1988 - Diana (4)
1988 - Diana (4)
"Ah-. Oo-."
"Sorry."
"Euh......."
"Thanks for understanding."
Ara Berry apologized while stroking her little sister's head.
It was an apology for not being able to visit for a while.
"Tongue-."
"Oh, come on. Even if he's not your brother-in-law."
Ara shook her head, caressing her flushing cheeks.
She'd explained Lily was her secretary, but she just wouldn't get it.
Whether she really didn't understand or was doing it on purpose, Ara had no idea.
"Oo....... Euh-."
"Yeah. He's super handsome, right?"
"Thaaat....... Tongue-."
"Chloe? No way. She might be a bit into Korea because of me, but I doubt she'd date an Asian guy."
"Ah......ee."
"Really? That much?"
Ara tilted her head.
Her first little sister, Chloe Berry.
She hadn't realized Chloe was that into Asians.
"Oooh."
"I didn't know that."
Chloe did have a particular interest in Korea.
It was probably because of her big sister Ara—herself.
But Ara hadn't known it ran that deep.
"I've been too neglectful."
She'd been too busy to look after her sisters.
When their parents passed away suddenly, all three were still minors.
Ara had finally become their guardian once she hit her senior year of high school, but before that, they'd suffered immensely.
Keeping the sisters from being scattered to the winds had taken a ton of effort.
On top of that, Lily's caregiving and their schooling.
They'd managed to scrape by, steadily burning through the inheritance their parents left, but the limits hit fast.
If not for that mysterious group that approached out of nowhere and helped, they definitely would've collapsed.
"Oo-. Oooh-!"
"Ah, no, that's not what I meant. Sorry."
At Lily's comfort, she gave a wry smile.
Was it because the price of that help came to mind?
To save her sister, there was nothing she wouldn't do.
But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how she cried out or begged for help.
No one gave a damn.
Not their parents' friends, not the city hall officials, not the hospital doctors, not the world.
The only help was a bit of pocket change from fundraisers by friends at school for her and her sisters.
'At least that's a relief.'
She truly thought so from the heart.
'Meeting a good person.'
Her employer, or rather, her Master-nim.
He was one hell of a peculiar guy.
Definitely not a good, kind person, but calling him evil was ambiguous too.
Not affectionate, but not cruel; authoritative without being rude.
Sometimes he'd say or do old-man stuff, but hey, that's just taste.
'Above all.......'
Nights with him felt too damn good.
Sure, she was treated less like a woman and more like a bitch in heat.
But cradled in those massive arms, petty crap like that faded away in the face of that security.
The first peace she'd felt since her parents died.
With that crushing responsibility off her shoulders, the relief was indescribable.
'This must be Stockholm syndrome, huh?'
Surprisingly, she was aware of her own state.
She understood why she felt affection for him, why she'd stay by his side even with a collar.
She got it all in her head.
But so what?
The cause or reason didn't matter.
As long as she got loved and pampered in return for her efforts.
And that warmth hit way more solidly than empty words.
'Ah.......'
A sensation like something leaking from deep in her lower belly.
Thinking of that night always did this to her.
"Euh-?"
"Sorry. Was lost in thought for a sec."
Ara shook her head vigorously to shake off those thoughts.
She didn't want to embarrass herself by getting her panties soaked in front of her sister.
"So, you think Chloe likes Joey-, I mean, Boss?"
"Euh."
She snickered.
That kid had sky-high standards.
"No way it's that serious."
"Ah......euh."
"Yeah, got it."
"O......."
"Yeah. Let's sleep together here tonight."
"Hoo-."
Ara kissed Lily's forehead and said.
"Ch......euh......."
"Shall we? What do you wanna hear?"
"O-."
At her sister's request for a fairy tale, she gave an awkward smile.
Not because of the act, but the book's title.
"Again?"
"Oooh."
"Okay."
Ara pulled a book from the drawer.
