Hacker’s Punishment, Task 4
by B.H. Paulson

Today has not been a good day for me.  Hell, it hasn’t been a good week or month either.  Most of you reading this have probably read about how I have been tortured to date -- all over some stupid stuff my ex taught me.  Well, it has been hell, but today, I found out that hell must have tiers, and I just went down a little bit further.

Let me start by recapping.  I got caught hacking an erotic fiction site, and one of the members is blackmailing me by making my life fodder for erotic NONfiction.  He (Levi, he calls himself), has been limiting when and where I can wear what kind of clothes, and naturally this has left me naked a fair amount of time -- sometimes even exposed to the view of others.  For example, I can never wear clothes inside the house, and I have to leave the curtains open.  Thank God I don’t live in a real close neighborhood.  I have to be naked in the garage too -- in fact, I cannot wear anything until I’m outside the garage; and I have to open it by hand, while I’m still naked (and close it that way before I go inside, too.  My morning routine looks like this: get up, shower, don’t get dressed, eat, don’t get dressed, get my clothes, go to the garage, put my clothes in the car, open the garage door, get in the car, drive it outside, get dressed in the car, get out and close the garage door and leave.   And my trip home, of course is the reverse. 

To make matters worse, I can’t wear underwear.  So I have to be very careful about skirts (which is what most of my work clothes are), and I always wear a jacket over my blouse.

And to top it all off, I never know when I’m going to get a call from Levi assigning another task.  There are 12 total, and the first three came in the first two days since he discovered me.  First, I had to take a naked drive and walk down a trail a mile long, then I had to clean the garage naked with the door open, and finally I had to go to a car wash naked and wash my car.  That was 2 weeks ago. Since then, I’ve gotten used to looking over my shoulder, being extra-cautious, especially when I’m naked, which is way too often.

My new problems started this morning.  I guess I was just getting used to this routine, and I wasn’t thinking about it.  I woke up late, so I was in a hurry.  I walked out to the car, opened the garage door, drove outside, and realized I hadn’t grabbed my clothes.  So I drove back in, ran inside, and grabbed stockings, shoes, a skirt, a blouse, a bra, and a jacket.  I don’t know what I was thinking -- I was just in a hurry.  So I ran out to the car, started it, got dressed, and realized my mistake.  It was too late to correct it, so I just hoped Levi didn’t have any cameras on me.  I drove out, closed the garage door, and headed to work.

Once I arrived at work, it dawned on me that I was wearing a bra.  I pondered what to do about it, a bit unsure whether I should let it go or not.  The blouse I had on was not the thickest material -- a blouse I would normally not have worn since this torture started.  So I decided to play it safe with my job and leave it on.  At 10:00, though, I got an email, from Levi.  He said he didn’t appreciate me wearing the bra to work, or getting dressed earlier.  There would be ongoing penalties for these transgressions, he told me, apart from the tasks.  I just about swallowed my tongue at this point.  He said I needed to take my bra off right there at my desk, first, and then he would email me with further instructions.   He also pointed out that he does have access to cameras just about everywhere I go, so I shouldn’t try anything funny.  This guy’s worse than any hacker, but he still has too much info on me for me to stand up to him, so that left me no choice.  I looked around, and there was nobody else in the office, so I unbuttoned the bottom of my blouse just enough that I could reach up under it and unclasp my bra.  I quickly removed it, re-buttoned my shirt, and tried to concentrate on work again. 

It wasn’t even 5 more minutes, and Levi had emailed me again.  "Nice job -- I’m glad you obeyed quickly, because if you had hesitated things would have gotten even worse than they’re going to.  Now, you have two ongoing penalties to pay for your transgressions today, and tonight you will have another task.  If you’re wondering what I mean by ongoing penalties, they are simply additional rules, like the ones you broke today."

I stopped.  I wasn’t sure I could handle reading any more of this.  But I knew I had to. 

"As a punishment for wearing a bra to work today, there are going to be some limits placed on your attire when going out in public, any place besides your job, and further limits while at work."

There were already limits -- I couldn’t wear panties or a bra.  So I was scared to read on, but I knew that I had to.

"I am not going to tell you the non-work specifics right now -- I haven’t decided yet.  But you will find them by the time you get home in your personal email.  The work regulations, though, are as follows:  no more blouse-and-coat combinations at work.  You may wear a blouse, or you may wear a jacket.  But you may not wear both.  Just as a head’s-up, if you try, you will be forbidden from using any fasteners at all on either one, so your lack of attire will be even more obvious.  But for now, you may still fasten your clothes.  This goes into effect immediately.  Choose now -- bra or jacket.  After you choose, I will send you an email with the penalty for getting dressed too soon today.   Love, Levi."

