Your Master Requires Your Attendance

Your Master Requires Your Attendance

In the Elevator

She wouldn't tolerate it any more, Laura told herself as the penthouse elevator doors closed. Frank could be so stubborn and infuriating at times, but this was too much. She loved him more than life itself and would do anything for him, but he had to respect her need for her own space and time. Tonight it had come to a head, first his smug declaration that she would attend the party with him, then his refusal to let her stay home after she had pleaded with him to let her finish talking with her friends on the Internet. The party was some kind of retirement dinner for one of Frank's co-workers and a long-time friend of his. She knew it was going to be dull and didn't want to go. He had simply turned off the computer and told her to get ready.

If he won't listen to me, then he can talk to the walls instead, she told herself. She got dressed, but didn't stop there. Some clothes in an overnight bag and out the door she went, not even stopping to tell him she was leaving or where she was going. She needed a few days to cool down. Maybe those few days would teach him to appreciate her more as well. She punched the garage button on the elevator panel. There were friends she could stay with, or maybe she'd just spend some time at one of the ski resorts up in the mountains. That would be a nice change, some beautiful scenery outside and maybe flirting with those good looking ski bums at the lodge would improve her disposition.

She got in and the elevator started down. Frank did treat her right in most ways. They had a luxurious penthouse apartment for the two of them, her own little sports car to get around town, and no need to work. She knew her friends envied her. Her life was good, a successful husband who provided for her and took care of all the problems, plenty of time during the day to pursue her own interests, and when he got home after work she got all the attention she could ever want. Except tonight the attention was too much. She did like the way he was so confident and self-assured, but his casual assumption she would drop everything to go to that stupid party somehow got to her tonight. Any other time she would have been happy to go, but she had been so engrossed in the online gossip with her own friends she didn't want to stop. One time he could have gone alone. Laura smiled, tonight would be one of those times.

She watched the floor numbers count down. Her car was parked in the garage in the basement. She tried to remember if there was enough gas to get to the mountains. Maybe it would be better to spend the night at Samantha's townhouse, and then she could drive out to one of the ski lodges in the morning. Sammie even had some skis she could borrow. She could come back Sunday night. By then Frank would have calmed down and she could explain to him the changes she wanted to make.

The first floor went by on the counter as the elevator slowed. Laura picked up the overnight bag as the elevator car stopped, " Garage " displaying on the panel. She stood in front of the door, but it didn't open. Puzzled, she pushed the " Open Door " button, but nothing happened. Frowning, she pushed the door button several times. Great, she thought to herself, someone must have blocked the garage door. There was an entrance to the garage down the stairway from the building lobby. She stepped back and pushed the " Lobby " button. Nothing happened. The display remained on " Garage " and the car didn't move.

Beginning to worry, Laura pushed several buttons on the panel. All to no effect; the car remained motionless, the door closed. She tried to open the elevator doors but couldn't budge them. The elevator must be stuck, she thought. There was a button marked " Emergency " on the panel. Deciding this qualified, she opened the cover and pushed the red button. Again there was nothing, no sound, and no change in the display. She called out in a loud voice, thinking there might be a link to the building superintendent's office. Then she realized that would be futile as the super's office closed at 6pm. If there was a microphone it would make no difference as there was no one to hear her.

Laura took a deep breath. Now is not the time for blind panic , she scolded herself, think . The cell phone! She laughed at herself and reached into her purse. Frank had insisted she always carry one in case something happened. All she had to do was call 911 and tell them she was stuck in the elevator. She pulled out the phone and turned it on. She started to dial, then noticed the display. No connection. She cursed; the elevator shaft must be blocking the radio signal. She dropped the now useless phone back in her purse. Once again she pushed buttons randomly on the panel, and then in frustration tried without success both the door and alarm buttons one more time.

