Chapter 2: The Rulebook: A Catalog of Humiliations
The door clicked shut and the silence became a solid thing. It pressed in from the white walls, from the ceiling, from the locked door with no lock.
She just sat. The cold from the marble foyer was in her bones.
On the dresser, a single, thick booklet bound in black leather. Next to it, folded neatly, a uniform. A maid’s dress. Black, short, with a white apron. It looked like a costume. Cheap fabric.
She stood. Her legs were water. She walked to the dresser. Her name was etched on the booklet’s cover in silver foil. Lara. Regulations.
She opened it.
The paper was thick, creamy. The typing was precise.
Rule 1: You will rise at 4:45 AM. You will be showered, uniformed, and present in the main kitchen by 5:00 AM. Not 5:01.
Punishment for breach: One hour standing naked in the corner of the foyer, face to the wall, hands clasped behind your back. Repeated offense doubles the time.
Her breath hitched. She saw the mirrors. Felt the cold.
Rule 2: Your uniform is to be worn at all times during service hours. It is to be immaculate. No wrinkles, no stains.
Punishment for breach: You will wash the uniform while wearing it, in the utility sink, with cold water and a bristle brush. You will then complete your duties in the wet garment.
Rule 3: You will speak only when spoken to. Your responses will be “Yes, Master,” “No, Master,” or “I understand, Master.” Elaboration is disobedience.
Punishment for breach: Your mouth will be washed with a bar of lye soap. You will hold the suds for five minutes.
Rule 4: Your eyes remain lowered in my presence. You will look at my feet, or the floor.
Punishment for breach: You will be blindfolded for the remainder of the day. You will perform all chores blind. If you break anything, the punishment escalates.
Rule 5: You will address me as “Master” or “Sir.” Never “Mr. Thorne.” Never “you.”
Punishment for breach: You will write the correct form of address five hundred times on the slate in your room. Your dinner will be withheld until it is complete.
Rule 6: You will keep your body hairless at all times. Shaving will be performed every other day. Inspections are random.
Punishment for breach: You will be shaved by me. With a straight razor. Without cream.
The rules unspooled. A terrible, meticulous tapestry.
Rule 7: You will not touch yourself sexually. Your body’s responses belong to me.
Punishment for breach: You will be fitted with a remote-controlled vibrator for a 24-hour period. You will perform your duties while it is active. You will not be permitted to climax.
Rule 8: You will eat only what you are given. At the times you are given. In the place you are given (the floor, next to the kitchen trash).
Punishment for breach: You will be fed a puree of your discarded meal, cold, from a dog bowl.
Rule 9: You will not cry. Tears are a manipulation.
Punishment for breach: For every tear shed, you will receive a cane stroke to the backs of your thighs.
Rule 10: You will answer any summons immediately. The bell will ring once.
Punishment for breach: You will be tied by a leather leash to the bedpost in my room for the night. You will sleep on the floor.
Rule 11: Your posture will be perfect. Slouching is indolence.
Punishment for breach: You will wear a posture collar and back brace for twelve hours.
Rule 12: You will not look at your reflection without permission. Vanity is punished.
Punishment for breach: All mirrors in your assigned cleaning areas will be covered with a black cloth. You will clean them by touch, blindfolded.
Rule 13: You will provide sexual service upon command. Without hesitation. Without sound.
Punishment for breach: You will be secured in the display cabinet in the library for four hours, nude, in a pose of my choosing. For the entertainment of any guests I may have.
Rule 14: You will not form opinions. You will not have preferences.
Punishment for breach: You will recite, for one hour, the following phrase: “I am a vessel. I am an object. I have no self, while being flogged.”
Rule 15: You will never lock any door. Even the bathroom. Privacy is a privilege you have sold.
Punishment for breach: The bathroom door will be removed for one week.
Rule 16: You will remember that you are owned. Your will is mine. Your flesh is mine. Your silence is mine.
Punishment for breach: Whipping. Until I am satisfied you remember.
Her fingers were slick on the vellum. The previous punishment—whipping until satisfied—echoed in the hollow of her skull. She turned the page. The numbers marched on.
Rule 17: You will not cover your body in my presence, unless I explicitly command it. Your nakedness is a reminder of your status.
Punishment for breach: You will spend the following 48 hours entirely nude, including during sleep. The thermostat will be adjusted to ensure discomfort.
