Confessions of a Mailgirl Ch. 12

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."

REALITY STRIKES

I followed Anna out of Barbara's office. Since we had no immediate orders we began walking toward the ninth floor Mailgirls mat. "Wow Anna," I began to say. "I don't know how we're..." Anna halted and spun around to face me.

"That's not how you address me, Nine," she said sharply.

I stood there momentarily stunned. "Um, we're at work now as mailgirls, Anna. We're equals here."

"No we're not, Nine," Anna replied. "You heard Barbara. We're not pretending or playacting any more. This is real. You're beneath me now all the time. You agreed to it so I'm not going to let you break the rules and then have to lie to Barbara about it. She'll know."

I started to open my mouth to respond but I recognized the look of stubborn resolve on Anna's face. It was the same look I'd seen after we'd first met as I tried to talk her out of wanting to become a mailgirl. I'd seen that look at other times since then and I knew that once Anna made up her mind about something she was almost impossible to sway. I lowered my gaze. "Yes, ma'am," I said to her. "I'm sorry."

Anna nodded. "Okay," she replied. "But I'm going to have to punish you now when we get home."

I glanced up briefly into her face searching for a sign that she was joking but there was none. I lowered my eyes again. "Yes, ma'am."

The MMU on Anna's arm lit up with a pickup order. She glanced at it, then turned and took off for the stairwell leaving me standing alone in the middle of the ninth floor of the tower surrounded by men and women in expensive power suits and designer dresses. My nudity, the numbers inked on my skin, and now the collar attached to my neck left no doubt about my status among these people. I slowly made my way past them toward the Mailgirls mat where I assumed my subservient kneeling position, waiting for new orders.

I looked up and caught a woman at a nearby desk staring at me. She smirked and shook her head as our eyes met, then returned to her work. I lowered my head in shame wondering how I would react if our roles were reversed, if I was the well-dressed employee and she was a naked mailgirl. I'd probably have the same feelings of contempt for her as she felt for me.

As I knelt there Anna's words kept running through my head. We're not pretending or playacting any more. This is real. For the first time I think I really understood that, understood what I'd gotten myself into. This had always been something of a game to me until now, a phase in my life where I'd explore my fantasies after which I'd return to the real world. I'd still been thinking of it that way even just a few minutes ago in Barbara's office when I quickly accepted all of the new restrictions that she was imposing on me. But now I was finally beginning to understand the truth: Barbara had every intention of turning me into her slave. Permanently.

I thought about the story that Barbara had told me about her Psych study involving students acting as prison guards and prisoners. It was obvious that she was now running a real life version of that with Anna acting as the prison guard and me as the prisoner. I'm sure Barbara believed that we would both soon begin internalizing these roles and if my interaction with Anna just now was any indication she was right.

Although Barbara had initially been dishonest and deceptive in luring me into the Mailgirls program she'd been remarkably honest with me once I'd become entrapped. She had told me in vivid detail exactly what she had planned for me, how she was going to strip me of my clothes, my name, my possessions, and fit me with a slave collar that told the world that I belonged to her. At first it had seemed so implausible but now it was all coming to pass and was happening far faster than I ever could have imagined. It was no longer some abstract fantasy from a distant future, it was happening right now. Anna was merely my surrogate master for now. It was only a matter of time before Barbara took her place.

What had always sustained me before was the belief that once my two year contract was up I would be free. I could continue on with the game if I wanted or I could leave, but either way I'd no longer be under contractual constraints to prevent me from controlling my fate. But Barbara had also told me that I would sign another contract after this one expired and then after that she would need no more contracts to keep me bound to her. I don't know how she planned to do it but I knew now that if I remained on the path I was on she would make that happen. After seeing how quickly she had accomplished everything else I'd be a fool to believe otherwise. My window for escaping this fate was closing rapidly and it might shut completely later today once my ID cards and bank cards were locked up out of my reach.

What I should do, I told myself, is grab my credit cards, drivers license and passport when I get back to the condo, put on some of Anna's clothes, then get into my car and drive far, far away. But could I do that? And then what? Spend years trying to pay off the burdensome debt from having broken my contract? And what company would ever hire me now as a prospective management candidate after having spent the last six months as a naked delivery girl? There were dozens, if not hundreds, of nude photos of me as a mailgirl floating around the internet now that would never go away. The MBA I'd worked so long and hard to earn wasn't worth the paper it was printed on any more.

I felt the weight of the collar around my neck. Although it wasn't constrictive I was suddenly having trouble breathing and had to fight off the urge to try to tear it off of my neck. I remembered Kelly's panic attack in Barbara's office and wondered if that's what was happening to me now. I closed my eyes and began to take deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself. What finally saved me was the vibration of the MMU on my arm alerting me to a pickup order.

I had a pickup on the third floor. Express delivery, of course, which meant I had little time to get there. I leapt to my feet and began jogging toward the stairwell, then down the stairs. The movement helped me get my head back into a familiar place as I felt the stairs beneath my bare feet and my breasts bouncing with each step as my mind focused on the path ahead of me.

For the next thirty minutes or so I went from one delivery order to another, moving throughout the DDE complex from wing to wing, department to department, delivering the mail. I entered a zone where the only thing that mattered was the next step, the next deadline, the next delivery order. It was at some point during this run that I realized again that, despite everything, I actually liked the job. The excitement of being nude in such a public place and in front of so many people had not diminished over time and my body felt like a well-tuned machine. On top of that my ability to focus on the task at hand had never been better. I'd always thought before becoming a mailgirl that I was a hard worker but looking back now it struck me just how much of my work day was spent texting on my cell phone, reading Facebook, surfing the web, or gabbing and gossiping with my co-workers. As a mailgirl all of that had been stripped away and I was left with only my duties and, literally, the bare essentials required to accomplish them. I guess there's a kind of zen in that type of simplicity.

