Someone saw it after all E-Book

Gabriel Erbé

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 367

Beschreibung

The young, highly successful entrepreneur Sabienné Weberlein is blackmailed by her new private masseur, whose ultimate aim is to obliterate her public persona. One tool he uses for this is jewelry that cannot be taken off. An intriguing cat-and-mouse game begins. A game where the cunning feline lets its prey run for a brief moment repeatedly. But Sabienné is not that typical defenseless mouse. She fights back against the masseur with all her energy. And the cat is not always that cunning. In defending herself, Sabienné receives support from a completely unexpected source. Well, this unexpected source also has a fondness for body adornments.

Leseprobe

The book

The young, highly successful entrepreneur Sabienné Weberlein is blackmailed by her new private masseur, whose ultimate aim is to obliterate her public persona. One tool he uses for this is jewelry that cannot be taken off.

An intriguing cat-and-mouse game begins. A game where the cunning feline lets its prey run for a brief moment repeatedly.

But Sabienné is not that typical defenseless mouse. She fights back against the masseur with all her energy. And the cat is not always that cunning.

In defending herself, Sabienné receives support from a completely unexpected source. Well, this unexpected source also has a fondness for body adornments.

Warning

Due to some of the situations depicted in the book, the reader of the book should be at least 18 years old.

About the author

After the German publication, there were some people who complained that I wrote in the first person without explicitly stating that I - Gabriel Erbé - am a man. Therefore, I would like to mention it here as a precaution: I am a man and write from the first-person perspective of the main character when I think that is the best way to tell the story.

In my books, piercings, tattoos, and bondage always appear, but not on every page. After all, I want to tell a story. Characters who enjoy being beaten never appear.

Contents

The new masseur

Crazy bastard

Defense

Backcountry

Not again

New jewelry

Annoying media

Club

The game goes on

Lotus flower

The jewelry Pro

Tagesblatt your newspaper

Bondage experience

We got him!

One more masseur’s game

Truths and lies

Calm before the storm?

High noon

Epilogue

The new masseur

„Today, do not forward any calls to me anymore! Absolutely none!”

I loved rushing through my reception area with quick, decisive steps, giving a few final orders. My assistant had risen from his chair and nodded dutifully. Anything else would have earned him a stern reprimand. The feeling of absolute power still gave me a thrill.

In front of the main entrance of my company, the chauffeur was waiting next to my sports car. The moment he saw me approaching, he opened the driver’s door for me.

„I wish you a pleasant afternoon, Mrs. Weberlein,” he said, making a bow while holding his uniform cap to his chest.

I pressed down on the gas pedal of my Porsche firmly and merged smoothly into traffic. After a few sporty maneuvers, the tensions of the day had dissipated enough for me to ease off the gas and relax. As I reached my estate, the heavy double-winged gate opened, allowing me to glide slowly down the elongated driveway. For what seemed like endless seconds, I drove straight towards my magnificent house. Then, I turned off to park the Porsche in its double garage.

A glance at the clock showed me that I still had half an hour before the new masseur would arrive at the gate. I had terminated my contract with my old, long-standing masseur due to developing rheumatic complaints. Before he could end up standing before me with twisted fingers, I’d rather dismissed him immediately. After all, he had the decency to recommend a young colleague who definitely did not suffer from rheumatism. My security chief had checked the documents. Everything was in perfect order.

After a refreshing shower, I put on my favorite kimono and sat at the bar with a glass of peach liqueur. Even though I had ended my workday so early, I felt a profound sense of contentment about my achievements. It always filled me with an incredible sense of satisfaction to see my employees looking up to me. Once they realized that I knew every single process in my company and promptly put anyone trying to feed me any nonsense in their place, they showed the respect I deserved. It meant working late into the night repeatedly, but it was worth it. I considered the behavior of other entrepreneurs who gave their employees room for self-responsibility as grossly negligent.

I lingered with my thoughts for a while until the masseur rang the doorbell precisely at 5 o’clock. The first impression I got from the monitor was promising. So, I opened the side door to the driveway for him. As instructed, he had parked his car somewhere on the street. I couldn’t bear the sight of an ugly, old compact car in my courtyard. And surely, a masseur couldn’t possibly own anything more than a compact car.

Without haste, I walked to the front door and watched as he ascended the steps to my house. I liked what I saw. Good physique. Lightly tanned. If he could perform his job as well as he looked, I would hire him. I skipped the formalities of a greeting and led him to the massage room. Once he finished his preparations, I dropped my kimono and lay down on the massage table. He covered my body with a warm cloth and began the massage on my legs.

