O'CONNELL'S LOVER

Nineteen

"What's wrong?" she asked, stepping aside to let me in. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I shook my head, still preoccupied by the thoughts of the mysterious orders. "It's nothing," I said, forcing a smile. "Just work stuff."

Billie raised an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. "Work stuff, huh?" she repeated, leading me into the living room. "You sure that's all it is?"

I sighed, realizing that Billie wasn't going to let it go. "I've just been feeling a bit paranoid lately," I admitted, sinking into the sofa. "Someone placed a bunch of suspicious orders on my website, and I have no idea who they are or why they ordered such expensive items."

"Suspicious orders?" Billie sat down beside me, her expression mischievous. "What do you mean by suspicious?"

"I mean, the orders were placed with a prepaid debit card and shipped to a PO box," I explained, frustration creeping into my voice. "Whoever placed them is obviously trying to hide their identity."

Billie was nervous she was gonna get caught. "And these orders were for expensive items, you said? What kind of items?"

I hesitated for a moment before answering. I wasn't sure how Billie would react to the nature of the items, but I knew I couldn't keep it from her. "They were some of my more, shall we say, naughty designs," I said, a hint of embarrassment in my voice.

Billie's eyes darken. she's the person who made the order. "Risque designs?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Like, how risque we talking?"

I cleared my throat, feeling my face grow warm. "Like, extremely risqué," I said, trying to keep my tone casual. "Highly suggestive."

Billie let out a low whistle. "And you don't have any idea who ordered these items?" she asked, her tone curious. "No hints or clues whatsoever?"

I shook my head. "None at all," I said, exasperated. "It's like these orders came out of thin air. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out who placed them, but I keep coming up empty-handed."

"And you can't cancel the orders or anything?" Billie asked, her tone becoming more and more mischievous.

"No, the orders have already been processed and shipped," I said, a frown forming on my face. "And I can't refund the payments either, since they were made with a prepaid card."

"So, someone's out there with a bunch of your most risqué designs, and you have no idea who they are." Billie's tone was almost gleeful, like she was the buyer.

"Yes, thank you for summing it up so succinctly," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "I'm glad you find this situation so amusing."

Billie chuckled, clearly enjoying my frustration. "Oh come on, you can't deny that it's a little bit funny," she teased. she held my waist and kissed my forehead.

I tried to maintain a stern expression, but the touch of her lips on my forehead made my heart flutter. "It's not funny," I protested, weakly. "It's concerning. Who knows what these person might do with those designs? They could leak them online, or sell them to other companies..."

"Or they could just keep them for themselves." Billie's tone was playful, and I had a feeling she was enjoying seeing me so worked up. "Maybe they plan on using them for their own personal... enjoyment."

As I listened to Billie's words, a realization suddenly dawned on me. The way she spoke, the smug look on her face...it all clicked into place. I turned to face her, my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Billie," I said, my tone sharp. "You're the one who placed those orders, aren't you?"

Billie's expression froze, her eyes widening in surprise. She clearly hadn't expected me to put two and two together so quickly. "What?" she said, trying to feign innocence. "What makes you think that?"

As I looked at Billie's guilty expression, a mix of emotions washed over me. On one hand, I was furious that she had lied to me and placed the orders without telling me. But on the other hand, a small part of me was also strangely...flattered. It was the ultimate compliment, in a way, that my own girlfriend wanted my most risque designs for herself.

I tried to maintain my stern expression, but a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Don't play coy with me," I said.

"I know it was you," I continued, stepping closer to her. "Who else would know my website, my designs, and also have the balls to place such extravagant orders without telling me?"

Billie swallowed nervously, her attempts to deny it all but futile. She knew she was caught. "Okay, okay," she admitted, holding up her hands in surrender. "You got me. It was me. I placed those orders."