by Caroline Day
That’s because I feel chilly.
‘How hard you are breathing...’
Sure, I am overstressed!
‘How seductively you bite your lower lip...’
That's because I want to shoot my mouth off. If I share my thoughts with him, he will demand his money back.
‘You are wet.’
That’s because... No, I'm not that scared, I know how to suppress the nature’s call!
He barely touches me there, between my legs. His finger slides through my flesh and immediately creeps back. Barely touching me. I shudder again. Heck! When is he going to stop? When will he stop squeezing my nipple and pressing on my clitoris? I hate the sensation. It’s scary. My heart is racing as if I've run a marathon.
‘Good girl.’
The man immediately removes his hands, gets up and steps away. Someone in the Heaven has heard my plea. Whew! The coolness, like a light veil, envelops me again, but this time, I feel it only in the top.
‘Your clothes are on the sofa. You’ll find the contract next to it. You must sign it before our next meeting. Quit your job today. Return the keys to the concierge. You can remove the blindfold as soon as the door slams.’
He walks like a tiger. I can barely here them, as well as the sound of the door closing. I am alone. I let out a sigh of relief. Jesus! It's finally over. He neither raped me nor took the advantage against my will.
I take my time, waiting for my heart to stop racing, for my breathing to recover. I have to prepare myself to see the darkness pierced by a few rays of faint light of the sconce before removing the blindfold from my eyes. It’s hard to see the light after an hour of induced blindness, but my eyes quickly adapt.
As he said, there are clothes in a bag and a folder with the contract on the sofa. I check the bag. A white blouse of my size, similar to the one that was torn to pieces, and a pair of jeans. I take the blouse and leave the jeans on the sofa. I have to leave the place as soon as possible. Hurry up, go home, Lo! I need to think about things that happened and read the contract.
I quickly change clothes, grab the paper folder with the contract, and leave the apartment without looking back. I almost rush away. I don't want to think about things that happened there.
I am already partway home, when an incoming call draws my attention. It's Dr. Connor. A chill runs down my spine. He’d never call without a decent reason.
‘Dolores? Do you feel better?’ he asks without saying hello.
‘Sure. Is Adam fine? Did you get the money? You confirmed the payment.’
‘Don't worry, everything is fine. We prepare Adam for surgery. He asked me to call you.’
‘Why didn't he call me himself?’ I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind.
‘He said he couldn't get through.’
That’s weird. I put the phone on silent before the meeting, since I didn’t want to be distracted by friends and acquaintances. But I haven't seen missing calls after I left the apartment.
‘Lo?’ my brother's faint but stern voice reaches me. ‘Where you are? Why aren't you answering your phone?’
It's noisy in the subway, but even through the noise, through the distance and time, I can feel Adam's agitation getting under my skin. It spreads throughout my body, arousing the fear that seemed to remain in the apartment overlooking the Thames.
The fear that Adam found out where I was, what I was doing, and how I got the money. As in my childhood, when he forced me to tell the truth. Heck, I'm a bad liar.
‘I didn't hear the calls, sorry,’ I say in a deadly calm voice. ‘How are you?’
‘Fine.’ ‘Really? Now tell me where you got the money!’
Just as I expected. What should I say? I would never admit that half an hour ago I was sitting, naked and helpless, in fount of a crazy stranger. And I am going to do it again. I will do it for his sake.
‘I got approved for a loan.’ I hope it sounds true.
Adam says nothing for a while. The dead silence presses on my chest from both sides, squeezing air out of my lungs. The silence is killing me. The mere thought that he can find out the truth and judge me makes me ill.
‘Fine. You shouldn’t come today, okay?’
‘What's wrong?’ I start worrying again. It's like a roller coaster ride.
‘They won't let you in the ICU. I just want to make sure you are fine.’
No, Adam, I am not fine. Moreover, things are getting worse. I recently became an escort girl. I had a shocking date with a man twice older than me yesterday, and today...
