Chapter 10

After checking the basic facts, Laura began to do some stretching exercises. Her body had been lying in bed for days, moving only when she twitched or Amanda shifted her around, and didn’t feel at all good. She made no special effort to be quiet, not particularly caring whether she disturbed Amanda or not, but she slept so deeply nothing Laura did woke her up.

Feeling a little better, she looked into things in more detail. After finding the quarantine seal, she had got sidetracked reading about the bioagent, and hadn’t yet found out the conditions of their confinement, and the mess her working group must have been in. She saw Amanda had done all she could to fulfil their administrative requirements. Laura hated bureaucratic work, though she could do it when necessary, and decided Amanda would do it for her from then on, since she was careful and thorough. She checked the details about their seal.

“This area is sealed under the provisions of the Medical Emergencies Act. Exit, entry, and unfiltered exchange of materials are strictly prohibited by law (see sanctions). Time remaining: 80 hours, subject to review. By lawful order of Dr Julia Klauss, MD, acting from authority delegated by the Council of Public Health.”

That was a little longer than three days left. The situation only made her more annoyed with Amanda, though in fairness it was not her fault. Somehow, everything that irritated her was making her think of her blameless roommate. Even letting her sleep while she was awake was difficult. She wanted Amanda to clean the mess she had made, and apologise for her response telling Laura to fuck off, and she wanted it done immediately. Amanda had talked to her about sats, and given her that book about lesbians. Maybe reading about them would give her some ideas on how to persuade or force her roommate to do as she was told. As Amanda slept, Laura tried to get an extremely quick primer in sat-focus relationships. Something resonated with her about it all, and she began to understand Amanda’s servility a little better. After all, if she felt the attraction of making Amanda yield and shaping her to serve her own whims, it made some sense she might want it, too, even though she wouldn’t easily admit it.

Trying to understand the whole thing, she did something she had always avoided: she looked at some entertainment depictions of sats orbiting their foci. Seeing it all in action clarified for her this was something she definitely wanted, and gave her a few ideas for things to do to Amanda, though she also questioned whether she would be able to be that mean or firm with someone she liked, in spite of everything.

She kept reading, trying to make sense of it all. After a while, though she realised Amanda needed sleep, she felt more and more impatient, and as she finished the tasks she could carry out, she kept looking at her comm wondering how long Amanda would take to wake up by herself. In the end, after she’d allowed her four hours of sleep, she couldn’t put up with it anymore and began to throw all the dirty towels and bedclothes on top of Amanda’s sleeping body. At first it made no difference: she was so tired she didn’t even notice it. Eventually she woke up, and found herself covered in soiled sheets.

“Laura?” she mumbled. “What is all this?”

Laura, who was prepared for that reaction, had a room change request open on her workspace. She couldn’t go as far as filling in the reason as ‘inappropriate contact’, though, and left it as ‘incompatible personalities’. Though she had no intention of filing the form, using it merely as a prop to pressure Amanda, she wouldn’t misrepresent the truth in writing. Hearing her roommate’s tired words, she felt some sympathy for her, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome her desire to see her in her place.

“It’s the mess you left all over the room. Awake at last?” Laura asked. “Get out of bed and come here.”

“Laura, please! I’m really sleepy. Can’t this wait?”

“Come here right now, I said!”

Amanda got out of bed in her nightie, and slowly, weary with sleep and clumsy from having overtaxed herself, made her way to Laura’s desk. She gave a quick glance to her workspace, saw the filled in form, and gasped.

“I am very disappointed. You never, ever, raise your voice to me like you did today. Understood? You never swear at me. Are we clear on this?” Laura demanded.

“Laura, I’m sorry--”

“I asked you something. Answer me”, Laura said.

Amanda trembled, fearing her roommate’s reaction.

“Yes”, she said, quietly.

“I have my suspicions about what you did while I was asleep. Dr Julia Klauss never told you to cuddle me and lie with me for treatment. I’ve reviewed that. That was entirely your own notion. Just the fact you stayed with me instead of leaving and letting the automated systems deal with things makes me wonder. Swearing at me like that when I voice my completely reasonable concerns is unacceptable. Understood?” Laura asked.

“Laura ... your temperature--”

“Understood?” said Laura, almost shouting.

Amanda was completely shocked. She couldn’t believe her roommate really thought that of her, and it seemed she wanted to change rooms, too. What would happen with their working group? Could they at least keep that going?

“Understood”, said Amanda, with a knot in her throat.

“The reason your reaction concerns me so much is that it’s completely at odds with how you have behaved with me so far. Who are you really, Amanda? The kind and considerate roommate who makes me tea when I’m tired? The meek girl who yearns for my approval and wants to rub my feet at night? Or an aggressive predator in hiding, ready to pounce? You’ll say you were very tired when you lashed out, but isn’t that more likely to be the real you? What do you have to say about this?”

