"Show me."Show me....?" I said, resentful and uncertain. He looked into my eyes and nodded. He picked me up, carried me back to the bed, and sat, holding me in his lap. He took the key from around his neck and unlocked my wrists and kissed each one. He stood me on my feet and knelt to unlock the leg straps and the chains that held on the boots. When he stood and kissed me again, I could feel a tremor of suppressed emotion in his arms. He held me by the shoulders at arm's length and stepped back, just looking at me. I was still ashamed and resentful and wouldn't look up at him. It was approaching sunset and we hadn't turned on any lights yet. The late afternoon sun slanted through the windows, casting shifting leaf-shadows on the wall in the dim light. It was very quiet. He held out the hood. I took it and put it on, bending to tuck the remainder of my hair inside. At least the hood covers my forehead, I thought, and with it on he couldn't cut off any more hair. But I still felt sick inside. A wave of near-nausea swept over me whenever I thought about what he had done to me. He zipped the bodysuit the rest of the way up, and zipped the neck of the bodysuit to the neckline of the bodysuit. He knelt and undid my boots; while I steadied myself on his shoulder he helped me out of them. He stood and did something under my chin to the three zippers where they came together. I could feel with my gloved finger- tips that something joined the zipper of the bodysuit with the neck- line zipper and the one that closed the hood under my chin. |