The X-Factor

THE X-FACTOR

Anna�s invitation to have a few drinks after work was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. It was unexpected because I barely knew her but pleasant because in the short time I�d known her I�d become enthralled by her. What it was that enthralled me was difficult to pinpoint but her sense of humor alone was enough to make me think we were soul sisters.

A large white Mercedes SUV pulled up alongside the curb. Anna was a little late in picking me up and apologized for being delayed. �Sorry, I had to drop off some friends on the way,� she said by way of explanation. She peered over the rim of her glasses and smiled. �Jump in!� A moment later and the whisper quiet vehicle began weaving quickly through the afternoon city traffic toward the freeway.

�This is very nice!� I said.

�Hmm?� Anna looked me directly in the eye for a moment.

�Your car; it�s very nice.�

�It�s not mine,� Anna laughed. �It�s my husband�s.�

I thought about the ancient old rust bucket my husband and I owned. �Oh,� I finally said in a tone I hoped would conceal my twinge of envy.

�Would you like to listen to some music?� Anna asked after a long moment of silence.

I instantly recognized the song the moment it began playing. �That�s my favorite!� I almost squealed with delight.

�Midnight at the Oasis?� Anna glanced at me and smiled.

�Yes!� I started to sing along but quickly stopped. �I�m sorry. I have a terrible singing voice,� I admitted honestly.

�That�s fine! Sing away!� Anna laughed. �Who�s going to care?�

Anna turned up the volume and began to sing along loudly. Encouraged by her, I joined in and together we sang and laughed. When the song finished Anna pointed to a button on the CD player and asked me to press it. The song started to play again but this time both of us seemed to slip into a contemplative mood and we listened in silence. After five repeats of the song Anna navigated her way across the freeway lanes to an exit.

�Nearly there,� she said.

We appeared to be headed for an industrial estate, which made me rather curious. �Where are we going?� I asked.

�My boyfriend�s place,� Anna replied.

�Your boyfriend?� The unexpected reply made me even more curious than I was of the derelict buildings we passed. �But, aren�t you married?�

�Yes; so?� Anna glanced at me, tilted down her glasses and winked.

�Oh; I see,� I laughed as if to try and show I was as open-minded and liberated as she obviously was.

-=0=-

�Here we are,� Anna finally declared. She parked in a narrow laneway between two windowless shabby brick buildings.

�Your boyfriend lives here?� I asked.

�No! Silly; he has a workshop and studio here,� Anna smiled.

The car door locks beeped loudly and Anna invited me to follow her further down the laneway.

�A studio?� I asked; still confused and now feeling a little apprehensive.

�Yes,� Anna said. �He does DJ work and he needs a place like this where there aren�t any neighbors to complain about the noise.�

That made sense so I quickly relaxed. �Oh; of course. I used to have neighbors that complained all the time about everything.�

I started to get into detail about the memory and the annoyance it still caused me but Anna interrupted me. �Midnight at the Oasis�� she sang quietly as she unlocked a large metal door into the building.

I smiled and almost laughed at that most recent memory. Anna led me inside through a maze of corridors and down a long flight of rickety wooden stairs. Another door at the bottom of the stairs opened into a cavernous space that was wildly decorated with exotic furnishings.

�Midnight at the Oasis��til the evening ends�� Anna sang pleasantly again.

�This is amazing!� I said. It was as if I�d stepped into a real Sultan�s boudoir.

�Champagne?� Anna asked.

�Yes please!�

Anna walked out to a kitchenette near the back of the room and left me to explore.

-=0=-

�What�s all this for?� I asked when Anna returned. I waved my arm in the direction of the corner of the room. It looked to be a small stage with plush purple rugs on the floor and a black satin backdrop. There was a brass tray on a low purple satin covered riser and on the tray an empty wine bottle and crystal goblet; beside these was a thick, hard covered book called The Book of Virtues and beside this, incongruously, was a length of coiled red rope as well as two bright colored dice. On the floor nearby was an exotic small brass trunk.

�Props,� Anna said.

Before I had a chance to ask her to elaborate she handed me my glass and raised hers in a toast. �To sins of the flesh!� Anna said. The salutation surprised me, particularly as Anna seemed to say it quite seriously, but I clinked glasses with her and repeated, �To sins of the flesh!�

�Mmm! This is very nice champagne, Anna! What is it?�

�Moet,� Anna replied. �Moet and Chandon. Do you like it?�

Anna walked toward a large brown leather sofa and flopped down onto it. I followed and sat beside her. �Yes, it�s absolutely heavenly!� I said after I swallowed a second sumptuous sip. �Is it expensive?�

�Who cares?� Anna laughed. She kicked off her heels and then draped her legs across my lap. �You�re worth every cent of it!�

The enigmatic remark surprised me but so too did her sudden and unexpected actions. However; Anna appeared to be happily relaxed in the position and, despite the awkwardness I felt, I didn�t say anything.

�Drink up,� Anna said after she gulped a large mouthful of champagne.

