As he entered the machine, he wondered how he got here. I mean, he thinks to himself, how does one get themselves into this kind of situation? Standing perfectly still, even with the sound of the machine growing louder, because he was told the discomfort would be minimized if the "encaser" thought he was a "willing participant" (actual words used in the training module on his first day of work). Now, they didn't say it would not be painful, he recalls, but they did say that it can be minimized by being compliant with the machine. Of course, he rolls his eyes internally, they said don't let something like this happen either. He thinks all this to no one in particular, it would be easier to be calmer if the machine didn't look so menacing and sound so loud.
So, this all began with an urgent request at work. Riley works at the Home Cleaners company. They provide regular cleaning services like maid teams, butler teams, and emergency clean-up after a small-scale disaster (for example, pipes bursting upstairs in a two-story house). He is in the "cleaning of the cleaners" department, also known as Uniform Maintenance. It is an easy job for the man who just turned 30 last year. He got married in college, so he did not finish, using his scholarship money for an apartment for him and his new wife.
Unfortunately, her almost-communications degree was not bringing in much money, and his almost-physical-therapy degree was bringing in even less. They were married for less time than they dated, their finances driving the wedge very deeply, very quickly. He tried to keep the apartment and go back to school, but he only dug his debt hole deeper and he did not even finish his new degree. To make matters worse, his ex found a recent graduate in physical therapy, and they seem very happy in their new house. Trying not to think about it, he took this job with Home Cleaners, because they offer student debt repayment for guaranteed years of work.
As the maid and butler clothes come down the line after having been removed from the lady or man wearing them, he sprays and wipes them down carefully. His day is mostly cleaning the thick vinyl-rubber-stretchy uniforms of the maids and butlers, designed for durability and ease of cleaning. The company takes regular men and women, wraps and seals them in slick, shiny uniforms, sends them out to clean, and when they are done, they come back, have their uniforms removed, and Riley cleans them. The job is pretty easy, and while it is nice to catch a glimpse of some of the maids before they are fully dressed, he has also caught glimpses of some of the butlers, and that is not rewarding at all (still trying to unsee that one guy's nakedness).
By suggestion of the company, each employee that is a regular maid or butler has had all of their hair removed from their bodies, making the dressing and undressing easier. They are cleaned through one part of the machine then put into the "encaser" (as they call it), which amazingly encases them automatically in their uniform from head to toe, then it seals them into it (so some call it the "sealer"). In general, the uniforms are basic colors of black, white, or silver. To help distinguish teams, they will trim each maid or butler in a given color that helps signify where they are to be working that day. The uniforms for maids and butlers can range from early Victorian-style to more modern skin-tight. Riley sees both having their issues with cleaning. The Victorian-style are larger, so it is easy to get hands and rags all over them to clean, while the skin tight ones are harder with them being about half the size of the person, ensuring they are truly "skin tight". Of course, the Victorian ones take longer because there is so much more fabric to clean than the skin tight ones
His days are filled with sweet-but-strong-smelling chemicals and squeaky sounding clothes. The spray bottles he uses have electric triggers, so he does not have to pump the cleaner onto the uniforms. The money is not great, but they provide a modest apartment (5th floor of the same building he works in) and repay his debt faster than he could anywhere else. So for that, he is glad to be cleaning the custom-made clothing by hand for Home Cleaners. It is not glamorous, but it works until he can figure out what he wants to do with his life. His work hours are rather long, so his social life is basically non-existent, but then he does not care much at the moment. He will have plenty of time for that once he gets his creditors off his back and finds a real career.
This leads us to today. He clocks in as usual (quick elevator ride to the ground floor) and begins to find his station after checking the large wall screen for any special announcements. He notices there are several large projects today, and several teams were late coming in last night, so he is sure he has lots to clean and prepare. He walks down the busy hallway to his usual station, taking quick glances into the rooms on either side as he does. The maids and butlers move with robotic precision inside each training room, which gives rise to most of the public thinking the maids and butlers are robots, but robotics has not gotten there yet. To make the maids and butlers as efficient as possible, the workers are given VR helmets to wear during training to instruct them on how to walk, clean, and behave. Supposedly, the "hypnotic" suggestions are only active once they are encased in the suits. Something about the increased pressure on every square inch of your body "activates" it. Riley is not sure how that works and he is pretty sure the hypnosis part is a hoax, because he had to wear one as part of his orientation. It was cool, he recalls, mostly because he had never worn anything like that before.
The VR scenario put him in a house and showed him where to walk and how to walk to get there. He had displays showing him in a "shadow boxing" kind of fashion, where you follow a mostly transparent maid on screen to do the job properly. As you follow them, it gives you points and pointers to improve your performance, as you do whatever they do. He thought it felt like a video game, so he has gone in there on break and played a few extra houses just for fun, or he offers to try new updates for a pay bonus. He does not want to clean his own apartment so cleaning someone else's sounds horrible, but if it is a virtual video game, well that is different, right?
While passing in front of one of the training rooms for the maid workers, a cart of cleaning supplies drives through with a robot in control. It looks like a forklift, but without the seat for a human driver. They are very good at picking up and putting down with great precision, but their transportation accuracy can be a problem (the company classifies it as "an issue in progress of improving", but Riley does not believe that either). Like today, it was driving closer to the wall than it should, and Riley was in the way and not seen by it. He has had this happen before, so he ducks into a training room and waits for it to drive past. He would have tried to jump across the hall to the other side, but there was another one trying to get past another human worker and there just was not enough room on this busy morning for everyone in the hallway.
In the maid training room, he sees a dozen or so ladies in VR helmets and regular street clothes walking around invisible rooms and moving invisible objects (to him anyway) with robotic precision and efficiency. Some of the women are in excellent shape, as it makes the encasing machine's job less painful (the company does not use the word "pain" but rather "discomfort"). The older women in the room are relatively thin, so even though they are not as tone as the younger ladies, they probably have no issues being encased either. He notices a couple of ladies that are probably considered large frame or heavier than average weight. Supposedly, the machine will pull your body in tighter if need be. Typically, they try to put the "larger maids" in the Victorian-style to help with that, as it looks better when they all look similar in size. Of course, the corset in the Victorian is more restrictive than the skin tight one, he recalls from the training session, supposedly the Victorian has two waist-restricting and shape-forming parts to its uniform. No two people are the same, so each maid or butler is unique, yet it is amazing how similar they look when dressed and act the same in every way.
"Riley", he hears from above him. He jumps at the sound of his name. "You have been assigned to Maid Group 3 today." Before Riley can say anything, a helmet drops from the ceiling onto his head where it is connected by a long cable to the computer A.I. that is housed above everyone in the room. He grabs hold of it with both hands as it snaps in place. "No, wait, I'm not a..." but it is too late. The training rooms A.I. had scanned his nametag and recognized the obvious female name. The A.I. was expecting one more human maid to help with today to complete their many customer's desires. Riley was at the right place and the right time for the A.I.'s programming.
