Behind The Curtain

Carla held Lisa’s gaze, her posture rigid, defiant. But Lisa had spent enough time watching her, reading her, to know what that tightness in her shoulders meant. She was resisting something—herself, maybe.
Lisa wasn’t about to let her off the hook.
“Your turn,” Carla said, voice clipped. She turned away, reaching for her wine glass like it was an anchor.
Lisa smirked, tilting her head. “My turn for what?”
Carla shot her a look over her shoulder. “Don’t play dumb. You pushed me into this—now it’s your turn.”
Lisa took a slow sip of wine, savoring the moment. She had been the one steering the game, the one prodding and teasing, pulling reactions from Carla just to see her slip, just to watch that carefully maintained composure crack. And now, somehow, Carla was holding the reins.
Lisa’s heart kicked up, but she didn’t let it show. Instead, she shrugged, setting her glass down. “Alright. Pick something for me.”
Carla’s eyes narrowed, like she was trying to gauge whether Lisa was bluffing. But Lisa just stood there, steady, waiting.
With a measured exhale, Carla turned back to the racks, fingers gliding over lace and silk with purpose this time. Lisa watched her, the way her brows knit together in concentration, the way she bit her lip slightly as she considered her options. She was taking this seriously.
And that? That did something to Lisa’s stomach.
After a moment, Carla pulled a set from the rack and turned, holding it up with an unreadable expression. It was black—delicate yet bold, the lace intricate, the cut both elegant and suggestive. Lisa’s smirk deepened.
“Didn’t peg you for the type to pick something this daring,” she teased.
Carla arched a brow. “Oh, I think it suits you.”
Lisa took the set from her hands, letting her fingers brush Carla’s deliberately as she did. Carla didn’t flinch away this time, didn’t step back. She just watched her, lips parted, waiting.
Lisa held her gaze a beat longer before stepping toward the changing screen. “Guess I’ll see if you’re right.”
She could feel Carla’s eyes on her as she disappeared behind the partition, the weight of her attention pressing against her skin. The fabric was smooth beneath her fingers as she slipped into it, and as she adjusted the straps, she caught herself biting her lip, pulse thrumming in a way she wasn’t used to.
What the hell was Carla Connor doing to her?
Lisa exhaled, rolling her shoulders before stepping back out. The moment Carla saw her, something shifted in her expression—something subtle, but there. Her jaw tightened, her fingers curling slightly at her sides.
Lisa smirked. “Well?”
Carla’s gaze flickered, traveling over her in a slow, measured sweep before meeting her eyes again. “It’ll sell,” she said, voice even.
Lisa chuckled, stepping closer. “That all?”
Carla huffed, but Lisa didn’t miss the way her breath came just a little sharper. “It proves the point. The right set makes a difference.”
Lisa tilted her head. “And this one?”
Carla’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. Lisa took another step, slow and deliberate, until there was barely a breath of space between them.
“Say it, Carla.”
Carla’s throat bobbed, her gaze flickering between Lisa’s eyes and her lips, with a suffocating desire to graze her shaky hands all over Lisa’s body. Then, finally, she exhaled, voice barely above a whisper.
“It suits you.”
The air between them pulsed with something sharp, something electric. And for the first time since this little game began, Lisa wasn’t entirely sure who was winning.
Lisa let the moment stretch, reveling in the way Carla’s breath hitched, the way her eyes darkened with something unspoken. The air between them crackled, thick with anticipation. But just as Carla seemed on the verge of giving in—of saying something, of doing something—she pulled back.
Lisa didn’t chase her. She simply let a knowing smile play at her lips. “Your turn again.”
Carla blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
Lisa cocked her head toward the racks. “You picked for me. Now I pick for you.”
Carla hesitated, but Lisa could see it—the flicker of something in her eyes, the way she swallowed hard before finally, reluctantly, giving a small nod.
