Chapter 1
The envelope remained unopened on the table for days. It's size and origin were an intrigue. When Jeannie finally opened it she recalled the long forgotten contest and discovered that she had won the grand prize.
What a surprise! The holiday season really sucks when you are single. Finally she had a legitimate excuse to get away. Recently, the pressure from her friends and family to find her a match had grown out of proportion. She understood. They were concerned, and truth be told, so was she. All the concerned feelings came from the right place, the gestures were nice and heartfelt but sometimes it was just overwhelming. It would just be easier to be away during the Christmas Season.
She was now on a road trip to her destination. The adventure had begun! Earlier, she had been in a rush to leave. She had packed, confirmed her date and placed a few calls to tell friends and relatives that she would be gone for two weeks.
Everyone had been surprised to hear the assurance and the joy in her voice. Jeannie was very shy; so shy, that even buying a loaf of bread at the local bakery was a torturous task. So when she had called everyone to let them know of her trip they had all been thrilled to hear such determination. She sounded like another Jeannie.
She needed an adventure and a road trip would do her some good. She was already feeling the freedom that complete anonymity brings to people traveling to foreign places. She would be bold and outgoing. That's what she had promised herself and this unexpected escape from reality would be her opportunity to conquer her handicap. That decision had led her to pick the car and the road trip rather than the complementary flight that came with the free vacation.
To keep the mystery she had refused to tell anybody where she was headed; this way no one would show up unannounced. There would be no one to surprise her for sure!
She had taken the road early that morning and had driven all day.
That was then and this is now.
It starts to snow as she is making her way up the small mountain road. The snowfall is soon too dense and the roads are getting slippery by the minute. It's now too dangerous for her to drive safely. At an intersection, she notices an old sign for a small inn a few miles off the road. She turns in that direction hoping to make it before her car gets stuck in the snow. She follows the deserted road through the thick curtains of snow and advances in the darkness that is now surrounding her. Anxious, after a drive that feels like hours, she finally reaches the inn. To her relief the lights are still on.
Unbeknownst to her, in the back of the building, a truck is backed-up and men are busy loading up some furniture.
She notices that the parking lot is empty but the small glass lobby on the first floor of the old house has an old sign that says open.
She enters and a bell chimes to signal her presence. Timidly she steps in and approaches the reception desk. She waits by the desk; no one seems to have heard her step in. She sees a bell and decides to ring it. "I have to be bold," she reminds herself. Finally, a man comes through a door behind the reception desk.
"May I help you young lady?"
"I... I am looking for a room for the night. I cannot drive with all the snow and I need to rest. I am also looking for some place to have something to eat tonight."
"We can help you out in both cases. Do you want to step into our dining room?"
"Sure... Do I need to register first?"
"No, that's fine we can take care of that tomorrow."
In the empty dining room she sits in a remote corner and waits for the menu to be brought to her. The man from the reception brings her a glass of wine on a tray from the kitchen.
"You'll have to excuse us we were not expecting any guests until tomorrow. It will take a while to get the kitchen going. Won't you enjoy this wine while we get ready?"
She smiles and accepts with a nod as the man retrieves into the kitchen. Jeannie starts to drink her wine as she waits patiently in the cozy wooden dining room. Suddenly she feels very sleepy, her vision seems to be getting blurry.
As she gets up, the man comes out of the kitchen.
"You won't need to prepare any food after all. I feel very sleepy all of a sudden. I think am going to skip dinner," she explains.
She manages to get up to her room and falls backwards on the bed leaving the room ajar.
A second man has joined the man from the reception as they walk up to the room behind her. When they see her fall on the mattress, they hold the door open.
They step in and turn the light on.
The room is bare and there is only a bare mattress on the floor, no linen, and no pillows.
"I don't know what you put in her wine but it worked! She is out cold man!"
"Take her suitcases, take everything, and help me take her cloths too."
They undress her.
In her drugged sleep she does not react to their touch. Shoes, pants, sweater, shirt; everything is removed slowly so as not to wake Jeannie up.
"What a body! You would not know it from the way she dresses... She is hot!"
"Hurry, we don't have time!" Says the man from the reception.
She moves in her sleep. They stop for a second and soon start again. She is only wearing her bra and panties now.
"Take everything off"
"Everything?"
"Yes, we'll leave her here without a stitch of cloth. It will be days before she will venture out in the buff"