Alexandra didn't have a good relationship with his father, so she used to live alone in a big apartment in the center. From that moment on she would have an unwilling roomie. Carmen would have her own bedroom. She would be restrained one way or another at all times except when the free movement of her limbs was utterly necessary.

Before going home they had visited a few shops to buy whatever Carmen would need, including some clothes, plus all the restraints Alexandra had stimated appropriate. Alex showed Carmen her bedroom, and helped her tidy up everything, as the handcuffs limited her capabilities. Then she showed her the small gym, with a treadmill, several weights and a few more equipments, where they both would spend a couple of hours each day, and also showed her the rest of the house. Carmen had to help with the cleaning tasks. Should she behave correctly she would have permission to walk freely around the house, though she wasn't allowed to open any closed door, especially, Alexandra's bedroom.

-This doesn't sound bad at all, but still I need to know something...

Carmen was instructed to change into some more comfortable clothes as Alex intended to apply the restraints that Carmen would wear almost all the time. Alex opened Carmen's handcuffs so she could change her outfit. She grabbed the chains so, for a moment, her hand woldn't be able to quickly reach her phone. Carmen was feeling a bit more stronger than that morning, and more important, her thoughts were much more focused and her senses more clear. That was the moment, later would be worst.

She threw her jacket to Alex's face and jumped towards the phone intentionally slow. Alex got rid of the jacket and blocked Carmen's movement, trying to reach her phone at the same time. Carmen moved aside her hand and hit her on the chest below the neck with her other arm's elbow. Alex took again the same defensive stance. Carmen threw a low kick to Alexandra's shin, which she dodged, but distracted her enough to let Carmen throw a punch to her face. Instead of hitting her, though, she turned her hand in a quick motion and grabbed one of her wrists. She janked strongly, so Alexandra lost balance briefly and she could hit her on the face with her free forearm. The hit wasn't supposed to hurt her but to stun her for just a moment, enough to reach the phone.

The idea was working but the bad part was yet to come. Carmen pretended to be trying to unlock the phone, so Alex could recover. As Alex thought that Carmen was distracted she threw a kick against the back of her knee making her bend the leg. Carmen braced herself for the upcoming. Alex punched her hard on the cheek and Carmen pretended to be so stunned that she couldn't keep holding the phone. Alex took it quickly.

-I can assure you that I'm not going to enjoy this.- She activated the belt's electric shocks. Following her idea she had to pretend that she was feeling a great pain, but, in that case, she had actually a great pain, so her wailings were honest. She fell to her knees and put her hands on the belt's triangle of steel trying to ease the pain, but it didn't work.- This is medium. Please, don't do this again. Your behavior has been very stupid today. Please, don't make me follow this path.

-Ok, it worked. Now I know what am I dealing with.

-I had to try.- Carmen whispered. She approached Alex still on her knees, embraced her legs a put his forehead against her waist.- You know I had to try.

-I guess you had, yeah.

Once recovered, Carmen put on a short pyjama and let Alex chain her. It was a set of steel chains with five cuffs. The ankle cuffs were joined by a non-uncomfortably short chain. From its center, a long chain, with a ring near the middle, was linked to a wider cuff which would serve as a collar. From the ring two more short chains with their cuffs restrained her wrists. The ensemble was light but strong. All the cuffs had integrated locks that worked through an app in Alexandra's phone, the same as the chip and the belt.

That first day Alex cooked dinner so Carmen could have a much needed, proper rest and calm her nerves. Every successful business relationship requires a safe and comfortable environment, in Alexandra's opinion. For the same reason she allowed Carmen to choose what kind of music did she want to listen on the radio to liven up the situation. Carmen thanked the detail. Even if she was a slave in the strict sense, for a few hours she could be considered as a guest.

At night Alex used a strong padlock to join Carmen's collar to a chain attached to the bed's frame, and left her alone. Carmen could try and pick the lock but she didn't see the point. She couldn't run with those shackles that rattled with every step, and, even if she could, she didn't know where was she. She didn't have any money either. For the moment she would continue with the plan. It wasn't supposed to be risky, after all, it was just slow.

The next morning Alex opened the padlock and let her sleep as much as she wanted. In case Carmen could have opened it, she didn't, so she had passed the test. She prepared breakfast and left it on a table in the living room, where she had the computer she used for work and, at the same time, she could keep and eye on her.

-Good morning..., ma'am.- Carmen wanted to start the day positively. She had slept twelve hours, at least, and was in a good mood. She still put up a bit of fight. It's not a good idea to obey all your boss' orders, in Carmen's opinion.

-Good morning.- Alex decided to let pass that tiny and irrelevant sign of rebellion. She didn't want subservience, she wanted results.- Please, eat. Then I will unchain you and you will take a shower. You will be alone in the bathroom, but once you're done, I will chain you again. After that, I will show you my next project and I will explain you your part. Are we going to fight again?

