Heathers New Start

Heather looked at the card between her fingers.

AR Properties

, the A and R in an ornate monogram, and then a phone number underneath, nothing else. She'd never heard of them, not seen their signs up on any properties around town, but frankly, she was desperate enough for a new place that she didn't care. Getting the card had been embarrassing. She hadn't meant to burst into tears at the estate agent's desk on hearing that all three flats she'd been interested in had already been let before she could even see them, but it had happened, and it sparked her to look in her desk before handing the card over to Heather.

"They're somewhat unconventional, but they might be right for you. Give them my name when you're asked who referred you."

Heather had no idea what good it might do, but right now she was just desperate for any sort of apartment that was even moderately habitable. She'd been so happy for Caroline when she told her that Pete was going to be moving in, and happy for herself too, seeing this as the universe's way of telling her she finally needed to get a place of her own, but now the three of them had been cohabiting for a month and even though she was packed and ready to go, she still had nowhere to go to and all their nerves were getting strained. She'd try this AR Properties as her last shot, and if nothing came of it, then she'd give up on the dream of a place of her own for now and dive into the flatshare listings.

It rang once, twice, three times and just as she was preparing her message for voicemail, answered by a woman's voice, clear and businesslike.

"AR Properties. How can I help you?"

"Oh, hello. I was given your card. I'm looking for a flat-"

"Of course you are. Who referred you, please?"

"The card? It was Jane at Colliers. Jane Kilman?"

"Thank you. And you're looking for an apartment. Just for you?"

"Yes, I-"

"Please hold for a moment."

There was a click and for a second, Heather thought she'd been disconnected, rejected for some imperceptible reason. Then music started playing, something soft and classical, sounding very clear even over the phone, flowing with a gently pulsing rhythm to it, and almost electronic undertone to the conventional strings. She listened to it, enjoying the melody of it, and the way it looped back on itself, almost but not quite repeating until it gently faded down but not completely away, lingering in the background as the woman's voice returned.

"I do have some properties available that would be suitable for a single woman. Would you be interested in knowing more about the process?"

"Yes - Yes I would."

Process

was an unusual word, Heather thought, but maybe it was just an application process, or some complicated rental agreement. She was too excited by the idea that they might have properties available that she didn't stop to think too much about it, especially as she could still hear the soft loops of the music in the background as the woman talked.

"AR Properties specialises in discreet rentals of property that the owners do not wish to place on the open market but are willing to rent, on a short or long term basis, to tenants who have passed our vetting process. Our clients are often more concerned with keeping a property occupied and maintained than they are about income, so once someone has been approved and learned the rules and their role as a tenant, they can often live in high-quality properties but relatively low rent. Does this interest you?"

"Oh yes, definitely."

"Good. What's your name?"

"Heather. Heather Wilson."

"Are you free to begin the process now, Miss Wilson? The first part is a telephone interview about yourself, and if you're successful in that, then you can come to the office ASAP to complete the second part after which we'll be able to show you suitable apartments."

"Yes I am."

"Good, are you in private? The questions include some details you might not want to disclose in public. Financial information, mostly."

"Yes, I'm at home. My flatmates are out."

"Good, we can begin shortly. I'll put you on hold for a little while, then we can begin. I suggest you get comfortable, there will be a few questions so sit down or lie on the couch or your bed."

The music returned to the fore, faded up from the background it had been resting in during the short conversation. Heather liked it, finding the patterns in it interesting, the way they looped around each other, the steady rhythm flowing behind it.

Comfortable

floated through her mind.

Yes, get comfortable

. She was still dressed for work and the blouse and fitted trousers she was wearing wouldn't be comfortable, especially if she was lying down.

Lie on the bed? Why not?

She thought, switching the phone to speaker, letting the soft, looping music fill the room as she removed her work outfit, her bra going too as she slipped into a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants, then lay out on her bed, the phone beside her still playing the music, her fingers lightly tapping her thigh in time with the steady rhythm, her lips mouthing the melody as it looped around and around.