Riley tries to get the helmet off, knowing there has been a mistake. Great, he says annoyed, this is gonna put me behind in getting started with my day. The screen starts up, running him through a series of procedures. He knows that he only has a few seconds to undo the strap before the subliminal messages start to get harder and harder to ignore (supposedly). The how-to-stand procedure is first, but he is still frantically moving to get the helmet off, so he fails that one. It moves onto the how-to-walk procedure, which he fails as he is trying to move back to the door to stretch the cord beyond its regular reach (he can't see the room out of the helmet, but he figures he can fumble his way out). The how-to-think procedure hits his brain like a full stop, along with a mild-but-attention-getting jolt of electricity. He knew he risked being flagged as non-compliant, but he also figured he could get the helmet off before that happened. Unfortunately, his arms slowly fall to his sides, as he slumps slightly, his normal freewill being suppressed by the training program reading his actions as non-compliant. Whether he believes in subliminal messages now is irrelevant, as his brain begins the training process like all the other maids in the room, thousands of images and videos fill his vision as the visor displays everything he needs to know and do.
The good news: the software uses "good feeling" compliance techniques, so Riley is smiling happily within a few moments, having gone through each of the start-up procedures over and over again. He is lost in blissful compliance, doing everything the A.I. tells him, enjoying every moment of it. One of the fun parts of the training sessions he had done in the past (although, he was not being "programmed" at the time, just simply trying it out), since the "virtual video game" is not overly exciting, it makes you feel really, really good. He realizes that this is wrong, but it is hard to care about what is right, when you feel so good just being plugged into the virtual world.
Several minutes later, he and 3 other females are moved to the room's exit for pick-up. The farthest reach of the cable gets each of them to step onto the robotic forklift. The helmets are removed as it starts to pull away, retracting back into the ceiling. The exit is on the other side of the room from where he entered. If the forklift had gone the other way, someone would have flagged the problem. There were three obvious females standing in dreamy bliss on a transport with an obvious male with the same facial expression. Because of the settings in the encasing and sealing machine, the company allows female-only or male-only teams, as they have two machines: one for females and one for males.
A team of butlers on their own transport stops briefly to let Riley's transport pass by. The men in a straight line, make no recognition of Riley's wrong place, as they are still enjoying the effects of their training room program. With not a care in the world, they each are moved to their respective encaser. As the transport pulls close to the machine, Riley starts to regain some of his thoughts, as he does not go through this everyday. He has talked to some of the ladies, and they can drift into "maid mode" within seconds, not even needing their uniform to access their "maid protocols". He has talked to them right after they have returned from a job, and they are basically normal acting within a few minutes with no lingering effects. It is amazing what they can do these days, and from what the maid workers say, this is one of the reasons they like working here. You actually enjoy what you are doing, he thinks as he is still enjoying his blissful training, and I could do this any day, all day.
However, Riley is now growing a bit concerned, because his body style is not going to fit the machine. I figure it throws me out, which would be great. I have never been on assignment, and I really don't want to (even though every maid and butler he has talked to says they enjoy it), but I hate to be caught on this female transport like this by my co-workers. Maybe I can sneak out once I get off this transport. He had thought he could just hop off, but his shoes are locked in like the ladies in front of him. All employees are to wear the same basic shoes around the building for efficiency reasons, so his shoes were locked into the transport's floor just like theirs.
He can easily see the "encaser" now, as the three ladies in front of him are at least 6 inches shorter than him. Talking about standing out, he definitely does not belong there, and if the A.I. had any type of visual sensor, it would have known he was in the wrong place. However, it does not, so he is now about to be loaded into the extra large machine with the others.
Okay, he tells himself as the first lady is pulled in, it will reject me. He knows the machine has certain functions: remove worker's clothes, scan the worker's body, wrap completely (the "encaser" part), air-tight-seal the suit (the "sealer" part), then load them on the delivery van. As the first woman disappears, he notices another transport show up to an opening just a few yards away. Before Riley can register why it is there, a maid emerges from the machine's conveyor belt. She is wearing a full-body silver suit, with no part of her body showing. She has a full length dress that shimmers as it bounces slightly along the conveyor belt.The face is a mask of a cute anime-looking female with large eyes and permanent smile. Oh geez, he recalls while his hand twitches as he regains more mobility, I forgot the Victorian models do not speak due to the hard plastic masks. I won't be able to tell anyone anything, he thinks but then reminds himself, but I should not get that far...it has to reject me.
The maid's small, old fashioned bonnet is the same color as her hair which is molded into lovely but very stiff silver curls. The silvery puffy sleeves match the loose fitting silvery dress that goes to her ankles. The silver shoes are actually boots that button to either side of them, just like hundreds of years ago, with a modest but noticeable heel.The corset must be extra small, as her waist looks a little small for her size, but then it is hard to tell, Riley thinks to himself, I could not see her actual waist beneath her t-shirt and jeans. The apron and top are made of the same material and are the same silver color as the rest of her. Currently, the only distinctive color on her are her "glasses". She has round-like-perfect-circles glasses on her face that are a bright blue or perhaps sky blue. It looks like the glasses have no lenses in them, so that must be the distinctive color/item for this team.
As he finally gets through checking her out, another one pops out onto the transport. She looks identical to the one in front of her, other than being a tad shorter. She has all of the same parts and pieces of her uniform to match. He notices now that their hands are folded in front of them to rest gently at their small waists. They are perfectly programmed maids now, and will remain that way until the suits come off later today. He turns to check on the lady in front of him, but she is gone. Doing a double take, he looks back over to the side, to see her coming out of the machine like the other two, completely identical in looks and nearly the same height. Three perfect maids, he thinks with a sense of gloom, waiting for a fourth...oh please, reject me.
As the machine sounds get louder, he tries to return himself to the position they put him in. He knows the machine can be rough at times, and until he gets thrown out, he does not want to have anything broken or mangled. He heard about that one guy who tried to dance his way through the machine on a dare from his buddies. He skipped the training room, hopped a transport, and got himself put into the machine. He spent several days in the hospital as the machine ran into his body parts at the wrong times. His arm got wrapped around his head when it tried to apply the mask and sealing hood, breaking it. In his panic and pain, he got twisted around and the machine put his uniform on backwards. The machine eventually rejected him, as he could not stand on his own feet once it tried to apply the boots. The company fired him, after paying his hospital bills (of course). No one ever dared anyone to do anything but stand still during this part from then on.
Remembering all that, Riley holds his stance carefully. The noise it puts out is loud, making him want to flinch, but he holds onto his posture. The machine is really dark on the inside, which is different from being outside the machine. He knows he can come out the other side, but he does not want to come out looking like that. He cuts another quick glance over at the three perfect maids, waiting for him to join them.
An arm comes down in front and behind him, connecting a ring around his neck. The ring starts to rise, pulling his head up straight and forcing him on his tiptoes. It lowers some then back up again, satisfied with the location. "Alignment ring set...recalibrate sensor for maid height and material encasing." Huh, he says to himself surprised, it talks...I did not know that. If he was to admit it, he felt better now, knowing that the machine knows exactly where he is and that if he stays right here, it will not hurt him.
Unable to see anything clearly, he can feel his clothes being removed by cold metal appendages. He is naked within seconds, and then feels colder in the rush of air around his body, but then begins to get warmer, as he is sprayed thoroughly all over except his face. Ah, he reasons, this must be the cleaner which also aids in putting on the suit. The spray feels wet (the cleaning part) yet powdery (some sort of baby powder mixture) at the same time. As he ponders that as his body is dried off, he hears the machine state, "Female body cleaned and prepped, complete final sizing scan."
