CHAPTER 9 -- THE AUCTION
I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing loudly in my ear. I ignored it until the ringing finally stopped. Moments later, the phone rang again. Barely awake, I groggily reached over to the nightstand, lifted the phone into the air and slammed it back down onto the receiver. I exhaled in relief as the incessant ringing stopped once more. Rolling onto my side, I felt oddly disoriented. Despite the plush mattress beneath me, my back ached as if I had slept the night on a concrete slab. My eyes opened just wide enough for me to see the red lights of the LED clock next to me. The time read 2:49pm. Opening my eyes wider, I could see that I was back in my suite. I laid in silence contemplating how I had gotten here. The last thing I remembered was... shit... What was the last thing I remembered?
Every muscle in my body ached simultaneous as I used my arms to push myself upright into a seated position. I was completely naked. I groaned as I delicately shifted my legs to hang over the edge of the bed. I felt as if I'd been hit by a bus. Staring blankly at the wall in front of me, I continued wracking my brain to find my bearings. Why on earth did I feel so horrible?
Suddenly, everything came flooding back. The kennel, Brandy, Annabelle, Katie, the extractor... The day prior had been both a physical and emotional hell. From Brandy enslaving me, to Katie planting drugs in the suite, to all three of us being thrown into the kennel, to me having my pussy vibrated to oblivion while I was trapped in a strict hogtie. Fuck, it really had been an awful day. No wonder I felt so sore. But how did I get back here?
Still staring blankly at the wall in front of me, I vaguely recalled being driven by security guards back to my suite in a golf-cart. It was dark outside, so it must have been sometime late last night. Or early this morning. I remember him saying something to me as I was carried into the suite, but I couldn't remember what... After he laid on the bed, everything went blank.
I stood to my feet, clenching the down comforter to help me maintain my balance. I walked gingerly to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet to take a piss. Damn, even my crotch ached! The extractor had really done a number on me! Standing up to wash my hands, my heart skipped a beat as I saw my reflection in the mirror. Dark circles encompassed my eyes and my hair resembled a disheveled bird's nest. But as beastly as I may have looked, my appearance was not the cause of the pit that had suddenly formed in my stomach. It was the bright red collar around my neck... My heart momentarily stopped beating. I was wearing a collar again! My hands shot to my neck in terror.
What the hell?! I ran my fingers frantically around the collar, searching for a buckle or clasp to unlock. But the collar appeared to be mechanically locked, just as my previous collar had been. "What the fuck?!" I said out loud. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus... Think, Ally. How did this happen? Who did this? Why was this collar red? After nearly a minute of staring at my reflection, the phone rang again, snapping me out of my contemplative state. I spun around in frustration and stormed back into the bedroom.
"What?!" I said loudly into the phone. "What is it?!"
I heard a click on the other line followed by a cheerful recording of a woman's voice, "Hello. This is a prerecorded message reminding you about your disciplinary hearing at... 3 o'clock PM... at the Administration Bureau. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your appointment. Thank you."
My heartbeat continued to race as I processed the words. Disciplinary hearing? What the fuck did that mean?
"If you would like to hear this message again, please press 1."
I hung up the phone, and merely stared at it. I was still too disoriented to grasp what was going on. Disciplinary hearing??? Had the security guard explained this to me last night? Shit, it really did seem like I was living one nightmare after another.
I kept replaying the words "Disciplinary hearing at 3 o'clock PM" over and over in my head, desperate to trigger some sort of memory. Just then, I glanced back at the LED clock that read 2:56pm. Shit. Wherever the Administration Bureau was, I was supposed to be there in exactly 4 minutes. Technically, I should have been there 6 minutes ago, if I was abiding by the instructions to arrive 10 minutes early.
I quickly turned and walked back into the foyer where I'd left my shopping bags from the day prior. But to my surprise, nothing was there. I spun around, frantically scanning the suite. C'mon, Ally, I thought. Where the fuck did you put them? I walked back into the bedroom and opened the door to the walk-in closet. Nothing... Storming back into the foyer, my eye caught a piece of paper on the entry hall table that I'd missed earlier. It was a hand-written note...