Lisa took her time, running her fingers over delicate fabrics, enjoying the weight of Carla’s gaze as she moved. When she finally found what she was looking for, her smile deepened. She turned, holding up a sheer mesh set that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
Carla’s lips parted, her eyes widening slightly before she forced her expression back to neutral. “You’re joking.”
Lisa arched a brow. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
Carla exhaled sharply, crossing her arms over her chest as if already feeling exposed. “That’s—”
“Perfect,” Lisa interrupted smoothly. “Go on.”
Carla shot her a glare, but it lacked real heat. There was something else there now, something simmering just beneath the surface. And Lisa saw it—the way her fingers tightened around the hanger as she took it, the way she avoided Lisa’s gaze as she turned toward the changing room.
Lisa leaned against the counter, sipping her wine slowly, letting the anticipation build. The seconds dragged, stretching taut. Then, finally, the curtain shifted.
Carla stepped out, shoulders tense, arms crossing instinctively over her body. The sheer black mesh clung to her, leaving little hidden, her skin visible beneath the delicate fabric. She looked breathtaking.
Lisa’s smirk faded, replaced by something deeper, something dangerous. Her throat went dry as she took in the sight before her—Carla, exposed and vulnerable, yet still trying to hold onto that last shred of control.
Carla exhaled shakily, shifting on her feet. “This is ridiculous.”
Lisa pushed off the counter, closing the distance between them in slow, measured steps. “Is it?”
Carla’s jaw tightened, but Lisa saw the way her breath hitched, the way her fingers flexed slightly against her arms as though resisting the urge to drop them. Lisa stopped just shy of touching her, close enough to feel the heat radiating between them.
“You’re covering yourself,” Lisa noted softly, her gaze flicking downward. “Why?”
Carla didn’t answer.
Lisa reached out, slowly, deliberately, and brushed her fingers against Carla’s wrist. “Let me see.”
Carla tensed, but after a beat, her arms loosened, falling away just slightly, but not fully. Lisa grabbed her wrist tighter, grazing between Carla’s breast, her hand had bounced with the thump of Carla’s pounding heartbeat. Carla dropped her arms fully from covering her, Lisa inhaled sharply, her control slipping just a fraction as she took her in fully. Nipples stood to attention poking through the delicate mesh of the balconette.
“I’m in trouble” Lisa murmured, the words slipping out before she could think better of them.
Carla’s eyes snapped to hers, something raw and vulnerable flashing across her face before she masked it with a smirk. “You’re enjoying this too much.”
Lisa, low and husky responds with “I’m not playing games now” She let one finger graze Carla’s torso through the centre, sending shivers down Carla’s nervous body.
Carla swallowed hard, eyes flickering over Lisa’s face like she was trying to decide something.
Lisa’s pulse roared in her ears.
Just as the air between them grew impossibly tight, the door burst open with a clatter.
“Sally?” Carla jerked back, her eyes wide, breath still uneven.
Lisa barely had time to react before a voice rang out through the Factory.
“Carla! I left my phone!” Sally’s voice echoed, sharp and unexpected. “I swear, if I have to go a day without—”
Lisa turned toward the entrance just in time to see Sally freeze mid-step. Her gaze landed on Lisa first, eyes widening in surprise, but before she could say a word, Carla made a sharp, instinctive move—bolting behind the curtain, vanishing from sight.
Sally’s brow furrowed. “Lisa?” Her confusion deepened as she looked around, scanning the room. “Where’s Carla?”
Lisa schooled her expression, slipping seamlessly into something nonchalant. “She was just here.”
Sally squinted at her, suspicious. “Right. And she just... disappeared?”
Lisa simply shrugged, fighting back a smirk. “You know how she is.”
Sally huffed, glancing toward the curtain, but after a moment, she seemed to decide against questioning it further. “Whatever. Did you see my phone?”
Lisa shook her head, casually leaning against the counter, pulse still thrumming from the moment before. “Not a clue.”
From behind the curtain, Carla remained still, heart pounding against her ribs, heat still lingering on her skin where Lisa had touched her.
And just outside, Lisa tapped her fingers against the counter, the ghost of a smile playing at her lips.