Nothing happened. And nothing left for her to do. In the movies passengers always crawled out of the top hatch, but looking up proved she had no way to reach it, and no idea what she would do if she did get on the roof of the car. Taking stock, she didn't have too much to worry about. The car was at the bottom of the shaft so it wasn't going to fall. Sooner or later someone else would try to use the same elevator, and then they would find out it was broken. The only question was how long. Given the time of night it could be hours before anyone noticed. And hours more before anyone came to fix it. Laura sat down on the carpeted floor, arms wrapped around her legs and chin on her knees. It looked like a long night ahead.

Boredom set in rapidly. She rummaged through her purse, more to have something to do than in any hopes of finding some miracle tool to fix the elevator. There was half a candy bar, which she proceeded to finish. She shifted her position to sit by the door, thinking she could call out if she heard anyone approach the door. Tomorrow this would be quite an adventure to tell her friends about, but at the moment it wasn't so exciting. She leaned back against the side of the car and closed her eyes. Maybe she had been hasty about walking out on Frank.

Frank and the party! He would be coming down soon to go to that party. He was sure to notice the elevator was broke. She wouldn't have to sit here all night after all. Unless he didn't go , she thought, unless he was so upset she had left that he stayed home . No, he wouldn't be upset. Frank never lost his temper. She couldn't remember the last time he had been cross or angry. That was part of his attraction. He was always calm and level-headed. Like the Rock of Gibraltar, she thought, solid and reliable. He was always there for her, taking charge, solving the problems, getting things done. No matter what the situation he had a plan, and he saw to it she knew exactly what to do. She liked that too, no guessing. He would tell her what they were going to do, and then describe what he expected from her. She smiled. Once he found out the elevator was broken he would know what to do. All she had to do was wait.

She stood up to stretch her legs. She caught herself instinctively brushing off and straightening her skirt. Frank liked her in skirts, and reminded her of it almost daily. At first she had varied her wardrobe, but seeing how disappointed he was when she wore anything else had its influence. Virtually everything in her closet was now some kind of blouse and skirt combination. She had figured it was a typical male thing, that he liked to look at her legs, but he surprised her when he didn't want dresses either. Sometimes she didn't understand him at all, but thinking about it now she had to admit she liked it too. She saw how he noticed, the sweep of his eyes every night when he came in the door. That fleeting smile of approval became important to her, though she couldn't explain why. He had never complained those times she had on something else, but the disappointment on his face had been plain.

How long had she been in the elevator? She didn't wear a watch, something else she had changed for Frank. One night in bed the subject of jewelry had come up, motivated by her curiosity as to what he liked. To her surprise he had been very negative about wristwatches. She did have some, sitting in a box on her dresser, for those occasions she needed it but she hadn't thought to pick one up on her way out. Laura sat down again, resigned to a long stay. Just her luck the elevator would break down on tonight of all nights. By the time someone fixed it Frank would be waiting for her. So much for my weekend at the ski resort . Even so, they were going to have a long talk. And this time he would do the listening.

Several times Laura stood up, walked around, and then sat back down. Good thing she wasn't susceptible to claustrophobia. She couldn't even stretch her arms out all the way without touching the sides. She was back in her sitting position, this time facing the door, when the lights suddenly went out. No matter how bad, it can always get worse, she thought ruefully. No flashlight in her purse either. She sat in the pitch black dark, no hint of light anywhere. Add fear of the dark to claustrophobia, she laughed out loud. Then the lights suddenly came back on, accompanied by a beep from the panel. Laura stood up, hoping something had changed. Looking up, she noticed the display panel now said " Ready ". With some trepidation she pressed the " Door Open" button. No luck, the door remained closed. Next she tried the first floor. The display changed and the car began moving up.

Laura was overjoyed. Fixed! And maybe she still had time to get to Sammie's place after all, if Frank hadn't discovered she was in the elevator. The car stopped at the lobby and the door opened. Laura cautiously looked out but no one was in sight. Quickly she grabbed her bag and stepped out before the door closed again. She definitely didn't want to repeat that experience anytime soon. The lobby wall clock showed about three hours had elapsed. Not bad, her plans weren't ruined after all. She walked to the garage stairway door at the end of the lobby.