The music faded ever so slightly, making space for the woman's voice to return.

"Are you comfortable, Miss Wilson?"

"Yes."

"It's important to be comfortable. Important to relax. You agree, don't you?"

"Yes." Comfort was very important to her, she knew that. The bed was soft, her body was relaxed as it lay on it.

"Very good. Relax and be comfortable. Listen to the music, focus on my voice."

Heather closed her eyes, the circles of the music flowing through her mind, the soft pulses of the rhythm behind it echoing through her, matching her steady heartbeat.

"Good, you're dong very well. Relax into the music, relax into my voice, relax into my truth, open yourself to the music, open your mind to my voice, open your mind to my truth..."

Heather woke early the next morning, feeling refreshed by a good night's sleep and confident of a good day ahead. As she sat up in bed she saw her blue dress hanging on the wardrobe and was confused for a moment bout why it was there, until the conversation she'd had last night spilled back into her mind. Amanda Roberts - the AR in AR Properties had been wonderfully friendly when she'd called, and Heather had sailed through the phone interview easily. The next stage was a meeting at Amanda's office later that morning and then hopefully a visit to one or more of the apartments on her books. Amanda had mentioned that he clients liked to rent to women who were professional and confident, and this was definitely her confidence dress. It was the one that fitted her perfectly, but cost too much to wear to work every day, instead usually living in a dry-cleaning bag waiting to be brought out for the most important meetings. Today, she wanted to be sure she would impress Amanda Roberts, already thinking of the two-bed apartment she'd described to Heather last night, the rent somehow less than she was paying for this cramped flatshare.

She had a quick breakfast of coffee and toast, smiling at Caroline and Pete as they left, telling them she had a lead on a place and might get her move sorted today, then went into the bathroom for a shower, making sure to fully shave before she dried herself off, brushed and straightened her long brunette hair, applied her makeup then slipped into the dress and a pair of heels, not even noticing she hadn't put anything on beneath it as she stood at the door, taking a picture of herself on her phone and sending it, then looking at the screen as she waited.

As 9.29 turned into 9.30, it chirped with a message from Amanda.

Good. The car is waiting outside. You may leave now.

Heather smiled, deleting the message as she slipped the phone into her handbag and headed outside.

The car brought her to a small modern office building, all glass and chrome. She stepped inside, wondering where she would find AR Properties, then her attention was caught by a woman standing and waiting a little way inside the building. She wore a thin fitted leather jacket in a deep blood red over a tight black wrap dress that hid and teased the tall slim body underneath. Her lips were the same red as the jacket, her hair as dark as the dress, styled in an asymmetric long bob that accentuated sharp cheek bones and rich hazel eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Wilson." She said, and Heather recognised the voice immediately as Amanda Roberts, remembering the long conversation they had had the night before. It was a voice she felt like she'd known forever, one that ran right through her. "If you'll follow me to my office please." She turned in the manner of someone used to being obeyed and Heather dutifully followed her up the stairs, watching the easy movements of her hips, the click as the heel of her boots hit the tiled floor until they were inside an office and Amanda was closing the door behind them. As it closed, Heather heard music rise, the soft loops and pulsing rhythms that had captivated her the night before returning. She stood still as she listened, waiting.

She watched as Amanda stood in front of her, looking her up and down, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Suggestibility, submission and compliance all high from initial exposure. Very promising. Take a seat and relax, Miss Wilson."

Automatically, Heather did as she was told, sitting in the soft chair by the desk, leaning back into it as Amanda walked around the desk, taking her place behind it, tapping at her keyboard and then turning the blank screen around to face Heather.

"Eyes open wide, Miss Wilson. Watch the screen carefully."

She tapped a button. The screen came to life. Heather watched.

"...well, I think you're a perfect potential tenant, you've passed the credit check and I do have a couple of properties available right now, if you're free to see them?" Amanda asked, smiling expectantly.

"What?" Heather said. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was miles away for a moment. What time is it?"