He smiles slightly, here we go...it will determine I'm not female. This has to be clear to it. He hears the machine state: "Error...female subject has more external hair and inappropriate shape for encasing." Yes, he says, yes, I don't shave my legs or arms and I'm definitely not the right shape. "Reporting this anomaly to the human manager." Oh boy, hope they cannot see me here. I had not thought it would take a human person to check me, he thinks with embarrassment. Please, oh please, don't be able to see me like this.
"Human input received...begin laser hair removal before next scan." Hair removal? Yikes! That is the part I heard that hurts so much. Riley can't help but produce a muffled scream as the machine removes all of the hair off his body. While it was quite painful, the sensation is over within a few seconds, his body forgetting almost instantly about the "discomfort" (their words not mine). Riley, breathing heavily now, waiting for the next scan. Well, he thinks with some optimism, I won't have to shave my face the rest of this week.
"Scan shows hair removal successful and human manager has provided adjustment protocol #5 and #12. Proceed with encasing." Riley is shocked, 'adjustment protocol' is not something he has ever heard of. How could there be anything it could do to me? As if it heard him, he feels two things being pressed into his chest. They feel like bags or maybe balloons, as he can feel that they droop from his upper body. He can feel fluid filling them and hear an almost slurping sound as a tube must have been attached to them. He can feel them get heavier, pulling on his freshly lasered skin. He can smell the fluid, as it has an oily scent. "Hydraulic fluid substitute used over human input of water." Great, I have two bags of hydraulic fluid hanging from my chest now, he thinks as he sinks into depression, this stinks...literally and figuratively.
He then feels another bag being placed in front of him beneath his waist. Oh no, hang on now, he protests, as he feels his manhood being completely covered by something that feels like plastic. The plastic wraps around his hips and under to attach just behind him above his butt. He feels some pressure back there, then a sound like a vacuum cleaner. He can then feel it remove all of the air from that bag, but that isn't the worst part. He can feel his manhood being pulled in tighter and tighter. The pain of the sacks of fluid on his chest are forgotten as his manhood is flattened as much as it can be. Just when he thinks it could not be any worse, it stops, and he is disconnected from the vacuum.
Breathing heavily again, he feels himself being moved onto the next part. Finding he has more mobility now, he reaches his hands around quickly to check himself. His left hand gropes large "breasts" hanging from his chest, while his right hand feels a very smooth, very small bump where his manhood is now compressed tightly. Returning his arms to his side, as new appendages brush against them, he feels his legs and arms being wrapped or encased tightly in something stiff yet flexible. He feels pressure being applied all over his body as the suit is placed on him. The ring holding him up is removed as his head is placed inside of the hood of the suit, leaving only his face exposed. He can feel an even pressure all over his body, even on his toes and fingers. Free to possibly move without the ring now, he finds he has no energy or desire to go anywhere, as if he is exhausted from what the machine has done to him over the past couple of minutes, or maybe his "programming" is starting as he now is feeling that blissful sense of purpose and fulfillment and comfort with the pressure all around him.
The rest of his uniform is pulled onto him with a squeak. The sleeves are attached to the dress by a concealed zipper. The boots are buttoned up on his feet. The face mask is attached to the hair and bonnet as one hard piece that is placed on him. One other thing that he did not know was that the mask has an attachment that goes in his mouth and also up his nose. He is too weak to fight (or too happy to care), so he lets it get locked onto him. He cannot tell if he can see well or not, but he can tell it got even darker with the facemask. He hears a sealing sound, like in a scuba tank, and the whole suit takes on a new level of tightness, sealing tight to him. It is at this point, he feels the corset subtracting inches from his waist, constricting his movements, but straightening his posture. As he breathes in slowly, the air tastes different now, like he is breathing something more pure than the regular air.
The machine spits him out onto the transport, his hands folded neatly like the others. The machine does a final scan: four maids on transport. The robotic forklift pulls away, the four maids unmoving. The first three look nearly identical with their height and build. The fourth one is much larger and thicker and taller. The extra large chest, too small waist, and uniform make it clear that it is obviously female, just a larger one than the others.
At the moment, he still cannot see. The lenses in front of his face are black, so he wonders if he will be able to see or not. The transport stops and then his lenses start to flash. There's a number on it, and then Unit 4 is able to see clearly, as the optical lenses turn on. Unit 4 can see a Human worker engaging each unit of Maid Group #3. Eventually, Unit 4 hears the Human worker ask, "Unit 4, turn to face me." Unit 4 complies, rotating Unit 4's head to the left to face the Human. "Oh my, you are a tall one aren't you?" the Human states. Unit 4 takes the input and classifies itself as "tall". "Well, everything seems to be working like the others...can you see the number 4 in your field of view?" Unit 4 shakes its head slowly side to side, unable to see the blue number 4 that is displayed on its lenses to the human worker, to differentiate it from the other maids, as they have 1-3 on their respective lenses. "Face forward Unit 4 and enter Transport Mode." Unit 4 complies, returning Unit 4's head to face forward with the rest of Maid Group #3 and suspends all higher processing.
Maid Group #3 is loaded onto the delivery van one at a time. Unit 4 sits calmly on the seat, being buckled in by another Human worker. Maid Group #3 continues their blissful thoughts of purpose and contentment, patiently waiting for their next input from a Human. The drive takes an amount of time they care nothing about. The road is relatively smooth, which they also care nothing about. When the van stops and they are unbuckled, they still care nothing about that. For another 10 minutes, they sit in the van with the doors open, none of them move, waiting for the Human worker to command them.
The driver steps around the corner of the van with a college-aged male beside him. "So here they are, 4 maids for your rental of 8 hours." The young man looks in and replies, "Great...the silver looks like they are from the future." The driver's bored, sarcastic response is, "Yeah, that is the plan with their ancient-looking outfits on." The college male replies, "The rental amount is cheaper for this outfit. None of the guys are in the house right now anyway, so who cares what they look like, so long as they can clean up this wreck." The driver hands over the tablet for a signature, "Big party?" The college guy replies while signing, "You can say that again! It is rush week, so we had an all day and all night pledge-a-thon for our new members. The party must have been epic, as our frat house is filled with trash and puke." The driver cringes slightly and replies, "Well, no worry about that...the maids have their own air supply, so they cannot smell anything, and their suits should repel anything sticky or slimy." Handing back the tablet, "I know...that is why I ask everyone to pay a few bucks more to rent these babies. After that incident in the bathroom two years ago, I don't even go back to our frat house until after it has been cleaned. It is so worth the money." The driver takes the tablet and replies, "Well, glad that works for you." He turns to address the maids.