Two hours later, I felt rested and relaxed. He had done a perfect job. When he offered to help me into my kimono, I instructed him to wait for me behind the bar. I wanted to rinse off the remaining oil in the shower. Even though everything had been properly massaged in, I had always taken this shower after a massage and saw no reason to change that now. About fifteen minutes later, I sat down at the bar.

„Do you know your way around cocktails?” I asked him.

„Probably not as well as a professional bartender, but I’m not completely ignorant,” he replied.

„Good, then make me a Southern Lady.”

„Vodka, Amaretto, grenadine, pineapple juice, cream, and, of course, ice cubes,” he proclaimed, beaming.

„You disappoint me. This isn’t some kind of quiz. I want you to make it,” I said.

His smile vanished, and he got to work. Four minutes later, he placed the glass in front of me on the counter.

Despite the slip-up with the childlike listing of the ingredients, he had the job almost secured. If the cocktail had turned out to be successful as well, I would let him know after enjoying the drink. After all, I had no reason to rush on my free afternoon. I turned away from the bar and savored the unobstructed view of the landscape.

Crazy bastard

Everything around me was black. I had no idea where I was and what had happened. I tried to get up and search for the light, but I couldn’t rise since I couldn’t move my arms properly to support myself. In fact, this applied to my entire body. My legs were tightly together; I couldn’t bend them as they were somehow secured in place. My shoulders were also somehow bound. However, I didn’t feel any restraints. I could even move all my limbs, but extremely restricted.

„There you are again, little bee,”

I didn’t have to think for a second. That was the voice of the masseur. Although he didn’t have much opportunity to speak in the afternoon, I was still sure it was him.

„What do you want, and how dare you call me ‘little bee’? I abandoned that name at 18. So, speak up! What’s going on here? And turn on the light immediately!”

„The lights are on. You’re just a little handicapped because I blindfolded you. There are a few things to clarify. If you can look around while I explain, you’ll be too distracted. But I need your full attention.”

„Stop using familiar language with me. I forbid you to address me informally!”

„That’s actually your smallest problem now,” he replied with an amused tone. „But as you wish: Unlike me, from now on, you belong to the lower class. Therefore, you will always address me with the proper respect. When a name is appropriate, you will refer to me as Mr. Wolf. We can skip this nonsense of ‘my master’ or ‘my ruler’.”

„Lower class. Forget it!” I barked at him. „You consider me to be something like your slave? This fetish-nonsense? How do you think this is going to work? I know who you are. My security chief knows who you are. One phone call and this whole thing is over.”

„No, not really. This is running a bit differently. Once I’ve explained to you why you’re in this situation, you’ll understand.”

„You can’t force me into anything. Eventually, you will lose. The first thing you can forget about is that the damn ‘Mr.Wolf’ addressing.”

„That’s nothing we should discuss now. And by the way: I have no interest in this nonsense of ‘bad slave wants to be punished.’ I’m simply not that type. It’s not enjoyable for me, and I assume it’s not enjoyable for you either.”

„And now, you jerk? What’s next?”

„First of all, you should calm down. And then let me inform you that you are in a very fancy sleeping bag. However, not one of those ordinary down sleeping bags but one made mostly of latex. You won’t believe what you can find in those special toy stores if you just open yourself up to it. This sleeping bag even has extra sleeves on the inside. When it is properly closed, like it is now, you can only move your arms very restrictedly as the sleeves are sewn tightly inside the sleeping bag throughout their length. It wouldn’t be good any other way, as you could then have the chance to free yourself. The leg area of the sleeping bag is kept quite tight. It just looks better that way. Of course, the entire artwork is fixed to the ground. You don’t want to crawl around like a little seal, do you?”

„How do you think you can pull off something like this? What’s next? Are you going to force me into sex? Go ahead! But you’ll have to get me out of this stupid bag for that!”

„It seems to me that your imagination is heading in a completely wrong direction. Maybe you should just listen to me. But answer your stupid question: Don’t worry. I have absolutely no interest in sex with someone like you.”

„Then what is it? Do you want money?”

„Also, yes. But that’s not the main thing, little bee. What I really want is to show you your limits and to thoroughly and enduringly ruin you.”

„Now open this stupid bag and get the hell out of here!”