What a shame!
That’s awful! But there was something else. Something odd and unknown. I can’t stop thinking about the mysterious stranger. His voice, his manner of speech, his gait, even his scent... I’ve never met someone like that before. He could be anyone, even a crazy maniac. Things that happened to me in the apartment were odd... Humiliating. Vicious. Contradictory.
I didn't realize what had happened a few minutes ago or what was about to happen. Who knows where we will end up? I can successfully fulfill the obligations under the contract and live happily ever after, or I can be declared missing in action after our next meeting. Andrew will look for me, he’ll tell the police everything he knows.
Or I will fall in love with the stranger, just like romantic novel characters, and the devious seducer will abandon me, ignoring my feelings. This weird relationship may make me depressed and devastated. There are so many possible outcomes that it’s hard to realize where we will end up after the first meeting. However, it doesn't matter! I will say only
‘I am fine’
And swallow the lump in my throat.
Chapter 8.
The Vendor lends her body to the Customer for a period of up to one month, unless the Parties agreed to extend the Contract.
The Parties are obliged to provide and experience pleasure of equal intensity.
The Vendor must fulfill all the demands of the Customer without any exception.
The Vendor agrees that her body will be affected by various means of sexual stimulation (anal plugs, vaginal/clitoral vibrators, and others).
The Vendor is not allowed to get into sexual relationships with anyone except the Customer.
The Parties may terminate the Contract before the expiration date if severe bodily harm was caused to one of the Parties during a meeting under the Contract.
Would you like to know what other remarkable clauses I revealed in the contract? No? Great! Because this is complete nonsense. Seriously, what idiot drew up this contract? The Vendor and the Customer? Really? They should better call us Master and Slave! The parties should have equal rights, shouldn’t they? But it's exactly the other way round.
He commands – I obey, and it is impossible to change it.
For the next five days, after classes, I am delving into details of the contract, trying to figure out what the future holds for me. There’s definitely nothing good coming from this lousy deal, but I need to see the whole pattern. I want to know details.
‘Hey, Brown, your omelette is burning,’ Carlos from the fourth floor chuckles. Damn it, he's right. ‘What’s that?’ the guy tries to look at the papers, but I quickly take the contract away.
‘Nothing. Anything else you want?’
‘You didn't even say thank you! By the way, I saved the Dorm from a fire.’
‘You will need to save your ass if you don't get out of here! Got it?’
Apparently, I might look terrifying when I am furious since the guy immediately storms out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with his thoughts. There are a lot of them in my head.
Adam has recently had surgery. Dr. Connor said that everything went well, he just has to undergo rehabilitation. I hope that Adam and I will manage it, and our lives will return to normal. There will be no pain, no fear, no scary thoughts. We will become happy and carefree as we used to be.
Our parents were happy either until they passed away...
I eat my dinner, go back to my r
oom, and read the contract again. It looks like I am about to memorize all the clauses, but I still don't understand what they mean to me. His first order is already fulfilled – I quit the job. Mel paid off my monthly salary and wished me good luck. But you can't leave the University, and Mr. Mysterious didn't insist on that.
His signature is beautiful, written with fierce strokes and heavy pressure. No initials! They are not typed unlike mine that are specified by the line for my signature. Heck! I'm completely confused! Everything seems easy as pie, but I still struggle to understand that he’s going to treat me like Anastasia Steele. You know, I'm not a mousy girl and I don't want to be one, and my body is not a guitar with sensitive strings that you can play using different objects.
But my Master thinks otherwise.
My iPhone suddenly starts ringing, breaking the silence and making me almost jump out of my skin.
‘Hi, Lo! How are you?’ Andrew asks in a loud voice. I hear the club music in the background. He’s on the shift, I guess.
‘I am fine.’
‘How about hanging out tonight? At my expense, of course.’
