Laid and Leveraged (14 page)

Outside
the
door,
Michelle
hesitated.
Would
Roger
be
in
there
waiting
for
her?
And
if
so,
what
kind
of
mood
would
he
be
in?
Fingers
trembling,
she
inserted
the
key
into
the
lock.

A
soft
light
bathed
the
luxurious
suit
and
Michelle
could
hear
the
gravely
voice
of
Billy
Holiday
singing
over
the
radio.
Two
overstuffed
sofas
and
arm
chair
dominated
the
main
room.
The
furniture
was
arranged
in
a
U
shape
facing
an
ornate
fireplace
that
crackled
with
a
freshly
built
fire.
Across
the
room
Michelle
could
see
a
view
of
the
whole
city
through
the
big
windows
leading
to
a
private
balcony.
She
thought
she
could
fit
at
least
three
of
her
apartments
in
just
the
living
area.
A
pair
of
double
doors
led
to
what
she
imagined
would
be
an
equally
opulent
bedroom
and
bath.

She
set
her
purse
down
on
a
nearby
table.
Although
someone
had
obviously
been
there
to
make
the
fire
and
put
the
music
on,
Roger
was
nowhere
to
be
seen.
In
the
middle
of
the
room,
on
a
high
round
table,
Michelle
spotted
a
dozen
long-stemmed
red
roses
resting
in
a
crystal
vase.
When
she
approached,
the
fragrance
of
the
sweet
blossoms
nearly
overwhelmed
her
senses,
sending
her
into
a
spiral
of
luscious
daydreams.
Michelle
fingered
a
note
attached
to
the
flowers.
Sliding
her
finger
under
the
flap
of
the
envelope,
she
withdrew
the
card.

Are
you
truly
capable
of
following
orders?

Michelle
couldn't
refrain
from
feeling
disappointed.
It
was
not
the
love
note
she
had
hoped
for.
It
wasn't
even
signed!
She
turned
the
card
over
just
to
make
sure.
Disgusted,
she
dropped
it
on
the
table.
She'd
done
everything
he
wanted!
What
more
could
he
ask
for?
Sighing,
she
wondered
where
he
could
be.

“
Roger?
”
she
called
out,
but
no
one
answered.
She
headed
to
the
bedroom
and
threw
open
the
door.
An
enormous
four
poster
bed
stood
in
the
center
of
the
room.
On
it
lay
a
small
box,
about
a
foot
in
diameter,
wrapped
in
a
red
satin
bow.
Looking
around,
she
didn't
see
Roger
anywhere.
Finally,
her
curiosity
getting
the
best
of
her,
Michelle
approached
the
bed
and
picked
up
the
box.
It
was
light
weight
and
she
gingerly
slipped
the
ribbon
off.
Lifting
the
lid,
Michelle
spread
the
tissue
paper
aside
and
gasped
at
the
contents.
Inside,
Michelle
found
the
most
beautiful
white
pearl
necklace
she'd
ever
seen.
Each
pearl
shimmered
pink
and
blue
when
held
to
the
light.
Small,
round-cut
diamonds
separated
each
pearl
along
the
chain.
She
held
it
up,
examining
it
closer
with
trembling
fingers.
It
must
have
cost
him
a
fortune!
The
box
held
something
else.
Michelle
pulled
it
out.
At
first
she
thought
the
red
silk
fabric
was
some
kind
of
strange
tie
but
then
Michelle
realized
it
was
a
blind
fold.
At
the
bottom
of
the
box
lay
another
note.

Wear
nothing
but
what
I've
provided
you.

She
looked
around
the
room.
Had
he
provided
her
something
else
to
wear?
Then
realization
dawned
on
Michelle.
She
looked
down
at
the
objects
in
her
hands.
No.
Roger
Hollins
expected
her
to
wear
nothing
but
the
necklace
and
the
blindfold.
But
he
wasn't
even
here
yet!
Surely
he
didn't
mean
now.
She
thought
about
the
first
note.
No,
this
was
a
test
of
some
kind,
to
see
if
she
was
really
capable
of
following
his
lead.
Alright.
She
would
play
his
little
game.

Michelle
slipped
off
her
shoes
and
unzipped
the
dress.
It
slid
to
the
floor,
pooling
around
her
feet.
She
stepped
out
and
unhooked
her
bra.
Last,
she
removed
her
panties.
Fully
nude,
Michelle
placed
the
necklace
around
her
neck.
It
felt
heavy
against
her
naked
flesh.
The
pearls
slipping
down
between
her
cleavage
had
a
titillating
effect.
There
was
only
one
thing
left
to
do.
Michelle
looked
at
the
blindfold
on
the
bed.
Could
she
really
trust
Roger
like
this?
She
chewed
her
lip
in
contemplation.
She
didn't
want
to
trust
Roger
but
damn
it,
she'd
never
had
a
man
who
made
her
feel
so
good,
and
Michelle
wanted
more
than
anything
to
feel
Roger's
strong
hands
on
her
skin
right
now.
She
sighed.
Picking
up
the
blindfold,
Michelle
fastened
it
over
her
head.