„Fine. I’ll leave you alone for an hour now. It would be good if you stop addressing me informally after that. ‘Mr. Wolf’ is the appropriate way to address me.”

I could hear him leaving the room and closing the door. All I needed to do was hold on until the next day. If I didn’t show up for work on time, I just had to wait for about an hour, and my security chief would search for me. After that, that little masseur-idiot would end up in jail faster than he’d like. What time was it, anyway? How long had he kept me unconscious? Why had I even passed out? Probably spiked drink with knockout drops. Presumably, my former masseur had blabbered about the drinks I liked to have after a massage. The new one must have practiced and prepared the right glasses for each of the drinks while I was in the shower. Fortunately, I had activated the surveillance cameras for the living areas. The evidence against him would be overwhelming.

But first, I had to try to get out of this stupid bag. I jerked my legs to tear the fastening of the sleeping bag, but I painfully realized that it wasn’t the sleeping bag but my feet that were secured. A previously loose loop had tightened around my ankles during the jerk. When I extended my legs again, the loop only released reluctantly. Presumably, the same was true for the fastening of my shoulders. I decided not to try that. I was left with no choice but to lie stretched out, suppressing the boiling anger, and hoping that the idiot would come back as soon as possible.

Finally, it must have been hours, I got fed up, and I began screaming for help with all my might. I knew it probably wouldn’t make any difference since my house was alone in a large park, but how could I be sure that I was even still in my house? Maybe I was already in his miserable hideout.

I didn’t have to wait long before I heard him enter the room.

„My, my, I should have mentioned it beforehand. I assumed you would have figured out on your own that I wouldn’t tolerate something like this.”

„I don’t give a damn, you jerk. Let me out of here, or I’ll scream the whole planet apart!”

I took a deep breath and let out a scream. The piercing sound barely had a chance to escape as he quickly muffled it by placing something large and soft into my mouth.

„You don’t seriously think that I’m not capable of keeping you quiet, do you?”

In response, I tried to make the loudest noise possible, considering that the gag wasn’t completely airtight. He sat on my upper body and roughly lifted my head, causing my chin to rest on my chest. Shortly afterward, I felt him uncomfortably tighten the gag.

„What silence. You’ll have to wait for the rest of the promised hour now. Then I’ll explain everything to you. Or at least the most important parts.”

When the door finally opened again, I was certain that more than just one hour must have passed.

„I am going to remove the blindfold now.”

The light was strongly dimmed. Nevertheless, I quickly recognized that I was lying in my screening room. Directly next to the room where the computer and hard drives for the surveillance system were housed. For a brief moment, I wanted to close my eyes again, to believe that he hadn’t found the room.

„I see, you thought I wouldn’t find the adjacent room? Did you dream of getting away with your recordings of me? Locking me up with some mouse-clicks?”

I could only look at him.

„I’m the wrong person for that,” he explained to me jovially, „I’m a surveillance freak myself. You’ll know more about it in a few minutes. Right now, we’re going to watch a little film.”

Although I tried to draw his attention through a few sounds, indicating that I was still gagged, he left the thing in my mouth.

On the giant screen appeared images of a picture-perfect home with a well-kept garden. The mother was playing tag with her little daughter in the garden. Everyone was laughing, and the atmosphere was joyful and carefree. If it weren’t for the gag in my mouth, I would have quickly made it clear to him that I simply found such pictures annoying. Why should I watch them running across the lawn?

Then the camera angle changed. I saw a narrow street. In some distance, a car approached at high speed. Just like how I always did on these narrow streets. The thrill was simply enormous. When the car was only about a hundred meters away, a child ran onto the road. It was the same child I had just seen playing in the garden in the previous images. Almost at the same moment, the mother came running after, screaming. As she tried to pick up the child, she was hit by the car and thrown into the air.

The film again switched to another camera angle, although it wasn’t really necessary for me since I had already realized that nobody else but myself had been behind the wheel of the car.

I could see how I had crouched next to the child and then next to the woman. Both of them had had no pulse and looked as if they were dead. What else could I have done? There had been little time left until my next appointment, and even if I had called emergency services, it wouldn’t have brought them back to life. So, I had gotten back into the car and driven away. After the appointment, I had thought about whether I could do something to help them. Eventually, I had decided against it. Later that same night, I had taken the car across the border. There, I had parked it in the nearest city with the key in the ignition. One hour later, the car had been history.

