You will serve me tonight.
That was the opening message. The next listed her instructions and the punishment for failing to comply did not need to be stated. She knew in her heart she could not disobey him. And like that, all other chores of the day were pushed aside. She had more important matters to attend to.
One final look in the mirror. Perfection was required where she was going. The clothes didn't matter, but for her, it was important to still look presentable. Smoothing her red hair with her hands was the finishing touch she needed before she felt confident enough to step out her door and go on her way.
Everything about her was seemingly plain. She was by no means an ugly duckling, but she never quite made it to the swan beauty that ran in her family genes. Skin fair and clear, her hair razor straight and flat, the glow of health that surrounded her being her only saving grace. Her apartment said the same of her, her space more museum than a home sweet home. Sterile but inviting. Impersonal with just a hint of warmth. Her car had more personality that her and her apartment combined. The rattling death trap got her from point A to point B, even if it was only running on her belief in her good girl. The creaky complaint of the door as it opened was only a minor issue, the shuttering of her four-door shit box when the door closed made her wince.
She held her breath as she inserted the key, praying for an easy start. When the car just groaned in protest, she swore under her breath. She knew if it didn't start on the second shot, she wasn't going to start at all tonight... Not that it would keep her from her duty. She would gladly walk to her destination, the fridged winter air be damned!
"Come on baby... You can keep me from work all you want, but tonight... Come on baby, work for me! Don't take this away from me. Please baby... Start!" With a weak rumble, it took a second before the car fully, loudly, roared to life. "Yes! That's my good girl!" With a few pats to the dashboard as thanks, she was cruising down the town's one major road, the radio didn't even register to her. All that was on her mind was the tasks in her immediate future.
The city lights flickered out of sight one by one and following a couple of ice rinks they call country roads later; she pulled in front of a house she was growing rather fond of. On the outside, the log cabin looked small and unassuming. Anyone could give a guess to the interior and who lay inside but it would never be close to correct. Cutting off the sputtering engine, she took in the silence that filled the empty country air. In the summer, the air would be alive with the various insects that lived around, but as winter was here, there was no cricket symphony. Not that she minded. Here, peace was all she knew. Picking up her phone, she checked the clear instructions that were left in her inbox, making sure she understood them to the letter. This time, the instructions differed just enough to give her pause... But there wasn't much she wouldn't do for his pleasure.
Exiting the car, she couldn't help the regret that popped into her head when she realized just how deep the snow here actually was... Not that she'd back out now. He called upon her services for a reason. She refused to fail him. She put one foot in front of the other until her feet were planted firmly on the front of the modest porch facing the door. Her heart began to pound louder, the spit she swallowed loudly sliding down her throat. Looking to either side of her, she checked for nosey neighbors. With no one in sight she did a slow inhale exhale...
And started to strip.
The coat was first, stuffing it quickly into the provided bag, her shirt and bra were quick to follow. The hiss that snuck past her lips as the cool air licked her nipples into hardened rocks was involuntary but not shocking to her. She paid her discomfort little attention, her focus on getting bare as quickly as possible. Leaning down, she unzipped her boots and did her best to take the rest of her clothes off in one fluid motion. But the moment her first unprotected foot touched the snow; her whimper was clear as day. Much colder than anticipated. The shock as she set her second bare foot down on the icy step brough another whine past frozen, parted lips. With her clothes put up, she knocked on the door before looking around once again. The neighbors would definitely be able to see her if it wasn't past their bed time. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering violently as the winter wind blew through her. It wasn't until the cold was eating away at her that the door opened and she was greeted with a warm smile.