Chapter 45: Twist

““Okay, right up front. I’m sorry I called you a bitch.”

Alice’s apology sounded sincere. Her British accent was clearly audible, but otherwise her German was perfect. She was the same height as me, just a little thinner. Let’s see whether she would even touch the cake.

At twenty-four, with her snub nose, freckles, pale blue eyes, and reddish-brown hair, she looked genuinely charming. She was clearly prettier than me.

“Already forgotten. Come in,” I assured her.

Felicia arrived second. She was twenty-two, from Hungary, with blue-black hair. She felt like Alice’s opposite, with her brown eyes and a slightly fuller figure, without being considered fat. Quite the contrary. At 168 cm, she was muscular and well trained.

Her German was good, but full of gaps. Unlike Alice, who appeared in the Rooms more or less regularly, Felicia had only been downstairs a few times. That was also because she had only lived in the apartment for eight months.

My outfit caused some initial surprise, but I explained that I wore the boots for training. On Rebecca’s instructions, because she wanted to film pony-race footage with me. That prompted more questions, which I dodged, and instead pointed them toward Rebecca, who was supposedly planning more outdoor shoots for the Rooms.

Besides a selection of cakes, I had put out some light crackers and offered tea as well as coffee. It didn’t surprise me that Alice chose tea. Felicia took coffee.

At first we chatted in general terms, told each other a bit about our lives, and then moved on to preferences and don’ts.

Both of them strictly rejected piss play, which didn’t bother me, since I wasn’t planning to include it anyway. They had no problem with whips, caning, or clamps.

So I began outlining my idea for the show. It was well received, even though Alice contributed a few suggestions for improvement, which I was happy to adopt.

Alice actually ate only two crackers, while Felicia had no problem with a slice of cream cake. Given her muscles, I assumed she would burn it off quickly afterward.

The whole conversation was warm and friendly, but I could tell both of them still had something on their minds that they didn’t dare bring up. So I asked.

“I get the feeling there’s something else you want to know, but you don’t dare ask. Go on. Ask. I don’t bite.”

They looked at each other uneasily. Then Alice gathered her courage.

“Isabell. Does she really have to be there?”

I stared at them, startled. Then it occurred to me what kind of reputation Isabell must have in this house by now.

“I trust her completely, and she’s my lover. I can promise you it’ll be wonderful with her.”

They let that sink in for a moment. Then both nodded, hesitantly. They were in.

After I saw them out, I concluded that our conversation had gone very well. Only their reservations about Isabell left a bitter taste.

For the first time it occurred to me that Isabell didn’t seem to have any friends in the house. She had never mentioned any friends outside the apartment building either. She wasn’t active on social media, either. Obviously she had been completely fixated on Rebecca. Now I began to understand her sudden outburst of violence. Years of isolation, and then the realization that she had only been used.

I decided to call Rebecca. As her formal slave, I should keep up the pretense of being loyal to her, at least a little.

“Hello?” Her voice was as strong as ever.

“Good afternoon, Mistress Rebecca. This is Johanna. I wanted to ask how you’re doing today.”

“Oh, Johanna? Thank you for asking. It’s nice of you to call. I feel a bit isolated and cut off here. At least I’m allowed to go home tomorrow.”

Home? I thought she was still in the hospital until next week.

“Oh, that’s good news,” I said, pretending.

“Well, depends how you look at it. But it’s good you called. I was about to call you.” Her tone hardened. “You’ll have to help me tomorrow. I’m a little limited.”

Tomorrow already?

“Um, yes. But I have a doctor’s appointment myself tomorrow morning.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. My driver will pick you up tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Pack a few things. You’ll be staying with me until Monday. You’ll have to help me. Pack your pony outfit too.”

“Oh. Okay. What about Isabell? Her too?”

“She would have been my first choice, since I still have memory gaps and can only remember you vaguely. But Diana told me she’s unavailable.”

“I see. Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Mistress Rebecca.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

She hung up.

My nervousness returned. Did she really remember nothing? And what if she started remembering?

To distract myself, I began thinking through what I needed to pack. I went through my things and made a mental list of what still needed washing.