Tentacled Mirror

Chapter 7:Antumbra

Jessica

My alarm's piercing mechanical ring pulled me from my sleep with a startle. I sat up in bed, hitting the alarm clock to silence the intruder into my dreams and sleep. I could feel my husband, Thomas, roll slightly muttering 'Jessica' before likely falling right back asleep. I never understood how he could just sleep through my alarms, but he always seemed to manage.

I sat for a moment on the edge of the bed looking at the body of my husband framed by the low morning light coming in through the bedroom windows. His chest rhythmically rose and fell in soft and shallow breaths of sleep. Looking at him lying there I once again felt the ache in my chest and stomach. That sad and sick feeling, but I pushed it aside as I have done so many times before and pushed myself out of bed.

I closed the door separating our bedroom from the bathroom, I closed my eyes before flicking the light switch turning the lights on. The bright lights still stung but quickly faded. Wrapping my blonde hair in a tight bun, I looked at myself in the mirror. Sluggishly making my way to the shower opening the glass door and twisting the knob starting the shower and warming it.

Within a few seconds, the temperature was perfect and my pajamas quickly found their way to the ground. The warm water running down my back slowly turned my skin a light pink from the heat as I stood in the flow of water. Taking a few seconds in the warmth to wake up and fight off the desire to head back to bed.

Turning towards the showerhead I allowed the water to warm and flow across my chest. Reaching for a bottle that sat on a recessed shelf behind the stone wall that the shower head was affixed to. Squirting some of the body wash into my free hand, I returned the bottle to its place. Turning away from the water again I began to lather and work the product across my body.

As my hands worked the soap across my breasts I again felt the lustful urge that had been felt last night but had gone unfulfilled. My husband had been tired again after work and had turned me down again promising that tomorrow would be a better day. I had lost track of how many tomorrows there had been so far. Each promise of tomorrow had left me satisfying my desires by myself less and less.

I again found myself with the arousal but no desire to embrace it or feed it. Instead, I sprayed some shaving cream into my hands and spread it along my legs and armpits. Grabbing the razor I propped my leg up and began to shave my legs with my butt still in the warm stream of water. Once I was done shaving I cupped some of the water and carefully splashed it across my face avoiding getting my hair wet as much as possible.

I rubbed a charcoal skin cleansing product on my face and let the product sit on my skin for a few seconds before rinsing it off carefully. Now fully awake the shower was turned off and I reached outside of the shower and grabbed my towel that was hanging there. I wrapped myself in it and began to rub it across my body drying myself.

The mirror was fogged up from all of the steam my shower had generated, per the usual. Standing in front of the mirror now I grabbed my toothbrush and wet it. As I was applying the toothpaste, I saw motion out of the corner of my eye. No, it wasn't motion; the mirror had rippled as if someone had tossed a pebble into some water.

I let out a small yelp and quickly jumped back from the mirror and what my early morning brain thought was danger. Realizing that I was not in any danger I tried to calm the beating heart that was trying to escape my body. The mirror was still intact; there was simply a circle of the mirror where the condensation must have gathered enough to run down. The circle was around seven inches in diameter and was the only spot on the mirror that was now clear of the condensation.

That was really weird, I thought as I picked up the tube of toothpaste from the ground where I had dropped it. Brushing my teeth had been uneventful otherwise. Wiping the mirror with a towel sitting on the sink cleared a big enough spot to use to apply makeup.

I checked my makeup one final time before heading to the walk-in closet. I grabbed a bra from a drawer followed by a matching pair of panties, in case I actually got lucky tonight, and lastly some black pantyhose. I dropped those items onto a small shelf in the bathroom before returning to the closet to pick a white blouse, pencil skirt, and matching blazer.

I slid my panties on and then put on my bra. Sitting on the toilet I began rolling the pantyhose up my legs, enjoying the soft feeling of my freshly shaved legs. Next came the blouse followed by putting on the pencil skirt and tucking the blouse in. I threw the blazer on and checked my makeup one final time before heading out. I glanced at the circular spot that had been clear of condensation but the mirror looked normal and all the condensation had dissipated by now.

