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Done Deal
Luisa stared at the piece of paper on the counter. The pen was still in her hand, resting on the line where she had added her signature underneath Kurt's. I signed it , she told herself, I really did it . She carefully put down the pen and slid the agreement toward the clerk.
Kurt put a reassuring arm around her waist. She looked up at him as she leaned into his embrace. Out of the corner of her eye she could see his other hand resting on the box on the counter. She knew what was in it; he'd shown it to her that fateful day in his office.
That day she would never forget. Her world had turned upside down when Kurt forced her to confront her own feelings, for him and for what the Island represented, for what the object in that box meant to her. Now here she was, signing away her life for the next year to a man she hadn't even known before arriving on the Island.
The records clerk finished whatever she had been saying and handed Kurt a laminated card with a picture on it. Luisa wasn't listening. What happened to me , she wondered, how did I wind up falling in love with a man I should despise? Kurt held up the card so she could read it. Her travel card, with her picture and her real name printed on it. He had insisted she drop the pretense of the undercover reporter and use her actual name from now on. He dropped the card in his shirt pocket.
Will he ever let me use it , she wondered? That card represented about as much freedom as she could hope for, but only if he chose to allow it. For the next year she would have to depend on Kurt to give her permission to leave their apartment. Without that card she couldn't even walk out the front door on her own.
The woman on the other side of the counter was telling Kurt about bank cards. I can't even use money now, how am I ever going to adjust to that? But she had already made the change. She hadn't touched a coin or a bill since she got off the ship. The cash she had with her had been taken away as soon as she walked into the company building. All credited to her account, or so they had explained, along with her wages every week. The money still belonged to her but she couldn't touch it without Kurt's permission. Luisa knew it should have bothered her but she didn't worry about it. He'd figure out what was best and tell her what to do with her funds.
Kurt was thanking the clerk. Luisa came back to the present and added a few words of gratitude. She had to be polite, anything else would reflect badly on Kurt. My master , the words rolled around in her head.
"One last detail," Kurt told her. "Turn around, and hold your hair away from your neck."
Using both hands Luisa gathered up her hair and held it to one side. Quite a bit longer than when she had arrived on the Island, but she didn't have much choice about hair style these days. The company had minimum length requirements and didn't allow her to keep it short. Now it was up to Kurt, but she doubted he'd let her go back to short hair.
She knew what was coming next. She heard him open the box. Would it fit? Of course it would, Kurt didn't make mistakes like that. Then she felt the first touch of the metal band as he closed it around her throat. Cool, not cold, and not too tight; it didn't make her choke. She had expected it to be much heavier.
There was a mechanical click as Kurt closed it. He did something to the latch in the back. That's it, a done deal, I can't go back now. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. The whole world knows I belong to him .
"I'm finished. Let go of your hair." She opened her eyes and turned to Kurt. So typical of him, a simple announcement, no emotion, he showed about as much excitement as if he'd just brought in the mail. The look in his eyes told Luisa a different story though. That intense stare from his blue eyes was worth more than any amount of words. She knew what it meant. He has what he wants, what he's wanted from the day we met .
"You belong to me." He leaned down to kiss her. Her arms went around his neck.
Kissing me in public, am I finally getting through that emotionless rock? Maybe she did have a chance to show everyone he was human after all. The cheers and clapping from the staff at the Records office brought an abrupt end to his display of affection. Oh well, but it was a small crack .
"I think it's time we went home." He took hold of her hand and actually smiled.
"Yes, master."
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