"Oh, just after twelve. Don't worry, I know the interview process is quite long, but my clients insist on knowing their potential tenants very well, there's a lot of trust needed."

Yes, Heather thought, there had been a lot of questions, so many she couldn't remember much about them only that she'd had to talk a lot. She'd passed, that was the key. But after twelve? Didn't she have to go to -

An image floated into her mind, the email she'd sent last night telling work she was taking a flex day today. Yes, she'd done it while she was kneeling naked on the floor, listening to Amanda's voice... She shook her head, dismissing the thought, remembering that she'd done it after the phone call, perfectly normally.

"Yes, that makes sense. I have the rest of the day off, I'd love to see them."

"Excellent, we'll take my car. She clicked a few keys, turning off the computer, then stood and walked around the desk, offering a hand to help Heather out of the soft low chair she was leaned back in. Heather stood, then slipped her arm through Amanda's, letting the woman lead her from the office and down to the car park, smiling as Amanda opened the door of her Range Rover for her to step in, settling back and passively watching the city pass by as they drove.

Soon they were passing through a set of gates, into what looked like it had once been the courtyard of a factory, but was now a car park, a few expensive vehicles on a well-maintained surface, the old brick of the building cleaned and almost gleaming, glass balconies displayed from many of the walls. Amanda parked the car, then stepped out, moving round to open the door and help Heather out.

"Fully awake for this, Miss Wilson."

Heather was stunned as she looked around at the apartment complex, sure that Amanda had brought them to the wrong place. There was no way she could afford to live in a place like this, surely.

"This is...I mean, how could I?"

"Don't worry, this is entirely within your budget. Come and see." She gestured Heather into the reception where a neatly dressed concierge sat behind the desk. "Potential new tenant for number twenty four."

This generated a nod from behind the desk, buttons to be pressed, and a glass-doored elevator at the end of the reception area to open. Heather found it hard not to stare at everything in shock as they walked to it, then let it take them smoothly upwards to the top floor, opening onto a wide corridor with a door on either side. Amanda gestured to the one on the left-hand side, drawing a set of keys from her jacket to open it.

Heather was stunned when she stepped through the door into the apartment. It was perfect, the old brick walls and large windows of the factory it had once been giving it fantastic space and warmth. The heart of it was an open plan living area with a spacious modern kitchen just off it, doorways at the side of it leading to two spacious bedrooms, each with an adjoining bathroom. It was the sort of place she glanced at in the property pages of the newspaper before resuming the search for somewhere smaller and cheaper. Amanda was in no hurry as she guided Heather around the property, deepening her appetite for it but increasing her certainty that she'd never be able to afford it.

"...and it comes furnished, as you can see, but that can be put into storage if you have furniture of your own you'd rather use. Now, are you interested, or shall I take you to the next property?"

"The next property?" What could be better than this? "I love this, but surely I can't afford it."

"Oh, I'm sure you can, my dear." Amanda said with a smile, writing a number on her notepad and handing it to her. It was less than Heather was paying now.

"Is this per week?" She asked, trying to explain it.

"No, per month. I know, it's very cheap, but also very exclusive. My clients look on their properties as long-term investments bringing them a number of intangible benefits, they're not really interested in making a living from renting, that just ensures that my bills and theirs are covered."

"I'll take it." Heather said, not wanting to talk herself out of it, ready to take the chance she'd bene given.

"Good." Amanda said. "And no point in waiting around. I thought you might like this, so I took the liberty of bringing the contracts with me if you want to look them over and sign them now. Once that's done, you can move in whenever you're ready."

"I'd like that." Heather said. She stood and watched as Amanda looked through her bag, pulling out two slim folders. Taking a seat on the couch, the large square coffee table right in front of her, she opened each folder in turn, placing it down on the other side of the table, then laying a pen in between them. There was no seat on that side of the table, and Heather turned to move on the chairs from the side of the room for her to sit on.

"Relax, Miss Wilson. You remember how a girl presents herself for her contract."