I turned off the lights in the bathroom and headed back into the bedroom, where I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand. I made my way to the door and stopped in the threshold looking back at my sleeping husband. That feeling was back; in truth, I think it was always there but I could ignore it some of the time. I turned back and walked to his side of the bed. I leaned over and kissed him on his forehead while he slept, whispering that I loved him, then exited the bedroom closing the door behind me.

I pulled a gallon of milk, a small plastic container, and some cream cheese from the fridge. I set the items on the island and took a bagel from the bag on the counter and dropped the halves into the toaster. I crossed the kitchen and turned on my coffee machine. My husband would always tease me about my version of coffee and how it couldn't truly be called coffee. He had always liked black coffee with nothing in it, but I could never stomach it.

I filled the plastic container with milk and inserted the container into the side of the coffee machine. My travel mug was already sitting beneath the machine ready to go. I threw in a pod of espresso and hit the start button for my macchiato and the soft pumping noise filled the kitchen. The toaster popped up with my bagel. I grabbed a plate and put the two halves on it, applying cream cheese to the halves.

I started eating one of the bagel halves while I put the gallon of milk back into the fridge. One half of the bagel was finished when the coffee machine gave a soft chime stating it was done. I took the container of milk out of the machine and put it back into the fridge while eating half of the remaining bagel. I put the bagel down and squirted a few shots of flavored syrup into my travel mug with my coffee. I make this coffee every morning but today it seemed the travel mug was fuller today.

I shrugged it off as just one of those things in life and grabbed my purse slinging it over my shoulder. I dropped the plate into the sink before heading for the garage. The garage door opened, the car started and a few seconds later the garage door closed. I was on my way to work.

Commuting had never really bothered me, but as of late it has been something I dread more and more. A half-hour alone with my thoughts on my way to work led me back to that sick feeling and trying to fix it. The problem was that I wasn't sure that there was a way to fix it or change the course that seemed to be set. It always brought with it the sadness, the deep sadness you can really feel.

I couldn't let myself cry right now, I was not going to ruin my makeup and have to fix it in the parking lot of work, again. A few deep breaths helped to push the feeling down far enough inside of me that I could mostly ignore it. A half-hour later I was pulling into the parking lot at work and hadn't ruined my makeup, so the first win of the day.

My work phone had spent its commute to work vibrating every thirty seconds or so in my purse. I already knew that today was going to be a busy day. Not that it was anything new, but I embraced it because it kept me focused elsewhere. The elevator doors opened and I stepped in along with three other people in business attire. Hitting the button for the twelfth floor I stepped to the back of the elevator.

Two stops later I was on my office's floor, well, one of the floors that we had in this building. I got off the elevator and carefully balanced my coffee while digging through my purse to find my ID badge. My hand hit it and I pulled it from my purse and pressed it against the RFID reader at the door to the office. The door responded with a click as it retracted the lock and let me enter.

I made it to my office and set the coffee down on my desk then closed the blinds to the full-length windows in my office overlooking the city. Pausing for a moment I decided instead to keep the blinds open; today was going to be a good day and I should have the sun shining in on it. Settling down at my desk I woke my computer and logged in. My inbox was full of emails with more slowly joining the pile.

Such was the life in Public Relations: always fires and everything needing to be done yesterday. I scrolled down my inbox until I got to the last email I read yesterday. Taking a long sip of my coffee I opened the first email of the day and began reading through the message. A surprised expression appeared on my face as I swallowed. My coffee tasted so good today; it seemed warmer than usual as I drank it and I felt really good.

I took a few more sips before putting my travel mug down and focused myself on the emails in front of me. I worked through a chunk of the emails before having more of my coffee. It didn't take me long before I had finished the entire mug, after having tried to drain every drop from it.

Maybe I should have tried to take care of myself in the shower this morning because obviously, that urge was still there. My body felt warm and almost tingly. I also noticed that my breathing had changed to a deeper and shorter rhythm. I must have drunk too much caffeine too quickly, not a good start.

