A note for readers...please have patience, as this is only the beginning of Alex's story...things will turn sexual...
Her hands and feet were bound tightly, stretching her body taut across the bed. She maintained perfect form, with her stomach muscles tightened, biceps flexed to display their quiet strength, calves stretched to point her toes downward, and head bowed in submission. Behind the silken scarf serving as a blindfold, her eyes were demurely closed. To the casual observer, she would appear to be the picture of perfect obedience.
Often, she would spend numerous hours at a time holding this position, forcing her muscles to bend to the will of his desires for her, and never allowing herself a movement of any kind. She knew the pleasure that he found in thinking of her in his bed, immobile and awaiting his return with utmost patience and diligence. Because of this and her desire to please him in whatever way that her body could provide, she trained herself in patience, taught her muscles to learn the art of stillness, and grew to appreciate the lessons learned during these times when he would test her devotion to him. Although he never had physical proof that she maintained the positions that he desired of her, there was proof of another kind in her eyes when he asked it of her. She would never and could never lie to him. To do so was outside of her concept of reality.
However, during the long hours spent training her body to serve him in this fashion, her mind would often wander outside of her physical environment, proving to be her one act of rebellion against him. He controlled her body completely, but her mind would escape to past memories and thoughts, allowing her relief from the present torturous, numbing hours. She kept this one small freedom to herself to cherish and enjoy while he was away, hoping in this fashion to maintain a fragment of the control she once had over herself. In these long moments, she found joy in her past. These moments, however, would eventually cause her more pain than she could imagine.
It was in one of these long expanses of time that she let her mind roam, remembering her first encounter with him. Eyes closed and at ease, she felt herself sifting back through years of memories to that day...
...
Sipping coffee and reading the newspaper as the subway sped its way across the city's underground, she whiled away the minutes until they would arrive at her stop. Leaning her head back, she chased the last drops of coffee out of the plastic cup, and tossed it into the already overflowing trash can across the subway car. It was to be an important day for her, and she was nervous as to the possibilities ahead. Today, she had a meeting scheduled with both the Dean of her department and the Director of graduate studies. It was this meeting that would determine whether or not she would receive the funding to continue her studies and research with the university.
She felt the nervous butterflies in her stomach grow and multiply as the subway neared the stop she would need to take to make her appointment. Doubt crept in slowly as she worried about the possible negative outcome. If they denied her the money to continue, what would she do? Where would she go? It was this opportunity alone that had caused her two years ago to relocate to an unknown, strange city in the hopes of finding a niche for herself in the university world.
Looking back, she knew that had been the most crucial decision she had ever made. Moving cross-country to follow this chance had broadened her once limited horizons, and shown her that she could do so much more than she once thought. Smiling softly to herself, she knew that if things fell through with the university, it would not be the end of her world. She could and would move on to discover new opportunities. With this optimistic thought and a cheery smile, she stepped off of the subway and directly into the path of a stranger. Blushing furiously, she apologized, quickly picking up her briefcase and newspaper, both of which had fallen to the ground when she had collided with this man. Attempting to move on before he had the chance to engage her in conversation, she turned to rush away.
Only a light but solid grasp on her wrist prevented her movement. Mildly irritated, she turned to ask the rude stranger to relinquish her wrist, but her impolite words caught in her throat when she saw the look in his eyes. No words passed between them as the moment lengthened, both equally entranced. The noises of the subway station whirled around them, and still they stood, slightly apart, touching only where his hand held her. In the end, she broke contact, slipping her hand away and tearing her eyes from his, her head spinning as she hurried off to the stairs in order to make her appointment.
...
Three hours and much debate later, she settled into a plush chair at her favorite coffee shop with a mug full of the fragrant, caffeinated beverage, waiting for her most wonderful and strangest friend, Emily. Smiling at the thought of her scatterbrained but delightful friend, she inhaled the aroma of her coffee, allowing herself to think of anything but the chance encounter she had earlier in the day.
Emily arrived, hair mussed and clothes askew, twenty minutes later with a huge grin on her face, a small gift bag in her hands, and a story full of amusing anecdotes about her haphazard day. Laughing, she interrupted herself with a toothy smile.
"But first, first, my dear Alex...tell, tell, tell!"
Chuckling at her friend's high spirits and energy, she launched into a brief summary of the meeting. "Well, to make a painfully long story short, no, I didn't get the funding...but before you go and blow up the university, I think it might be a good thing."
