Jason arrived at his neighbor Tim's party a little late. He had gone to pick up a last minute gift for the host, but the liquor store was a lot busier than he'd anticipated. And it's always so hard to choose - wine or spirits? Red or white? Varietal or blend? By the time he got there, the party was already in full swing. Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded or loud. Jason had had enough more than enough boisterous parties in his college days. As he'd gotten older, his tolerance for such things had diminished. There was a nice spread of appetizers out - cheese, deli meats, chicken wings, fruits and vegetables on a table not far from Tim's bar. Jason hung his jacket on a hook in the foyer, then walked over to the table that was already crowded with gifts for the host and deposited the bottle of sake that he'd finally settled on.
"Now, where's the host?" Jason wondered to himself. It seemed like he should say "hello" before starting to mingle.
"Jason! Hey, neighbor!" Jason turned with a start to see Bruce and his wife, Linda, approaching. "How are you?" Bruce slapped Jason on the back - a little harder than he'd have liked. "How are things?"
"Oh, the new job seems to be working out pretty well. How's it going with you? I love what you've done with your yard," Jason replied.
"Oh, thanks, sweetie," replied Linda. "It's been a lot of work, but I think it's worth it. And our garden is doing pretty well, too."
"Well, thankfully, they're doing a much better job with the yard than the previous owners of that house. It used to look just awful!" Tim put his arm around Jason's shoulders and shook him a little.
"Oh, there you are! Thanks for inviting me. I brought a gift."
"You didn't need to do that, especially seeing as how you've started a new job recently. But I appreciate it."
"Excuse me for a minute. I need to use the restroom." Bruce turned and walked towards the basement staircase.
Linda muttered under her breath, "I told him not to drink so much...." Jason heard her remark, but he didn't think much of it.
"Wait a minute, Tim. I thought you only had one bathroom."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then why is Bruce going down to the basement? I thought your bathroom was on the second floor."
"Oh, I had a urinal and a sink installed in the basement for the party. It's nothing special."
"Really? You went to all that expense? Do you plan on doing a lot more entertaining?"
"Yes, actually. I like having my neighbors over. I think we need to build a better sense of community around here."
Linda chimed in, "Isn't that thoughtful? You're a good guy, Tim."
"Oh, I don't know about that," replied Tim sheepishly. "Just doing my part...it takes a village and all that. And besides, this helps prevent lines from forming upstairs."
"You're not running for office, are you, Tim?" Jason enjoyed ribbing his neighbor.
"Oh, hell no! I'm all about community, but I also enjoy my privacy. Y'know?"
Bruce returned with a plate of appetizers and a glass of beer. "I'm back. Did I miss anything?"
"Oh, not much," replied Jason. "Tim was just telling us how he's planning on running for mayor."
Tim playfully punched Jason in the arm. "Oh, shut up, you. No, Jason was asking about my new bathroom."
"Oh, yeah? It's really great. You should be proud. Linda and I kinda want one of our own now." Linda smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"So when do I get to see this new bathroom?" Jason asked.
Tim, Bruce, and Linda exchanged strange looks for a moment before Tim replied, "That depends. Are you a prude?"
"What does that have to do with bathrooms?"
Linda noted, "Oh, I don't think we have to worry. Jason was just telling me and Bruce a dirty joke the other day. Remember, honey?"
Bruce smiled broadly. "Yeah, that's right. It was a good one. I told the guys at work and they all got a real kick out of it. Don't worry, Tim. I think Jason'll be OK."
"Well, OK, I'll trust your judgment. Will you excuse us?" Bruce and Linda walked over to chat with a gay couple who lived down on the corner while Tim and Jason walked towards the basement steps. Jason was still puzzled at the strange behavior of his neighbors.
"The new bathroom is right through here, just on the other side of the game room. It's also really handy when I have friends over to watch movies or play a round of pool."
Tim and Jason stopped in front of a wooden door. "I hope you can handle this," Tim stated, as he opened the door and they stepped inside.
The new bathroom was nothing like the game room. There was no carpeting here, nor the wood flooring like Tim had in his living room. There weren't any paintings on the walls. In fact, there wasn't any paint...it was just...granite? Concrete? Cinderblock? Whatever...Jason wasn't in the home-building business. The only light came from a simple fixture on the ceiling. For some reason, the ceiling also had a lot of eye hooks in it. There was a lot of stuff attached to the walls that Jason didn't readily recognize...but his attention settled on the far side of the room. There was a simple stainless-steel sink on the right-side of the wall with a soap dispenser, a paper towel dispenser, a mirror, and a garbage can. But more striking was what was to its left...a naked woman. She was kneeling in an odd fixture...it looked rather like the mop sinks Jason used to use when he worked in the restaurant business. There was a spigot, and a sprayer was attached.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" Jason demanded.
"Oh, calm down, buddy. There's nothing to worry about," Tim replied.
The more Jason saw, the more flabbergasted he was. He was expecting some sort of porcelain fixture, not a naked woman. She was a brunette with a lovely set of breasts. Her knees were spread apart and her clean-shaven sex was on full display. There was a thick metal collar around her neck. The collar had a large metal ring welded to the front, to which a chain was attached using a padlock. The chain was connected to the wall behind her, just a couple feet above her head. Jason walked around the small, dark room, noting that she had matching metal cuffs on her wrists and ankles. Each had a large ring on it, too. The ankle cuffs were attached to a chain inside the mop sink. The wrist cuffs were attached via a short length of chain behind her back.
"OK, you need to explain this to me *right now.* Are you holding this woman against her will?"
Tim laughed. "Don't be silly. This is veronica. That's with a lower-case 'v,' by the way. She's my sex slave. Say 'hello' to Jason, whore."
veronica smiled broadly. "Good evening, Master Jason. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Jason's jaw just about hit the floor. She was *smiling.* She really looked genuinely happy.
"OK, so this is kinky shit, right? OK, fine, to each their own. But what does this have to do with a bathroom?"
Before Tim could reply, there was a knock on the door. "Everyone decent?" It was Roger, the car mechanic that lived across the street.
"Come on in, Roger. Jason's just meeting my new slave." Tim said this loudly enough for Roger to hear through the door. The door opened and Roger stepped in.
"Oh, hey, Jason! I didn't see you come into the house. How's it going? How do you like Tim's new bathroom?"
Jason was so shocked that all he could do was blink and nod his head.
"Gee, Tim, looks like Jason's never seen a sex slave before! D'you mind?"
"Don't mind him...he's just a little overwhelmed at the moment. Go right ahead - it's what she's here for."
