Are You Busy? – Paint By Numbers (Episode Three)

by Matthew © 2010

(continued from part 2b)

Sometime after part two…

I was busy working in my studio. After all the events of the past few weeks it was nice to be able to stop and ‘clear my head’ so to speak. And I DO have my own work to do, don’t I? Things with Susan seemed to be happening quickly…too quickly? I felt myself being inexorably pulled into Susan’s orbit without any chance to pause or reflect on it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Is there? After all…

When suddenly (is there any other way?) the phone rang…

“Hello…”

“Hello Matthew.”

“Ah, Susan. Hi.” It’s Susan. Just hearing her voice and (as usual) any doubts or misgivings instantly vanish. Once again I am amazed at the power she has over me. Now if I was to really sit down and think about it, I would wonder if this power is something that she has asserted or something that I have given her. Or both? But I’m not going to wonder about that. Because that’s not really important, is it? No. What’s important is how Susan makes me feel when I am able to give her my service. Isn’t that right?

“Are you busy?”

“As a matter of fact…I need to get this illustration done. I’m on a deadline and I have to send it out tomorrow…”

“Well, I just wanted to ask you something…”

“Anything.”

“Well, I just realized that I’ll need to find a lawn service. You know, to mow the lawn, rake leaves. Things like that. I was hoping you could recommend someone.”

“Oh. Well, I’ve seen plenty of people around. But I’ve never dealt with any of them. I mow my lawn myself. I could…I’d be happy to mow for you…”

“Would you? That would be very helpful, Matthew.”

“No problem. be glad to do it.” I just offered to mow her lawn. in perpetuity. Didn’t I? Why did I do that? Oh, I know why…

“Mmmm.” That’s all she said. ‘Mmmm’. Obviously we both knew what Susan meant was: “Yes, I acknowledge that naturally you will be glad to mow my lawn for me,”

“An illustration. is this for work?” Susan asked.

“Yes. Well, it’s for a book, and as I said, I need to send it out tomorrow to meet the deadline. I’m afraid I may be up all night…”

“Hmm. Well I don’t like the idea of you being up all night long. I think I know what you need. I’ll be over in a bit.”

“I…oh…okay…” Huh? What? It’s not Susan’s business how late I stay up, or how I get MY work done. Is it? Is it? But what I said was: “Do you need directions?”

“I’m sure I can find it.”

“I’ll be out in my studio.”

“I’ll see you soon, Matthew.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Actually it was originally a greenhouse. And I do do some gardening in there from time to time, but I converted most of the space into a studio. I was hard at work (no, really!) when I heard the crunch of gravel as Susan’s car came up the driveway. I went out to greet her and led her back to my studio.

“…Was originally a greenhouse, but mostly I use it as my studio…”

“Nice and sunny, isn’t it? And you do all your work here…”

“Well, it gets me out of the house…” Ha ha.

“Ha ha! So you still do this by hand?” Susan indicated the current work on my easel. “I thought this was all done on computers now…”

“Yeah, but sometimes I still like to do it the old-fashioned way. There’s nothing like having a brush in your hand…”

“Yes, you are quite handy with a paintbrush, aren’t you, Matthew? Hmm. Interesting.” Susan studied the illustration closely.

“Do you like it?”

“Mmmm.” (I’m not sure what Susan meant by that ‘Mmmm.” but I’ll take it…) “It looks like you have quite a bit to go. You said it would probably take all night…”

“Uh…Yeah…”

“Well I think you should be able to finish your work in a timely fashion. I don’t like the idea of you not getting enough rest. After all, you need to be ready in case I call on you to be helpful…”

“Uh…Yeah…” Obviously Susan has a point. I need to be able to help her when she needs me. Don’t I? Because that’s what’s important, right? It’s not right for me to be upset that she can just come over here and tell me how to get my work done. Is it? That’s just me being selfish again. Isn’t that right? And yet…part of me resents that Susan thinks that she can just come over here to my house and take charge of my life. Just like that. But part of me… Well, a lot of me… Doesn’t resent it at all.

“What you need, Matthew, is something to put you in the right frame of mind…”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Something that will help you to concentrate on your work and relax you at the same time.”

“Really? That sounds…good…”

“Oh, it is. I think you will really enjoy it, Matthew.”

