Free To Seek a Master by Monica Belle Page B

expected to see her. She could hardly take her knickers off in front of Mr Henderson, which meant a trip to the Ladies. Very possibly he’d want to see, allowing her a chance to catch him out, which in turn provided the excuse she needed to actually do it, unless of course he was already watching her, and no doubt enjoying the state she was in. She cast yet another enquiring glance at Mr Henderson, but as always he gave nothing away.
    Laura stood up, trying as hard as she could not to show her nerves as she made for the door, only to be brought up short by her boss’s voice, cool and easy, just a little wry.
    ‘Going somewhere, Laura?’
    She spun around, stammering unintelligibly as she answered, now certain it was him after all.
    ‘I, um … that is, you … I mean, I have to …’
    ‘Are you all right, Laura?’
    ‘I … I have to go to the Ladies. Unless …’
    ‘Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I thought you were hoping to get off early. Run along then.’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    Laura turned for the door to hide her burning embarrassment. The awful words had been about to spill from her mouth when he had interrupted her, an offer to take her knickers off in front of him. She hadn’t been able to stop herself, too weak with shock for what she’d thought was an admission that he was the Man, only to hold back at the last instant when he’d spoken again.
    Yet it still might be him. Maybe he was toying with her, determined to extract every last ounce of emotion, to leave her a helpless wreck before he finally revealed himself. Maybe it would be when she came back from the loos, a curt order to lift her skirt, to show him her bare sex. She knew she’d do it as well, her feelings too strong to be denied, and as she hurried down the corridor she was cursing him under her breath even as her body grew hot to the thought of her coming exposure.
    Only in the calm of the Ladies did she manage to get a grip on herself, sitting in a locked cubicle as she gulped in air. She hadn’t realised how badly he’d got to her, if it even was him. Looked at sensibly, there was nothing at all unusual in what he’d said, while she was so tense that almost anything might have seemed provocative.
    There was only one way to find out, to force the issue, because if she didn’t she felt she was going to go mad. With her face set in a stubborn frown, she kicked her shoes free and tugged her skirt up, levered her tights and knickers down, then off, stuffing both garments into her bag. Naked from the waist down, she felt more exposed than she ever had before, in front of any man, even on the one occasion she’d allowed herself to be talked into performing a striptease, and yet she knew it was nothing compared to the way she’d feel if Mr Henderson made her show herself.
    It took her a full five minutes to pluck up the courage to leave the Ladies, all the while wavering between going through with it and backing out. To her horror Brian and Dave were in the corridor, leaning on the coffee machine. Both turned to watch as she went by, making her painfully conscious of her bare legs and that only a thin layer of wool separated her naked bottom from their lecherous, penetrating eyes. Dave whistled at her, but it was Brian who spoke up.
    ‘Hot, or what? I bet those go up all the way.’
    Dave sniggered and Laura found herself blushing again, sure that they’d realise she had no knickers on and that the whole of EAS would know by the morning. Unless, that was, the Controller was some grotesque cyber creation of theirs, his firm authoritative manner no more than a construct made in mockery of the sort of man she would want to obey, and which they could never be. They were there, after all, and if it was them then they knew she was bare, yet it was hard to imagine them resisting the chance to make some dirty comment.
    She had soon turned a corner, moving out of their sight, although their sniggers at some comment she didn’t catch followed her as she