Veronica wants John's help

In an attempt to change the subject, he asked, "did you sleep okay?"

She shook her head, "I was up most of the night worrying," her mind was clearly not changing the subject, "it can be so bad for AGS victims."

He nodded, "I've been reading about AGS. There are so many stories about what's happening to victims. Some of them are crazy."

She didn't respond. Their eyes met. Hers filled with tears and she sobbed, "what's going to happen to me?" Her eyes looked at him, **** for answers, "am I going to just end up as one of those girls I read about... getting gangbanged day and night? Sucking off homeless guys under a bridge somewhere?" She sobbed again and tried to rationalize, "maybe I'll at least get sold to a factory. Then I'll only get fucked at night by the manager or something."

John's mouth opened and closed as he search for an answer.

She didn't wait for him and and asked, "what can I do? I don't know how I can avoid being..." she trailed off. They both knew the fates she wanted to avoid.

Unable to answer, John asked, "I can't fix AGS, but maybe I can help. What do you want?"

She wiped her eyes, "I was thinking about it all night. I know the life I knew is gone. I know somebody is going to eventually take advantage of me. I am going to end up as somebody's toy to play with."

John again opened his mouth to reply without having any answer to give. He closed his mouth.

Veronica took a deep breath and concluded, "I want it to be you."

John was genuinely surprised, "what?"

"Look John, I'm going to be enslaved somehow, by somebody. I trust you." She looked at him seriously, "I just want to be happy. Promise me I'll be happy."

"You want me to be your... you want to be my... you've seen what they're calling it online?"

She nodded, "master and pet, yeah."

He tried to comprehend her offer, "Ronnie, are you sure?"

"Everybody says that most of the creeps out there respect when somebody with AGS has," she struggled with the word, "a master. If I have one, a good one, I'll be safer." She said firmly, "there's nobody else I'd trust like you. Do whatever you want to me. Use me any way you want." With fierce eye contact, she implored, "just promise I'll be happy."

He sat quietly for a moment, stunned by her offer. Eventually he managed to ask, "use you however I want? What the hell, Ronnie?"

She looked at him seriously again, "somebody is going to! Look, I've seen how you treat your friends... and your girlfriends," adding with a smirk and raised eyebrow, "even that slut that cheated on you." She returned to her point, "you're nice to homeless people for fuck's sake."

John sat motionless, stunned by what he was hearing. She asked again, "promise I'll be happy."

He looked at Veronica, seeing her eyes pleading with him. He didn't see any response except, "I swear to you that I'll do everything I can to make sure you happy, but I don't want to be your master."

Her eyes started to glisten again, "but..."

He cut her off, "but what if we fake it? I can pretend to be your master and you can pretend to be my pet. We'll behave like it, so other freaks don't try to take you away."

She frowned at him, "what's the difference? You can still make me do anything you want."

He smiled, "we'll know the difference."

She stood up and walked around the table with her arms extended. He stood up, she hugged him tightly and whispered, "thank you so much." He felt a tear land on his shoulder.

John didn't want to have noticed in that moment that Veronica still wasn't wearing a bra, but he was acutely aware of her breasts pressed against him.