Crashed

Note from the author.

This is intended as the setup of a series.

This is one of my first stories, so I'd love any feedback on what you liked, what you didn't, and any suggestions on where you think it should go in the future.

Enjoy.

#

Lily turned up the radio as the song came on, singing along to what was one of the best tunes of the summer. The car she was driving, windows down and music blaring, was hers. After begging and begging, her parents had finally agreed to give her the money for her very own car. She had just picked it up from a used car lot, only three years old and good as new. she was on top of the world.

It was a gorgeous day. Maybe she would throw another party tonight? Lily was an only child, and her parents were travelling in Asia. They had been gone for a week, and their house had already played host to two summer high school parties. Another month of a free house, the fact she had just turned 18, plus her very own car were set to make this the best summer vacation ever.

Sunlight beamed into the car as she hit the accelerator, trying and failing to hit the high notes with the artist on the radio. This summer was only just beginning.

Lily noticed the car just a fraction too late. She slammed on the brake as it came the other way across the junction, but the next thing she knew her head was in an air bag, and her car was at a dead stop in the junction.

She heard a car door open and looked up through her mercifully intact windscreen. She had crashed into the side of a black Lexus, leaving a large crumpled dent in the back door. A man stood next to its open driver's side door, a mixture of anger and dismay on his face.

Shaken up but coming back to her senses, Lily stepped out the car.

"Why the fuck weren't you looking where you were going?" The man spat the words out, his face deepening to an angry red. "I've got dashcam, I hope you've got good insurance girl because you're paying for this.

Lily bit her lip in frustration and cursed herself. It was stupid to drive the car before the insurance kicked in, but she figured it was one day, what was the harm? She hadn't counted on T-boning someone with a dash cam on her very first drive though.

"Look," she began, trying to keep her tone measured as her head cleared. "Everyone's ok, we should be thankful for that."

"I'll be thankful," He shouted back, "When my fucking car is fixed. Now give me your insurance information so we can get this sorted?"

Lily looked sheepishly at the ground, trying to think up a way around this. She would offer him the cash to repair the door panel outright, but she was a high school student who worked weekends in a coffee shop. She could barely buy a new pair of shoes. In her silence, the man put two and two together.

"Oh, Jesus fucking Christ." The man took a phone from his pocket and unlocked it. "I'm calling the fucking cops, they can sort this out."

"No!" Lily jumped forwards and grabbed hold of the man's arm. "Please I can't be arrested, I'm just a high school student and I know I shouldn't drive without insurance I'm sorry." Tears were welling in her eyes now.

The man paused. "I don't care if you get arrested, you shouldn't've broken the law. I just need this paid for." His words were still hard, but there his voice had softened a fraction of an inch. It was then that Lily realised what she could do.

Lily had always been beautiful. Her auburn hair fell in ringlets around a cute face with high, full cheeks and a pair of gentle green eyes. Her nose and cheeks were covered in light freckles across a gentle pale complexion. She was small, 5'2 and 110 lbs, but this small frame made her c cup breasts look big as well as perky. She was suddenly thankful for the heat of the day, because it meant she was dressed in just a tank top and booty shorts, which showed off her curves seductively.

"Please," she said softly, giving him a deep look into the soft green pools of her eyes. "I know I was wrong, I just drove badly because I was distracted. It's so hot." Lily pushed her chest forwards ever so slightly and gave the man her most charming smile. A girl next door smile, they called it. "It's just a little dent, isn't there some way we could do this without the police?"

She noticed the man's eyes follow the fall of her hair to her cleavage for what he probably thought was a subtle glance. When he looked back at her face to respond, most of his anger had ebbed away. "Well, I would have to pay for the damages myself. You would owe me something then."

"I suppose I would," giggled Lily in response. He had clearly fallen for the charms of her body, but if she did this skilfully, she wouldn't even have to do anything. Enough flirting to make him think he's getting somewhere and he might just let the whole thing go. It wouldn't be easy, but Lily had flirted her way out of tougher spots before.

