Secret Sins Ch. 02

"Goes without saying," she replied, starting off down the front walk in the long shadow of the house while calling over her shoulder, "G'night, Lieutenant Watts."

"Donna?"

She stopped, turning to look back at me with her usual good natured, positive smile.

"Call me Tara. Except if the Major's around, or something like that. You know what I mean?"

Her smile turned personal and she nodded her understanding, turning to leave me for the evening without a word.

The next morning, I felt a little better about it all. Not being a spiritual leader, Donna truly wouldn't see anything wrong with my lingerie collection, even if I did, and so that was okay. As for my un-denied attraction to her, I was hoping to clear that up at some point, to tell her that I did find her attractive, but that I wasn't attracted to her. A lie, but a necessary one.

While Donna got started in the living room with one of the rollers, I gave major Hurdle a call. Sitting at the kitchen table, I couldn't help recalling my recent fantasy of him molesting my helpless body, shamefully forcing it out of my mind with a prayer for forgiveness until he picked up.

"Major Hurdle," the Executive Officer officiously greeted.

He sounded busy.

"Good morning, Major. Lieutenant Watts here."

"Hi, Lieutenant. I've been wondering how you've been doing, but I guess that's why you're calling."

"Right," I confirmed.

"Okay, I just got in myself- running a bit late today. Lemme check my planner for the day... Busy, busy, busy... I can fit you in at eleven this morning."

"I'll be there," I promised before we hung up.

I'd taken a bath the night before, luxuriating in the deep tub of hot water for over an hour, allowing the heat to melt away sore muscles as I amazed again and again that someone actually knew about my lingerie collection and... it was okay, wasn't it? Donna was a friend.

It's not that I found Hurdle's advice on underlings useless; I'd appreciated it at the time and I still did, but I really liked Donna and I knew she liked me. Didn't that automatically make her a friend despite any good advice? More than that, she knew about my secret sin, or at least the lesser part of it, and I knew I could trust her with it. It meant that I could relax with her, at least to an extent. And she was, to that extent, the first person in my life with whom I could relax with the possible exception of my parents, but they didn't count. One doesn't speak of ones lingerie collection with one's parents, at least not if they're fellow Salvation Army Officers.

Returning to the living room, I vaguely wondered about Donna's lingerie collection, and if she liked porn.

"I'm afraid I can only work for about a half hour this morning," I told her, again taking note of the black capris she came to work in that morning. Her hips were covered by a baggy, somewhat tattered Tragically Hip T-shirt. It was white and thin enough that I could see her black bra through it as she worked in the direct morning sunlight from the open front door. "Gotta go meet with the Major for eleven."

"Okay," she acknowledged, continuing to look upwards as she rolled the ceiling white from the end of the extension handle. "I think I can probably get this ceiling done before you leave."

"But, are you okay working here alone until I get back?"

"Totally."

"Okay. So, how can I help out with only one extension handle?"

"You probably shouldn't if you don't want to be spotted with white paint for your meeting."

"Not at all," I said. "Here, let me give you a break."

We tag teamed and were able to get the job done before I had to go get ready, both of us perspiring even though it was only ten o'clock.

"So hot!" I complained, wiping my brow again.

"Summertime on the prairies," Donna commented, fanning herself with the other roller, a plastic bag stretched over it to push the air.

"Looks great up there, though," I commented.

"Yup, we did a good job, and probably lost five pounds doing it."

I laughed, moving to the stairs while wishing I could take a quick, cold shower as I said, "Sorry I can't stay, but I gotta start getting ready now."

"Don't worry about it, Tara. I'll probably have the first coat on the walls by the time you get back. Oh, and for goodness sake, can you pick up something cold to drink on your way?"

"Count on it," I assured.

Remembering my question of who needed a shower when one had a nice claw foot tub, I did what I could while standing naked in it with a washcloth and a bar of soap, wishing I'd at least had a pitcher. A liberal dose of antiperspirant set my mind further at ease, providing a clean base for Fresh Rice Dry Oil, a non-musky, not overpoweringly floral scent of natural cleanliness that I love.

