Monday – Part 1

Brandy

Emi’s watch vibrated silently, waking her up. The display showed a call, Brandy. Emi sat up, trying to not wake Ben while wondering why Brandy was calling her so early. Oh God, she realized – it was Monday.

She didn’t want to answer, but the early call likely suggested it might be important. She slipped out of the bedroom, shutting the door. “Hello?”

“Emi, oh… I’m sorry to bother you,” Brandy said.

“Do you know what time it is?”

“What? It’s late, it’s 7 am… I used to milk cows at 5 am!”

“Milk cows? I’m hanging up, Brandy.”

“Wait… Emi, look… We need to talk. It’s kind of an emergency. Plus I want to apologize and buy you breakfast. Would that be alright?”

“Where are you?”

“Cloud Nine.”

“I’ll be down in 10 minutes, order me a latte,” Emi said, ending the call. The gall of that woman calling her this early in the morning. As far as she was concerned, it was a sin to wake a dev before 8 am. With a growl, Emi stepped into the shower and let the hot water bring the nerves in the back of her neck to life. It angered her that Brandy could hardly wait to start rubbing her nose in the mailgirl stuff. Couldn’t she wait until the day started properly? Did she have to take away an hour of her sleep? Emi washed in record time, fuming as she scrubbed. Toweling off, she checked herself in the mirror, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and peed, cursing Brandy every step of the way.

Looking around, Emi spotted her faded pink t-shirt. Her solitary piece of clothing until she gets everything back from Becca. Pulling it on she grabbed her sunglasses, slipped on her running shoes, and hit the door.

Looking across the street, Emi saw Brandy sitting outside. The short, big-busted, brunette with curly retro bangs was dressed head to toe in black leather. She wanted to laugh. What was that? Her dominatrix gear?

Brandy spotted her jaywalking across the street and waved. Emi lifted her hand, but just to block the morning sun from her eyes. She most certainly did not wave back. Instead, she put on her sunglasses and walked up to her, placing her hands on her hips. “What’s with the getup?”

“What’s with yours? Basci, the town name? Are you a tourist?”

“What do you want, Brandy? What is so important that it couldn’t wait until I was in your evil clutches at work? Now you need to steal my sleep?”

Brandy’s smile fell away. “That’s fine, Emi… I guess I deserved that,” she said, looking like someone just took away her puppy. “I was excited this morning, and I had an idea to help protect you and kill two birds with one stone… but I can see now that it was a mistake to bother you,” she said, picking up her bag and standing up.

Emi stood there watching the woman put on a show, making as if she was about to leave.

Jill walked up with two hot lattes and two breakfasts. She paused briefly, noticing the tension, before quickly putting everything on the table and walking away, giving them their privacy.

The smell of the food hit Emi’s nose and the latte was calling her. “Whatever, just sit down. Let’s get this over with,” she said, sitting down and wrapping both of her hands around the latte. Savoring its warmth and smell before letting it touch her lips.

“Are you sure?” Brandy said, still acting as if she were ready to leave.

Emi huffed a little laugh. “So you wanted to apologize?” Emi said, clinging to the sweet latte.

Brandy sat down. “Yes.”

“About what? I mean, there are so many things,” Emi said, in a friendly, but passive-aggressive tone. “For taking me to the cleaners with a deal that almost got me fired? For not inviting Becca to the meeting? Setting me up for daily humiliation? That lovely rickshaw ride? For insisting Sarah can fuck me over daily?”

“Wow, you sure are grumpy in the morning. Look, I’m not the bad guy here. Ho told me you like mailgirl stuff and if you have a problem with her, that has nothing to do with me,” she said, looking sincere.

Emi took a sip of her latte, watching her closely.

“I heard what Becca did for you yesterday and think it was fantastic.”

Emi tried to resist smiling at the bullshit. She almost succeeded.

“I’m serious. For this to work we all need to be a team,” Brandy said, sighing. “Look… let’s start over.”

Emi decided to play along and humor her while she ate. “So tell me about yourself, Brandy.”

Brandy smiled and for the next thirty minutes the woman talked about how she was raised on a farm, and then all the major challenges she had in her kinky life as a lawyer in the big city. She was a real storyteller and her charisma, charm, and sense of humor were off the charts.

Emi couldn’t help but be drawn in, smiling and laughing with her at times. Brandy could have a talk show, Emi thought. She was a real charmer. Blunt, funny, unguarded, seemingly overly honest, and she had great facial expressions to amplify everything she said in just the right way. Plus she seemed smart and worldly.

When storytime wound down and Emi received her second latte, she looked at Brandy through her sunglasses and asked point-blank. “So what do you want?”

“You devs are so direct. Like sex, it’s always about what goes in and what comes out,” Brandy laughed, but she also seemed to sense Emi’s mood shifting again.

Emi smiled politely, unwavering.

“Look, you know what my gig is and what I need. All my cards are on the table. I’m just trying to get this thing off on the right foot. I want you to feel safer, if possible.”

“Keep talking,” Emi said. She looked at her plate, it was empty and she was full. She needed a distraction to keep from fidgeting.

“You know… I’m sorry for what happened to you when you were shopping for… I mean…”

When she was shopping for condoms? Emi hated her cheeks for warming at this moment, hopefully it wasn’t noticeable. “You mean, you like that I was in the newspaper wearing a leash.”

“Exactly! It was perfect for our fetish crowd.”

“I should get robbed more often.”

“Look… Emi, here’s the deal. I’m worried about this project derailing. Tensions are high with Ho and Becca.  I think you and I need to be the ones to bring some balance here. I’m afraid we could lose the cruise ships and the support for Su-Ning that you and I worked so hard to get.”

Emi didn’t want to back out on the project, but she also didn’t want to signal any worry about it. She just wanted to get the whole thing completed and done, get it over with.

“Can we talk about your feelings on nudity?”

The comment caught Emi off guard. “Eh?… why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“So… I don’t really like it.”

“Yes, I sense that sometimes… I mean, when you are already nude,” she laughed. “Like you have a strange love-hate relationship with it.”

“Look, I know there is a lot of evidence to the contrary, but it’s not my favorite thing, at the best of times.”

“So how is that supposed to make sense? You are a dev at a nudist resort, not just that… a Resort Ambassador – no make that a LEAD Resort Ambassador who likes to party as a MAILGIRL and gets caught on Main Street naked tied to a LEASH.”

Emi rubbed her head in frustration.

“So now you want me to believe, AFTER you signed the deal, that you are not really into nudity? Should I just assume that you are trying to back out of the deal?”

“Ahh… no,” Emi said, reluctantly.

“I just don’t get it… one minute you’re my dream girl, and the next, you’re Mother Teresa?”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration,”

“I know… right? Especially when you’ve been training a gaggle of male devs while completely naked… for what, weeks now?”

Emi realized that it was simply too much effort to say that she doesn’t like nudity outright. She had to give Brandy something, just to shut her up. “Fine…”

“Fine?”

“Sometimes I don’t mind it so much, under the right conditions… I mean,” she said, thinking about back at the resort or up at Lookout Point.

“As I figured… so sometimes you find it a thrill… exciting, a turn on perhaps?”

