The Next Step

Barbara was on her phone as I entered her office. She pointed at the floor and I kneeled down as she continued her conversation. I soon gathered that it was with one of the company's attorneys concerning the lawsuit against DDE by the United American Women.

I hadn't been whipped again since the day I brought Lin in here but there also hadn't been any wine drinking or quid pro quo sessions since then either. With everything going on Barbara was under an insane amount of pressure and she would occasionally call me in to just kneel naked on her floor as she worked. Although she would never admit it I believed I was there to help relieve the stress she was under. Listening to her side of phone conversations also gave me an insight into the true status of the Mailgirls program here at DDE.

What I'd learned was that the Board of Directors was not nearly as unified behind the program as the company portrayed to the media. Although productivity and profits were up since the Mailgirls launch six months ago and the release of Gangsta 4 had been a huge success, the company's stock price had remained stagnant. Analysts believed this was mainly due to investor nervousness over the continuing controversy and media scrutiny the Mailgirls program generated.

CEO and founder Dan Evans remained staunchly behind the program, however, and as long as that was the case the board would follow his lead. At least that was the impression I got from listening to Barbara on the phone. I sometimes wondered about the hold Barbara seemed to have over Evans. Were the two of them having an affair? I guess it wouldn't have surprised me but I never saw any evidence of it.

"Bullshit!" I heard Barbara say into the phone to the company attorney. She had gotten up from behind her desk and was pacing around the office now. "I don't give a damn how Hiromoto does it, we're not going to modify the contracts. We're putting a substantial financial investment into these girls and we need an equal commitment from them to fulfill their contracts."

Barbara glanced down at me as she spoke and I could see the frustration in her eyes. I occasionally saw cracks in her calm, confident, unassailable persona and this was one of those moments. I quickly averted my gaze and stared at the floor.

As good as Barbara was in dealing with the media one of the criticisms she had the hardest time defending was the substantial financial penalties built into the Mailgirl contracts making it nearly impossible for a girl to leave before her two year commitment was over. Mariko had negotiated with Hiromoto to eliminate those penalties from their contracts in return for agreeing to stay on and becoming his whipping girl. Barbara, however, continued to insist that the bonuses be paid up front requiring repayment with interest, along with a large penalty, if a mailgirl broke her contract. Attempting to leave prior to the end of the two year contract would cost a DDE mailgirl in excess of $100,000, an amount that none of them could afford to repay.

Although Barbara was able to come up with lots of seemingly logical reasons for these penalties during media interviews I was probably the only one who understood the true reason for it. Barbara wanted to create a class of nude female slaves and a woman could hardly be considered a slave if she was free to quit and leave at any time. She could never admit this publicly, of course, nor would she ever use the word "slave" to describe a mailgirl, but this was her ultimate goal.

Before I met Barbara I would have thought this was a totally crazy idea that would be impossible to achieve in modern day America, but with her indomitable will and the backing of a multi-billion dollar corporation I wouldn't have betted against it now. Barbara felt that she and her Mailgirls program just needed to withstand the initial firestorm and eventually the concept would become more acceptable over time. Right now, though, she was in the eye of the hurricane and the pressure on her was starting to show.

"No, John, we're not going to compromise on the contracts," she said firmly into the phone. She listened for a few seconds to the response. "What part of 'no' don't you understand, John? If you want to take it up with Dan then go ahead but he'll tell you the same damn thing." This went on for a couple of more minutes until Barbara hung up with an exasperated sigh. "Fucking lawyers," she said under her breath.

Barbara glanced down at me briefly before sitting down at her desk. She stared at her open laptop for a couple of minutes without ever touching it. "Danica, would you come over here please?" she said in a quiet voice. The tone of it surprised me. Not only did she use my name, it sounded like she was asking me rather than commanding me. I can't remember her ever using the word "please" before in addressing me.

I rose to my feet and walked over to her. "Please kneel down here beside me," she said. I obeyed and as I got down onto my knees I felt her hand begin to gently stroke my hair. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this since she'd never asked me to do this before. I was still in a subservient position but I was being treated like a beloved pet rather than a slave girl.

Barbara continued stroking my hair for several minutes as I wrestled with my emotions wondering how to take this latest humiliation. Did I really spend those years of hard work earning my MBA only to end up as the naked pet of a powerful woman? On the other hand, her touch filled me with a sense of warmth and comfort along with the stirrings of arousal that always accompanied these moments of humiliation.

Barbara was wearing a skirt suit today without panty hose and she gently pulled my head against her bare leg until I felt her skin against my right cheek. She continued stroking my hair for several minutes before her hand began a downward path until it reached my left breast. She began fondling it and using her thumb and forefinger to tease my rock hard nipple. Barbara had once told me that someday she would "allow" me to make love to her, and I started to wonder if today was the day. This was the most intimate contact we'd had so far.