"Maid Group #3", he states. Focus, Unit 4 thinks, Human is talking to Unit 4's group. Unit 4 feels content and ready to do whatever Human says. "You are now the property of CJ. You will do whatever he says within your programming." All four of them turn their heads to face CJ. Like the other three, Unit 4 thinks: Human CJ is the Commander. "Let's get to work. Follow me," CJ says as he turns around to walk towards the frat house. Maid Group #3 stands and steps off of the van by the back folding stairs. Human CJ is so strong. Human CJ is so confident. Human CJ is so handsome. Unit 4 will gladly do whatever is asked of Unit 4. These thoughts (and many more) continue through Unit 4's head as Maid Group #3 walks behind CJ.
The frat house is a 3-story, full brick building. It has a double-door entrance straight from the sidewalk with no stairs. Unit 4 has no thought to look anywhere else but in front. If it had, it would have seen rows of this type of building, known as Frat Row. Each one looks simple, yet grandiose at the same time. Maid Group #3 is still following submissively, and does not notice the trash littered all along the ground leading up to the house. They enter through the front door right behind their Commander.
Once inside, the handsome Human lines them up by the stairs leading up from the front door. The Commander states, "The entire house is to be cleaned. There are 3 stories for you to clean. Unit 1, start in the kitchen. Unit 2, start in the bathroom. Unit 3, start in the front living room. Unit 4, start in the back living room. Cleaning supplies and garbage bags are in the kitchen. Throw all napkins and paper towels into the trash bag. Plastic cups and forks and spoons should be thrown away, too. Any cans or bottles should be taken to the blue recycle bins outside of the back door. When garbage bags are full, throw them in the dumpster out back. All carpet floors are to be vacuumed, all hard floors are to be mopped. Once you finish the first floor, then go to the second floor. If a door is closed, do not open it. Some of the guys do not want their room messed with. After floor 2, go onto floor 3. When you are done, come back and stand right here. Understood?"
Human CJ speaks so forcefully. Human CJ is to be obeyed completely and happily. In unison, Maid Group #3 nods their heads once, keeping their hands folded politely in front of them. "Good," the Commander adds, "Clean every surface well and make this place look like new. I will be back to check on you after my morning classes." Human CJ is handsome and to be obeyed. "Then, go...get started." Maid Group #3 gets a large boost of endorphins at this command, so each one turns to go to the kitchen to get their supplies, happy and content. They blissfully grab each wipe and cleaning bottle and garbage bag and start their tasks.
Like four well-programmed robots, each unit moves to their respective room. They do not talk to each other, they do not remark how bad the place looks or smells (especially since their suits keep them sealed from it), and they do not complain. Each one simply gets to work. Unit #4 starts filling garbage bag after garbage bag of plates, cups, napkins, and other trash. Once a bag is full, Unit #4 cinches it up and walks it slowly to the dumpster out back. On occasion, Unit #4 will pass the other Units from Maid Group #3 as they do the same thing. Unit #4 can see the numbers in their eyes, so Unit #4 knows which one is doing which room. There are no thoughts of who is doing what or if one is worse than the other, there is simply work to do.
While transporting cans to the recycle bin, Unit #4 notices another Unit in the back room with Unit #4. Unit #2 is now helping Unit #4. Unit #4 accepts the help, assuming Unit #2 has finished Unit #2's task already. Both Units make quick work of the room clean-up. As they leave to check on the kitchen, Unit #3 walks in with the vacuum cleaner to do the carpets. Unit #1 is currently mopping the floors of the kitchen. Realizing there is nothing more to do here, they move to the stairs to wait for the rest of them to join them.
The second floor is similar to the first, but not quite as messy. There are closed doors now, so they do not open them as they were instructed not to do so. Each room finds them doing what they are programmed to do. Unfortunately, the cans and bottles have a rather lengthy instruction. With no bag or container, they are to walk each one down separately. For the next couple of hours, each one makes multiple trips down the stairs to the back recycle bin to walk back up again, only to repeat it over and over. None of them complain, as they blissfully follow orders.
While on the 3rd floor, CJ returns to check their progress. Unit #4 feels an almost attraction for Human CJ as he steps onto the 3rd floor while they are cleaning it. Unit #4 hopes Human CJ will command Unit #4 to clean more or serve more. Unit #4 pleads to be blissfully commanded. CJ simply nods his head as he passes each room, "Looking good, looking good." He glances at his smartwatch and states, "My rented time is almost up, so let's make sure we get to the bathrooms. Maids, focus your attention on the bathrooms. Unit #1 and #2 you have the bathroom on right here, and Unit #3 and #4 have the one at the end of the hall. I"ll be back up here in just a minute."
As commanded, each Unit focuses their attention on the bathrooms. Unit #1 and Unit #2 stand in the doorway and stare at the dirty bathroom that has only been partially cleaned. Unit #3 and #4 stand in the doorway of the other bathroom, which has not been cleaned yet. Unit #4 can see the messes left by multiple people who left fluids on the floor and toilet and sink. Unit #4, like Unit #3, stares into the room, unmoving. Unit #4 is so happy now, doing what Human CJ commanded.
Maid Group #3 has no measure of how long they stood there, but their Commander was very upset with them for just standing there. He screamed at them to get back to work, cleaning the bathrooms. Unsure of why Human CJ was unhappy, but Maid Group #3 knew exactly what to do, as they had been studying the filthy bathroom for some time. Unit #3 and Unit #4 work quickly cleaning up all of the mess left by the party goers. Again, they felt no displeasure from the smell of the fluids, nor the feel of them, as their sealed suits protected them completely from that.
It did not take long to finish their work, so each one threw away the bags of trash and recycling they had accumulated. Unit #4 was not counting, but Unit #4 knows that Unit #4's mouth was given some amount of water during one of the trips back up the stairs. Unit #4 is unsure of how many steps Unit #4 must take to be rehydrated, but Unit #4 was thankful for that, as every unit of Maid Group #3 went up and down the stairs for every can and bottle and trash bag found on floors 2 and 3. With their work completed, Maid Group #3 stands submissively in a line near the front door. They can hear voices outside, as a group of Humans are conversing. In a few moments, a group of male Humans walks in the house. Each one looks to be strong, handsome, confident, but not as much as their Commander, Human CJ. However, unlike their Commander, each male Human that walked by gave each unit of Maid Group #3 a friendly touch. Some even hugged Unit #4 tightly. Unit #4 could feel their warm touch on Unit 4's suit-covered body, adding more blissful thoughts to Unit #4.
Again, time seemed to have no meaning, but eventually, their Commander orders them out front for pick-up. Maid Group #3 dutifully walks in a straight line to the delivery van that brought Maid Group #3 to their Commander's house. Back inside the van, Maid Group #3 sits down and awaits to be buckled in. The driver has their Commander sign a tablet, then the Human Driver says, "Home Cleaners receives back their property in good standing." Unit #4 sees the Human talking to the Human Driver differently now. Human CJ is just a regular Human now, to be obeyed if commanded but there are no added blissful feelings regarding that Human. Unit #4 wonders about the sudden change, but Unit #4's thoughts are interrupted by the buckling of the seat belts and the Human Driver saying, "Transport mode."