Emi took a sip of her latte, ignoring her.

“You know, this cafe is kind of busy right now… there is no one at the table beside us, but otherwise, most of the tables are taken. And here you are, naked, but for the t-shirt.”

Emi didn’t like where this was going. She touched the hem subconsciously.

“Look… I’m trying to decide… how transparent to make your regulation sleeveless shirt. Ho said she was leaving that up to me.”

Emi’s eyes went big. She was glad that her sunglasses were shielding her from Brandy’s gaze.

“Plus I was thinking that the first mailgirl run today might be a bit tough, so wearing that regulation t-shirt might be preferable, right?”

“Yes… that would be preferable,” Emi said, staring down at her empty plate. Understatement of the year she thought.

“I can’t believe I’m telling ‘The One’ – that she needs to get more comfortable with nudity.”

“But I thought you wanted me uncomfortable with it – blushing and all that…”

“Even I have limits for how much I want to put you through.”

“That’s good to know. So you’re human after all?”

Brandy crossed her eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far,” she said, but when she uncrossed them, Emi sensed that the woman didn’t seem like the kind of person who generally lied. She was too straightforward for that. “Have you ever been turned on by being outside naked?”

“What? No…” Emi lied.

“I have a polygraph, you know.”

“Whatever, take away anyone’s clothes and they are unlikely to feel nothing.”

“So that’s a yes?” Brandy pushed.

“I think that you already know the answer to this question.”

“Yes, I do… but I want to hear you admit it.”

“I admit that I’m crazy, and I think that you are too. Polygraph that.”

Brandy laughed, her trademark full-throated laugh. “I like you Emi,” she said, smiling.

Despite being an evil bitch, Brandy could be funny and Emi found it hard to keep her guard up.

“As an opening gesture of goodwill, I’m willing to let you have a little control over your destiny. I just need a tiny thing in return. A small gesture.”

“I’m listening,” Emi said, making sure that she had her guard back up.

“Humour me, and I’ll let you tone down or ramp up your experience, depending upon how you like it.”

Emi certainly wanted an easier first run, and less see-through clothes sounded wonderful.

“But I’m starting to have second thoughts about giving you these breaks. After all, according to Ho, you and your team almost had a minor rebellion yesterday.”

“I think that’s all over with now. Things have settled down. Ho was getting a little carried away and Becca corrected her.”

“Is Becca going to correct me next?”

“What? No… they know what I signed up for. But they will probably keep an eye on me.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Mailgirl training isn’t exactly easy, you know.”

“I think I have an idea,” Emi said, wondering if she should have kept reading past chapter 3.

Brandy sighed.

Emi fidgeted. “What do you want?” she asked.

“Just humor me this morning…”

“So? Like how?”

“Like, do as I ask for an hour… and I’ll do some things for you – more than what I just mentioned. This our chance to earn trust on both sides. Get things started on the right foot. I know you want that, I want it too.”

“Okay… an hour, so what do you want?” Emi asked, feeling apprehensive.

“I’m kind of curious about your grooming.”

“That’s because you’re a perverted sex demon,” Emi said before she could stop herself.

Brandy winced, turning her head away slightly, looking far away.

Emi regretted her outburst. That was probably not the best way to get what she wanted. “Ahh… I shaved Sunday,” she quietly admitted, looking around making sure no one heard her.

“Can you show me?” Brandy said, still looking away.

“You will see it later,” Emi said, feeling uncomfortable.

“I mean now,” Brandy insisted.

“What? Here? No!”

“Come on… just a peek… what was our agreement? An hour?” she said, looking at her watch.

Emi tried to force herself to do it, but she couldn’t – not here.

“That’s fine,” Brandy said, looking disappointed. She started playing with her phone, ignoring Emi.

Emi didn’t want to lose those concessions. Why does her life always seem so bizarre? This kind of stuff never happens to other people.

Brandy took a sip of her drink and checked her watch.

“Wait…” Emi said. “Okay… a peek?”

“If you don’t mind?” Brandy said, still playing with her phone.

This woman was unbelievable. Emi looked around nervously, sitting up and moving her ass back, clamping her legs tight. She pulled the front of her t-shirt up a little, letting Brandy see her pussy.

“I can barely see anything – up higher.”

Emi grimaced, exposing her full mons.

“Keep it up, it needs to get a little sun…”

Emi dropped her shirt.

“Oh… I just wanted a few more seconds. You are not very good at this game. It was such a small thing and now we have to escalate.”

“Pardon?”

“Time to go to work. It’s only a half block to the ocean from here, and from there we can walk along the seawall to work. It’s early and there’s hardly anyone there at this time of day. So hand me your t-shirt.”

Emi sat there, stunned, weighing the value of a less see-through shirt, as she contemplated Brandy’s request.

“Look, I’ll make it easy on you. Let’s switch seats. You can be on this outside part of this edge table and you will be mostly hidden from all the other tables and I’ll also be blocking some views of you,” Brandy said, and they both stood up and switched seats.

Emi realized that by switching seats that she was in effect agreeing to this ridiculous request. But she sat down knowing full well that there was no way it was going to happen.

Brandy flipped through her phone with her left hand, while holding out her right hand with her elbow on the table. She gestured with her index finger, to hand it over, and then opened her hand.

“I’m sorry Brandy… that’s asking too much. I’ve never been naked in public, in full daylight and I don’t think I ever want to be.”

“That’s fine. It’s not like I’m forcing you,” Brandy said, picking up her drink. “I’m just trying to get a sense of things. Find out where we are at. I’m sure you can imagine my position.”

Emi nodded, feeling this wasn’t going well. She needed to convince Brandy to tone it down and still give her some concessions. “Look, that’s just too big. Why don’t you try something a little more reasonable? If you don’t have any wiggle room then that’s not finding that sweet spot for us to set off on the right foot. This goes two ways, does it not?”

“I guess. But before yesterday you were supposed to be naked outside everywhere. I should probably scale back my expectations.”

Emi nodded. “Yes,” she said, hoping that Brandy would be reasonable.

“How about I give you a ride to work, would that be okay?” Brandy said gesturing towards a Mini Cooper just up the street in front of them.

Emi looked, the small car was just 30 feet away and the only car on this side of the street. She thought about it.

Brandy casually held out her hand again, as she scrolled through her phone with the other hand.

Emi looked around. The other patrons of the cafe seemed distracted with conversation and if she was subtle perhaps there was a 50-50 chance someone would notice, but then it would just be her ass. Her heartbeat accelerated as she realized that she was actually considering this.

Brandy’s fingers wiggled again, gesturing casually to hurry up.

Emi made sure her sunglasses were on firmly and fingered the edge of her faded pink t-shirt. She was already blushing and glad that Brandy wasn’t watching her.

Emi looked again to the Mini Cooper. At least she wouldn’t be passing in front of the cafe. She was already on the edge, the farthest seat from the front. Glancing behind herself, through the window she saw two tables inside with couples engaged in conversation. Plus the back of her chair would shield her from their view. Her breathing was getting heavier.

Brandy seemed amused, patient, her hand was open waiting, but her fingers were not telling her to hurry up. She was pretending to be engrossed in her phone.

