Brandi knew she was in trouble. The 18-year old college student had been out partying at her friend Jessica's house to celebrate the start of spring break, and as was often the case she'd consumed one wine cooler too many. Her friend Naomi had offered to drive her home but Brandi had refused, knowing she'd be needing her car the next day. When she first saw the police cruiser behind her she had unwisely opted to avoid getting pulled over by making a break for it, and at first it looked as though she had succeeded. First, she took a sharp left through the alley at close to 50 miles-an-hour, followed by another sharp left onto Walnut Drive and then another quick left onto Maple and then zipping into her driveway sight unseen. Imagine her shock and dismay when a minute later a police cruiser pulled into her driveway, as if they somehow knew who she was and where she lived. And that proved to be exactly the case, as the officer who got out was Stephanie O'Connell, Brandi's next door neighbor. Brandi moaned aloud when she realized what had happened.
"Please step out of the car, Miss Davis," Stephanie said as she walked up to the driver's side. "And I'll need to see your license and registration."
"Oh, come on, Stephanie, give me a break!" Brandi said, climbing out of her white sports car. "What have I done this time?"
"It's 'Officer O'Connell,' young lady," she replied. "And you know very well what you've done. I've got speeding, reckless driving, eluding a police officer, avoiding arrest, and unless I'm mistaken, somebody's been drinking and driving?"
Brandi moaned. Seconds later she was handcuffed and sitting in the backseat of the police cruiser.
"I've got you, Brandi. This is an iron-clad case."
Brandi Davis and Stephanie O'Connell had never been particularly friendly with one another, not since the single-professional-woman-Stephanie had first moved into the house next door three years earlier. Stephanie was at least ten years older than pretty young Brandi, and she was everything Brandi was not. The policewoman had short, scraggly black hair and a firm, muscular body. And while attractive, she preferred jeans and sweatshirts to dresses and frilly tank tops. By comparison, Brandi was your typical airhead party girl, with shoulder-length light brown hair, and a pretty body that she enjoyed exhibiting in public with micro-mini-skirts and ultra-revealing tops that her parents despaired of stopping her from wearing. Her differences with Stephanie had begun with a pool party the girl and her friends had held one summer day. Stephanie had later complained to Brandi's mother about both the noise and the empty beer bottles that had found their way over the fence and into her own backyard. Brandi's mother had ordered her daughter to pick up the trash and to apologize, but the relationship between Brandi and Stephanie had begun on a bad note.
Another time Brandi's mother had asked Stephanie to help get her daughter out of a speeding ticket. The policewoman had obliged, but had also suggested that Brandi's mother rein in her wild daughter, mentioning in particular the girl's drinking habits and especially her trashy wardrobe. This had especially infuriated Brandi, and she'd made a point afterward to puchase the skimpiest thong bikini she could find and brazenly wear it outside by the swimming pool so that Stephanie could see her while working in her garden. But little did Brandi realize the sight of her barely-covered body failed to distress her neighbor; in fact, just the opposite. Stephanie was impressed at what a beauty the younger girl was becoming.
And now she had Brandi handcuffed in the backseat of her police cruiser as she sat next to her filling out a report. The list of charges was impressive. A conviction would put the girl in jail for a week with over a thousand dollars in fines. And if the look on her face was any indication, Brandi was aware of this, too.
"Are your parents home now, Brandi? Do you want me to knock on the door and get them out here?"
The misery on the younger girl's face was obvious as she replied. "No, they're on vacation in Mazatlan until Thursday."
"And they left you here alone? You?"
"Actually, I was about to leave as well. My friend Naomi and I were driving to Florida for spring break." Her eyes started to moisten with tears as she spoke.
"Well, I think you can scrap those plans," Stephanie said. "What you're going to need right now is a good lawyer."
"Oh, come on, Officer O'Connell," the girl pleaded. "Don't do this to me! Please give me a break! Just this one time! Please?"
"Give you a break? Listen, young lady, these charges are serious," the policewoman scowled, staring hard at the girl. "You could have killed somebody driving like that! What you did was criminally negligent! You deserve a fine and jail time. No doubt your father will be stuck paying your fine, but a long overdue night or two in jail will certainly do you some good, too! You're as spoiled as they come!"
At this point Brandi broke down completely in tears. Stephanie couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the girl. At the same time she couldn't help but notice how beautiful and vulnerable Brandi looked. She reached over to pull the girl's hair out of her face, caressing it gently as she did so.
Brandi looked at her imploringly. "Please don't take me to jail, Stephanie, I mean Officer O'Connell. I'm terrified of being in jail and what might happen to me in there."
Stephanie met the girl's terrified gaze. Yes, a pretty little thing like this wouldn't have an especially easy time in the Jacinto County jail, what with the hookers and the other hard cases. She ran her hand lightly down the girl's face and then softly squeezed her on the arm.
"No, I don't think I'll take you to jail," she mused. "But I can't let this slide, either. You need to be punished, girl. The question is how?"
Brandi brightened up as the older woman spoke. "Yes, you can punish me! That's a great idea! I'll do whatever you want me to, Stephanie! I'll clean your house, I'll work in your garden, I'll..."
The policewoman touched the girl's lips with her fingers to silence her. "No, Brandi, I've got another idea. Yes, you'll work for me, but not the way you're thinking."
She smiled down at the girl and licked her lips before continuing. "Here's the deal, take it or leave it. You know what I could charge you with, right? It's pretty serious. Well, I'll let you go free if... and only if... you become my slave for the next 24-hours!"
"Your slave? And then you promise you'll let me go free? OK, I'll do it," gushed Brandi with a look of relief. "Thank you, Officer O'Connell! Thank you so much!"
