Lockdown! 16

Chapter 16

“With the latest reports suggesting ninety-six percent of the population is now vaccinated, and after sixteen days with no reported new deaths. It appears that the worst of the pandemic is behind us,” announced the newsreader on the television.

“Pandemic!” thought Paul as he gazed down at his shiny plum-coloured nails resting neatly on his smooth pantyhosed thighs. “Was that still going on?”

Reaching up, Paul took hold of the long platinum blonde strands of hair hanging down past his fake chest, and for some unknown reason, gave them a tug.

Unsurprisingly, he felt a sharp pain in his scalp, causing a little squeal to escape his painted pink lips. Quickly releasing his silky locks, Paul suddenly felt strange. Something didn't feel right, and it wasn't the feeling of the tight restrictive outfit he was wearing or the feminine figure below it. It felt somehow like he was waking from a deep sleep.

“Is everything ok, Paula?” Veronica said, entering the room, “I heard you shout.”

Startled, Paul looked over. “Uhm… yes, I just caught a nail on the sofa.”

“You didn’t break one again, did you?” Veronica shot back in an angry tone. “We have a special client arriving in ten minutes. Meaning we have no time to fix it.”

“No, it’s fine. It didn’t break,” Paul replied, looking his ex in the eyes. “Veronica, where are Kamsi and Tim?”

Stepping forward, Veronica looked at Paul oddly. It wasn’t like him to ask questions. Ever since the incident with the laptop, she had been making him take tranquillizer pills every morning with his breakfast.

Getting Paul to take the pills was the easy part as he had always taken vitamins in the morning. All she had to do was switch out the contents of the bottle. Even so, adding the extra chemicals into his system on top of the birth control pills she had been mixing into his morning porridge was a little scary. But after seeing the results, Veronica had no regrets. Seeing her selfish, woman-hating ex-fiancé all docile and obedient, after the way he used to treat her, was a huge power trip. Dumbed down, he never complained or argued back, he just followed instructions, absorbing all the techniques and skills she taught him like a sponge. He had become the perfect little assistant.

“You mean Karmen and Kylie? They’re out working,” Veronica answered with a smile. “They’ve both got jobs now. Did you forget?”

Looking away, Paul felt dizzy as the memory of his two oldest friends dressed up like chicks and heading out to work came rushing back.

Sensing a difference in Paul’s demeanour, Veronica turned. “Let me get you some water,” she announced before darting for the kitchen.

Returning moments later, she handed Paul a glass of water. Which he took gingerly took before pressing it to his inflated lips.

“Here, take a vitamin. It’ll calm you down,” Veronica said, opening her hand and revealing a large oval pill.

Hesitating for a moment, Paul looked up at Veronica who was nodding back at him with a mad look in her eyes. “Go on,” she urged. “It’ll help.”

Opening his hand, Veronica carefully placed the pill into Paul’s palm as he stared down in astonishment at the scary-looking acrylic nails extending out past the end of his fingertips. With Veronica still pushing, he placed the pill in his mouth and took a gulp of water.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Veronica stated as she took the glass from him and stood up. “You just relax there for a second. Just for today, I’ll let our client in and show her to the backroom. I’ll come and get you in a bit.”

Waiting until he was sure Veronica had left, Paul reached up, accidentally poking himself in the lip with a nail before finally managing to locate the pill under his tongue. Flicking it into his hand, he dropped it down the back of the cushions. His mind was still a bit hazy, but one thing he knew for sure. Whatever that pill was, he didn’t want it.

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After being summoned, Paul nervously Walked towards the back room with his senses in overdrive. Nothing about what he was doing felt unfamiliar. He was just, for the first time in months, present. The clicking of his heels. The uncomfortable sandal straps digging into his feet. The slipping of his tights as he moved his waxed legs. It had all been amplified up to one hundred, and it was irritating, to say the least.

Having had time to think while sitting on the sofa, Paul had come to a conclusion, the only one that made sense. Veronica had been drugging him!

At first, he felt scared and angry. He came close to running straight out the front door. Stopping only after getting to his high-heeled feet and realising how he looked. He also had nowhere to go, so instead, he calmed himself down and came up with a plan. For the time being, he would play Veronica's game. He would pretend to take the pills and bide his time until an opportunity to escape presented itself.

The downside to his plan, of course, was now Paul would have to pretend to be ditzy drugged up bimbo! And he almost slipped up as soon as he walked into the makeshift salon and saw who was sat waiting.

Stopping dead on his tall sandals, Paul almost slipped on the slick wooden floor. “Mrs Morris! What are you doing here?” He cried as a look of terror crossed the young man’s Botox-filled face.

Mrs Morris looked up surprised for a second before her face wrinkled. “Well, Veronica invited me to have my hair done after I agreed to extend this month’s payment deadline. But perhaps coming here was a mistake,” she replied with a sigh before folding her arms and looking away.

(See image 24)

“Mrs Morris, I’m terribly sorry! Paula didn’t mean to sound so disrespectful. She’s just not feeling herself today.” Veronica cried, rushing across the room, “Right, Paula?”

After looking over to Veronica with a stupefied look on his face, Paul slowly nodded before turning back towards Mrs Morris. “No, of course not! I'm Sorry, Mrs Morris,” he announced, hoping his dead tone of voice would be enough to trick Veronica into thinking he was still high.