Chapter 2- Strip

Anastasia’s POV

A week later

     My eyes were glued to the screen of my computer as my hands typed away. I didn't want my annoying manager to make me work overtime.

“ Erm... Don't you think you're working a little too hard?” Claire my co-worker who sat right beside me questioned handing me a cup of coffee.

“ Uhh, thank you,” I took it from her hand. “ I just have a feeling that Manager Matt will make some of us work overtime and honestly, I'm not so lucky with escaping,” I sighed removing the cup from my lips.

 “ That man... Urgh.. it's like he just enjoys making us suffer and all he does all day is talk on phone and laugh out loud,” seems I wasn't the only one hating on him.

“ But it's not like we can do anything, can we?” I heaved a sigh.

“ Of course there's something we can do,” she looked at me with knotted brows, I had a bad feeling about this. “ Chill out, it's not something outrageous and it's something for you only,” she cleared the air.

“ For me? What's that?” I became curious.

“ Learn to fucking say no!” She exclaimed in a low voice. “ You're one of the only workers he forces things like overtime on and you know why? Because you always let him have his way,” she advised but she wouldn't understand. There were no strings attached to her job but there were multiple strings attached to mine, if I gave any reason for Kasper to fire me even if it was the slightest, he wouldn't hesitate.

“ I'll try doing that,” I faked a smile. I was grateful for her help and advice but it wasn't for me, not when I had bills to pay.

Soon enough it was evening and work hours was coming to an end. I was happy that work would soon be over but thinking of going back home, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go home early.

“ Who's up for drinks tonight?” Mrs Smith slammed her hands against her desk to get all our attention the moment we got of work.

“ Me!” People raised their hands enthusiastically.

“ I'm definitely in. I've been waiting for someone to suggest this, it's been a while since we had dinner together,” the laziest man in our department answered.

“ I'm already excited about it just thinking about drinking to stupor,” another daydreamed.

“ No one is going to drink excessively okay? We still have to come to work tomorrow,” Mrs Smith brought back order.

“ So who's paying for dinner tonight?” A young cute girl my age raised her hand. Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to face Manager Matt. Why was I not surprised?

“ Manager Matt, do you need me to help you with your bags?” Mrs. Smith was the first to suck up.

“ We could even give you a massage,” one of the men suggested.

“ I'd be more than willing to drive you home, Mr. Manager,” another volunteered.

“ Okay, okay. Enough with your sucking up, I don't like this new you - everyone,” he pointed at all of us. “ What do you want from me?” He knew we or rather they were up to something.

“ Even if everyone knows you for how stingy you are, not today,” someone said.

“ We're going out for dinner,” Mrs. Smith said.

“ And?”

“ We want you to pay,” she and the rest gave him the cutest eyes.

“ Fine, here's the company card. Use it to buy whatever you want and if you max it, I'll make sure to fill it back up with your salaries,” he said handing over the card before walking out of the office.

“ Come on, let's go party!” Mrs. Smith raised the card up in triumph as the rest jeered. I quietly packed my bag.

“ Aren't you coming?” Claire turned to look at me. I had thought she wasn't paying attention, drats. The others went silent and stared at me.

“ Anastasia, aren't you gonna join us?” Mrs. Smith asked.

“ I'm sorry but I'm a little busy tonight,” I knew I sounded very weird for killing the mood but Kasper wouldn't let me go anywhere. He would kill me if he found out, I just couldn't risk it.

“ That's the same thing you always say whenever it's a company outing,” Claire frowned. She wasn't in anyway happy with the tons of my excuses.

“ Tsk. Someone thinks she's better than all of us,” a girl I wasn't sure of gossiped behind me. How was I going to explain this to them? Barely anyone knew that I was married to Kasper.

“ I'm not hearing another one of your excuses, you're coming along,” before I could revolt again, Mrs. Smith pulled me out of my chair and together we headed out.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

With the blaring music and the flickering lights, we sat down at a long table and had drinks, well I didn't drink. I was terrible at holding my liquor in.

“ I heard that CEO Kasper is married,” two girls gossiped making me to nearly choke on my drink.

 “ No way. How come no one has seen his wife? But then again, didn't his fiancee die?” 

“ Yes, she did but do you know what makes this story more scandalous?” 

“ What? Tell me,”

“ I heard that he married his fiancee's best friend. Talk about double-crossing, now I feel bad for his fiancee,” my chest tightened as they talked, guilt circulating through me.

I grabbed my glass of beer even though I knew I had zero to no tolerance, and gulped it down my throat. I didn't want to remember any of this.

“ Let's make this fun,” Mrs. Smith hoarded all the alcohol towards herself. “ Let's play a game,” she suggested.

“ Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” One of the other girls smiled at Mrs Smith. “ How about we play ‘ Never have I ever ’ ?” They chorused.

“ As much as the game is suitable for tonight and it's fun, that game never turns out right,” Claire said sipping from her cup. Claire was a hero in my eyes right now, she had saved the day for me and many others just now.

“ How about we play truth or dare?” Another suggested. “ If you can't do the dare or say the truth, your punishment will be to drink a shot of beer,” he explained further and everyone seemed excited about it except for me.

“ You can drink for someone if you want but the person will owe you a favor,” they stated out the rules clearly. I took my phone out of my purse and texted Mrs Margaret to know if Kasper was home yet - I prayed hard that he wouldn't and when she replied, he really wasn't home yet. I was lucky.

