by S. J. Lewis
It came as no surprise to her on Monday to hear that Cheryl had called in sick. Marie had been expecting that, and actually the news came as kind of a relief. They always went to lunch together, and Cheryl would no doubt want to go on and on about her experiences, or endlessly rehash what they’d been through together. By now the last thing that Marie wanted to do was be reminded of how much of a slut she’d been on Friday night.
The workday dragged on and on. The weather was dark and dreary with low-hanging gray clouds that threatened snow but never got around to carrying out the threat. It went perfectly with Marie’s souring mood as the day wore on. She did her job with her usual efficiency, but she had no desire to chat with her coworkers. She barely responded when any of them greeted her. Soon they left her alone with her misery and her work.
Quitting time came as a surprise. Time had been crawling by all day. Rather than watch a clock that never seemed to move, Marie had buried herself in her work. Now the workday was over, and she had nothing to do to distract her. She debated going shopping, going to a movie, or treating herself to a meal at a little Italian restaurant she liked, anything to avoid going back to her lonely apartment. In the end, all she did was stop by a drugstore and buy fresh batteries before catching the bus for home.
She was surprised to see the cardboard box sitting in front of the door to her apartment. The only label on it had her name and address. There was no return address, no logo, nothing else on it. She nudged the box with her foot. It seemed heavier than it should be. How the hell had it gotten here? Not even the mailman had a key to the front door of the building. He had to put all the mail in a big box mounted on the wall next to the door. The box had a compartment for each apartment. A resident could unlock and open only his or her own box, and that from the inside. Anything too big to fit into one of the compartments had to be brought around to the back of the building and left with the super. All he would do was leave a note under the door letting a tenant know that something had arrived for them. They would have to go and get it from him. He always refused to leave anything sitting by their doors, claiming that it would be too easy for such things to be stolen. Either he had made an exception for this package or he didn’t know it had been delivered. Marie frowned at the thought.
She unlocked her apartment door and swung it open without picking up the box. She just stood there, looking down at it. She was sure that it was from him, and while a part of her wanted to bring it inside and open it right away, some other part of her was afraid to find out what it contained. It wasn’t until she heard one of her neighbors approaching that she hastily pushed the box inside with her foot and shut the door behind her, locking it. She left it near the door and went to check her answering machine.
There was one message on the machine. She hit ‘play messages’.
“I hope you received the package.” ‘A’ began with no introduction. No doubt after Friday night he figured that she’d recognize his voice immediately. Marie realized that she was grinning like a high school girl getting a call from the captain of the football team. The message went on after a brief pause: “If you have, open it now.”
There was a click. Marie’s smile faded. Was that it? Was that all he had to say to her? She looked over at the box. It was still sitting near the door, mute and inscrutable. She picked it up and carried it over to the small couch in her miniscule living room. She plopped it down on the coffee table and immediately realized that it was so thoroughly sealed that she had no chance of opening it with her bare hands. She went into her tiny kitchen and came back with a steak knife.
Even as a child, she had always tried to open her presents carefully, doing minimal damage to the wrappings. She approached the box in the exact same way, carefully slicing through the tough packing tape anywhere she could find a seam to slide the blade into. In a few moments, she had the top of the box opened. There were crumpled newspapers stuffed into the box. She yanked them out and tossed them aside.
The first thing she saw was a cell phone. She took it out and looked at it. There didn’t seem to be anything special about it. In fact, it looked kind of cheap. All it seemed to be able to do was send and receive phone calls. Her own cell phone could do a lot more than that, and it was far from top of the line. She laid it on the coffee table and continued rummaging. The next thing she found was a digital camera for a computer, complete with a DVD for installing it. She recognized the model. It was an expensive one, and included a microphone. Was this what he’d meant by wanting to ‘see’ her again? Cybersex? Well, the idea had a certain unusual attraction to it, but Marie thought that it would go stale rather quickly. She put the box holding the camera down next to the cell phone and kept looking. The next item she found was a DVD in a clear jewel case. It was marked “Special Mix”. She laid that aside too. What she found next took her breath away for a moment. Down near the bottom of the box was a red rubber ball with a strap through it. She picked it up and looked at it for a long moment. She had no doubt what it was. She’d done a little web surfing in her time, and had occasionally looked up websites that sold such things, just out of curiosity.
Then the cheap cell phone rang. It wasn’t an especially loud ring, but Marie was keyed up enough now that the sudden noise made her jump. The ball gag flew out of her hands and bounced once on the carpet. She shook herself and flipped the phone open.
“Hello?” She tried very hard to sound cool and calm.
“Hello, Marie.” It was him! She’d known that it had to be him, but hearing his voice again sent a sudden thrill through her body, making it tingle.
“I see that you’ve opened the package,” he went on. “How do you like your new jewelry?”
Jewelry? Marie fished around at the bottom of the box and found a shiny, heavy pair of handcuffs, and another pair just as shiny and heavy but with a foot or so of chain between the cuffs. Two handcuff keys were taped to the box.