Looking around, Emi decided to go for it. She sat up slightly, pulling the t-shirt up above her belly button, exposing her shaved pussy. Glancing down Emi realized that she probably should have freshened it up this morning. Her arms were crossed, hands gripping the hem unnecessarily hard. Was she ready to do this? Ready to give her only piece of clothing over to Brandy?

Brandy picked up her drink, taking a slow sip.

Emi stopped, almost losing her nerve. She lowered the t-shirt back down over her pussy and looked around again. This time up the street to make sure nobody was getting a good show. She looked across the street suddenly, scanning the apartments across the street. Everything seemed all clear. Wait, one balcony had an elderly man watering some plants. But he wasn’t looking their way.

Brandy continued to be engrossed in her phone. Her hand came out again.

Trying to not draw any attention to herself, as casually as she could, Emi pulled her t-shirt up over her hard nipples and over her head. She brought it back down on top of her lap, covering her pussy. Her other arm held across her breasts with her back stiffened. She tried to act casual as her heart rate spiked.

Brandy smiled, licking her lips.

Emi watched her. Despite keeping her eyes on her phone, Emi could see that she was enjoying this.

Again the fingers wiggled.

Surprisingly, this felt like the hardest part. Surrendering the t-shirt was going to be a real test of their trust. No doubt the woman was going to challenge her, but would she go too far? Gritting her teeth, Emi slowly handed the t-shirt over, trying to not attract attention while wondering if she would ever get it back.

Brandy took it, packing it into her bag. Then she put away her phone and lifted her cup with both hands, slowly savoring a long sip.

“Okay, ready… ahh… let’s go,” Emi said, apprehensively.

“May I at least finish my latte?”

Emi groaned, looking around nervously. She should have expected this. This was perhaps the most daring thing she had ever done in her life. She was on edge. It was scary and exciting at the same time. She looked up at the balcony, wondering if Ben was up yet. Would he wonder where she was? Would he look down and see her sitting naked at Cloud Nine? Emi wanted to laugh at the humor of it, but she was too nervous. She could only grimace.

“You look absolutely delicious Emi.”

The woman was obviously getting off on this. Emi was sweating, thinking that more of this kind of thing was waiting for her at the office. Actually, this was likely minor compared to what was waiting for her at the office. She needed to toughen up. She needed to tap into her Resort Ambassador mentality, but it was so hard… outside here at the cafe, where nobody else was naked.

“Is that how a Resort Ambassador sits?”

Emi ignored her, clamping her breasts with her forearm even more. “Are you finished yet?”

Brandy looked into her cup. “Not quite yet,” she smiled.

Emi’s watch rang, and she answered it quickly to not attract attention. “Jesus, are you naked at Cloud Nine? Is that Brandy?” Ben’s voice filled the air.

Brandy heard him and they both looked up at the apartment. Ben was standing on the balcony.

Brandy leaned over towards Emi’s watch. “Hi Ben!” she said, waving.

Emi spoke to her watch. “Brandy is giving me a ride to work. Go back inside, and keep this to yourself please,” she said, ending the call. She looked up, watching for his reaction.

Brandy seemed amused, as she also observed Ben.

He nodded and went back inside.

“Oh my… I love it, but is it legal?” Jill said, startling Emi.

Even Brandy looked a little surprised, laughing. “Oh right, I almost forgot,” she said, pulling something out of her bag. It was an elegant-looking leather collar with a ‘dog tag’ permit stamped into the front.

Emi gasped at the sight of it. A collar? Her permit was imprinted on a collar?!

“That is so… umm… beautiful, may I?” Jill said, holding out her hand.

Emi watched as Brandy looked back and forth between her and Jill, before finally handing the waitress the collar.

Emi’s blush was growing as she impatiently waited for Jill to finish her inspection of the collar.

“Oh my… Emi… are you Nine?”

Panicking, Emi shook her head no.

“Oh gosh… you are!” Jill said, looking delighted.

Emi felt like the world was collapsing in on her.

Jill winked. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Emi wondered if she could trust her and looked up, locking eyes. Despite the wink, she saw and heard sincerity and it calmed her down a little. She felt like she could trust Jill to keep this a secret.

Jill broke eye contact with Emi and examined the tag. “I don’t see your name on this, but it does say it’s for ‘Nine’ – is that even legal?”

“It’s legal,” Brandy confirmed, watching Jill carefully as the woman slowly rotated the collar, looking at the back now. “Oh… it has a tiny little padlock on the back… how kinky. May I put it on her?” She asked, looking at Brandy.

Emi flushed, wondering why Jill was asking ‘Brandy’ for permission.

Brandy smiled, nodding to Jill.

Delighted, Jill walked around behind Emi and opened it. She opened it wide, and slowly closed it around her neck.

Emi, her breasts still hidden behind an arm, reached up with her other hand and felt the collar. The cold steel of the lock caused her to shudder. She continued to feel around. The permit was hard, secure and the leather felt firm but had a soft underside as if it was designed for long-term wear. Her hand slipped back to the lock. It worried her. Was that supposed to be a security feature? Or an enslavement feature, disguised as a security feature.

“How strong is it?” Jill asked.

Emi thought that it felt strong. Too strong.

“It has reinforced wire fibers inside to provide cut resistance,” Brandy bragged.

“Shall I click the lock shut?” Jill asked Brandy.

Brandy looked at Emi. “Tell Jill to close the lock.”

Emi gulped, they were probably just having fun, trying to scare her. “Yes, Jill. Go ahead?”

Emi felt a little click – as if it was sealing her fate. Naked and collared by her barista. Could life get any more humiliating? At least it wasn’t too tight and fit comfortably, with some soft padding on the inside. It felt like an elegant choker.

Jill stepped back, pausing… looking at Emi while holding the tiny key she’d removed from the lock. Emi felt like two female wolves were licking their chops, tilting their heads, watching her in fascination. Jill handed the key over to Brandy as if it were a precious gem.

Emi stuttered. “Ahh… shouldn’t I hang on to that?”

“And where would you put it?” Brandy laughed, dropping the key into her wallet and the wallet into her bag.

Emi tried to grin. Brandy was probably just trying to mess with her.

“Is that little loop in the front what I think it is?” Jill asked.

“Yes, a safety feature,” Brandy said, pulling something from her bag. “It’s designed to keep Nine here, from being alone. Someone must always accompany her when she is outside in her mailgirl uniform,” Brandy explained, reaching over to hook up the leash with a click.

Emi looked down at the leash briefly, pressing her lips together, but then flashed Brandy a warning look. She felt so many things at once, both good and bad, and she didn’t know which side was winning.

Brandy hesitated, looking apologetic. “Ahh… frankly Wang insisted on the collar. Plus it aligns nicely with our ACE initiative,” she said, watching Emi nervously. She pulled out her phone and showed Emi the updated rule.

Safety/ACE Amendment:  For safety reasons, the RA’s associated with ACE must always have someone with them when it’s dark outside or if outside without clothing. To ensure this, a collar with a theft-resistant permit and a leash will be issued. The leash must be held by someone other than the RA themselves. This will both increase safety and also help promote ACE which will, in turn, help the entire island. It’s a double win and really the whole point of the RA/ACE collaborative efforts to attract tourism.