-No, boss. I cannot defeat you.- She lied.- Thank you for the breakfast, I'm starving.

After breakfast Alex showed Carmen her next project. A week later the renowned industrialist Karl Schaffer was going to host a party with a lot of wealthy people, meaning that he would be very distracted and security would be low, and also distracted. During the party she wanted to get in his study and open his safe, where she would find information about some new prototypes and also his company's expansion plans. She showed Carmen the blueprints of Schaffer's house, including the electric grid and all the cameras, and also all the data she had gathered about his staff and the possible guests, data that had costed her a good amount of money.

-So, what do you see?

-What do I see, boss?- The question surprised Carmen.- What does that mean? Am I going to be in charge?

-You are the expert. This is not about my ego, this is about results.- Alexandra's tone was, as usual, cold and straightforward. Clinical, analytical, as if everything was clear, simple and obvious for her, thought Carmen.

-She doesn't want hemming and hawing. She wants results, right?Ok... I want to be in good terms with her. So, results I will provide.

Both of them were sitting on the couch looking at the laptop's screen. Carmen got even closer to Alex, her chains rattling briefly, making sure that her arms and legs were touching. She put her hand on the mouse over Alexandra's, which she quickly moved away, clearly uncomfortable with all that sudden human contact. Carmen took a general look at all the documents Alexandra has in that folder.

While Carmen read, Alex did her best to move away and broke contact. She wanted more air between them but she didn't want her nuisances to be noticed. It was her couch, after all. Carmen, who had noticed Alexandra's bother, didn't let pass the opportunity to tease her a bit more.

-Please, miss Alex, don't distract me.- Carmen made sure that her lips were a few centimeters from Alexandra's cheek. She talked quietly offering a poor excuse for such proximity. Alex took the bait and quickly moved away the upper half of her body, the expression of her eyes showing her confusion.- I'm going to need a few hours if you don't mind.- Carmen insinuated her warmest smile as a counterpoint to her words. Her words said “go”, her lips said “come here”.- I'll ask for you help if I need something. If that's fine for you, ma'am.

-Yes!- Alex used her own word as an excuse to get up quickly, and broke what, in her opinion was an absurdly intimate situation.- I'll be..., somewhere else!- At the middle of the sentence she realized that she didn't need to give any explanations, so surprised by her own reactions as she was.

-Yes! I see your weakness, bitch.



The limo parked in front of the main door of Schaffer's state. Alex leaned over on her seat to open Carmen's handcuffs, who was sitting in front of her. She regretted that for just a second when Carmen's hands mvoed towards her neck. Her concerns were inappropriate as Carmen just wanted to fix her bow tie. Along the week she had been totally peaceful and collaborative. It was unlikely that she would attack her precisely when all the guests at Schaffer's party could whitness everything. There was nothing to be afraid of.

-Are you nervous, boss?- Carmen slipped her middle finger behind Alexandra's glasses to fix her stern make up.- We just have to follow the plan. Piece of cake.- She winked and insinuated the same smile that always made Alex feel so uncomfortable.- Let me put on my wig..., the show must go on!

Along the week Carmen had made her best to keep physical contact with Alex. Any excuse was appropriate. Specially important where her hands and the area around the neck. The point was to make Alex feel more and more comfortable with her proximity. Broke her walls, which, for whatever reason, probably related to a psychopatic father, she had built. She even pretended once to be tired and asked for a massage, as an excuse to offer her boss the same treatment and put her hands around her neck. It didn't work but she would keep trying. Someday, maybe, she would have to strangle that neck and she wanted free access. By the end of the week Alex was already used to be touched. Sometimes even she touched Carmen the same way. Always in a non intimate area, as the point was to build trust not to scare her boss with less subtle advances. There would be time for that. The biggest victory was a couple of kisses on the cheeks the last two mornings, as a casual salutation.

They got out of the limo and Carmen interlocked her arm with Alexandra's. Carmen weared a long and shiny silvery dress with high heels. The dress allowed to see almost all her back, a generous cleavage and the laced stockings through a long slit on one side. The fabric was flimsy enough to outline her nipples. Alex, on the other hand weared a black tuxedo a couple of sizes bigger than the necessary. Due to her haircut, glasses and clothes she seemed like a short and very well clean-shaved man.

-Your dress is attracting attention.

-Oh, dear, it's not about what are they looking at.- Carmen rested her forehead against Alexandra's cheek.- It's about what aren't they looking at.

-Please, don't call me “dear”. What aren't they looking at?

-You.- She kissed Alex on the cheek and smiled again as she used to do.- Now, whenever we have something to say about our little project we whisper. Then we laugh as if we had shared a very funny joke. Let's practice, now.- They laughed like two teenagers talking about penises.