I hadn’t reported it as stolen afterward. If the police had actually traced my tracks, I would have given them some story. For example: „When you called, I immediately went to the garage, and believe it or not: it must have been stolen from there. I have so many cars that I only just noticed it now.”

But it had never come to that. I had erased the whole incident from my memory. And now this idiot came along and brought it all back up.

„I’m going to remove the gag now. It would be good if you stay calm.”

Without waiting for any gesture from me, he opened the fastener and pulled out the ball.

„Any questions?”

„What’s all this crap about? They ran in front of my car. What was I supposed to do? Dead is dead.”

„Ever heard of the police? Guilt? Court? Punishment?”

„They won’t come back to life anyway. But my life goes on, and I also have a responsibility to my employees. Without me, they won’t be able to keep the business running.”

„With something like that, I actually expected it. Nevertheless, I thought you’d be a bit more diplomatic in my presence. But fine. When I came home that day, it took me a half eternity to truly grasp that my wife and daughter were dead. Run over by some damn speeder who didn’t even have the guts to call for help and take responsibility. No, he had to commit a hit-and-run. The police said that sometimes it happens in a moment of thoughtlessness. There was a chance that the culprit would still turn themselves in. But nothing happened.”

He paused, seemingly giving me an opportunity to react to this heart-wrenching story. However, since nothing came from me, he continued, „Days later, when they were both laid to rest, I regained enough composure to watch the footage my surveillance cameras had tirelessly recorded. It had become a sort of necessary hobby back then. We lived there quite isolated, so I wanted to have decent recordings in case any burglars ever showed up. I never thought I would see such images.”

„And now? What’s supposed to happen now?” I asked. He looked at me for a while without saying anything. I effortlessly held his gaze. If he thought this was some kind of psychological game, he was at the wrong address with me. There had never been anyone who had even the slightest chance against me with such primitive weapons.

„What’s going to happen now? I just told you. I am going to start slowly and delightfully driving your life against the wall. I could have just taken the recordings to the police, but the way you disappeared spoke against it. I wanted to find you and then bring you to ruin,” he said.

„I need to use the restroom. What is the great avenger going to do now?”

„No problem. I’m done with the most important part. You need to get up and go to work now. One last piece of advice, though. Don’t try to neutralize me in any way. My phone receives an SMS approximately every 24 hours. If I don’t respond with a daily changing code, a lot of footage will be released online. And it’s not just the footage of the accident. Upon a preliminary review of your collected works, I came across some very interesting pieces. And I’ve barely scratched the surface yet.”

Without haste, he started to unzip the sleeping bag. It took several minutes until I could finally move freely again. I realized that he had wrapped me up completely naked.

„Presumably, you’d like to take a shower now. That’s not a problem. We’ll meet for lunch in the city later today. You can choose the place. You’ll find my number in your phone under the keyword ‘Mr. Wolf.’ Don’t forget to inform me by half-past eleven at the latest. Have a pleasant day then.”

As he was almost at the door, I exclaimed after him, „You can forget about it, you scumbag!” He pretended as if he hadn’t heard anything and disappeared. I was certain that he had lost the game in the very moment he made the decision to set me free.

Defense

„Send Maier to me. Immediately!”

„Which Maier?”, the receptionist wanted to know as I was almost through the foyer.

„Security-Maier.” I answered, annoyed.

As soon as I had taken my seat in the office, the head of security was already reporting in. Normally, I would have leaned back to enjoy how he obeyed the command and made him wait a bit longer. However, this time, I didn’t have the time for that.

„You have investigated my new masseur?”

„Of course. You have the report in front of you.”

„I have read it. Even more than once. I can’t find anything that points to a potential blackmailer.”

He turned a shade paler.

„There’s also nothing of that sort noted in his file.”

„Nevertheless, he is an outlaw. To cut it short, he drugged me yesterday and stole my films from the supposedly well-secured recording room. Now he’s threatening to release these films.”

„Would you like me to involve the police and assist them with the investigation?”

I rolled my eyes.

„Of course not. Nothing is more undesirable than a publicized blackmail. Figure out a solution yourself. After all, it was your sloppy investigation that got me into this situation in the first place.”

„Of course. Would you please describe what happened?”

„I just told you that. He drugged me, probably with some kind of knockout drops. After that, he opened the recording room and then told me that he will release these films if I don’t do what he says.”

„May I ask what he wants you to do?”

„At the moment, nothing more than inviting him to lunch today. The choice of restaurant is up to me. I just have to let him know by 11:30 am.”