If not for everything else surrounding it I might have been quite content to continue indefinitely as a mailgirl. It was only after I finally got a break between pickup orders that all my previous worries flooded back in.

As I was walking toward the Mailgirls mat on the second floor of the south wing I saw a Japanese technician on a ladder working on one of the sensors that were used to track our movements. One of the stipulations of the contract with Hiromoto Industries was that only Hiromoto techs were allowed to work on the equipment for proprietary reasons. I had seen this particular man before but had never talked to him and didn't know his name. An idea suddenly came to me and I walked over to where he was working. "Excuse me, sir," I said to him as he turned to look down on me. "Is it possible for you to put me in touch with Mariko Isakawa?"

The man turned and returned to his work and I wasn't sure if he understood me or even spoke English. "Yes," he said finally as he continued to work on the sensor.

"When can you do it, sir?" I asked.

"Go," he replied. "I will summon you when it is time."

MARIKO

I continued making deliveries but my mind kept returning to that Hiromoto tech. What had possessed me to talk to him? I knew I'd get into big trouble with Barbara if she found out, but it had been months since I'd spoken to Mariko and I felt the sudden desire to reach out to her and ask if she could help me get out of Barbara's trap if things got out of hand.

It was late afternoon and nearing the end of my shift when I got a summons via my MMU for a pickup in the east wing. It was an area of the complex that rarely used mailgirls and I'd never been to this particular office before. I had a feeling I knew who was summoning me and my nerves began to rise as I made the long journey there from the tower.

As I entered the office my suspicions were confirmed as I saw the Hiromoto tech I'd talked to earlier standing there with a cellphone in his hand. "Close the door," he ordered brusquely and I complied. He spoke a few words of Japanese into the phone then handed it to me.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Danica! I am so pleased to hear from you." I recognized Mariko's voice immediately. "I understand you wish to speak to me?"

"Yes, I um..." I stopped speaking as I looked at the Hiromoto tech standing in the room staring at me. Mariko sensed my hesitancy.

"You may speak freely in front of Hideki," she said to me. "He is loyal to me and can be trusted to keep our conversation private."

"Okay. I'm so glad I got ahold of you, Mariko. There's so much that has happened since we last talked and I, um...I don't know what to do!"

"Please tell me everything, Danica. I will help if I can."

The floodgates opened now and I told her everything that had happened over the previous months. I told her about the whippings, the quid pro quo session, the stage presentation with me as the naked prop, Anna, the condo, the constant enforced nudity away from work, and the web that Barbara had been slowly weaving around every aspect of my life.

Mariko remained silent for a few moments after I'd finished before she spoke. "Danica, I must tell you that you should leave there immediately. Go to the condo and retrieve your belongings. You should leave and do not return."

"Mariko, I can't get into the condo without Anna."

"Then after work return with her to the condo. Do not allow her to lock up your passport and your bank cards. It will be much more difficult for you to escape if you do."

I felt my heart thumping heavily in my chest. "Do you really think it's that bad, Mariko? If I quit now I'll owe so much money. And I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not so sure that I don't want to be her naked slave, at least for awhile."

"I understand having those feelings, Danica," Mariko said to me. "I also have those kinds of feelings. However, my arrangement with Mr. Hiromoto allows me to leave at any time if I choose. I believe it is Barbara's intention that you never be allowed to leave. That is what she has told Mr. Hiromoto."

"She has?" I responded, surprised that Barbara had been revealing her plans for me with Hiromoto.

"Yes," Mariko replied. "She has told him that one day she will be able to openly own you as a naked slave. Mr. Hiromoto found that very amusing. He did not believe that such a thing would be possible in America. Barbara assured him that she has a plan to make it happen."

I should have been shocked by this but I wasn't. Barbara had pretty much told me the same thing. What frightened me was her absolute confidence that she could make it happen. "Barbara told me that after this contract expires I would sign another one. She seems certain that it will happen, although I don't know why."

"I would not underestimate her," Mariko said.

I let out a short humorless laugh. "Believe me, Mariko, I don't. But what about this lawsuit against DDE? Do you think the courts will rule that our contracts are invalid?"

"That lawsuit will go away, Danica. Mr. Hiromoto will take steps to ensure that it does not interfere with his business interests in America." How in the hell was he going to do that, I wondered. Bribe the girl bringing the suit? Threaten her? I probably didn't want to know. What I did know was that Hiromoto was a dangerous and powerful man and what Mariko was telling me was true.

"Okay then, if somehow she forces me to sign another contract is there something you can do to intervene?"

Mariko was silent for a few moments. "I can not," she said. "Mr. Hiromoto has taken a personal interest in the DDE arrangement and Barbara Anderson. He is fascinated by her. Only Mr. Hiromoto would be able to intervene to help you. However, I do believe he could be convinced to help."

"You want me to convince Hiromoto to help me? Why would he ever do that?"

"You must offer him something of value. As I have said, Mr. Hiromoto does nothing without receiving something in return."

"What the hell could I ever offer Hiromoto? You want me to fly to Tokyo and fuck him? Let him whip me?"

"Of course not," Mariko replied.

"Then what?"

"Mr. Hiromoto values information."

"Mariko, what kind of information could I give him that he would care about. I'm just a mailgirl."

"Yes," she said, "you are a mailgirl. No one sees or hears more than the lowly mailgirl. She goes everywhere and is seen by all, yet remains invisible. She is not worthy of hiding secrets from." This was the second time that Mariko had told me this and I now understood the truth of it. I'd been everywhere in the DDE complex, from the executive lounge on the tenth floor of the tower to the production floor of Gangsta to the accounting offices in the south wing. Over the past six months I had seen and heard many things.