I had little doubt that Barbara would eventually turn me into her personal sex toy and I'd thought a lot about that. I wanted it to happen. I'd developed such intense feelings for her that I ached to be allowed to give her pleasure. Those thoughts were also accompanied by feelings of guilt, since I also cared deeply for Anna and never wanted to do anything that might hurt her. Maybe I'm just a slut for wanting them both, I thought to myself. Mailslut number nine.

"Tell me what's going on in the condo," Barbara said interrupting my thoughts as she continued to massage my breast. The authoritative tone was back in her voice now, though, and I felt an odd sense of relief. Seeing signs of weakness and vulnerability in her bothered me for some reason. Maybe it was because I had chosen to surrender myself completely to her because of the power and confidence she radiated. Whenever the mask slipped, even briefly, it planted seeds of doubt in my mind. I wanted to be commanded by someone with the power to bend me to her will, not act as a puppy dog to cheer up my master whenever she's feeling blue.

I started telling Barbara about the role-playing games that Anna and I were playing and her growing fascination with BDSM and acting as the dominant in our relationship. When I'd first moved into her condo I was convinced that she must have some hidden cameras and bugs in there to keep track of us. I'd never seen any evidence of it, though, and Barbara would periodically ask me about what was going on there between me and Anna. I'd always answer truthfully. I don't know if it was because of my submissive personality that I revealed everything to her or if I was still concerned that there were hidden bugs and she already knew everything anyway.

Barbara seemed pleased by what she was hearing. "Good," she said. "I want that to continue. In fact I want to take it to the next level." Barbara removed her hand from my breast. "Go back to your spot and kneel, Nine," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," I said as I began to rise to my feet.

"No. I want you to crawl over there."

I returned to my hands and knees and crawled to the middle of the floor as instructed, then turned towards her desk and assumed the kneeling position. Barbara jabbed the face of her smartphone several times, then began working on her laptop as she ignored me. Several minutes later I heard the door open behind me.

"Yes ma'am?" I heard the voice say. It was Anna.

"Kneel on the floor next to Nine," Barbara ordered. After Anna had complied she said, "Tell me everything that's been going on in the condo lately."

Anna began speaking and told pretty much the same story that I'd just told to Barbara. Like me she was reluctant to hide anything from her.

"Do you like being the dominant in your relationship with Nine?" Barbara asked. ''Do you enjoy making her walk naked to work a step behind you or kneel on the floor next to you while you eat breakfast at the table?"

"Yes ma'am but..." Anna's voice trailed off as she mulled over what to say.

"But what?"

"I don't know ma'am, I guess I just feel kind of guilty about making her do those things sometimes. I'm afraid that I may go too far or make her do something she doesn't want to do."

"Nine, has Anna ever forced you to do anything you didn't want to do?" Barbara asked me.

"No ma'am," I replied.

"In fact you find it very exciting when Anna is in control and would like her to push things even farther wouldn't you?"

"Yes ma'am," I replied truthfully.

"You love the fact that I've forced you into a life of naked servitude, don't you? That I make you do things you would never ever have done on your own and couldn't have even imagined doing."

"Yes ma'am."

"Have I ever pushed you too far, Nine? Be honest."

I thought about this for a minute. "No ma'am, you haven't."

"Not even the whippings?"

"No ma'am."

"There you have it, Anna," Barbara said. "It would be very difficult for you to push Nine too far. She wants to be under your control. She craves it. She will allow you to do almost anything you want to her, including inflicting pain as long as it doesn't cause any physical damage. Am I right, Nine?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Tell her then," Barbara said to me. "Tell Anna what you want."

"I want to be under your control, Anna. All the time."

"Say that again but address her properly," Barbara ordered.

"I want to be under your control all of the time, ma'am," I said to Anna. "I'll do whatever you wish me to do."

"Good," Barbara said. "And are you ready now to accept Nine's complete obedience and servitude, Anna?"

"Yes, ma'am," Anna said.

Barbara opened a desk drawer and pulled out a small box and placed it on top of her desk. Then she opened the box and lifted out what looked like a silver necklace and held it in her hand. She rose to her feet and walked over to where the two of us were kneeling, then held it out for me to examine. I saw that it was actually a metallic collar formed by a series of Y shaped links making it flexible similar to a metal watch band. On the front of the collar was a small plate with the number 9 engraved into it. Although there was no attachment loop on it for a leash and it was rather stylish looking I knew exactly what this was. It was a slave collar.

