28 Days
3200 words
Jon hadn't felt so good in a long time. Vanessa had completed her 28 day test. She'd messed up once, when she smoked without permission, but her behavior had been flawless otherwise. She'd even begun to think she felt better since she'd surrendered her freedom of choice to Jon.
It was still true that the only reason Vanessa was submitting to Jon was fear of prison. She knew he'd send her away if she didn't do everything he demanded. But he'd never told her to do anything that wasn't in her best interest, and she had to admit his judgment was better than hers.
His insistence on daily workouts had her in the best shape of her life. Four weeks of forced sobriety meant she didn't crave alcohol every day. She still had urges to smoke, but the urges weren't so powerful, and she could tell it was good for her health. Mandatory meetings with a therapist was a good idea.
Mainly, she was glad to know that she was acting like a woman who deserved to be Jon's lover. She'd felt like an imposter for so long that she hadn't realized how good it would feel to give up her life of lies. Being a sex slave wasn't as bad as being an inmate.
As always, she was dressed in sexy lingerie when he walked in the door. "I hope you had a good day, lover," she said. "I am going to make sure you have a good night."
Jon smiled at her. He'd begun to believe she might not be manipulating him anymore. "I have some surprises for you," he said.
He pulled out a brown envelope and removed a sheaf of papers. "This is the eviction notice that says you have to move out today," he said. Jon ripped the notice in half. "You can forget about being evicted."
Vanessa was so touched she began to cry. "Thank you," she said. "That is such a relief."
"Come with me. I want to show you something."
Jon had driven a dark blue pickup and parked in the garage. "Here are the keys," he said. "You have wheels again."
There was nothing fancy about the truck. Vanessa could tell it was getting old. There was a dent in the left rear fender. It was smaller than most of the trucks on the road. Still, she'd gone four weeks without transportation. She'd never driven a truck, but she realized this was a blessing.
"I'm sure you'd rather drive one of my sports cars," Jon said. "But you know I was concerned that you were driving recklessly when you had the Porsche. You'll be safer in this truck. I want you to practice driving cautiously. If you can learn to do that, we can talk about giving you something sportier."
"I will, baby," Vanessa said. "It will be nice being able to drive again."
"I hope so. I should warn you that the stereo doesn't work. But this truck is reliable. It won't break down on you."
Vanessa had expected that Jon would want to have sex as soon as they went back inside. She was mistaken. He had another surprise.
"Would you like a cocktail?" he asked.
Oh God. Did she ever! "Yes, please," she said.
Jon removed a small bottle of expensive vodka from his jacket pocket and used soda from the refrigerator as a mixer. By adding a couple of ice cubes, he produced a very nice beverage they could use to toast the end of her four weeks of bowing to his will. She was still a virtual slave, but at least she wasn't in imminent danger of being evicted and arrested.
"Taste good?" he asked.
"Very," she said.
"I would like it understood that you are never to drink before 5 p.m., and you are never to drink alone. Can you agree to that?" Jon said.
"Of course, Jon. I'll be more careful in the future."
They sat next to each other on the sofa. Both of them were glad that the 28 days had passed with only one major incident. Vanessa remembered how much it hurt when Jon used his belt to whip her ass; she'd do her best to avoid a repeat of that.
She felt the effect of the drink before she'd finished half of it. Cutting out alcohol seemed to make it work better.
"How are things going with your therapist?" Jon asked.
"Slow. He wants to talk about everything that has ever happened to me, including all kinds of things that I don't think are important. But I'm doing it. He's the professional. I'll talk about whatever he wants."
"Has he offered any judgments at all?" Jon asked.
"He has said that it's obvious that I'm pretty smart, but that my intelligence doesn't seem to stop me from doing stupid, risky things. That does not seem to be a very startling insight, frankly. I've known that for my whole life."
Talking about her therapist made Vanessa look defeated. "Don't worry about it, babe," Jon said. "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. There's no hurry. You'll get there."
"I hope so," she said.
Jon wanted to change the subject. "How are your workouts doing? Notice any improvements?"
Vanessa brightened. "Yes! Big improvements! I have actual muscle tone now. Feel this!" She flexed a bicep and placed his hand there.
"My aerobic fitness is much better. It's all very, very noticeable. I'm surprised to see so much progress in such a short time, but my trainer isn't surprised at all. I work with her five days a week, and she knows exactly what it takes to whip me into shape. I've never exercised much before. I had no idea I could get fit so fast."
Jon wasn't surprised. Vanessa was a strong, athletic woman who'd never tried to cultivate her athleticism. A month of smoke-free sobriety combined with daily workouts was just what she'd needed. He was happy to see that she had something to feel proud about.
"How are you getting along with your trainer? Is she still flirty with you?"
Vanessa grinned. "More than ever. Trying to get a rise out of me has become a game for her. She knows I have a boyfriend, and I think she sees me as being some kind of challenge. I think she wants to recruit me to play for the other team."
Jon chuckled. "I can sympathize. It must be nice for her to train someone as sexy as you. She gets to hang out with a beautiful woman, and she gets paid for it. What a great deal for her."
"We both know it's not going anywhere, but it's nice. Harmless flirting can be a lot of fun."
Jon knew Vanessa had been with women before. She considered herself to be heterosexual, but fluid. She'd always prefer men, but she thought women's bodies were beautiful and tempting. Vanessa liked touching women and being touched by them. Her erotic needs could only be fully satisfied with men, but women held a lasting, sensuous fascination for her. She wished her experience with women wasn't so limited.
"Baby, I think it might be a good idea if you let this go beyond flirting," Jon said.
Vanessa wasn't sure she'd heard Jon correctly. "Did you just say I should seduce my trainer?" she asked.
"Well, yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying," Jon said. Vanessa found it hard to believe.
"You know I'm worried about you," Jon said. "I have no intention of ending our current arrangement anytime soon. I'm more convinced than ever that it's in your best interest to have me make your decisions for you.
"Look at how well you're doing. This needs to continue. I don't know how long. Maybe forever. But you can't live forever in a cage, waiting for me to tell you what to do next. That's not reasonable. It's not something I expect.
"Listen, our relationship is pretty complicated. The thing is, we are not in an exclusive relationship. We may have been heading in that direction, but it didn't happen. It's unfair to expect you to be absolutely faithful to me if I'm not faithful to you.
"But I don't trust you to be able to be with other men and not be tempted to resume your risky behavior. And I'd be jealous if you were with other men. I know it's hypocritical, but it wouldn't bother me if you were romantically involved with a woman. Especially if it's your trainer. She's a health nut herself, and she knows you're struggling to quit smoking and drinking. She'd be a positive influence.