She hadn't tried the stairway in quite a while. About a year ago they had used it once while the elevator was being tested by some inspectors. She opened the door and looked in. Down a flight of stairs and the door to the garage would be at the bottom. She slung her purse over one shoulder, held her bag in one hand and onto the railing with the other as she descended. At the bottom there were some cardboard boxes stacked under the stairs and by the door, but she had enough room to get to the door.

Get the car, stop at Sammie's for the night, and the ski lodge in the morning after breakfast. Maybe Sammie would come along; the two of them would have some fun. She opened the garage door and stood frozen in shock at the sight of Frank in front of her. Two police officers stood on either side, a man and a woman. "Frank! I've been trapped in the elevator for three hours and just got out. What's going on…" she started to ask him as she noticed the police.

"That's her," Frank said, gesturing toward Laura. The police moved quickly, grabbing Laura's arms and turning her around, forcing her against the open garage door. The man jerked her arms behind her as the female officer locked handcuffs on Laura's wrists.

"Frank?! What are they doing? Why are they arresting me?" Laura cried out as the woman police office started to search her.

"It isn't an arrest Laura, you haven't broken any laws. The elevator wasn't broke. I stopped it, until I could make the arrangements for you. You shouldn't have run away. I won't tolerate that. I regret having to do this, but it's necessary. These people are going to take you to a place where you will learn not to do things like that again. I didn't want this, but you've left me no choice." Frank's voice had the sound of sadness and vast disappointment in it. Laura could see the sorrow on his face. What was he doing?

Finished with the search, the woman officer held the door open while the larger man grabbed her arm and forced her out into the garage, past Frank. Laura turned back to look at him as they went past. "Frank, what are you talking about? Where are they taking me? I don't understand, why the police? What did I do?" Laura was afraid and confused. Everything was happening so quickly.

"You are going to a school. I hope you will learn something about yourself there. These officers are going to make sure you arrive safely. Do what you are told Laura, and nothing bad will happen." Frank turned away and went into the stairwell, picking up her purse and overnight bag before closing the door behind him.

"Frank! Frank! Don't leave me!" She pleaded to his back, to no effect as the door closed. The man's grip on her arm was like steel, holding her in place as she tried to turn and run after Frank. Laura struggled with the handcuffs, but she was helpless. A van pulled up, driven by the female officer. " State Department of Corrections" read the lettering on the side.

The driver got out and opened the side door. Inside was a heavy gauge wire mesh screen enclosing the rear seats. The woman unlocked the screen door and held it open as the male officer forced Laura into the rear seat. The back of the seat had a cutout portion so she could lean back with her hands behind her. He fastened a seat belt with a shoulder strap around her waist. Unable to reach the seat belt buckle Laura couldn't free herself.

The man stepped back as the female officer leaned in. She reached behind the seat for something, then fastened a larger version of handcuffs around Laura's ankles, passing the chain through a large steel loop on the floorboard. Looking down Laura could see her legs securely locked in place. She had some movement but couldn't get out of the back seat now, even if her hands were freed and the door open.

One small kindness, the woman pulled out and straightened Laura's skirt where it had ridden up when she sat down. Then she closed the cage door, locked it, and shut the van door. As the man got in the driver's side the woman officer opened the passenger side in front. He started the engine and drove toward the garage entrance. The woman next to him turned around and looked at Laura through the screen separating front and back.

"Listen to me," she said in a gruff voice. Laura turned to her. "This is how it is. The van is real, and so are we. Our day job is to transport dangerous high risk criminals between jails or prisons. We are very good at it; not a single one has escaped. You are not going to be the first.

"As far as anyone knows you are one more prisoner being extradited to another state. We even have paperwork here with your name on it. No one is going to stop us or ask questions. If you start yelling or screaming, give us any kind of grief, then you get one of these little toys to wear for the rest of the trip." She held up a large leather strap with a rubber ball fastened in the middle. "They make very effective gags, in case you don't know what it is. Not very pleasant to wear, so think about it before you decide to make trouble. I guarantee you I can get it in your mouth no matter what you do. I've had lots of practice. Keep that in mind too.