Dear Jodie,
In the event that your addled state of mind caused you to forget, please note that your disciplinary hearing is set for 3:00pm at the Corrections Office. Please arrive 10 minutes early dressed ONLY in your probation collar. Once you have signed over custody of Ms. Michaels, your belongings will be returned to you and you will be free to go. See you soon,
Mistress Annabelle
Beneath her signature was a brochure map. A red circle had been drawn around the old wine distillery on the opposite side of the castle. While we knew it as the "catacombs", a dot at the entrance now read
Corrections Bureau.
The catacombs did seem uniquely fitting for a location that dealt with "corrections". It was basically an underground dungeon. Of
course
Annabelle would have her office in a dungeon.
Fucking vampire
.
I reread the letter quickly, flipping it over to make sure I didn't miss anything on the back side.
Dressed only in my probation collar?
She expected me to go there naked?! Dammit, this woman really was a bitch! With a deep sigh, I snatched the lanyard with my keycard off of the table and marched angrily out the door.
It was raining outside. Not too hard, but hard enough to piss me off that I was forced to experience it without any clothes on. Not wanting to know what would happen if I arrived late, I jogged down the stone staircase of the castle. To my relief, the square was relatively empty of guests. Likely, due to the rain. You could almost
smell
all the sex that was going on while everyone was staying dry in their rooms.
After a short jog around the castle, I reached the cobblestone ramp that descended beneath the castle bridge to the catacombs. A sign hanging above the door read "Corrections Bureau". I walked through the door and shivered as a gust of cold air met my wet skin. An entry bell jingled as the door closed behind me. The air felt dingy and dank down here. Stone lined the floors, walls, and hanging wrought iron lamps gave the long entry hall an eerie orange glow. In the middle of the hallway sat a woman at a semi-circled desk. Behind her at the end of the hall stood two security guards on either side of the large wooden door.
Despite my nakedness, I took a deep breath and confidently approached the woman sitting behind the counter. She was dressed just as Katie had been dressed when I first met her- White blouse, grey vest, and a burgundy choker. Her hands were handcuffed in front of her as she typed on a keyboard.
"Hi, how may I help you?" She asked pleasantly.
"Yeah," I replied slightly out of breath, "I'm here for a hearing or something."
"A disciplinary hearing?" the receptionist asked.
"Sure," I answered, rolling my eyes. Were there
really
other kinds?
"Very good. Please take a seat and Mistress Annabelle will be with you shortly," she replied, gesturing both cuffed hands towards the benches that ran along the entire length of the wall.
I walked over to the nearest bench seat and sat down, still shivering from the cold dank air. The receptionist returned to typing feverishly on her keyboard. I crossed my legs, attempting to cover myself as much as possible.
Less than a minute later, a loud buzzer sounded, causing the guards in the back of the room to enter the office. Moments later, they reappeared through the doorway dragging a naked bald guy in a red collar. He shouted into a large ball-gag, twisting and tugging to escape their grip, but the guards seemed relatively unfazed. Behind them followed Annabelle, dressed in a tight-fitting purple pantsuit.
"Don't fight it, Mr. Leland. Be a good boy and you'll find that a week in the kennel will go rather quickly," Annabelle said patronizingly. She followed them as they walked past the front desk and exited the building. Leaning out the doorway, she shouted after him- "I'll stop by in a few hours to make sure you're settled in properly."
With a satisfied grin, Annabelle let the door close and walked back to the semi-circled desk.
"Mistress," the receptionist greeted her quietly, bowing her head.
Annabelle ignored her picking up the clipboard. "Who's next?" She asked.
"Me," I replied, standing to my feet. My face was expressionless and I attempted to look as tough as possible.
Turning toward me, Annabelle's face suddenly lit up. "Miss O'Connell!" she replied. "Long time no see!"
"What's the deal with this?" I challenged, pointing to my collar.
"It's only temporary, dear," she replied. "I'll remove it once you've signed our agreement."
"Was it really necessary to force me to come here naked?" I asked.
Annabelle paused and looked back at the clipboard in her hand. "Hannah, Is there a reason that Miss O'Connell's name isn't on the sign-in sheet?" She asked the receptionist, placing it in front of her.
"I'm... sorry, Mistress. I forgot to ask her to sign in," the girl replied sheepishly.
Annabelle leaned forward, placing both hands on the desk. "You forgot?" she asked.
"Yes, Mistress," the girl replied.
"What do you suppose might help you not forget in the future?" Annabelle asked, leaning forward and placing her hands on the desk.