Unit #4 does not recall much of what happened after that. Unit #4 first remembers activity as the suit is being removed by a series of metal arms, then Unit #4 is cleaned completely. Unit #4 is redressed and deposited back on the robotic cart. It stops in a different room than before, with a small table of high-power snacks and special-rehydrating drinks. Riley follows the other ladies over to the table as they each step off the transport. He can feel himself starting to "feel more human", as he has felt like a robot for the past several hours. To be fair, he says to himself, he is not sure how a robot would think, but he reasons that the way he was thinking would match an android pretty closely. He remembers being compelled to do whatever he was told, yet it never felt wrong to obey those commands. In fact, it felt natural and good to be commanded and to respond positively to that command.
None of the former members of Maid Group #3 speak, as they ravish the food and drink in front of them. Riley is surprised by the lack of decorum by any of them. While they are not acting like animals, he does feel that the ladies are not using any manners whatsoever, which is fine with me, he thinks with a smile, as I won't feel guilty at all while I shove this food in my mouth. He was not tempted at all to actually say anything, as he had food and drink running down his face, too. I can't remember a time ever being so hungry and thirsty, he admits to himself. The food seems to satisfy his body's desire for energy and sustenance, he will admit though that it does not taste very good, or maybe to be more accurate: it has no flavor at all.
As they start to slow their consumption, one of the older ladies looks at Riley and asks, "Are you new? I have not worked with you before." Her comfortable looking top and leggings give the impression she just came from the gym, and even though he thinks she is older than all the others, it is hard to guess ages with everyone being bald. Riley, not sure how to respond while processing all of this, just nods his head, with his mouth thankfully full. She smiles and says, "Well, I'm Deb...this is Heather and Laura, and it is customary for us to have a girls night after an extended project with the same team, like the one we had today." Riley smiles, wondering what happens when he says something, but maybe shaking his head might be enough. One of the younger ladies senses his apprehension gets closer to him and leans against him, "Come on, it will be fun. You gotta have some fun after cleaning that house. College boys are the worst, am I right?" The other young lady nods her head in agreement, who is wearing what looks like a pair of cream-colored overalls that are loose fitting, like everyone else's outfits. Riley starts to make a connection, that whatever they have to wear during their work, they wear the opposite to and from work. "Yeah," she says, swallowing another bite of the power bar, "I stopped dating them when they started asking me back to their place...disgusting. I see enough messes in my day, I don't need another one." For the first time in a long time, Riley feels guilty about the condition of his apartment.
"Well," Deb says, "Sounds like it is settled. There's a whole room of extra clothes around the corner. Somehow, we end up with more clothes than we return, so I'll bet there's a dress and some heels that will fit you." Riley gulps loudly, heels? dress? The young lady still holding his arm with her flannel looking top says happily, "Oh, right...you wanted to go to Dante's tonight, right? I have not been there in forever. I brought the wrong clothes for that, so I'll need to borrow something out of the Closet, too. Come on!"
With her pulling his arm, she pulls him along to the Closet. Deb reminds them, "Hey, don't take all day...let's try and get out of here in an hour." The cream-colored overall lady replies with a snicker, "An hour? Laura will never get herself ready that quickly." Both ladies laugh as they casually finish off their electrolyte-filled drinks.
The Closet, as they call it, is just that: an entire room that looks like a giant walk-in closet. Riley's food and drink that were in his hands are pulled from him and dumped in the garbage. "No time to finish that, the old hag wants to get out of here in an hour, and we can't keep her waiting." Riley notices a change in her tone, but her facial expression never changes. Was she teasing or being serious?
"Okay, we need something dressy but not too dressy. Nice but not too nice." As she looks around, Riley gets really nervous. There is no way he can pull this off. I mean seriously, I don't even look like a woman, do I? As he runs his hand over his bald head, he figures this is all just a joke or prank, but does he want to take that chance? I don't have any real friends, he reasons, so I would hate to be the laughing stock of everyone, but would anyone care?
She returns with a bundle of black in her arms. "I think you should go Goth tonight. It will go with your quiet nature. There's a place to change over there, and there is probably a Goth make-up kit loaded into the mirror over there." He takes the offered clothes and looks over at a strange looking mirror mounted on the wall. "I just don't get how the company winds up with all this. They can't sell it, it is too hard to return it, so they fixed up this old storage room for us. We can wear and use whatever they put in here, as long as we return it. Sweet deal, huh? I don't even bring a change of clothes anymore." Riley seems to recall there is a male version of this near his station. He walked in there one day by mistake, and wondered why there were so many men's clothes along the walls. Admittedly, this room is much bigger than that one.
He feels two small hands on his back pushing him. "Go, go," she says, "I still gotta find mine and you got a lot to put on." Before Riley can protest, he is shoved into what looks like a changing room, with a mirror, curtain for a door, and small table and chair. He hears the curtain pull shut, and then he is alone. He is alone holding women's clothes in a changing room for women having been asked out for a girls night. His stomach does about 4 flips thinking about that. As he ponders an escape, he thinks what might happen if he gets caught as a guy with the ladies clothes having been a female maid all day. His stomach does about 10 flips at that thought of discovery and then trying to explain it, so he decides to stay right here.
The Goth clothing is softer than he thought it would be, which feels nice in his hands. There's a long black dress that goes to the floor. The long-sleeved top will cover all of him, and even extends past his wrists to loop around his thumbs. The bra and panties are red, which seems odd, but then maybe that was all they had. The panties are a boy cut, which is ironic to him, and the bra looks like it is made for more chest than he obviously has. He vaguely remembers having his chest "expanded" for the day, but it must have been removed completely by the machine. There is a corset too, but it looks much less constricting than the one he wore earlier today, and it has a slight red trim to its edges. The black hair wig is rather long, so it will go further down his back than he wants, but maybe that is good. The fishnet stockings look quite painful (or at the very least itchy), but maybe he does not have to wear those since his dress would most likely cover his legs.
About that time a pair of boots gets shoved under the curtain. He hears the voice through the curtain, "Biggest size they have, so I hope they fit. If not, you might be wearing flip flops, and that just wouldn't look right." He cannot decide if he should talk or not, but he hears her rushing off, so I guess it doesn't matter. I can't be quiet all night, he reasons, I'm gonna have to talk. Sitting the clothes down, he notices a choker necklace in the pile of clothes. Hmm, he wonders, I've heard they make some that can modulate your voice. Not much, if he recalls correctly, but a little bit might be all I need.
Putting it on first, he can feel the tight leathery strap constricting his neck. The round, solid silver gem in the front covers his Adam's apple completely. Turning the gem, he whispers, "Testing...testing...testing." With each 'testing', the sound of his voice gets a bit higher. His voice is still going to be deeper than the average woman, but this should help. He turns it as far as it will go, knowing it is the best he can do, and if he wants to get out of here with his dignity intact, he's gotta get dressed and play the part.
He slips the panties on, which are surprisingly comfortable, even if a bit restricting. He notices the bra has a tag noting it is fillable for "a more fun evening out with your girls". He pulls a partially empty water bottle from his pocket that he had put there for later and fills up the containers on both sides. It does not have much capacity, but it will give him at least a little bit to sell this look. He adjusts the straps and gets it on. Looking at himself in the mirror, he almost pukes or laughs, he isn't sure which would be more appropriate.