For a couple of hours they blended into the party. There were a few of Alexandra's acquaintances, incuding the host, so she was pretty distracted, though she mostly did the listening. Carmen was engaged by some men with an apparent hard case of stiff neck as they couldn't keep their gaze far from her nipples for a long time. One of those men was Karl Schaffer. Carmen's doctor's degree on art proved to be very useful as she could convince Schaffer to show her his numerous pieces of neoclassical and baroque art. She used the trip as an excuse to take a good look at the security system looking for any possible difference with the info that Alex had gathered the previous weeks.

Hours passed and the guests had already devoured a substancial part of that absurdly expensive booze. As a consequence they were disseminated all around the state so the security guards and other members of the staff were very busy trying to keep everything in its place. Carmen found Alex and hugged and kissed her again on the cheek. Surprisingly Alex not only didn't break the embrace immediately but endured the ordeal with stoicism and even returned the kiss.

-Are you drunk?- Carmen asked quite concerned.

-Drunk? No. We're performing, do you remember? We are supposed to be friends this night.

-Of course, dear.- The smile again.- Shall we begin our..., private party?

They interlocked arms again and headed towards Schaffer's office. They walked slowly and drawing an erratic route, an improvised show for the cameras. They got in the office. Carmen had already been there when Schaffer had accompanied her to show her his art pieces, so they had an excuse to be there, a bust of Napoleon in clay that Carmen wanted to show her friend. They stood behind the camera's blind spot and took out of one of the many pockets on the inside of her loose blazer an electronic device that once fitted to the camera would show to whoever was watching the same images again and again making a loop. Then she took a pair of gloves, a set of lock picks and a a small laser blowtorch with the shape of a small gun. Behind a rather good copy of Vermeer's The girl with the pearl there was the safe. It had a numeric keyboard and a slot for a key.

-So, what do we do?- Asked Alex. They didn't know anything about the safe's features so they had prepared for several possibilities.

-The blowtorch.- Carmen answered after giving it a thought. They didn't know the combination, and the lock would probably be impossible to pick without it.- And you have to protect the door.

The blowtorch proved to be worth its cost, as it only took some minutes. It could have been faster but Carmen wanted to do it right. She cut off the hinges first, and the latch later.

-Your turn, boss.

Alex took off her blazer. Surrounding her torso she had a couple of bags with a bunch of papers. She didn't have time to read the documents inside the safe. The video loop was a bit seedy and someone would notice something at some point. She put the safe's documents inside the bags around her torso and the fake ones inside the safe. Schaffer would easily notice the change but not that night.

-Your turn..., dear.- She put on the blazer again and gave Carmen a powerful glue.

-Oh, how cute.- She tried her best to put again the safe's door in its place and to prevent it from falling.- You are developing a sense of humor.- Carmen put the painting in its place and covered the poorly assembled safe. Then they hid themselves from the camera's reach. Alex took off the electronic device so the camera showed again the truth. They interloped arms again and walked slowly out of the office.- Call the driver, boss. And smile, everything is fine.

The limo took around ten minutes to arrive, which they used to say goodbye to the host and some other new and old acquaintances. As soon as they were seated Carmen took off her wig and Alex all the weight that was molesting her. The limo's windows were tinted so no one could see anything.

-Next time you are carrying all the weight.- Below Alexandra's armpits a couple of sweat stains could be noticed. She opened her shirt's collar.

-And you will show your nipples, boss?- Carmen showed Alex the handcuffs.

-Shit... I don't know what am I saying. Come.- Carmen bent down and let Alex cuff her. There was always this strange tingling sensation down between her legs, whenever Alex chained her. Very similar to what she felt when José did the same. It always made her feel uncomfortable and pleased at the same time. She would have to give it thought someday. Her golden expensive looking necklace dangled below her chin.- That necklace...?

-This one?- Alex hadn't noticed it before. Carmen deduced that she was tired or distracted or both. An absurd, yet bold, idea came to her mind.- The countess of..., whatever. She was talking about how often does she use the cane with her housemaid. So I thought..., why not? Do you like it? Here.- She sat on Alexandra's lap straddling her and fastened the necklace around her neck. Alex tensed but didn't prevent anything.- This is yours...- Carmen grabbed Alexandra's face and kissed her, opening slightly her lips.- And this is mine.

Alex blushed, her hands squeezing the seat. Carmen pretended to be as surprised as Alex was by her own behaviour and backed down suddenly.

-What..., was...?- Alex was actually shocked. She wasn't even holding her phone as she used to do whenever Carmen got too close.

-Oh, shit, sorry...- Carmen lied.- It's just... I think it's the chastity belt. It's been more than a week and..., you know?

-Yes I... Sex is a distraction and...- Alex was still trying to calm down.- It's dangerous. I wanted to keep you focused on the work.

-Yeah, of course.- Carmen didn't agree with Alex at all.

-But I understand how difficult may it be for you. It was also very difficult for me when I quit masturbation. So I think I'm going to allow you..., well, you know, from time to time.

-Oh, that would be great! Thanks, ma'am.- Carmen's response was honest this time.

-Apparently my shitty plan is working. Is it?