Chapter Fourteen
The days seemed to fly by towards Lydia's birthday. No sooner had the weekend arrived than it ended...or so Zoe thought when she got up on Monday morning. The first three days of the working week shot by and she tried to forget all about what was due to happen on Thursday but found that she could not. Several times, she nearly summoned up enough courage to speak to Lydia but fell short at the last moment, feeling unable to raise the subject and possibly disappoint or even anger her mistress. What if Lydia rejected her? She might be kicked out of the comfortable and cheap apartment as well as lose her as a mistress. Staying quiet was safer and, as Lydia never mentioned the topic again, Zoe did start to wonder whether she had forgotten all about it.
That comforting thought was rudely dismissed on Thursday morning as Lydia piloted the sleek Jaguar effortlessly through the traffic towards work.
"You have this afternoon off, Zoe," Lydia announced as she braked sharply to avoid being caught by one of the infernal speed cameras.
"Do I? I didn't know that, mistress," replied Zoe, a look of bemusement crossing her face.
"I booked it for you as you will need a little time to recover from being pierced. I can't imagine that you will wish to come back to the shop and serve customers all afternoon! I have made an appointment for you at one o'clock at the little piercing parlour tucked away behind the supermarket."
Zoe swallowed hard and managed to thank her mistress then fought back tears as the car accelerated again, taking her ever closer to her date with pain and torment.
"I will be coming to hold your hand, my dear slave girl, and maybe a little more afterwards as I have also taken the afternoon off. It is my birthday after all and I do so wish to tease you when those gold rings are in position in your labia along with the ones in your nipples."
It took all of Zoe's courage not to scream out that she did not want her body to be pierced. The idea of needles pushing through her flesh made her feel sick and she concentrated on staring out of the window and counting how many cars only had one driver in them to try and distract herself. Once they got to work, she buried herself in designing but found all of her creations consisted of golden hoops interlocked or with Lydia's name dangling from them. Whenever she raised her head and stared at the clock on the far wall, it appeared to have whizzed round and her heart rate increased exponentially as the minute hand ticked inexorably past noon and began to head for one.
It was at twenty to one that Lydia walked out of her office and lightly touched Zoe on the shoulder.
"Time to go," she murmured, squeezing the girl's shoulder gently as she felt the flesh tremble under her hand. Taking a deep breath, Zoe rose and forced her legs to work, following her boss and mistress out of the shop and into the busy high street. To Zoe's surprise, Lydia took her hand, squeezing it tightly before she led her out of the throng of shoppers and into the back street where the parlour was situated. Zoe's breathing quickened with every step and she fought back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her body and mind. She could do this, she told herself sternly. She would do this for her mistress, she repeated in her mind like a mantra. Yet her footsteps grew slower and her body shivered with fear as she caught sight of the bright window ahead.
She forced another step out of her feet and then another until she was right outside the door and tentatively reached out with her hand to open it as Lydia stopped stock still and turned to look at her.
"You are prepared to do this because I wish you to, aren't you, slave girl?"