More precisely, a notebook written in cute handwriting.
She began reading the story she'd read her countless times again.
"The night was angry."
The one and only fairy tale in the world.
Written by Ara Berry.
"People only liked the day and hated the night."
It wasn't written to show Lily.
Just a childhood dream.
A fairy tale scribbled in bits and pieces around age fifteen, shortly after her parents passed.
"So the night threw a tantrum."
A world filled only with pitch-black darkness.
A world where you couldn't see or even move, and a prince with the only glowing magic torch.
The story of a girl saved by that prince.
"And then, the light approached. The girl saw the prince behind that firelight......."
The words and story she'd always read.
Yet Ara's lips didn't continue.
The prince's vague image had turned into one specific face.
She didn't know why he was buck-naked, though.
'Come to think of it, what about Master-nim tonight? Won't he suffer if he can't relieve his urges?'
Eek!
Her butt twitched.
Thinking of Master-nim had heat rising in her lower belly again.
This wouldn't do.
She needed a temporary fix at least.
"......Euh?"
"Sorry, Lily. Sis has to hit the bathroom quick."
"Ah-."
"Really sorry!"
Ara dashed to the bathroom in hurried steps.
"Haa......."
Then she sat on the toilet, pulled down her panties.
And started doing what Master-nim had taught her.
It was like she could hear the waves of the Bahamas crashing somewhere.
"Where... am I...? Arthur-ssi? Huh?"
Diana jolted awake and hurriedly covered her chest area.
I was sitting at the table, sipping coffee.
"You're up?"
"......."
"......."
After a few seconds of silence.
"This, this is......."
"Had a good night."
"......"
Diana glared at me, eyes welling with tears.
"I-I'm reporting you."
"Oh dear."
Looks like she's pieced it together?
"Funny."
"What's funny? What's with that camcorder? What the hell were you planning?"
"No battery."
"......Pardon?"
"This camcorder doesn't even turn on."
I'd used it all up filming Ara the other day.
Was in the middle of swapping tapes and sorting.
"People like us always live in anxiety."
I set down my coffee and pulled out a cigarette.
"A missed order by seconds can wipe out months of effort in a flash, swept away by bigger money—that happens all the time, right?"
"What're you suddenly on about?"
"To survive in that world, you gotta do what you gotta."
And lit it.
"Sip-. Phew-."
This cig was a remnant of my own desperate flailing to survive.
So her vixen bullshit didn't piss me off.
I mean, who am I to judge.
"Here, a gift."
I tossed her the thing I'd put on the table.
"Eek!"
Her recorder from her handbag.
"Wiped the contents."
Before she could whine about illegal recording without consent.
"So it won't work as evidence."
It'd been her hedge, so no reason to leave it.
"You rifled through my bag without permission?"
"Yep."
My shameless reply shut Diana up.
But hey, I had my own righteous excuse.
"Here's a trade."
I tossed her another recorder.
"That's from yesterday. I recorded it."
"......."
"Play it."
She gulped dryly and hit play.
[Ooooh♥ More♥ Gonna cum again-♥]
[Where should I cum?]
[Insideee-♥ Please, baby, baby, give it to meee-♥]
"Kiyaaaaah!"
A piercing scream, and the recorder smashed against the wall.
Tossing someone else's stuff like that.
And burying her head under the blanket? Guess she remembers now.
"Wrong one. My bad."
I'd prepped three recorders.
Click.
I hit play on the one in my hand.
[I don't wanna go home today....... Can we stay together a bit longer?]
[Is that what you're thinking?]
[Forcing that answer from a woman is too much, don't you think?]
She'd remember this crystal clear.
It was the convo before she got wasted at the bar.
"......Eut!"
I savored my coffee, then spoke again.
"My hypotheses: three."
"Huh?"
"One: the collar. Claim rape and blackmail to control me."
"It was forced, you......."
