Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.
*****
Rounding the corner into the lot, Mike saw the length of the line for the car wash and immediately regretted his decision. He glanced in his rear-view mirror, considering simply backing out the way he entered. But there were already two more cars behind him blocking his exit. He was locked in now. Might as well take a minute, try to unwind.
What a miserable day. From running out of coffee first thing in the morning, to fishing his car keys from between the seat and center console with a coat hanger, to the office air conditioning failing on the first 90 degree day of the summer, to the landscaper's truck sloshing half a load of topsoil across the side of his car; pretty much everything that could have gone wrong, did. By six o'clock he was simply happy to make it out of the building. Now the fuel light was on, and the car needed to be scrubbed, but the air conditioning worked and he was on him way home, so if he had to wait in line ten minutes it certainly wasn't the worst thing to happen to him today.
Sunlight flashed in his eyes from the side mirror. Squinting, he shifted it away and inched forward to maintain the narrow gap to the car ahead of him. He eased the stereo volume up, drumming his fingers to the beat on the steering wheel. It took him a moment to notice, but a few car lengths ahead, the road seemed to widen and there were markings on the pavement. He craned his neck over the passenger seat and peered around the car in front. There was an arrow, and what looked like three letters. VIP.
Mike crinkled his forehead. A VIP lane? That wasn't there before. He was a regular here and he was sure he hadn't seen it. In fact... He popped open the glove box and rummaged through the short stack of papers, retrieving a credit card with the name of the wash and the letters VIP stamped across the front. He was a member. It had been a few weeks since his last visit, but it hardly seemed long enough to install a whole new lane.
He kept a close eye on the traffic, and as soon as there was space, swerved into the open lane and cruised forward. There were now only two cars between him and the pay station, instead of twenty. He didn't remember how much he'd paid for the VIP membership, but today it was totally worth it. In about a minute he eased up next to the pay station.
Mike rolled his window down as the attendant approached from the booth, a strangely pleasant smile on his face for a college kid working a minimum wage job on his summer vacation. Mike presented the card, which the kid swiped through the back of his tablet. "Good evening Mr. James," he said, passing the card back through the window, "how are you today?"
Mike sighed. "It's been a hell of a day," he replied.
"I'll bet," the kid replied. "What happened to your car here?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Mike laughed. "I just want to clean it up."
"Well, since you are a VIP member in good standing, would you like to take advantage of our Diamond Wash Package this evening?"
"Diamond Wash," Mike repeated, puzzled. "Is that new?"
"New this season. We debuted it few weeks ago. Private professional wash, wax and polish, interior detailing, beverage, snacks and a custom-tailored entertainment package."
"Wow," Mike marveled, "that's...impressive. How much is it?"
"It's complementary for VIP members. Won't cost you anythingโexcept maybe fifteen minutes or so."
Mike considered the proposal. He was tired. But a beverage and snacks sounded good. And the custom-tailored entertainment package sounded intriguing. At a car wash? What was that about? Like, PlayStation and batting cages, or, what?
"Hard to argue with complementary," he replied finally. "Sounds like a good deal."
"So that's a yes," the kid confirmed.
"Yeah," Mike nodded. "What do I do?"
The kid pointed to a translucent overhead sectional door off to the right of the main wash entrance. "Pull right up to that door there. When it opens, pull into the first available wash stall. An attendant will be with you right away."
Mike eased the car between two pick-ups across the wash lane and down the freshly paved drive the kid directed him to. As he pulled up the door opened, and he rolled inside. To the left were a series of angled concrete and fiberglass wash bays. To the right were a series of bright green entry doors (the accent color of the car wash logo) set into short angled protrusions in frosted glass and panel walls. The drive felt like a corridor between fancy hotel rooms for cars and high-end hotel rooms for people.
The first three bays were occupied by luxury SUVs, each being cleaned and detailed by a crew of three. He turned his car into the fourth bay and parked it in the center of the stall. Upon exiting he was greeted immediately by a young woman in khaki-colored chinos, sneakers, and a fitted two-color short-sleeved polo with the company logo embroidered on each sleeve. Wavy platinum blonde hair framed soft accented features and a bright smile.
"Mister James," she queried. Mike nodded. "Hi," she continued, extending a hand, "my name is Madison and I'll be taking care of you this evening." Mike shook her hand. "If you could please leave the vehicle key on the front seat and follow me, we will get the rest of your experience set up right away."
Mike dropped his key fob on the seat and shut the door. Madison turned and headed toward the door directly across the drive from the wash bay. He followed her, the sounds of air dryers and high-pressure water fading gradually behind him. The soft white glow behind the glass was strangely inviting for the setting. Madison pulled an access card from her pocket and tapped it against the reader on the door. The latch retracted and she pushed the door open, motioning for him to continue inside. He smiled and slipped past her into the room while she shut the door behind them.
The room resembled a hotel suite in size and layout, with an under-counter clear-front refrigerator, microwave, snack bar, large wall-mounted television and a comfortable chaise lounge-recliner combination. Close to the entrance behind a pocket door was a small half-bath, and at the far end of the room beyond the modern patterned carpet was another door to an undisclosed location. Madison motioned toward the chair. "Please, have a seat."
She stepped up to the refrigerator. The light inside switched on revealing a wide selection of beverages. Mesmerized, Mike made his way to the lounger and took a seat.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to offer alcoholic beverages," she explained, "but we do have a wide selection of soft drinks, juice, teas, and hot drinks to choose from."
"Do you have iced coffee," he asked. She nodded.
"Certainly. Cream and sugar?"
"Creamer please. Hazelnut if you have it."
"Of course. I'll have that ready for you shortly. What would you like to snack on?"
Mike surveyed the plethora of items arranged by type on the shelves of the snack bar. Candy bars, packaged cookies, snack cakes, chips. We waffled several times before finally deciding. "Cookies please. Chocolate chip."
Madison plucked a package from the rack, peeled the top open and handed them to Mike. "Enjoy," she chirped. "The TV remote is on the end table next to you. I'll be right back with your iced coffee and a menu."