"Thanks, guys, I can take it from here."
I look over the mountain of boxes and furniture strewn about my new apartment with apprehension. Hiring a moving company was the best decision I could've made -- a cross-country solo move is never an easy task.
"Uh, you mind if I use your bathroom, miss?"
"Sure, it's just around the corner." I lift my eyes from my never-ending to-do list to smile at the mover asking the question. "Thank you, by the way." At first glance, he seems rather ordinary: tall, but not
too
tall, handsome, but not
too
handsome, in shape, but not a body builder. True anonymity. Must be nice, I think.
I shake my head and start an unpacking checklist. Life just makes so much more sense when it's orderly. Being in control is all I've ever known, and sure, it's tiring, but how else are things supposed to get done?
I barely register one of the movers waving goodbye, leaving me alone with a complete stranger in my new apartment. He steps out of the bathroom, looking at me expectantly.
I don't even think I caught his name. John? Darren? Eric? Nothing seems right, and I search his face for some kind of clue.
His eyes are hazel, the kind that seem to be constantly shifting, never settling on a color. Determined to remember
something
about this stranger who helped me move, I peer more intently.
Sensing my curiosity, he meets my gaze and my breath catches in my chest. In a split second, his expression turns predatory, his eyes boring holes in mine, a slow smirk starting at the corner of his mouth. I want to look away, to bury myself in errands, to start a new to-do list, but I can't. My stomach churns with a mixture of fear and arousal, and in spite of myself, I ask:
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Without breaking eye contact, he coolly answers:
"Just waiting to take what's mine."
A thousand scenarios rush through my head, each more terrifying than the next, and I take a quick step back, my eyes wide.
"Our pay, miss?"
Ah shit. How could I have forgotten? Blushing furiously, I apologize profusely, scrambling over boxes in search of my purse. I grab the cash and hand it over with my eyes downcast in embarrassment. How could I have been so stupid, thinking he'd have anything more than his job in mind.
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, please, keep the change."
His eyes track my every movement, the small smirk turning into a malevolent grin as I trip backwards over a box marked "fragile".
I watch in what seems to be slow motion, as the force of my fall breaks the box open. Nipple clamps, butt plugs, ropes, whips and dildos scatter across the floor and I tackle the rest with my body, determined to mitigate this absolute fucking disaster.
Tears well in my eyes: "Shit shit shit, I'm so sorry, this is so humiliating, just go!"
His eyes continue to bore into mine -- when the fuck does this man even blink? I look away for a second, wishing for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
"You dropped something, miss."
I could hear the smile in his voice and I slowly open my eyes. I look up from my pile of shame to see him twirling a cane that must have rolled away.
"I've never met someone who truly liked pain." He sounds contemplative, almost wistful, and I look up again. He gives the cane a few flicks through the air, the whipping sound instantly bringing my nipples to attention. Goddammit.
"Every time I meet a woman who says she wants me to hurt her, she chickens out after a bit of spanking. Your boyfriend is a lucky man."
The cane looks completely natural, like an extension of his arm. His flicks through the air remind me of a master fencer, graceful, if a little disconcerting.
"No boyfriend," I manage. My eyes are glued to the cane, my body betraying me in the most embarrassing way. I feel the heat ignite in my pussy, my skin buzzing with the need to be touched.
"Huh." He gently puts the cane down. "Well, I'll be going then. Good luck with...everything."
I can't bear to look him in the eyes again, so all I can manage is a tight-lipped "Mmhmm", keeping my eyes closed until I hear the door slam shut.
Fuck.
It takes me ages to finally get up and collect my toys. Some I've had for years, the others were barely used. I pick up the cane the guy was playing with -- a smooth, Delrin rod, nearly unbreakable and I shudder. Out of my entire collection, the cane is my favorite -- there's nothing that quiets my chattering mind like the sound of it whipping through the air, and there's nothing that hurts quite as deliciously as when it makes contact with my skin.
I've loved the mixture of pain as pleasure for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I'd always volunteer to be the captive during games of cops and robbers, insisting that for the game to be "real", I'd have to be tied up. As a young adult, I discovered clothespins -- on my nipples, clit, thighs, all over my tits -- the pinch of pain never failing to bring a rush of exquisite pleasure. I consumed BDSM-themed literature with voracity, fantasizing about acts so dark, I could hardly put words to them.
