She had several other problems too. She was naked but for the white lace lingerie and stockings, and her feet were still manacled. Fortunately there was enough play in the chain to allow her to drive, but she couldn't stop anywhere to ask directions or go to a diner or a bar to pee, which she desperately needed to do.
After a few more miles she decided to turn off the interstate and try to find a quiet hedgerow where she could relieve herself and search the car properly for maps. It was also possible that Nina had a case in the boot, or at the very least a coat to wear.
After a little further she noticed a gate leading into the corner of a field. The gate was set in a tall beech hedge. She hopped out of the car, opened the gate, and then managed to manoeuvre the low slung car over the tractor-rutted ground without scrapping the bottom.
Fortunately it was a balmy night. Kim got out of the car and squatted down behind the hedge, peeing a fierce stream. Greatly relieved, she walked back to the car and opened the boot. Apart from a smart tool kit it was empty. There was nothing behind the seats either, and the only thing in the glove compartment was a small leather make-up case. There were no maps and no clothes.
She opened Nina's small handbag. There was a wallet containing a platinum credit card, store cards, and about five hundred dollars in cash. That would certainly buy her fuel, but she imagined that, like in England, the bigger filling stations would be self-service, and she certainly couldn't see herself filling the Ferrari's tank and walking over to pay dressed as she was. She supposed it might just be possible that she could find a garage with an attendant, which would mean she wouldn't have to get out of the car. And if it was dark and the forecourt not too brightly lit it was possible they might just see her top half and imagine she was wearing a low cut and rather revealing evening dress.
She turned on the ignition to check the fuel. The gauge read half full. She had no idea how much fuel a Ferrari used, but was sure it was a lot. How far it would get her she didn't know, and what was worse, she didn't know how far she had to get.
She started the car again and backed out onto the top road. She drove back up to the interstate, then stopped before committing herself to the slip road. She reckoned she had a better chance of finding a small filling station with an attendant on the smaller roads. And the filling stations on the interstate would all be brightly lit. On the other hand, they would be open twenty-four hours, whereas the ones on the minor roads might not. She hesitated, not knowing what to do, then decided she had to do something and turned right onto the minor road that ran parallel to the interstate.
The Ferrari was a handful to drive. Even the gentlest of touches on the accelerator sent it shooting forward at an alarming rate, and several times Kim had to brake severely as she was going into a corner. The view of the interstate soon disappeared and she found herself in the middle of the countryside with signposts to Woodbridge, Ansonia, Derby and Huntingon - all places she had never heard of.
She wondered if Nina would have called the police about the car. It was, after all, an expensive machine. She doubted that she would, however. Trying to explain who was driving the car and how she was dressed would be much too difficult and might lead to some very awkward questions. She was sure Jake Ashley would have advised Nina to keep quiet.
There was not a single filling station, open or closed, anywhere on the road. She drove on and on, not knowing whether she was getting close to New York or further away, and watching the fuel gauge dip at an alarming rate.
At last she saw way ahead what she thought might be the lighted sign of a petrol station on top of a pole. As she got closer she saw that's exactly what it was. If the sign was illuminated, she reasoned, the garage must be open. And it was.
The filling station was small and smart, with three pumps in a row. But her heart sunk as she saw that not only was the forecourt brightly lit, but also there were signs telling her it offered all the convenience of self-service. She glanced anxiously at the fuel gauge again. It was perilously close to empty and she simply dare not drive on; there might not be another garage for miles. She was just going to have to brave it out.
She pulled the car onto the forecourt. About twenty yards from the pumps at the back was a small booth made from plate-glass. There was an attendant sitting on a stool behind the counter. He appeared to be reading a book.
Kim got out of the car, feeling more naked than she ever had in her entirely life, intensely aware that her sex and buttocks were completely exposed. She didn't even know where the filler cap was on the car and had to walk around the back bumper to look for it. The high heels clacked on the concrete and the chain on the manacles rattled.
