Behind the Mask Ch. 12

All characters are at least 18 years old.

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"Unfuckingbelievable," I muttered, and Cherry snickered. I saw August see me, and he quickly turned away and began walking casually down the street. I raced out of the clothing store and he quickened his pace, but I caught up and yanked on his wrist.

"Oh. Uh. Hey, Lexi," he stammered, sheepishly avoiding eye contact.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Nothing. Just passing by." Lie.

"Are you stalking me now?"

His eyes sharpened. "No!" Truth. Curious.

"Hard to believe, considering you were looking inside the shop I was in."

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "So I'm not allowed to just look through stores now?" Before I could say anything, he looked back at me. "I was passing by and I saw Cherry. Not many people have hair that red, and she's quite a bit shorter than average. So I was checking to see if it really was her, since you guys don't live in the city." He folded his arms. Defensive move. "How was I supposed to know that was you with her?"

We glared at each other for a minute, but his expression eventually softened. It actually annoyed me that he was able to get his emotions under control quicker. I supposed it made sense though; couldn't have highly trained soldiers losing their cool out in the field. "Fine," I sighed. "You said you were just passing by?"

"Yeah, I was getting off work and needed some air." He shoved his hands in his pockets. Could be he was telling a half-truth. Could be he was thinking about other things. "And what about you? What brings you to the big city?" He began walking me back to the store front, and as his eyes flitted to look inside, I followed his gaze to see Cherry awkwardly distracting the saleswoman while a sweaty Stef and Brie stumbled out of their changing stall.

"Shopping trip," I replied.

"Uh huh. Well, I shouldn't bother you guys--"

"Hey August!" Cherry waved from inside. God damn it.

August turned to her and gave her a little wave of his own. "Hey Cherry. How're you doing?"

"I'm having a good day so far." She glanced at me, growing a mischievous glint in her eye. I involuntarily gave her a warning look, which of course only encouraged what she was about to do. "Actually, we could use your help. We need a man's opinion on clothes, and Stef is absolutely hopeless." Untrue. Stef actually had pretty good taste, but that wasn't Cherry's point.

"Hm. Well..." August looked over at me. By this point I had no idea what kind of face I was making, but he grinned and shrugged, turning back to Cherry. "Sure. Wasn't doing anything anyway."

"Perfect." With a devious smirk, she tipped her head to usher us inside. Ever the gentleman, August held his arm out as a gesture for me to go first. I smiled tightly and quickly caught up with Cherry.

"You're gonna pay for this," I hissed to her.

"Only if this doesn't work out," she giggled. "But I'm willing to bet it'll be worth it."

By this point, the twins had finished their romp and were collecting themselves in the changing area, attempting to make themselves more presentable. A good thing, too, since now August was here.

Stef cleared his throat and fist bumped August. "Hey man. Funny seeing you here."

"I could say the same," August replied. "At least I live around here, y'know?"

"Heh, fair enough."

"Hey August," Brie said, giving a wave. "You here to help us pick stuff out?"

"Yes, he is," Cherry cut in gleefully. With that, she began shoving me into a stall. "And as it happens, Lexi's next!"

"Hey--!" I barked, but the petite girl was stronger than she looked. I found myself looking at my irritated reflection, a pile of clothes I'd picked out folded on the stool in the corner. There was jovial conversation outside, and it seemed I was the only butt of this joke.

With a sigh, I started changing into a white long-sleeved off-shoulder crop top blouse. For some stupid reason, I felt more vulnerable changing than I normally did. It didn't have anything to do with the fact that August was mere feet away. That would be ridiculous; he'd already seen me in a bikini. Then again, bikinis and underwear were different. Guys never seemed to understand that.

The top really accentuated my bust, forming an impressive cleavage. Even I didn't walk around every day in such scandalously alluring clothing. I found myself hoping August liked it. I stepped out to find him alone, sitting on the upholstered bench in the waiting area. I hadn't even noticed the conversation outside had ended.

"Whoa," he said simply, looking at my top.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"They're helping Cherry pick stuff out."

"Of course they are," I muttered, then sighed. "Well? How does it look?"

His eyes drifted back to my top, and he stood. With languid lazy movements, he began circling me, taking me in with hungry eyes. Most people would tell the girl to turn around for them, but apparently not August. He paced around me slowly like a predator with its trapped prey. The base animalistic need... Yet it also felt like I was an auctioned sex slave. I'd only been to one such auction, just to learn. Now I was the piece of fuck meat on display as he scrutinized me. It was unnerving, and demeaning... and kind of arousing. He was undressing me with his eyes, and for a second I fantasized saving him the trouble and pulling my top down to expose myself to him.

