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Chapter XV
Sue Ann was grateful he kept the pace slow. The chain between her feet allowed her to keep up a normal walking pace if she was careful and concentrated on keeping her steps short. Not much different from her adventure that night, except these leg irons had a longer connecting chain making it easier to walk. Allowing her to keep her hands in front made a difference too. She didn't feel the strain in her shoulders like she had that night when they were locked behind her back. But not being able to see made her far more helpless than the handcuffs and leg chains. That night she had flirted with the idea of a blindfold, keeping to the road purely by the feel of the pavement, but she thought it was too dangerous. Experiencing the real thing emphasized that she had chosen correctly. She had no idea of the direction he was heading or how far they had gone from the house. For all she knew he had been walking her around in circles only a few yards away.
Suddenly he stopped, then let go of her arm. She stood still, not moving, waiting for him to take hold of her arm again. And waited. She couldn't hear him, but dare not call out as that would violate his order of silence. The sun was warm on her back. She turned her head from side to side, trying to hear him. In the distance there was the faint call of quail, but she couldn't sense him anywhere nearby. Where had he gone? Had he left her here alone, abandoned her? Was it some kind of test? Don't panic, she told herself, he wouldn't just leave her alone in the desert in such a helpless condition. Without thinking she started to raise her hands to take off the blindfold, but the grip of the handcuffs kept her wrists close to her waist. Now she realized why he had covered her hands. She couldn't try to pick up a stick and use it to somehow push off the blindfold because she couldn't use her fingers.
His words came back to her. When in doubt she should wait for him to tell her what to do. That was the whole purpose of this little excursion. She relaxed, calmly waiting for him to return. She was right, this was some kind of test, one of trust. If she called out to him, or moved, she would fail. He was probably standing a few feet away, waiting to see what she would do. He was forcing her to be dependent on him, to see how she would react. She was proud she was able to figure it out, but still she was standing there helpless and blind. The smell of the mesquite was strong, carried by a light cool breeze. The only sounds were the rustle of the brush and an occasional bird call. Knowing what he was doing didn't really change how it affected her. She was a little scared and wanted his hand on her arm to reassure her, to let her know he was there beside her, to take care of her. But however long it took, she would stand there, not moving, till he took hold of her again.
"I love the desert. The quiet, the wide open spaces, the isolation." His words startled her. He was very close to her, only a few yards away. "Tell me what you are thinking, feeling, right now Sue Ann. Quick, don't think about it, tell me." He was behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
She started to speak without hesitation. "I feel vulnerable, powerless. I need you. I want to feel your hands on me, pointing me in the right direction, showing me what to do. I feel…" She had to pause for a moment, to find the right word. "Passive, that's it. Waiting to see what happens next, what you will choose for me." She couldn't see the smile on his face or his nod of approval. Finally allowed to speak, the words seemed to pour out on their own.
Sue Ann continued, "I thought I would be afraid, being your prisoner and now your slave. I've never done anything like this before. I have wondered, fantasized about it, but I never thought it would happen. Now you've kidnapped me, forced me to serve you without even asking what I want. I should be angry, resisting you, plotting some way to escape, but that's not what happened. The truth is, I like this, I want it."
He interrupted her. "Enough for now, I want you to be quiet again. Let's head back to the house. You lead the way and I'll follow you." He let go of her shoulders and stepped back. Which direction? She didn't have a clue. How was she supposed to find her way back? She turned around and slowly started walking back in the direction she thought they had come. Within a few steps his hand was on her arm, halting her. "Stop! Any further and you would walk right into a barrel cactus full of sharp spines. We'll go this way instead." He turned her to one side and led her back to the house. At the patio door he took off her sandals but left her blindfold and restraints on.
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