Bound by Christmas

Chapter Four: The Nerve

"Who brought the mini cupcakes?" My boss and Department Chair, Dr. Haley, asked me.

"Professor Angelos baked them for us," I answered, as I continued to arrange the sweets in our break room.

"These are absurd," he harrumphed. "Cupcakes are already mini cakes."

"I think you've been watching one too many reruns of your favorite show."

"That's not possible," he mumbled and, of course, reached for a mini cupcake. "I'm going to have to eat at least three of these to make up for the size."

I reached for a plate and added two more cupcakes to it, handing it over to him. "Be my guest."

He grabbed the plate from me and —without a thank you— walked back into his office.

Christmas was less than two weeks away and it was finals week at the community college I worked at. It was also the time of year when everyone brought some type of dessert to the office. I would probably gain a minimum of five pounds by the time the season was over. At least I could always make a New Year's resolution to work out more often —although I'd probably give up on it by March.

I was taking a bite of my own cupcake when my phone vibrated with a text message. I knew it was from Sebastián before I even looked at it. It had been three days since I left his apartment, and I never sent him a message thanking him for the gift. I was surprised he even waited so long to reach out to me. I wasn't ready to face him, but I had to do it at some point. Preparing myself for a confrontation, I read the text.

Sebastián: I want to see you tonight. My place at ten.

Well, that's too bad. Why couldn't he text his date for a booty call? Bristling with anger, I replied back with a simple...No. Unsurprisingly, he responded to my message very quickly.

Sebastián: No? What do you mean no?

Ugh, what did he expect? An explanation? He wasn't going to get one. I typed out another No, pressed send and shut off my phone. Then, trying to find a distraction, I occupied myself with some work.

I was almost done with my day when I got a visitor at the office.

"Fear not; the queen has arrived," Sara announced as she flopped down on top of my desk.

"What on Earth do you mean?" I asked, smiling at her. "I've been here all along."

"Touché," she winked at me. "Anyways, you've been ignoring my messages and I need my updates on the Sebastián situation."

"There is no Sebastián situation. I wanted more. He did too...but with someone else. So now there is no reason to keep him in my life."

Sara leaned in closer, lowering her voice so we wouldn't be overheard. "But, finding a Dom you connect with —the way you did with Sebastián— is not easy."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Then, I guess I won't find one."

"Nonsense," she scoffed, reaching her hand out to me. "Give me your phone."

"What? Why?"

"Because I need it to reactivate your X Rated account."

I shook my head at her. "Oh no, I don't want to look for other Doms. It's only been three days, Sara. I'm officially eliminating sex and relationships from my life for the foreseeable future."

"Too bad," she cackled, grabbing my phone from my desk.

I leaned over, trying to reach for my phone while I wrestled with Sara's twisting limbs. "Give that back," I grunted.

"Wait, wait, wait. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something."

"It's not the time for your jokes, Sara. Hand over the phone."

"Seriously wait," she breathed, still holding my phone out of reach.

I pulled away and frowned at her. "What?"

"Look, you don't have to connect with anyone on the app but at least activate your account. If Sebastián can pursue multiple women, he should know you have options too."

"I don't like to play games, Sara. I'm not interested in what he thinks." Am I? No. Yes. Maybe?

Sara didn't respond and just stared at me with her all-knowing look.

"Fine," I huffed. "Hand over the phone, I'll activate it myself."

When she returned my phone, I turned it back on after having it shut off for half the day. Suddenly, my phone was bombarded with messages and missed calls. All of them were from Sebastián. Ignoring the notifications, I opened the X Rated app and reactivated my account.

Sara watched me the entire time with a smirk on her face. "Good girl," she mumbled, patting my hand. Then, she turned around and walked out of my office.

Shaking my head, I started to wrap up for the day.

Half an hour later, I was finally walking up to my apartment when I saw Sebastián standing in front of my door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I stomped up to him, angrily.

He faced me with furrowed brows. "What are you doing reactivating your X Rated account?"

Of all the nerve!