A flush of heat, then a deeper cold. She thought of the endless mirrors.
Rule 18: You will ingest any bodily fluid I deem fit to give you.Without complaint. Without facial expression.
Punishment for breach: You will drink a full glass of the same, mixed with vinegar, from a designated bowl on your hands and knees.
Her stomach clenched. Saliva pooled under her tongue, metallic and sour.
Rule 19: You will maintain a specific weight. Weekly checks. You are a decorative object as well as a functional one.
Punishment for breach: Correction will be enforced via a monitored, liquid-only diet until the target is met. If over, laxatives. If under, force-feeding.
Rule 20: You will not initiate physical contact. Your hands remain at your sides unless performing a task.
Punishment for breach: Your hands will be bound behind your back for a full work cycle. You will learn to perform simple tasks with your mouth.
Rule 21: You will endure any guests I choose to share you with. Their commands, within my parameters, are as mine.
Punishment for breach: You will service the guest in question exclusively, at their discretion, for the duration of their visit. Without respite.
The words blurred. Share you with. The display cabinet in the library. It wasn’t just a threat. It was a preview.
Rule 22: You will not smile unless I tell you to. Your default expression is placid, empty. Joy is not yours to express.
Punishment for breach: Your cheeks will be held in a smile with fishhook clips attached to a wire behind your head. For two hours.
Rule 23: You will be punctual for all appointments. This includes your own punishments.
Punishment for breach: The delayed punishment is doubled. And you will beg for it.
She could feel the phantom sting of the cane on her thighs from Rule 9. A layered mathematics of pain.
Rule 24: You will refer to yourself in the third person when describing your needs or failures. “Lara is thirsty.” “Lara was clumsy.”
Punishment for breach: You will lose the privilege of using your name for one week. You will be referred to, and will refer to yourself, as “it.”
Rule 25: You will not dream of a life before this one. Nostalgia is a cancer.
Punishment for breach: You will destroy a personal memento of your choosing in my presence. If you have none, you will write a letter renouncing your past. Then burn it.
Her eyes flicked to the small photograph tucked beside the rulebook. Her and her mother, laughing in a cheap photo booth. The paper edges were worn soft.
Rule 26: Your sleep is mine to interrupt. For any reason.
Punishment for breach: You will be woken every hour, on the hour, for forty-eight consecutive hours. To stand at attention by your bed for five minutes.
Exhaustion seeped into her bones just reading it. A different kind of breaking.
Rule 27: The most important rule. You will want to please me. Your submission must be active, not merely passive. You will strive for my approval.
Punishment for breach: The removal of all privileges. No uniform. No bed. No solid food. You will exist on a mat in the corner. You will be ignored until your attitude corrects itself.
Rule 28. You will not hum, whistle, or make any superfluous sound. The only music here is silence, or my command.
Punishment for breach: A small, adjustable gag will be worn for the duration of the day. It will be tightened if you attempt to vocalize around it.
Rule 29. You will not use furniture unless explicitly instructed. The floor, a stool, or your knees are your places.
Punishment for breach: You will polish all the furniture in the main living area with a toothbrush. On your knees. While reciting Rule 29.
Rule 30. You will not seek warmth. Discomfort is a focus.
Punishment for breach: You will spend the night in the unheated service pantry. In your uniform. Without blankets.
Rule 31. You will swallow any medication or supplement I provide. Without question.
Punishment for breach: You will be administered a strong emetic. You will clean the results without tools.
Her throat tightened. The cold puree from the dog bowl, the vinegar-laced drink—her body was just a receptacle for whatever he chose.
Rule 32. You will not look out the windows for more than three seconds while cleaning them. The outside world is not for you.
Punishment for breach: You will be hooded for twenty-four hours. Total sensory deprivation, except for sound.
Rule 33. You will keep a daily journal of your thoughts. It will be reviewed. Dishonesty is a greater crime than ugliness.
Punishment for breach: You will read your dishonest entry aloud, in the foyer, while I correct the prose with a cane to your back.
Rule 34. You will be financially transparent. Any funds you had are now mine to manage. Any future tips from guests are to be surrendered immediately.
Punishment for breach: You will watch as the amount is burned. Then you will count the ashes.
Rule 35. You will not have a personal scent. You will use the soap and powder provided. Nothing else.
