Liana

 

 

 

Day thirty-nine. Today is the day when everything was supposed to end.

He told me everything, and filled me in on every little detail about this arrangement I had involuntarily become a part of. He told me about the agency, about the agreement that there would be no communication between him and them once the girl was in his house, about the girl’s requirements, and the settings and rules they agreed to before consenting to become his slave.

He also told me how much they’d be paid once the thirty-nine days were over. It was enough for them to never have to work again, which most likely served as the biggest incentive for most of them.

“And you never fell in love with any of them?” I asked him at one point.

Joseph shook his head.

“I was done with them as soon as the contract was over,” he said. “They usually bored me at that point anyway.”

I also asked him if any of them ever fell in love with him. The thought that he has done this with quite a few women before me left a sting in my heart, and I’d be surprised if all of them had been as untouched by the entire thing as he claims they were.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. It never concerned me.”

His words were cold, but earnest. It’s still hard for me to believe that I, of all women, should be the one to crack his hard shell, but once I did, I found a core so gentle, wise and loving that I never stood a chance.

The last eighteen days were like an early honeymoon, a retreat for two broken souls who selfishly took the time to grow with each other.

I never left his house until this day. I begged him to allow us to complete the deal as arranged, since there was no urgent reason for me to show up anywhere.

I no longer have a job to return to, and another secretary was hired to deal with the aftermath of Professor Miller’s death. There was nothing left for me to do, as most other issues could only be dealt with by the academic staff.

Calling my mother was the hardest part. She had a major freak-out when she heard my voice on the phone, and after her initial shock was over, she soon migrated to fury over my “infantile behavior”. It was the first time that I told her about the break-up with Luke and losing my job. That’s how disconnected we are.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be called by the police in the middle of the night? Telling you that your daughter has been missing for days, and then giving you those reproachful hints when you have no idea where she might be?” she asked, her annoyance palpable. She didn’t know about any of the trouble that had befallen my life, but once I told her, she sighed with understanding.

“I’m just glad you’re alive,” she concluded after I gave her that half-assed explanation, in a tone that insinuated that she was mostly glad to no longer have to worry about me because it disrupted her own life.

It’s all well and done. 

I woke up next to Joseph every single day, our nervous hearts intertwining more and more with every moment we spent together. This was the most intense way to start a relationship, but it works for us.

But today, things will change. Today is when our contract ends.

Today is also the day I will lose my collar and have it replaced with something else. When he told me that he would have to take the collar away from me, I choked up a little because it felt as if he was telling me he would rip a part of my heart out once we reached day thirty-nine.

I have to say goodbye to a lot of things today to make room for the new. We’ve already packed up the red fur coat and mailed it back to its owner. I wonder if she ever figured out that I was the one who took it, if she even noticed me at all. It felt wrong to keep the coat, even though I know she has been paid a generous amount as compensation despite never having to go through with her end of the deal. As ugly as it may be, the red fur coat has become special to me, not only because it was the reason for me to end up here, but also because it kept me warm and protected when I needed it most.

Just like that cold and dark time, the coat is now a part of my past and I no longer need it.

I’m down in the kitchen standing in front of the French doors, daydreaming as my eyes wander along the landscape outside. I’m no longer confined to the space upstairs. He’s shared his home with me as if it was the most natural thing to do. And in a way, with us, it is.

He told me that he usually has some staff around the house, but I’ve only met one of them, his house maid Marjory. She’s a sweet, middle-aged lady who’s driving a red sedan, the car I saw driving up to the house the day he left me alone. She had been working for his grandparents before they left for Florida and has been an integral part of Joseph’s life for a very long time, which is why meeting her made me just as nervous as if I was about to meet his mother. She seemed surprised to see me, and it was more than awkward to know that she was in the know about who I was and how I ended up to be in the house. However, she never said anything about it and treated me as if I had entered Joseph’s life like any other girlfriend would.

“Are you ready?” I hear his voice behind my back.

I turn around and find him looking as magnificent as always, dressed in his navy blue suit, my favorite on him because it brings out his dark hazel eyes and hugs his masculine frame perfectly. He’s freshly shaved and has his hair gelled and styled to the nines, making me feel underwhelmingly dressed, despite the new Miu Miu dress I’m wearing. It’s a present from him to mark the end of our first thirty-nine days together, a kind of anniversary that no other couple would celebrate.

“Yes,” I say, but it’s a lie.

I knew I couldn’t flee from my responsibilities forever, I knew this day would come. But I never felt less ready for anything in my life. I wish I could hide in this strange getaway forever, hugged by his strong arms, feeling the warmth of his body pressed against mine, and his cock throbbing inside me. There’s no place I’d rather be.

He comes to a halt next to me, brushing a strand of hair back over my shoulder, while his eyes focus on my neck. I swallow hard, preparing myself for something I don’t want to happen.

“Today marks an end,” he says, as his hands wander to the little heart-shaped lock at the front. “And the beginning of something new.”

His words are concluded by the clicking sound of the lock as he opens it. I sigh when he slowly removes the collar from around my neck. My hand moves up immediately, touching the unfamiliar emptiness around my throat.

“I’ll miss it,” I whisper, casting him a sad look.

He smiles at me.

“You’re still my pet,” he promises. “But today, we have some things to take care of. Come.”

He puts the collar aside and takes my hand to lead me outside.