I am sure somebody's watching me.
Sometimes I'm also sure that I'm crazy; you know, paranoid. But most of the time I feel eyes on me piercing the night; the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and send shivers down my spine.
I'm just an ordinary woman. I work at an ordinary company -- nothing sinister or secret, no defense contracts; we make plastic lids and containers and I work in the billing department.
I'm not an extraordinary beauty; no super model or anything like that - no paparazzi after me. Sure, I have had men tell me I'm pretty, but so are millions of women.
I don't have a husband to hire a PI to covertly follow me trying to catch me with a secret lover.
So why am I being watched? I ask myself this always.
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"All operators report status." The announcement crackled on the overhead speakers as it did every two hours.
"All data feeds functioning normally." Came the response from each console operator, except one. "Sensor thirty seven -- shows intermittent faults. No data loss -- RAID algorithms compensating; recommend immediate swap-out."
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I got home from work at the usual time. Instantly, I sensed something was wrong. I got a sensation of being violated as soon as I walked in the door, yet nothing seemed to be out of place in my condo.
I have a tendency, a compulsion really; some might even call me obsessive about keeping my place neat. No clutter -- a place for everything, etc. -- and everything was in its place as I stood in the entryway and carefully scanned my apartment. Still, I felt that someone had been there while was I was gone.
I walked into the living room slowly, tentatively, observing; I had goose bumps and a chill raced through me - nothing seemed out of place. And still ... I felt violated.
In the bedroom -- was that a wrinkle on the bedspread that hadn't been there when I'd left for work that morning? I started to tremble. Slowly, I went to the closet and opened the door with shaking fingers. No monsters, no lurking serial killer ready to leap out and rape me and slit my throat. But as I entered the walk-in closet, I questioned myself; were those blouses hanging that far apart when I dressed for work this morning?
I glanced at my watch. I knew I should hurry and get dinner ready, bathe, and dress for my guest who'd be coming soon. Yet, I still had the strangest feeling that someone had despoiled the sanctity of my home.
Dinner didn't take long -- most everything had been prepared the day before and just needed heating. I sipped a glass of wine as I worked and I daydreamed about John as I mindlessly put the finishing touches on dinner. I'd met John at the office -- he was an executive in Marketing -- and he seemed taken with me from the start; which was odd, I'd never had that effect on a man before. Still, he'd asked me out and we'd been on several dates already; we really seemed to hit it off. So earlier that week I'd asked him if he'd like to come over to my place for dinner. He'd said that he'd love to and I had been in a daze of anticipation the rest of the week. There was something very alluring about John that just plain turned me on whenever I thought about him.
I went to the bathroom and prepared to take a leisurely bath. I untied my dressing gown and let the silky gossamer material flow from my shoulders and flutter sensually to the tiled floor. Naked, I bent and turned the knob on the bathtub faucet. But my heart skipped a beat as the cascade of water left the spout and fell, seemingly in slow motion, obliterating a faint smudge near the drain in the otherwise spotless tub; a smudge I was sure had not been there earlier. Someone surely must have been in my house. I looked around the room for any other sign of invasion, but found none.
Calming myself, as best I could, I added fragrant bath oil to the stream of hot water that was slowly filling the tub. I felt tense and knew that I needed to unwind before John arrived.
Slowly, I settled into the steaming water and sighed as it swirled around my naked flesh. Taking in the scent lilacs, I closed my eyes, and let my head settle on the back of the tub; then slid down until the hot water reached my chin. With my toes I twisted the faucet and heard the water reduced to a trickle; then nothing, only silence - my ears alert for the slightest sound.
After a few moments, my mind let go of paranoia and shifted to thoughts of John. I had high hopes for our 'date' that evening and my imagination took me to possibilities I longed for; indeed, ached for. Behind closed eyelids I saw strong hands gently peel the thin straps of my black cocktail dress I intended to wear that night from my otherwise bare shoulders. My smallish breasts would not be ample enough to prevent the dress from gliding down my slim form and, in my mind's eye, I saw it settle to the floor at my feet leaving me naked before John.
As my imagination took me places I'd never been with John, my fingers settled into familiar territory; between my thighs. My breath quickened and my heart raced; I moaned softly as I envisioned John's hands, feather light tracing a path down my arms. In my fantasy I longed for him to take my breasts in his powerful hands. In reality I shuttered as my fingers connected with the sensitive nub between the swollen folds of my womanhood. The familiar warmth in my loins spread as I imagined John's lips tenderly kissing the nape of my neck. I could almost feel his lips as they traveled slowly downward to my breast where his tongue would swirl around my rigid nipple. My fingers continued to work my nub and I felt heat and tension build deep inside me.
I lost track of time as I saw John in my mind's eye; saw him lay me gently on my bed and bury his face between my thighs. I lost track of everything else except the fire burning in my belly and my desire -- no, my wanton lust -- for John; for John to take me, to consume me, to penetrate me with his need.
My fingers and my raging fantasy had me near the pinnacle of climax when I suddenly gasped as I thought I heard a noise coming from somewhere in my apartment. I sat up startled; I looked around the bathroom but saw nothing. But I knew for certain I'd heard a noise.
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"All operators report status." The announcement crackled again on the overhead speakers.
"All data feeds functioning normally."
"Sensor thirty seven swap-out completed -- functioning normally."
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"Who's there?" I yelped. I listened and heard only water sloshing around me in the tub.
I thought about settling back into the warm water but my mind was racing and I knew I wouldn't be able to relax and get back 'into' my sensual fantasy. I knew I had to check my apartment and determine what, or more likely who, made that sound.
I stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around myself. Clutching the towel, I crept into my bedroom; water dripped on the hardwood floor and I made a mental note to polish the floors later knowing how it would leave water marks if I did not.
No one in the bedroom.
I went to the doorway leading to the hallway and peeked around the corner; no one there either.
I slipped silently down the hall, and looked into the powder room -- still nothing. I entered the living area, which is open to the kitchen, and assured myself that no one lay in wait for me there, as well.
So what had made the noise? Surely I had not imagined it. Then I heard a something coming from the kitchen. Unless someone was kneeling behind the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living area, it was empty; still, I knew something was amiss.