I got up and headed towards the break room on this floor to get a water bottle from the fridge. I don't know what had gotten into me but on my walk to the break room I passed several of my coworkers and lustful thoughts kept popping into my head. I passed by one of our vice president's assistants and I could feel a small ember in my loins grow a little brighter and stronger.

I had always been more of a modest and reserved woman but at that moment I wanted nothing more than to press him up against the hallway wall and kiss him passionately. Not a passionate kiss, a lustful kiss filled with need and desire. I felt the warmth spread across my cheeks but I couldn't stop this train of thought.

What was going on with me? I didn't think I was in this deprived of a state but perhaps I hadn't realized how much I needed to be fed in that area, so to speak. How would, what was his name, I know this. Why was thinking seeming to be so much more difficult? Charles, that was his name, in his mid-twenties but that wasn't an issue.

How would Charles react to me suddenly coming on to him? Would he reciprocate the feeling of lust? Would he embrace my advance and let me take him and use his body? Quench this fire that had started burning in me? Whose thoughts were these? Surely they were not mine, yet I wanted them to be mine.

No, I was married and had a husband that I loved dearly. I couldn't hurt him like that just to feed my own desires, no matter how unsatisfied I was as of late. That desire was there though and for some reason, it was much stronger than usual today. I would have to put those needs and desires aside for now so that I could focus on the workday. Add it to the pile of issues I was ignoring.

Charles passed me in the hall and I felt momentary relief for not acting on my impulses. A sexual harassment lawsuit would not be a good issue to have to deal with. I turned the corner and had arrived at the breakroom. Pulling open the fridge I grabbed a cool water bottle and held it against the side of my neck alternating every few seconds. I know that I am too young for menopause, so what was going on?

I had made my way back to my office and settled in for the day. Other than the constant hum of arousal in the back of my mind the day was fairly average. A mid-morning meeting was much more difficult to focus on than normal but I made it through. One of the PR firm's clients had an issue where one of their executives had said some questionable statements and were trying to limit the damage to the company and distance themselves. Pretty standard boilerplate work and the playbook on these types of situations was pretty well scripted.

I ordered some food online for lunch once back in my office, the bright afternoon sun lighting my office. Spending the entire morning in such an aroused state had left my vagina feeling sore from the lack of attention. My heart rate still felt deeper and my chest had that tightness that accompanies arousal. I couldn't remember the last time that I felt this way for such a long time. Maybe I could slip into one of the bathrooms and quietly take care of myself.

My lunch wasn't supposed to arrive for another half hour so I had enough time to make an attempt. I left my office and made my way to one of the bathrooms on this floor. As I entered, another employee was exiting and I flashed a smile as we passed each other. Once in the bathroom, I selected the stall furthest from the door hoping that would ensure I wouldn't be disturbed.

I reached under my skirt and grabbed the sides of my pantyhose and pulled them down to my mid-thigh then pulled up my skirt around my waist. I sat down on the toilet seat and could feel my heartbeat in my ears and eyes. Before today I would have never thought to do something like this, let alone find myself doing it. My vagina was aching to be touched or filled.

I slipped my right hand into my panties gliding my hand over my mound and lips avoiding my clit this early. I was greeted with wetness that I had not been expecting. My fingers slid over my lubricated lips effortlessly as I teased my warm opening. My breathing had increased and I could feel the warmth. Taking my middle finger I circled my opening twice ensuring that the finger was wet enough before slowly beginning to push it into myself.

I almost couldn't bite back the moan that wanted to escape my lips. I realized that I had closed my eyes and tilted my head back. The jarring sound of the bathroom door opening followed by one of the stall doors opening and then slamming shut startled me and caused me to flinch. I pulled my finger from myself and tried to remain as quiet as I could I felt the embarrassment of what I had been doing wash over me accompanied by a hot burning in my cheeks.

I couldn't believe myself; what was I thinking? I grabbed some toilet paper and wiped my juices off of my fingers. Tossing it into the toilet I grabbed another wad and wiped my wet vagina trying to dry it as much as I could. I knew my panties had to be pretty wet already based on what I had felt but I didn't want to make it any worse. I stood up tossing the rest of the toilet paper and pulled up my pantyhose and my skirt down.

