’t finish. I was literally lying right that moment. I wasn’t there to interview because I was an eager sub with bills to pay and kinky itches to scratch. The other reason I didn’t bother wasting her time with excuses and reasons was because she struck me as a woman who could weed out BS, and had zero respect for people who insulted her intelligence, or wasted her time.
So I told her the truth.
Well, most of the truth.
“I did lie.”
My voice was tentative, conciliatory, but I didn't shy away when she cut her eyes in my direction. I needed to show her that I could be trusted. Avoiding her like I had something to hide would just make her more suspicious.
“I don’t have nearly as much experience as I said in my email.”
Her ebony eyes narrowed until they were slits of skepticism. She reached past me to the control panel and I expected her to punch the ‘L’ button and hustle me right out of the building. Instead, she yanked the emergency stop button, bringing the elevator to a shuddering halt.
She got in my face, crossing her arms against her ample chest. “This is your final opportunity to convince me that you’re the right fit for Hush.” She made a decapitating motion with her pointer finger, her crimson, razor sharp nails glittering. “We can’t have hostesses kicking ass while they’re on the clock.” Her midnight eyes softened. “Even if they deserve it.” She relaxed her arms, but she didn’t move an inch, making me take a small step backward.
She didn’t have to spell it out for me. This was my shot, and not just my shot to prove that I belonged, but that I could do this; could do what it took to write this story.
I wiped my clammy palms on the front of my skirt, my nerves trying desperately to do me in. They listed off all the reasons I would fail; that I wasn’t tenacious enough. Sexy enough. Just...anything enough.
When I silenced my insecurities, I knew exactly what I needed to say.
“My ex-boyfriend is the one who introduced me to the lifestyle.” It was a lie, but the negative energy that his memory evoked was very real. Powerful enough that she, or anyone who had given their all to a man who didn’t deserve it, could instantly relate. “I thought being submissive was always saying yes; to let him use me and if I let him hurt me, maybe he’d love me.”
Tears blurred my vision and I had no idea whether Mary was buying it or waiting for me to finish so she could get on with her night. I was lost in the fact that the bits of truth hiding in the lie, that my ex used me, and made me feel like I was worth less than nothing if I wasn’t his version of perfect, still had the power to bring me to tears - and I’d ended things over two years ago.
Realizing that the only story I’d given Mary confirmed that I wasn’t stable enough for this job, I sniffled and rolled my shoulders back. I put the past behind me and focused on the future.
“But my story has a happy ending. I finally found the strength to leave him and met a guy who showed me that my ex wasn’t a Dom at all. He nurtured my need to give over control and taught me to trust again.” I fast forwarded to tonight and my altercation a few minutes ago. “That man tonight, he triggered something in me when he grabbed me like he owned me. He reminded me of my ex.” I clenched my teeth, letting my very real disgust flicker all over my face. “I didn’t speak up until my ex nearly ruined me and...’not again’ screeched through my head. I dropped my chin to my chest. “I’m not proud of what I did.”
Silence followed my confession and when I drew my eyes from the floor to meet Mary’s, the smile she’d first greeted me with was back with a vengeance.
“Between you and me, that man was overdue for an ass kicking. That you were the one to do it is something you should be very proud of.” Her smile remained, but a bit of the glow dimmed. “We all have baggage; pasts that haunt us. Sometimes it’s just a whisper here, a jump scare there, a full on paranormal mess that drags you back to some really unpleasant shit.” She disengaged the emergency stop and the elevator rumbled back to life. “But the minute you let the past possess you, that sucker who broke your heart wins.”
We stopped on the fifth floor and she stepped out first. I waited, still unsure of where I stood with her.
Mary perched a hand on her hip, giving me a steely look. “You still want this job, or do you want your ex to take this chance from you?”
“Hell yeah, I want this job,” I answered without hesitation. I followed her, excitement popping in my chest like fireworks.
I passed the test.
****
“Girl, the Doms are gonna eat you alive tonight.”
I was in the office with Mary, blushing like crazy. Considering she was the personification of sexy, it was quite the compliment. Her dark hair was in chunky, thick plaits that weaved around her head. Her makeup was perfect, accentuating her high cheekbones and rosy red lips. She wore a lacy, black mask that enhanced her big, brown eyes and a black dress that put every other black dress to shame. She was Beyoncé level gorgeous, with the personality to boot, and she was telling me that I would have problems keeping men away?
I fixed my wig, even though I knew it wasn’t out of place. That led to me tugging at my skirt, even though it wouldn’t go down any further unless I was pulling it off altogether. It stopped below my buttocks and suddenly that seemed way too short. “You’re just being nice.”
She rolled her coal lined eyes. “Honey, I don’t waste time on being nice or blowing smoke up people’s asses. Life’s too short to be fake.” She leaned back in her seat and took stock of me like she was seeing me for the first time. “What happened to the firecracker from last night?”