Signed by: Wang

After reading this, Emi shivered and then gave Brandy a dark look. She should hardly be surprised, especially coming from Brandy and Wang. She frowned in an attempt to make Brandy even more worried, trying to hide that this was also beginning to turn her on. “Can we go now?”

Brandy nodded, agreeably. She probably knew she was on thin ice and shouldn’t push her luck. Standing up, holding the leash she walked towards the car, pulling a naked Emi along.

Emi was covering herself with her hands, in blatant violation of her Resort Ambassador rules, but at this point, she didn’t care. She also couldn’t believe that Jill, of all people, had collared her. She wondered how that was going to affect future visits to the cafe.

“Bye Nine!” Jill yelled – too loudly.

Emi dared not look back, in case someone else was also watching. Thankfully she was moving – away – from the cafe.

Brandy walked past the car and kept going, pulling Emi along.

“Eh? Brandy… where are you going?” Emi said as Brandy pulled her past the car and towards the crosswalk.

Brandy gestured across the street at a small sports bike. “To my ride,” she said.

“What? I thought the car was your ride!”

“No silly, I was pointing at my bike across the street,” Brandy said, pressing the crosswalk button.

“I can’t go on a bike? I’m naked!” Emi said.

The light changed and Brandy pulled her across the street.

“Seriously, I can’t do this Brandy.”

A scooter stopped at the light and the young pizza delivery boy seemed mesmerized as Emi walked past.

Unsure about what to do, Emi smiled politely at the boy as she awkwardly walked along, taking small steps because her knees were glued together. She was blushing up a storm.

“You’ll be fine. My Ninja is amazing,” said Brandy, as they walked up to the motorcycle.

Emi noticed two helmets on her bike, one dangling from each handlebar. “You planned this!”

“Well… I guessed correctly that walking to work was not going to be your preference,” Brandy said, tossing one of the helmets to her. Brandy slipped on her helmet with one hand. And then with practiced ease, she slid onto her bike, still holding the leash. She looked at Emi expectantly.

Holding the helmet over her tits, her other hand covering her pussy – Emi looked up to her apartment and then back to Brandy. She considered just going home, this wasn’t part of the contract. Why did she have to do this?

“Come on Emi… you can do this,” she said, patting the seat behind her.

Emi looked at her seriously, letting Brandy know she was on very thin ice. Wanting to get this over with and not lose out on the concessions that Brandy mentioned, she decided to gamble… to trust the woman. She put her leg over the side of the bike and pulled on her helmet. She was familiar with bikes, her brothers both had sports bikes, and she even had a license, but riding on the back… everyone would be able to see her.

Brandy reached over her shoulder and unclipped Emi’s leash, and stuffed it into the front of her jacket. “Hang on tight!” Brandy yelled as she started the motorcycle and took off gently down the street.

Emi watched as they passed Cloud Nine much too slowly, everyone watching them. She hated being on display like this, hoping that not too was showing from the back. “Go faster, what are you doing?”

Brandy picked up speed, causing the high-pitched sound of the bike to draw more attention. They accelerated as they rode down Main Street, causing heads to turn their way.

Emi wondered if Brandy was even going the speed limit, which was both welcome and dreaded. Getting this over with sooner would be good, without getting stared at. Emi just gripped Brandy’s abdomen, feeling the woman’s large breasts resting on her arms. The vibration of the bike on her pussy was an unexpected sensation.

Emi tensed in horror as Brandy didn’t slow down and turn where the marketing building was. Instead, she kept going down the full length of Main Street, causing more and more people to look. “You missed the… where are you going? Brandy stop!”

Brandy ignored her and they rode past the end of Main street and down some residential streets towards the entrance to the resort. But instead of turning left, she turned right… and the biked launched down a major residential street towards the highway.

“Brandy! What are you doing? Stop!”

“Trust me! Just five more minutes!”

“Five minutes?! Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise!” Brandy turned onto the highway and accelerated… causing Emi to grip even tighter. Now she realized what Brandy’s leather was for, it wasn’t dominatrix, but rather just high-end biker gear. She didn’t like that she was unprotected, but at least Brandy seemed to be experienced on the bike. She handled it like a pro. However, Emi started to question her life choices as they blasted down the narrow one-lane highway. A minute later they moved into the opposite lane briefly as they passed by a slow-moving tractor, no doubt, mooning the driver.

“Sorry!” Emi apologized for the rude display. She knew there was no way he would hear her, but it needed to be said.

A minute later the bike was braking, shoving Emi into Brandy’s back, up close and personal as they quickly decelerated and turned into what appeared to be a drive-in movie theatre. It was daytime, so it was empty – except for one old beat-up car close to the huge screen. Brandy zipped across several speed bumps giving Emi another unwanted clitoral stimulation.

As they approached the big screen Emi saw there was a stage of some sort three feet up from the ground, just in front of the screen. A young guy was setting up a mike stand as Brandy pulled them to a stop next to the stage, just a few feet from him and she dismounted, lifting her leg high as Emi was still sitting on the back. She took off her helmet, placing it on one handle. Then she pulled off Emi’s helmet.

Emi looked up at the guy. He was smiling in a surprised manner. Emi felt a click as her leash was reattached. Feeling overwhelmed by the naked motorcycle ride, she moved automatically as Brandy helped her dismount. She didn’t cover her body as he gawked at her.

The young man turned to Brandy. “You brought her here like that? I thought you were kidding!”

Brandy smiled at that comment. “Are you set up?”

“Yes,” he said.

Emi felt her leash pulling her towards the stage’s steps. Brandy led her up and across to the mike.

At the mike, Brandy kneeled pulling out a marker as the young man jumped down to fish for something in the back seat of the car. Brandy started writing nines on her as she saw the guy pull out what looked to be a movie camera.

Emi stiffened and looked at Brandy in alarm, pulling her sunglasses down.

“Trust…” Brandy purred, as she reached down and lifted Emi’s leg, pulling off a shoe. She did the same with the other foot.

Something in Emi was not right. The thing that should have alarmed her and caused her to run away, was not responding. It was an odd sensation. Like an out-of-body experience. For some reason, her gut was telling her to play along.

The camera was shoulder-mounted and pointing her way as Brandy directed her to take the mike. “Say… Hello, I’m Nine.”

“Hello, I’m Nine,” Emi said, her voice reverberating on the speakers on each side of the stage. Was an electronic device making her voice sound lower and sexier?

“How was that!” Brandy yelled to the fellow.

He raised a thumb.

“Hand me the white bag!” Brandy yelled.

The young man grabbed something from the back of his car and ran up to Brandy, passing it to her.

Brandy turned to Emi, handing her a small notepad and a pen. “Can I get your autograph Nine?” Glancing at the guy, Emi saw him again pointing the camera at her. She signed her autograph, ‘Nine’, passing the pad and pen back to Brandy. Then he put the camera down.

“Did you change your hairstyle since you were in Seattle?”

“Ahh… yes.”

“Good… then I need to give you a ponytail or something. I need to change your hair,” Brandy said as she unclipped the leash and unlocked Emi’s collar, removing it.

“Okay…”

Brandy pulled off Emi’s sunglasses and spent a few minutes spraying Emi’s hair and brushing it, making it look different.