I watched as they began their truth or dare, my heart beat faster and faster as it approached me.

“ Anastasia, truth or dare?” 

“ Truth, I guess,” I preferred truth any day to dare.

“ Have you ever played an overboard prank on your dad in rebellion?” He smirked as he interrogated.

“ Well... I don't exactly have a dad, at least I've never met him,” I said in a low voice and everyone fell silent before spanking him one or two times.

“ You're so insensitive,” Mrs. Smith glared at him.

“ Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all angry. It's not like I ever knew him,” I explained myself. I really wasn't sad or angry. They went on and on, the smell of alcohol pervading the air.

“ Dare,” I replied. I was out of my truth card.

“ I dare you to kiss Tim,” a girl dared me and my eyes widened in shock, I hadn't expected this. Everyone else cheered and laughed.

“ Let's make it alot better, how about we make it a tongue kiss?” Claire smirked. What was she doing? I looked at her trying to hint her to stop but she winked instead. She didn't understand, no one did. I was married for pits’ sake!

“ I've been waiting for this day all my life,” Tim who I was to kiss rubbed his palm together as he moved to sit beside me. I had exhausted I drink immunity.

“ I'll drink on her behalf,” a guy I had barely even noticed in the office, drank on my behalf instead making everyone ululate but I was still a bit angry.

“ Why do you look so mad?” Claire gave me a slight nudge on the arm.

“ I have a boyfriend! ” I yelled at her. Why did I just call him that?

“ Anna? Do you have any idea what you're talking about? Everyone knows you don't have a boyfriend,” she tried to correct me.

“ I'm leaving,” I wasn't going to explain myself and without letting them say another word, I left. I knew it wasn't just because of the dare that had happened just now, maybe the gossiping from earlier on was making me like this.

Stepping outside the bar, I took a deep breath. The breeze outside was clean and clear, and maybe it was what I needed to clear my head. I staggered to the roadside, I was a bit drunk.

“ Hey! Wait up!” I heard someone call after me. I turned back to look at who it was - it was the boy that had helped me drink.

“ Are you here because of the favor I owe you?” I went straight to the point still wobbling.

“ That's the least reason I'm here, I just wanted to let you know that no one meant to do you any harm or hurt you,” he was rather nice.

“ I'm also sorry for throwing a fit,” I apologized. “ I'll apologise to the others tomorrow,” I said waving at him before turning to face the sidewalk.

“ Let me take you home instead,” he grabbed hold of my hand and I shook my head in refusal. There was no need for that, I had communicated with the shaking of my head but he wouldn't let go.

“ What? What do you want?” I turned to look at him, my balance still unsteady. He placed both hands at both corners of my face and held it firmly, our eyes met and my wobbles reduced. 

“ Let this be your favour to me,” he said tilting his head and moving his lips closer to mine. Snapping out of my drunken state, I placed my hand between our lips and gently pushed him away.

“ What part of I have a boyfriend, do you not understand?” I snapped at him.

“ You were being serious? I thought you did it just so you could leave,” he looked surprised by how serious I was. 

“ It was nice talking to you, but I have to go,” I said flagging down a taxi just in time. Getting in, “ good night,” I said slamming the door shut.

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It was already nine in the night when I got home, I snuck into the mansion quietly paradventure Kasper had come in. I hoped he was working overtime tonight.

“ What do you think you're doing coming in by this time?” My heart stopped beating for a moment as his voice resounded in my ears as I tiptoed past the living room. I spotted his figure sitting on a single couch with a lamp besides it. He turned it on.

“ Y-You are back?” I stuttered.

“ I think it's kind of obvious since I'm not the one sneaking in,” he made reference to my lousy attempt to sneak in. “ Where were you?”

“ I-I went with my co-workers from my department to a...,” I wasn't sure if saying club would help the matter.

“ Your co-workers indeed,” he scoffed. “ Then, what's this picture about?” He said placing a picture on the table. It was a picture of me taken just when that guy wanted to kiss me.

“ It's not what you think,” I quickly defended. “ We didn't kiss and we weren't going to kiss,” I feared what he would do if I didn't explain myself.

“ It doesn't matter if I despise you or not, what's mine is mine and I don't share my things not even if it's scrap,” I shuddered as he spoke.

“ Believe me, there's really nothing going on between us,” I pleaded.

“ Strip,”

“ What?” My eyes flickered at his command.

“ You heard me right, strip,” he stated plainly but we were in the living room. Hesitantly, I unbuttoned my white shirt and dropped it to my elbow, tears flowed from my eyes in embarrassment. I was glad we were the only ones here.

“ Don't think I'm tempted to touch your body, at least not now,” he stood up and walked towards me inhaling my scent. “ I can't stand the scent of another man on you,” he gritted his teeth and pulled me by the wrist up the stairs not minding how I winced in pain from his grip.

Opening his bathroom door, he placed me in the bathtub and began to spray water on me. Spraying me to his satisfaction, he got on his knees and bit my neck making me grunt.

“ When I'm done with you tonight, everyone would be well aware of your relationship status,” he said as he continued to bite me in multiple places leaving hickeys everywhere.

   Minutes later, “ come out of the water once you're done unless you plan on catching a cold,” he said walking out of the bathroom. Tears began to drop steadily from my eyes as the door slammed shut. I really shouldn't have gone to the club with the others.

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