„How does he prevent us from simply apprehending him there? Or, in other words, what happens if we apprehend him?”

„He told me that he receives an SMS every 24 hours. If he doesn’t respond to it, the films will be automatically released online. Is that even possible?”

„No problem. Unfortunately, it is. The simplest way is that he has a computer somewhere that sends these SMS and evaluates the reception.”

„I want you to find that damn computer and then apprehend that man,” I said firmly.

„If he really chose this simple option, then we just have to go to his apartment and disable the computer. However, it is likely that he has hidden the program on some server somewhere in the world. Perhaps he has also hacked into one of the many unprotected computers out there. Both options are not so easy to find. We would definitely need a pretty good expert for that,” Maier explained.

„So, what do you suggest?” I asked.

„We start with his apartment and then follow all the leads we find there until we locate his life insurance or anything else we can use as leverage against him.”

„Why ‘life insurance’? I didn’t instruct you to kill the man,” I said.

„Nevertheless, I would call this SMS program a ‘life insurance’. In any case, it will keep us busy for a while. I must advise you to attend the lunch appointment. Until we know what he is really capable of, we shouldn’t provoke him unnecessarily.”

„What should I do? Have lunch with that jerk?”

„That was my suggestion. Yes,” Maier replied.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. „If I do it, I will inform you.”

„At least then someone could follow him. We should not miss any opportunity, especially since we are at the beginning of the investigation and have almost no cards on hand.”

Again I gathered my courage. After all, the man was right.

„Okay, let’s do it.”

I tapped on my phone and impatiently waited for my assistant to answer.

„Make a reservation for two at Salvatore’s. 12:30.”

Then, I looked at my security chief.

„Is there anything else?”

„Yes, the number you’re supposed to inform about the appointment.”

I handed him my phone. „He saved his contact as ‘Mr. Wolf’ in the phonebook.”

He looked surprised. „Does that mean he now has all the saved numbers?”

I had to admit that I hadn’t thought about that at all.

„Yes, he does. All the more reason to take him off the streets as soon as possible.”

My security chief had now opened the phonebook.

„You only have one number saved. So, he deleted your entire address list. Your assistant should input them back immediately.”

„You don’t need to tell me who should do what around here. Is that all then?”

„For the moment, yes.”

I motioned towards the door.

„Then get to work. I’m not paying anyone to stand around here.”

„Ms. Weberlein, you have your lunch appointment at Salvatore’s in fifteen minutes.”

„Thank you,” I replied.

I closed the file, I actually was working at, and once again, my eyes fell on the ring that the masseur had placed on my right ring finger earlier in the day. It was a simple, wide stainless steel ring, but what made it special was the smaller ring attached to it through a small loop, serving as an adornment. As soon as I noticed the ring, I didn’t need to research its meaning. I knew that the ring was supposed to symbolize the submissive nature the person wearing it. I had wanted to take it off immediately, but every attempt resulted in a sharp pain. Eventually, I had given up. Not only for this reason, there would certainly be no shortage of conversation during the meal.

Shortly after, my chauffeur dropped me off in front of the restaurant. With the words „Hello, honey bee,” the masseur, who was already waiting, held the restaurant door open for me and followed me into the dining area. After Salvatore personally escorted us to the table and, as always, adjusted my chair, the customary question about drinks came up. Before I could answer, the masseur placed his hand on top of mine.

„I assume you’ll have still water, honey bee?”

Due to my surprise, I couldn’t immediately respond, so the masseur addressed Salvatore directly.

„For my lovely companion, please bring still water and a simple appetizer salad. For me, an alcohol-free beer and ravioli with porcini mushrooms, please,”

Salvatore looked visibly confused, glancing back and forth between him and me. When I nodded briefly, he went to the counter to relay the order and then serve the drinks.

In a hushed but assertive tone, I initiated the conversation.

„What’s actually going on in your head? Don’t you dare think you can order for me as if I have no will of my own,” I said, my voice subdued but firm.

„But you are wearing that ring, honey bee,” he replied with a smile. „As long as you wear it, you’ll have to live with the fact that I’ll make some decisions for you. Don’t worry, you won’t starve. After all, you don’t have that many extra pounds either.”

„I don’t have a single gram of extra weight!” I retorted.

„Now, calm down. You’re stepping out of line with me. Always stay calm and submissive, and don’t forget the proper address,” he replied calmly.