He puts on the top, then adds the corset and slips on the dress. With all of that on, he looks in the mirror and thinks, "Huh, well, that's not awful." The corset gives him a smaller waist and helps push out his inflatable chest, so he has a more feminie look. Unfortunately, there are two slits up the sides of the dress, so he will need the fishnet hose after all. Getting those on is more of a challenge than he would have thought, as he keeps snagging his toes on the netting. He was right about one thing: not overly comfortable. The boots are actually a tad small, but he thinks it will work if he does not walk too fast (his toes are a little cramped but not painfully so). Their soles are quite thick, which will make him even taller (don't need that at all), and there are about a hundred buckles on the outside of each boot (why?). He eventually figures out how to buckle them, so the second boot goes on much faster than the first.
Checking himself out to make sure he has done it all: he's got the sleeves of his top looped around his thumbs...he's got the corset tied tightly...the boots are buckled. Now for the hair, he thinks, as he dons the long black-haired wig. As he messes with it, the curtain opens suddenly, startling him. "Geez," he exclaims, "Don't you knock?" She just giggles, "I figured you were mostly dressed anyway." But then she frowns. Wait, he screams at himself, I spoke! Did I sound like a guy? She looks at him and says, "That wig won't do...hang on, I think I saw another one." Reaching up on her tiptoes, she grabs it off his head and turns around. "By the way, I'm Laura, not sure we have met yet. Why don't you get your nails and face done real quick. Machine is to your left."
Riley says, "Thank you for helping me out. I feel completely lost," which was not a lie. She bent over rummaging through a bin, wearing only a thong and a strapless bra. Riley notices and then wonders if he was supposed to notice. "No problem, Riley...I saw your nametag on your shirt. Maids and butlers don't wear them usually, since no one sees us outside of our uniforms." Riley tears his eyes away from her slender frame and walks to his left. "That makes sense," he says, becoming more comfortable with his new, higher voice, "I usually work in a different department."
The nail machine is straightforward. It is the cheapest model, so pick the color and insert your fingers and boom...painted. Nothing fancy or overly pretty, just simple nails. He chooses black to match his outfit, so when he pulls his fingers out, he has solid black, glossy nails. Weird, he thinks holding them up to his face, I've never painted my nails before. Stepping to his left while still staring at his nails, he looks at the make-up machine. Again, nothing fancy, so you get some lipstick, eye shadow, and blush, whatever that is. Why would you want to look like you are blushing? He wonders.
He sees Laura has disappeared again, so he decides to take the next step himself. He is too far in now to go back. Selecting Goth on the side of the mirror, he adjusts the height of the reflective surface that looks like a form of a face to match his height. Some words on the reflective surface say, "place face into contour form." As he feels his face touch the surface, he sees another message right in front of him that says," close your eyes until you hear the beep". He complies and feels a series of small touches on his face. When it stops, he hears a beep and leans back. The words on the surface say, "Wait 5 minutes to give color time to set. Have a nice day."
Looking into the weird mirror, is the face of someone he does not know. The black lipstick, the deep red eyeshadow, along with his outfit make him look anything but like himself. Huh, he marvels, I don't look half bad, but I don't look half good either, he smiles. He jumps again when Laura gives him a playful swat on his buttcheek, "Ooo, sexy sexy, love it, girl." Riley did not need any blush, as his cheeks get hot from the compliment.
"Here, bend down facing me," she says. He complies, as he feels something wet get smeared on his head, but before he can ask, he feels something being pressed on the top of his head. "Look at me so I can straighten it." He stares into her face, noting how cute she looks, even without make-up or hair. She is wearing a horizontal striped shirt with red dress slacks. Her white gloves almost give her a "french mime" look, or so Riley thinks with a smirk. "There," Laura says with a smile, "Not quite what I wanted for you, but someone must be using the red pigtails wig, which would look perfect with your outfit."
Riley turns to the mirror to see that he has a crew cut now. His hair is red on top, but black on the sides. Even though this hairstyle is more popular for men, it looks very feminine on him right now. "Woah," he says genuinely, "I never would have thought of wearing my hair like this." Laura smiles as she walks away, "That's the best part of this room. You get to be whatever you want to be, and it is random, too, which makes it even better." Taking one more look in the mirror, Riley mumbles, "I can do this. Just have fun and be a girl for the night. No one will ever know...hopefully."
About that time Deb walks into the room. Riley almost did not recognize her. She is wearing a sweater vest with a harlequin pattern that is brown and cream, with a button-down shirt underneath that is the same cream color. Her dress does not quite come down to her knees, showing off her shiny panty hose nicely. Her heels are maybe 2 inches, and look to be designed more for comfort. Her make-up is minimal, tasteful, and her hair is long, full and goes halfway down her back. The other lady, who must be Heather, steps in behind her, still wearing overalls, but these are nothing like the loose ones she had on before. These are a pale yellow, and they seem to hug her every curve from her ankles up to her shoulders. They might be made of leather, as it looks heavy with a slight sheen but definitely not as constrictive as what they wore early today. Her short sleeved shirt barely comes off her shoulder and it is a light blue, made of the same material. Her shoes are close-toed, but her pants legs go all the way to the ground, so it is hard to say what kind they really are. Her straight hair is deep blue and cut like a bob.
"Well," Deb says like a mother might, "Are you girls ready?" Laura pops back into view, wearing a red beret now with some blonde hair poking out underneath. "Yes, mother hen, we are ready," she says with an exaggerated, exasperated tone. Heather laughs, "I can tell she is in a mood for some fun tonight. Let's go, I'll drive." Riley had not even thought of that. He doesn't even own a car, since all he needs is within walking distance.
Dante's is a popular Italian restaurant that is about a 20-minute drive away. The owner claims to be a direct descendant of the original Godfather. He also says the movie was actually a documentary of his family that someone leaked out. No one knows who it was, as he is now "swimming with the fishes." He says it so seriously and retells the story the same way every time that it makes one think he might be telling the truth. While people feel he might be exaggerating, they fear saying something as he might be right and they may get fitted for "a pair of concrete shoes" next.
Whether you believe his "godfather story" or not, everyone agrees the food and drinks are amazing. He has TVs mounted around the open-aired restaurant. He has two different sets of bars for those that want a more casual drinking area and a more fine drinking area, as well lots of tables in between them for those that want that. Riley was thankful to sit down, as he feels rather self conscious standing so tall next to the ladies around him. Sitting at the table, their heights even out a bit more, and he feels less like the center of attention.
They each order a round of drinks while looking over their menus. He decides to follow their lead, getting some type of wine that matches theirs. They mostly order salad with a pasta dish, so he does the same. While those power bars helped with the voracious hunger they had, real food sounds real good right now. Their conversation during this time is very surface, as they discuss nothing of importance or anything he knows anything about. He would classify this as "girl talk", but even if it was not, how would I know? While not lying exactly, he is able to share his true life problems with them, as part of the conversation. He just leaves out the most important part of him being male not female. From what he can tell, none of them suspect anything being amiss.
As promised, the food is amazing. He has never eaten here, and as he relaxes more and more, he finds that he is enjoying the evening more and more. The food tastes like it has been cooked to perfection, the next glass of wine goes down quicker than the first, and for the first time in years, he enjoys life...he feels alive. He was okay with dismissing all the things he was missing from life while he tried to get his finances back on track. However, he never realized how much he was really sacrificing until tonight. I don't want this night to end, he thinks while laughing at another of Heather's jokes. And for the first time in a really long time, he smiles genuinely, and not through gritted teeth.
