A Night in the Desert

Chapter XIV

She woke up the next morning feeling relaxed and lazy. She stretched out in the bed, luxuriating in the feel of sheets after the crude bed she had endured for days. She got up to explore her new surroundings. Besides the exit to the hall, which she remembered from the night before, there were two other doors, one to a small bathroom with a shower, the other to a closet with some clothes. There was a note on the bathroom door, instructing her to take a shower then put on the clothes provided for her. The floor was carpeted with an odd pattern, a circle about three feet in diameter in the center of the room.

The shower woke her up. She luxuriated in the steamy hot water, then finished with a jolt of cold water. The large fluffy towel made her skin tingle as she dried herself. It felt good to wash off the grime after being confined for so long, first in the county jail and then here in his house. After finishing in the bathroom she looked in the closet to see what she could wear. She had to laugh at the selection; he was true to his word when he said she would know exactly what he wanted. Inside was one set of underwear, a mid-length skirt, and a sleeveless blouse. She didn't have to guess at what he wanted her to wear. She dressed quickly, underwear, then the blouse, and finally pulling on the skirt. Not an exact fit but good enough, and best of all it wasn't jail issue. She looked in the bottom of the closet but there were no socks, hose, or shoes. She doubted it was an oversight. She checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror. It felt good to have some semblance of normalcy return to her shattered life.

She looked at the door to the hallway. She hadn't tried to open it yet so she wasn't sure if it was locked or not. Since he had ordered her to stay in the room, she thought it best not to even try the door. She looked around but as always there were no obvious places for cameras or microphones; Sue Ann had no doubt they were there somewhere. One day she would find one, just to satisfy her own suspicions. While waiting for him she made the bed and checked to be sure the bathroom was in order. Then she sat down on the bed to think.

Her first concern was what to do when he opened the door. In the other place she had been required to kneel on the cushion facing the door. She decided that since he wanted her to present herself in that manner she would do the same here, kneeling in the middle of the room facing the door. That explained the circle pattern in the carpet. Then she remembered, he had not allowed her to sit on the makeshift bed without permission. She stood up and walked to the center of the room. Better she sat on the floor, just in case. The last thing she wanted was a return trip to that room.

The room had no windows, so she had no idea where she was or the time of day. The walls were bare and the lighting was in the ceiling behind translucent panels. There were no light switches to turn the lights on or off. Yet one more reminder she was not in control. She was just beginning to realize what it meant to be owned. Even something as simple as a light switch could no longer be taken for granted.

She heard the door start to open and immediately assumed her kneeling position. He came in and closed the door behind him. At first he stood in front of her, then he crouched down and lifted her chin with one hand. "You did well" he told her. Sue Ann started to reply but caught herself, remembering he had still not given her permission to speak. He stood and walked around her, apparently an inspection, then he stopped behind her back. "Hands behind your back" he ordered. She complied immediately, holding her hands behind her, slightly apart, palms facing each other. She felt the handcuffs close on her wrists followed by leg irons on her ankles. She held still while he double locked them. For a moment she was afraid he was still mad at her, but quickly realized she wouldn't have slept in the bed last night if that was true.

Finished with the restraints he took hold of her arm and helped her stand. "I believe you are ready to move forward, even though there was the unfortunate incident yesterday. If you behave I won't put you back in that room. You should remain quiet, do not speak, until I give you permission.

"I fixed some breakfast for us" he told her. "It's a nice day so I thought we would eat outside. But first," he suddenly grabbed her arms and roughly pushed her against the wall, "do not move, spread your legs as far apart as you can. Hold still."

Sue Ann stood facing the wall, her feet spread to the limit the chains allowed. He held her against the wall with one hand while he searched her with the other. He ran his hands up and down her body, searching for any hidden object. She had to close her eyes and concentrate on not making a sound as he lingered over first her breasts then between her legs. She had no idea what he would be looking for but the search would have uncovered anything she tried to hide. During her time in jail she had been searched but not like this. In jail it had been impersonal; here he had made it very personal indeed.

One hand on the chain between her wrists, the other around her throat, he leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Remember this, any time, any place, I may search you. If I find something you are not allowed, you will answer for it. Don't ever try to hide anything from me." With that he stepped back and took hold of one arm. "Now, let's go eat."

