Shifting the car into reverse Daniel threw his arm around the passenger seat headrest and backed out from the parking spot, beginning the trip to Emma's apartment. She lived about ten minutes from him and Chloe in a new apartment she'd recently moved into with Kiley, a mutual friend of theirs Daniel had known since high school.
He'd met Kiley in study hall and, through a mutual disinterest in doing any actual studying, the two quickly became friends. Daniel had always been notably fond of Kiley and thought of her as one his best friends. Sometimes he secretly wondered about her, whether they'd be good together.
How different his life would be now if he'd just asked her out instead of Chloe. Emma, on the other hand, had never been nice to Daniel. A college roommate of Kiley's, the two had rented the apartment together in an effort to get away from the dorm life.
Chloe had asked that Daniel come along that day and help them move their stuff in, which of course was not an easy task for a third floor apartment. He remembered how Emma didn't even say hello before shoving a box into his chest and asking that it be set in her bedroom.
As he drove Daniel felt his hands begin to sweat against the leather of the steering wheel, wiping his hands against his jeans every time the car stopped. He didn't want Kiley to see him like this.
His heart began to race as the anxiety of one his closest friends seeing him as a slave began to swell from his stomach to his chest. He wanted to turn the car around and go home.
Stopped at an intersection, he wiped his hands against his jeans once more, noticing they were now shaking. He took a long, deep breath and contemplated turning around. The light above him turned green and illuminated the empty street around the car, the glow reflecting in all directions off the snow soaked pavement.
Daniel hesitated, then pressed down on the gas pedal, continuing toward Emma's apartment.
Inside the apartment the girls sat on the floor around the coffee table talking and laughing while holiday music played softly from a speaker on the counter behind them. It was only two weeks until Christmas now and the apartment had been decorated with lights and an assortment of cheap holiday knickknacks. A large pine tree stood in the far corner and boxes of unhung ornaments sat at its base.
"So he's actually coming over?" Kiley asked, sheepishly taking bit of a gingerbread cookie the girls had made earlier.
"Oh yeah, he's coming over. He does anything I tell him to. It's honestly really pathetic." Chloe said with a laugh.
"And he knows I'm here?" Kiley shifted on her legs nervously. "I don't want to be mean to him... we've known each other for so long. I just can't imagine he'd be into something like this."
"Trust me, you'll see. He's changed a lot this past year, I think you'll be surprised."
Kiley looked apprehensive about the situation but nervously continued on her cookie trying her best to hide how she felt. Emma was texting her boyfriend and didn't seem to mind the turn the night had taken.
"Just follow my lead whe-" Chloe began to speak but was interrupted by a text on her phone. Pausing to read the text, her face lit up with excitement. "He's here! I'll tell him to come up."
Kiley stiffened and made a quick attempt to clean up the table in front of them before Chloe stopped her. "Don't worry about the mess, we'll have him clean it up later."
Daniel climbed the concrete stairs and made his way to the apartment door. Apartment 304, third floor. He remembered struggling to get their mattresses in the door. He rang the doorbell and could hear the shuffling of feet and someone laughing inside.
The door swung open and Chloe stood in front of him with an excited smile on her face.
"Bitch boy!" She yelled happily and grabbed his forearm, dragging him inside and shutting the door behind him. Chloe kissed his cheek and led him into the entryway. "Take your shoes off, let's go." Daniel knelt down and slipped his wet shoes off, placing them by the door. Chloe grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him forcefully to his feet.
"Chloe wait. Please don't make me do this in front of Kiley. She's never seen this side of me and I... I just can't. Please don't make me do anything embarrassing." Daniel whispered so as not to let the girls hear their conversation.
"I'm sorry, what did you just call me?" Chloe asked, staring.
"Mistress, I mean. I apologize Mistress. But please don't make me do this. Can't I just go home or can we just keep this between you and I?" Daniel pleaded.
"That's fucking right. If you call me anything but Mistress in front of our friends tonight believe me this will be much worse for you. Now shut the fuck up and stop complaining. You should be excited baby" she said, squeezing and caressing his arm lovingly, "They finally get to see the real you. Now move."
Daniel's breathing quickened as he made his way to the living room, seeing Kiley and Emma sitting around the coffee table decorating cookies.
"Daniel!" Kiley yelled and got up to give him a hug. Her arms wrapped around him and they hugged each other for what seemed like forever.
Daniel couldn't help but notice how great her hair smelled. Her hair had always been long. It was a deep shade of brown she'd kept straightened since he'd known her. He always thought it was cute how well the color of her hair matched the freckles on her cheeks. "It's been so long!"
"I know! It's so good to see you, I really missed you. I was just thinking about you the other day! A song came on the radio that we used to get high to behind the school, but I can't remember what it was called." Daniel said with a snicker.
"Oh god, don't remind me. We were such losers back then." Kiley laughed and rolled her eyes. It was so nice to have a regular conversation.
"Hi Emma, it's good to see you!" Daniel said, poking his head around Kiley's shoulder so as not to be rude.
"Hey Daniel. How's it been?" Emma asked.
"I've been alright. You?"
Emma laughed to herself as she looked at Daniel, then to Chloe. "Yeah? Because Chloe says you've been getting it pretty rough lately."
"Emma stop, cmon." Kiley glanced at Emma.
Chloe and Emma laughed. Daniel's face turned bright red knowing realizing Chloe had told them much more than he wanted.
"Kiley it's okay. Trust me." Chloe said. "He doesn't mind. And it's true, you have been having a rough time lately haven't you Daniel? Don't lie to your friends. Tell them about what you've really been up to."
"Mistress please" Daniel whispered.
"Now." Chloe replied sternly.
Daniel sighed trying to push away the intense embarrassment he felt. "I've been... learning a lot recently."
Emma and Chloe laughed even harder. "Cmon bitch boy. Tell them."
"I've been learning to serve my Mistress. To be a slave." Daniel said with his head hung down.
"Awww, there you go! Good boy! Was that so hard? Now everyone knows and we can all hangout. Why don't you go into the kitchen and make us three some drinks okay baby? None for you, you're driving later."
Daniel looked at Kiley. He hated letting her see him like this, and it was clear Kiley was uncomfortable with it. The humiliation of it was too much and he couldn't help but look down at the floor and away from her eyes. "Yes Mistress."
"I want vodka! None of that gin crap Chloe loves" Emma shouted. "Ooh and throw some cherries in it too. There's some in the fridge."
"Sure thing. Anyone else?" Daniel asked still trying his best to look away.
"Bitch boy, when someone in this room gives you a command I expect to hear you be polite. For our friends here you'll say yes ma'am, and for me you'll say yes Mistress. Got it? We don't want them to think you don't want to."
"Yes mistress." Daniel said as he unscrewed the metal cap to the vodka, pouring Emma's drink into the tonic water.
"Guys we don't need to do this... can't we just hangout and catch up?" Kiley asked.
"We are! Now we just have a slave to make us drinks while we do." Chloe laughed. "Trust me it's fine, he's used to serving. Just follow my lead. Here, what kind of drink do you want?" Chloe asked Kiley.
"Uhm. I don't know. I'll take what Emma is having... I guess." Kiley responded nervously.
"Tell him. Tell the slave." Chloe encouraged Kiley, all within earshot of Daniel.
"Daniel, can you please make me-" Kiley started to ask but was interrupted.
"Not like that. Tell him - don't ask him. Tell him what you need and be firm. We don't ask for things from him, we tell him what we need and he does it. He's not very smart, so it helps to call him a slave and remind him what he's doing. Try it." Chloe continued.