He stopped before me and did one last once-over before grunting his approval. "It's good."

Coming down from the tension, I chuckled and shook my head. "That's it? Just 'good?'"

He shrugged. "Does it need to be any more than that?"

"At least try to quantify what makes it good, right?"

He dropped himself back on the bench and propped his leg up. "Eh. I've never been good at quantifying things. Food. Music. Women... I like what I like." He gave me another meaningful appraisal, the implication anything but subtle. "So. You gonna change into something else now?"

It wasn't until the words were out of his mouth that I realized I'd been frozen in place, letting him examine me. I put my hands on my hips. "What is this, your personal fashion show?" I said playfully.

He grinned. "You call it what you want. I'll do the same."

With a shake of my head, I went back inside to change. Hm, what to change into next? Out of his line of sight, I felt some of my confidence come back. If he wanted a show, I was gonna give him one. I wanted to see how long he could hold out before trying to touch me. I opted for a low cut tee with cap sleeves. It afforded an even better, and dare I say juicier, view of my cleavage. Stepping back out, I felt his eyes immediately zone in on my chest, and I smirked. He stood again, mesmerized, and proceeded to prowl about me again. Once more, my body tensed up as I let him ogle me. My breathing was getting heavier, but then so was his. We were still even. I had to admit, as foreign a concept as it was, in this situation I was the bottom and he was the top. However, power bottoms were a thing, which was the only reason why I was letting him do this. I could already picture his face when I switched and became the top again.

"So is this one good too?" I quipped. He stopped in front of me and grunted again, nodding. Words were failing him, it seemed. He'd reverted back to caveman mode. Maybe he was going to throw me over his shoulder and bring me back to his cave and fuck me--

I inhaled sharply, pulling myself back to attention. Snap out of it, Lexi. I looked up, and he was staring at me intently. As if he could hypnotize me with his eyes. Though at this rate, that was entirely within the realm of possibilities.

Without another word, I retreated back into the stall, peeling off the top and tossing it aside. I needed something real sexy to bring this home. Lifting up the one dress I'd picked out, I narrowed my eyes. It required taking off my bra. I was about to win this silly game I was playing with myself. But then if he started touching me here, I supposed it wasn't just me playing.

I put the dress on and stepped out of the stall. I saw August raise an eyebrow when he saw it. Then again, it was pretty unassuming. He stood and wordlessly began circling me again, and he stopped when he got to the back of the dress. I resisted the temptation to turn and see his reaction, but the fact that he'd stopped in his tracks was reaction enough. This sexy black dress had absolutely no back, at least not until just below my back dimples. It was a good fit for me; breasts any bigger or smaller and the dress would end up exposing my nipples. As it was, it clung to my form perfectly, giving a gratuitous view of both my boobs and back.

He was still behind me when he spoke. "You're playing with fire," he growled.

"Maybe I like how it feels on my skin," I crooned back.

I felt his fingers slip in under the fabric to hold my waist. Instead of grinning in victory -- I'd won -- I mewled pathetically. He pulled me against his body, and I could feel his manhood pressing into the valley of my ass. And then he picked me up. My arms pinwheeled a bit before leveraging on his arms, then he backed us into the stall and closed the curtain.

"I'm sorry, Lexi," he rumbled, putting me back down while his hands explored my body under the dress. "I tried. I really did."

"Don't apologize. Apologizing is an insult," I gasped. "Do you want me or not?"

"I do."

"And you're sorry?"

"Hell no." His answer was firm, definitive.

"Good."

His hands ran along my midriff, fingertips digging into my flesh as he marveled at the softness. They drifted upward, but stopped short of my boobs. Still a gentleman, even when he could be palming my nipples right now. From over the dress, I nudged his hands upward, and he wasted no time. In seconds, he was teasing me under the dress, and I had to choke back my moans as I ground on his shaft through our clothes. I craned my neck to get a peek at his expression, and he seized my lips with his own immediately.

Part of me almost wished one of my friends would barge in and catch me writhing against August while he fondled me in public.

The rest of me snapped out of my lust-fueled haze when Brie called, "Hey Lex! Probably time to wrap it up! It's getting dark and we should get going. Still gotta drive back home, y'know?"