Punishment for breach: You will be scrubbed with a stiff-bristled brush and industrial cleaner in the large washroom sink.
Rule 36. You will accept gifts or tokens from guests, if offered. And you will present them to me immediately after.
Punishment for breach: You will wear the gift item, and nothing else, for one week. Regardless of what it is.
Rule 37. You will not cross your legs or arms. An open posture denotes availability. Physically and otherwise.
Punishment for breach: Your limbs will be secured to a stretching frame for one hour. Light tension. Constant strain.
Rule 38. You will thank me for your punishments. Sincerely.
Punishment for breach: The punishment loop continues until a satisfactory expression of gratitude is rendered. Even if it takes all night.
A loop. No escape. Just the flat green of his eyes waiting for the right tone of voice.
Rule 39. You will not clean your own messes first. My messes, the house’s messes, take precedence. Your bodily fluids are lowest priority.
Punishment for breach: You will drink a full glass of water. Then you will clean the designated mess with your tongue before being allowed to relieve yourself.
Rule 40. You will memorize my schedule. You will anticipate needs before they are spoken.
Punishment for breach: You will wear a set of wireless headphones playing a loop of my voice listing potential needs. For twelve hours. At high volume.
Rule 41. You will not develop calluses. Your hands will remain soft. Service requires aesthetic preservation.
Punishment for breach: Your hands will be soaked in a chemical softening agent. Then wrapped in latex gloves. For a full day of chores.
Rule 42. You will not pray. To any god or memory. Your devotion is singular.
Punishment for breach: You will write one thousand times: ‘My master is my only higher power.’ The pen will be clamped between all your fingers, taped.
Rule 43. You will be present during my meals. Standing. Three feet from the table. You will watch me eat.
Punishment for breach: You will prepare a complex meal you are allergic to. You will smell it. You will not eat.
Rule 44. You will not flinch from my touch. Or the touch of an approved guest.
Punishment for breach: You will be restrained while being touched extensively. Until the flinching stops.
Rule 45. You will answer three personal questions truthfully each week. Inquired randomly.
Punishment for breach: You will be given a truth serum. And questioned for two hours. All answers will be recorded for review.
Truth serum. The journal wasn’t enough. He wanted under the skin, into the marrow of her past.
Rule 46. You will not look at my eyes during climax. Your gaze will be on the part of me you are servicing.
Punishment for breach: You will be fitted with specially-designed contact lenses that blur all vision except for a single, narrow focal point.
Rule 47. You will maintain a specific muscle tone. A regimen will be provided. You will follow it exactly.
Punishment for breach: You will perform the regimen naked, in the foyer, under the mirrors. For twice the duration. While I critique.
Rule 48. You will not speak to delivery personnel, repairmen, or any other outsider. You are invisible to them.
Punishment for breach: You will serve the outsider in question, under my supervision, for the remainder of their visit. As a demonstration.
Rule 49. You will not have a refractory period. Your body’s readiness is not your own to govern.
Punishment for breach: Chemical stimulation will be administered. You will be denied release until I permit it. No matter the duration.
Rule 50. You will understand that these rules are for your structure. Your improvement. Your gratitude should be implicit.
Punishment for breach: See Rule 38. And expect escalation.
The words began to swim, the numbers bleeding into a long, dark corridor of possible futures. Each one a different flavor of humiliation or pain. She turned the page. Her finger left a damp smudge on the cream paper.
Rule 51. You will shave my face each morning. With a straight razor. Your hand must not shake.
Punishment for breach: You will practice on a balloon, coated in lather, until you can shave it without popping it. The failed attempts will be tallied as strokes of the cane.
Rule 52. You will not react to surprises, loud noises, or sudden movements. Poise is absolute.
Punishment for breach: You will be subjected to a series of controlled startlements while performing a delicate task. Breaking anything incurs additional punishment.
Rule 53. You will be cordial to my other properties, should you encounter them. Jealousy is beneath you.
Punishment for breach: You will service the other property while I watch. You will thank them for the opportunity.
Other properties. The word landed like a stone in her gut. She wasn’t the only one. The display cabinet, the guests… it was an ecosystem. And she was just a new organism in it.
Rule 54. You will not use contractions when speaking to me. It is sloppy. ‘Do not’, ‘you are’, ‘I will’.
Punishment for breach: You will write the proper formal expansions of one hundred contracted phrases. In your own blood, drawn with a lancet.
