"It's perfect," Ally breathed. Mandy could not believe her own reflection.
"I'll find you the perfect mask. Don't worry!" Ally exclaimed. The women made their purchase, along with matching shoes and were back in the car heading towards the office by five o'clock.
Mandy shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked Ally. Before Ally could respond, she barreled on. "What happened to the last Property?" She noticed Ally slightly flinch.
"It was bad," Ally said quietly. "I knew you would ask at some point. There are rumors."
Mandy waited while Ally gathered her thoughts.
"She was really pretty. Josephina. Almost too pretty. She attracted a lot of attention, and Justin didn't like that. She also flirted way too much for her own good. Justin thought he could tame her but Josie was even too much for him. She began an affair with another pack member and Justin found out. It became really ugly, or at least that's what the few people who witnessed their fight say. The next day Josie's desk was cleared out and she was gone."
Ally paused and took a deep breath. "We all just figured she quit or she was fired. The pack member stopped coming around, too. Justin banished him from the pack. Apparently, he has the authority to do that, and it's a huge dishonor and embarrassment. But a few weeks after that all happened, I went by Josie's house to drop off a bracelet I had borrowed. The house was empty, but everything was still there. I had a key, so I let myself in. It was as if Josie had never returned to her house. There were dirty clothes on the floor and dishes in the sink. The house was lived in, but there was a layering of dust over everything."
Ally's voice dropped an octave. "I don't think she returned to her house after their fight."
Mandy swallowed fearfully. "Do you think Justin did something to her?"
Ally shook her head slowly. "I just don't see Justin capable of that, but it doesn't make sense. Maybe she feared him and she fled. Maybe she ran away with the pack member. I truly don't believe Justin was involved, but regardless, the situation is unpleasant."
Unpleasant? Mandy found it downright frightening.
"I think I would run too if I crossed Justin. Wouldn't you?" Ally asked gravely. Mandy nodded, but her stomach turned in knots as she thought of her meeting with Brad the night before. She was playing with fire, and this was a flashing red light for her to stop.
"Anyway," Ally said cheerfully, "I'm sure you'll never have to worry about that! You are so much smarter than Josie!"
Mandy smiled back weakly, and she resolved to be anything but cordial to Brad in the future. The remainder of the ride was spent in silence as Mandy mulled over what she head learned today.
Wednesday was a day of tension and awkwardness within the office. Ally was pleasant as usual, but Jen skittered around Mandy, while Meghan gave her the silent treatment. Mandy felt strange showing up to work in her new, expensive clothing. Today she was wearing a lightweight cream-colored dress that draped around her body tastefully. It had a simple neckline and the hem came just before her knees. Mandy had accented the outfit with gold sandals and a long, chain-linked gold necklace.
Mandy chuckled to herself as she thought back to Chrissy's reaction when she had come home with a carload of clothes. At first, Mandy had considered hiding the clothes from Chrissy, but once she realized how much she and Ally were purchasing, she had known that would have been impossible. With a ridiculously small apartment, and less than ample closet space, Chrissy would have immediately noticed Mandy's new wardrobe.
Mandy had stuck to the truth somewhat by explaining that her company had an impressive wardrobe stipend. Chrissy had eyed her warily, but Mandy shrugged it off. Mandy explained that her wardrobe had been in such dire straights, that she was advanced a year's worth of her stipend. When Chrissy asked what would happen if Mandy left before a year, Mandy said she would have to pay the remainder back. Chrissy eyed the boxes and then laughed saying that Mandy had better stick around for at least a year then.
As Mandy settled herself into her desk, she glanced at Justin's doors wondering when he would return from his morning off-site meeting. The morning ticked by slowly and Mandy yearned for the early days of her new job where she Meghan and Jen got along so well.
By lunchtime Mandy had had just about enough. Even Ally's perky personality couldn't carry the uncomfortable lunch conversation. Jen laughed way too loudly at anything she said and Meghan seemed to want to eat her lunch as fast as possible so that she could disappear.
"I've had it!" Mandy exclaimed, pushing her salad aside. The women eyed her nervously. "This is ridiculous! Why are you treating me so differently? I thought we worked this all out on Monday morning? What happened?"
Jen, looking even more embarrassed than she had on Monday morning, spoke. "It's just - we're not sure what we can and can't say around you."
Mandy rolled her eyes. "You can say anything you want! Just because I'm the stupid Property doesn't mean you need to censor your thoughts! I'm not going to run to Justin and blab everything you tell me!"
"Well, that's what the last assistant did and she was really close to becoming the Property," Meghan spoke up. Mandy stopped, realization dawning on her. She looked at Ally for assistance.
"Oops. Forgot to mention that yesterday. We all kind of spoke in confidence and then she told Justin. Plus she couldn't handle the whole orgy thing," Ally looked sheepish at the lapse in her memory.
"Great," Mandy said, frustrated. "Now none of you are going to trust me. I'm not one of those girls who runs and tells my boyfriend everything." She looked embarrassed. "Not that Justin's my boyfriend – I just meant – you know – I'm not like that!" she stuttered. Certainly, she and Justin were nothing like boyfriend and girlfriend. She knew next to nothing about him.
Finally, Jen seemed to be at ease for good, and even Meghan seemed to lighten up a bit. The rest of the lunch passed in easy conversation and Mandy felt relieved when she returned to her desk. Not five minutes later, Justin came striding down the hall. He went behind closed doors and didn't emerge until five o'clock. He barely even looked at Mandy and she felt hurt. Here they were, supposedly starting some type of relationship, and Justin could hardly look at her, especially after a hard fuck the day before.
Annoyed, Mandy stormed out of the office once her work was finished. She fumed all the way home, and was in a foul mood all evening. Chrissy took care to avoid her, and Mandy turned into bed early. Not even the glamorous evening gown hanging from her closet could lift her spirits. At the moment, she had no desire to attend the ridiculous costume party.
Mercifully, Thursday was a much better day between the women in the office. Jen was back to normal, and Meghan was back to her normal self as well, though she was never as kind or friendly as Jen was. Justin was only in the office for an hour, and he spoke to his three assistants collectively before he left for the day. Not only was Meghan annoyed, but she was hurt even more than the day before. She was beginning to regret her decision to become Justin's Property. It wasn't worth the hassle or stress, and she didn't need Justin's help in making her feel worse about herself.
Near the end of the day on Thursday, Ally swung by her desk to drop off the mask she had found for Mandy. It was beautiful, with large blue and green feathers, and intricate painting around the eyes. It was attached to a slender rod.
"Justin picked it out himself," Ally said proudly as she handed the mask to Mandy.
"Thanks," Mandy said softly. "I think he's mad at me though, so I don't know how I feel about the party right now."
"Why would he be mad at you?"
Mandy knew exactly why, but she shrugged instead. She didn't know how Justin could know about her meeting with Brad.
"He's very moody, Mandy. I'm sure it's nothing you did," Ally said gently. "Go home, have a glass of wine and tomorrow's Friday. Plus, you have looked amazing the past two days in your new clothes!"
Mandy smiled at the mention of her new clothes, but then her face fell as she thought of how Justin had neither noticed nor commented on her new attire. Mandy thanked Ally and went home. She spent another miserable night at home, staring at her completed costume, wondering how she would attend a party with Justin when he barely seemed to be speaking to her.
Friday morning Mandy woke up and resolved to say something to Justin. She dressed in a teal sleeveless dress with a thin silver belt. The slipped on silver sandals, and even blow-dried her hair. Mandy always felt better when she knew she looked her best. She strode into the office with a purpose, and sat down to begin work, being highly efficient for the morning.