“What do I have to do?” (Yes, I chose. What else could I do?)

“First let’s get you changed…”

Of course. I shouldn’t be surprised. Being with Susan means I have to change. My clothes, that is. At this point I realize what’s going on. It seems that every time I am with her I have to take off my clothes and put on what she wants me to wear. And not just any old thing either, is it? She’s doing it deliberately, isn’t she? She’s conditioning me, changing not only my clothes but me. I realize this…I know what’s going on. And yet. Yet…Knowing this, I find myself powerless to stop it. Or, to be honest, there is nothing I WANT to do about it. I WANT this, don’t I? I want to please Susan and make her happy. To be her superhero. To be hers. Because, after all, that’s what’s important. Isn’t that right? Yes it is.

I hadn’t really noticed until now, but Susan had a duffel bag with her. She opened it and pulled out…yet another unitard.

“Here, Matthew, take this.”

It was quite thick and heavy. Much heavier than the various different Lycra unitards Susan has had me wear before. Why…?

“Do you have someplace to change?”

“Um, yes. There’s a small washroom just over there…”

“Good. Why don’t you just slip it on and then I’ll give you a hand…”

“Okay…” So I did. I went into the washroom, took of my grimy sweats and pulled and tugged the thick, shiny black unitard on. Because Susan wanted me to. It was really tight and I felt really compressed and awkward in it, and it wasn’t even zipped up yet… I returned to where Susan waited.

“This is really…tight…”

“Mmmm. This material doesn’t stretch too much. But I like how you look in it. And it will look even better once you lose a few pounds…”

“Ah…” Of course it will…

“Let’s get you zipped up…”

Obediently, I turned around, offering Susan the zipper. She had a bit of trouble getting it going, but slowly the unitard grew even tighter and more form fitting. I even seemed to have a little trouble breathing…I felt really confined and encased, as if…

“Huh?”

“Matthew?”

Susan had finished doing up the zipper but her hands had not left the back of my neck. They were paused, waiting…

“Oh, I…”

“Matthew??”

“Yes.”

I hadn’t noticed when and from where Susan got the padlock, but the sharp ‘click’ told me I wouldn’t be taking the unitard off until Susan unlocked it.

“Thank you, Matthew.”

“I…Uh…” I had the strong desire to say, ‘No, thank YOU…’

“And now for the best part…” Susan reached into her duffel bag and pulled out a black helmet which looked like it was made from the same material as the unitard..

“That’s…”

“Yes. Well, it’s a hood. Sort of. It goes with your unitard. It has a lot of interesting features…”

“It looks like a helmet…”

“Mmmm….”

I have no idea what that particular ‘Mmmm’ of Susan’s meant. But I’m about to find out, aren’t I?

“This is the main part of what I was telling you about earlier.”

“What…that can help me concentrate and relax me at the same time…?”

“Exactly…well, if all goes according to plan…”

“I..well….” At this point, I’m feeling a bit…well, maybe more than a bit…nervous. But… What choice do I have, really? “How…?”

“Well, let’s try it on…Okay?”

“I…well…okay…” No. No choice at all, really.

“Thank you, Matthew.” Susan then began to draw the hood over my head. ” As you can see this hood has holes for your eyes. So you can see out. For now..” She had a bit of trouble working the hood down over my head and adjusting it so that the pads on the hood lined up over my ears and mouth.

Wait. Pads? What are they for…?

“There, how’s that?” Susan’s voice seemed oddly muffled.

“OLLFFF” I said. I guess I can’t talk too well wearing this. I nodded my head, that it was okay. If a bit tight…

“Good. let’s do up the zipper….”

“ULGH.” The helmet-hood tightened up even further. Pressing those pads tightly against my ears and mouth. If I didn’t know better… Wait. I think I’ve already established that I don’t know better. Do I? I then felt rather than heard a familiar ‘click’ coming from the back of my neck. Where did that padlock come from?

I was now completely, tightly encased from head to toe in a very tight, very black, form fitting unitard. And locked in. Until Susan lets me out. Until Susan decides to let me out. While I’m in my own house. Well, my own greenhouse. And…I just realized I can’t talk. And I can’t hear too well either. I’m…kind of a prisoner in my own home. Actually, more than kind of. This, this is wrong, isn’t it? But then it should feel wrong. Shouldn’t it? It feels…it feels odd, yes, but also exciting. And kind of right. Because…. Because, well this is what Susan wants. And what is important is…

“I said, can you hear me, Matthew?”