After applying makeup in a vocationally appropriate 'no makeup look', I put my hair up, donned my uniform with my little bowler hat and dark stockings before hurrying downstairs, already running late.

In the front room, Donna did a double take at me, suddenly forgetting about her efforts at straightening the drop cloths to declare, "Wow! Tara, you... You've just changed my image of the Salvation Army!"

"Oh, stop," I scoffed with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"No, really. With your height, those legs and those... incredible tits and blonde hair, you look... like no other Salvation Army Officer I've ever seen. You better watch out for that Major Hurdle!"

"He's married," I informed, subtly thrilling to how she'd referred to my 'tits' again, but rolling my eyes and shaking my head with a smile as I hurried for the door.

"His loss!" she called after me.

The same slimy Booth Attendant greeted me with a leering smile, but said nothing as he buzzed me through the door. Saying nothing to him in return, I walked straight down the hall to the office alcove, almost ten minutes late, to find Major Hurdle's office door closed. Marilyn Davies's door was open and, when I knocked at the Major's, she poked her head around the corner and smiled when she saw me.

"Good morning, Lieutenant."

"Good morning, Mrs. Davies," I politely greeted, reminding myself that it was her place to defer to me and not the other way around.

She came out to the alcove, the short, fortysomething, auburn haired petit woman having to tilt her pretty face up at me as she asked, "So, how do you like Regina so far?"

"Hot," I replied with a smile.

I noted how her pink blouse was unbuttoned enough that one could almost see straight down the front of it. I guessed her to be about a B-cup and figured that she could get away with it, along with the somewhat snug, stretchy gray dress pants she wore. Her hips were slim enough to understate their cut, but she still presented a fashionably sexy picture that probably intimidated her clients.

"You'll miss it come this December. So, how are things on Rae Street?"

"Coming along. Lots of work."

"So I'm told. Maintenance tells me it's at least clean, though."

"It is," I confirmed as Major Hurdle's office door opened.

I turned and smiled, my breath speeding up a little as he smiled back in his white shirt, his tie a little loose.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," he bade without checking me out. (Probably a good idea in front of his managerial staff.)

"Good morning, Major," I replied, again taking note of how tall he was, how fit his body seemed.

"Won't you come in?" he asked, standing aside.

Marilyn and I said our polite goodbyes and I entered, feeling the heat right away. I mean that in a literal sense, an understanding of why Hurdle had removed his jacket and loosened his tie dawning on me as he closed the door and I moved towards the chair in front of his desk.

"Take a seat," he told me as he moved to take his own.

"Thank you," I politely accepted, then noting aloud, "My, it's hot in here."

It further dawned on me that this was much the same thing I'd said when I sat in that chair on Monday, using it as an excuse to pose without my jacket for him in an effort to insulate myself against his wife's dislike of me. Now it really was hot in there and, as he settled into his chair, leaning back with an odd, expectant smile for me and my chest, I knew why. Well, I'd expected this type of thing, and my nervous grin spelled this out as I began to remove my jacket for him after only a brief hesitation.

When I was finished, he only sat there looking at me. I refrained from posing this time, thinking that he'd have to be happy with that view of my chest until his tight, expectant smile made it clear that he waited for more. So, with a slight blush, I crossed my thighs as I had on Monday, sitting straighter and arching my back a little for him.

Yes, I knew it was improper and I certainly was ashamed of myself for doing it but, also like on Monday, I enjoyed it. Some small part of me was getting off on it in a strange way that actually went beyond sexuality, a way that I couldn't have described just then.

But, he only continued to sit there, leaning back in his office chair and looking at me, raising a brow as though I owed him something more.

"It's hotter in here than that, don't you think, Lieutenant?"

My mind scrambled, lower jaw sagging a little as I put two and two together to come with an unimaginable four. Still, I only sat, disbelieving and still until he began to spell it out for me.

"Lieutenant, did you know that the Territorial Commander is my Uncle?"

I certainly didn't, and I replied as much with, "Uh, no, Major, I- I didn't... know that."