She stopped. Of course, the knowledge was there. Surely it had always been there. She turned to face Amanda, unbuttoning and unzipping the dress and slipping out of it. She felt the cool air of the apartment directly on her skin and remembered that she wasn't wearing underwear and was naked now the dress was gone. Of course she wasn't wearing any, she hadn't been told to wear any, just the dress, it was nothing to concern herself with. She walked to the table, carefully lowering herself to her knees, back straight and her hands neatly in her lap.

"Good, you're coming along very well. We'll be able to commence integration soon. Read the contracts, and sign both copies in each folder."

She started with the one on the left, the tenancy agreement for the apartment. The formal legal language in it was dull, but she noted that she was granted the property for a year, with the possibility of extension if she hadn't found a permanent position by that point. Her tenancy would require her to follow rules as laid down by AR Properties throughout, as set out in the other document. Amanda spoke as her gaze turned from one document to the other.

"Read them carefully, understand them. Let the music help you." She pressed something on her phone and the bewildering circles of the music began again, emanating from speakers in the walls of the apartment. She began to read, learning her new role.

"Don't worry, I'll call you soon." Heather said, waving goodbye to Caroline and Pete, their eyes still wide with shock at the size of the apartment she'd moved into. There hadn't been much to move, but she was glad for their help in getting it to her new place, but she'd turned down Caroline's offer of help unpacking, insisting that the two of them enjoy their first night alone in their flat, while she relaxed in hers.

Without thinking, she picked up her phone and texted a single world -

alone

- then placed the phone on the coffee table as she removed the clothes she'd been wearing for the move, throwing them onto the neatly stacked boxes they'd moved in earlier. By the time she was naked, she had a new message.

Programming room for two hours. Then shower. Hair and makeup. Be ready for me at 7pm.

She put the phone down and walked to a door she'd waved off as "just a cleaning closet" earlier when giving Caroline a brief tour. Inside it had been carefully sealed and soundproofed to be pitch black and silent when the door was closed. She pulled the door tight behind her, then lowered herself into the comfortable reclining chair, guiding the headphones to fully cover her ears, then reaching into the blackness to touch the screen, seeing it flash into life as she move it into position, filling her vision. Amanda had shown her what to do at the end of her first visit to the flat, and now the routine was part of her like it always had been.

The music rose in her ears, twisting and turning on itself as a voice spoke over it. "Subconscious programming and personality integration commencing. Length of session?"

"Two hours." She said, barely noticing that she had spoken. The screen began displaying a series of moving patterns and images, as the music worked itself into her mind. She knew this place. She liked this place. She would happily spend many hours here.

At 7pm she was kneeling naked, facing the door with her head bowed. A key turned in the door, then it opened for someone to step in and close the door behind them. "Look up" came Amanda's voice and she raised her head seeing her in fitted black leather trousers, a white silk blouse, heels and a loose black jacket. "Good. Well made up and presented. We'll choose an outfit for you shortly. And awake, Miss Wilson."

Heather looked at the woman in front of her. Gorgeous, she thought, as she took in Amanda's outfit, appreciating the way the leather accentuated the curve of her hips, the glimpses of her bust through the silk blouse. Even if she'd never acted on it, she'd always been attracted to women...

Wait. No, she hadn't, had she? Inside her mind, old and new memories clashed, she couldn't deny the attraction she felt now, but surely she hadn't always felt like that, had she? But if she was feeling that now, she realised she must have. Of course she did, she'd felt ashamed about telling anyone about it, but this new apartment would be a new start for her, where she wouldn't hide what she was.

She realised Amanda was still looking down at her. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

Amanda smiled. "Of course you were. So many thoughts going on in there. So much possibility for what you can become. A new start in a new place, right?"

"Yes." Heather smiled up at her. Up? Why was she kneeling? Shouldn't she be standing or sitting or something else? But it was comfortable like this, she realised, and kneeling showed a girl's true power and position, didn't it? She worried about where that thought had come from for a brief moment, then realised it was true. If she was comfortable like this, then she'd be like this, it was her decision. "Sorry, lost in my thoughts again."