Susan reawakened in a strange bed for a second time. This time, however, it didn't take nearly as long to remember what had happened. She sat up. Her hands were still linked together by the manacles and the padlock. She remembered he had disconnected the chain that had held her arms above her head. The pajamas she'd been wearing were still on, or at least the top was still on. She looked around the room. He was gone, but she didn't expect that he would be here.
Looking across the bed she saw a card table had been set up. On the table were several things she couldn't immediately make out, so she got up and went over. On the table there was a key, a sealed envelope, and some clothing. She assumed the key was to the padlock. She was right. Taking the key she was able to unlock the padlock that had been holding her hands together. She tried the key in one of the bracelets, but she didn't expect it would do anything, and it didn't. She guessed she'd still be wearing the bracelets, collar, and anklets for a while. She opened the envelope to find a brief message.
"Beneath this envelope you will find something to wear. Please get dressed. Downstairs you'll find rooms that are, quite honestly, retty messy. I had a party last evening while you were asleep. In one of the rooms you'll find some cleaning materials; a mop, vacuum cleaner, a bucket, and the rest of usual stuff. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but if you're inclined it would nice if you cleaned things up. I know you're probably ravenously hungry and dying of thirst. There are lots of scraps lying around on the party tables. Don't nibble on that junk. I'll see that you're well fed later. If you don't think you can resist the scraps, then I've left you your gag. If temptation becomes too much for you then put the gag on. Get yourself a healthy drink of water from the bathroom before going downstairs. I'm sure you know how to do that. "
She read the note again. She thought this one over. He's being sarcastic. Of course, she knew how to get a drink from a bathroom tap. He said she didn't have to do anything. Who was he kidding? She had no choice. If he said clean five rooms, she'd clean five rooms. If he said he had a bucket of fly shit mixed with pepper that he wanted separated, she would do that too.
She looked at the outfit he'd left for her. Holding it up she recognized it for what it was, a maid's uniform, and a small one at that. It was a one-piece black maid's outfit. It had a pretty white peter-pan collar like the pajamas she'd worn earlier. She thought, maybe he's a little bit of a fetishist? The sleeves were short, capped, white, and lace trimmed. The collar was lace trimmed also. There was no apron, but the dress was bunched slightly at the waist, and then spilled outward in dozens of tiny pleats. It came down about mid thigh. It was made of silk, of course. She slipped it on. It was quite comfortable.
Beneath the dress she found a pair of white socks and shoes. The shoes were low-heeled and black, like a child's Mary Jane's. She sat on the bed, pulled the socks on, slipped on the shoes and buckled the straps. The shoes were just her size, and though they seemed a little slippery on the marble floor, they still fit comfortably. She looked at herself in the mirror. There was no bra to hold her breasts up or in place. She had the appearance of a flat chested child. She looked like a little girl.
Well there wasn't anything to do but get a drink of water and go downstairs. She left the gag behind. She thought to herself, if she had to starve first to keep from snacking on other peoples' garbage, she still would never voluntarily wear anything like that gag.
Downstairs Susan found everything the note said she would. There were five messy rooms, a main dining area, two lounge rooms, and two rest rooms. None of the mess was that substantial, and she believed that with a little determination she could get everything cleaned up in a couple hours. She went right to work.
She cleared all the food scraps, dirty napkins, and other trash material off the tables and dumped it all in a garbage can. She found the kitchen not far off from one of the rooms. There was a dishwasher, and she started filling it with dirty dishes. As she worked on the dishes she saw it would probably only take two washings to get them all, plus the silverware, cups, and saucers. The wine glasses they had used were plastic so she dumped them in the garbage. There weren't any pots and pans.
The affair had apparently been catered, since she saw there were several foil containers that still held some residual food. These she also threw in the garbage. Each table had a tablecloth, but she realized these cloths were made of an expensive paper. They couldn't be used again so they met the garbage can as well. No one had spilled anything on the floors so the vacuuming went fairly quickly.
She'd been dreading the bathrooms. She knew what women could be like, and she'd heard enough about men to expect the worst. To her surprise both bathrooms required minimum work. The toilets all needed a light scrubbing, and sinks had some residual soap scum, but no one had thrown up or otherwise made any excessive messes.
She looked around, and sure enough she had finished in just a little over two hours. She felt good. If this was what he expected of her until she found a way to escape, then this she could handle. She thought about that. She thought about escape, about discovery, rescue. Then she thought some more, after what had happened earlier, perhaps escape or rescue could wait until the absolute most opportune time. There were other ways to skin cat, and in that context, well, she was a woman and he was a man.
Finished what she'd been assigned to do, she started to go back upstairs. Then the 'in house' intercom started to buzz. What should she do? What if someone from the outside was in the house and looking for her captor. This might be her chance to escape. She made for the intercom, and pressed the buzzer. It was his voice, "I can tell by the quiet you're probably finished. If you're hungry, why don't you come through the room you're in and meet me out on the back patio?"
She thought, no escape, but maybe a chance to get something to eat. She really was famished. With food on her mind Susan made a beeline for the outdoors.
When she got outside she saw him sitting back in a chaise lounge. Beside him was a table, and on the table there was food.
Hearing her come out the man spoke, "Please come over and sit down." He pointed to a chair near the table and near where he was sitting. She went straight for the chair and plopped herself down.
He spoke again, "Don't forget your two rules. And don't forget no talking. I know you're hungry. I ordered out some fresh tuna, and some broiled crab. I also have salads here if you want any. I've got potato, macaroni, and a tossed salad here. There are some dressings if you want any. If you're thirsty there's sweetened and unsweetened iced tea. I have some sliced lemon in a container here too. I've already eaten, so I'll just sit here and watch you. When you're finished I'll give you a chance to ask some questions."
Susan looked at everything, took one of the plastic plates, and began to pile on the food. She preferred tuna, but she thought she ought to at least sample some of the crab. She was glad she did, it tasted quite good. Susan steered away from the potato and macaroni salads, but helped herself to the tossed salad. The lettuce was delicious, ivy cold the way she liked it. She had a healthy helping of tomatoes and carrots. She kept away from the peppers. Susan didn't realize how hungry she was. She felt like she was wolfing her food down. She felt like a hungry animal. She bet he probably thinks I'm a pig.