Barbara placed the collar around my neck and as she fastened it I heard a click as it locked into place. I began to tremble as I felt the cold metal against my skin although I don't know if it was from fear or excitement. Barbara took a step back to examine it and a thin smile came to her face. "Perfect," she said. "You'll wear this from now on, Nine. Permanently. I've got the key for it so you won't be able to remove it and you'll damage it if you try." Barbara stared at me as if expecting a response.

"Yes ma'am," I replied finally. "I won't."

"We'll do away with inking numbers on your skin," she continued. "This will be used to identify you instead. I'll tell people that we're testing this out as an alternative means of identifying mailgirls. And we are. Eventually I want all of the mailgirls to wear one at work. I want to see the reaction you get from other DDE employees before I do it, though."

"But you also want me to wear this away from work, is that right ma'am?" I asked.

"Yes," Barbara smiled. "You're a permanent mailgirl now, Nine. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You'll be expected to serve Anna away from work just as you serve me and other DDE employees at work."

Barbara turned to Anna. "Anna, there's no playacting or pretend involved any more. Nine is not your equal or your pal or your roomie, she is your servant. You will call her 'Nine' and she will address you as 'ma'am.' Do you understand?"

"Y-yes ma'am," Anna replied nervously.

Barbara was silent for a minute as she stared at us kneeling before her. "I'm sure that the two of you have wondered if I have listening devices or cameras planted in the condo to spy on you. I don't. I don't need them because you're going to tell me everything that's going on there, Anna, and you will tell me the truth. You'll tell me the truth because I'll know if you're lying or holding anything back and you don't want to do that."

"Yes ma'am."

"I assume you've seen the small safe in the condo?" Barbara asked.

"Yes ma'am," Anna replied. "It's in the bedroom closet."

"I want you to take Nine's cellphone and her credit and debit cards, along with her driver's license and passport and any other identification cards she may have, and lock them in it. The only identification she'll have from now on is the number '9' on her collar and the employee ID in her MMU." A cold chill went through my body as I heard this. I was surrendering what little freedom I had left and fully becoming nothing more than Mailgirl #9.

"I don't have the combination, ma'am," Anna said.

"You don't need it. It's unlocked unless you've been screwing around with it. Just open the door and put those items in it, then close the door and spin the dial. I'll be the only one allowed access to it."

"Yes ma'am," Anna replied.

"Nine will have no access to any money or clothes or personal items," Barbara said. "Nothing will belong to her. She will be reliant on you for everything, Anna. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Anna said. "What about her car?" My car was parked in the condo parking lot but had barely been used since we'd moved in. I didn't want to drive naked and Anna didn't know how to drive.

Barbara thought about this for a minute. "You're going to need to learn to drive, Anna, for some of the things I have planned for the two of you in the future," she answered finally. "You can use Nine's car and she can teach you. She's not allowed to drive it though. Start that immediately."

"So she's going to be naked in the car while she's teaching me, ma'am?" Anna asked.

"Nine is to remain naked at all times so, yes. We can't allow her to retain ownership of the car, though. How much do you think it's worth, Nine?" she asked me.

"I don't know, ma'am. Maybe $3000?" It was an older car. It was clean and ran well but it had a lot of miles on it and wasn't worth a lot.

"Do you have the title?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Anna will buy it from you for $3000 and you'll transfer the title to her. I know she has more than enough money in the bank for that. We'll deposit the money into your account, Nine."

"But I won't have any access to the money, though, is that right, ma'am?" I asked.

"That's right, Nine. I don't want anyone to claim that we ever stole anything from you. Every dime you are owed will be direct deposited into your account, you just won't be able to touch any of it."

So there it was. I would have no clothes, no money, no possessions, and no control whatsoever over my life. Barbara was doing everything to me that she had once promised she would, but it was happening so much faster than I ever could have dreamed possible. This should have sent me into a state of shock and outrage but instead the thought of it thrilled me. It surprised me how intensely exciting it felt to be forced completely into a submissive lifestyle despite the fact that I also found it very frightening to imagine the future she was describing. Maybe it was exciting because it was so frightening.

I knew now that thinking that all of the controversy and intense pressure on Barbara might deter her in any way from moving forward with her plans had been foolish. She would continue to march forward no matter how strong the headwinds until either everything she desired came to pass or the whole thing blew up in her face. There would be no slowing down or turning back.

"One more thing," Barbara said, indicating we were about to be dismissed. "I assume you know where Martin's Market is, Anna."

"Yes ma'am." It was an independently owned upscale supermarket that was only a few blocks from the condo.

"I've negotiated with Jim Martin, the owner of the store, to allow Nine in there. The two of you will do all your grocery shopping there from now on."

"Nine will be allowed in there naked, ma'am?" Anna asked.

"Absolutely," she said as her lips turned up in a smile. "And over time there will be many more places around town where Nine will be able to go."