I checked that everything was in order before flushing the toilet and exiting the stall. My reflection in the mirror showed me the blush that was still slightly present on my face, but it was fading. I washed my hands letting the cold water try and subdue my arousal slightly. When I got back to my office only ten minutes had passed. Looks like I would be hungry in two regards, but only one would be satisfied in twenty minutes.

Lunch had been good and the rest of the day passed more slowly than usual but ultimately ended and I packed up my purse and headed home. On my commute home I wondered if I should tell my husband about today at work. How horny I had been and the fact that I was about ready to masturbate in the bathroom at work. Maybe he would find it a funny story to laugh about, or maybe he would judge me. I suppose it could even insult him: his wife would rather masturbate at work in a bathroom than have sex with him.

That wasn't entirely my fault though; we both certainly had a hand in the situation we have found ourselves in. Less initiation, less romance, and drifting apart was the rut we had both fallen into. I think we both tried to make efforts here and there but weren't always on the same page at the right time.

My mind drifted to when we had first begun dating. We couldn't keep our hands off of each other. So many nights spent at each other's apartment with so few hours of sleep occurring. We would spend entire days on the weekend nude in the apartment just lounging around having sex and relaxing. There were a number of marathon sessions as well as spontaneous sex when he recovered and reloaded from the previous session. Lying in bed with our bodies intertwined, sweaty, and basking in the post-sex rush was something I could never imagine slowly fading from us.

Thomas was also a generous lover, always making sure I was satisfied. He would spend as long as he needed between my legs slowly working his tongue on my sex until I become too sensitive after so many orgasms. Even thinking of these memories now caused my arousal to grow again, desiring to be back in those moments. So satisfied and blissful.

Before I knew it I was pulling into my driveway and had parked the car in the garage. I made my way into the house dropping off my purse on a small table next to the garage door. I made my way to the bedroom where I removed my blazer and unzipped my skirt. I threw the blouse into the laundry hamper along with the skirt. I unclasped my bra and tossed it onto the bed. It always felt so good to me at the end of the day to take off my bra, so freeing.

I grabbed some exercise clothes and put them on. Now on to my favorite part of the day, I thought sarcastically to myself. I turned on the lights to the basement and headed down to the area where I had an exercise bike set up in front of a TV. I turned on a show that I had been watching and began pedaling away. How much I wished that I could just eat and not have to exercise; a girl can dream though.

An hour later I was done biking; grabbing a towel from a pile I dabbed the sweat from my face as I headed back upstairs. I threw the exercise clothes into the laundry hamper and took off the sports bra. I slipped on some PJs and made my way back to the kitchen. Next up was the nightly tradition of standing in front of the open fridge trying to figure out what I wanted to eat for dinner. More accurately, try to limit how much I could eat for dinner.

I didn't really feel like cooking tonight so that would limit my choices pretty quickly. An omelet sounded fantastic, but I was too tired to put in the effort required to prepare one. I landed on the leftover Chinese food that was in the fridge; it was from two days ago so it was still good. I put the fried rice into a bowl and began warming it in the microwave while I did the same to the beef and broccoli. Carrying the now warmed food over to the couch I plopped down on the cushions and searched through one of my streaming services trying to find something to watch.

I settled on some action thriller movie that made no promises to be good but would at least be entertaining. I turned off the lights and started up the movie. I began working through my dinner as the movie progressed. Halfway through I had finished my dinner and headed back to the kitchen for a snack as I was still hungry. I grabbed a bag of chips and settled back in to finish the movie.

Near the end of the movie, I heard the garage door opening and knew Thomas was home. He made his way into the house greeting me and asking what I was watching. I told him nothing worth watching and he gave me a quick 'hmm' and made his way to the kitchen. The movie ended while he was cooking something for his dinner. The smell had quickly filled the house and it was enticing. I dropped my dishes off in the dishwasher and gave him a kiss on his cheek and told him that I was going to head upstairs and get ready to go to bed. He said he would be up shortly once he ate dinner.