Chapter 06 -- Day 1 of Slavery to 5 Indian Dommes
| 3 years earlier |
I woke an hour earlier than usual that day because a stray metallic thread from the brand new anklet on my left ankle snagged on my bedsheet as I rolled in bed. The unusual pull on my ankle was enough to bring me groggily awake. Of course, sleep was impossible after that -- Sundar was expected home in a few hours, on his very first visit. My annoyance at the anklet evaporated as the butterflies fluttered behind my navel.
What if Ayushi had been right all along and Sundar was simply a sexual predator? Hadn't he himself confessed to Vaishnavi and I at the CCD table two weeks ago that he would be deriving significant pleasure out of "taking care of us 5 girls"? The thought of that pleasure took my mind to my ankle and the tiny key dangling from it. That key, which had arrived by courier last evening, was to the chastity cage Sundar had bought and apparently locked himself into, as per our instructions at CCD.
It was too late to cancel, anyway, even with all my misgivings. Vaishnavi and I had once again shouted down and cajoled Ayushi and Komal at dinner the previous night, who threatened to derail the whole thing before it began. The arrival of the chastity cage key that dangled from an artfully crafted anklet that Sundar had bought for me, and my decision to open the package and wear it there and then made the significance of what Sundar's arrival at our home the next day meant more stark than anything had until then. As expected, all of the inhibitions and fears that were bottled up for the last 10 days rose up again in Ayushi and Komal. Even I was not sure we should be going ahead and wondered whether I could ask Sundar to come the next Sunday instead.
Fortunately, Vaishnavi prevailed once again. Re-hearing the recording of the CCD conversation helped me quite a bit. Sundar's transparency and affable personality was a big plus, of course. And Vaishnavi repeatedly mentioned this was all for just 3 months. Nonetheless, Ayushi attempted very hard to get Namrata to turn against all this, but Namrata supported Vaishnavi and me. I guess she really hates washing the dishes and her clothes twice a week!
Against the 3 : 2 odds, Ayushi backed off in a huff and announced that she was not going to be present for the "porn production" and that nobody could force her to be there for the 2 hours when the "sicko" was home. She looked significantly at Komal, who immediately parroted Ayushi and mumbled that she too would be absent. As a last-ditch effort to stop 2 of the 5 roommates from permanently being estranged from this arrangement, Vaishnavi attempted to cajole them into at least giving one task each for Sundar to perform for them when he came home the next day.
Ayushi waved her hands dismissively and left the hall, clearly angry. Komal too left behind her, with a sideways look at Vaishnavi.
Later in the night, Vaishnavi forwarded me a WhatsApp message that she had just received from Komal. Our youngest roomie had not one but three tasks for Sundar! Her message read:
"Just 3 months na, I don't really mind. It's a little scary, yaar, nothing else. Grown man and all. I'll talk to Ayushi didi from my side. These are possible?
- Sunday cleaning of the kitchen. Didi is going to lock all cleaning stuff in her wardrobe and take keys with her. He'll have to bring stuff!
- M sending you a pic my office senior has sent, next week's articles and assignments. Can he do them??? If no, thats k
- Can he make a new resumΓ© fr me??? Sent old one in email to you
DON'T TELL DIDI!! She will be pleasantly shocked with clean kitchen!!"
Below this came Vaishnavi's messages:
"I sent Komal's message, assignments pic, and resumΓ© email to slave."
"Be strong, it will be okay! Now only Ayushi has to see the light!!"
"Good Night :-))"
I forced myself off the bed and tiptoed into the kitchen to put on a pot of tea. Our 2BHK home was the only flat on the ground floor of a modest 3-storey apartment complex that was mostly populated by senior citizens. Since affordability was the primary concern for all 5 of us girls, none of whose families lived in Mumbai, we had to put up with below-average security and upkeep in our building. Oh well, I mused as the teapot started whistling silently, the former was going to be useful for Sundar to come and go undetected the next three months, at least...
I poured the tea into a mug and was tiptoeing back out of the kitchen when I almost collided with Vaishnavi, whose eyes were glued to her phone's screen as she was entering the kitchen.
"Hey, sorry!" Vaishnavi whispered urgently, Then, pushing her phone right under my nose, she said with a smirk, "Look what he's sent!"
"Woah, someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning...what is it? Just tell me."
"The slave has sent all of Komal's articles and assignments while we were fast asleep. That email came at 2:47 AM. Komal's fresh new resumΓ©s," she brought the phone under my nose again, "came at 4:01 AM. He's sent 3 resumΓ© options for her to choose from. I've sent the attachments to Komal," she ended with a grin.
"Arre, he hasn't slept, that means...hmm." I was about to express concern for his health, but I stopped myself. For the last 2 weeks, Vaishnavi's words, Sundar's highly overt sexual orientation, and my own rational mind had all repeatedly told my emotional mind that my romantic interests would serve no one, least of all, me. And yet...
Vaishnavi sensed the infighting among my thoughts. She had spent hours over the last fortnight keeping me on track with the 3-month plan we had started on, always placing her opinions with patience and caring. But there was anger in her eyes now.
"Akshata, not this again, yaar. He's coming here at noon today and you're still having second thoughts. See, this guy is true to his word. When I sent these tasks to him, I didn't give any deadline, and nor did I mention he could do them today, when he came here. By sacrificing his sleep and sending this as quickly as he could, he has shown more commitment than any man I've ever been with. I don't have to tell you that this world, and especially this city, has a lack of quality men. But what you may not know is that for every 50 quality men, you'll be lucky to find 1 committed one among them. He doesn't want your concern, he doesn't want your love, Akshu. Please get that in your head!"