Tanisha shrugged. 'I don't know, Mistress Rachel.' She stepped away from the door and returned to the side of the bed. Kneeling down, moving her face close to Rachel's breast, she licked her lips hungrily and moved closer to the pierced nipple. 'The master's mood is as much of a mystery to us as it is to you,' she said earnestly. 'Considering the affection and esteem he has for you, I would have thought you might know his business better than any of us.' Not bothering to say anything else, clearly believing that was as much discussion as was necessary, Tanisha teased her tongue against Rachel's breast. Making the contact as gentle as liquid she licked at the pierced tip and lifted the small, steel ring.
The sudden thrill of pleasure was exquisite and Rachel writhed against the bed. But, while she wanted to concentrate on the pleasure that the slaves were inspiring, she realised there were still some things they might be able to tell her. 'Do you think he's calling Master Vince to complain about me? Do you think he's arranging to have me sent back to the estate ahead of schedule?'
Tanisha's smile was a flash of brilliant white against the backdrop of her gloriously brown flesh. Even Chinue's grin surfaced briefly as though both the slaves thought that suggestion was unlikely enough to be considered ludicrous. 'I don't think that's what he's doing, Mistress Rachel,' Tanisha laughed.
Lacking the confidence to agree, Rachel could only lie back on the bed and allow them to continue licking. Her pussy lips were devoured and the ring on her clitoris was teased and cajoled until she was in a frenzy of euphoria. The two slaves worked on her in unison, their mouths roving over her as their tongues constantly found fresh flesh to excite. Using their hands, holding her down, caressing her thighs and breasts, they had Rachel moaning for more before she realised she was making the plea.
A part of her wanted to push them away, and think seriously about her future with Master Bernard, but the temptation that Chinue and Tanisha offered was too compelling to resist.
Tanisha teased one nipple between her lips, nibbling lightly against the teat as her fingers caressed Rachel's thighs. Chinue licked at Rachel's pussy, working her tongue deep, then gliding its flat surface over the nub of her clitoris. She worked her hands beneath Rachel's buttocks, casually tickling her anus with her fingernails.
Whenever Rachel opened her mouth to protest, or ask another question, one of the women would silence her with a kiss. The taste of Master Bernard's ejaculate remained on their lips and that sweet flavour banished all thoughts of objection. Chinue's tongue probed deeper and Tanisha's nibbling became less playful and more satisfying. Rachel groaned and pressed herself into their embraces and, by the time they had taken her to the pinnacle of a screaming orgasm, she had forgotten most of her doubts and reservations. The pleasure was so total that she didn't even hear Master Bernard return to the room.
'I see you've been keeping my guest entertained,' he said dryly.
He wore an easy-going smile that made him look more like his old self and Rachel was overcome by a rush of relief. Whatever fears she had been harbouring were vanquished by the comfort that came from the sight of his familiar broad grin.
Snapping his fingers, instructing Chinue and Tanisha to step aside, he walked to the bed and stood over her. Brushing a stray lock of hair from her brow he leant down to kiss her cheek. 'I'm sorry about rushing away like that,' he said. 'It was unforgivably rude and it won't happen again.'
She started to tell him that he had no need to apologise to her, and that she was there as his slave, but he placed a finger over her lips to silence the words. Climbing on to the bed, he placed himself between her legs and stroked the end of his erection along her glistening labia. His hardness pushed against her cleft and, with one languid thrust, he filled her pussy with his length. Holding her hips, pulling her onto himself, he brushed his lips against hers and said, 'Don't make excuses for me. I just hope I can think of some way of making it up to you.'
Rachel wanted to groan and revel in his attention but she made herself hesitate. 'Is everything all right?' she asked warily. 'There's nothing wrong, is there?'
He shook his head to dismiss the matter. 'I've just been fretting about an acquisition I'm planning,' he said absently. 'But my brother has resolved the problem for me.'