She found the cap and inserted the nozzle of the pump into it. Unfortunately it was on the side of the car nearest the attendant, and she had to stand with her back to him, the shimmering white stockings with their deep lace welts held taut by the tight suspenders that stretched down from the cami-bra, the muscles of her long legs firmed up by the high heels that made her stand almost on tiptoe.
The car guzzled a lot of fuel and she seemed to stand there for ages. She was sure the attendant was watching her. Even if the arrival of a red Ferrari wasn't enough to attract his attention, the sight of a semi-naked woman certainly would be. But there was nothing she could do about it.
At long last the tank was full and the pump cut out. She reached into the driver's door and took a hundred-dollar bill from Nina's bag. Now came the really embarrassing part. She turned and walked towards the booth. With the high heels and the chain around her ankles she could only take tiny steps, so her progress seemed infinitely slow. She could see the attendant. He had put his book down and was staring at her, open-mouthed. He was young, perhaps no more than eighteen, with a mass of youthful spots adorning his chin.
Kim held her hands over her mons, though it was a vain attempt at modesty. As she got closer she could see there was no window in the booth, so she couldn't pay from outside. She would have to go into the booth itself and walk right across to the counter.
She got to the plate glass door and swung it open. The booth was raked with shelves displaying oil and other car related products. To the left was a big display of magazines, with some very raunchy titles on the top shelf. But none of the girls staring out from the front pages had on anything quite as revealing as the outfit Kim was wearing.
The attendant stood up. His face was bright red. He was wearing a blue check shirt and faded denim jeans.
'H-hello,' Kim blurted, trying to remain calm. 'Look, I'm in a bit of trouble.'
'You're English,' the youth said stupidly.
'Yes, I am. And some rather cruel friends have played a trick on me. I was at this party, you see—'
'Guess that was some party.'
She pressed herself against the counter so he was unable to see below her waist. 'It was. But as you see, they thought it was funny to leave me out in the middle of nowhere - like this. I've no idea where I am. Can you help? I need to get back to New York.'
'Sure,' he said, and turned to a shelf at the back of the counter, which was filled with maps.
'And do you have something that could cut chain?' Kim went on, feeling a little more confident. 'You see what they did to my ankles.'
'I don't know. I could try. Wait there.'
He disappeared behind a small door at the back of the counter. Kim looked around in case there was anything in the shop she could buy to cover her body, but could see nothing suitable. A few minutes later the youth returned. He was carrying a bolt cutter.
'This should do it, ma'am,' he said brightly. 'Only thing is, I'm going to have to come out there.' He opened a lift top in the counter and stepped from behind it, staring at Kim's beauty. 'That's a real pretty outfit, ma'am,' he said. 'I've never seen anything like it.'
'A little too revealing,' she said, feeling uncomfortable with his close proximity and obvious interest, pressing her belly to the front of the counter so he didn't get a full frontal view. 'W-what's your
name?' she asked, blatantly trying to change the subject and divert his attentions.
'Dale.'
He knelt at her feet and examined the manacles. 'You want me to cut the chain? Don't think it'll make much impression on these cuffs.' He was looking up at her, his face a few inches from the white satin suspender on her left thigh.
'That, um, that would be great,' she stuttered.
He put the jaws of the bolt cutter over the chain and pressed in on the long metal hands. The chain snapped easily.
'You've got real beautiful legs, ma'am.' A hand touched her ankle gently, stroking the sleek nylon. 'Finest I've ever seen.'
Kim knew she had to get away; she had to get away before things went too far with this youth, she had to get to New York, and for all she knew Jake Ashley and his minions might be out looking for her right now. She tried to move, but the lad rose quickly and pinned her to the counter. 'Please...' she whispered, feeling his clothed erection prodding into her hip. 'Don't do this.'
'Real beautiful tits, too,' he wheezed, his stale breath wafting around her face, making her fringe dance delicately.
