Elvira spoke in her usual tone. Dry, direct, without embellishment.
"Once your friend leaves, she doesn't come back until Sunday night."
"Thanks, bitch," Thomas replied. "You can go now. I don't need you anymore."
Elvira frowned. It wasn't exactly annoyance. It was something closer to a discomfort she didn't quite know how to process. She grabbed her elbow with the opposite hand, squeezing lightly, as if searching for something to hold onto.
Thomas glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"You're still here."
Elvira didn't respond immediately. Then she spoke in a tone that tried to sound indifferent but didn't quite manage it.
"Will you give me my reward tonight?"
Thomas looked at her. She held his gaze with an expression that tried to seem neutral but had too much color in her cheeks to pull it off.
"I'll think about it," he replied. "The point of humiliation is for it to be a punishment. It loses all meaning if you enjoy it."
Elvira's cheeks flushed instantly.
