Page 32 of Dark Holiday

“It was less than a hundred.”

“How. Fucking. Much?”

“Ninety-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents?”

“Are you asking me or telling me? Because I wasn’t the one disobeying my boss. You were.”

“I-I’m telling you.”

“Good. Now then, do you feel like you’ve made enough money here to just throw, let’s call it an even hundred, away on all this frivolity?” Her eyes lower again as she pulls her bottom lip into her mouth. She’s still hiding something. I can feel it. “What else, Cindy? You’re already in a world of hurt. I doubt you can make it worse.”

“I-I.”

“Speak up, my dear.”

“I didn’t throw away my money….”

The way she trails off sends the hairs on the back of my neck rising. Standing back up, I reach into my pocket and grab my wallet. My credit card is still there, so it couldn’t have been that. She’s a devious little minx, but I can’t see her figuring out how to steal my credit card information.

Sitting back down, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Cindy. I am growing extremely tired of this back and forth. Stop trying to spin the issue and tell me.”

“I - It wasn’t my money.”

“Oh, believe me. I’m gathering that much. Whose was it? I doubt there’s some charity out there ready to fund your bratty, mischievous antics.”

“Petty cash.”

At that moment, everything stops. The only sound I hear is the pulsing of my blood as it rushes through my ears. I must have misheard her. There is absolutely no way she would have the gall to do something like this. The tears misting in her eyes as I try to collect myself corroborates her story.

“Son of a b-.”

“Please. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I didn’t mean -.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you meant to do. That’s stealing. Flat-out theft. How could you be so...so...self-serving? Get your nose in that corner, and don’t you dare move.”

“Please. Gladys didn’t know!” She wails, tears flowing in earnest. “Please don’t get her into trouble because of me.”

Pausing, I turn once more, my lips curled up into a snarl. “I have no issues with Gladys. She’s been a very good employee of mine. If you told her you had permission, then she was absolutely supposed to give you that money. As far as I’m concerned, she’s an innocent bystander. Yet another victim of your lying tongue.”

I close my eyes, breathing for a moment.”If I were you, I’d cram my nose deep into that corner and think about how your actions have consequences. I could easily fire her for what you did. I’m sure as hell not going to do it, but one of these days, you’ll learn that your actions hurt people. Corner. Now!”

Without waiting to see if she’ll obey me, I fling my office door open and slam it shut as I walk out into the main area. How in the hell can I get her out of this one? Theft is not only instant termination, which, let’s be honest, is basically a done deal for her, but legal ramifications also. If anyone else knew...thankfully, I can still sign off. A hundred dollars is nothing to me, but it’s the principle.

More than that, I know I can’t punish her while I’m in this state. As mad as I’ve ever been at a submissive, I’ve never punished in anger. The problem is, this isn’t just a mild annoyance I feel thrumming through me. Rage, akin to the level I felt that night a decade ago, slams into me and refuses to diffuse.

I take several more steps into the main and start to pace. The anger and betrayal I feel right now aren’t all about the damned decorations. It’s about the fact that she continues to lie to me. At what point will enough be enough? Should I let tonight’s punishment decide?

Pausing for a moment, I rest my head against the cool doorframe, willing myself to breathe. Nothing will get accomplished tonight if I let my anger dictate my actions. The fact that she can still get me this riled up is proof enough that the tumultuous feelings still run deep. No matter what I’ll do, I’ll never be free of them. I’ll never be free of her.

With a heavy sigh on my lips, I open the door. Cindy’s standing in the corner, frame shaking with her sobs. I just wish I knew if she was crying because she actually felt remorse or was about to get into trouble.

“We’re not going to discuss the petty cash. You have more than enough to atone for without adding that into the mix. I’ll sign off, but in the two weeks you’ll be here, you will not touch that petty cash again unless you have a note in my hand that says you can. I will tell Gladys the same.”

Cindy whips her head around, mouth flying open. Holding up my hand, I silence her. With a defeated look, she turns back into the corner. “I won’t embarrass you by telling her what you’ve done. Knowing her, it would kill her more than harm you. For now, we will consider this matter closed.”

Reaching back to my notepad, I glance over it, familiarizing myself with the figures. “There’s still the matter of all the work you missed today. But don’t worry, I’ve done a good job tallying that one up. If each of those calls and emails translated into a case, we could be looking at thousands of dollars. I have it all worked up if you want to see.”

She shakes her head. “Pity. I’m rather proud of myself for this one. Now, with the money you’re making here, I’m sure we can come to some sort of settlement, yes?” I pause to let her respond. Soft sobs and hiccups punctuate the silence, but I harden my heart. She needs to have this lesson driven home. Her actions directly affect others, and it’s high time she learns that.