Pandora's Box Ch. 02b

"Maybe. I hope you have a good night on Friday."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find a way to occupy myself. It was good to catch up with you Dani. You take care."

"Thanks Luis. You too." There was a click at the other end as Luis hung up. Dani dropped her phone by her side, breathing heavily. Her chest rose and fell as she stared at the ceiling, considering what had just happened.

There was no use lying to herself -- part of her now desperately wanted to see Luis on Friday. Although neither of them had mentioned it by name, Pregnancy Craps had been the obvious elephant in the room during that call. Luis had all but asked if she was down to play again. And to be fair, she hadn't said no. She was just unable to.

Dani shakily picked her laptop back up, attempting to resume her studying. But it was totally useless. Luis' call had thrown her completely off-kilter, and within two minutes she found herself casting it aside and sliding a trembling hand behind the waistband of her joggers and down her panties.

"Oh God," Dani gasped as she began to helplessly strum her throbbing clit. Her nipples, hard as steel, poked clearly through the thin fabric of her top and her tits quivered as she stroked harder and harder. She paused to hastily remove her expensive joggers, knowing her panties alone wouldn't be enough to contain her increasingly wet pussy. As she stuffed her hand back down her knickers, Dani's thoughts were drawn inexorably back to the night she had spent with Luis.

She remembered how hot she had looked in her tight pink crop top and the tiny plaid skirt that barely covered her ass. Dani had actually started wearing skirts more often after that night, inspired by how great her butt and legs looked in them.

She remembered being sick with nerves as she had opened the envelope, about to find out whether or not she was to receive a risky creampie on her most fertile day. The memory alone made her dizzy with anxious desire, and she gasped out as she slipped a finger inside her leaking hole.

She remembered how relieved she had been when she had seen the condom, yet had felt a pang of disappointment as well.

And she definitely remembered Luis fucking her in a dark alleyway and how he had threatened to remove the condom. In the heat of the moment she had actually asked him to do it, and luck alone had ensured that he hadn't.

Dani picked up the pace, frantically rubbing her nub and moaning in anxious delight as she imagined how things could have gone differently so easily. She imagined Luis tearing off the condom, ploughing inside her and fucking her bareback on the silver bin with her legs in the air. She imagined him roaring as he came, except this time there was no latex shield to protect her. This time, he blew millions of his sperm far and deep inside her slick, fertile pussy. This time, she received an ill-timed creampie at the worst possible moment...

"Oh! Shit!" Dani clamped her legs together and cried out as she came, shuddering lewdly on the bed as her eyes rolled back and her toes clenched, her mouth hung open in ecstasy.

Dani lay motionless, panting, as her climax receded, her hand still stuffed down her wet panties. She silently cursed Luis' name as she sat upright, still breathing heavily. Why did he have to call her out of the blue like that and get her so worked up?

The rest of the day passed agonisingly slowly. There was still no Martine to act as a distraction, and Dani found herself checking her phone every few minutes for word from either her or Jake.

Jake. He was supposed to message her with details about their Friday night date. He needed to hurry up, and she needed to buy some functional condoms, because there was no way in hell she wasn't jumping his bones as soon as she got the chance.

Friday Night Plans

Dani masturbated once more before she fell asleep, to the exact same fantasy. She was unable to focus on anything else all day and ended up binging an entire season of Friends just to try and take her mind off it.

As she woke on Thursday morning, however, it seemed to be mostly out of her system. The familiar pang of nervous angst still welled up inside her whenever her mind flashed back to Luis' call, but she managed to get a decent few hours of study in and even went to the gym as well.

As Dani returned in the mid-afternoon, sweaty and flushed in her tight sports bra and leggings after an intense workout, she slid out her phone and flicked through her notifications. There was still no word from Martine, but she felt a small flutter in her stomach as she noticed a missed call from Jake.

Dani dialled back his number and waited for him to pick up. After ringing for several seconds, there was a click on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Dani said brightly, skipping through to the living room and sinking into the sofa. "Sorry I missed your call, I was at the gym."