“Put these clothes on,” Brandy said, passing Emi a shirt, bra, and pants. They kind of looked like stuff Emi normally wore, but they were not her clothes.

Confused, but starting to figure out what was happening here. Emi dressed and waited for her next instruction. As expected, she was handed the notepad and pen.

Brandy took her place at the mike. “Okay, now smile like a fan, and hand me the pen and paper so I can give you an autograph.”

“Please can I have your autograph, Nine?” Emi said, truly smiling now.

Brandy smiled back. “You’re such a smart girl,” she said, picking up Emi’s shoes.

It felt strange to be wearing pants, a bra, and a shirt. A sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time as they stepped down off the platform and joined the young man who was doing something on a laptop, that was sitting on the back hood of his car.

Brandy got an email with an attachment. She showed her phone to Emi. The image was of Emi getting an autograph from Nine. The angle of the camera made it look like they were not the same height. It was a brilliant photo. They looked like different people.

“He will need a few minutes to create the video of Emi getting an autograph from the legendary Nine.”

Emi nodded. This would be very useful if someone ever suspected her of being Nine. She felt enormously grateful.

“See? How’s that for getting off on the right foot?” Brandy said cheerfully.

“It seems you are also making a teaser video, with my naked body,” said Emi, looking at her suspiciously.

“Yes, but we will be using some filters. Making it look artsy and such. It needs to be publicly viewable for maximum exposure.”

That was a relief to hear, that they would tone down her nudity – but it was still naked.

“That was the two birds with one stone that I was talking about. Something promotional and something to help protect you,” said Brandy, giving Emi a hug.

Emi wasn’t quite ready to be hugging this person yet, but she allowed herself to be hugged.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I want all this to start on the right foot. I also have something else for you. Something to encourage you to be strong and brave.”

Emi watched her, unsure about what to expect.

“A golden, get out of jail free card can be earned. Something to pull the plug on Sarah, if needed. A one-time action to stop her… just once, if she ever pushes you too far.”

“How does that work?”

“You text me ‘yellow-card’ and I stop her. But you want to save it for something serious. Also, you can’t tell her about it. This is our little secret.”

Emi felt alarmed. “Do you really think I’ll need it?”

“Probably not, but it will certainly make you feel a lot better just having it.”

“So how do I earn one of these cards?”

“You have already earned 50% of your first yellow card, simply by trusting me today.”

Emi wanted one of those cards.

Brandy pulled out a silk ultra-light partially see-through, faded blue sleeveless shirt. Holding it up Emi saw that it said ‘Resort Ambassador’ up high on the back. “I made a calculated guess that you would want this middle one. It’s not the least transparent, but it’s also not the most transparent either. Do you agree with this choice?”

Emi felt like this was a trust test. She took the shirt and quickly stripped off her clothes, blushing as the tech boy was stealing glances at her. She pulled the shirt on. It was so light, she felt like she was still naked and she noticed the hem came down to… just covering… she would have to be careful sitting down.

“At 15 feet you are pretty much covered. At 10 feet if people look hard, suspecting something, they can probably see that you are naked. At 5 feet you are definitely naked and people can see everything.”

“I thought you said I could choose?”

“You can… but if you take this middle shirt, and ride back to me the same way you came here, then you can earn that first card.”

“Expensive card.”

“But worth it, right?”

“I’m not so sure… how much better is the less see-through shirt?”

“Not much different, maybe 2 feet better in all regards.”

Emi thought about that, as she glanced over at the young man who seemed to be squinting at her, trying to look through her shirt.

“Well, you don’t have to decide right now. We will leave in a few minutes, you can decide then.”

Emi nodded, walking over to the young tech. Looking over his shoulder.

He panicked when he saw Emi so close and jumped back. It was a cute reaction, she thought as she walked back to Brandy.

“I hope you realize your power as Nine. You are about to become the ultimate wet dream for so many people. You can own it or you can cower from it. I suggest that you follow the smart path.”

The woman was obviously goading her to be more brazen, for her own benefit, but still what she said rang true on some levels. Emi nodded, hoping that she could be more like Becca. Get some enjoyment out of this if possible. She doubted it, but it seemed like a challenge.

Looking back Emi saw the boy avert his gaze. She grimaced when she realized exactly what he had been looking at. It bothered her, in many ways, one of which was just that it was simply turning her on. Being naked had that effect.

Brandy was quietly watching her, waiting for her decision. Patiently leaning against her bike with a slight smile on her face.

Emi looked down at her sheer shirt if it could be called that. It was more of a simple slave-like tunic perhaps? It was sexy, but like lingerie, in that, it was also see-through. Oh God, how was she ever going to live for months out in public wearing this? It was going to be a real challenge outside of work. Maybe she could run to work, keeping a distance from everyone and her friends could do all her shopping. She couldn’t imagine going to the supermarket dressed like this. There was just no way – not with this middle choice.

The good looking young technician was watching her again. She pretended to not notice and tested the shirt by stretching up naturally as if she had just woken up. On the edge of her vision, she saw his eyes, locked on her ass, widen and his mouth hanging open. It sent a thrill through her and before she knew what she was doing she twisted, showing him her front, wondering if he could see anything there as well. His reaction was priceless but confusing. Hadn’t he just seen her entirely nude?

Emi put her arms down and continued thinking about the garment. She could probably walk down the street in it. But not a busy street. And if someone was coming, she could just cross the street to the other side. It might not be that bad. But if she ran into anyone, she would be essentially naked. The thought tightened her nipples and sent an unexpected pang of arousal through her body. Again, it annoyed her that this stupid shirt was turning her on whenever she thought about how humiliating life might be wearing it in public. Worse, the thought of wearing it down Main Street was frightening, but also thrilling.

But she reconsidered. A yellow card would be a fantastic way to start out. A little piece of insurance. But paying for it seemed so huge. One brief moment to stop Sarah in exchange for an even MORE see-through slave shirt, which she would wear for days, months. It was hardly fair, it was a scam really, but perhaps she could earn more of those cards. Or perhaps, she could be smart and pick the less see-through shirt and ride back covered, like a normal person. Brandy was just playing on her fears of Sarah to make her choose something that was obviously going to make her more naked in public.

She walked over to Brandy. “What do I get for the MOST see-through version?”

“Three yellow cards.”

Emi laughed. The most extreme version was the same as just being naked. Brandy blew it by offering too much. “How much worse is it?”

“Don’t you mean, how much more exciting is it?”

“Yeah, sure… let’s go with that,” Emi laughed, but then stopped. Could Brandy know what she was thinking?

Brandy started putting on her helmet. “It’s pretty much double the middle one. So 10, 20, 30 feet but well… to be honest, when the sun is behind you it practically disappears. And even at 50 feet or more if someone looks very carefully, they could see you’re naked.”

Emi didn’t for the life of her, understand why thinking about that extreme shirt was sending mixed signals to her brain. It was similar to Lookout Point, only scarier. Her knees went weak just thinking about the possibility of saying yes to that one. She took a deep breath. This was getting stupid. She should just pick the first, the least see-through shirt and be done with this silliness. Her brain was telling her one thing, but her body was casually suggesting something else and it was beginning to scare her. Like as if she was about to do something stupid and reckless just for a cheap thrill.

