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.
Justin arrived and barely looked at her, or Meghan and Jen for that matter. Mandy gave him a few minutes in his office to get himself situated, and then she matter-of-factly walked to his office and knocked on the doors.
“What?” Justin barked. Through the half-open doors, Mandy could see him peering at the computer screen and tapping his fingers impatiently.
“Can I speak to you please?” Mandy asked, her voice sounding much more calm then she actually felt.
Justin looked up and for the first time in days, he seemed to actually notice her. He took in her dress and her hair, and a happy look seemed to flit across his face before his usual stony at-work glare came back.
“Yes. Shut the door behind you, please.”
Mandy stepped into the office and pulled the door shut with a resounding click. Justin looked at her, his eyes curious yet wary.
“And what can I do for you, Ms. Ray?” he asked, his voice almost playful.
“I want to know what the hell is your problem!” Mandy demanded, and she couldn’t keep the anger or frustration out of her voice.
Justin looked taken aback. Perhaps he wasn’t used to people speaking to him this way, or perhaps he was surprised at Mandy’s outburst. Either way, Mandy didn’t care.
“What do you mean?” he asked slowly.
“That way you have been treating me ever since I became your Property!” she exclaimed, even though a small voice inside of her head said ever since I saw Brad on Monday night.
“I don’t know what you mean, Mandy. I’ve been busy at work.”
“Yes, you’ve been busy, but you’ve barely said two words to me. Is that how you treat Properties? If so, tell me now. You fuck me with unusual roughness on Tuesday, and then hardly speak to me all week!” She was furious.
Justin almost looked amused as he wheeled his chair back away from his desk and surveyed her. He steepled his finger under his chin as his eyes roved over her.
“You look incredibly sex,” he said softly. Mandy was caught off guard, not expecting this response.
“Thank you,” she said, confused.
“You’re wearing your new clothes. You look very polished and elegant. In fact, my dick is getting hard at this very moment.” His voice was low and gruff. Mandy shifted, unsure of how to handle this new direction in the conversation.