Park Avenue Player(37)

***

The following day, Hailey and I rode bikes around the neighborhood and took lunch to Central Park, where we rollerbladed.

I’d specifically planned activities that would require Hailey to take a shower when we got back. Actually, we both had to shower. I went first.

After I got out and changed, Hailey went in.

Baaa. “Anna’s home!” Huey squawked as I waited to hear Hailey turn on the water.

Once I heard it running and was confident she was in full shower mode, I snuck into Hollis’s room.

I peeked under the pillow first. Nothing. I opened the drawer where I’d put the royal blue thong yesterday, and sure enough, there it was in the same spot I’d left it. I lifted it to my nose and was thrilled to find it smelled like Hollis’s cologne. This was it: proof. There was no way he hadn’t touched them.

Busted.

***

Our little undie switcheroo game continued throughout the week. I had to admit, I was getting impatient. I kept waiting for Hollis to acknowledge what was happening, to say something—anything—and he never did. Neither of us budged. I guess I was secretly hoping it would lead to something more. But having a kinky underwear fetish and wanting a relationship were two different things, I supposed.

When Friday rolled around, I was more frustrated than ever. That afternoon, I dropped Hailey off across town for a sleepover.

Before heading home to Connecticut for the weekend, I decided to return to the apartment to clean up some dishes we’d left in the sink and feed Huey. Since Hailey was gone, I’d be able to skip out early and wouldn’t get to see Hollis when he came home from work. I had mixed feelings about that, but in the end, I opted not to stick around.

Before leaving, I took off my yellow thong and placed it under his pillow. I vowed this would be the last one. If nothing came of this, I wouldn’t continue the game.

I boarded my train back to Connecticut and was almost home when I panicked. As I rummaged through my purse, I realized my phone was nowhere to be found. Had I left it at Hollis’s place? That was unlike me, but my head hadn’t been on straight today. There was no way I wanted Hollis to have access to my phone! I’d always been too lazy to program a security code. That meant he would be able to look through all of my photos, some of which I’d taken years ago, when I was still married to Tobias. I used to sometimes send him a nude selfie to be a tease when I knew he was in a faculty meeting. And I had thousands of old pictures stored from previous cell phones that had been transferred over the years.

Shit. I needed to go back.

***

By the time I caught another train and made it back to the city, it was after 7PM. As I walked into Hollis’s building, I wondered if maybe I’d luck out and he wouldn’t be home. I knocked, but there was no answer, so I decided to let myself in.

After turning the key and opening the door, I got the shock of my life to find Hollis standing in the living room—with a woman.

She had long reddish hair and was dressed in business attire. The top buttons of her black satin blouse were undone to reveal just the right amount of cleavage. Her lips were painted red.

They were both holding glasses of wine.

This is a date.

I’ve walked in on Hollis’s date!

More than pissed, I felt…devastated.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw me enter.

“Oh…uh…” I stammered. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing here?” he snapped.

“I think I left my phone. I was on the train and had to turn back.”

“You should’ve called or…knocked or something.”

Is he serious?

“I did knock, but apparently you were too busy to answer! Anyway, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I was hoping you wouldn’t be home.”

“Next time please don’t use your key after hours.”

My ears burned. I couldn’t believe he was treating me so rudely. Fuck him. Not to mention, he was planning to give this bitch my orgasm—the one I’d earned by playing this little game all week.

I lifted my chin. “Who’s this?”

“This is Sophia.” He turned to her. “Sophia, this is Elodie, Hailey’s nanny.”

“Hello,” she said, looking me up and down.

“Pleasure to meet you,” I said, my tone bitter.

I pushed past Hollis and ventured down the hallway without permission.

“Excuse me,” he said to her.

He followed as I went from room to room. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I told you. I’m looking for my phone.”

“You can’t just barge in here like this.”

Without stopping, I said, “Are you kidding me? I spend more time in this house than you do.”

I finally spotted my phone on the bathroom sink… I didn’t remember bringing my phone into the bathroom at all.

Did he take it in here?

Has he been looking at my photos?

Rage filled me.

No way I was letting him fuck that woman with my panties beneath them.

I barged into his bedroom and tossed his pillow aside to retrieve my thong. I felt around the sheets. There was nothing there. It was gone.

“Hollis, where is it?”

He tugged at his hair. His jaw ticked. But he said nothing.