“I wouldn’t call it jewelry,” she said. She knew that her voice sounded shaky. She didn’t care.
“It’s the only kind of jewelry I want to see you in,” he chuckled. “How was your day at work?”
“How is Cheryl?” she countered. She was surprised that she felt a sudden surge of jealousy when she thought of what he might have done to her friend over the weekend.
“I assume she’s all right,” he replied. “But I don’t want to talk about her.”
“Oh?” Marie sniffed. “Why not? She’s my friend, after all, and she didn’t come to work today.”
“I’ll give you some time to call her,” he said calmly. “You can find out for yourself how she is. I’ll call back later.”
The phone went dead. All Marie could do for a moment was stare at it. Had he actually hung up on her? Well, it was obvious that he had, and it was no doubt because she’d copped an attitude over Cheryl. Well, what did he expect from her? Was she supposed to just ignore all the things he might have done to Cheryl over the weekend?
She had a sudden realization that that was exactly what he’d expected her to do. Instead, she’d gotten snippy, and he’d hung up on her. He’d said that he’d call back later, but when was later? Later tonight? Some time this week? Some time this month? She desperately punched buttons on the cell phone, trying to find the call records. When she finally found it, there was only one call listed, so it had to be his. But the number was listed as ‘unavailable’, which meant that she couldn’t possibly call him back.
She had an urge to throw the phone against the wall in anger and frustration and checked herself. Even if she could call him back, would he answer? And if he answered, what would she say to him? Would he accept her apology? Did she really think that she needed to apologize?
Marie stood up with an angry, wordless cry. She felt…well, what did she feel, exactly? Frustrated? Check. Angry? Check. Sad? Check again.
She sat back down with a deep sigh. She had the feeling that she was in way over her head. She had no doubts as to what he wanted. Every man wanted se
x. The contents of the box left no doubts as to how he wanted it. Marie put the phone down and sorted through the contents of the box again, trying to calm herself down. Handling the cuffs and ball gag did not help to calm her down. She kept turning the gag over and over in her hands, wondering if that big red hard rubber ball would actually fit into her mouth and wondering what it would feel like if it did. She realized that she was becoming aroused and put the gag back down.
It was getting late, and she hadn’t had her dinner yet. While she wasn’t feeling especially hungry, she went into her kitchen and rummaged around in her refrigerator for a while. There was plenty of food in there, but nothing she felt like taking the time to prepare. She checked the freezer compartment and found some old frozen entrees. She didn’t remember buying them, so they must have been in there for a long time. She picked one without paying too much attention to what it was and shoved it into her microwave.
Then the cell phone rang. Marie almost dashed over to answer it. Instead, with some effort, she made herself walk over to it, sit down on the couch, and only then pick it up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“So how is Cheryl?”
“I…I don’t know,” Marie admitted. “I didn’t call her.”
“Why not? You seemed terribly interested in her welfare just a little while ago.”
There was no good answer to that question. “I guess I was just being a bitch,” Marie said.
“I see.” She waited for him to say something more. He didn’t.
“I’m sorry,” she said at last. “I shouldn’t have done that. But this is all very, very strange to me, and you’re old enough to be my…”
“Master,” he interrupted.
“What?”
“Master,” he repeated. “You heard me the first time.”
For a time, Marie couldn’t find any words. “I…I don’t know if I want that,” she finally managed to say.
“Whether or not it’s what you want, it’s what I want,” he said. “You’re a lovely young woman. I want you.”
Marie felt dizzy. She remembered seeking for him with her mouth in the dark, remembered how incredibly excited she’d been just to be alone with him. Some of that excitement was running through her body now, making her skin tingle and her hands tremble. It was a good thing that she was already sitting down. Her legs felt weak and rubbery on top of everything else.
I want to see you tonight,” he said, and Marie’s heart stuttered.
“Tonight?” she asked, her voice shaky. “Where?”
“I’ll come over.”
“Ah…uh…when?” Marie gulped.
“Soon,” he replied. Was it her, or had his voice just gotten deeper and more resonant than usual?
“Okay…” She agreed without stopping to think. “I can buzz you in…”
“No,” he interrupted.
“But…”
“Be quiet,” he commanded. Marie fell silent.
“Now,” he continued. “Go and unlock your door so I can let myself in.”
“Are you here now?” Marie asked. All he did was chuckle.
“Do as I said,” he told her. “Do it now.”
It was an epic struggle just to get from the couch to the door. More than once, Marie was sure that her legs would give out and she’d fall to the floor. Nonetheless, she reached the door to her apartment and unlocked it. The click of the deadbolt sliding back sounded as loud as thunder to her ears. She leaned against the wall for support, half-expecting him to enter immediately. He didn’t.
“It’s unlocked,” she said breathlessly into the phone.
“Good. Now go into your bedroom.”
“Yes? And?”
“Go now.”
She scampered into her bedroom, her legs miraculously recovered. Her hands were still trembling, though, and she felt even more lightheaded than before.
“I’m here,” she said.