I smiled and sipped a small amount first and then another larger mouthful. Anna appeared to look at me in a peculiar way; an odd look that made me suddenly feel she was smirking at me. A heady rush from the champagne hit me at the same time.

�Nice?� Anna asked. She raised her glass to her lips and drained it empty.

�Mmm!� I replied. My lips tingled as I said it and continued to tingle after I swallowed the last mouthful from my glass.

�Another?� Anna swiveled off the sofa and stood in front of me; her hand outstretched to take my glass.

When I looked up at Anna I felt an abrupt attack of dizziness. My vision of her became blurred and I blinked several times.

�I�m�I�m feeling kind of strange!� It was the last thing I remember saying before everything went frighteningly dark and I passed out.

-=0=-

When I woke I felt completely disorientated and my head ached with a terrible throbbing. My shoulders also felt extremely sore and it was at that moment I immediately snapped to my senses.

�Anna!� I called out. �Anna! What�s going on?�

I couldn�t move my arms from behind my back and realized my wrists were tied. My legs were widely spread and when I tried to bring them together I couldn�t; my ankles felt as if they were strapped in fur-lined cuffs which in turn were shackled to the ends of a bar. But the greatest source for my panic was the blindfold I wore and the knowledge I was also completely naked. �Anna!� I called out in an almost hysterical tone.

�Hush!� Anna�s voice said somewhere close beside me. �Here,� she said. �Drink this.�

�What is it?� I panicked even more when I felt the cold rim of a glass placed at my lips.

�It�s only water,� Anna said. �Drink it; I know you need it.�

I tentatively sipped the tasteless liquid from the glass and swallowed. It seemed to be exactly what Anna said it was so I sipped some more.

�That better,� Anna said; the tone of her voice softly reassuring.

�Anna, what�s going on?� I asked quietly. �Why have you done this to me?�

�I didn�t,� Anna said. I felt her weight lift from the sofa beside me.

�I did!� a man�s voice whispered hotly in my ear.

I shrieked in shock and felt instantly terrified.

�Ingrid; meet my boyfriend,� Anna said.

�Such a pretty piece of flesh,� he said in a somewhat satisfied tone of voice.

A moment later I felt his fingers lightly feather over my breasts. I gasped and felt paralyzed by a rush of fear. He then gently squeezed my nipples. As he pinched them he made lewd remarks about me; his suggestion being that I was aroused by everything.

�Yes, she definitely is, �Anna laughed. �I knew she would be too! Am I a clever procuress?�

�Yes, you certainly are, my lovely,� the man replied. �Where did you find her?�

�She works in that little bookshop across the street from where I work. I�ve been working on getting here for weeks!� Anna said.

The realization Anna had planned what I felt now was my abduction floored me. �How could you!� I felt my eyes burn with the stinging sensations of tears and an overwhelming need to cry. �How could you, Anna. � I sobbed. The thought that a woman could be complicit in my capture was anathema to me. �I thought you were my friend!�

�Oh, but I am your friend, Ingrid! And we�re all going to have such a lot of fun together tonight!�

I could hear from the tone of her voice she was smugly laughing at me.

�Please let me go,� I whimpered. �I won�t tell anybody; I promise I won�t!�

�Does the little birdie want to be set free?� Anna asked in a silly, sing-song tone of voice.

�Yes; please let me go. I won�t tell anybody; really, I won�t!� I sniffled and tried to win Anna�s support.

�Ok then, we�ll set you free,� Anna said.

My spirits immediately lifted. �Really?�

�Yes, but first we�re going to play a little game,� a voice somewhere in front of me said.

It was a man�s voice but not Anna�s boyfriend. I looked blindly in the direction of him; my mouth agape. My anxiety returned with a brute force that knotted my stomach so tightly I felt nauseous. �What kind of game?� I eventually mumbled after several moments of silence.

�Have you ever watched The X Factor Ingrid?� Anna asked.

The question surprised me and I had no idea where Anna might lead with it. �Is it a singing show on television?�

�That�s it!� Anna exclaimed. �You�re going to sing for us, little birdie!�

I lightly shook my head to try and shake out the confusion. �Sing?�

�Yes; sing,� Anna�s boyfriend said.

A moment later I felt his hands grip my right upper arm and other take hold of my left. They lifted me to me feet. Blood seemed to rush from my head once I was on my feet and I felt momentarily dizzy as the men dragged me away from the sofa. It was impossible to walk gracefully as long as my ankles were spread by the bar and I waddled blindly in the direction led by the men. When I felt a soft plush fur sensation underfoot I recalled the stage I�d seen earlier.

�Turn her around,� a third man�s voice said somewhere behind me.

I shuffled my feet as the two men holding my arms turned me to face the direction of the voice.

�Are you ready to sing, little birdie?� Anna asked.

I was about to ask what when I felt Anna press her fingers between my spread legs. I drew in a sudden deep breath and gasped. My knees felt immediately week and as her fingers rubbed sensuously against my clit the music started; the familiar and much loved opening chords to the song Midnight at the Oasis.

-=0=-