I should have known he would see me this morning.  But that was not an issue right now.  Right now, I had a decision to make.  It wasn’t that tough a decision, because my jacket was rather small, and would show way too much skin.  The problem is, the blouse itself, in the wrong light, would make my nipples quite visible, and I needed the jacket to cover them.  But the blouse was much more work-appropriate, so I removed the jacket, and tried to get back to work.

Just then, my boss stopped in to see if he had any appointments between 11 and 12, as he wanted to take an early lunch.  I checked, and I felt him checking me out while I did.  He had no appointments, so he said he would be back by 1.  On his way out, he stopped, turned, and looked like he was about to say something.  But he thought better of it, and walked out the door.

My heart was racing as I looked at the notification on my computer that I had new email.  I checked, and it was Levi -- the other penalty, no doubt.  I opened the email.

"My dear Melanie, how are you?   You look quite lovely, and I can see that you work in an air conditioned office."  (Pervert!) "But I know that you are dying to know the rest of your ongoing penalty.  It is quite simple, really.  I am simply adding to the area that you cannot wear anything.  It now covers all of your property, inside and out, as well as the road in front of your property.  Oh, and just so you know, there will be further penalties if your lawn and your garden are not kept up.  I’ll be in touch with you this evening, but remember, this starts immediately, so you had better be naked before you reach home.  My suggestion would be to strip before you leave the parking lot at work, but I will leave that up to you. Love, Levi"

That bastard!  How much worse is he going to make things?!?  The worst part of it is, all of these new additions are the result of things I did not following his stupid rules.  And now they’re getting worse and worse.  I decided, though, to put it out of my mind and try to concentrate on my work.  I got a few appreciative glanced from the men in the office throughout the day, but I ignored it and pressed on, until 5:00 came.

Now here I was, in the parking lot at work, carrying my jacket, hurrying to my car, and debating what to do next.  I decided to drive through a fast-food place for dinner, so I would have a definite reason to leave my clothes on.  As luck would have it, though, the air conditioning had stopped working two days earlier in my car, and it was over 90 out.  So I stopped at Burger King, and there was a long line in the drive through.  I thought about backing out, but then an SUV pulled in behind me, so I was stuck waiting.  Of course, I started sweating like crazy, without a breeze to keep me cool, and I realized that my blouse was starting to become transparent.  I just ignored it, though, but I’m sure the guy at the drive-through window enjoyed the show.

I finally pulled onto the road I lived on, and I remembered that I had better strip soon.  I tried doing it as I drove (it was about a mile to my house), but I realized that it was going to take too long, so I pulled over, stripped, and finished driving home.  I thought about it for a minute, and realized that if I parked outside, I wouldn’t have to be outside naked as much as if I parked in the garage.  But there was an envelope on my door.  The note inside, from Levi, of course, informed me that changing any routines would be taken as an infraction of penalty, so I had better keep parking in the garage.  Son of a bitch!  I walked over to the garage, opened it, pulled inside, got out of the car, closed it, and stood there for a few minutes, just fuming.  How could I be letting this man take over my life?!?   But take over he did.

When I walked inside, I checked my email, and there was nothing from Levi.  I was confused, because he had always been so prompt.  But I went to the dining room, anyway, and started eating my Burger King salad.  I had resisted the temptation to get a pie, as I am trying to lose the pounds requested by Levi. 

I went back to the computer, and there were two messages, with the subject lines "other rules," and "task 4."  I opened the other rules message first. 

"Greetings, Melanie.  I hope you had a good dinner.  I agree, it’s too hot to be cooking at home.  In fact, the weather is so nice here, I think it is appropriate to lighten the clothing you wear for general day-to-day activities.  First, let me point out, I have noticed that you tend to go out with friends at least three times a month, and this is not to change.  The only thing that will change, is that you can only wear the following when you do:  shoes, a short skirt (I will tell you if I think it is too long, and right now all of yours are), and a button down shirt, with no more than three buttons buttoned.  That’s it.  I have also noticed that you make a trip to do your grocery shopping once a week.  This will continue, and I will give you more freedom in what to wear.  But you may only wear three items, including shoes and jewelry.  You decided which three.  Finally, other errands, like hair appointments, oil changes, etc., will fall under another rule.  If they are done on the way home from work, you must remove at least one item you wore at work.  If they are done on a separate trip, your attire will fall under the same regulations as grocery shopping.