He led her out the door into the hallway. They turned to the left and walked to the end of the corridor, where it opened into a living room. At the far end she could see sliding glass doors and a patio overlooking the desert floor. As they crossed the room she saw a kitchen to one side. He opened one of the sliding doors and took her out to a wooden table on the patio. He pulled out a chair for her and helped her to sit down, her hands behind the back of the chair. "Wait here while I get the food" he told her as he headed back toward the kitchen.

Sue Ann watched him go into the kitchen then turned to examine her surroundings. From what she could see the patio was on a hill overlooking a desert valley. She could see mountains ringing the valley on every side. Except for a single road along one edge she could see no other man made structures. Overhead was a typical clear blue desert sky, not a single cloud, but of more significance no contrails from aircraft. Aside from the kitchen the only sound was the rustle of some nearby sagebrush from a slight breeze. Wherever she was, it was isolated.

She could jump up and dash off into the desert right now, while he was busy in the kitchen. But between her bare feet and the ankle chains she doubted if she could make 20 feet before he would catch her. No wonder he had neglected to provide her with shoes. In bare feet the desert itself became a kind of moat of sharp rocks, cactus spines and thorns, an effective combination to keep her from escaping. Not that there appeared to be any place to escape to, the only road she could see ran down the entire length of the valley and was lost in the distance as it came to the mountains. She knew from experience distances were deceptive in the desert. It would take an entire day just to cross the valley on foot, and she had no idea what lay beyond.

She heard noise from the kitchen and turned to see him bringing out the plates. He set one down in front of her, the other in front of a chair to her right. Pancakes, eggs, and a cup of fruit. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she smelled the food. He went back in then came out with two glasses of orange juice and silverware. He sat down beside her but did not remove her handcuffs.

"Smells good, doesn't it? Before we eat we'll go over some rules for meals. You are not allowed to eat or drink until I give you permission. You are not allowed to touch anything on the table unless I permit it. If you must leave the table you will ask permission first. You will not speak when we sit down at the table until I have given you permission to do so. Do you understand these rules?" Sue Ann nodded in agreement. He reached over and picked up her fork, cut off a small piece of the pancakes, stabbed it with the fork, then held it in front of her mouth. "Eat" he ordered. She leaned forward and took the bite of food off the fork. Was he going to feed her by hand again?

He watched her for a moment, then placed the fork on her plate. He stood up and went behind her. She could feel him placing the key in the lock then her left wrist was free of the handcuffs. He took the cuff off her right wrist and sat back down, setting the handcuffs to his right on the table. He nodded toward her plate, "you may eat", then began on his own plate. She picked up the fork and began to eat slowly. She often skipped breakfast but she was very hungry and the pancakes and eggs smelled wonderful. The bland food he had been serving her was no comparison to this meal.

While she ate he talked about his love for the desert, how he had lived there all his life. She recognized many of the places he mentioned. She had explored some of the more remote areas herself pursuing her amateur archaeology hobby. As she listened she was very self conscious of her table manners, the handcuffs on the table next to him, and the leg chains locked around her ankles under the table. Every time she shifted in the chair she heard the slight metallic sound of the chain scraping on the patio's concrete floor.

He finished his plate and took a drink from his juice glass. Sue Ann stopped when she saw he was done, unsure if she should continue. She looked over at him. "You can continue eating. You are doing quite well Sue Ann, and I'm satisfied with your progress so far. I do understand how confusing and difficult this transition in your life must be. You don't understand many of the things I've done. You want to ask me questions but you are frustrated by not being allowed to speak. You aren't sure what I want from you, you worry you might do something wrong.

"For now you will have to live with the restrictions. I will not always explain my actions to you. I have certain goals in mind. Some I will tell you in advance, some I will not. Don't try guessing, that's a mistake. Try to focus on exactly what I tell you to do, nothing more. Don't try to predict what I want, you don't know me well enough yet to do that." He leaned back in his chair and sipped on his juice, watching her. Sue Ann finished her food and carefully set her knife and fork on the plate, where he could see them, then took a drink from her own glass. Unconsciously she reached down and straightened her skirt across her knees. His eyes followed her every move.

"I've set aside today for us to get to know each other better. At the moment I have the advantage of you, " he smiled at that. "I found your diary that night in the desert. I read of your dreams of finding the perfect master, your fantasies of being kidnapped and carried away. I know about your experiments in bondage, especially that night." Everything he said was true but she still felt embarrassed to hear it spoken out loud. "It's reality now, Sue Ann. This isn't a dream where you are going to wake up and have it vanish. I know you've worn these many times before," he held up the handcuffs, "but from now on you won't decide when to take them off or put them on. Every detail of your life, when you eat, when you sleep, the clothes you wear, even your own body, it's all under my control. You live by my rules, you answer to me for your actions, no one else. There are no laws to protect you, no one to rescue you, no place for you to go. Defy or disobey me and you face the consequences. Obey me, serve me, and I will make all your dreams come true."

