The Proposal Series

Chapter 8: The Conditions

Introduction: Details of our Mutual Agreement

It is my understanding that you are uncomfortable providing me with details regarding your past lifeelationship. I have conducted my own investigatory research, and I have learned a great deal about you and your previous lover. Thus, the terms stated within this document are for your best interest, although upon acceptance, it is true they benefit me as well. Please read below.

He conducted research? The arrogance! She hated him! She knew she hated him from the moment she even heard his name! What could he have found anyway? She knew there wasn't any information about her online or anything. She had made sure of that. She started to calm herself until she realized he must have employed the services of a private investigator. That means he knew everything. He knew what she was, what Tom was, what they did, what he had done to her. But did he know why she was running?

Your location has been compromised. Any residence that you secure with your name will make you unsafe. Any residence you secure under the name of a friend will make you unsafe. The only way to ensure your safety is for you to move into my residence, under my protection. The building I live in has 24-hour surveillance and I have three personal bodyguards, due to my status and position. Your safety is of the utmost importance. New identity documents are not easy to come by, even for me, and during the time it will take to obtain these documents your safety cannot be guaranteed unless you have personal protection. You will be given your own room and bathroom. The location of my residence will be disclosed upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions detailed herein. You will stay at my residence for six months. This amount of time is sufficient for me to ensure you receive all your documents and for you to be properly trained to care for yourself. Upon acceptance of this, all costs associated with the move will be taken care of, the initial meeting fee will be refunded to you, and the change in residence will take effect immediately.

“Is this man nuts?"

Sara spoke aloud, although there was no one in the room except for herself. This wasn't at all what she was expecting, and she had only read the first tab of this ridiculous stack of documents. She wasn't moving in with him. There had to be some other option. She thought this document would outline costs or additional fees. He was a lawyer after all. Where are the costs and fees anyway? Why is he covering her fees? She was not moving in with him. She grabbed a pen and put an asterisk beside this condition because on this, she would not budge. She felt anger rising within her, as she recalled his words 'only if you accept and agree to all terms'.

Sara continued reading.

Ensuring your safety is not as straightforward as simply procuring new identity documents. You must be trained to care for yourself. Upon successful completion of each stage of your training, you will receive one new identity document, for a total of five documents, as well as a complete system wipe of your old life and anything associated with your old identity. A new online history will be provided to match your new identity.

Sara was surprised. The first part of the document utterly annoyed her, but as she continued to read, her anger settled. She understood obtaining these documents must be next to impossible, so it began to make sense to her that if he were to put himself out like this, he wanted to make sure she was dedicated and ready to prove her intentions. She was scared contemplating the cost of all this. Not the financial cost, because he offered to cover that, but his 'proposition cost'. She continued reading, stroking her forehead as she felt a tension headache coming on. Why would he want to live with her anyway?

The following documents are what you will be provided with upon successful completion of each stage:

1. Passport

2. Birth certificate

3. Driver's license

4. Health card

5. Social insurance number

6. Complete deletion of all public and private database material relating to your previous life, and custom re-entry of this information to your new identity

Part One: The Proposition

I will offer all the above-mentioned services at no charge to you. In return, while living at my residence, you will agree to be my stand-in girlfriend at all family functions or private (no paparazzi) functions. I promise you full protection against the paparazzi, and at no time will your new identity be compromised. My reasons for requiring this are many. You are not under any obligation to perform s****l services or in any way participate in any relationship activities that make you feel uncomfortable. You will be provided a new wardrobe during your stay, and one of my vehicles to use at your discretion. Once the terms of the agreement are fulfilled, I will not contact you, and you will be free to do as you please. This is a mutually beneficial agreement. Please read the details of your training on the following pages, where you will find information regarding what you will be tasked with and which document will be your reward. P.S. Please say yes.

Okay – so he's psycho, Sara thought. Please say yes? Stand-in girlfriend? Sara put ten asterisks beside this condition. Now she knew why he was known for his uncommon business practices because this wasn't just uncommon, this was absurd. She was in no way signing any of this. It made sense now when he told her that he had an interest in her. Of course, he did! Out of pure curiosity alone, she turned the page to read about the training. Regardless of what it said, she was not signing it.

Phase One - Confidence Building

You will learn to value yourself, value your self-esteem and change how you view yourself. You will no longer be the victim; you will be the victor. Upon successful completion of Confidence Building training, you will receive your passport.

Phase Two: Dominance

You will learn to dominate - to exert control over others, but only when required. You will learn to use tools to assist with dominance. Upon successful completion of Dominance training, you will receive your birth certificate.

Phase Three: Self-Defense

You will learn to defend yourself, to inflict pain on others, but only when forced to. You will learn defense mechanisms with and without the use of tools. Upon successful completion of Self-Defense training, you will receive your driver's license.

Phase Four: Submission

You will learn to submit to the dominance of others, but only when you consent to the submission, and when you desire the submission. Upon successful completion of Submission training, you will receive your health card.

Phase Five: Moving On

You will learn to trust again. You will go out on approved meetings and dates with acceptable suitors. You are not being ordered to engage in s****l activity with any suitor. Upon successful completion of this phase, you will receive your social insurance number.

Final Phase:

You will be asked to put all these new-found skills into play on an evening of your choosing near the end of your contract. You will have plenty of time to prepare. Upon successful completion, you will have all data from your previous life erased, and custom re-entry of this information to match your new identity.

Sara read over the phases three times. He wanted control over her dating life? She crossed out that phase. No asterisk this time. Looking at these phases, it was clear he knew absolutely everything about her past. All of these 'stages' had been hand-crafted by him. She had never felt so embarrassed and so vulnerable. She also wasn't even sure why completing each stage would be of importance to him. Why did he care? Why did she need to do all this? If this was about being his 'stand-in' she could do that, while not having to do any of the other things he listed.

As she flipped through the remaining pages, she saw the signature lines. On the very last page was a custom written message, as the rest of the document had been typed. She recognized the penmanship right away. She knew he had written it by hand.

Please accept these terms. You will no longer need to run.

Sara blinked at the words. Her heart was racing. Her mouth was dry. Her tongue glided across her lips, she unfolded her crossed legs, closed the documents, and left her room. In a haze, she packed her purse and headed to her final exams.