Zoe Ch. 02

Leo was drenched in sweat his wrists burned from where the metal of his bindings cut into him. His shoulders stretched back behind his head, ached. How long had he been hung there? he wondered. All around him was darkness yet he was bathed in limelight causing him to squint as he tried to make some sense of his surroundings. His attention cast downwards as the sweat rolled off his toned stomach and made a noise on the floor below. He could just make out that he hung above a varnished hardwood floor.

Suspended naked, ten feet up, Leo felt panicked, the lamp that illuminated him gave off such a heat it was if it were designed to cook him. He twisted left and right in a vain attempt to escape his bonds. Looking up Leo saw the instrument of malice that suspended him so helplessly. A single black metal freight hook stuck out of the darkness, the scraping of his chain against it the only sound that penetrated the deafening stillness of his surroundings. "Hello!" Leo cried to the darkness. No sound replied. As he hung he contemplated, how?... how had he got there? ... Who did this? Fury burned him, his eyes flitted left to right as if ready to pounce on anything foolish enough to allow them to be struck by his gaze.

"Who the fuck! Is responsible for this?!"

As if in response to this outburst the bright light on him subsided slightly and more light filled the room around him, he saw the varnished floor beneath him expand to reveal a large open space. Light spilled off the floor to illuminate a few rows red seats. As his realisation began to dawn he scanned the room for the source of the further illumination and he could see the beams of par cans that flooded the stage beneath him.

A single boom of a drum echoed around the empty theatre, startled, Leo searched the dimly lit environment searching for a source that eluded him. The sound struck again enveloping Leo in fear and with that he heard the faint sound of a large metal slide bolts being unlocked. A thin beam of light could be seen at the back of the theatre, enough light now spilling out for Leo to be able to make out the ornate mahogany balcony giving an impression of a grandiose venue for his torment.

With the third boom of the drum a second spotlight shone stage left illuminating a thick black curtain. From the darkness behind the curtain came a repulsive sight, at first just a head appeared wearing a demonic Hannya mask with red bull like horns and an angry and tormented face. The chain upon the freight hook thrashed violently as the fear in Leo caused him to again fight his restraints, before long though the futility of his situation led him to become still, engrossed at the face that stared out of the black.

The rest of the figure moved out of the darkness toward the stage. With his vision starting to blur and his raised perspective, it made it hard for him to ascertain the size of the masked figure but what was clear was the instrument they carried was not one of pleasure. The long black tassels of the whip stood out against the wood of the stage as they dragged along heavily like a plough struggling against the thick dirt. He heard hushed conversations come from the back of the auditorium but as yet could see no spectators coming to watch the show. What did become clear as the freight hook creaked lowering Leo toward the stage floor was the Hannya was atop a female form, all in black save the white & red of the Hannya itself and a thin red line upon the abdomen. Boom, the drum sounded further and the Hannya lifted her malice high above her head, Leo tensed in preparation for the impending impact across his naked flesh.

'Ten to Two' read the capsized alarm clock that lurched across the fiery sea of Leo's bedroom floor, the hot sun streaking through the open curtains to fill the role of the lamp that usually cast this effect on his room. Leo lurched toward the glass of water placed carefully next to his bed as if expecting it's up most necessity on this bright afternoon. Leo's head thumped like a drum as he gulped down the water.

"Fucking Damien, urgh, fucking shots."

Rising from his slumber he placed his feet on the floor and noticed his erection through his underwear, Leo gasped and immediately shot his right arm to his back as if expecting to feel a fiery red welt. Of course it was not there Leo sighed with relief and shook his head with amused exasperation. As Leo stumbled gradually toward his bathroom he began to try and put the pieces of last night back together.

Almost immediately after his harrowing yet exciting encounter with Zoe, Damien arrived at his office door as usual to lead him into the raucous Friday nightlife of London. Leo remembered Damien's opening remarks and the guilt and fear of discovery that accompanied it "Just saw that Zoe girl down the corridor, gave me right sexy little smile too the dirty slut, she been in here with you?"