Sue Ann sat in her chair listening to him, unable to look away as his words took hold of her. She wanted this man and what he promised her. Wanted it more than anything in her life. She wanted to drop to her knees in front of him and beg him to command her, to use her for his pleasure, most of all she wanted to plead with him to let her belong to him, to be owned by him body and soul. But all he permitted was for her to sit silently in her chair, hands folded on her lap.

"Stand up" he ordered, abruptly changing his tone to a commanding mode. She immediately pushed back her chair and stood up, facing him with her hands at her side. While still sitting in his patio chair he reached up and unbuttoned her blouse down to where it was covered by her skirt, then leaned back in his chair staring at her. She didn't flinch, holding very still so as not to interfere with whatever he chose to do next. "I like that" he smiled, as he reached out and ran one hand down her arm. "Leave your blouse unbuttoned for now. Also, when you have your ankles chained? When I order you to stand I want your stance to be with your ankles as far apart as the restraints allow. Do that now."

She shifted her feet till the chain on the leg irons was tight, as he had ordered. It felt awkward to stand that way but it wasn't uncomfortable. She concentrated on remembering to do the same thing in the future. She worried about keeping track of his rules and hoped he wouldn't give her too many at once. If he gave her a few at a time, let her get into the habit of following them so it became automatic, then there would be less likelihood of her forgetting one and making a mistake. He seemed to know what he was doing since she wasn't overwhelmed yet.

"Hold out your hands in front of you, toward me, slightly apart." She did as he ordered, a good idea of what was coming next. He opened the handcuffs and placed them on her wrists, then tightened them to where they were snug but not uncomfortable. He double locked them so they would not close further. "Put your hands down." She lowered her hands till they were touching her skirt. The combination of her open blouse, her bare feet on the patio concrete floor, and the chains on her hands and feet made Sue Ann feel especially vulnerable. "Turn around, so your back is toward me." She turned, facing away from his chair. At first he said nothing, then as he reminded her with "check your stance" she corrected by moving her feet apart to the limits of the leg irons. Already she had made a mistake, broke one of his rules. But as she waited for harsh words or worse, he said nothing. This time at least he let it pass, but she would have to be more careful and concentrate on learning.

She heard him take another drink of juice and shift in his chair, but she couldn't see what he was doing with her back to him. Sue Ann thought it must be some kind of test, was there anything else she forgot? She tried to remember everything he had told her this morning, in addition to their first encounter when he chained her to the wall. The only part that seemed to apply was his instructions on waiting when in doubt, so perhaps she was doing what he expected.

Concentrating on his instructions she was distracted and was startled when he put his hand on her leg. She flinched in surprise but managed to stand still as he traced a line along the side of her leg. He lingered behind her knee, lightly running his fingers across the sensitive area. Sue Ann had to close her eyes and focus on breathing slowly, so overpowering was his touch. After a moment he stopped, then stood up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You will keep me company while I clean up the kitchen" he told her as he led her back through the patio doors and into the kitchen area. In a corner next to the refrigerator was a straight backed chair. "I want you to sit here. Don't get up until I tell you and don't touch anything." He helped her sit down, and then went back out to the patio for their dishes. Her blouse was staring to fall off so she awkwardly pulled it back up over her shoulders. The handcuffs on her wrists made it difficult to reach. Since he had unbuttoned the blouse she dare not button it up again. While he was out on the patio she straightened her skirt and then sat with her hands folded in her lap. He came back in with the breakfast dishes stacked in his hands.

"I want you to think of one question to ask me, something you feel you must know, something that would be important to you. No limit on the subject, it can be anything. After I'm done here," he was rinsing off the plates as he loaded the dishwasher, "then I will allow one question. But only one, so give it some thought." He gathered up the pans and began rinsing them as well.

What should she ask him? His name? That would be nice to know but not essential, at least not right now. What he was going to do with her? No, she could figure that out by herself. He was turning her into his willing slave. Ask him why he wouldn't let her speak? Again no, she could guess that one too. He was imposing his control over her. Same reason he kept her in restraints. Ask how he was able to rescue her from being sent to a Mexican prison? She would love to know how he managed that, but he might not want to tell her and in any case it wasn't really relevant to her situation at the moment. What did she need to know, right now?