She considered pressing him for further details then decided the information was unimportant. His shaft remained between her legs, she was ready to be swept along with another climax, and surrendering to that pleasure seemed like the only thing that mattered. Embracing him tightly, urging him to ride her with all the force he possessed, Rachel let his length plunge deeper into her.
He grunted, his grin tightening as he returned her embrace with equal enthusiasm. She noticed his eyes were squeezed shut but, because that seemed to make his lovemaking more enthusiastic, she was quite happy to let him take her blindly.
Tanisha and Chinue stood by the doorway, watching her with envy. Knowing Master Bernard couldn't see their exchange, Rachel nodded gratefully at the pair and mouthed a silent thank you. The comfort and distraction they had given had helped her to overcome her needless worries and she felt indebted to the ebony slaves.
Those thoughts were forgotten as soon as Master Bernard began to ride back and forth and the delicious waves of pleasure were pounded through her pussy. His urgency surprised her but, although she was exhausted from the pleasuring she had already enjoyed, she returned his passion with equal enthusiasm. Every time he pushed himself forward, she squeezed her inner muscles around his length and squirmed her sex against the base of his shaft. It was a brutal liaison but no less satisfying because of that.
With his eyes remaining tightly closed, he plunged back and forth more frantically. His shaft tingled as though he was on the point of orgasm but the nearness of his climax only made him ride faster.
'Harder,' she urged. She spat the word in a breathless gasp. 'Much harder.'
It was impossible to tell if he was obeying her command, or simply continuing as he had initially intended. Whatever the cause his rhythm became more pronounced and his thick shaft pumped furiously in and out of her sodden hole. The squelch of her greedy muscles echoed around the room and the pungent musk of her arousal flavoured every breath.
Master Bernard held one hand against the small of her back and pulled her onto his length each time he thrust forward. His shaft trembled inside her and Rachel was buffeted to orgasm by his crude passion.
She heard herself cry out - unable to tell if she was begging him to be lenient or demanding he be more forceful - and then the climax was thundering through her body. After the torment that usually preceded her pleasures this orgasm was made special because it wasn't borne from pain or anguish. Savouring the liberating experience, relishing the rush of pure and untainted delight, Rachel sobbed her way through a final surge of joy. The moment was made perfect when Master Bernard's seed exploded against the neck of her womb. His shaft continued to pulse, filling her with a white-hot wash of semen, before he collapsed by her side.
Chinue and Tanisha slipped quietly out of the door as Master Bernard and Rachel lay in each other's loose embrace. Her heart was racing from the exertion and excitement and she murmured a heartfelt thank you against his kisses.
He sighed and pulled away. Climbing off the bed he started to step back into his business suit. Rachel watched him, wondering if she had seen the last of his distant behaviour and hoping they could now get back to their true relationship as clandestine lovers. He managed to kill that hope with a single sentence.
'You want to get rid of Pearl, don't you?' he suddenly said.
His words struck her as peculiar because she thought they had discussed as much earlier. She had even been under the impression that he was laying the groundwork that would expel the slave trader from Master Vince's estate. But it now seemed that Master Bernard had either forgotten their conversation, or he had been talking about something else.
'Yes,' she said, fighting to contain her growing upset. 'You know I want to get rid of Pearl. I thought you were planning something that would help me toward that end.'
After pushing his arms into his jacket he returned to her side and took hold of her hand. 'Come with me,' he said, urging her from the bed. 'Grab a robe and come with me now.'
'Where are we going?' she asked warily.
'Nowhere you haven't been before.'
She could suddenly read something in his expression and pulled her hand away. 'We're not going to the basement again, are we?' It was impossible to keep all of the revulsion from her tone but she managed to ask the question without sounding too repulsed. 'You're not taking me to see Osbourne, are you?'
He resumed his hold on her hand. 'It's important that you do see Osbourne again,' he said earnestly. 'Osbourne is the man who holds the answers that you require. Osbourne is probably the only person who can give you the key that will get rid of Pearl.'
