Chapter 12: Day 28

As Kara poured a cup of tea in the refreshment room, Peter walked in.

He said, "Wow, you look hotter every time I see you. Do you spend all your free time shopping these days?"

"Whenever I can. Peter, you on the other hand, look terrible. Have you been getting any sleep?"

"Not much the past week. And that trip was a bear. 38 hours of travel time."

"Better you than me. Tell me something, Peter. What do you know of Carol's life before you met her?"

"Almost nothing. She refused to tell me anything about her past life. I know that it must have been pretty bad. When we first got together, she used to wake up screaming. The first time, I thought that I had tied her too tight. But then I discovered that she had been having a nightmare. The longer that she stayed with me, the better that she got. During the past six months, she never had a single nightmare that I was aware of."

"But you have no idea what she was dreaming about?"

"Not a clue. She never talked about her dreams."

"OK. Thanks. Peter, you really should go home and get some more sleep."

"I will. As soon as I give Mr. Jacobs the Desmond contract."

"You got Desmond. That's great. Congratulations, Peter."

"Thanks. I really worked for this one. Well, gotta go before I fall down."

"Bye."

Kara returned to her office and began work. Most of her time was spent working on the phone. They only traveled when they had too.

After work, she spent some time working out at the gym before heading for home. Carol greeted her at the apartment door. She was on her knees, in a submissive position of respect. Kara helped her to her feet and told her that she could serve dinner in a couple of minutes. Kara went to her bedroom and put her briefcase and gym bag away, before walking to the dining room.

The dinner was excellent. Carol really was a very good cook. Without being asked, Carol sat across from Kara. She didn't take any food until Kara noticed, and told her to eat. After dinner, Carol cleared the table and stayed in the kitchen to wash the dishes. Kara went to the parlor and sat in an overstuffed chair to relax a little. Her workout had been very strenuous. She closed her eyes for a minute and fell asleep. When she awoke from her nap, Carol was sitting at her feet, leaning against her chair. She just sat there watching her like a faithful little puppy dog. Kara stood up and helped Carol to her feet. She walked to her bedroom while holding Carol hand. Carol followed docilely along. Kara handed Carol a sleep set and put one on also. When they had taken care of their toilet, and toiletry needs, Kara led Carol to the bed. They lay holding each other for some time before Kara spoke.

"Slave, would do something for me?"

"Anything, Mistress."

"Tell me of your life before we met."

Carol started trembling. Kara didn't press her. She knew that Carol would speak when she was ready, and she also knew that she would speak now that she had agreed to do anything. It was ten minutes before Carol spoke.

"How far back should I start?"

"All the way. I want to know everything that there is to know about my little slave."

"Yes, Mistress. I was born 22 years ago in Buffalo, New York. I never knew my real parents. My earliest memories are of an orphanage. I was placed in several different foster homes before being adopted by the Renwick family when I was about 8. I lived with them until I ran away when I was 14, and I came to New York City.

"Why did you run away from the Renwicks?"

"My step-father started abusing me when I was 9. By the time that I was 11, he had gotten his son involved. They would both take me whenever it suited them. Stepmother just closed her eyes, and ears, to it. I just couldn't take it anymore. I stole some money from his wallet one morning and got on a bus. That evening I was in New York City. The money ran out a couple of days later even though I was only using it for food. I had been sleeping in the subways. I wandered around not knowing what to do, but I knew that I wasn't going back to the Renwicks. I would kill myself first. When my hunger got the better of me, I accepted an offer of food from an old man. He was as least 35, but I needed to eat, so I had decided to sell myself for the night.

He took me to his apartment. We had to take a long subway ride and I'm not even sure where we went. We had stopped and picked up some take-out on the way. I was so hungry that I couldn't think about anything except the food that he carried in his hands, and when we got to his apartment he allowed me to eat. When I was finished, I expected him to want to jump right into bed, but instead all he wanted to do was talk. He kept asking me about myself. I told him the same things that I have told you. When I was done with my story, he led me to the bedroom. I went because I had agreed to do it for the food. As soon as we were in the room, he closed the door, and led me to the bed. As I reached to unzip my jeans, he jumped on my back and pushed me down onto the bed. He forced my arms behind me and tied them. I tried to scream and he forced a ball into my mouth and covered it with tape. In a matter of minutes, I was covered in rope. But he didn't take me. Instead, he tied me to the radiator, and went to bed. I spent the night expecting that he would untie me and take me, but he never did.

At some point I fell asleep, and when I woke up, it was light outside. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Then he came back, untied me from the radiator, and took me to the bathroom. He had only untied my legs. He pushed me down onto the toilet and stood there until I had finished. Then he wiped me and took me to the kitchen. He tied my legs again and went to make breakfast. When it was ready, he brought me a plate of food and set it in front of me. I just sat and stared at it as he ate. When he was done, he asked me if I wanted to eat. He said that he would take the ball out and feed me if I promised not to scream. He said that if I did scream, he would put the gag back in and not let me have any food until I was so weak that I couldn't scream. I nodded that I understood, and he removed the gag and fed me. When I was done he gagged me again and tied me to the radiator in the kitchen. He went to his bedroom and changed, then left for work. And that was my life for the next few months until heating season started. Once the radiators were needed again, they were too hot to tie me to. They would have cooked me.

So he installed rings in the walls throughout the apartment and chained me to those instead. After a month, he allowed me some freedom when he was at home. He got a long chain and attached it to a collar that was locked around my neck. He had me clean his apartment; moving me from room to room as I finished. I took my time and cleaned everything very carefully because as soon as I was done, he would tie my hands again. At mealtime, he would untie me so that I could cook, and then clean the dishes afterward. He had a telephone, but he always unplugged it and locked it away when he left the apartment. During the days, I was bound and gagged so tightly that I couldn't move or scream for help. He kept me there for about four years. One day he told me that he had been transferred and that he couldn't take me with him, much as he would like to. By then I had accepted my status as a slave. I didn't have any worries and I was fed twice a day. I had a warm, dry place to sleep, and clean clothes. It was a lot better than life with the Renwicks. Master didn't beat me, and only took my body occasionally. He usually just wanted me to suck him off. That I did almost every night. He asked me if I wanted to be free, or if I wanted a new master. I never finished school and don't have any job skills, so I told him that I would like a new master. I didn't want to be out on the streets again without any money or prospects of getting a job. And the life of a slave wasn't so bad. I had learned not only to accept the ropes but also to enjoy them. A few days later, Master had me sign some papers. He didn't permit me to read them but I saw that one of them was a form to open a bank account. The next day he gave me a piece of paper with a bank name, address, and account number. He told me to memorize them. I studied them until they were burned into my brain.