Eyebrows raised with a questioning frown, Emily asked slowly, "You've been fretting about this for the past few months, and now it's happened. You didn't get the money. And you're not having a fit. You don't even seem all that upset. What am I missing here?"
Laughing at Emily's blunt analysis of the situation, Alex explained. "I didn't get the funding, no, and I was upset at first. But then the meeting got better. They offered me a teaching position for the semester abroad program starting in the fall. I haven't decided what to do yet, and they aren't going to press me for an answer, but I just think it might be the right thing to do at this point."
Grinning, Emily passed Alex the small bag she had been clutching. "I got this for you. I didn't know if it was going to be a condolences or a congratulations gift, but I wanted to have something for you, whatever the outcome of your meeting."
With a big smile, Alex delved into the tissue until she fished out a small, flat box. Raising her eyes to Emily, she asked, "Tell me you didn't go overboard."
Emily laughed. "Me? Go overboard? Never."
Sliding the lid off of the box, Alex gaped at the earrings inside. "I can't take these, Em. I just can't."
Laughing uproariously, Emily whispered to her, "They're not real diamonds....but they're sure good fakes, aren't they?"
Sighing in relief, Alex reached over to hug her friend, smiling. "Thank you so much for thinking of me."
Emily grinned. "Well, what can a girl do when her friend is in a tough spot? Shop, of course."
Alex burst out laughing, and leaned back into the comfortable chair with a huge grin on her face. She was thinking about the bizarre way that Emily had influenced her life. When she had moved to the city, Emily had been her first real friend, the first person with whom she felt a bond. Since those early days, their friendship had developed and matured, and although they often disagreed, they were as close as friends could be.
Emily checked her watch and groaned. "Time for me to go. Must get ready for my afternoon date with man number five."
Laughing, Alex rolled her eyes. Emily had decided to see how many men she could date in a month. What had begun as a silly thought among their friends had evolved into a giant bet, where the woman with the most dates would collect a large pot of money. "I think Sara is up to seven by now. You need to catch up, Em." Alex laughed, comfortable with the fact that she was the only one of the group to not participate in the game.
Emily stood and hugged her friend before gathering up what was affectionately known as her Mary Poppins bag. "Have you decided if you're going out with us all tonight?" Noting the unsure expression on Alex's face, she continued. "Because you know, if you don't go, I'm going to call you every five minutes and nag you about everything going on. I won't let you sleep or eat or watch TV...I'll just nag nag nag."
Laughing at her friend's persistent nature, Alex nodded. "Fine, fine, I'll go...but just so you'll know, I had an eighties movie marathon all set up for myself. If I have a horrible time, think of the pain you'll have from depriving me of all that cheesy joy."
Emily smiled triumphantly. "Oh, you'll have a good time....I'll make sure of it." With that, she walked hurriedly to the door.
...
It was around six that evening that Alex stood in front of her closet, pondering whether or not she was actually going to go. Throughout her day, thoughts of the strange incident in the subway plagued her mind. Although she tried to shove it to the back of her thoughts, it resurfaced again and again, forcing her to remember the strange man and the feelings that he stirred in her. Shaking her head, she mumbled to herself out loud, "You'll never see him again. He's probably one of those subway crazies who stalks and harasses women. Just FORGET about it."
With that, she turned to the matter at hand, searching her closet for something that wouldn't make her feel like a nun with her friends. She loved them, she really did... but they were all so fashion-conscious and stylish that she felt obliged to keep pace. A half an hour later, she sat down, looking at the outfit she had managed to create, contemplating whether to put it on, or instead, a cozy pair of pajamas. Dragging herself out of the chair, she slipped out of her clothes and into the newly-selected ones, adjusting her makeup, and twisting her curls into a loose yet complicated knot on the top of her head. Taking a look into the floor-length mirror, she nodded, satisfied. Locating her handbag, she braced herself for the merriment ahead, and left her apartment.
...
Slipping into the crowded restaurant, she smiled and walked past the line of people waiting for tables. Searching for the mass of people she was meeting here, she spotted them in the back, seated in a Round Table-esque fashion. Wading through the tables and conversation, she politely ignored the comments she heard about herself as she made her way to the table. Laughing quietly to herself, she thought, if only these men knew how I actually prefer to look, pjs and all.
