Stella 1-844-332-2639 ext 322
I smooth my black corset, the red lace trim catching the dim light. Tonight is New Year’s Eve, but there’ll be no drinks for me. The only thing on my menu tonight is the sound of surrender. Liam arrives at 11:59pm. His breath fogs in the cold air as he knocks. I let him in. He wears the plain gray shirt I told him to wear. No collar yet. Not tonight. Not until the clock breaks.
My room is a cathedral of shadows. Candles flicker on the floor. Their wax pools underneath them like dark hearts. The air smells of fear. Liam’s favorite song plays on loop. Clair de Lune, the keys falling like rain. I watch him shiver. He knows what to do. “You know the rules,” I say. My voice is soft. He nods as I tie his hands behind his back with the red ribbon I saved for this night. My favorite color. It matches the little scars on his wrists from last year’s celebration.