While she was pondering his question, he finished in the kitchen. After starting the dishwasher he came over to her, took her arm, and helped her stand up. "We'll go sit in the living room," he told her. Holding the chain between her wrists he led her from the kitchen into the living room area. As they reached the sofa he stopped. "Wait," he told her, then released her hands. To her surprise he turned and began buttoning her blouse, though he did leave several buttons open at the top. "Sit here, the corner of the sofa," he gestured toward the couch in front of them. Sue Ann sat down, placing her bound hands in her lap. He sat down next to her, placing one arm on the top of the sofa behind her. "Now, you have permission to speak, but only to ask me your one question."

Sue Ann didn't ask immediately, but she didn't think it a good idea to make him wait too long. She looked down at her lap and her hands locked together, then back up at him. What did she need to know right now, from him? "Please tell me how I may best serve you," she said. She had thousands of questions, but this one was the most important. Her life was in the hands of this stranger, she needed to know how to please him, not just for her own survival, but she found inside herself a growing need to obey him, to submit herself to his control and authority, to serve him in any way she could. And maybe she was attracted to him too.

She should have been terrified of him. He had kidnapped her, stripped and chained her to a wall, fondled her at will, and even now she was bound hand and foot, helpless to resist him. Yet she had no fear of him. She sensed he would not seriously harm her, but there was an undercurrent in his words that implied he would punish her if she did not follow his orders. She did have some concern about that, but so far he hadn't shown any signs of being unreasonable or out of control. If he proved to be some sadistic monster she would be in serious trouble as she had no out, no avenue of escape. In a way it was ironic; since she could do nothing about it, she didn't have to worry about it.

Considering her question he leaned back, absentmindedly rubbing his chin. "The simple answer is that I want you to obey me. But I think you are asking more than that, aren't you?" She nodded in agreement. "The best way to serve me is to be true to yourself. I read your diary that night in the desert. I want the woman who wrote it. No pretense, no concealing your true nature. Show me what you've kept inside, hidden away. I want that idealized Sue Ann.

"I'm not going to change you into some other person. I want to bring out the real you, the one that's uninhibited and free to be what she longs for. You will have to live within the boundaries I choose to set for you, but in time you will find you are free to grow and pursue your own interests within those limits." He reached over and took her hands in his own. "We are going to be together for many years to come. Both of us will inevitably change as we grow to better know each other, I hope for the better. My promise to you is that I will take care of you, provide for you, and to do my best to see you enjoy your new life with me. I will insist you stay within the boundaries I set for you, the rules that govern your behavior, the orders you must obey. I will make the final decision for everything we do, but in return I will expect you to tell me what you think and how you feel, about anything and everything.

"I keep my promises and I take my obligations seriously. I expect you to do the same.

"I understand this is all very new to you. I expect you are nervous and unsure, maybe even a little scared? Don't worry about it. I don't expect perfection overnight. I know you are doing your best. If you forget something I'll remind you, but try not to forget the next time." Sue Ann lowered her eyes, looking at his hands covering her own.

She needed to hear those words. She couldn't explain it, maybe it was just the soft caring tone of his voice, but she started to relax as he talked to her. The physical contact, holding her hands, was reassuring. His close proximity made her feel warm inside. She knew what was happening. He was pushing all her buttons: touching her, skimpy clothing, the chains on her wrists and ankles, everything designed to make her conscious of her sexuality. She knew he was doing it deliberately and didn't care, it felt good. Besides, if he wanted the woman in the diary, why not let go and let those feelings surface?

"Don't think I'm never going to let you talk. I have reasons for what I'm doing. I'm not going to explain to you right now, but in the future I will give you an explanation for the rules and restrictions. Right now, today, it's more important that you learn obedience. While you are learning I will be lenient, but afterward I will be strict." He reached up and took her chin in one hand, turning her face to him so he could look directly into her eyes. "Understand this Sue Ann. I am not cruel or sadistic. I won't beat you senseless on a whim. But I will not tolerate a bad attitude, disobedience, or laziness. Don't ever try to hide anything from me or trick me, or deceive me with half-truths. Don't try to make excuses when you do something wrong. I'll see through it immediately.