Brandy held out her hand as if she was expecting Emi to hand over her shirt.

“I’ll take the one yellow card,” Emi said, ashamed of herself, but glad that she didn’t take the worse one, falling entirely off the cliff would have been much worse. She knew the middle shirt wasn’t worth the concession but she wanted to feel the rush, badly right at that moment. She wanted to have another bare ride and see the tech struggle with his shorts. Taking a deep breath, she pulled off her shirt, tossing it to Brandy as she quickly put on her helmet, her shoes and lifted her leg over the back of the bike at the worst possible moment.

“Wait, Nine!” He said, running over. “I’m done. I emailed the video to Brandy. She can share it with you.”

Brandy turned to look at him. “Remember our deal, loose lips sink ships. You were well paid and I promised you a board gaming session with Nine at Cloud Nine if you signed that non-disclosure agreement.”

“I can hardly wait!”.

Emi looked at him in surprise, and also embarrassment because she was naked and he was right beside her, eyeballing her charms. “I have to do what?”

Brandy laughed. “Come on Nine… reward your fan. Think of the video and photo he created for you.”

He pulled out the notepad and pen. “Please Nine, may I have your autograph?”

Emi twisted on the back of the bike, to take the offered items, exposing her pussy to him. Embarrassed, she signed Nine. Which somehow sparked her arousal again and re-tightened her nipples. She tapped Brandy’s shoulder, signaling to go, and they were off… skimming across the speed bumps entirely too fast, causing her libido to ratchet up another notch.

Back on the highway, Brandy opened up, and Emi felt free as a bird as the bike flew towards town. She had never been so turned on in her life.

However, a couple of minutes of speeding down the highway, with strong wind, was enough to cool her down and give her doubts as they approached the outskirts of the residential area.

“Brandy… I’ve changed my mind. Can I have the shirt back?”

“Sorry, but a deal’s a deal. Besides, you are still paying for this shirt, and it’s the only one I have on me. So you will just have to grin and BARE it,” she laughed.

Emi was annoyed. How could she let this happen? What was wrong with her? What was that brief lapse in judgment? Or was this all Brandy’s doing? Did Brandy know how to play her and get her worked up and thus more reckless? Was that young man a plant? A part of her evil plan? No… she doubted it. She laughed at how paranoid she was becoming.

They turned onto the residential streets and Emi clung closely to Brandy, trying to hide more of her body by pressing against her.

“Cut that out Nine. Flirting with me could be dangerous,” she warned, as she slowed down to the speed limit. Emi loosened up her hug and looked around nervously.

After a tense couple of minutes, passing just a gardener hosing the front lawn of his house, they turned onto Main Street and Emi gripped Brandy again.

“Are you trying to turn me on? It’s working you know!”

Shocked by Brandy’s words, Emi relaxed her grip.

Brandy pulled over, just before going down Main Street. They dismounted and Brandy took out her phone to make a call.

Emi could see people walking around and some guy looked her way. She covered herself with her arms while Brandy spoke on the phone, watching her.

“Jack, yeah, can I get a dozen Minnesota for take-out? Thanks! We will be right there,” she said, hanging up and snapping a quick picture of Emi.

“Hey… I didn’t agree to that!”

“What? The picture or going to Cloud Nine as Nine? I love your numbers by the way.”

Emi grimaced. “Both! No pictures and please don’t go there. I don’t think I can handle it anymore and I still have work and Sarah to contend with today.”

“I wanted to bring my favorite pastry for both your teams to start the day right, and you have your sunglasses on. Plus you are covering yourself with your arms.”

“Brandy…”

“Fine, I’ll tell you what. Lower your arms and let me take a proper picture and I’ll toss you the shirt.”

Emi didn’t like this woman. Slowly she lowered her hands but stuck out her tongue in defiance to spoil the picture.

Brandy snapped her full-frontal shot, tongue and all. “Oh my God, I loved that! A perfect memory for today,” Brandy said, tossing her the silky shirt. The woman seemed deeply pleased with herself.

Emi scowled at her, quickly pulling it on. Twisting away from someone down the street who had a phone pointed her way.

They got back on the bike, and the ride down Main Street was much better. Emi could finally relax, but the hem of her shirt was flapping in the wind and she wondered how much she was showing. She decided to ignore it and enjoy the ride.

Brandy pulled over in front of Cloud Nine and handed Emi a fifty-dollar bill. “Here, grab our order. Let them keep the change.”

“What? No, I’m not going in there.”

“Fine, then you don’t earn the yellow card and I’ll take the shirt. I can’t believe this, after all I did for you this morning,” Brandy said, holding out her hand.

“Whatever!” Emi said, getting off the bike and storming towards the shop’s doors. Two of the five outdoor tables were occupied by couples and Emi felt they were all passively watching her. She went in quickly, not wanting anyone to get a good look at her up close.

Inside was mostly empty, just one table with two guys. One of them looked up, briefly but he was over 15 feet away so he continued talking with his friend normally.

Emi was relieved, she was safe at this distance.

“Oh…”  said Jack, rubbing his bandana. “The uhh… Minnesotas?” His eyes were big.

Jill walked up laughing. “Get your eyeballs back in your head. And don’t worry, she has a permit.”

Emi crossed her arms, covering her exposed breasts, feeling her collar with one hand. This was embarrassing.

“A permit?”

“Yes, she has a nudity permit.”

“So she’s completely naked under that?”

“Can’t you tell? Oh, the counter is in the way. Nine, can you step back a little?”

Emi couldn’t believe this woman. “Ahh… I’m kind of in a hurry… for work.”

“Oh sorry,” Jill said, taking Emi’s money and handing her the bag of delights.

“Thanks, keep the change,” Emi said, turning and quickly walking away.

“See?” Emi heard Jill say.

“Ohh… yeah…” Jack said as Emi left the building, running back to the bike. Carefully lifting her leg, the other way, so that the outside patrons didn’t get too much of a show.

“Wait Nine!” Jack came barreling out of the shop carrying a bag and a notepad. “I forgot the napkins,” he said, handing them to Emi.

Emi blushed as she put them into her larger bag. She didn’t like him this close. She leaned into Brandy, causing the woman to gasp in a kidding manner.

“May I get an autograph?”

“Of course you may!” Brandy replied. “Emi, let me take those for a moment.”

Reluctantly Emi leaned back on the bike, giving Brandy the bags. She took the pen and pad and signed it Nine – thank you for the artistic delights!  She returned the pad and pen, noticing that Jill was 20 feet away behind her on the road taking pictures.

“Thanks Jill, let’s put that on the wall!” said Jack. “Along with this autograph!”

Emi was flattered but mostly glad that it was a distance shot.

Brandy handed her the food and the bike’s high pitch engine screamed off, with Emi’s hem flapping in the wind.

After parking the bike, Emi walked up to the dev door but stopped.

Brandy smiled. “Moment of truth. Are you ready?”

“No.”

“Are you kidding me? You were born ready!”

“I was born stupid. I can’t believe I’m about to do this.”