"Er, yeah, apparently she's been helping out a girl in my class but that girl just handed some awful shit so I needed to speak to her." Leo half lied in response

"Oh right, well get your shit together it's on it time!" Leo hadn't felt like going out after what had just happened but not doing so would have aroused suspicion and he did enjoy Damien and Mary's company.

The only awkward moment in the night when the conversation lulled Damien asked him how his meeting with Zoe went. Of course that conversation never happened but Leo was quick to gloss over the incident by celebrating the arrival of Heaven 17 through the clubs' tinny sound system, Damien's favorite band despite being only 30. The arrival of temptation caused Damien to lead Leo and Mary to the packed dancefloor. Bodies of strangers grazes against each other as the laughter and energetic dancing was accompanied by the smell of sweat and cheap perfumes. Damien and Mary seemed to revel in it. Leo fondly watched the two of them enjoying themselves, though blurred by the spinning red lights he noticed Damien running his fingers across Mary's chest before gripping her tightly by the waist staring at her intently before releasing her back to the music.

After showering off his nights torments Leo felt his head began to clear apart from the standard blackout in between leaving the bar Mary always dragged them to and getting home anyway "At least I got my clothes off before bed this time." he mused aloud .

Of course his clearing mind just facilitated his thoughts returning to Zoe and the way she dominated and humiliated him in his office. After drinking with Damien and Mary all night this was the first time alone with his thoughts and he seemed tortured with shame and fear, yet equally hopeful that it wouldn't be the last encounter he had with her. He remembered her beauty, her innocent face demented in pleasure, the feel of her soft skin and her smell that enticed him but most of all he thought of the sadistic glint in her bright brown eyes with black lashes that wreathed them like black flames.

As he thought about her he remembered all the times he'd fantasized having the young slight of a girl that she was under his command, but now it seems he was at hers. Used to being a dominant figure, this role reversal confused and intrigued him. Leo had been physically overpowered by her, how the fuck did that happen? She was barely 5ft and couldn't have weighed more than 8st. Leo, though not built like a professional athlete was just shy of 6ft and although slim had a defined muscular physique. He began to think that it was more of a psychological control she had rather than physical.

Trying to take his mind off of this new demon in his life Leo assessed his homestead and criticized its lack of development. He hated the way his living room looked so 'un-lived' in, the high white walls that he thought would make such a great blank canvas when he first viewed the place made it seemed clinical to him. The way his mind lingered backwards and forwards between Zoe's eyes and the dark images of his dreams surrounded by the bright white walls that towered around him made him feel trapped in some kind of asylum. Breaking the monotony on one wall at least hung a large hand carved oak mirror, a moving in present from his parents, so proud that his only son seemed to be making a success of his life. Leo's leather sofa placed under the mirror creaked as Leo lent forward to put on his silver watch and reach for the remote of his large television.

As Leo's finger stretched toward the power switch he was suddenly startled by a loud and irritating noise from his adjoining bedroom. His heart raced in the second it took him to identify the sound and the remote slipped from his fingers clattering the clear white coffee table beneath him. His phone that had obviously been thrown to the floor as he shed his garments in stupor the night before rattled against the floor to signify an incoming message.

Leo entered his room and retrieved his phone that rest on the floor at the foot of his bed. He lay back on his bed with the sun still piercing through the window and warming him with its gaze. Raising an eyebrow at the unknown number he opened the message.

Meet me at Galvin's restaurant on

Baker Street at 8pm this evening.

Do not dare to be late. Zoe.

She had his number, not improbable Leo thought, he was hardly discriminate with who he offered it to. Why she wanted it and why had she summoned him was the far more pertinent question on his mind. For a moment a wave of panic stirred in his guts as if walking along a cliff edge when the wind picks up suddenly. He tried to dismiss it, there was no motive for her to blackmail him, she was already far richer than he was and her work looked more than capable of standing on its own. This logic calmed him but still the fear lingered a while. He thought of deleting the message and ignoring her but he always knew he would not be able to do that. He paced nervously for some ten minutes, pinching his brow in concentration as he stared at the fire of the floor struggling to think of the correct course of action. In the end his curiosity got the better of him and he took out his phone and replied.