„Let’s talk about this damn ring, you stupid jerk. I can’t get it off.”

„That’s intentional,” he nodded. „Something about small coil springs that trigger a mechanism preventing the ring from being removed. I didn’t quite understand all the details. Plus, there’s a tiny barb that has lodged into your skin from the inside. That’s probably why you can’t even turn the ring.”

„So you’re telling me I’ll never get it off again?” I asked.

„Correct,” he replied with a smile.

„And what if something gets infected?”

„Don’t worry. Everything is disinfected, and the barb doesn’t go in too deep. Your skin will eventually grow around it. Trust me, in a few weeks, you’ll be used to it. And if something still gets infected, you can just have it removed,” he reassured.

I looked at him, puzzled. „But you just told me the ring can’t be removed.”

„That’s true,” he nodded, „I meant your finger at the moment.”

I couldn’t process that information immediately. It couldn’t be true that the man was casually talking about amputating my finger.

He took advantage of the momentary silence and casually glanced at the ring. „It looks nice. And it’s quite brave of you to publicly display your inclination decisively.”

With that, he brought me back to reality. Salvatore was now at the table, serving the main course. I hadn’t noticed when he had started.

„You can show your hands, honey bee. I stand by you and your submissive desires. You’ve taken this step now, so you have to step forward,” he said.

„Enough with this nonsense. Our dear Salvatore doesn’t know where to look anymore,” I retorted.

The person addressed looked at me relieved. „Ah, Signora, you really got me there. I admit, for a moment, I thought that you...” He couldn’t find the right words to finish the sentence, and his face turned red.

„It was all just a little joke,” I reassured him, not recognizing myself in that moment. Normally, I would have made a big fuss about it.

„Yes, yes, with Salvatore, one can do that,” he said, turning away from the table and heading towards the counter. His chef, who had observed the scene through the peephole, saw him roll his eyes in annoyance.

„Yeah, I was already thinking you had resigned yourself to your fate,” the masseur smiled at me amiably. „But it’s much more fun when you resist. Not that you stand a chance, of course, but it’s still more fun. When Salvatore returns to the table, please explain to him that you will now embrace your life’s true purpose and live as my devoted subordinate.”

„In your brain, there must be a serious problem. I will definitely not do that. Instead, you’ll get the resistance, but more than you’d like. And I guarantee you won’t enjoy it.”

„Now at least get used to addressing me formal and ‘Mr. Wolf.’ For Salvatore’s sake,” he added when there was no reaction from me.

„You will lose. You’re just a mediocre little masseur, nothing more.”

I threw my napkin on the salad and stormed out of the restaurant, fuming with anger. Before the door closed, I called out, „The gentleman will pay,” into the room. As I later found out, ‘The gentleman’ enjoyed the excellent meal in peace and bid farewell after leaving a generous tip.

I buried myself in work for the next few hours at my company. The thought that this despicable Mr. Wolf had nothing else in mind than leading me to ruin, or whatever his intentions were, gave me an extra boost of energy. The last thing he could achieve was making me neglect my work.

In the late afternoon, my security chief finally contacted me. To show him, and most importantly myself, that I had everything under control, I made him wait for a few minutes before allowing him into my office.

„We kept him under constant surveillance. He left the restaurant half an hour after you did. The impression he gave was one of great composure, as if he were on vacation in our city.”

„Was he seriously shopping?” Before I could even finish the question, I wished I could have covered my mouth. The barely noticeable smile on my counterpart’s face confirmed my suspicion. In his opinion, a man would never willingly go shopping; that was clearly a woman’s thing.

„No, not shopping. He spent more time in the parks or visiting streets with old buildings.”

„Is that all you have to report?”

„For the past hour, he’s been in his apartment. The guys are in the mobile command center. They bugged his apartment during his walk. We won’t miss any of his plans.”

„Why didn’t you install cameras?”

„We did.”

„Why didn’t you say that in the first place? So, what is he doing in his apartment?”

„He turned on the TV and just flopped down on his sofa.”

I looked at my security chief incredulously.

„What is he doing? Why isn’t he at the computer? This can’t be possible that he’s just doing nothing.”

„I’m sorry. That’s exactly how it is.”

„And? Are there any clues in the apartment? Don’t make me extract every piece of information from you!”

„We thoroughly searched the apartment, of course.” He raised his hands apologetically. „Nothing. Absolutely nothing. His computer is completely free from any software that could be related to your case. As a precaution, we made a complete backup and are carefully reviewing it here at the office. From this, I can only assume that he must have a second apartment or something else where he can pull the strings. At least, if he has any strings to pull at all.”