“I was shocked. I felt ... You made those accusations, and I was so tired I couldn’t think clearly. I felt attacked. It wasn’t the real me. I ... You know what we were discussing last night we talked. That’s as real as the real me gets. I l ... I want to fix this, just tell me how”, said Amanda.

“Why am I supposed to believe you?” asked Laura.

“Because it’s true. I’ll prove it to you. I’ll do whatever it takes”, said Amanda.

“Start by telling me the truth. Admit you stayed with me in order to satisfy your own urges. I’ll forgive you if you admit this and apologise for it”, said Laura.

“But I can’t, Laura. I can’t lie to you. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do that”, said Amanda, in a trembling voice.

“We’ll talk about this later, but in that case, I want you to show me that all you said that night was true.” Laura looked at Amanda’s eyes. “You said you wanted to serve me, to make yourself useful to me, to surrender to me, and please me. You remember that?”

Amanda blushed and averted her gaze.

“Yes”, she replied. “It’s all true.”

“Start by sorting this place out neatly. Clear the mess you made.”

“Laura, may I sleep first? I hardly got any sleep while--”

“No. Do it now. You may sleep when I say you may sleep”, said Laura, firmly, though not unkindly.

Amanda sighed, but she yearned to regain her roommate’s trust, so she started cleaning and tidying while Laura read.

Amanda had managed to clear the room and get most everything washed by the time Laura started feeling hungry.

“What do we have for food?” asked Laura.

“Let me check”, said Amanda. She opened the fridge, and looked in their cupboards. “I’m afraid not very much. Some milk and cereal, and a few energy bars.”

“Well, I’m hungry. Get me some cereal and an energy bar, then”, said Laura.

Amanda poured the last of the milk, and cereal, in Laura’s bowl, and brought her the bar she asked for.

“There are only seven left”, she said. “We’ll have to share.”

“We’ll do nothing of the sort”, said Laura, slowly eating her cereal after several days on a liquid diet. “You’ll simply do without.”

“But Laura ... At least you got some nutrition. I could hardly eat while I took care of you. Can’t I at least get some food?” she begged.

“I’m pretty sure you agreed a while ago that you would be in charge of feeding me. I’m also sure you agreed today you’d do whatever it took to please me. I am more pleased eating than going hungry. Clear?” asked Laura.

Amanda sighed. “I’m not saying I won’t do it, I’m only saying, can’t we be reasonable about this? We can both eat.”

“Will you stop arguing with everything I say?” asked Laura. “It’s your duty to deal with food. Moreover, I’m here by necessity, whereas you made the choice. No-one forced you to lock yourself in with me. So stop whining”, said Laura.

“I’m sorry”, said Amanda, chastised. “It makes sense when you put it that way. I’m just so hungry...”

Laura started eating the energy bar as Amanda looked at her with envy. She had only managed to eat a few times while taking care of Laura, and the combination of hunger and sleep was making it hard on her.

“Would you like to lick the wrapper?” asked Laura with a mischievous smile as she finished.

“Now you’re just being mean”, said Amanda.

“And I thought I was being generous. Oh well”, she said, dropping it into the recycling bin.

“Hey! I hadn’t said no!” complained Amanda.

“Maybe that’ll teach you to be more polite”, said Laura, chuckling. “Want to lick my fingers, little one?”

Amanda blushed and sighed, but nodded.

“Say it”, said Laura.

“Please, Laura, may I lick your fingers?” asked Amanda, meekly.

“Get on all fours”, said Laura, still smiling.

“What, why?” asked Amanda.

“Because you want to lick my fingers, and because I say so”, she replied. “It’s fitting, too. You will be like a pet.”

Amanda got on all fours by Laura’s chair, ashamed but excited, and asked again. “Ok, can I lick your fingers now, please?”

“No,” said Laura, laughing, “but that was fun.” She got up and washed her hands, as Amanda slowly stood with a disappointed expression. “You’re so silly. Now I’ve eaten something, I could have a little nap. Why don’t you rub my feet while I get some sleep?”

“Amanda, please, I’m begging you here. Please? I’m so--”

“Yes, yes, I know you’re soooo sleepy. Poor little baby. But you see, maybe you didn’t get it yet ... What you want doesn’t matter. What matters is I want you on your knees, rubbing my feet while I sleep, knowing you are doing it just because I say so, like a good girl”, said Laura, smirking playfully and theatrically lying down on her bed, wiggling her bare toes towards Amanda.

Amanda couldn’t bear her roommate’s teasing and the frustration of wanting to sleep and being denied got the better of her. She began to cry, quietly, and got on her knees at Laura’s feet.

“Please, Laura ... I’ll do anything for you. I’m only begging for a little bit of sleep. Just one hour. Please, be kind to me?” she whined.

Laura laughed at her roommate’s desperation as she knelt at the foot of her bed, pleading with her eyes.

“You can just as well beg while you rub my feet. Get to it now”, she said. “You see, you say you’ll do anything, but the thing is, you’ll do anything for me anyway, isn’t that right?” she asked.

“Laura ... I am desperate to obey you, but do you need to be this cruel with me?” said Amanda, beginning to rub Laura’s feet as she sighed with pleasure.

“Yes. I have to make sure you are what you say you are: my obedient good girl. Now use your face to rub them too. I bet your tears feel good on my soles.”, said Laura.

Amanda couldn’t help sobbing even harder, but she complied with her roommate’s demands, placing her face in between Laura’s soles and rubbing it in circles against them.

“Yes, that does feel very nice. Do they smell?” asked Laura, teasing.

“They ... They are very smelly now”, said Amanda. “Would you ... May I wash them for you?” Amanda had noticed the smell before, but now Laura called attention to it, it became inescapable. She had noticed Laura’s foot smell before, and it had excited her, but when it got that strong it was almost more than she could handle.

“Not now”, she said. “I like knowing you have to smell them. Give them nice, deep sniffs. After all whose fault is it that they’re smelly? Who failed to wash them all this time?” she asked.

“It’s my fault”, said Amanda, her voice cut off by sobs as she obeyed her roommate, sniffing her feet, noticing the different powerful aromas coming from each part, as if they had unique personalities. “I’m sorry. I tried. It was ... it was so hard to do everything you needed...”

Laura felt a twinge of sympathy for her submissive roommate, but something inside her told her she needed to carry this through. Her roommate was potentially dangerous. How could she make absolutely sure Amanda was hers? How could she feel safe around her again? She needed one more proof, though she felt uneasy about going so far.

“I want you to ... humble yourself for me, Amanda”, said Laura, some excitement apparent in her voice.

“I ... Laura, how much more? What more can I do?” asked Amanda, close to her breaking point.

“Kiss my feet”, said Laura. She spoke firmly, relishing the command. “Kiss my feet and lick them. Surrender to me. Show me I have nothing to fear, that you’re no more than my devoted pet”, she added.

“Laura ... Please let me ... let me at least wash them first?” she begged.

“Now”, said Laura. “Do it when they’re dirty. Do it when it disgusts you, though I can see it in your eyes you also love the thought of abasing yourself like this. Don’t lie”, she said.

Amanda was absolutely filled with shame. She felt so vulnerable she couldn’t even think of refusing. She pressed her lips on Laura’s soles, sticky from the sweat of several days, and began to kiss. She felt the sweat getting on her lips and the tip of her nose. The smell was pungent and she almost couldn’t bear it. After a while, she began to lick her roommate’s feet. The first time she coyly touched the sole with the tip of her tongue, almost afraid of the contact. She shivered as she tasted foot for the first time, moaning against her will. Bit by bit, she became more daring, sticking her tongue further out and lapping at the smelly feet in front of her, giving them a delightful bath as her roommate at first chuckled, and then sighed and moaned with pleasure. Her soft tongue learned the different areas of Laura’s foot: her heels, slightly drier and sharper; her soles, damp and sticky, pungent and sour; and her toes. At last Amanda sucked on her toes, and licked the crud in between, feeling as low as Laura’s foot dirt. She even explored her roommate’s toenails, so ashamed of what she was becoming, but completely incapable of stopping herself from yielding. Her toes tasted so salty, so delicious. It was like an explosion of flavour in her mouth, and she couldn’t help moaning as she picked up those little treats in between them with her servile tongue, swallowing it all.

Her final humiliation came when she realised Laura was softly snoring. She was there just to please her and make her feet feel good. Her intense feelings of awe and submission, what she now had to admit was love in her mind, didn’t matter at all to Laura. She was only a convenience. It made her even more excited and eager to obey her roommate, and she promised herself she wouldn’t let her down. She belonged to Laura and she would do what it took to serve her, at whatever cost.

Laura woke up from her nap. She was pleased and amused to feel her roommate was still there, on her knees, softly kissing and licking her feet. They felt better than ever. If that was what having a tongue bath felt like, she would make sure she’d get them often. If Amanda didn’t like it, she’d have to learn to put up with it. She should make Amanda her sat, formally. Were there even formalities? She better find out.

She did realise Amanda was on the edge of physical and mental breakdown, though, and sent her to sleep. She could deal with some things while her roommate recovered.