“Mmmph.” I nodded.

“Good. Now we come to the fun part.”

Fun part? Fun for who?

“Now, for the rest of the afternoon, you are no longer Matthew…”

“Mn?” Who am I?

“You have a task to perform. a painting to complete.”

Yes. Okay.

“You will focus on your task. You have nowhere to go. No one to talk to. Those are distractions. You don’t need them…”

Yes…I…

“Now I will give you something to help you relax. It is important that you are relaxed and calm while you are focused and working…”

I…yes…what? What could it be?

Susan then pulled out a small silver object.

“It’s just a little MP3 player. It fits into a little pocket on the back of your hood. and it plugs into the speakers over your ears…”

It’s music? Susan’s going to play me music?

“I put a little relaxation program on it. For you to listen to while you are working. It will help put you in the right frame of mind.”

Music? Relaxation? Program?

Susan then slid the tiny player into its pocket on the back of my head. Then attached the wires. Then I felt the press of her finger…

Waves crashed on the seashore.

The sun was bright and hot, but the breeze was cool. Seagulls called to each other and off in the distance a sailboat chased the horizon. The sand was perfectly warm and there was no one else around. This was the perfect place to set up my easel and paint…

And paint…

The large rock in the harbor is home to the mermaids. They call to me their siren song… Eerily seductive, I long to join them… But I have a task to perform…

And paint…

Up in the mountain meadow the air is crisp and cold. The vistas are awe-inspiring. Breathtaking. I cannot paint them all. But I must try. A Wood Nymph whispers in my ear. I can’t see her but I feel her beside me. She is telling me something. Something Important. I don’t hear her words exactly, but her words are inside me…

And paint…

In the castle the Queen sits on her regal throne, resplendent in her flowing robes. I know this even though I am far, far below her in one of the many workshops. I have an important task to perform. For my Queen. She has sent one of her many Ladies-in-waiting to keep me company. The Lady watches over me as I work. As she watches, she talks to me, but I cannot hear her words. I can’t her her words, but her words are inside me, and I understand. I understand them all…

And paint…

Who am I?

What is important?

I was Matthew.

I am…?

Susan. Susan is important…

And paint…

Service. Service is important…

And paint…

It is dark. I cannot see. There is nothing for me to see. Whispers come from the darkness. They bypass my ears and flow directly into my head. I don’t listen to the whispers, I don’t need to. Her words are inside me and I understand…

Something warm and wet presses against my mouth. Something familiar yet unfamiliar. My head fills with earthy scents and the tastes of meadow and ocean. And I understand…

The roller coaster creaks and shudders as it inches steadily upwards. Tension builds as as the rider creeps slowly but steadily towards the apex. Then at the top, she is weightless for a brief moment before the gut wrenching acceleration pulls her downward towards…

__________________________________________________________________________________________

“Welcome back.”

“I…what? Who…who am I?”

“Who indeed?”

Susan? Mistress was looking down on me, a secret smile on her face. She seemed oddly flushed. As if… As if… That was a dream wasn’t it? What happened? Then I realized that I am down on my knees before her. Down on my knees and somehow, at some point the gag from my hood had been removed without me noticing it. Susan Mistress smoothed her skirt down over her silky legs and a brief familiar memory of recent past flashed through my mind. Was it something I did or just imagined? I’m so confused… It’s so hard to focus…I feel, I feel an overwhelming tightness pressing all over my body. Pressing against me, tugging at me, pulling me down… Down into the swirling darkness…

“You did a good job for me today, my painter. But now you must sleep…”

I fight the tug of the inky blackness all over my body but it’s no use. It is all around me…already covering me…I am already inside it…locked inside it…

Sleep.

The blackness covers my mouth, fills my ears and shades my eyes. It binds my arms and legs. It holds me in a silken embrace which is so impossibly soft yet at the same time so impossibly tight. I cannot escape. I don’t want to escape. The blackness is filled with whispers. With words. But I don’t hear them. I can’t hear them. For her words are already inside me and I understand…

Sleep.