Maybe it's a way to balance out my type-A, neurotic, overachieving "vanilla" self or maybe I'm just wired that way, but pain and pleasure seem to be fundamentally intertwined in my brain.
As my perversions grew, so did my collection. I pile the toys up on my only flat surface -- a mattress on the floor, and I make a mental note to find a bigger container.
Still rattled, I take my sweaty clothes off and draw a bath. While the water warms up, I look at myself in the bathroom mirror. It could be worse, I suppose. I've never been very thin -- but my one pride and joy is the hourglass figure I seem to retain no matter my weight fluctuations. I take my bra off with a sigh of relief, my heavy tits free of their confines. I flick my nipples absentmindedly, then pull my panties down.
Soaked. I should've known. The mover's piercing gaze combined with absolute humiliation caused my clit to hum with pleasure and my cunt to gush all over my panties with complete disregard for anything else. Goddamn traitor.
I ease myself into the hot bath, groaning at the tightness in my muscles. I close my eyes, fully intending to have a nice, relaxing soak. My hands move up to my breasts, gently scratching, tugging at my fully erect nipples. Maybe an orgasm will help me relax, I think, and dip one hand down to my pussy.
I touch my clit gingerly and immediately remember the sound of the cane whipping through the air, the mover telling me he hasn't found a woman who truly likes pain as I lay whimpering on my pile of sex toys. I push the thought aside and rub my clit in circular motions. I focus on the sensation of a powerful orgasm building inside of me, rubbing faster, taking pause to pinch my clit, rolling it between my thumb and pointer finger, eager to erase that humiliating experience from my mind. My free hand pinches my nipples hard, desperate for a twinge of pain, my breathing ragged, eyes closed, lips open, I feel myself inching closer and closer, when the memories come flooding back:
"Just waiting to take what's mine."
"You dropped something, miss."
"Your boyfriend's a lucky man."
I feel myself hanging onto the edge of a cliff too terrifying to jump off from, and I immediately stop touching myself. I've had some dark fantasies, but this one takes the cake. Being taken by a stranger? Even I know that's fucked up. I moan my frustration, my traitorous clit swollen and pulsing with pleasure.
I angrily crawl out of the tub and dry myself off. What a stupid, stupid day. I pull my hair up into a messy bun and get dressed. I haven't unpacked most of my clothes, so these ratty old pajamas will have to do.
I plop myself onto the mattress, excited to finally order some dinner, when I hear the buzzer at my door.
Now what?
"Um, hello?" I fiddle with the buttons, trying to find the right one.
"Ms. Novak?"
"Yeah, that's me. What is it?"
"You gotta sign for a package."
The voice is distorted, no doubt due to the old speakers. I sigh, figuring my parents sent me another one of their famous care packages - probably a giant box, filled with things I don't need.
"I'll be right there."
I put on my slippers and grumble my way downstairs.
"Hey, thanks for waiting..." I trail off. There's no one there. I should've known it was a prank.
"Fucking kids," I mutter and turn to go back upstairs.
"Don't. Move." I feel a strong hand grab my arms behind me, and what I can only describe as the tip of a knife pressing into my back. I open my mouth to scream when a male voice whispers:
"You don't want to know what will happen if you make a sound, slut. Now let's walk back to your place, nice and easy."
My feet seem to obey the command on their own as my mind floods with primal fear. I feel the sharp tip of the knife pushing me forward, the painful grasp on my arms holding them back and I snap back to reality.
"Motherfucker," I growl, twisting my entire body, frantically searching my brain for any remnants of that self-defense class my parents insisted I take before moving. I know we learned about getting out of an arm hold, but as I recall, my time was wisely spent swiping on Tinder, fantasizing about being taken by those strangers. If that's not irony, I don't know what is.
The man's grip on my arms tightens, the tip of his knife now pressing painfully into my side. His hot breath tickles my ear, and I feel the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up:
"Keep fighting, little one. I'll still have you begging for my cock before the night is out."
I immediately freeze. I know that voice. I've heard that voice. I've heard it in my head while furiously masturbating in the tub, but it can't be, can it?
Before I formulate another thought, the door to a ground floor apartment opens and an elderly woman peers out curiously: