Part 4: Dominique's Arrival

As Alex described in his letter, a black SUV arrived outside of Dominique's apartment building at 12:58pm. The drive was about an hour out of the city.

Her driver was an older man--probably in his 70s she figured. Desperate to calm her nerves she tried to start conversation a couple of times during their trip, but he wasn't much of a talker. He was clearly making an effort to be as brief as possible without being rude. He called her by "ma'am" and had the over-polite mannerisms of a butler. She was relieved when she was offered to help herself to the cooler of drinks behind his seat--a collection of fine scotch, beer, soda, and mineral waters. Dominique grabbed a Corona.

She thought about her parents as she slowly sipped her beverage. She'd miss talking to them dearly. Her mother was alarmed to hear that she wouldn't be reachable for such a long time, as any mother would be. She was worried and skeptical at first ... until Dominique showed her the brokerage account.

Dominique used some of the money Alex had forwarded her to fly her parents out to visit for a week--they had just left on Saturday--just two days ago. That week was one of the best she'd ever had. It was so wonderful to be able to treat her parents to a week of the city. They'd never been to a city like NYC before. They were overwhelmed! The three of them talked for many hours about what they would do with the money when her contract was finished. Only one thing was absolutely sure--none of them would ever work again. Until now, the idea of enjoying some easy golden years was only a fantasy for her hard working family.

She remembered the look on her mom's eyes when she handed her the remaining money--about $13,000 to return home with. Even that small amount was more than her mother had ever had at one time. It would be memories like these that would get her through. What a reunion it will be in five years from now! It brought tears to her eyes to think about it.

"And we're here." The driver finally said.

A long well-groomed white gravel driveway lined with pine trees led up the the moderately sized Victorian style home nested in the woods. There were no other homes in sight. Dominique giggled when she saw it. With fresh light pink paint and white trim, it looked like a giant doll house! She smiled at the lovely garden surrounding the home and the large pool on the side. There was an inflatable raft floating in the water that Dominique imagined she'd be taking advantage of as soon as possible.

The driver refused to accept any money from her as she stepped out. She found the biometric security pad under the lamp as Alex described and placed her hand on it. A red horizontal beam of light travel up and down the palm of her hand and within seconds, she could hear mechanisms inside the door moving. It unlocked and jut open several inches. As soon as she stepped inside, she could hear the car's tires on the gravel as it drove back up the long driveway.

Well, there's no backing out now.

The furnishings were as beautiful as Alex said they would be. The floor was an exotic light colored wood with a dark fascinating grain unlike any she'd never seen before. Original paintings decorated the 9 foot high walls of the home. The kitchen walls were scattered with decorative Greek tile and she was certain that all the fixtures were made of solid gold. The island in the center of the kitchen as well as the counter tops were solid granite. The living room was furnished with a large leather couch and a huge flat screen TV--the biggest TV she'd ever seen. In the cabinet under the TV was a DVD collection that would put blockbuster to shame. Attached to the living room was a large walk out porch that overlooked more gardens. The bedroom upstairs pretty much took up the entire floor. The king bed was made with dark pink satin sheets beneath a mountain of goose feather pillows. The room had the biggest walk-in closet she'd ever seen. It had a treadmill and weight machine right inside as well as a cherry wood vanity with a full-size mirror.

On the walls were a collection of shoes and outfits varying from casual to formal to extreme fetish. Her jaw dropped as she eyed the collection of fetish clothes: 7-inch stilettos; rubber, leather and latex boots; crazy full body outfits that would put Lady Gaga to shame; gas masks ... and on and on. She was even more shocked to find the gigantic collection of fetish toys occupying every drawer of the vanity: Butt plugs and strap-ons ranging in size from big to absolutely ridiculous, enema gear, needles, rope, tape, whips, chains, cattle prod, flogs, branding irons, and all sorts of crazy stuff she didn't even recognize.