"These new rules are bound to be a bit confusing at first, so I suggest you print this out or write them down.  Remember, forgetting is cause for additional penalties, and I am not a forgiving person.  Now please read the other email, regarding your task for this evening."

Shit.  This man is an animal.  It seems like if he had his way I would be naked 24/7.  But I guessed I had better read the other email.

"Hello again, Melanie.  The time for your fourth task has arrived.  I want you to do the following.  Take a spare house key.  Get in your car -- don’t bother with clothes.  Drive whichever direction you choose, at least 4 miles straight.  Find a place to hide the key, so you know you can find it."

I was this far along when I saw that Levi had sent another email.  I decided I check the other one once I’d finished reading this one.

"Go back home, go inside, and leave your keys on the kitchen table.  Remember, I’m always watching, so don’t try anything funny.  Leave the house, and lock the doors behind you.  At this point, you’ll have no choice but to walk to your keys and retrieve them before you can get inside the house.  Love, Levi"

Fuck.  I decided I’d better read the other email.

"Dearest Melanie.  I hope you enjoy your task tonight, but I realize that it may be difficult for you, and you may be tempted to put it off until after dark.  It is 7:30 right now, and it starts getting dark about 9:15.  There’s just one thing, though.  I don’t want you to have the cover of darkness.   So I have decided that, at 9:15, if you have not yet gotten your keys, I myself will take them, and you will be left on your own.  Most people walk at about 4 miles an hour, so you need to have prepared and be locked out by shortly after 8:00 at the very latest, just to be safe.  And just in case you’re thinking about putting this off, I have attached a few reminders.  Have fun!  Levi"

I didn’t want to look at the attachments, but I had to.  He had attached 15 pictures.  They covered a good bit of ground, and at the bottom of each one was a note written to my boss about what a bad girl I had been.  The pictures showed me on my walk, at the car wash, cleaning my garage, taking my bra off at work, and sweating bullets in the drive through.  I was mortified!  Then, I noticed there was a 16th file, and it was a text file.  I opened it, and it was another note from Levi.  It said that he had everything here, as well as about 50 other photos and two videos, ready to send to my boss, should I think about chickening out -- not to mention the info about hacking that could go to the authorities.

I stood up right then, grabbed a spare house key, and set out to do the task.  I live on a blacktop road, but about a half-mile down the road is an old gravel road that is hardly used.   That would be tough on the feet, but much easier on the chances of being seen by my neighbors.  So I turned left, and set my trip odometer.  Once it was at 3 and a half, I started looking for a spot to leave the key.  I somehow remembered that he said 4 miles straight, though, and I suddenly wasn’t sure if that would include the half-mile before I turned, so I kept going.  Once I hit 3.8 miles, I was at an intersection with a state highway.   Shit, I would have to cross over it.   But I really didn’t dare try to avoid it, and I couldn’t waste time now looking for another route.  I kept driving, and I found a sign warning of curves ahead when my trip odometer was at 4.2.  I decided this would be a good spot.  I would have to walk almost 5 miles (over 9 round trip), but at least I wouldn’t risk another penalty -- they are getting bad enough as it is.

So I got out of the car, careful that I could not be seen from the main road, and I found a spot to hide the key, between the edges of the signpost.   I quickly got back in the car, and drove home.   All of this driving was pretty uneventful, as there was not much traffic, but with the amount of time I would be walking, it seemed like to much to hope that I wouldn’t run into anyone.  But I knew I had no choice, really.  So I went inside the house, laid the keys on the table, and walked outside and locked the door, so fast that I didn’t have time to think about what I was doing. 

Then I just stood there at the locked door, and let it sink in.  I realized, as my bare feet rested on the hot concrete, that I was, for all intents and purposes, over 9 miles away from any type of cover.   There was no backing out, no changing my mind.  I was stuck -- I had to do this.  Even if I decided to give in and let myself be turned in, I was still stuck doing this task.  9 miles.  Blacktop roads, dirt roads.  It was 7:50 when I exited the house.  I knew I couldn’t pause here long, because I didn’t want to push things, in case I ran into a snag.  So I awoke from my trance, and started walking.  Even though I had been naked at my garage, it felt very odd to be walking down my driveway, with no car to jump into, and no house to run inside.  I turned onto my road, and felt a breeze.  It seemed to be cooling down for the evening.   I hadn’t even checked the weather report, but it almost felt like there may be a storm blowing in.  I looked at the western horizon and saw what looked like dark clouds in the distance.  I hoped I would make it home before they hit, if it was a storm.

