Emma stared at the collar in the mirror. She wanted to grab it and throw it and break it so she could be free. But she couldn't. It wasn't in her programming. She wasn't exactly sure what was in her programming beyond not being able to remove the collar and having to obey the twins. The rest was a mystery. The thing that scared her the most were the blank spaces in her memories. There was no recollection of the car ride home. Nothing. One minute she was at the hotel and the next minute she was home and staring at herself in the mirror. She was physically fine so it puzzled her as to why they had made sure she couldn't remember it. That was one of the many things she needed to find out.
The new red lingerie clinging to her body was just one of many gifts from Francis. She was required to wear it to bed every evening. She was also required to say her mantras for 30 minutes to remind her of what she was.
"I am Emma Bot. I am owned by Francis. I live to serve and obey."
Over and over again she spoke, focusing only on those words. It was not a routine she was looking forward to every night. Although he was trying to control her with mantras, it was the collar doing all the work. No matter the mantras or the things he made her do, as soon as the collar was removed, Francis lost. All his control would be gone. And that time was coming soon. The twin's tricks would work on the road, but not at Lockton Consulting. Someone was bound to figure it out and she would be free. Then the real fun would begin.
After her mantras, Emma retired to bed. The next day at work was going to be interesting.
***
"Excuse me, sir." A sharply dressed gentleman said as he blocked West and Kayla's path.
"I've already checked out." West said.
"Ah yes, so did your colleagues. The same colleagues who happened to steal one of our collars." The gentleman said.
"Hold on, when did they check out?"
"Last night. Two females and a male. Rooms were under Francis Aki and Emma Winters.
West looked at Kayla. Why did they leave so early without telling anyone? Was it so they could get away with stealing the collar? Surely, they knew Lockton would find out about everything.
"Look, when we get back, we'll tell our boss and he'll make sure it's sent right back."
"And how can I trust you on that?"
"I'm a man of my word." West said.
"Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind if we searched your bag before you go."
"I would mind, actually."
The gentleman smiled. With all the egos he saw on a daily basis, his bullshit detector must have been going through the roof. His eyes glanced at Kayla and he adopted a more causal position.
"Let me lay out your options. First I take back the collars you stole and then charge your company for theft." The well-dressed man said. "Or I let you keep the collars, conditional on letting me have two days of your girlfriend as a Kollar Bot. No sex from me, just her prancing around like an obedient maid dressed however I desire."
The man's stare was creepy, like he was already undressing her in his mind. Kayla shifted uncomfortably in response.
"Give us a minute." West said.
West and Kayla walked a few feet away to gain some privacy. West was gauging Kayla's reaction. It wasn't an ideal offer but facing Lockton after he heard about the theft was a worse fate.
"You're not seriously considering this are you?" Kayla asked.
"Well, I mean ultimately it's up to you."
"West, he's going to turn me into a robot. You honestly want your girlfriend serving another man like that."
"I don't see any other options here. Francis made sure of that."
"And what if he had sex with me?"
"He said that wasn't part of the deal."
Kayla crossed her arms and gave him her patented stare. She was right. West wanted to believe the man, but what was stopping him from violating their agreement and using blackmail again.
"Let's just go and let Francis face the consequences. It's not like you have a collar in your bag."
"And if I do?"
"You've got to be kidding me, West. Why the hell would you steal one?"
West was ashamed and had immediately regretted his decision. Not wanting to implicate himself, he had snuck into a recently vacated room and grabbed someone else's collar. There was no way he would have been caught unless they asked to check his bags, which never happened in hotels. Or so he thought.
"Look, it was a moment of weakness. I just thought we had so much fun with it."
West grabbed her hands and laid on an innocence act. He knew very well what the consequences of stealing were, including losing his job, but the rewards were too great to pass up. If only Francis hadn't gone and screwed it up.
"If Mr. Lockton finds out about this, we're all fired." West said. "I promise I'll make this up to you."
Kayla was understandably hesitant. If he were in her position, he probably would have said no. But she wasn't that type of a person. She was a giver and a people pleaser. West felt bad for taking advantage of that. In fact, he likened it to something Francis would do. However, it was for the best. Either they rejected the gentleman's offer and lost their jobs or they took it and avoided the consequences altogether.
Finally, she looked up and nodded. They both had come to the same conclusion. West and Kayla walked back over to the gentleman.
"We accept on the condition that you video tape everything and write us up a binding contract. Two collars for two days of my girlfriend's services." West said. "And I will read every last word of that contract, so no funny business."
The gentleman smiled and put his hand out. West shook it to seal the deal.