„Good. Your team continues to keep an eye on him! If you need more manpower, get it. This matter has top priority.”

He gestured a nod and turned to leave.

„Wait! That’s not all. Get me someone who can remove this disgusting ring from my finger!”

„What date should I mark down for you?”

„The sooner, the better.”

„I’ll get back to you.”

That evening, I didn’t arrive home until 11pm. In the early evening the handyman my security man had found had made great efforts to understand the mechanism of the ring. He even managed to thread a string between the ring and my finger. However, he couldn’t loosen the small barb that held everything in place. Eventually, he gave up.

„If there weren’t a real finger inside, I would simply clamp the part and work on it with the angle grinder. But with the finger in the ring, that’s not possible. You would undoubtedly sustain permanent damage to your finger.”

With a smile he added: „The chances of having a permanently healthy finger would be higher if a surgeon were to amputate and reattach the finger.”

The man had an extremely strange sense of humor. Without reacting to his ‘joke,’ I had left his shop. Being confronted with the possibility of finger amputation twice in the same day was simply too much.

Now I sat at my bar, constantly glancing at the cursed ring. Nonetheless, I tried, unfortunately unsuccessfully, to enjoy the evening liqueur. Soon after, my eyes grew tired, and I went to sleep.

In the morning, I was awakened by the ringing of my phone. Checking the time, I realized I could have stayed in bed for another hour. I picked up the phone from the nightstand and read the incoming mail. After that, I was wide awake and tapped on the link that the Masseur had sent me.

It led to a small video portal. In the video, I saw myself dancing alone in my living room, dressed in disheveled clothing. I held a half-filled whisky glass in my hand. My face was glistening, and the expression in my eyes showed that I was completely lost in my own world.

Of course, I knew the video. I had recorded it with my own surveillance system and kept it as a reminder to myself that I tended to cross my limits with alcohol. Now, this despicable scumbag of a masseur had posted it online. His comment about choosing a less-known platform sounded like mockery to me. It was nothing more than a time bomb. Sooner or later, it would spread. I almost went to the bar to calm myself down, but the only thing that stopped me was the certainty that the masseur wanted to provoke that reaction from me. Instead of a drink, I prepared my breakfast and reread the mail once more. He demanded that I have lunch with him again today. The conditions were the same as the day before.

My first appointment at the company was with my security chief again. After just five minutes, I was done with him. The man had no idea when or from where the masseur had posted the video online. The whole department was now investigating with great urgency. I would have loved to kick him and his guys out on the street, but then I wouldn’t have anyone to investigate for me. So, I had no choice but to reiterate the importance of the task to him.

For the rest of the morning, I spent my time as usual, buried in a pile of work and attending a few short meetings. Most of the time, I managed to push the lunch appointment with the masseur out of my mind. When the time finally came, I walked two streets over to a fast-food restaurant. I didn’t want to make the mistake again of giving him the opportunity to embarrass me at one of my favorite places to eat.

As on the previous day, he appeared on time with a cheerful smile.

„Do they serve such wonderful food here as well, like at Salvatore’s?” he asked.

„Course not,” I replied shortly.

Instead of complaining about my brief answer, he ordered a meal for himself and brought me a glass of water and a small salad.

„I see you’re still wearing this beautiful ring. That pleases me a lot,” he said.

„Stop the nonsense! What were you thinking when you uploaded that video online?”

He looked at me astonished. „Didn’t I tell you that I will make you suffer? That alone is reason enough. But you also willingly provided me with more reasons.”

As I looked at him questioningly, he explained, „Yesterday, you still didn’t address me the way I told you to, and you just left me sitting at Salvatore’s.”

„And so what?”

„Nothing, ‘so what.’ I’m willing to give you a certain amount of time to get used to it. But yesterday was just too much. And just now, you addressed me informally again. I can’t let that slide.”

„And what do you plan to do about it?”

„Finish your salad.”

When I demonstratively placed my hands in my lap, he turned calmly to his food. In the end, he placed the napkin on the tray and bid farewell with the words, „Clearing the trays is your task. I will visit you tonight at exactly 8pm. Don’t worry, it won’t be so bad. After all, you patiently waited until I finished my meal.”

As he turned his back on me, I hurled my water paper cup at him. His only reaction was a momentary pause before he left the restaurant without looking back at me.

