Shaunice knew better but she was going to do it anyways. She had only just recently completed her training. The rules were still fresh in her memory and this was definitely against the rules. As a member of the US Postal service she was not allowed to dispense mail except at designated distribution points. Only trained letter carriers could leave the confines of the postal station, she was a customer service representative and as such her duties were to be executed within the confines of this building.
She had only been on the job for a few weeks but she already had a favorite customer. Stuart was in several times a week to pick up parcels. He was always pleasant with her and had nice things to say. She liked their brief conversations. He always seemed so excited to get his shipments and his enthusiasm was infectious. She always had a sense of satisfaction when he left knowing that she had made him happy.
Today a parcel arrived but Stuart had not been in. She noticed his address and it was not too far out of her way. She decided to drop by on her way home after work and deliver it personally.
When Stuart answered the knock at his door he was pleasantly surprised. It was the new woman, Shaunice, from the post office. She was an eye-catching short black woman with very short blue tinted hair, a big smile and eyes that sparkled with life. It didn’t hurt either that she looked good in the uniform.
Stuart has a preference for women in uniforms but so often they are ill-fitting or gaudy. Not only did hers fit perfectly, accentuating her lovely body, but the colors of the USPS suited her. Today she was wearing the blue short sleeved button front blouse with stripes and the navy skirt with the white knee socks.
She held a parcel in her hand and said ‘This came for you today and I thought it might be important so I thought I would bend the rules a little and drop it off in person.’ Instead of handing it to him she held it just out of reach. ‘I hope you don’t mind’ she asked ‘but I like to play a little game with parcels. When people come to pick them up I try to guess what might be in them from the way that they look and feel. Of course I never ask them; that would be out of line but I was hoping that you might let me guess just to see how close I might be?’
Stuart continued to smile not betraying the fact that he was concerned. A guessing game would not end well. She would never be correct and for him to prove it, either by telling her or showing her, would certainly make things awkward.
Stuart is a connoisseur of bondage. He has a vast collection of books, magazines and videos. This package was most certainly his latest acquisition. He wasn’t even sure what exactly was in it but he did know with certainty that Shaunice would probably not approve.
‘May I have three guesses?’ she asked giving him a big smile that she hoped he would be unable to resist. He was able to resist and hesitated to answer. She saw his reluctance and turned up the heat. ‘Please can I guess?’ she said in a voice reminiscent of a child asking for candy ‘I hand out dozens of parcels a day and almost never know what’s in them. It would be so nice to see if I am right.’
Choosing his words carefully, so as not to offend her, he finally spoke. ‘My deliveries are very personal and as such I would like to spare you the embarrassment of being wrong. No matter how good you think you are at deduction I can assure you that you will never be correct.’
‘It’s not about being right or wrong’ she said. ‘It’s about giving it a try. Every day I put my analytical skills to the test trying to figure out what is passing through my hands without ever confirming whether I was even close. Just once I would like to actually see the contents of one of the packages that provide me with my means of making a living.’
She had made an intelligent and compassionate argument for her case and her enthusiasm was beginning to wear down his defenses. After a moment of thought he decided to give in to her even if it meant the end of their relationship such as it is.
‘If I let you guess that means that I have to prove to you that you’re wrong by showing you the actual contents of my parcel’ he said ‘so I must have your solemn promise that you will never tell anyone what you are about to see.’
Without hesitation Shaunice agreed to secrecy on one condition. ‘I would like to share with you whatever is in that package, no matter what it is.’
‘I don’t think that you are ready to share’ said Stuart ‘this package is something that you have never considered even in your wildest imaginings.’
‘I already know why you are saying that’ she replied ‘you’re just trying to discourage me because you want it all to yourself. I’ve already figured out what’s in it.’
‘Really’ Stuart said with a smile ‘and just what do you have there in your hand.’
‘The plain wrapper means that it’s not commercial’ she said feeling very clever. ‘It’s personal, probably from family. I’ve shaken it and know that it’s most likely fudge or brownies from your mother or a favorite aunt.’
‘So you think that I would share my fudge with you?’ laughed Stuart. ‘What are your other two guesses?’
‘I think I’ll stand on that one’ she said ‘one guess, something edible.’
‘Come in and we’ll open it up’ said Stuart as he stepped back into his apartment and motioned for her to enter. She entered and held out the package to him. ‘No’ he told her ‘the honor is yours.’
Her smile beamed from ear to ear as she began to rip at the paper wrapper. Inside was an unmarked box. She looked up at him with a grin that said “I’m right aren’t I”. She opened the box and her smile rapidly faded. Inside were three DVD’s. She took them out and dropped the box to the floor.
The first had a picture of a naked bound black woman on the cover. She was tied with white ropes and was gagged with a big red ball gag. The second had an equally bare black woman securely restrained and gagged with duct tape. The last one was another black woman, in lingerie, tied spread eagle on a bed and gagged with nylon stockings. Shaunice looked through them one more time not believing what she was seeing. Without a word she handed them to him.
‘If you don’t want to keep your promise I understand’ said Stuart ‘I imagine this is all quite unsettling for you. You can go if you wish, just remember that you are sworn to secrecy about what you have just seen.’
She slowly turned to the door and reached for the handle. Her mind was racing to make sense of what she had witnessed. Her hand touched the knob but she couldn’t bring herself to turn it. It was not his idea to share the contents, it was hers, and like it or not she had to live up to her end of it. She was smart enough to know that Stuart had agreed to her condition knowing what the result would be. All the while she thought she was manipulating him but it was he who was manipulating her.
She dropped her hand from the knob and turned back to Stuart. ‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked. Her head was lowered, she could no longer look him in the eye, and her voice trembled.
‘I know that you are uncomfortable and afraid’ Stuart said ‘and it won’t be fun for either of us if you feel that way. Letting a stranger tie you up is not something that you anticipated when you came here, you were only trying to do me a favor and you’ve done that so why don’t you go.’
Shaunice is a woman of her word and even more than that she had created this situation while wearing her uniform and acting as a member of the USPS. She was feeling compelled by her oath of duty to live up to her obligation. It was very shaky logic but in her confused state it made perfect sense.
She lifted her head, stood straight and declared ‘Let’s do this!’
‘Are you sure’ asked Stuart ‘because once we start there is no stopping.’
‘I’m sure’ she stated ‘I’m not happy about getting naked but if it’s what has to be done then what can I say.’
Stuart laughed out loud. She looked puzzled by his reaction. Once he settled down he took her by the hand and led her over to one of the many shelving units that lined his walls. ‘Pick a shelf, any shelf’ he said ‘and have a look.’
She began to pull magazines out and examine them. One after the other she studied images of women, mostly black, in various methods of bondage.
‘What have you noticed?’ he asked after several minutes ‘What stands out?’
Without hesitation she said ‘Most of these women are in uniform.’
‘I don’t want you naked’ Stuart said ‘I want you just the way you are.’
She leafed through the magazine she was holding again. When she got to the end she went back to the middle. She held it up for him to see and said ‘can you make me look like this?’
Half an hour later she did.