"We are not going to stop. We are not going to let you go. We are not going to take off the cuffs, so live with it. We will not answer questions either, nor are we interested in your sorry tale of woe, so keep it to yourself. When you arrive at your destination you will be told what you need to know, when you need to know it. Till then sit back, keep quiet, and we'll all have a nice drive."

Laura stared at the gag, frightened at the prospect of being forced to wear it. What had Frank done to her? She pulled at the handcuffs but couldn't slip them off. It was obvious to her the corrections officers were professionals and she wasn't going to go anywhere but where they decided to take her. Frank had said the elevator was stopped by him. He must have seen her leave and realized what she was doing. Somehow he was able to control the penthouse elevator. He had left her trapped there while he called these people to pick her up, but where was the destination?

She was scared, of what would happen to her, and of the man who could do this. Frank was a powerful and influential man, but she had no idea he had the means to abduct her. She began to realize how much she had underestimated him. Part of his attraction was the aura of power and influence she sensed in him, but she never thought it would be turned against her. Her mind was in turmoil, but there was a strange sort of thrill to all this. She didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but in a small corner of her mind was a fascination with the idea of being carried off, helpless, to some unknown place.

She shifted her legs, moving her feet around until they were brought up short as the shackles took hold. She looked down at the floor, seeing the gleaming rings around her bare ankles. There was a small keyhole on each one. Reaching with her fingers, she could feel the keyholes on the handcuffs around her wrists too. All she needed was the key. She looked up at the woman in the front seat, who was still watching her. No, no point in asking, Laura told herself.

She leaned back, trying to give herself more room to move her arms around. The woman was now facing forwards, apparently satisfied Laura wasn't going to be difficult. The view out the front windshield was of city streets going by, followed by a freeway ramp as they headed out of town. There were no side or rear windows so she had to be content with the partially obscured sights through the wire screen.

Laura closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. The shock of being arrested, handcuffed, and now shackled in the rear of a police van still hadn't worn off. This was something that happened on the news, to other people in a different town. Not to her. It's not a real arrest, she reminded herself, I didn't break any laws. That didn't make the handcuffs any less real though. Once again she tested them. It was a futile gesture; her hands would stay locked behind her back until someone released them.

She wanted to fight them, resist any way she could, but they had moved so fast and been so well prepared she had no chance at all. Now that she was in the van she had no hope of escape. Merely the threat of that gag had intimidated her into silence. They had every possibility covered; even if she could somehow signal for help no one would pay attention to a prisoner in custody. As the van drove though the nearly deserted night time streets she told herself the only choice she had was reluctant cooperation, until a better opportunity presented itself.

A Phone Call

Cathy looked up from her magazine as the phone rang. She watched as Robert answered it and began talking. She looked a question at him to see if he needed anything. Seeing her gesture he shook his head. She went back to reading, unconsciously touching the ring of steel around her neck. The magazine article was interesting, a commentary on the apparent rise of what the author called "traditional marriages". Cathy smiled as she thought, if this woman only knew just how traditional it could be.

She and Robert had been together for several years and were now in the second year of making it official with marriage. He was a good husband and even better as her master. She wondered what that author would think of their marriage, especially if the part about Cathy being owned came out. Or the time when he had sent her to that school. Outrage and horror would be the most likely result, followed later by curiosity.

Robert finished and hung up the phone. As he turned back to Cathy she saw the odd expression on his face. She knew that look; he was making a tough choice, one she probably wouldn't like. She put down the magazine and looked up at him. "Who was that on the phone?" she asked. She knew it helped for him to talk through his reasoning at times like this, so she gave him an opening to start.

He sat down in the chair across from her and took her hands in his. Oh oh, Cathy thought, this isn't going to be good news.

"It was a call from someone I've known for many years, Frank Ferren. We aren't close friends but we've worked together in the past and often cross paths. He called because he needs my help, and a big favor, right away. Our help to be precise." He paused for a moment, thinking. She waited patiently, letting him sort out what he was going to tell her.