Why?

Leo waited for a response staring at the phone, nothing. Four o'clock came, nothing. Four-thirty, nothing. Five o'clock came, two hours since he sent his reply and Zoe had remained silent. His nervousness had caused him to sweat so to take his mind off his situation with Zoe he got undressed and stepped into the shower again, this time with the temperature somewhat cooler. The condensation clouded the clear glass panes of his cubicle and began to fill his modest bathroom with a light fog, just enough to make viewing difficult. Leo crisscrossed his fingers and tugged his short black hair backwards allowing the water unrestricted access to his face. The patter of the water on the tiled floor offered him some comfort until he heard a rumbling noise coming from outside the bathroom.

With A start Leo fumbled with the slippery silver shower door, the water in his eyes temporarily impairing his vision. Leo stopped the shower. He poked his head into the mist. He strained to hear the familiar rumble of his phone against the coffee table. The comparative coolness of the bathroom sent an uncomfortable tingle down his neck. He heard nothing. His impaired vision and the moving mist across his narrow white bathroom made the darker doorway seem imposing and almost bending. Fear choked him in the cold air as he remembered the face that greeted him behind the curtain the night before.

Leo bolted from the cubicle with a sense of panic, his chest tight. As he took the second step towards his escape he slipped on the wet tile. His left foot sliding towards his right caused his full weight to crash on to his left knee producing a loud dull thud that echoed like a drum. With a load grimace Leo sat on the floor looking back the previously imposing door frame, which from his new lower vantage point beneath the mist returned to normal.

Sighing deeply, Leo calmed and composed himself and stood up using the white sink basin as an aid before grabbing a towel and exiting the bathroom.

Leo slumped on his sofa and reached for his phone, hoping that the noise he heard had been some reply from Zoe. As his fingers reached the phone it began to vibrate, in an instant, Leo had the phone to his ear. "Hello" Leo answered with a croak, "Oh, uh, yeah I'm up" Leo replied while thinly veiling his disappointment; "No I can't, um; I'm meeting someone, sorry."

Leo instantly regretted telling Mary he was meeting someone, for he knew it would lead to some pestering about the identity of that someone next week. In that moment Leo had made up his mind. He thought that seeing her in a more public setting may help him make sense of Friday's events and calm his tumultuous thoughts. Thoughts, that again focused on the lewd images of her raising her skirt for him in his office. He thought of her dark eyes. He thought of her message. Don't dare be late.

The light tap upon Baker Street's grey pavement provided the rhythm of Leo's usual confident stride. A stride afforded him by the sharp black suit he donned for this most nerve wracking encounter. Leo was determined to regain control from this aggressor. Leo liked the superiority he felt over the young rabble exiting a fast food outlet on his left. The night was cold, the natural light that had roasted him in his bed had vanished, replaced by the ever appearing and disappearing brightness from the thin black street lamps that lined the pavement. As Leo walked past the wiry trees getting closer to his destination the determination and confidence in his stomach began to sink, slowly and uneasily. As he advanced on the restaurant the first he saw of it was a thin canopy protruding from the building, sheltering a small and deserted alfresco eating area. He checked his watch. Seven fifty-three.

Leo waited at the maître-d' table to be seated. Glancing around he took in the environment; on his immediate left were a row of window seats, directly in front of him were a couple of hardwood steps that led down to the main seating area, populated with tables of various sizes all adorned in long white table cloths. Looking to his right above the maître-d table he could see the colourful reflections of the various bottles of spirits that rested in front of a long mirror behind an elevated bar. He thought they seemed very quiet for a Saturday night with only three tables hosting guests as he waited.

On the raised tables to his left were a young couple looking in to each other's eyes smiling, an anniversary or birthday Leo surmised. In the lower area one table was populated with a table of men, chatting and laughing heartily over bottled beer awaiting their food. The last table at which Leo could see anyone seated was against what appeared to be a partition wall toward the back of the restaurant, another couple, though these older patrons cast a very different picture to the happy couple in the window. They stared at their food eating slowly as if bored by their evening out. Leo was certain he would not suffer their fate this evening. The flitting of his eyes searched for Zoe thinking she may be hidden in some dark corner. She was not there. Zoe was yet to make her entrance he was sure.