——————————————————————————————————-

“Hello, Matthew.”

“Susan?” Mistress?

“Yes. Welcome back…”

“I…what…?” I feel briefly woozy, my head feels very light…the helmet…the hood is gone, when? I’m still wearing the unitard, but not the hood. When did…?

“How do you feel?”

“I feel…I’m okay…” I feel good actually. Really good. Refreshed. And…well..excited…!

Susan smiled down at me, a secret smile (When have I seen it before?) and I realize that I am down on my knees before her…when…when did that happen?

“Good job, Matthew. The painting is very nice. come and see…”

Susan walked over to my easel but I remained where I was, down on my knees. I meant to follow but…it seems my legs just…

“Susan says- Matthew, please come here…”

Immediately I stood and walked over to Susan.

“And now, Susan says- Matthew please kneel.”

I got down on my knees next to Susan. Just…automatically…!

“See what a good job you did, Matthew…”

I looked at the painting. It was finished. It WAS good. Everything I had intended to paint, everything the client wanted was there…How…?

“Didn’t I tell you? That I knew exactly what you needed? Now you’re done in plenty of time…”

“Yes. I…” I don’t know how it was possible for me to have finished the painting so quickly, but…I guess that’s not really important, is it? “Thank you, Susan.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome, Matthew. I’m so glad I could help you. After all, you’ve been SO very helpful to me, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I…well, I…like helping you…”

“Oh, it’s more than that, I think. Susan says- Matthew please tell me.”

“I…” Then the words just came out. I couldn’t help it… “I want to be yours. I want–I need to serve you. To give you my service. To…ah…be under your control…”

“Mmmm.”

“What–what’s happening to me?”

“Oh, it’s just a little after effect, of the relaxation program. It will fade after a while. But then it will be reinforced the next time you listen to the program, and every time after that…”

“After…that?”

“Yes. I’ll leave the mp3 player here with you. So you can listen to it whenever you feel like it. And of course, I’ll leave the unitard here too, and the hood. Because they go together. In fact, I think you’ll find that you’ll need to put on the unitard and the hood before you’ll be able to listen to the program. And once you are wearing the unitard you’ll need to listen to the program before you will be able to take it off… And if things go well, there just might be more programs for you to listen to…”

“I…Oh…” This may sound crazy–but right now I have no doubt that everything Susan just said is true.

“Wouldn’t you like to listen to the program again, Matthew? And would you like to have more programs to listen to?”

“I…yes. Yes I would…” Yes. I would.

“Good. Very good. Thank you, Matthew.”

“No, thank YOU.”

“You’re welcome. Now, I’ve got to get going. But I’ll be in touch soon. Again, good job today, Matthew…” Susan headed toward the door.

“Thank…Oh! The unitard…I’m still…” The zipper. Susan forgot about the padlock… I went after her and caught up to her just outside the greenhouse.

“It’s not locked, Matthew. At least not with a padlock. You ought to be able to take it off now…”

I felt amazed and foolish at the same time. I was sure that…it did happen….? I felt around the back of my neck. I could feel the zipper pull but…

“I could have sworn…”

“Mmmm. Oh, there is just one more thing…” Susan came up to me and leaned close, I thought, I hoped she was going to kiss me but she leaned into my ear and whispered something. Something I heard yet didn’t hear… And then she was gone.

I went back into the greenhouse and looked again at the painting. Again I was amazed at how I could have done so much work in such a short period of time. And there was something else, something about the painting that…

That figure…that woman…looks…oddly familiar…doesn’t she?

——————————————————————————————————-

It was a struggle, but I was able to get the the tight unitard unzipped and peel it off my body. I had no doubt that I would find myself wearing it again. And soon. The events of the day swirled around my head and I couldn’t help but feel a bit confused by what happened. What did happen? What was with that ‘relaxation’ program anyway? Did I really do what I think I did? And what…what was with that ‘Susan says’? What did that mean? And the padlock that wasn’t there? and the…

I felt like I gave something of myself today…well, other than my service. I felt like I gave Susan something…Something that I can never get back. I think I’ve done that before haven’t I? But…this time it feels different. And….I am eager to do it again…

End Episode 3

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