"Getting yourself in good shape for tomorrow I assume?"

"You know it," Dani replied with a giggle.

Jake's tone took on a sombre note. "I actually have some bad news on that front I'm afraid."

"Oh? What's happened?"

"Lucas' babysitter has cancelled at the last minute. Ava is with her friends, some night out that's been planned for weeks. So I'm taking the hit."

Dani's heart sank. "You're kidding. There's no way you can make it?"

"I'm afraid not. Are you about next Friday?"

"Yeah, totally. I have an interview during the day, but it'll be great to have something to look forward to!"

"Ace! I'll sort something out. That one's locked in -- no backsies."

"Alright then." Dani didn't try to hide her disappointment, and Jake could clearly tell.

"It sucks, I know. It's only because this plan was so last minute. But there's no chance the same thing will happen next week. And I'll find a way to make it up to you, I promise."

"Okay then," Dani said, feeling a little better. "I'm gonna hold you to that!"

Jake chuckled. "I don't doubt it. I gotta run, but I'll let you know the details ASAP."

Dani said goodbye to Jake and hung up, huffing as her arm fell to the side. Great. Now she was going to be frustrated for another whole week.

Or was she?

Dani's cheeks flushed red as she thought back to her phone call with Luis for the umpteenth time. Now that Jake had moved their date, she was totally free for tomorrow. Granted, she wasn't actually on the rota to work, so she would need to call in and arrange a shift swap. But she could do it. There was nothing stopping her.

Dani glanced at her phone, lying next to her on the sofa. What harm could it do? She didn't even need to play Preg Craps. An extra shift was an extra shift. She could earn a little more money for support while she did her exams. Hell, a good night at Pandora's Box could easily translate financially into a whole summer holiday. It would be nice to see Luis again, but they didn't have to do anything.

Excitement gently coursed through Dani as she tried to justify calling in to work tomorrow. There was really no good reason not to, and nothing stopping her now. She just had to be responsible and not let her impulses get the better of her. Easy enough, right?

Dani picked her phone up and dialled a number. She waited patiently while it rang, and then there was a click at the other end.

"Hello, Dani."

"Hey Alma!" Dani smiled as she heard the velvety voice of her boss.

"How's tricks? Working hard?"

"Kinda, yeah," Dani replied, nervously sliding a hand up and down her thigh. "Listen, I kinda have a request."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I was wondering if I could be put on the rota for tomorrow evening. Is that possible?"

Alma chuckled. "Have you burnt through your savings already?"

"What can I say, I saw a sale on super yachts to die for," Dani laughed. "No, I'm good for money mostly. I just... felt like working."

"Right," Alma replied, and Dani could tell she was smirking. "So what's the real reason?"

"That's it. I mean, it's extra money, y'know? Can't go wrong with that."

"You know, I had a very interesting phone call yesterday as well."

"Oh really?"

"That's right." Alma's voice was laced with mirth. "From a Mr. Luis Alvarez, informing me that he and his friends would also be attending tomorrow night. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Dani felt her heart thump in her chest. Alma was the only other person who actually knew what had happened between Dani and Luis on that fateful night.

"I, uh... oh, really? Luis is gonna be there?" she squeaked.

Her tone was utterly unconvincing and she could hear Alma snickering on the other end of the phone. "You know Dani, I haven't known you that long, but I do know that you're a terrible liar."

Dani could feel herself going bright red. "It's a complete coincidence, I swear," she gasped. "I can barely remember him!"

"Okay Dani. Whatever you say," Alma replied teasingly.

"Well, what does it matter anyway?" Dani said indignantly. "Can I work tomorrow or not?"

"Imagine if, after all of that, I said 'no'," Alma chuckled. "You're in luck Dani. Jasmine called in sick literally about twenty minutes ago, so we do need somebody to cover. It seems fate itself wants you on this shift."

Dani exhaled softly. "Okay. Great. I'll take it."

"Fantastic," Alma said, her voice returning to its usual business-like tone. "The shift starts at 9:30PM, as usual. See you tomorrow Dani."