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's how I got to where I am today," he said, "but it sure helped when things could have gone bad for me. No, I'm sitting behind this desk, a Major at age thirty-nine, because I know how to get things done. I get results. I'm what they call a trouble-shooter. When HQ has a problem with say, organized labour or whatever, they send me in because I'm not afraid to make the tough decisions, and I'm not afraid to make enemies. When there's a center that's struggling financially, they post me there because, again, I can make the tough decisions that turn things around. Mind you, my uncle helps me get things done, sometimes things that anybody who wasn't his trusted nephew could never get done in a month of Sundays, but never doubt that I get the job done because I stand for the Army's best interests and nothing else. I don't compromise on that philosophy, Lieutenant, no matter what. I always do whatever it takes to get the job done, and my uncle knows and values that in me."

"Yes, Sir," I replied, quite nervous now.

"Take this posting, for example. Were you aware that the staff here is unionized?"

"No," I answered.

"As you can imagine, that sometimes makes things difficult. It certainly did for my predecessor. I assure you that, had I been here when they were forming this union, they never would have. It's a problem that would not exist now. By the time I leave this posting, there won't be a union here any longer, and I can assure you of that, too. Whatever it takes, Lieutenant."

I nodded my understanding.

"As you might also imagine, the rewards for my services are... well, let me just say that I'll never be posted anywhere like Iqaluit."

I again nodded my attentive understanding.

"But, believe it or not, Lieutenant, there are worse places to be posted than Iqaluit."

He let a pause stretch out between us so that I could fully appreciate what he was getting at before adding, "And there are much better. So, I say to you again... it's hotter in here than that. Don't you think? Lieutenant?"

At that point, I only hesitated further because of my difficulty in believing that this was actually happening but, when my fingers did reach my collar, they felt like someone else's as they fumbled at the button that held it closed. When it was undone, they moved down to the next one, both Major Hurdle and I staring at one another. When that one was undone, they moved to the next one as I noted the satisfied quality of the smile that he now showed me, a man who was indeed used to getting what he wanted and would do anything to see to that.

My deep cleavage was now showing and, as I moved down to the next button, I wondered if he'd stop me at some point and, if he would, where that point would be. How hot was it in there? Perhaps the better question was how much colder than Iqaluit it could get. With the gusset of my bra visible, I moved on to the next button, undoing it and then the one just above the waistband of my skirt. After another brief pause where we both continued to look one another in the eye, my slightly trembling hands pulled my blouse open for him.

I was wearing a dusty rose, translucent demibra with little black polka dots. It had no underwire, but I really didn't need one and my boobs sat in it with only a small amount of lift added to their natural hang. As he stared, I knew he could easily make out my dark areolas and I felt my nipples harden, right in front of him, erecting themselves against the thin material until they itchingly begged to be tweaked and rolled. Looking down, I softly gasped aloud at what he was looking at, slowly returning my gaze to his eyes to read no small amount of satisfaction there.

"Major..." I breathlessly whispered, suddenly and shamefully turned on.

In a low voice, he declared, "You're a very beautiful young woman, Lieutenant..."

Another long pause went by as I sat there for his appreciative inspection, wondering what would happen next, what else he would make me do until he leaned forward, his tight, authoritative smile returning as he spoke.

"So... why don't you tell me about your week? What have you accomplished at your post on Rae Street?"

I found it hard to start, found it hard to even imagine that we'd be getting down to the business of the normal world after such intense moments, while such intensity still undulated in the hot air all around and between us.

"I- Uh, well, I uh... (ahem) We made the si-sign and put it out front."

"You and Donna Liski," he assumed. "I hope you did a good job on it."

"Oh, yes, Sir. We also, uhh, m-made a little post for it to hang from. Black. It kinda swings from... from it."

"Good," he said, taking another good look at my heaving chest as he asked, "What else have you done this week?"

He continued to appreciate my boobs as I told him of how we'd cleaned up the property, then transformed the kitchen before moving on to the front room.

"I see," he said, nodding and finally looking up at my face with thoughtfully narrowed eyes, hesitating with this unnerving expression before asking, "Have you gotten out and about the neighbourhood yet?"