The man seemed speechless for a moment while Lily twirled a strand of hair around her finger and moved just a fraction closer. She looked down, and noticed the man was rustling awkwardly around in his trouser pockets. With a feeling of smug satisfaction, Lily realised that he was already hard.

"We need to get the cars out the road," the man said, clearly still flustered. "I live just a few blocks away, we could pull them in the drive there and then have a chat, sort out this whole insurance thing?"

"Sounds good," replied Lily with a giggle. "If both cars are still driveable, I'll follow you there now."

It turned out that both cars were still driveable, so Lily followed the man on the short drive to his house. This was going really well. The man had been putty in her hands, there was no way he would call the police on her now, and she was getting more and more confident she wouldn't even have to do much more than smile and draw subtle attention to her chest.

After about five minutes of driving, the man pulled through a set of gates leading to a long driveway. The house was big. It was three stories and made of whitewashed stone, with a large round driveway that contained another two cars already parked to the left of it. Even better, she thought; a rich man would be less likely to need to rat her out. This was almost too easy.

The man parked up and stepped out of his car, and Lily followed his lead, adding a little bit of bounce to her step. She smiled gently as she noticed his clumsy attempts to make his looks at her bouncing chest subtle, and let him lead her inside.

The interior of the house was even nicer than the outside. It was light and airy, with a generous reception area. The man lead her through to a spacious living room with floor to ceiling windows, out of which she could see a large pool, and a lawn that must've stretched on five hundred yards.

"Make yourself at home, can I get you anything to drink?"

"Please may I have a water? This weather is making me soooooo sweaty." She grazed her fingers across her chest, above the breast where her skin was glossy with a sheen of sweat. The man laughed nervously and smiled, before going to get the water without another word. Perfect.

While she was alone, Lily looked around the room. It looked straight out of a magazine. Everything was pristine and minimalist, and in keeping with a modernist white and grey colour scheme. Lily thought that if she was ever rich, this was the kind of house she would want.

Spotting a large mirror above a white stone fireplace, Lily checked her reflection. She was looking good, and despite the crash her hair was still falling in its perfect natural ringlets. She pulled her white tank top so it sat slightly lower, showing off another inch of cleavage. It wasn't so much that it would seem slutty on a hot day like today, but it was certainly enough to excite this man. It seemed like anything was enough to excite this man.

"I've brought your water."

Lily turned back and saw the man standing in the doorway holding a tray, and on it were two tall glasses of water filled with glistening ice. The man walked over and Lily reached out for a glass, but he picked one up and handed it to her before she could reach the tray. She took it gratefully and sat back down on the couch, crossing her smooth-shaven legs to give him a subtle look at her thigh.

"So, about this nasty insurance business," she said, taking her first sip of the water. "I'm really sorry, and I promised my dad I wouldn't drive until the insurance kicked in. is there any way we can forget this ever happened?" She asked the question in her sweetest, most innocent voice

The man was still standing, and Lily had her back arched slightly inwards to show off all her assets. She definitely didn't want to have to do any sexual favours for the man, but she decided then that if that was what it took to not get the police involved, then that would have to be what she did.

"I'm sure we can forget about it, it was kinda my fault anyway. As a peace offering, how about I have the damage to your car looked at as well, just so there's no bad blood."

Lily blinked. She could hardly believe that this was the same man who had screamed at her on the road. He was playing ball, but she had to make sure he stayed sweet.

"You would do that for me? You're such a sweetheart." She brought her girl next door smile back to her lips with a giggle, and as she did so, a twinge of a headache came on. Maybe she had a concussion afterall. "In fact, I work in a coffee shop on Rylan Street, if you're ever in the area you should come in. I can get you a discount."

That would make him think they would see each other after all this was sorted, that she wanted to see him, maybe even to sleep with him. Lily had a read on this man, and knew if he thought that, he would do anything for her. Men were so easy.

The headache was getting worse. As soon as she was done sweet talking this guy she would need to go to the hospital to get checked out.

