I was awoken by Ben's gently shaking my shoulder, my body so wracked with exhaustion, I had cried myself to sleep right there on the couch. Still wearing just the terry-cloth robe, I was a bit sore, and achy, and through puffy, blinking eyes, I looked up. "Hmm? Oh.. ahhh, I am so glad you are back! I've missed you! It has been a rough night! You wouldn't..." My words were cut off by Ben's.
"You think YOU'VE had a rough night? Slut, you ain't been nearly what I've been through..." His voice was agitated, and angry, and worse, his language had deteriorated. He was using his ghetto-accent, one more of when he was younger. He'd tried to better himself, to rise up, so to speak, and had some successes. But when he backslid, it was a very telling moment. He was under considerable stress.
I started to rise and looked at the clock. It was nearly four AM. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs, and went to him, to hug him, and reassure him, but as I did so, I felt his hands snap up and grab my wrists. Holding me in place, he looked me directly in the eyes. "You have a new job today... call in sick. You are going to spend the day with someone else." His tone was flat, and his eyes cold. "Go get dressed in something hot, and wear your collar. You'll need it."
I nodded, and spoke quietly. "Yes, Master..." then reached for my cell phone, and sent two quick texts, one to my husband, and the other to my boss. I was 'sick' today. In these times, I knew better than to argue with him. I'd been smacked around for arguing with him before, and it sucked. So I went to the closet and drew on my champagne satin caftan. Only this wasn't caftan like you would see in a catalogue. It was more like a cape, or cloak, with no openings, save for the neck. A full circle, over 140 inches in hemline, it stopped a few inches below my butt, and draped easily from my shoulders, the material light and thin, silky and shiny, and in some lighting, was almost see-through. It had three snaps on one shoulder, to open enough to put my head through, and a man's collar. I would normally flip the collar up, and then slid my slave collar around my neck, locking it closed, and then flip the collar back down, concealing most of it, with only the ring showing. It was an article of clothing I actually really enjoyed wearing. It afforded a minimum of modesty, and yet posed a lot of risk. If the wind caught it, or my arms reached for the wrong thing, it would expose me, possibly completely, up to the neck. It was sexy as hell, and it tended to draw a lot of attention. Dressed in heels and this, it screamed sexy. I reached into my bag and muttered softly. "Shit..."
"What?"
"My collar is in my car... I'll go get it." I replied.
"Don't be long, woman. You leave soon. I'm gonna' grab a shower." And as I exited the room, wearing the first shoes I could reach, strappy stiletto heeled sandals, my caftan, and a smile, I heard the shower start. I shut the door, and just the split second it latched, I had that other 'oh shit' moment. I didn't have my room key! I decided first things first and so I went and got my collar. I used the hide-a-key under the bumper, and popped the trunk open, having to bend over a bit as I searched for it. I heard one car drive by behind me, slowly, and no other sounds, but I am positive that my butt and modesty were showing, as the hemline wasn't long enough to cover me when I bent over as I was. Score one for some stranger who got an eye-full! It did sort of turn me on, though, showing myself like that. I liked being a tease, and teasing I certainly was. I took the time, as I was bent over, to lift collar to my neck, and slide it around under the caftan, and I clicked it shut, locking it. There were three keys in existence. Ben had one, I had one on my car key ring, and I had one stashed in my jewelry box at home.
OK...back to the room, and finish getting ready. I knocked on the door, but Ben was still in the shower. I waited for maybe five minutes or more. I had to take stock. The clock was ticking. Going to the front counter again? I knew I had already pushed my luck with the hotel. I didn't want to get asked to vacate. So that left me with only one option. Juan. God I hated that man... but now he was my only option. And I knew I needed to see him, since I needed my clothes back. I rolled my eyes, and uttered a soft grunt. Fate seemed against me. So I resigned myself to whatever I was about to be subjected to, knowing it couldn't be any worse than what I'd experienced the night before.
I softly knocked on Juan's door. It took a minute or two, and then he awoke, answering the door in a wife-beater tank-top, and silk boxers. His hair was a fright, his face needed a shave, and he needed a shower. My nose detected the scent of the sex from his body from last night. "What?" he fairly growled.
"I need my clothes..." I replied matter-of-factly. "May I have them? Please?"
He looked me up and down, and the contrast between us was complete. I was prettied up, clean, and smelled of vanilla and citrus perfume. He was everything but. However, he did flick on the light, and let me in. I saw my clothes wadded up on the small desk, and immediately went to reach for them. In reaching for them, the hem of my caftan lifted, and from the side, anyone looking might have been able to tell I was naked underneath. He snapped his hand out, and grabbed my wrist, stopping me.
"What?" I asked him, looking somewhat surprised.
"You have to earn these... and we're gonna' play a game for them."
I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Look... enough of this bullshit, Juan... I need to get back." I replied, testily.
"This is a five-minute game... and if you win, you get your clothes back. If you lose, you still get your clothes back, but I get something more... This will only take five minutes."
I shook my head, knowing I was going to agree to this, but getting angry with myself, and angrier with Juan. "If you screw me over on this, I will find a way to cut your balls off, Juan. So you can't populate the rest of the Earth with scum like you." I was beyond angry, but he smiled a sickly-sweet grin.