"Great. Thanks Alma." Dani hung up and sighed with anticipation. It was done. She was working tomorrow, a day before she was due to ovulate, and Luis was going to be there. Not a particularly sensible combination, but certainly a potent one.

Dani wondered how her Friday night plans had changed so drastically in the span of 24 hours. It was like the stars themselves had aligned to ensure she ended up at Pandora's Box with Luis rather than at a fancy cocktail bar with Jake. Was it a sign, perhaps?

Or maybe, just maybe, it was a gift? After all, if things went well with Jake, there was a real chance she might be in a relationship with him in a couple of months. The thought sent a buzz through her entire body. Perhaps...

Dani's body tensed up and her heart raced as she considered her next thought. Perhaps... perhaps it was a sign that she had to play Preg Craps one more time? Just to get it out of her system? After all, she wouldn't be able to play once she was with Jake. Was the universe giving her one last chance?

Dani subconsciously placed a hand over the waistband of her tight blue leggings. Her mind wandered to her date with Jake next Friday. Was she really going to risk turning up to it with another man's seed in her belly? It was a real possibility if she actually played Craps tomorrow. The thought made her stomach do cartwheels and, almost involuntarily, Dani slid her hand under her leggings, down her panties, and back towards her moistening pussy...

There was a loud click and the sound of a key turning in a lock. Dani heard the front door open and she gasped, yanking her hand out of her leggings and abashedly clamping her legs together.

She could hear the rustling of shopping bags and, moments later, Martine appeared, wearing sunglasses and her own gym ensemble, the aforementioned bags all gathered around one arm.

"Marti!" Dani beamed as she jumped up -- Jake, Luis, Alma, Preg Craps, and Pandora's Box all slipped straight out of her mind as she bounced towards her best friend.

But Martine didn't smile back. In fact she looked a little put-out to see Dani.

"Oh. Hey Dani."

"Where have you been? Did you get my voicemail?"

"Yeah I got it. I've been with Ethan."

"Really? This whole time?"

"Well, yeah." Martine shrugged, turning away from Dani and starting to unload her bags. There was a short silence, and Dani fidgeted uneasily as it passed.

"So, uh... what have you guys been up to? Do I even wanna know?" Dani grinned, attempting to inject some levity into the situation.

"You probably don't," Martine sighed, turning back around. "Nothing you and Jake didn't do, I'm sure. Did you speak to him on Tuesday?"

"Uh, yeah. I did." Dani was starting to feel nervous as she watched Martine's face. She was usually so expressive and light, but today there was something seriously off about her. "Is... everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's fine," Martine replied blankly.

"You sure nothing's wrong?"

"Of course I am," Martine snapped irritably. "And if something was wrong, the last person I would tell is you."

Dani's mouth dropped open in shock. "W-what? What do you mean?"

Martine huffed regretfully. "I... nothing. Just... you do your thing and I'll do mine, okay?"

"Marti, what does that even mean?"

"I don't know!" Martine shook her head. "Look, I'm only here briefly. I'm going back to Ethan's in a little bit. I just came to grab some stuff."

"Marti, are you sure you're alright? Is it Ethan? Did he say something? Or... do something?"

Martine let out a short, derisive laugh. "Do something? Like what? What are you implying Dani?"

"Nothing!" Dani gasped. "I just wanna make sure you're okay. You can tell me anything, you know that."

Martine's expression switched -- suddenly she looked more upset than annoyed and she folded her arms. "Anything?"

"Of course! What else are besties for?"

Martine looked at Dani, long and hard. "Tell me something Dani. Does that go both ways?"

"Huh? Of course it does!"

"You feel you can tell me anything?"

"Yes!"

"Even your deepest, darkest secrets?"

"I..." Dani trailed off, unease starting to roll in her stomach. What did that mean? Had Ethan said something? Surely he hadn't told Martine the truth about Pandora's Box? But, as Dani searched her brain, she knew there was almost literally nothing else she kept secret from her best friend, let alone anything that major.

"Y-yeah. Of course," she gulped at length.