After what had felt like an age but in reality was no more than a minute the waiter started to approach Leo from the back of the restaurant. Getting closer this man of around fifty, slightly rotund and dressed in a simple black tuxedo with a white bow tie gave a curt smile. The kind of smile that is forced out of courtesy as opposed to any real warmth or welcome. The waiter looked down his long nose at Leo and asked "yes sir?"

"Table for two." Leo replied after a pause, mirroring the waiter's indifference.

Leo was led to a small table in the far back corner. The table Leo would have picked himself if given the choice as it was the farthest away from the bar and other diners. The waiter though pulled out the chair for Leo to sit facing away from the dining area and most importantly for Leo away from the door. Leo sat all the same. "Bourbon, with Ice." he ordered in an attempt to calm himself. Leo's neck strained to the left, planning on keeping that door in his sight at all times. Seven fifty-five. The waiter delivered his drink promptly and as he took a drink he flashed his eyes back to the door as he realised he'd let his focus wander a second. Still no movement at the door. He watched intently. So intently that the sound of thin heels on the tile floor blended with the background noise of the restaurant.

"Hello Leo" came the soft familiar voice from an unexpected direction. "Glad to see you follow instruction so well." As he looked up at her slowly having been caught off guard he could only manage a slightly hoarse "Hi." His attempt at a casual smile had failed to mask his discomfort. As she stepped toward the chair opposite Leo observed her short cream dress that was both sophisticated yet somehow subtly whorish. The hem sat tight against her thighs before protruding with a slight rippled effect at her hips. Her thin waist was highlighted by a thin gold metallic belt. The collar zipped down her chest but stopped before showing any real cleavage from her modest yet proportioned breasts.

"You look uncomfortable Leo" Zoe stated with a smile.

"On the contrary, the padding on this chair is quite sufficient, thank you." He retorted in an attempt to gain control of the conversation. Zoe responded with a sarcastic chuckle as the pointy faced waiter arrived and placed a colorful cocktail in front of her. "I came because I wanted to address the professionalism in our relationship..." Leo continued.

"Hmm, curious, that's not why I think you came" Zoe interjected.

"Zoe, our behavior was totally unacceptable. I want to keep on teaching you but that's it." Zoe interrupted him with laughter "what's so funny?" Leo asked feeling frustrated and quite belittled.

"It's so sweet you still think there's anything you can teach me; and you say our behavior was unacceptable, I think you found my behavior at least quite agreeable." Zoe said with a wicked smile as she brought the drink that matched a red lips to her mouth.

Leo felt embarrassed as Zoe forced him to think of the visions of his office hour. His resolve was weakened. "Let me tell you why you're really here as you seem too much of a pussy to admit it" she continued and stared at him in the same way as she did when he looked down upon her in the lecture hall. "You're here because you want to fuck me."

"Zoe..." Leo tried to hinder her flow but she ignored and pressed on slowly and deliberately;

"You want to lift up this skirt, pull my knickers aside and sink your cock in to my tight little cunt."

Leo sat silent stunned by the brazen words of this girl who once again began to assert her dominance over him. Leo felt his arousal growing at the way her bright eyes with dark lashes stared at him as she spoke this coarse language. "Unfortunately Sir" she mocked "you're a long way from earning that kind of privilege." Leo was confused, aroused and encouraged at the same time. His plan to restore normality with her was failing fast and instinctively he wondered what he would have to do earn that right. As Leo stewed on his thoughts he was surprised that Zoe allowed the silence, she just sat there as Leo struggled to form some response. Zoe nonchalantly sipped her drink as Leo downed the last of his and stared down at the table seemingly afraid to look up at her. The pointy faced waiter returned to break the tension somewhat and offer Leo another drink which he gratefully accepted.

Casually Zoe asked "Did you ever watch that film the Matrix Leo?" he looked up at her with a frown, small talk after that? He thought.