Although I had to admit to myself that the water incident was childish, it left me with a sense of exhilaration.

However, back at the office, that feeling quickly faded as I was informed that there had been no progress in the investigation.

„We must assume that he anticipated this before he started attacking you,” concluded the security chief in his report.

„Do you think I’m paying you all this money for explaining what is already evident? Of course, he thoroughly prepared himself, and of course, he knew I wouldn’t put up with it. You’re supposed to deliver the man to me on a silver platter. Or if that’s not possible, at least ensure that he can’t harm me anymore. Now, get out and do your job.”

After my Security Chief left the office, it took me a few minutes to calm my breathing. I threw myself into work with full enthusiasm. It was not until ten o’clock at night that I finally opened the door to my villa. Of course, the Masseur had commanded me to be home two hours earlier. But to defy that order, I would have even driven around the area for another hour. The times when the Masseur believed he could command me were over before they even began. I went straight to the bar to pour myself a liqueur.

Just as I was about to bring the glass to my mouth, a wide loop tightened around my head and, before I could react, it cinched tightly around my neck. As I tried to get my fingers under it, the loop tightened so much that I panicked, fearing I would run out of air in a few seconds. I forced myself to breathe shallowly and lowered my hands again, causing the loop to loosen.

„I see you understand how it works. If you cooperate, you don’t have to worry about your breath. Otherwise, I’ll just pull again. By the way, this thing is modeled after a device used to catch snakes. Quite funny, isn’t it?”

As I turned my head slowly, I saw that the loop was attached to a long handle. This way, he could effortlessly keep me at a distance with one hand while using the other hand to pull the cord and tighten the loop as he pleased.

„If you would be so kind as to greet me?” he said.

„Screw off,” I replied.

The response was a slow pull on the rope. I immediately felt the loop cutting off my breath again. Everything inside me resisted, but eventually, I managed to croak out, „Mr. Wolf.” He immediately eased the pressure and allowed me to take a few deep breaths.

„You’re going to undress now, honeybee,” he said.

In a brief moment of lost self-control, he noticed the panic in my eyes and added, „Don’t worry. I still have no sexual interest in you. So don’t waste any time. Undress. Just drop everything.”

I had no other choice but to obey. If only I had been wearing a sweater, then he would have had to loosen the loop, but as it was, I could simply let everything fall down. A few minutes later, I stood naked before him. By now, he had loosened the loop so much that I could move my neck easily within it.

„Turn around completely once. I want to have a look at your entire body.”

Reluctantly, I began to turn around. It infuriated me that once again, I had no control over the situation and had to obediently follow his instructions.

„Actually, I already saw everything during the massage, but I wanted to take a closer look at it calmly. I believe your body is in a pretty good condition for the time being,” he remarked.

As I looked back at him, he reached into a bag and pulled out something undefinably black, which he threw toward me.

„That’s a wonderful leather hood. I want you to put it on. Take a close look at it. The point where the zipper starts goes right at the top of your head. The zipper goes backward toward the nape of your neck,” he instructed.

I turned the item in my hands, puzzled, until I found the indicated spots. At that moment, I looked at him in disbelief.

„What is it little bee?”

„This can’t be right. If I put this on, I won’t be able to see anything!” I protested.

„Exactly. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Now, get going,” he insisted.

I hesitated for a moment, considering refusing. However, as I felt the pressure on my neck increasing again, I reluctantly put on the leather mask. I fumbled for the zipper and pulled it down carefully. Fortunately, there was a flap under the zipper that prevented my hair from getting tangled. I touched my face and realized that only the nostrils remained uncovered. Even my mouth was covered by the mask.

„I’m sure you’ve already noticed that the mask fits tightly over your entire head. To ensure it stays that way, there’s a closure strap around your neck. I’m going to loosen the loop around your neck enough so that you can fasten this strap. It works like a simple belt buckle,” he explained.

Once again, I had no choice but to obey. Now that I couldn’t see anything, it wasn’t wise to start a fight. I would only end up on the losing side. So, I dutifully fastened the buckle and waited to see what he would do next.

„Lie on your back. Nice and stretched out,” he commanded.

As I lay down, I could hear him rummaging in some bag or pocket again.

„Now lift your legs up. Keep them stretched out,” he said.

Hardly had I lifted my legs when he began to put something over them.

„Not the sleeping bag again,” I grumbled at him, the words muffled by the mask.