"I'm doing quite well here, as I'm sure you can see." The man gave a little chuckle. "I wouldn't mind coming by though, and if you're as sweet as you are now while you're working, then I'm sure you'll get a very generous tip." Better and better. Lily could hardly believe her luck. She had caused a car crash and it looked like she was basically going to be paid for it. Lily giggled at that and looked him up and down.

He wasn't a bad looking man, mid-forties and smartly dressed in a business suit. Maybe he was trying to become her sugar daddy? It wasn't that Lily hadn't thought about that kind of thing before...

She couldn't focus on the idea now though. The head injury must've been worse than she had thought, because now the whole room was spinning. She tried to return with another flirty remark, but this time no words came out. Her body was numb and somewhere far off she heard the sound of her glass dropping to the floor and shattering. Her eyelids grew heavy and she felt her head flop limply onto her shoulder. Darkness circled her vision, and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was the man, smiling.

#

When Lily woke up, the room was dark.

Her head was still spinning, and she was lying on cold, hard ground. The spinning in her head and nausea in her stomach stopped her from trying to stand up. Instead she just lay there, trying to regain her bearings. Was she in hospital?

Her senses were beginning to return to her. Though she still couldn't see, she could smell a damp smell and feel hard grit against her skin on the floor. It was then that Lily realised she was naked.

She sat up abruptly, suddenly panicked, and a new wave of headache and nausea forced her to steady herself. She felt a wall, concrete probably, and put her back to it. As he did so, she heard a clinking and felt something cold across the skin of her back.

A chain.

Lily grabbed at it frantically and followed it with her hands. One end went into a solid metal bracket on the wall. The other went to her throat.

Lily grasped at the collar with her tiny, frantic hands. It was as thick as her palm and cold to the touch. It didn't choke her, but it felt as solid as the wall she leant against.

She wanted to scream, to cry out, to yank at the chain and rip it from the wall, but even the thought of movement made her feel as though she was going to be sick. Instead, she sat there and took stock.

The room was very dark, but as her eyes adjusted she could see a slither of light coming from beneath a door at the opposite corner of the room. It was hard to judge how far away it was, but the room was clearly big. The air was cool and damp, and the walls appeared to be concrete. A basement then.

She was definitely naked, and definitely wearing a sturdy metal collar. She felt the chain all the way from her neck to the wall, and judged it to be around ten feet long, with a small coil of it resting next to her.

The man's basement, it must be. The water...

Lily felt sick all over again. She pulled her legs in to her and put her forehead on her knees, her long auburn hair falling over her legs in sleek ringlets.

She sat there for what seemed like an eternity. She was getting hungry and needed to piss, but was too scared to call out. The headache was starting to dissipate, but her stomach still felt bad. Deep down she knew she didn't feel sick because of the water anymore. Just when Lily's resolve was weakening and she was starting to consider releasing her bladder there on the floor, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down a set of stairs.

The door to the basement opened and threw a long shaft of light across the opposite end of the room. Lily saw now the room was a rectangle with her at one corner, and the door on the opposite long side and down the other end. A moment later a florescent overhead light came on, and she had to shield her eyes and cower behind her knees once again to avoid being blinded.

After a moment, her eyes had adjusted enough to look up. The room was very large and very empty. In her little corner of it, there was a mattress on the floor and a low toilet, but the rest of the room was bare wall and bare floor, undecorated. Even the lightbulbs were bare, hanging from the ceiling by their wires. The only other ornamentation in the room was a hook, large and iron, winched up to the ceiling on a chain. In front of her stood the man.

"Hello Lily."

Any hint of the man who had been putty in her hands was gone. His demeanour was stern, and his tone calculated.

Lily looked up at him, not at all surprised to see him but somehow still shocked. A huge plethora of questions flooded to her then, but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was a meek "What?"

"I'm sure you're curious as to what is happening here," began the man, arms folded and unreadable. "Or perhaps you've already figured it out. Let me tell you anyway. My car is in the shop, and they have estimated that the cost of repair will be 4000 dollars." The man reached into the back pocket of his suit trousers and pulled out her wallet. From it, he drew her driving licence.