"And once again, don't try to anticipate my orders. Wait until I tell you what to do. Every day is a new day, whatever I had you do yesterday may not be the same today. Remember that. I'm not going to be changing rules on you, but neither do I want you to become complacent or sloppy. Don't try to take control away from me. I won't allow it, and I will take whatever measures I deem necessary to make sure you don't forget it either. Your quality of life with me depends on it. Do you understand?"

His sudden intensity caught her off guard. She realized there was a core of steel in this man. No matter how caring he seemed, he expected to have things his way or else. She would have to be very careful never to cross that line. This was not a game, he was serious about demanding her submission to his desire to dominate. She had dreamed about a life like this but never thought it would become real, and never to such a degree of control as he now had over her. She wasn't free to leave nor could she limit what he did to her. He could easily leave her chained to the wall to starve to death and no one would ever know. She had no idea what he would do to counter any intransigence on her part but she had no doubt whatsoever it would be unpleasant.

Unable to tell him she nodded to show she understood what he meant. If only he would let her talk, there was so much she wanted to tell him. Everything he wanted from her she yearned to give him. She wanted to hear his orders, to show him how obedient she could be. Most of all she wanted to feel his touch, to have him use her body as he wished, for his pleasure. She wanted to show him how she could serve him, cooking his food, doing his laundry, and making him comfortable in his home. No, she thought, our home now. She belonged here.

"Stand up," he ordered. Sue Ann stood up immediately. He held onto the chain between her wrists, leading her to one side of the living room. He took a key out of his pocket and removed the leg irons and handcuffs. "Strip, remove all of your clothing, now." She hesitated for just a moment before unbuttoning her blouse. This wouldn't be the first time she was forced to appear nude before him. It was likely to be a common occurrence from now on, she told herself, so best she get used to it. As she took her blouse off she looked around for a place to put it. "Drop it on the floor," which solved that problem. Next she unzipped her skirt and let it drop, then took off her underwear. She stepped back, the clothes in a heap in front of her. "Stand over here, lean forward, put your hands against the wall, feet back and spread apart." She knew what he wanted, she had been searched several times during her stay in jail. This was the same position the police and jail guards used. Since she had no clothes on she was puzzled as to what he would search. "Face the wall, don't look around" came another order from him. Dutifully she kept her eyes forward as she heard him open some kind of drawer behind her.

She heard a rattle of chains, then her curiosity was answered as he placed a waist chain around her, above her hips. She felt him secure it behind her back with a padlock. Glancing down she could see a pair of handcuffs attached to the waist chain in front. She recognized it, a prisoner transport waist chain. She had seen them at the jail on some of the prisoners as they were made ready for the move to the State prison. He took hold of her right wrist and brought it down to her side. He slipped some type of leather mitt onto her hand before locking the handcuff on her wrist, over the mitt. He did the same for her left hand, then double locked both handcuffs so they wouldn't tighten further. She looked down at her hands. The mitts were made of stiff leather and had no fingers. There was a rolled edge at the wrist, so they could not be slipped off when cuffed. She tried to flex her fingers. The mitts didn't bend. The thickness prevented her from using her hands at all. This was something she hadn't seen before. Her hands were effectively useless while restrained this way.

"Come over here and sit in this chair, you will need some shoes." He helped her to sit down in a nearby chair, and then proceeded to put thick athletic socks on her feet, followed by a pair of sandals. He folded over the socks to double the thickness. She saw the reason why when he locked the same leg irons around her ankles again. She didn't understand the shoes, what did he have in mind?

"One more item and we'll be ready. Stay in the chair, face forward." She did as he ordered, watching from the corner of her eye as he went behind the chair. The last item proved to be a blindfold as he covered her eyes. It was softly padded around the eyes, wide and close fitting, with a cutout around the bridge of her nose. She felt him tighten it with a buckle behind her head. Whatever it was made of was opaque, not a glimmer of light reached her eyes. With his hand on her arm he lifted her out of the chair. Even for the few seconds she had the blindfold on she was already feeling disoriented, not sure which direction she faced.

"This way," he told her as he guided her across the living room. A few times he stopped her using his grip on her upper arm. He would pull or push her to one side, then continue. She heard him open the patio door, and then they were on the patio where they had eaten. "I thought we would take a little walk in the desert. I'm sure you would like some fresh air and a chance to get some exercise. The weather is nice and we won't be out long enough for you to worry about sunburn." He led her off the patio and onto a well worn path into the desert.