'Look—' Kim was going to try to appease him, but the words failed her as a sweaty palm cupped her right breast through the flimsy cami-bra and mauled it feverishly. The youth started to grind against her like a dog on heat, squashing her so the counter dug painfully into her waist.
'Fucking hell,' he croaked. 'You turn me on.'
Kim managed to squeeze her fists between them and tried to push against his weedy chest, but he was in determined mood. He grabbed her right wrist and forced her hand down to the lump in his jeans. He managed to open her clenched fingers and sandwiched them between his sweaty palm and the lump, moving them in a tight circle.
'Please... I... I have to go...' Kim tried feebly, but the youth wasn't going to be denied such a monumental opportunity. He sank his face to her breasts, and slobbered hungrily over their soft upper slopes and into her deep cleavage. He breathed deeply through his nose, inhaling her scent. Then Kim felt his hips convulse and a damp warmth spread against her captured fingers.
'Oh, fuck...' he groaned, and slumped against the counter. 'Fuck...'
Kim managed to extricate herself from his weakening clutches, grabbed the map and dashed from the booth, and quickly reached the car and locked herself inside. She sat for a few minutes, eyes closed, gathering her thoughts and her breath, when quite suddenly a very strange thing happened; in her mind she saw Jake Ashley. He was looking at her with a stern expression, his steel-blue eyes unblinking. She shook her head and opened her eyes to rid herself of the unsettling spectre.
As she looked across the forecourt at the pathetic figure of the youth, now back behind his counter determinedly looking in any direction but hers, she seemed to hear Jake's voice in her head: 'That's not what you want. That's not what you need. You deserve more than that.' She could hear the beautifully articulated English vowels quite clearly. 'Only I can give you what you seek.'
'No,' she said aloud, and then tried to banish the chilling voice by turning the ignition key, engaging gear, slamming the accelerator to the floor, and screeching away from the forecourt in a plume of rubbery smoke.
Chapter Eleven
She parked the Ferrari outside Audrey's apartment block in SoHo. She had decided on the long trip across New York that it was better to go to Audrey than check into a hotel. Audrey would know how to contact Jake and return Nina's car, and besides, she wanted her to be the first to know that she would be filing the story implicating Nina Berry and Senator Tom Beddoes in Jake's activities. Not having slept all night Kim felt ragged. She hoped Audrey was in.
Thankfully the entrance to Audrey's apartment block was secluded, and nobody was around to observe her skimpy attire. There was an entry-phone beside the heavy steel door and Kim pressed the button next to A. SANDERSON.
'Yes?' came the metallic response.
'Audrey, it's Kim. I'm back.'
'Kim, great. Come in.'
The door lock buzzed and Kim pushed her way inside.
Audrey was waiting for her outside the door to her apartment. As Kim stepped out of the lift Audrey embraced her and gushed, 'Great to see you, sweetie. How did you get on? Come inside.'
They walked into the apartment together.
'Would you like some coffee? Jesus, you look like a refuge.'
'I've had a bad night,' Kim said non-committally. 'And I've got Nina Berry's Ferrari parked outside. I stole it.'
'Nina Berry's? The film star?'
Kim nodded.
'Well,' Audrey enthused. 'I told you there were a whole gang of people up there.'
'And Senator Beddoes.'
'You're joking, right?'
Kim shook her head wearily.
'So how did you get away?'
'It's a long story and I'm starving. I'd love to take a bath and have something to eat.'
'Of course, of course.' Audrey fussed over to the kitchen area and poured a coffee. 'Here,' she said, passing it to Kim, 'I'll do you some ham and eggs while you use the bathroom.'
'Have you any clothes I could borrow?'
'Sure, no problem. We'll sort all that out. Better get those manacles off first. I hope my key fits.'
Audrey disappeared into another room, and moments later she returned with a small key. She knelt at Kim's feet and soon had the cuffs off. She then led Kim to the bathroom.
'Help yourself to anything,' she said warmly. 'There's a robe on the door. I'll get the food.'