“Take off your clothes. Now.”
“Yes, sir!” She tried unbuttoning her blouse with one hand while she kept hold of the cell phone with the other and quickly realized that it wouldn’t work. She put the phone down on her bed and undressed with frantic haste, tossing or kicking her shed garments aside. Way, way back in some dark and remote corner of her mind all of her doubts and misgivings still existed, but they were overwhelmed now by the thought that he was coming, that he would be here soon! She shimmied out of her panties, tossed them onto her bed, and grabbed up the cell phone.
“I’m naked,” she panted. She heard him chuckle again.
“Are you excited, Marie?” he asked. “Are you getting wet?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Turn off your bedroom light. Then get on your hands and knees on the floor,” he ordered. “And wait.”
The phone went dead again.
Marie waited, naked, on her hands and knees as she’d been told to. Her apartment seemed eerily quiet. Even the unending sound of the city traffic outside seemed muted. She spread her legs a little wider. When she heard the door to her apartment open, she shivered. He was here! He was coming! She knew what he wanted, and she desperately wanted to let him take it.
Her bedroom door swung open slowly. She stayed on all fours, but turned her head to look. A man stood in the doorway. He was backlit by the light, but she could see that he was dressed all in black. He even had a black ski mask pulled down over his head. The ball gag dangled from his gloved hand. Marie shivered again. It was him, it had to be him, she told herself even as her heart threatened to hammer its way out of her chest.
The figure approached her slowly, moving aside from the doorway so that the light could shine on Marie’s naked body. He moved around behind her, and she gave up trying to see him. Her head drooped low as she waited. The carpeting was thin and the floor underneath it was hard. She barely noticed. She was trembling all over now. She wasn’t completely sure what was coming, but she ached for it, whatever it might be.
He knelt down behind her, close to her, between her parted legs. She couldn’t help crying out in surprise and pain when he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head up and back.
“Open your mouth,” he ordered. Marie whimpered and obeyed. It was his voice, low and harsh, but his voice, beyond a doubt. He stuffed the hard rubber ball between her lips. It was almost too big for her mouth, stretching her jaws painfully. Once he had it wedged tightly between her teeth he pushed her head back down so he could buckle the gag in place. Marie whimpered again as he gave the strap one last hard tug. She could try to scream now, and no one would hear her.
She felt his hand on her pussy, his fingers pushing into her. Her head came up. She arched her back for him, and moaned behind the gag. It felt as if he hadn’t removed his gloves. Then his hands were on her hips. She moaned again. He had to know how ready she was for him, how much she wanted him. She thought of his cock, long and thick and heavy, and she drooled onto the carpet.
She squealed at his first hard thrust. He was so much bigger than she was, and so powerful, that she had to brace herself for the next one. She felt his hands digging into her, holding her in place for him as he thrust into her again and again and again. She dropped down onto her elbows, arching her back even more for him. He felt huge and hungry. Marie realized that she was all but screaming as he took her, and that she was drooling even more copiously. She didn’t care. Everything narrowed down to her hot, wet pussy and the feeling of his cock slamming deeply into it again and again and again. He was paying no attention to her pleasure. He was just using her body however he wanted, and that thought stoked her own arousal higher than she would have thought possible. She felt her pussy quivering, contracting around his plundering cock. When she heard his first deep groan she lost herself completely. He slammed into her upturned rear and stayed there, holding her tightly enough for it to hurt a little, and he groaned and groaned and groaned. His body shuddered, making her own flesh quiver. She screamed, letting go of herself and of everything else. He hadn’t
made her come, but incredible, enervating waves of pleasure still rippled through her, leaving her weak and trembling. She was still too weak to move after he had pulled himself free of her and ordered her to stand, although she tried to obey. She felt drunk. Nothing about her body worked properly. In the end, he picked her up and laid her down on her bed. She lay there, huffing and panting through her nose as he moved around her bedroom, opening and closing drawers. She wondered what he was doing. If he was looking for something she could tell him where it was, but the gag prevented her from forming anything like words.
He seemed to find what he was looking for. Marie couldn’t raise her head to look, so she had to wait until he came back to the bed, holding up a tangle of her nylon stockings. Her mind was still too foggy to put one and one together, but when he began knotting one of the stockings around her ankle she realized what he intended doing. She shivered deliciously as he tied her ankle to the bed frame. He went to her other leg and yanked it roughly into place before tying it with another stocking. She lay limp and unresisting as he did the same to her wrists, staking her out spread-eagled, helpless and available. He stood over her, surveying his handiwork. Marie struggled and squirmed in her bonds, partly for his benefit and partly so that she could wallow in the sensations that were flooding through her now. It was clear that he wanted to use her again, and she was eager to be used. When he turned away and left her bedroom she whined for him to come back and writhed seductively for him. When he did come back, he had removed his gloves but not his ski mask, and he was carrying a small bowl filled with ice cubes from her freezer. When he began running one of them slowly across her belly, Marie suddenly found the strength to struggle in earnest, but her bonds held her tight.