Martine stared at Dani as another silence descended over the room. Her eyes glazed over a little, and for a second Dani wondered if tears were about to start flowing. Then, suddenly, a look of fury descended upon her face.

"Liar!" she spat.

"Marti-"

"You are! You're a big, fat liar. We're supposed to tell each other everything, then I find out that you're keeping shit from me! Now you're lying to my face!"

Dani's stomach clenched with distress, but she also felt a jolt of anger at these accusations.

"Don't call me a liar."

"I just did."

"You keep shit from me too."

"Ha! Like what?"

"When you..." Dani trailed off, wracking her brain desperately as Martine watched her with a scathingly mocking expression on her face. "You... you slept with Malcolm Smith! And you didn't tell me!"

"Of course I didn't, have you looked at him? I was embarrassed. The only reason I did it is because I heard he was hung like a horse. Besides, I did admit it eventually. And that doesn't matter -- he's just some dumb boy."

"What about... what about when you got your rose tattoo on your tummy? You didn't tell me about that."

"Because it was supposed to be a surprise. And it was. You saw it when I wore that crop top to Sam's party."

"Well... you still didn't tell me."

"Yeah? And did you care? No! Because that shit doesn't matter. But we're supposed to have each other's backs. How can we do that if you're keeping big secrets from me?"

"I'm not keeping secrets from you!"

"Bullshit!" Martine yelled, her fists clenched. "I know you're making a lot of money. Don't even try and deny it. Meanwhile I'm over here struggling to pay for everything with my shitty pharmacy job and stupid student loan!"

"So, what?" Dani asked icily, folding her arms under her chest. "You're looking for a handout, is that it?"

"No, I don't want a handout!" Martine shrieked, her voice breaking and her lip trembling. "I just want to know where you're getting it from. Because it sure as shit isn't from Panda Carnival!"

Martine paused, clearly on the verge of tears, and she took a deep, long breath. Dani waited tensely, staring at the floor until, at length, Martine began to speak again in a quiet, shaky voice.

"You know, I've seen all those new designer clothes you have. Stashed away in your wardrobe. When I was looking for your straighteners the other night, I opened it and saw them all." Martine took another laboured, shaking breath.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I won't notice if you just hide them from me? Those must have cost thousands. There aren't many student jobs that net you cash like that so quickly." Martine looked at Dani, long and hard, and Dani glanced away, utterly unable to look her in the eye.

"Why... why didn't you bring it up before then?"

"I didn't think about it. I just kinda assumed you already owned them. But then I realised, I've never seen you wear any of them. Half of them still had the labels on."

Martine sniffed and blinked rapidly. "We're supposed to be besties, Dani. We tell each other everything. We have each other's backs. What are you hiding from me? Don't you trust me?"

"Marti," Dani gulped, her own voice breaking a little. "Of course I do. You know I do."

"Then tell me what you're hiding. I won't be mad. I promise."

Dani's heart raced as she stared at Martine. Although she looked back at Dani, her head was angled down towards the ground. She kept swallowing and her breathing was slow and deep. She looked so forlorn, so dejected, and Dani felt like she was going to start sobbing herself -- they did tell each other everything, and she had never seen Martine like this before, even after her worst breakups. She looked genuinely, utterly betrayed.

Dani opened her mouth, prepared to explain everything, to tell her best friend all about Pandora's Box, down to the last, minute detail. But her breath caught in her throat. The words wouldn't come. They couldn't. If Martine told even a single other person, there was no limit to how far this could spread. What if all her friends thought it was too embarrassing? What if all the boys thought she was a skank? What if she was denied her work placement? What if her parents found out? The very concept sent a chill down Dani's spine.

"I... I'm not hiding anything Marti. I... I swear it," Dani said weakly.

Martine gazed wordlessly back and, for a second, Dani thought she may have actually got away with it. Then, at length, Martine's eyes glazed over, and she shook her head with disbelief and stomped off to her room.

"Marti? Wait!" The walls of the flat shuddered as Martine's bedroom door slammed shut, leaving Dani, for the second time that week, standing alone and upset in the kitchen.