Francesca opens the door of the house and steps out into the cold night. The car is parked on her driveway, a chunky black Mercedes with blacked out windows. She strains to see who is inside, but the car's interior is invisible. She feels goosebumps on her exposed skin and a slight chatter in her jaw. She's always felt nervous before submitting - nervous and conflicted. A part of her loves it, a part of her is full of trepidation and doubt.
She steps onto the driveway and walks towards the car, remembering to hold her head high, a slight smile on her lips. This may be strange for a sub, she knows, but Master loves her to be proud of who she is and what she's about to give to these strange men inside the car.
When she reaches the car, the door opens from the inside. She stops for a moment. This is her last chance to change her mind. But she won't -- it's time to face the trial. She bends down to enter the car but a hand stops her. 'Wait there,' a man's voice says. 'I'm coming out.'
Confused, she does as she is told. The figure which steps out of the limousine is tall and dressed in a black suit. He is broad shouldered and looks muscular under the expensive tailoring. His face is mostly concealed behind large dark glasses. Francesca thinks how he looks like one of those mafia types at a funeral of some big Costa Nostra boss. The man's olive complexion looks distinctly Mediterranean, even in the dim light, and his dark hair has streaks of grey which betrays his age.
That's fine. She's always had a thing for older men. Some twenty-year-old boy would struggle to tame her.
The man stretches out his hand, showing her to go inside the car now. 'My friend and I...we'd like you to sit in the middle.'
Francesca obeys and slowly enters the car, swinging both legs in at the same time -- what Master calls the Princess Diana entry. Inside, the car is warm and smells of spicy aftershave and a recent cigarette. She shuffles along the seat until she is in the middle, but she looks straight ahead. She can see a figure to her left -- the 'friend' the tall man was referring to -- but she knows she's not allowed to make eye contact. That is, if she could even see the man's eyes. He's probably wearing sunglasses too.
The tall man returns inside the car and shuts the door behind himself. Now it's just the three of them, in the back of the car, in the warmth of the heated leather seats and the sudden darkness that envelops them when the light goes out.
'So, miss Francesca.' The tall man speaks again. 'Your Master has told us we can do anything we like with you tonight. Is this true?'