He knows how to lure me. Andrew uses to remind me that I almost never go out. By the way, when was the last time I hang out with friends? Long ago. I don't have fun even with my fellow students, since I abandoned the sorority, and the fraternity guys never invited me to parties. Frankly speaking, I am not a party girl but I need more than clubbing right now. I need a friend.
‘Where should I go?’
‘I’ll text you. Remember, I am waiting for you!’
Andrew texts me the address of the famous London club while I am sprucing myself up I apply makeup with an emphasis on lips, use concealer to hide dark circles, and put on a long-forgotten tight black dress with a zipper in the front from the top to the bottom. The dress that Alice borrowed me is still wet after washing. It should be returned to its owner. I can either deliver it by myself or send by mail. By the way, Alice neither returned any of my calls nor texted me. Her silence makes me a little nervous. Where has she gone?
The taxi arrives at the hostel on time, takes me to the club without traffic jams, which is amazing, and drops me off at my destination. I pass face control without any issues, outskirt the laughing crowd of drunk people and sit down at the bar. My friend, as usual, is grinning like a Cheshire cat, running from one end of the counter to the other in his favorite bear hat and sunglasses. Why does he need the glasses? It's dark enough here.
‘You look as pretty as always,’ Andrew comes up to me after making cocktails for a young couple. He immediately hands me ‘Sex on the beach.’ ‘Your favorite.’
‘Thank you,’ I take a sip of the cocktail.
‘So, you are out of business, aren’t you?’
The fun of the night immediately fades away. Why should he remind me? Well, anyway, I was going to discuss it with a friend.
‘No. But I have a problem.’
Andrew takes off his glasses, purses his lips nervously, then calls someone and asks to look after the bar. A few minutes later, another bartender comes up to us, and that's when everything happens.
We are in the crowd, but nobody pays attention. No one hears us, no one looks at us. No one cares, except for one person who is listening attentively to my story about things that has happened to me over the past few days. The fateful day in the company of a mysterious stranger, Adam's successful surgery, rehabilitation that costs me fifteen thousand pounds.
Andrew frowns at me when I mention my brother, but I see a bit of joy and relief in the depths of his dark eyes. No one would have seen it except me but I have known my friend for many years.
Then I tell about the contract, even show him a copy. Non-disclosure is not mentioned in the contract, but it is embarrassing rather than reassuring.
‘You don't know this man, you’ve never seen him, and he'll fuck you hard?’
‘Yes,’ I say anxiously.
‘You didn't join a BDSM club, did you?’
Bastard! He tries his jokes while I am upset and frustrated!
‘No, I didn’t,’ I mutter through the clenched teeth right into his ear. ‘What should I do?’
‘Why are you asking me for advice if you've already made up your mind?’
Because I need support. I need to speak it out; I need to understand what I am up to. In a month, when I am down and out, I’ll need a friend by my side. Because...
‘I’m scared,’ I finally say it out aloud.
‘Really? Well, you should be scared since if you fail to satisfy your fucker, you may end up dismembered in a suitcase.’
Oh my! I haven't thought of it before. The only things that scared me was the upcoming humiliation, vomiting after each encounter with a stranger. Andrew is right, the man can kill me in a month to keep his secrets hidden forever. In that case he doesn't need any non-disclosure agreement!
It gives me the creeps. A chill runs up my spine and hides in my dark hair on the top of my head. The news recently reported that the dismembered body of an escort girl had been found in a suitcase at the airport. I don't want to suffer the same fate.
‘What should I do then?’
‘Do you need money? You’ve got them. There's no going back. Now, think about the consequences. These encounters can devastate you, crush you. It might change you forever. Moreover, you might die! Think twice before signing the contract.’
‘I've already paid for the surgery.’
‘Your life is at stake, Lo,’ he says in a stern voice. ‘We can raise that sum of money. We'll ask the guys, hold a charity competition at the club. We’ll do anything to help you. You shouldn’t sacrifice yourself for the sake of...’