Holding her hands he looked directly into her eyes. "This isn't easy for me Cathy, but I'm going to ask you to go back to the school."

Cathy's eyes went wide in shock. She knew he could only mean one particular school, the one where he had sent her two years ago. What had she done to bring him to this? Her heart sunk into despair, somehow she had failed him. "Master, I'm sorry for whatever I did. Please, tell me and it won't ever happen again. I can do better if you help…" She stopped as Robert held up a hand.

"No Cathy, it's nothing you did. You aren't being sent there as a punishment or for any type of correction." She heard the sincerity in his voice, and the strain that told her this was not easy for him. She looked at him, puzzled as to what was going on. What other reason could there be to send her back?

"It has to do with Frank's call. His wife tried to walk out on him. He didn't allow it, and is sending her to the school. He is worried about her though, not sure how she will handle the upset of being thrown into an environment like that. He wants someone to be there to help her adjust. He asked me if you could be that someone."

Cathy sat back, surprised at the request. She had made it through the school that last time, but it wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat. "Master, is it important to you that I do this?" she asked him. That was the deciding question. If he thought it was necessary, she would go. Not that she was going to refuse. Cathy had an uneasy feeling that he had already decided to send her and was trying to justify it to himself as much as to her.

"Yes it is important. I owe Frank a lot, for some things he's helped me with in the past. He's a decent guy, someone I respect for his honesty and integrity. I know he wouldn't have called unless he was desperate. I want you to go, to do whatever you can to help her. Her name is Laura, by the way. And Cathy, I would never ask you to do something like this unless there was no other way."

That settled the matter for Cathy. She was heading for the school once again. On better terms in some respects, but she also knew what it was going to be like. "Will you come to see me?" The worst had been the loneliness, being forcibly separated from him for so long.

He stood and drew her up to him, then put his arms around her. "Of course I will. And bring you home again, as soon as I can. One thing, no one must know the real reason you are there. The school Director knows, as well as Frank and I, but no one else. If anyone asks, you are being sent back for a bad attitude, okay? Frank asked the Director to admit someone to help his Laura. The Director agreed, primarily in recognition for all Frank has done, but that was the condition to get you in. The Director will see to it you have the opportunity to help Laura, but in all other respects your status will have to be the same as everyone else."

"I understand. When do I leave?" She started to think of what she needed to do around the house first.

He grimaced, more bad news. "In about half an hour. They just picked up Laura and are on the way here now. That way you can be with her right from the start. The next few hours are going to be especially hard for her, but you know that."

Thirty minutes? Cathy thought it would be a few days. She had to get ready, pack and…no, she thought, one thing I don't have to do is pack. Where there any loose ends to take care of? "Master, I was supposed to have lunch with Lori tomorrow. Can you call her and explain I can't make it? Umm, I'm not sure what reason to give; I guess you will have to come up with something. I can't think of anything else that's important, but you will know where to find me." She smiled, trying to make this as easy as possible for him. He didn't say it, but she could tell it was bothering him. His reluctance was real, and in an ironic twist that was reassuring to Cathy, for it confirmed that she hadn't brought it on herself.

He took her face in his hands. "I wouldn't do this if I had any other options. I love you Cathy, don't ever forget it. I promise you this, I will come for you, just as I did the last time. I can't tell you how long this will last, but never doubt that it will end. There will be a day you are back here in our home once again." He kissed her, then held her close, his strong arms holding her in a tight embrace.

She melted against him. This man was her whole world. Whatever he wanted she gave him, and gladly, with all her heart. She didn't need to think about it. Once again they would be separated, but it was for a good cause. Still, she didn't look forward to the unforgiving conditions. In retrospect she had come to understand the reasons for the isolation, the regimented routine and strict adherence to rules. No question it was effective, she was living proof of that.

For the next half an hour they sat together, talking quietly. She knew he was doing it in part to keep her from brooding over her departure. She welcomed the distraction, treasuring the few moments they still had. The lights of the van turning into the driveway came all too soon.