Laura suddenly scoots her chair back. "Sorry, ladies," she says while standing, "Need to visit the little girls room. Wanna come along, Riley?" He had long since dropped his guard, so he nods his head and stands as well. Arm in arm, they walk to the bathrooms. Stepping inside, he is amazed how much cleaner and nicer it looks than the bathrooms he usually goes into. There is a whole sitting room leading into the bathroom. Do ladies actually sit in that incredibly, comfortable-looking chair and read? He notices the lack of urinals, which is okay by him, as going to the bathroom will take much longer now than ever before, and he does not want anybody watching him. Guess I hold the bottom of my dress up here, and pull the fishnet down to there, and carefully slide the panties down...whoops, without falling into the toilet...feel like I need another set of hands.
They both take care of business, and while Laura primps a bit in the mirror (prompting Riley to pretend to do the same) she asks, "So, I need a favor. You okay with staying out a bit later?" Riley is not sure what she is wanting to do, but he had already thought he did not want the evening to end. "Sure," he agrees, pretending to fix his hair, "But what about our ride home?" She smiles and winks, "Oh, I got us a ride and some dates, but I needed a plus one." Riley then realizes what he has agreed to, "Uh, wait, I don't want to go..." She reaches up and shushes him, "Too late now, Riley. Besides, he asked for you out of the other three that he could choose from." And with a wink, she heads to the bathroom exit. He stands there staring in the mirror, "He asked for me?" She gulps loudly and wonders if she can claim "girl problems" to get out of this.
He rushes out of the bathroom to get back to the table to get out of this. However, Deb and Heather have already started heading for the door. Oh no, he thinks to himself, do they already know? Deb and Heather see him and give him a hug and say how much fun they had. He tries to interject about one of them helping him with a ride home, but he can never get a word in. They are too busy saying "how great it was" and "gotta do this again" and before he knows it, they are walking out and he is standing there, alone.
While it felt like hours, it was more like just a few seconds, before Laura comes up behind him. Taking him by the arm again, "Come on...the guys are at the bar waiting." Oh no, Riley gulps again, guys? His feet seem to have a mind all their own, as he steps in sync with Laura to the bar. As they near, she is surprised that she recognizes one of them. But at the moment, he cannot quite remember where he knows this obviously-college-aged man. His heart rate, which was already elevated, takes on a higher speed with that thought. What if he recognizes me? Every part of him wants to turn and run, but Laura must have sensed his apprehension, as she grips his arm tighter. "Smile," she whispers, "Don't worry and have some fun. The muscular guy in the front is taking me home and expecting some action tonight, so long as I brought his friend a date. You can bail later, and it will not matter to me. Just be my bestie for an hour or so, then you are off the hook. Okay?" Riley can only nod, figuring he only needs to fake this a little bit longer. He has done well so far, so just hold it together, he tells himself. There is no way, he tells himself, that there can be any "action" with me and this guy...literally.
As they get closer, both men rise and greet them. Laura is free with the hugs and kisses on the cheek, so Riley gets a look from them that he should probably do the same. The first fellow that Laura knows is shorter than Riley, but he is definitely built like a bodybuilder. Riley grabs his biceps as he leans in for a quick peck. Woah, Riley marvels, his arms are solid like a rock. The peck on the cheek came easier than he thought, as he was so distracted by the guy's arms. He smiles politely, introducing himself as Adam. Riley nods and replies with his name as well, and then steps to the other guy.
I know this guy, he tells himself, but from where. He is taller, almost eye-to-eye with Riley's height plus boots. Again, she grabs his biceps for a quick peck, following Laura's lead. His arms are not as hard as Adam's, but he looks and feels to be in good shape as well. As they pull away, he says, "You look very different from the last time I saw you." Riley cannot help but look at him strangely, almost terrified. Uh oh, he is gonna blow my cover right now?!
Seeing the look on Riley's face, the man interrupts Riley's thoughts to run away again, "I mean that not in a bad way...I, uh, recognize your build from this morning." With Riley's continued silence, he adds, "Height...I mean, you are much taller than the other ones, Unit #4." His smile and that name bring Riley's thoughts back into focus. The look of surprise and recognition must have been clear on his face, as the man relaxes somewhat. Riley says flatly, "Human CJ." He nods and replies, "Yes, I'm a human and my name is CJ, but no need to be so formal, right?" He chuckles nervously, and Laura decides to jump in here.
"Yep, and I was Unit #3. Riley does not know about the 'secret service' maids can provide after hours to their renters." Turning to Riley, "Adam is in the same frat as CJ, so when he asked about getting a date with a maid, my name and number came up on our third-party website. Home Cleaners has no idea we do this, and the guy who hosts our website gets a small fee for helping us hook-up." All this starts to fit better now, which explains why Deb and Heather did not protest this: they knew Laura rarely leaves with them on girls' night.
Adam waves at the bar, "Let's sit down for a few drinks, and maybe some appetizers. I know you already ate dinner, but maybe something sweet?" Sitting down at the bar, Laura scoots her bar stool closer to Adam's as he orders them something. CJ motions to the stools in front of him, so Riley sits awkwardly. He tries to get onto the stool without tripping on his dress, not flashing the people in the restaurant, and not sliding off the other side of the slick stool top. He tries hard to sit like he thinks a woman would. He finally is able to get his legs crossed with one boot hooked on the stool's support. He reveals most of his leg before he can get his dress back over it. When he looks back up, CJ is also starting to look up, as he clearly got a good view of the fishnet-covered leg, but trying to look like he had not. Great, Riley rolls his eyes, he probably thinks I did that on purpose. They order some drinks and settle into some awkward small-talk, trying to read each other's intentions, with the sound of the TVs droning in the background.
Over the next hour, they talk about nothing important, as Riley learns more about CJ's major and college and being in a fraternity. Riley plays the soft-spoken lady card well, always redirecting the conversation back to CJ. The less he knows about me the better, Riley reasons, as I don't want to have to keep up with a complicated lie, but like the dinner conversation, he is basically able to say things that are truthful about himself, except that he is a "herself". At one point, Adam and Laura make a move to leave, but CJ is their ride. They all agree to leave together, as the guys live in the same frat house. Riley is not sure he likes the idea of all of them going back to the frat house, but CJ says he can drop her off afterwards. That really does not make him feel any better, but he does not want to be rude and draw extra attention.
Back at the frat house again, Riley notes that it looks rather nice compared to this morning. The lights are on, and there is music playing, and it has a very home-like feel to it. Adam and Laura are in the door and gone before Riley could even say goodbye. CJ says he has to check on something in the kitchen, so Riley can just wait outside. Standing outside seems more awkward than going in, so he decides to just wait in the front foyer area. He can still remember standing right here a few hours ago. He can almost feel some of the same things he felt earlier today. He has such a feeling of contentment right now that he cannot help but smile.