“Let’s surprise them, go in with pizzazz. I mean, if anyone is there. It’s still kind of early,” Brandy said, as she attached the leash, catching Emi off guard.

“Is that really necessary?”

“Go big or go home.”

“I would love to go home.”

Brandy walked up to her, very close, looking her in the face. Her expression was soft. “Fine, I’ll remove the leash but it will cost you.”

“Cost me?”

“Yes, you agreed that the collar and leash are necessary for ACE and your protection, right?”

“Ahh… did I? Sure is a kinky sort of protection, but I guess you like that,” Emi said.

“Of course I do, but will Becca?” Brandy asked.

“Oh… you’re worried about her?”

“Yes, a little…” Brandy said, looking unsure of herself for the first time. “Will you help me defend the collar?” she asked, looking down.

Emi didn’t know what to make of this woman. She could see how defending the collar could help ACE and her own safety, but really… it was kinky as hell. “What will you give me for helping you?”

Brandy shifted, looking embarrassed. She leaned in as if to whisper something.

Emi leaned forward to listen.

Brandy kissed her full on the lips.

Emi jumped back. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Oh sorry!”

“Whatever,” Emi said, pulling off the leash and handing it to Brandy. She opened the door and walked in, irritated and wondering if she had been giving the little demon some misleading signals.

Just inside Emi saw Becca, Hannah, and Liz. They looked busy with their laptops. Emi wondered what Becca and Hannah were doing in the dev room. Usually, they preferred upstairs. Brandy walked in and headed to a locker out in the hallway.

Emi decided to go to the washroom.

When she got back, Emi was surprised to see Brandy sitting in the back with her laptop open. Oh right, she realized. Brandy wants to witness her mailgirl humiliation. But what about the rest of them, here to make sure she was protected? Moral support? Or did they in part also want to see the humiliating spectacle since they all seemed to be into that kind of thing.

“Oh Emi… a new sleeveless shirt?” Liz said excitedly, running over. “AND a collar! Oh my God, it looks like a slave tunic, dangerously short and ohh… it’s see-through!”

Emi didn’t like that description. She watched as Liz circled her.

“Oh, it says Resort Ambassador on the back, and I can see your naked ass right through the material!”

Hannah and Becca lifted their heads at that. They stood up and walked over.

Hannah’s smile was disintegrating. “Emi, you already have nines?” she said, looking through the shirt, at her nines, sounding disappointed.

Emi looked at her in confusion.

Hannah slumped her head. “I was hoping to do the honors… of drawing the nines. Oh… was that drawn with a permanent marker?”

Emi groaned, realizing that the nines might be hard to get rid of.

Hannah continued, walking around Emi’s body. “And Becca wanted to make sure you were okay. We are both on pins and needles waiting for this to all go down.”

Emi looked at Becca.

Becca smiled. “Hey kiddo… ready for this?”

“No…”

Liz, Becca, and Hannah looked at her. Everyone with an expression of sympathy.

“Look, ahh… it’s only 90 minutes. Other than that’s let’s get the project started. Where’s Sam?”

Hannah put her hands on her hips. “I tried to get her to wake up, to be here, to help support you… but she kept saying ‘ahhrahhh… still sleeping, go perv on Emi yourselves you mailgirl bitches. Lemme sleep.’”

Emi smiled. “That sounds like Sam alright. And it is still a little early. Look we brought you guys some treats from Cloud Nine.”

The three of them looked at Emi as if admiring that she could be thinking about treats at a time like this.

Growing tired of the looks, Emi grabbed her computer from the locker and sat down with the girls on the far side of the room, but not near Brandy or Sarah’s desk. Emi tried to steer the talk towards the usual stuff they do when making an app. Talk about which feature sets are up first and what mini-milestones to do in the next week, but the girls seemed distracted. And Liz wasn’t doing her normal work. She kept listening in and moving closer. Emi noted that the girls’ gossip was huge this morning. Will Sarah do this, will Sarah do that? It was getting on Emi’s nerves. Only Becca seemed to be able to stay focused, but then Sarah walked into the room with three yoga mats under her arm and sat down at her big desk.

“Oh hey everyone,” Sarah said in a friendly voice. Then she noticed Brandy on the other side of the room and a hint of a scowl appeared.

Emi thought it comical how Becca, Liz, and Hannah watched Sarah with loathing and awe as if she were some mythical gargoyle or something.

Sarah opened a yoga mat and started cutting it in half. She didn’t look like she was enjoying the task.

Emi stood up and walked over to her. “Hi Sarah”

“Hi Emi,” Sarah said without looking up, she was concentrating on cutting the thick material. The brunette, with a short mop hairstyle, was wrestling with the mat. Struggling to cut it. Her arms were bulging a little from the strain which made the little Japanese kanji tattoos on her forearms look animated. As she was so tall, Emi wasn’t used to looking down on her.

Emi cleared her throat. “I’m running out of tasks for Liz, do you have anything in the backlog for her today?”

“Oh… yes, sorry. I should have had something ready. Um… maybe give her the top bug tickets for today,” Sarah said, looking up finally. “Oh… I can see through your shirt… nines already? You can hardly wait to do this huh?”

“Actually, not at all,” Emi replied, trying to maintain eye contact.

“You and me both,” Sarah said, finally cutting through one yoga mat. She pulled it up and started cutting the corners, rounding them.

“Sorry about the extra work,” Emi said.

“It’s okay, not your fault. It’s the little demon over there,” she said, gesturing with a head nod towards Brandy.

Emi found it funny that they both referred to Brandy as a demon, but she didn’t smile. “Did you want some help with that?”

“Thanks, no. It’s okay. I know you are busy setting up your team for the project. Maybe let’s just focus on getting that app completed, so that things can hurry up and go back to normal.”

Emi nodded and left, feeling confused. Sarah seemed friendlier than normal. That was unexpected. As she walked back to the girls she saw that they were all watching her with awe. She sighed, tired of all the melodrama, she reached them and sat down.

“What did she say? Will she get you to shave and do poses on the mat? Oh, my God, Emi. This is so terrible. And Sarah is so evil,” Liz said.

Hannah nodding in agreement, her eyes big.

Becca seemed amused.

Emi smiled. “You guys have a big imagination. Sarah seems nice today, and I think maybe she’s not really into all this mailgirl stuff.”

“Emi… don’t fall for it. She’s trying to lull you into a false sense of security,” Hannah said.

“Exactly!” Liz agreed.

Becca looked confused. “Really? She’s not rubbing your nose in it? I thought Sarah had a problem with you at the best of times.”

“Actually, I thought she liked me… before Ho started making me be nude. I think it was the nudity that was the issue, that’s all.”

They gossiped a little more but Emi steered them all back into work tasks and things quieted down for a while until Sarah called to Emi.

Emi looked up nervously. Was this it?

“Emi do you have a moment?”

“Ahh… yeah,” Emi said, getting up.

“That’s alright… I’ll come over there,” Sarah said, carrying a little piece of paper. She walked over the four girls and stopped, looking at each of them in turn. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” Liz asked.

“Do I have a bug on my head or something?”

Becca laughed. “No, I guess we are just worried for Emi. Wondering what’s going to happen.”

