Alex sat at his computer and looked over the multitude of tiny camera windows tiled across the screen. He shook his head as he saw Natalie slipping money out of his dresser drawer and placing it down her shirt. He had dozens of these videos, all cataloged and saved to the cloud as evidence. All of these had gone to his lawyer for additional safekeeping in case certain events transpired. He had accumulated these files and more over the last few weeks.
With all of the access she had to his property, she had all the freedom in the world to rob him. Besides, he had trusted her. He trusted all of his caregivers, and after he had been robbed several times by other ones, his lawyer recommended hidden cameras and microphones spread throughout the entire place.
Being physically disabled, Alex had to rely on a number of caregivers to care for him and provide him a level of independence where he could live by himself. All came through the same agency, Angel Cares, and as one of the self-paying customers in their most expensive plan, he was considered a VIP. He even had direct access to Angel Martinez, the owner and founder of the business. Alex had been with the service for over ten years. He had a form of Muscular Dystrophy, and as his strength reduced over the years, Angel provided additional help, modifications to his home, and other means to support his independent living. Alex had reduced muscle use but had sensitivity and feeling throughout his whole body. This made it different than working with patients with spinal cord injuries or other disabilities. Angel trained all the caregivers meticulously as he had become protective of one of his best clients and a true friend.
When Alex told Angel about the theft, Angel was dumbfounded. Angel wanted to fire Natalie and see her blacklisted among the caregiver community. Alex had other plans. He told Angel he would take care of Natalie but would need the help of two other caregivers, Ebony and Brittney. They had already agreed to live with Alex for the entire month of May at a substantial personal cost to himself. Since Angel felt responsible for his employee robbing a client, he agreed to clear the schedules of both Ebony and Brittney and let them work for him.
Being robbed by Natalie hurt Alex more than any other theft. He thought Natalie was different. She was lovely, funny, and intelligent, and they got along well. On several occasions, after she helped him get ready in the morning, she would stay for a cup of coffee and a few episodes of the Office or Firefly or play a videogame on his PS5. He even let her use the pool; he especially enjoyed those days.
She had a fantastic body. She was on the thinner side with a ripped stomach that showed off in her bikini. Long brown hair spilled down her back to the center. She had perfect teeth and hazel eyes with naturally long lashes. Having just left college, she was on the swim team for all four years and had amazing muscles in her legs that made it easy for her to lift Alex and transfer him from his bed to his wheelchair. Any other help, his gardener, housekeeper, or even the mailman, remarked at Natalie's beauty. She was a natural charmer, and so it made it extra hurtful when the stealing began.
She had worked for him for nearly one year. During that time, they had undoubtedly grown closer through trips to the movies, dining out, and even a trip to the casino together, where they shared a suite. Alex had never crossed the line with her, nor had he crossed any lines with any of his caregivers. He was sure Natalie knew he was attracted to her. Even though he had mobility issues, could not walk on his own, and could barely lift his arms, the rest of his anatomy worked. She had even caught him having an erection once when she was changing in the bathroom and left the door open. Alex happened to ride by while preparing for a shower, and Natalie caught sight of him growing between his legs. He quickly apologized and left, though Natalie didn't mind. She enjoyed the thought of knowing he was attracted to her.
Natalie showed up on Sunday at 7 AM for her regular morning shift. The house was dark except for the large living room. Notified by one of his outdoor cameras, Alex saw her pull up on her bike outside his house and lock it to the railing of his outdoor ramp. He unlocked the door remotely and then drove his wheelchair to sit by the couch and wait for her. His heart thumped in his chest as the door opened. All of his plans would come together today, and he could hardly wait.
"Hey, Alex," Natalie said as she stepped inside and slipped off her tennis shoes as she always did. She wore medical scrubs over her slender body, and her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. As she set her backpack on the ground by her shoes, she crossed the living room towards Alex, who greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Alex. What are you doing in your chair already?" she asked.
"I've been up for a while. We need to talk. Why don't you have a seat?"
Natalie chuckled a little at the unordinary request. "Okay...I thought I was here for a normal shift, but if you just want to talk, hey, you're the boss." She moved to the couch and kneeled on it to face him.
Seeing her in that semi-submissive pose knotted his stomach with anticipation. "Well, I'm upset about something and want to discuss it with you. Or maybe it's better to show you. Have you ever heard the term a picture is worth a thousand words? A video is even better."