I broke our kiss and sighed, and he all too quickly withdrew his hands. I turned toward him, and he held my gaze. "We're dancing pretty well around this," I murmured.

"C'mon, Lexi. No more games." He rested his forehead against mine, like we were soulmates or some shit. "Give it a chance."

For some reason, it took me a moment to find my voice. "You're persistent, I'll give you that. And you're good with your hands."

"Baby, you have no idea," he purred with a wink, and my heart skipped a beat. "Next time."

"Next time?" I squeaked.

He nodded and smiled, then sidled past me and slipped out of the stall. I let out a deep breath, collecting myself. I always seemed to lose my mind around him. It was annoying, really.

Somebody patted on the curtain from outside, then Brie called, "Lex? You decent?" I pulled the curtain aside, and Brie's eyes widened at the sight of my dress. "Oh wow. Definitely more than decent." Her mouth twisted into a sly smirk. "Is that why I spied August sneaking out of here just now?"

"We definitely didn't go nearly as far as you and your brother, if that's what you're asking," I noted sourly, moving to disrobe. Brie stepped in and closed the curtain behind her.

"No need to be snippy with me just 'cause you didn't get any," she giggled. I turned away from her and slipped the dress off before putting my bra back on.

"My, haven't you gotten bold," I remarked.

"Call it me getting used to you trying to embarrass me for loving my brother."

"Oh, you should know I have absolutely no issue with that. I just like teasing you about how often you love your brother," I said with a wink. On cue, she turned a delightful shade of pink, suddenly finding interest in the changing stall wall. I chuckled and put my clothes back on, then picked up the pile of clothes I'd tried on.

"Anyway, you gonna get any of them?" Brie asked. "I mean, if August liked them..."

"So what if August liked them?" I grumbled. "You think I buy clothes just 'cause he likes them?"

I ended up adding three new garments to my wardrobe. I don't wanna hear a word about it.

--

By the time we had dropped everybody off at home, it was already evening. Alain stopped the limo outside my house, and I climbed out and began walking to the front door. Alain got my bags out of the trunk and followed.

"Take note, mademoiselle. The cameras 'ave been set up," he announced, pointing them out. I saw one in a nearby tree and another on a corner of the building. I pulled out my phone and texted August. I was somewhat glad it was concerning something serious, so he wouldn't mistake it for anything emotional or sexual.

Me: you had that letter sent to the benefactor, right?

August: Yeah, a few days ago. should have arrived today

August: Got it yet?

"Alain, could you go check the mail please?" I said as he placed the bags down in the foyer.

"Of course, mademoiselle. The camera feed should be connected to your network, if you would like to check."

"Thanks. I'll be in my room." I went straight to my computer and booted it up, then found the camera feed. I was figuring out how to rewind it when Alain came in and placed a set of letters on my desk. I shuffled through them, but they were just bills and flyers for nearby restaurants advertising their delivery services. "That'll be all for tonight, Alain. Merci et bonne nuit."

"Bonne nuit, mademoiselle."

I watched him drive away on the cameras. I had five angles on the mailbox. There was no way I was missing anything like this. Unless... I rewound the footage to the point where the installation was complete. My people had set them up earlier this morning.

My eyes narrowed as I watched the footage carefully. There were my people, two men, leaving after installing the cameras. Then there was the mailman, delivering the letters. Then, aside from the odd jogger just passing by, there was nobody until Alain and I had arrived home. Then there was Alain retrieving the mail from the mailbox. Absolutely no interference.

There were a few possibilities. First, the letter hadn't arrived yet. Second, the letter was getting intercepted before it ever reached me, perhaps at the post office or something. Third... Well, there was no third. Alain wouldn't steal my mail, and even if he did, he'd never have the chance with all the cameras on him. He was the one person I trusted more than anyone. So now I just had to wait a few more days to see if the letter would be delivered.

Wait...

I went through the footage again, leaning forward in my chair. Maybe I was going crazy, but something was wrong here. I could feel it. I pulled up all the camera feeds onto one screen so I could watch them all at the same time, eyes darting between them. I replayed the men leaving after installing the cameras. They didn't even look at the mailbox, so no problem there. Mailman arrived, deposited the letters, yada yada. Alain and I arrived home. Alain got the mail. He walked up the path toward the house. Approached the front door, and then... What?

A chill ran through me. I was just being paranoid, right? But I couldn't shake it.

There was a blind spot.