Sarah sighed, pushing her hair back. “Yeah, I know this whole thing is strange as hell. Ruth even fought with HR yesterday. I think she fired someone.”

Hannah gestured to Sarah’s table. “Are you making mailgirl mats?”

“Yeah… Brandy asked me to do that.”

Everyone looked over to Brandy, who seemed to notice and look confused. She pulled out her headphones. “Did you guys need something,” she asked loudly from across the room.

Sarah waved her down. “No, we are good,” she said, putting her paper on the table in front of Emi and the girls.

Emi saw it was a schedule.

“Look I know everyone is apprehensive, so let me just say upfront what’s planned.”

Everyone shifted in closer to look.

“So Emi’s 90 minutes are broken up like this. Don’t ask me why.”

• 10 minutes morning prep just after standup.
• 15 min morning runs.
• 15 min lunch runs.
• 15 min afternoon runs.
• 35 minute (walkies)

The first 10, Nine will get her numbers drawn and then practice all her postures.

Then the first 15 min session will be practice runs. The happy cases. We will work at seeing how many of these we can get done in as short of a time as possible.

The second 15 min session will be food deliveries. Again, how many you can get delivered is something we want to gradually improve.

The last 15-minute session is issue handling and idea gathering. You will try to simulate issues and ask office people how they would prefer a particular issue be solved. How they might like the software to handle it. Stuff like that.

The 35-minute session is special. It’s leashed walks, outside, wearing the shirt. You get to pick 10 people, one a day, never the same person again. That person will decide where to walk you and also if you should remove your shirt or not. They might for example only have you remove it in the last 5 minutes, or just for 10 minutes in the middle, or perhaps never remove it at all, or they might insist on leaving the shirt in the office. After the 10 people have finished, Sarah, Ho, Ruth, and Brandy will have walks with Nine as well.

All of this is prep training for a 90 minute ACE event 3 weeks later at the old drive-in theater. So even though Nine will be picking trusted people to walk her, it’s in Nine’s best interest to be challenged on her walks. We want her comfortable and in front of a crowd – like a rock star ideally. What we don’t want is for her to not be able to handle it and feel really bad. So it’s up to all of us to help Nine.

After the event, the daily 35 minutes will be absorbed into the other sessions. So the two 15 min sessions will become 25 minutes, and lunch will become 30 min.

Sarah finished reading the note.

Becca looked alarmed. “Walkies? Like a Dog? On a leash outside? Will she be naked?”

Emi had those same questions in mind.

Sarah sighed. “Look, I didn’t make the rules. Yes, she will be on a leash. Outside. Naked sometimes.

Everyone regarded Sarah in shock at this news.

Sarah ran her hand through her hair. “Look, you guys can keep her fully dressed if you wish. But then it’s on you if she has a meltdown at the ACE event.”

Emi grimaced, looking over towards Brandy. The woman seemed to be engrossed in her laptop, typing away. “So I am supposed to pick someone each day?”

“That’s right. Who will it be for the first week?” Sarah asked.

Emi thought about it. “Becca, Ben, Sam, Leo, Raul.”

“What about us?” Liz asked, looking disappointed.

Hannah also seemed disappointed.

“I need an easy first week,” Emi said. “Next week I’ll pick Travis, Eddie, Asher… and uhh… Hannah, and you Liz.”

“Yea! But why do I have to be last?”

Becca smiled. “Good choices.”

Sarah continued. “Also, while Emi’s on the clock, inside, she’s wearing only the nines and everyone must refer to her as Nine and treat her like a proper mailgirl. Does everyone here know what that means?”

Liz and Hannah nodded enthusiastically. Becca nodded as well, but absent the enthusiasm of the other two.

Sarah looked relieved. “Oh, good… I guess you guys have read the Seahawk story then?”

They all nodded.

“That makes things much easier,” Sarah said, running her fingers through her hair again. She looked stressed. “I can’t believe all this crazy shit we have to do. Emi, do you already know all the positions? Or do I have to teach you them?”

“Ahh… I have seen a few I think?”

“Okay, so you need to practice them I guess. We will do that the first 10 minutes each day after you get your numbers drawn on.”

Hannah and Liz looked at each other in confusion.

“What?” Sarah asked.

“Well… I mean, what about the shaving?” Hannah asked.

“Yeah… when does she have to shave in front of everyone?” Liz added.

“Jesus, Emi… you’re really going that far?” Sarah said, looking annoyed. “I really can’t believe any of this. In front of everyone? The guys you mean?”

Becca and Emi were shaking their heads no, but Sarah was facing Liz and Hannah who were nodding their heads yes. But then they saw Becca and Emi and also shook their heads no.

But Sarah was looking at Emi now.

Emi tried to explain. “No… I ahh… that’s okay… I don’t” she said, frantically trying to think of a way out.

“You didn’t bring a razor or cream?” Sarah was getting angry. “Do I have to do everything?”

“No… I mean, I don’t want to…”

“Jesus Emi… I don’t want to go to the store either. Whatever… fine,” she said, storming off to the exit door. “It’s like everyone expects me to do everything around here. I’m running to the store to buy razors and shaving cream.”

“Hold there Sarah!” Becca said. “We aren’t doing the shaving. That was a misunderstanding. Emi will come perfectly shaved every day, otherwise, she will have to do it here – in front of everyone. Do you agree Emi?”

Emi was relieved. She stiffly nodded yes.

Sarah looked annoyed. “You have to say it Emi.”

“Ahh… yes, I’ll be perfectly shaved or I’ll ahh… do that in front… of people.” She said, amazed that she could ever say such a thing. But right now she would say anything to get out of shaving at work. Becca had just saved her ass again.

“Later that might have to change, but for this initial phase, that works,” Sarah said, walking back into the room.

Emi turned, looking at Hannah and Liz accusingly.

“Sorry?” Liz said, looking down at her feet.

“I’m sorry too, Emi,” Hannah cried out, hugging Emi.

The door banged open and the dev guys started streaming in.

Raul noticed Emi. “Sweet, nice collar! Woah… everyone come here, check out Emi’s new duds!”

Groaning, Emi facepalmed herself.

Asher looked Emi in the eyes. “Love the slave shirt. So what’s first on today’s agenda?”

Some giggling started but stopped when Emi swung around and glared at them.

Emi realized that the guys didn’t know anything about anything. Not even the mailgirl app, or her mailgirl training. After standup, they were likely to be in for quite the surprise. Emi blushed – just thinking about all the poses she would have to do, and the runs with an office full of people seeing her, but worst of all was the outside stuff. Thankfully – she would be with Becca today.

“It’s just as well,” Liz said to Hannah. “It’s not like we have a shower room here with a glass wall.”

Hannah nodded. “Yes, besides, I think Emi would have struggled with it.”

Asher started gathering everyone for standup, the morning update meeting. Emi joined them and Emi noticed that the shirt was worse than being naked. At least when she was naked they tried not to look, but now they could pretend that they were just looking at her clothing. At least they were being friendly about it. She couldn’t blame them for being curious. It was an unusual…

The door banged open and Sam strutted in with her cool sunglasses. “Sup biches! Oh hey Nine, what’s with the slave shirt? Aren’t you supposed to be naked? Oh crap, did I miss the shaving?”