Kim caught sight of herself in the large mirror on the bathroom wall. For a moment she looked like Jake Ashley's slave again. Quickly she reached back and undid the cami-bra, not wanting to think of the consequences of what she had done. She would never see Jake Ashley again.
It was not until she lay soaking in the tub, the steaming water perfumed with oils she'd found, that she realised how much she missed having a bath. With no tub in her cell she'd been restricted to showers. She rested her head on the back of the bath and closed her eyes, wallowing luxuriously as the soothing water swilled all around her. In seconds she was dozing.
A knock on the bathroom door roused her.
'Come in,' she called wearily.
Audrey stood in the doorway, looking stern.
'I thought so,' she said. 'Come on, you're falling asleep. It's dangerous.' She took the robe from the back of the door and brought it over to Kim. 'Your eggs are ready.'
Her eyes examined Kim closely as she got out of the bath. She wrapped the thick white towelling around Kim's body, then used it to dry her.
'Feeling better?'
Kim nodded and smiled weakly. 'I will when I've eaten.'
And she ate everything. She finished a pile of scrambled eggs, three thick slices of ham and two slices of bread spread generously with butter.
'Mmmm... that was good,' she said, the sparkle returning to her eyes.
'So what are you going to do now?'
'Call my editor. But I think I should sleep first. I'd better find a hotel.'
'Don't be ridiculous,' Audrey told her off. 'You can stay here. There's a bedroom at the back that's comfortable, if you'll forgive the rather unusual décor. It's what I call my playroom.'
'I must admit I'd love to just crash out, if you don't mind.'
'Feel free.'
'Did you speak to Jake?' she asked, the man never far from her thoughts.
'No. Well, I got through to Marsha. Jake's not going to be back until tonight, apparently. But she's told Nina where she can pick up the car.
'Come on, let's get you to bed. Then maybe you'll feel like going out and getting a proper meal.'
'Love to. And if you can lend me something to wear, then we can go back to my old hotel and pick up my case.'
'Of course.' Audrey smiled warmly. 'I'll look something out.'
They got up and moved across to a door next to the bathroom. Audrey led the way inside.
The room was square with no windows. It had black carpet on the
floor, walls and ceiling. There were all the accoutrements of sado-masochism that Kim had seen before; a pulley hanging from a wooden beam in the ceiling, and metal rings attached to one wall at various heights.
There was a television in one corner, under which was a video recorder. In the middle of the room was a double bed covered with a black silk sheet. Leather cuffs attached to chains secured to metal rings were fastened to each of its legs. A white duvet and white pillows had been dumped on one end. They looked completely incongruous.
'It's Jake's legacy,' Audrey said, by way of explanation. For a moment Kim saw an expression in her eyes she could not read. It might have been a sense of longing; a yearning for something that had been lost.
'I don't care as long as it's a bed.' Though despite her tiredness the sight of the cuffs made her limbs tingle, a muscle memory of how it had felt to be bound and spread-eagled, stirring much deeper feelings.
'I'll wake you when you've had a good sleep.'
Kim smiled appreciatively and gave the woman a peck on the cheek.
'There's a switch here for the lights,' Audrey added. The room was lit by a bar of spotlights strung across the ceiling. There was a small table beside the bed, and a round dimmer switch on a cord that disappeared down into the floor.
'Sleep well.' Audrey closed the door. It was the first time for what seemed like an age that Kim did not hear a key turning in the lock.
She supposed Audrey having a room like this should not have surprised her. She knew Audrey had been one of Jake's slaves, and she now knew that Jake and what he represented was difficult to escape from. He had certainly stirred needs and desires in her that she would never be able to forget. As yet she had barely considered what she would do about them in the real world.
She slipped out of the robe, lay on the bed, flipped the duvet over her, and turned off the lights. She fell asleep almost before her head touched the pillow.
'Hi.'
Kim opened her eyes slowly, staring up at the spotlights above her. They were glowing dimly, the room barely lit.
The Slaves of New York Page 20