Just then, I heard what sounded like a car approaching.  I looked behind me, and about ¾ mile down the road, I saw a car coming.   I jumped off to the side of the road into a ditch.  There was nothing to hide behind, so I just hoped the driver wouldn’t be looking in the ditches, and had not seen me jump.  I waited for about a minute, and I hadn’t heard a car pass, so I popped my head up to see what was going on.  No cars.  Nobody to be seen.  The car must have turned off into a driveway.  I realized that I could not afford to waste time, though, so I started jogging to make up for lost time.  It dawned on me that my breasts would be bouncing, treating anyone that might see me to quite the view.  But at this point, I didn’t care.  I had places to go.  I could not be late, or I would be forced to explain some story to the police as to why I needed help getting back in my house, while naked.  I finally got to the gravel road, and turned onto it.  This was rather painful at first on my feet, but I got used to it, and started looking at the road for less stony sections to walk on.  I was walking again now, but still quite quickly.  

When I had driven this road, I didn’t notice any houses, as I was very focused, but now I saw that there were several houses out this way, and at the first one, as it came into view, I saw an old couple sitting on the porch.  Shit, what would I do now?  I could wait for them to look the other way, hiding behind a tree at the end of their driveway.  Or I could rush by and hope they had bad enough eyesight to not see me.  Or I could nonchalantly walk by, and hope that they only saw me out of their peripheral vision, or weren’t paying attention.  I chose to hide and wait.   But soon it became apparent that they would be out there for awhile.   After about 10 minutes (I think), I gave up, and I ran by.  I probably ran about 1/8 of a mile, as fast as I could.  I don’t know if they saw me, and at this point, I really don’t care.   I just had to get moving.  So I kept walking.  It was probably another mile before I saw any other signs of life.   In the distance I saw movement at an old colonial style farm house.  I couldn’t really tell what the movement was, so I walked carefully, hiding behind a tree, running to another tree, hiding and surveying the situation again, and so on.   Finally, I could see what was going on.  There was a young man working on a car, and his friends were with him, drinking beers.  They couldn’t have been much over 18.   I highly doubt that they were all 21.  So, on the one hand I didn’t have to worry about them calling the police, as they had quite a bit to lose.  On the other hand, I didn’t really want them chasing me down, so I still needed to stay out of view. I crept closer to the house, still running from tree to tree.  When I was almost to the driveway, they went inside.  What a stroke of luck!   I quickly passed by, and ran a bit more to make up for lost time. 

Next thing I knew, I could hear a car running.  Then silence.  Maybe someone got home and pulled into their driveway.  I heard it again.  I looked in every direction, and I saw, just barely in view, behind me, a car stopping, something coming out the window, and the car moving again.   I was confused for a moment, until I remembered that this was about the time I usually got the evening edition of our local newspaper.  Kind of late, I know, but this is a rural area.  Things take awhile.  Never mind that, though.  I didn’t want the delivery boy to see me like this!  I ran for awhile, hoping I would stay ahead of him, since he had to keep stopping.  It seemed to be working, and then I heard him again, and this time he sounded closer.  I was right by a corn field.  There were no trees to hide behind, but I figured if I hid in the cornfield, he could drive by without seeing me.  Sure enough, that is what happened, and then he stopped about 200 feet past where I had left the road.  He threw a paper in the mail box, and just sat there.  Did he see me?  Did he hear something odd?  I tried to see what he was doing, and I saw that he was talking on a cell phone.  He was laughing, so apparently it wasn’t a call to the police -- whew!   But how long was he going to be there?  If I had kept running I guess I still could have stayed ahead of him, but now he might make me late to my keys.  I waited a few more minutes, and saw that he was still sitting there, this time dialing another number.   Why couldn’t he just take care of his personal concerns on his own time?!? 

