Chapter 10
The following week, Leon made an even greater effort than usual to please Svenja. Making himself indispensable seemed to him the only remaining way to convince Svenja to perhaps take him along on the upcoming vacation and thus avoid a longer stay under Rebekka's care. He diligently anticipated her every wish, pampering the blonde beauty to the point of complete self-sacrifice. The remaining time he spent mostly on his knees before her, lovingly tending to her feet. Knowing how much she valued these affections, this was perhaps the last option left to him in his situation.
Although it seemed almost impossible for Svenja to do even less than before, she managed to barely lift a finger that week. She let Leon take care of every tiny detail with complete naturalness. It was almost a miracle that she still visited the bathroom independently. Only her daily workout did the otherwise lazy lady maintain with meticulous precision. Svenja was undoubtedly blessed with good genetics, as despite her idleness and many sweets, she didn't gain a gram. Still, she seemed to play it safe for a perfect bikini figure.
The rest of the day she spent mostly on the sofa or in bed, talking on the phone, while letting Leon lick her feet for hours, when she wasn't sending him scurrying around the apartment for trivial tasks or giving him instructions to pack her suitcases. Although Svenja exploited his situation more than ever and mostly played the spoiled, arrogant princess, the two slowly grew more familiar. The many hours they spent together didn't leave her completely unaffected. And so it happened that Leon was no longer locked up at night but was allowed to sleep on a mattress beside her and occasionally even at the foot of her bed. That he could lick her feet until she fell asleep seemed merely a convenient side effect.
These many, almost intimate moments with Svenja also seemed to affect Leon. Slowly but steadily, he felt more and more drawn to her. Although she treated him like a trained puppy, Leon noticed himself falling more in love with her each day. He only truly admitted this to himself when he woke one night at the foot of her bed, stirred by an unconscious kick from his sleeping beauty, and immediately kissed her feet lovingly as if by instinct. Half the night he lay awake afterward, cuddling his face against her soles and tenderly kissing them. He no longer thought about why he was doing this or why he had been serving Svenja as a slave for weeks. All he could think about was how much he now adored and desired her.
Toward morning, Leon was awakened by gentle touches on his face. He opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by Svenja's friendly smile as she softly stroked his face with her soles.
"Wake up, sleepyhead. If you can tear yourself away from my feet, I'd like breakfast now. There's still a lot to do before I finally fly off on vacation tonight. Plus, I have to drop you off at my mother's first."
In high spirits, Svenja practically jumped out of bed to freshen up in the bathroom. Somewhat dejected, Leon headed to the kitchen to prepare her breakfast. All his efforts had not achieved the desired result, as Svenja's vacation plans remained unchanged.
A few hours and countless tasks later, Leon was already seated next to Svenja in her white BMW 3 Series, heading toward Bavaria. Throughout the drive, Svenja raved about the beauty of her homeland and how Leon would surely enjoy it too. At the same time, she enthusiastically shared every tiny detail of her imminent luxury vacation. But Leon had eyes only for Svenja herself. Fascinated, he watched as her blonde mane was repeatedly caught by the breeze from the open window, reminding him of a scene from a famous road movie. All that was missing was a 1968 Ford Mustang and a.45; the captivating and mysterious leading lady was already sitting beside him. He would have driven with her to the end of the world, even to go down in a hail of bullets on some lonely highway, just to stay near her until then. But instead, Svenja was taking him to her mother, who had indirectly traded him for a vacation.
Somehow, he still couldn't believe he had to serve this calculating, albeit very attractive woman for two whole weeks before Svenja returned from her trip. What would await him with Rebekka? After a long drive through half of Germany, they finally reached a picturesque estate deep in the Bavarian Forest, which had been in Svenja's family for generations. Since Svenja studied hundreds of kilometers away, Rebekka lived here alone when she wasn't off on wellness trips or traveling the world.
No sooner had Svenja and Leon entered the luxurious main building than they were warmly greeted by Rebekka.
"You're finally here! Did you have a good drive? The traffic just keeps getting worse. I was starting to worry, but first, let me hug you, Svenja."