He slid his hand over the small end table and pressed a button on the remote. The TV lit up and showed a video of Natalie carrying Alex's 95 lb. body into bed, turning him on his side away from his wheelchair and then taking money out of a side bag on the same wheelchair. Natalie's eyes widened in shock at the evidence on the screen.
"But, let me explain," she said and then paused as the next video played. This one showed her robbing a Cartier watch from his dresser. The next video showed her robbing antique silverware. The videos went on and on, playing small clips of her robbing him over and over again.
Natalie's face had gone a deep shade of red. "Alex, please, let me explain."
"You want to explain how you have been robbing me over the last few weeks? Are you going to sit there and make up some story about how all these videos are lies?"
Natalie opened her mouth to speak, but only a short squeak came out. She closed her mouth, and a tear rolled out of her eye.
Alex rode his wheelchair around the couch and pressed the spacebar on the keyboard of his laptop. A new video displayed his lawyer, a heavyset man with a full brown beard. He was another of Alex's friends, having been his attorney for over twenty years. Tom Finley was considered one of the best real estate attorneys in New Jersey, and he had a full firm behind him of top counsel in all fields. The video showed Tom sitting at a desk in his gray suit with a royal blue bowtie. "You see, Alex, with the amount of money that Natalie Clemens has stolen, the number of times she has stolen from you, and the fact that she is your caregiver, which puts you in a vulnerable position, the district attorney would see this as a first-class felony. We also ran her through some crime databases and found that she has priors: shoplifting, petty theft, and a few other charges. I suggest we turn over all of this evidence to the DA and put her away for the next thirty years or so."
Alex pressed the spacebar to pause the video. Natalie bounced off the couch and started pacing in the space in front of it.
"Alex, I'm so sorry. You have to understand that I didn't want to do this. It's that damn casino app. I should have never downloaded it. I'm addicted, and it's all I think about. Or that's all I used to think about. Look, I'll pay you back. I'll pay you back every dollar. I swear. I'll work for you day and night; just don't send me to jail. I can't go to jail."
"So you stole nearly $15,000 from me and spent it all on gambling apps? Are you that stupid?" Alex asked, his tone shifting to one she had never heard before.
This stunned Natalie. She had never been insulted before by him. The authority in his voice was new. "I'm not stupid. I just got hooked, but I deleted the app and haven't gambled in days. I know it's wrong."
"The money is one thing, but what about the watch and the other items you stole. Are they are gone too?"
She nodded, her face still red with shame and worry. "I took them to a pawnshop and then deposited the money. Alex, I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I know what I did was wrong. I'll work for you, and you don't even have to pay me until we're all square."
Alex shook his head. "You don't understand. It's not about the money. You stole from me after all I did for you. I've let you use my house. I've given you off on days when I needed you. I paid extra for help just to give you off. I even let you use my pool for a party, and you wouldn't even let me attend. In my own fucking house!"
Hearing his outburst, Natalie stopped pacing and sat on the couch. She had never heard him swear in the year she worked for him. He had never even been angry. She had been afraid, but now her fear turned to pure horror as a different Alex showed himself.
"Are you going to turn me over to the police?" she asked.
"That's up to you. I'm giving you a choice. You say you're willing to work for me to pay off your debt, so I'll give you that as one option. You either work for me in a specific manner, or I'll turn over all of the evidence to the police. Based on what you have done and all you've stolen and all of the evidence and my ties to the police and district attorney's office, I think you're looking at twenty years in prison conservatively. My attorney thinks thirty, so maybe he's more right."
Natalie's jaw dropped as a wave of dizziness set in. She couldn't breathe and bent over at the waist to push air into her lungs. After taking a few deep breaths, she sat back and held her stomach, which seemed to help with the sudden nausea. "I'll work for you. I'll do anything. Just say what you want me to do."
Alex smiled. He had been waiting for this for the past few nights. "I want you to be my slave for one month."
Natalie almost laughed at the words but stopped herself. She cleared her throat and said, "Slave?"
"Yes, if you agree to become my slave for the next month, I will destroy all of the evidence of your theft and ask my attorney to draw up a document freeing you from any prosecution. You will be a free woman after that. In addition, you will not lose your job with Angel Cares, though obviously, you won't be working for me anymore. I will even give you an enthusiastic letter of recommendation for your next job."
Natalie was still unsure of exactly what it meant to be his slave. She had heard of this before, but only generally. Did he want to have sex with her, she wondered? Could Alex even have sex? "How exactly would that work, me being your slave?"