By now I had no idea what time it was, but night was beginning to fall. I knew I didn’t have a lot of time left to get to the keys, so I just said fuck it, and ran.  I ran right past him, and I heard him shout some sort of exclamation I couldn’t understand.  Then he started his car up again and came driving toward me.  I kept running, and he pulled up alongside me.  He slowed down to my speed, and rolled his window down, asking if I was OK.  I told him I was fine.  He asked why I was out here naked.  I didn’t want to tell him the truth, so I just said I had lost a bet with my boyfriend. When I uttered the word boyfriend, he looked a little bit sad.  He said, "I would never treat any girlfriend of mine like that -- it’s too dangerous.  Would you like a ride to wherever your clothes are?"  I knew I shouldn’t accept it, for safety’s sake as well as for Levite repercussions sake.  So I declined, but thanked him for his concern.  He kept driving, and by now I was quite concerned about the time, so I started running again.

Before I knew it, I was by the state road.  There were a couple of cars coming close, so I knew I would have to wait to cross.  I hid behind some bushes while keeping one eye on the road for traffic to pass.  Finally, the only cars in view were far enough away that I figured I could get across without being seen, at least not clearly enough for them to know I was naked.  So I ran, and I kept running until I saw the sign. 

There was a car parked by the sign.  It looked like the paper delivery guy.  I slowly walked up to the sign, and then I jumped.  He was standing right there, looking at his watch!  "W... w... what are you doing?"  I asked.   His only reply was, "It’s 9:14."  I froze.   He knew what was going on!  Was this Levi? Was he going to do something to me?  I continued to stand, frozen, until I saw him bend down and pick up the key.  "9:15," he said.  I didn’t know what to do!   "Are you Levi?" I asked him.  He said his name was Joe.  He then explained that some stranger had told him to come up this way and at 9:15, to retrieve a key and bring it back to him.  He was paid $150 to do it.

I pleaded with Joe to let me have the key.  He asked if that guy was my boyfriend, and I said he wasn’t, but that I couldn’t explain any more.  He told me that he had given Levi his word that once 9:15 came around, he would get the key if it was still there, and bring it back to him.  I pleaded more and more.  I offered him more money for the key. He refused.  I think he was just enjoying seeing me struggle.   I asked him what the man looked like, and he turned around and went to his car.  When he came back, he had an envelope.  He handed me the key, saying, "I know who you are -- I recognize you from my route.  For $250 I’ll give you the key, and I’ll tell the man you had just picked up the key at 9:14, while I was getting out of my car.  But the man did tell me that if you asked about what he looked like, I had to give you this envelope.   I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t want a part of it.  But I’ll expect the $250 tomorrow when I deliver the paper.  I wish you well."   With that, he got in his car, turned around, and drove back the way he had come, presumably to meet Levi and collect his money.

I wanted to get home quickly, so I didn’t even open the envelope.  It was getting dark now, so I just ran toward home.  There was no traffic on the highway, so I crossed quickly, and ran on, disregarding the pain that the stones caused my feet.  I didn’t see any other cars, and by the time I passed the houses, it was quite dark.  About a half mile before I got to the road I lived on, it started to rain, and by the time I got to my road, carrying only my house key and the envelope, it was pouring.  Fortunately, there was no thunder or lightning yet, and I ran down my road.  As I was approaching my house, I saw more headlights in the distance, but I disregarded it, and kept running -- I had to get inside! 

I was just getting the key in the lock when the approaching car slowed down.  It kept going, though, but I was sure that the driver got a look.  But by now I didn’t care.  I went inside, went into the bathroom, found a towel to dry off, and went to the living room, collapsing on the couch.  Once my heart had slowed to a close-to-normal rate, I remembered the envelope.  I opened it, and was surprised to find that most of the ink on the note had not run, so I was still able to read it.  It read:

"Dearest Melanie, I figured you would try to find out something about me.  But I assure you, who I am does not matter.  In fact, you would do well to never ask a question like that again.  I had not given you this instruction before, so I will go easy on you this time, but if I ever find that you are trying to discover my identity, your punishments will get far worse.   For now, your only punishment will be that, tomorrow at work, you will not be allowed a skirt while at your desk.  I have seen your office.  I know that you talk mostly on the phone, and that those you deal with in person cannot see your lower half while you are seated, so if you’re lucky, nobody will notice.  But I trust that it will be enough of a reminder that you will not try to discover my identity again.  Love, Levi."

This was about an hour ago, and now I am at my computer once again, telling you perverts about my trials.  This is only my fourth task, and already it is unbearable.   How can a person be so cruel?  I don’t know what else to do!  I have to keep this going, but I am not sure that I will emerge with any sanity left.  So damn you all.

Melanie