‘Andrew!’ No, please, not now. I don't want to think about the quarrel between two people I care about.
‘Please, don't wreck yourself.’
‘Don't worry. I am strong.’
I promise to be careful and prudent once again. But I still can't say for certain whether I will comply with his request. If I’d known that time what I'm destined for, I would have never said that much.
The used iPhone starts vibrating in my purse. A new message. From him. I know what I’ll see there before I press on a tiny envelop and read it.
Anonymous: ‘The second floor. Room No 2. Sit down on the sofa, face the back of the seat, and don't look around. You have one minute to get there. I am waiting for you.’
Chapter 9.
I don't want to ask how he managed to find out where I am, how I got here, or why I came here. This is either a coincidence or...
The evening is going to be smashing.
‘You know, I think it's time to dance,’ I tell my friend while he’s taking an order from the guy on my right. Andrew looks at me suspiciously, but I just wink back at him. Everything is fine. I’ll be fine. The thing is to convince myself of this simple fact.
I push through the crowd to the stairs. I feel interested gazes on me, but I don't care. It's not the right time. I follow the instructions carefully: go up to the second floor where the recreation rooms are located, and open the door number two.
It's dark inside. The only light comes from tiny lamps arranged in a circle overhead. I feel like I'm in Glenn Quagmire's bedroom with a round bed and a mini-bar (Author’s note: Glenn Quagmire is the sex-crazed, perverted neighbor of the Griffins from the animated television series Family Guy. The only pieces of furniture here is a leather sofa. Oh, wait a minute, there is a transparent coffee table in the corner of the room.
I sit down on the sofa, my back turned to the entrance, my knees against the sofa back, my hands on the soft black leather, and... Well, it's not so scary this time. This is probably due to the cocktail I drank before going upstairs, or maybe I just know that nothing bad will happen to me. He has no right to do me any harm under the contract, as long as the contract is valid.
But then...
‘Good evening, Donatella.’
When did he get in? I didn't hear the door close or th
e lock click. He comes up closer. Makes me listen carefully to every noise. To his barely heard breath. To the rustling sound behind me.
I'm blinded by black silk again.
‘What brings you to the club?’ I can sense a trace of sarcasm in his voice.
‘I wanted to relax after a hard week. What about you?’
‘Don’t ask me silly questions.’
He puts his hand on my lower back and Pushes, making me arch my back. His fingers keep going lower to my protruding butt. I stop breathing, frozen in anticipation of his next move. But he stands still. But then...
‘Ouch,’ I exclaim when a hard slap hits my right buttock.
‘Hush!’
He gives me another slap on my left buttock this time. Hey, it hurts! Should I tell him to stop? Oh my I forgot that I have no right to say no. Fortunately, he gets off my ass. He probably read my mind.
‘I like your dress,’ he slowly lifts up my skirt. ‘You should wear stockings. Tights annoy me.’
‘It's not stated in the contract.’
‘We’ll add the clause.’
With these words he abruptly tears up the thin nylon between my legs. I feel a few runs develop and go down up to my heeled boots. Heck! How am I supposed to go home? It’s cold today. And people will stare at me. Has he got a spare pair of stockings?
However, my concerns fade into the background when his fingers push the panties aside, and a puff of cool air reaches the most intimate part of my body.
It doesn't last long.
‘Relax,’ the man orders, and a sharp wave of heat washes over my flesh. It feels like an electric shock or something... I am not sure.
‘I told you to relax.’
What do you think I am doing right now? My skin is crawling, and I don't know how to react to his touches. He’s stroking my love bud, and then his fingers go further and penetrate into me.
‘You enjoy it.’ It sounds more like a statement than a question. ‘I told you would get your piece of pleasure,’ he whispers into my ear, working his fingers inside my hole. He’s moving his fingers, curling them teasingly. He keeps stroking the mysterious spot of my body. As for me...