"Two: debt. Pretend blackout drunk to saddle me with guilt."
"......"
"Three: settlement. Low odds, but. Payoff money."
Diana clamped her mouth shut.
All examples I'd dealt with before.
Real chance of happening? Slim to none.
Not even one in a hundred women.
But it happens, right?
Black swans are rare, but inevitable eventually.
"Phew-."
During the silence, only the cigarette smoke drifted between us.
Second one's most likely, honestly.
First's too high-risk, third's too cheap.
If she wanted settlement cash, she'd have picked another route from the start.
She avoided my eyes.
"You know? Whatever you pick, it's pointless."
"Huh?"
"Taxi's waiting outside. I called it. Paid up front, waited all night."
"......."
"Restaurant staff remember our chats. I asked specially. Concierge got the inquiry to send you home."
"Uh......."
"Decisively, CCTV shows me trying to send you off while you cling instead. What'll the court say with that evidence?"
My hedge too.
Proof I tried sending her home, but she refused and wanted the night.
Stuff I wouldn't do if rape was the goal.
Evidence against claims of impulsive crime.
"......."
I snickered at her sweating bullets.
"Don't worry. I'm not pissed."
"......."
"We're alike, right?"
"Alike......."
"Yeah. Wall Street scumbags. Cowards shaking in fear more than anyone, yet charging at higher goals with no holds barred."
Hedging's a fear response.
Like a scared dog barking nonstop for survival.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Me bartender, you waitress. Two staff from the same spot giving opposite testimonies? Suspicious, huh?"
We'd both leaned on the bar staff.
I got the bartender to vouch she came willingly; she got the waitress to say she hated it.
Obviously, mine won out.
More cash, and bartender had more pull.
"Makes sense, that move. We're alike—I'd do the same."
Just one thing still bugged me.
"But one thing I can't wrap my head around."
"......."
"Why'd you drink yourself blackout? That naive? Just a slip-up?"
Diana squeezed her eyes shut, face beet red.
"J-just......."
"Just?"
"Got nervous, scared too."
"Scared?"
"It's my first time with this kinda thing!"
First time?
"What, exactly?"
"With a guy, like this......."
"Spell it out. I ain't getting it."
"I'm a virgin! Virgin! Damn it! Never done it before! Happy?!"
Ow, startled the shit outta me.
Thud.
Dropped my cig without thinking.
A virgin?
She screamed jaded femme fatale.
"Southern belle maybe?"
"That's prejudice! I'm from Ohio!"
Virgin and not Southern?!
Well, vibe-wise, she's textbook Northern European stock.
"Uh....... Y'know, you seemed real comfy handling clients like this......?"
"Usually a little flirt gets 'em hooked just fine!"
You ain't that hot, babe?
Or... are ya?
......Yeah, probably are.
My standards too high maybe.
"Ahem."
I shook my head.
Even if true, no guarantee she's dropped the other three.
Separate issues.
"Haven't heard your answer yet. Virgin nerves can't be the whole story."
"Just... trying to get closer."
Guilt debt, huh.
No one but her knows if it's true.
"And might need a staff referral later?"
Solid play.
Securing a good hedge fund or office for job-hopping's key for career longevity.
"Bonus: boost deposits?"
"Not going that far for it."
Fair.
At her pay grade, client handling stays tame.
So why so aggressive with me?
"Your precious first time, to me? Doesn't add up."
"......You're hot."
"Huh?"
"No time for dating with work, and guys around are either backstabbers eyeing my spot or greasy suit dudes! So yeah! Might as well lose it to someone young, handsome, mannerly, and loaded."
Everything but manners fits me.
Young, handsome, rich.
"People like us dating? Disaster."
"Who said dating?"
"So enjoy-only virgin loss?!"
"Why not! Can't I?!"
No rule against it.
But still feels like a nose ring.
As I pondered my reaction.
Beep-boop-. Click.
"I'm back......."
Ara walked in.