"You, Lily Chambers, are responsible for this damage, but you cannot pay for it. You said you worked at that coffee shop on Rylan Street?"

Lily nodded shakily, still squinting into the bright light.

"Not a great place to work, they only pay minimum wage, as I just discovered. Do you really think your time is only worth $7.25 an hour?" This time Lily didn't answer, instead hugging her legs closer to her, thankful for the scant protection they provided against his prying eyes on her young naked body.

"It doesn't matter what you think," he continued, when it became clear she wasn't going to answer. "That's what you make, so that's what your time is worth. You'd have to work a lot to make the 4000 to repay me. Do you know how long?"

The man stood and looked at her patiently. She hated the patronising way he had asked the question. Lily was an excellent mathematician.

She thought for a moment, but her head was still swimming. The man chuckled.

"Maybe that's why you only make 7.25 an hour," he said with a slight tone of mockery in his voice. "It would take you about twenty-three days to make that money, and since you don't have that money, the way I see it you owe me the time. You don't become as successful as me without collecting a debt, no matter how minute it might be compared to my overall finances." The man seemed to swell proudly with that.

"So you will be mine. For twenty-three days, to do with as I please. Rest well, Lily Chambers. We start tomorrow."

Chills ran over Lily's pale skin as she hugged her knees closer, feeling goose bumps prick up across her flesh. The man started to turn away, and suddenly Lily found her voice. "Wait, stop," she called after him. "You can't do this, you can't, I'll find the money ill find it ill find it..."

He had already reached the door. The lights turned off, and the door shut, cutting her off without even acknowledging her. She was plunged into darkness and solitude once more.

Lily sniffled. Twenty-three days. Over three weeks. She got to her feet and pulled at the chain. She yanked and she yanked, but the wall fitting was as sturdy and solid as if it were part of the house's foundations. For all she knew it could've been. After several fruitless attempts to free herself, Lily slumped back to the floor. Twenty-three days of this.

Well if he was going to try and hold her here, she didn't want piss on the floor. Lily groped around blindly for the toilet, and when she found it, she sat down to use it. After, she got back to the floor and crawled, feeling in front of her for the edge of a mattress. She felt a soft edge, and climbed on top, her exhausted body seeming to sink into the soft springs.

Twenty-three days... Why did she have to flaunt her body at him? Why couldn't she have just waited until the insurance kicked in?

That didn't matter now. She hadn't. And as the man had said, they would start tomorrow. Lily curled up against the chill and closed her eyes, arranging the chain so that it ran off the bed behind her. The collar still felt uncomfortable to lie on though.

She closed her eyes. Lily had a feeling she was going to need her strength tomorrow.

#

Though she hadn't expected it to, sleep came for Lily almost at once. She had no way of knowing how long she had slept, but when the bright lights of the basement jolted her awake, she couldn't help but think that it wasn't long enough.

Blinking and shielding her eyes with her hand, Lily saw the man standing there. He was still in his smart business suit, and in his hands he carried a tray. Over his shoulder was a stylish designer leather overnight bag.

"Good morning Lily. Are you hungry?" The mans face remained passive as he tilted the tray down slightly to reveal a plate of scrambled egg and toast. It was then that Lily realised how hungry she was, ravenous really, but she remained quiet, sitting up on the mattress.

"I bet you're hungry." Lily noticed that the man had a habit of ignoring weather or not she had responded. "Well you can have this breakfast just as soon as we're done here." The man put the tray down on the floor behind him, just out of reach of where she could get to with the chain. It was still close enough to smell though, and it smelled fantastic.

"Do you want the food?" The man sounded slightly impatient, and Lily knew that this time he wanted an answer.

"Yes," came her croaky response, still thick with sleep.

"Good. Then I would like for you to get up onto your knees. On the mattress is fine."

Lily thought for a moment. She knew where this was headed, and had known since she found herself in the basement. She couldn't change it. But she could get some breakfast.

Without a word she rolled off her back and went onto her knees. She could feel his eyes crawling over her naked body, but forced herself to keep her arms by her sides, letting him drink her in. The chain that bound her to the wall hung heavily from her neck.