The rooms he can see are clean and for the most part empty. He can see a couple of guys doing homework at a table near the kitchen, and there are a couple of guys cooking something in the kitchen, which is where CJ is now. No one seems to have noticed him, which is great. Waiting for him, Riley rehearses his "I gotta leave" speech, to make sure CJ does not get the wrong impression about where this evening is not headed.
Soon, CJ returns, and as Riley watches him walk closer, he can feel that blissful feeling returning. No, no, no, Riley screams to himself, I'm not a maid and I don't have to do what he wants. CJ smiles and says, "Thanks for waiting...sorry, the guys were trying something new with the fryer, and I wanted to make sure it didn't start a fire." Human CJ speaks with such confidence. Riley shakes his head slowly, "Uh, I'm on fire...I mean, I wouldn't want you to be fried...fired." Ugh, Riley thinks, what am I even saying?
CJ puts his hand on Riley's shoulder, "Ha ha, it's okay...they won't set either of us on fire." Human CJ is handsome. Riley screams at himself while replying, "That's handsome...I mean, you are...not to be cooked." CJ chuckles and puts his other hand on Riley's other shoulder, bringing him in closer. "Look, it is okay," CJ says softly staring into his eyes, "I'm not expecting what Adam was expecting. You can relax, and I'll just settle for a kiss and take you home." He leans in and without thinking, Riley does as well. Riley's lipstick seems to ignite his lips as CJ touches them with his. Riley can feel tingles all over his body, like fireworks going off all around him. He feels a little weak in the knees, so he reaches out and grabs hold of CJ, who takes that prompt to pull Riley in closer and tighter.
Riley has no idea how long they kissed. It was probably just a few seconds, but then it could have been a few minutes. Pulling back, Riley replies, "Oh my, that was fire." CJ chuckles and replies, "Mhmm, you are a great kisser." Riley blushes slightly and replies, "Mmm, I was thinking the same thing." CJ chuckles, "That you are a good kisser? Well, I'm glad you think so, because you are." Riley frowns, "No, no, I meant..." But while he was distracted, CJ leans in for another, and Riley is lost again in a place he never thought he would be.
He notices a build-up of pressure below his waist, and then he comes back to reality. Oh snap, he exclaims to himself, I'm a guy and he thinks I'm a girl, uh, lady. Pulling back, Riley stammers, "Uh, listen...I really gotta go...work tomorrow...you know." CJ seems a little disappointed, but does not let her go just yet, "Do you really have to? I mean, my room is just at the top of the stairs." Riley tries to break off the embrace gently, realizing he is about to give away a "bulging" secret, and CJ is going to flip if Riley does that. "It is tempting...it really is, but never...I mean, not tonight...I'm not...uh, I just met..." CJ smiles and pulls back more, "I understand. You just met me, but those kisses were telling me a different story." Riley knows he has disappointed CJ, and Human CJ must be obeyed. No, no, Riley tries to tell himself, don't.
CJ tilts his head and asks softly as an experiment, "Hmmm, tell me Unit #4...would you go to my room if I commanded you?" Unit #4 nods Riley's head, while Riley tries to shake it. CJ processes that, wondering if he did this, would it be fun for both, or would she press charges for taking advantage of her? Riley's whole future is hanging on CJ's next decision. There is no escaping this feeling from earlier, just as there would be no escaping CJ's discovery of who Riley really is. CJ commands, "Unit #4, go to my car and wait for me there." Unit #4 nods and turns around and walks outside stiffly to the Commander's car. Human CJ follows shortly thereafter and opens the door to beckon Unit #4 in.
Once CJ closes his door, Riley seems to reawaken. Looking around, he hears the car start-up and pull away. After a few minutes, Riley says, "Thank you...for not riding...I mean, the ride...for the drive home." Riley moans again, speaking so stupidly. CJ chuckles again and replies, "It is my pleasure. I've had a good evening, and I hope you might want to do it again soon. Besides, giving you a ride means I know where you live." Riley chuckles nervously at that and replies, "Well, it is not fancy nor exciting, as I live above Home Cleaners." CJ nods, "I know, or well, I figured. Most single people that work for a maid service like that do."
They ride in silence, Riley unsure of what to say now. When he stops at the side entrance, it is clear he has done this before. Riley opens the door before CJ can get around to open it for him. Riley thanks him again and after he closes the car door, CJ is there on the sidewalk, and they end the night with another brain melting kiss. He returns to the car and Riley enters the number on the keypad for entry. He had to repeat it three times, but he eventually gets it right. With CJ pulling away, Riley leans against the wall, agonizing over what almost happened, and why he feels so good every time CJ is around him.
Walking up the stairs, since the elevator leads straight into the factory which is closed right now, he does a quick web search about his mental state. Evidently, a maid is temporarily bonded to their "commander", helping increase obedience and quality of work. That explains it, Riley says while opening his apartment door, that intense training I got really worked me over. I'm not really attracted to him, he reasons with himself. Feeling a bit better about his mental state, he takes off his Goth clothing once inside his apartment. He starts to throw it on the floor with the other clothes, but instead he moves to put it in the overflowing clothes hamper.
Unable to clean right now, but feeling some sense of shame for the state of the apartment, Riley hastily picks up clothes on his way to the bedroom. Stripped and holding a pile of clothes by the time he gets there, he drops them in the hamper, then collapses on the bed. He is asleep in a few seconds, dreaming of maids and CJ all night long.
Despite the hangover and crazy dreams, Riley wakes up early the next morning. He showers (after setting his wig on the table...it fell off during the night when the temporary glue dried out) and is ready for work quicker than usual (it is amazing how much faster you can get ready without hair). He eats a quick breakfast and throws on his usual go-to-work clothes (standard jumpsuit for the cleaners). Before leaving, he loads the dishwasher and starts it, while wiping down the counter and stove tops. He also starts a load of laundry in the small-sized washing machine in his bathroom. Despite all that, he is downstairs a few minutes early and headed to the announcement board. It looks like everything was completed yesterday, so even though he was not in his usual spot, it got done.
Breathing a sigh of relief after clocking in, he walks down the hallway to his regular cleaning station. Yesterday was amazing, but it was totally a fluke. There is no way he could be that lucky again. The hallway looks much calmer today than yesterday, so maybe he can ease his way into the day, as his head still pounds from last night. However, when he gets to the maid training room, he makes an immediate right and walks right in. Confused as to why he did that, he is greeted almost instantly by a dropped helmet from the ceiling. Oh great, he moans to himself, not again. He reaches up to remove the helmet, only to find himself lost in the training module in front of him. He passes the first set of protocols without realizing it, placing him in the virtual training room for the day. Technically, he is not scheduled to be there yet, which the system is okay with, as it can begin to catch Riley up on the missing training modules that are not in her file.
For Riley, the headache disappears quickly, as do any aches or pains. He smiles in complete bliss, as he "dusts" and "cleans" and "vacuums" the virtual rooms. His thoughts of his cleaning station where he really belongs are long gone, and he lives only for the next task ahead of him. As to Home Cleaners, he clocked in and out yesterday with the bare minimum of items cleaned by the other cleaners who did show up to work to clean the maid uniforms. Today, he clocked in again, so the company has no way to check whether he is actually where he should be. If you asked Riley, he would tell you that he is right where he wants to be...sealed for work.