The burger restaurant across from the movie theater was bustling with loyal patrons eagerly awaiting their chance to devour scrumptious food. Friday nights were exceedingly difficult for the staff — especially when popular movies debuted. Vanessa tried her best to accommodate the customers in an expeditious and amiable way; however, the high volume prevented her from providing the excellent service she desired to attain quality tips. She told herself multiple times that another job would eliminate much of her stress, but procrastinated when opportunities became available.
Besides, with tips, she was pulling in $18 an hour (not bad for a college student). As the night was coming to a close, Vanessa approached her locker and gathered her personal belongings. Just then, the shift manager, Julie, barged through the employee door with a frantic look on her face. “Vanessa! Oh, thank god! ” Said Julie. “Everyone else has left for the night and I need to run home — the babysitter said Johnny has a fever. ” “How terrible. ” Said Vanessa. “I’ll hurry up, then. ” “No time! ” Said Julie, shoving a ring of keys into Vanessa’s hands. You’ll need to close the restaurant for me. ” “But… but I don’t know how. ” Said Vanessa, with an anxious look on her face. “Super easy. ” Said Julie, as she put her coat on. “Turn off all the lights, lock the doors, and set the security alarm — the password is 9528. ” “9.. 5.. 2.. 8” Said Vanessa, repeating the numbers over and over in her mind. “Exactly! ” Said Julie.
“Just remember that the-” Ring! Ring! Ring! “Hello… oh my… okay… okay… I’ll be there right away. ” “Just remember wha-“. “Bye, Vanessa. Said Julie, interrupting her question. “Please leave the keys in the manager’s office, I’ll use my spare set to open up tomorrow. ” And with that, Vanessa was alone without any clue as to what Julie was about to say. Flabbergasted by her new predicament, Vanessa stood idle for a moment to gather her thoughts. Biting her lip in frustration, she quickly realized that now was not the time for dawdling. The only reasonable course of action was to complete Julie’s instructions (or lack thereof) and hope the security of the restaurant was not compromised.
Setting the alarm seemed like the most logical first step, considering she did not want to forget the password. She walked through the kitchen towards a small rectangular box hanging from the wall. She opened the box, revealing a tennumber keypad that was used to set the alarm. After entering the password, the LCD display prompted her to set a timer, after which time, the restaurant would be inaccessible until the following morning. Knowing that she had to lock five doors and turn off the lights, ot to mention, collect her belongings from her locker, she wagered that 10 minutes would be sufficient to accomplish the task. She pressed the number one on the keypad and something bizarre happened: the timer initiated its countdown from three minutes.
Vanessa panicked, quickly realizing that there were instructions on the inside cover, indicating that the timer could not be manually set, but rather, the numbers corresponded to a predetermined time frame. “Oh my God! ” Said Vanesa, panic-stricken. This is what Julie was probably going to tell me, before she got distracted. ” Without wasting another moment, Vanessa dashed through the kitchen towards the main dining area. She veered to the left, approaching the first of five doors. Without hesitation, she swiftly locked the door and made her way to the next one. Speed was imperative, otherwise, the alarm would go off, triggering a call to the police and an embarrassing situation — possibly putting her employment in jeopardy.
The second, third, and fourth doors were locked with relatively ease, leaving a single door in the far corner of the restaurant. As she approached the final door, she stepped on a menu that had been left on the floor, causing her to slide into the corner of a nearby table — rip – and face first into the ground. Luckily for her, the carpet absorbed much of the impact, leaving no visible bruises; unfortunately, she soon realized that her skirt had been torn substantially. To the point that it would not hold up without the support of her hand bracing it into place.
Realizing that the clock was still ticking, she clenched her skirt with her left hand, while simultaneously grasping the keys with her right hand (creating a maladroit situation), and proceeded to the final door. It was exceedingly difficult to lock the last door with her left hand preoccupied, in fact, she slightly loosened her hold on her skirt, revealing the top part of her underwear. The salmon-colored hipster panties were exposed for just a moment, but it was sufficient for Vanessa to feel embarrassed, causing her to alter her stance to conceal any further exposure.
A range of emotions manifested after the near blunder: anxiety, nervousness, regret, and… excitement? Vanessa couldn’t quite explain it, but her heart began to flutter in a most peculiar way. Similar to when you are in line for a roller coaster ride – nervous, yet thrilled. Before attempting to analyze the meaning of this incident, pragmatism kicked in, forcing her to strengthen her hold on her skirt, grab the keys, and lock the final door. With athletic-type speed, she turned off all the lights, tossed Julie’s keys in the office, and burst through the kitchen, glancing at the timer while in motion – it read, 8 seconds.
The overwhelming situation startled her, causing a brief lapse in concentration, enough time, however, for her skirt to plummet towards the ground. Vanessa was mortified, but could not justify bending over to retrieve her skirt, otherwise, she would jeopardize her employment with the alarm being triggered. She made a mad dash towards the exit, unsure whether she would beat the timer. She flung the door open, jumped through the opening – tripping in the process – and rolled onto the rough pavement. The door sealed shut, leaving Vanessa linger on the parking lot ground, as she waited for the alarm to activate.
Fortunately, her efforts were not in vain, the alarm remained silent – meaning, the police were not coming. Vanessa couldn’t help but smirk, considering how much turmoil she felt during the stressful experience. She elevated her body to a sitting position, allowing herself to catch her breath, before realizing that her underwear was on full display. She quickly scanned the parking lot, looking to see if anyone had spotted her. Fortune was in her favor, the parking lot was vacant, except for her car.
The nervous-excitement reemerged (precipitating into an accelerated heart beat), further complicating Vanessa’s feelings about the situation. Without thinking, Vanessa rubbed her hand from her knee, up her thigh, and towards the edge of her undies. The sensation felt soothing, stimulating her thoughts into the realm of erotic pleasure – suddenly, she stopped. Why-why did I do that? Vanessa thought. I must must not allow myself to be enveloped by my dormant desires. Whatever I’m feeling can be suppressed, I will not acquiesce to illogical fantasies and risk public humiliation.