Rule 55. You will keep your pubic hair shaved into a specific design. The template is in the bathroom. Weekly inspection.
Punishment for breach: The area will be waxed, completely, by me. No numbing agents.
Rule 56. You will not dream. I control your waking hours. I will control your sleeping ones if necessary.
Punishment for breach: You will be woken at the onset of REM sleep, detected by a monitor, for five consecutive nights. You will describe the fragmented dream to me.
Rule 57. You will be literate in my pleasure. You will study the materials provided.
Punishment for breach: You will give an oral examination on the material, kneeling, while being manually stimulated. Incorrect answers extend the examination.
Rule 58. You will not cover your ears. You will listen to everything I require you to hear.
Punishment for breach: You will wear noise-cancelling headphones that play a recording of your own worst screams, captured during punishment. For eight hours.
Rule 59. You will not have a favorite anything. Object attachment is a vulnerability.
Punishment for breach: You will break the object yourself. Then you will use the pieces to complete a painful task, like kneeling on them.
Rule 60. You will be available for display at parties. You are a living sculpture. A conversation piece.
Punishment for breach: You will be the centerpiece of the next gathering. Stationary. Utilitarian. A human champagne fountain, perhaps.
The champagne would be cold. She could almost feel the sticky drip of it now, imagined it drying on her skin under the flat gaze of strangers.
Rule 61. You will not close your eyes during corporal punishment. You will witness your own discipline being administered.
Punishment for breach: Your eyelids will be held open with gentle clips. The punishment will be prolonged.
Rule 62. You will not request anything. You may state a need only if it impedes service. “Master, Lara’s vision is blurring and she may drop the crystal.”
Punishment for breach: You will endure the unmet need until it causes a service failure. Then you will be punished for that failure as well.
A perfect trap. Her body’s betrayals were just another venue for his control.
Rule 63. You will not hide your menstrual cycle. You will report its onset. Supplies will be provided, or withheld, at my discretion.
Punishment for breach: You will clean your soiled linens, by hand, in the utility sink. In front of me.
Rule 64. You will respond to a new name if I give you one. Your old name is a ghost.
Punishment for breach: You will choose the new name yourself. From a list I provide. You will answer to it instantly or be corrected.
Rule 65. You will not become ill. It is an inconvenience. You will maintain your health rigorously.
Punishment for breach: Should you become ill, medical treatment will be administered by me. In a manner I deem fit. No outside help.
Rule 66. You will understand that escape is impossible. The legal documents are airtight. The financial penalties for your family would be catastrophic. The physical ones for you, more so.
Punishment for breach: Attempting escape voids the contract. All debt reverts, with crippling interest. And you will be found. And you will be demonstrated to.
The air left her lungs. The final, elegant lock snapped shut. It wasn’t just her. It was her mother. The treatments. The debt would come back, swollen on a corpse. Her corpse.
Rule 67. You will find pleasure in service. This is the ultimate goal. Your happiness will be derived from my satisfaction.
Punishment for breach: Aversion therapy. A mild electric shock collar, keyed to biometric sensors indicating your distress or displeasure.
Rule 68. You will recognize that these rules are a kindness. They provide the walls of your world. Without them, you would be lost.
Punishment for breach: All rules are suspended for forty-eight hours. You will experience the chaos of having no structure, no direction, no purpose. You will beg for the rules to return.
Rule 69. The final rule. You will read this book once each week. To remember. To reinforce. To submit.
Punishment for breach: You will recite the entire book from memory. In the foyer. Naked. Any mistake restarts the recitation from the beginning.
The book fell from her hands. It hit the floor with a soft, final thump.
Sixty-nine walls. A maze with no center, just more walls. Each one a different texture of pain, cold, exposure, or humiliation. Her mind tried to hold them all and it simply… slipped. Couldn’t. The sheer volume of possible failures was a weight crushing her skull.
She looked at the photograph. Her mother’s smile. The laugh caught in a strip of cheap paper.
She understood now. The price wasn’t two years of her life.
The price was the girl in that picture. She had to dismantle her, piece by piece, and leave the remains on this sterile floor. Starting at five a.m.
A dry, ragged sound escaped her. Not a sob. The air just left her, shaped by a breaking thing inside her ribs. She did not cry. Rule 9. Tears are a manipulation. The backs of her thighs tingled, anticipating the cane.