Jenny crossed the street, pausing at a sign in the window.
FACIALS, $50 EACH
was written with black permanent marker on a cardboard sign. She had never been to a spa before. In the small town where she'd grown up, there hadn't been anything like that, just a woman who cut hair in her kitchen for twenty dollars. But she had been in college here in New York for a whole semester now. She didn't have a lot of money, but the scholarship covered her tuition and room and board. The money she made working at the library counter was hers to spend.
She edged closer to the blackened door, away from the heavy stream of people flooding the sidewalk. It was strange that the windows and doors were all dark, but she assumed it was to keep the proper relaxing ambiance inside. Besides, nothing shady would happen with so many people around. She would just get a facial, nothing more, and when she went home for the summer, she'd be able to tell her friends what it was like.
Stepping through the door, she blinked rapidly, trying to see in the sudden blackness. Finally her eyes adjusted enough that she could make out a woman behind the counter. The receptionist was Asian and very pretty, her eyes thick with eyeliner and her hair long.
"Hello. I'm here for a facial. I saw the sign outside."
The receptionist looked Jenny over, head to toe. "You're a good candidate."
"Oh." Jenny hadn't even realized that facials worked better for some than others. "That's great. It's fifty dollars?"
"Payment is at the end. Come this way."
The woman led Jenny through a hallway and into a small room with a bed in the center. There was a small counter with a sink and creams.
"Take all your clothes off and lie down on the bed." Then she left, closing Jenny inside.
Jenny looked around, a little uncomfortable. Why did she need to take everything off? But she didn't want to get her clothes wet, if there was splashing. Nor did she want to disobey—she had always been a rule follower, which her mother and father had always been proud about. Besides, this was a small indulgence. She wanted the full spa experience.
She removed her button down shirt and her skirt. After a brief pause, she also pulled down her briefs and took off her white cotton bra. Unfortunately, the only sheet on the bed was fitted, so she would be completely uncovered for whoever was doing the facial. She had assumed it was a woman... but what if it was a man?
But it was too late; she already heard a rustle at the door. She hopped onto the bed, crossing her arms over her breasts and squeezing her legs together. A sigh of relief fell from her lips as the same woman entered and shut the door behind her.
Her movements were brusque—professional, Jenny thought—as she bustled inside. She didn't look interested or offended by Jenny's naked body, so Jenny relaxed a fraction.
The technician did something by the sink, behind Jenny's head. Then a plastic cup came over her face. She started to push it away.
The woman forced her back down. "No, this is some aromatherapy. To relax you."
It seemed extreme, but she didn't know how to say no. It did smell funny, so maybe this was aromatherapy. Everything started to get fuzzy. Yes, she was relaxed. She drifted in this state, seeing shadows come and go. She had no concept of how much time passed, but she felt wonderful, breathing in the strange-sweet scent of the aromatherapy through the plastic cup.
She came back to Earth slowly, aware that she was still on the table in the small room. Her position felt a little different though—strange. She tried to move but couldn't. The stuff they gave her had made her
too relaxed. But it was more than that. Something was firmly attached to her wrists and—she wriggled—her ankles. Her throat felt dry, her mouth sore... and she realized something was inside her mouth, holding it open.
A terrified animal sound escaped her, made more awful because she couldn't form words. Fear had started to thunder through her body, making her heart pound and her head ache. Oh God, what was happening to her? Was this a horrible dream? She prayed it was.
The woman came in again, and Jenny tried to ask her what was going on, but the thing in her mouth made it impossible. The woman acted like Jenny hadn't made a sound at all, and instead pulling her to stand up. Oh thank the lord, she was going to leave.
But the woman took her in the other direction, pulling her along by her elbow. Jenny shuffled after her, struggling to stay upright after the effects of the aromatherapy and the cuffs around her ankles.
They came into a large room with concrete floors, concrete walls, and a group of men in various stages of undress. Some were already naked, some had black socks and boxers on, still others were in full businesswear in the process of removing their jacket and ties.
Scared, she began to back out of the room, but the woman grabbed her hair and squeezed, bringing tears to Jenny's eyes. "Shh," she whispered in Jenny's ear. "Be good or they'll think you don't want it."