"Uh, no, I... I've been so busy with-"

"So, you haven't been getting to know people and, therefore, obviously haven't had any community involvement with what you've been doing; is this correct?"

" ... Um, well, yes, but I... I thought that it would be best if-"

"You were wrong," Hurdle corrected with that tight smile. "I told you to involve the community in that, and to get pictures so we can show our progress there. Didn't I?"

"Yes, Sir."

"The reason I told you to do this was because, once people involve themselves with something like that, they take responsibility for their results and tend to look at them as their own. Then they're more amenable to dropping by. Then it truly becomes a gathering place for the community, like a church; are you understanding this, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Sir," I replied, wide eyed and appalled at my failure to follow his simple directions while sitting there, still turned on with bra bound boobs on open display for him. Strangely, it then somehow seemed appropriate.

"I must say, I'm surprised and disappointed in you. I thought you were competent and able to handle this. Was I wrong about you?"

"No, Sir, I'm sorry, I just... I- I forgot that-"

"I don't need excuses, Lieutenant."

I shut my mouth.

"I see your budget is almost depleted as well. How do you intend to get through the next month with what you have left?"

"I- I'll manage somehow, Sir."

"Yes, I'd like to see that, though I don't know how."

He seemed to sit there, again staring at my chest as my super erect nipples itched madly. I longed to knead them in the office that seemed a lot hotter than when I'd first entered.

"How could you justify an extra hundred Dollars for your July budget?"

Another pause went by before I slowly raised my fingers to my nipples to give myself relief, hoping this naughty little show would justify the extra kick to my budget and maybe also make up for my past week's failure.

"Uh-hh!" I breathed in twitchy relief, looking at him as I twisted and kneaded. "Mm-mm...?"

Oh, it felt so good, and I just sat there, doing it in front of him. Soon, I realized that I was grinding my thighs together, that my pussy was wet and that I very much needed to get myself off. My overjoyed nipples sent electric tingles down south as I worked them over, softly moaning again, my eyelids fluttering as I arched my back even further.

"Ohhh, Major!" I whimpered.

It did occur to me that what was happening was wrong, but it seemed I couldn't stop. And Hurdle's veiled threat against my parents and/or me weren't even the issue just then, at least not the only one. No it was the fact that I was enjoying it, actually enjoying teasing myself like that in front of him. In that moment, I might have done anything he'd asked but, luckily, acting like the horny little pervert that I really was seemed sufficient for him.

"That's enough, Lieutenant," he said. "Enough for now."

I actually went on twisting and kneading for a few seconds as he fed me a knowing smile. I had to practically force myself to stop, letting out a shuddering sigh of sexual frustration.

"Close your blouse, put your jacket back on and go back to Rae Street."

Somehow, I didn't expect this. Incredibly, a part of me didn't even want to leave, and I actually just sat there for a few seconds, stunned and horny before I raised my hands once again. With fingers trembling worse than they were before, I had trouble accomplishing the task, suddenly very self-aware and too humiliated to look at him as I made my blouse slowly hide my slutty bra. But, I had to know...

Looking up at his face, but not into his eyes, I asked, "Sir, did I...?"

"Yes," he replied without having to hear the rest of my question. "You've earned your extra one hundred Dollars for July."

Finishing with my top button, I looked to the side, my face beet red as I said, "Thank you, Sir."

"Hm. I can count on you out there, can't I?" he asked. "I mean, the last time you were here, my instructions were pretty simple, yet... Well, I sincerely hope that my confidence in you, of which I have a great deal, isn't misplaced."

"No, Sir," I answered, shaking my head. "Your confidence is not misplaced. You can count on me out there. It's just that I was-"

"No excuses," he interrupted again. "I expect progress, I expect results. Excuses are neither. If you have a problem out there, if something comes up that makes following my instructions problematic, I expect you to give me a call."

"Yes, Sir."

"That way, when you come to see me on Friday, on time, I won't have to be disappointed and you won't have to feel badly for making me feel that way. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. That's all."

I got up to leave, pulling my jacket on in the heat because he'd told me to do so. Feeling perspiration trickle down my sides, I buttoned it up as I approached the door.