Not sure she believed him, but realising she had no other choice, Rachel allowed Master Bernard to help her into a silk robe. Swallowing thickly, realising there was a question that she still needed to ask, she said, 'Before I go down there, would you tell me one thing?' His bored expression said he didn't have time for indulgences but she met his sullen mood with defiance. 'Just one thing,' she promised. 'That's all I want to know.'
'Go on.'
She struggled to find the right words, not wanting to appear needy, but desperate for some reassurance. Eventually she thought it would be easier to talk around the subject rather than risk an outright rejection. 'The last time I was here, you discussed buying one of Master Vince's long-standing staff.' Steadily meeting his gaze, she asked, 'Do you still intend making that purchase?'
He barked mirthless laughter. 'Is that all that's worrying you? Don't fret so, Rachel. I've been onto my brother and staked my claim for the most valuable prize on his estate.' As if to emphasise his point, he reached for her backside and squeezed one buttock playfully.
Her heart swelled with hope and a thousand questions rushed to the forefront of her mind. She wanted to know if Master Vince had agreed, when the sale would be finalised and how soon before she was a resident at the albergo and constantly by Master Bernard's side.
But, because Master Bernard was urging her through the bedroom door, Rachel didn't have the chance to ask any of her questions. And, when she remembered where he was taking her, her excitement began to dwindle to a dull, aching dread. Even though she hoped she might now receive some of the information she needed, her good mood was quickly waning. The memories of her recent pleasure were all but forgotten as she reluctantly followed Master Bernard out of the room and down to the basement where Osbourne resided.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Osbourne's squalid room was exactly as Rachel remembered.
The only light came from the constant flicker of the TV screen, the floor was carpeted with discarded beer cans, cigarette packets and food wrappers, and the air was thick and stale with grime. He stood in the doorway, his bent, pathetic figure wrapped in an identical robe to the one she had last seem him wearing. Judging by the noxious smell of sweat that radiated from him, and the dirt stains that blackened the cuffs, she suspected it might be the same robe.
'Are you being punished again?' he demanded. His shrewish voice made her skin crawl. 'Is that why Bernie's sent you down here? Am I the albergo's punishment goblin? Is that what I've become?'
Rachel forced her features to remain impassive and not show her disgust. 'I haven't been sent here as a punishment,' she explained honestly. 'Master Bernard thinks you might be able to help me.' Speaking quickly, hoping he couldn't see her revulsion, she said, 'A slave trader has inveigled her way into my master's affections. Master Bernard says you might hold the key to my getting rid of her. He thinks you might have something important to tell me.'
Osbourne stepped out of the doorway and ushered her into the room. 'You want to learn something from me,' he giggled. His laughter was high-pitched and shrill and made her think of sewer rats scavenging. 'Oh! That's marvellous that is. I knew this day would come.' Rushing over to the room's battered old wardrobe he threw the doors open and began to rummage through the thinly stocked rails.
Rachel glanced at the TV screen surprised to see it was only showing a black and white scroll of static. She didn't know whether she had expected him to be watching news, music, films or sport, but simply having the station tuned to an irritating crackle seemed somehow disquieting.
'Is the reception broken?' she asked innocently.
He snatched his head away from the wardrobe and glared at her. When he saw she was pointing at the TV screen his brow knitted briefly and he made a wordless exclamation of disgust. 'I pulled the aerial lead out,' he explained, turning away. 'I got sick of watching those afternoon chat shows filled with simpering whores and empty-headed cunts.'
She thought of suggesting that he could have simply turned the set off, or maybe changed channels, but she had already decided that Osbourne wouldn't take too kindly to hearing her advice. Struggling to think of some other conversational gambit, anxious to progress things towards him supplying the information she needed, Rachel valiantly scoured the untidy room for inspiration. The place was such a tribute to decay and neglect she found herself unable to say anything.