The Slave (41 page)

“
Last year. You were with Robert,
right?”

“
Yes!” He smiled suddenly, and showed
a mouth full of strong teeth. “How did you know?”

“
I met Robert at a party, and Chris
briefed him on what happened to you all. He said that you’d gone to
some California estate, but that was before I’d even been to
California. I never expected to run into you!” She started to find
things to put away.

“
It’s a small world. I’ve found that I knew
a couple of people before I came into the life who knew all about
it. I guess we all did―all of us who trained together, I mean. You
know about what happened to any of the others?”

“
Not much. Robert seems very happy.
One woman is with her mistress, the other has, um, dropped out or
something. I never even found out her name.”

“
No kidding. That must have been Sharon. So
she finally fucked up big time.” He turned thoughtful for a moment.
“Well, too bad. Can’t say it’s too surprising. And what about you?
What kind of a group did you train with?”

“
Alone. Chris took me from raw recruit
to the auction block in two weeks.” It was something she had a hard
time being humble about.

He whistled through his teeth in admiration.
“Good for you! What an opportunity! Was he as much of a bastard
with you as he was with us? Hell, I used to curse him out every
night. We all did. But I guess you wouldn’t know, not having the
comparison to make. But let me tell you, if he was even half as
hard on you as he was on me when I stayed behind for more training,
I have nothing but admiration for you!” Having answered his own
question, he paused and looked at her. Their eyes met and at the
same time, they asked each other, “Are you happy?” And then they
both laughed.

“
It’s such a cliché,” Robin said when they
calmed down. “But it’s true. I keep making sure that I should be
happy by asking other people if they are.”

“
Well, who wouldn’t be happy here?”
Brian asked. “Beautiful house, beautiful men―and you have beds and
everything.” He grinned.

“
I’ve heard about your place from
Raul.”

“
He left the year before I arrived,” Brian
said. “But you know, for all the difficulty of this life, I
wouldn’t trade it for anything. There’s nothing that could possibly
make me feel more fulfilled. It’s really strange. The less I am,
the more contented I become. I used to be so obsessed with making a
good impression and being the center of attention. It took Mr.
Elliot and Chris to break me of that, and show me what I’ve always
really needed.” He shook his head in amazement. “I wish they could
see me now. You know, last week, I actually pulled a wagon full of
shit. Do you believe that? Shit! I used to get a manicure every
other week back home.” He closed his eyes softly and
sighed.

“
I was a nothing. Shallow and useless,
and directionless. And now, I’m... happy. Happier than I’ve ever
been.”

The next afternoon, Robin saw Brian bent
over and repeatedly raped by most of the men in the house,
including Jeff. They didn’t get another chance to talk, but their
eyes sought each other all weekend. He winked at her once before he
left, and she waved.

Yes, guests who knew the Marketplace were
almost always more fun. Some were crueler and more demanding, and
all of the slaves were used by those whose pleasures came strictly
from the abuse of human property. But generally, it was an
adventure to see what kind of person was going to be granted access
to them next.

* * * *

“
It’s about time you got a girl,”
Monica said as soon as she walked into the house. Robin raised her
eyes demurely, which was appropriate when acknowledging that
someone has noticed you. She immediately met Monica’s inky black
eyes, which took her in at one glance and then turned their
attention back to Jimmy. “I’m tired of playing with dicks whenever
I come over.”

“
We got her with you in mind,” Jimmy
cracked. “I mean, it was just weighing on our consciences, what can
we do about Monica’s libido?” He grasped the sides of his head in
mock agony. “All she has to fuck with is our three boys when she
comes over, oh, what can we do?”

“
Yeah, yeah, I get the point. But if
you’re going to live your whole lives in a boy ghetto, you should
at least provide some entertainment for the visitors and resident
aliens.”

“
And so we did.” The two of them moved
into the dining area, and Robin rushed to pour iced tea. Raul was
still upstairs making sure that Jeff had fixed up the guest bedroom
correctly. “Actually, Eric bought her. She’s an art buyer from New
York. He’s using her to make sure we can never afford another
slave.”

“
Oh, cornering the market in old gay
porn, huh?”

“
Yeah, that and some other stuff. She
found these old pots that my parents went apeshit over. If Dad
could make any more money to leave to me, he would.” Jimmy laughed.
“And it hasn’t been bad. Carl likes her, and even Eric and me throw
her a fuck every once in a while. You know, change of
pace.”

“
Be still my heart. Isn’t anyone queer
anymore?” Monica examined Robin more closely as she served the
drinks, and Robin did what she rarely did any more; she blushed in
front of a new guest.

“
Cute,” Monica said, tapping Robin’s
retreating butt as she went back to the kitchen. Robin was never so
happy to see Raul come back and take over. She fled, catching
Carl’s eyes as she swept up the stairs. Carl followed her in a few
minutes. They crouched in the shadows on the upper
landing.

“
Well?” she demanded.

“
Monica. She’s a dyke from Washington.
Political fundraiser, lobbyist, that sort of thing. Knows all the
biggies. Wields a hell of a whip.”

“
Really?”

“
Last time she did me, I had marks for
weeks. She used a signal whip, the kind they use in sled dog races.
Made me cry. Then she called me a wuss, wrapped the damn thing up
in a condom, shoved it up my ass and kicked me out. Told me to tell
Jimmy the whip was a present.” Carl delivered this all in a
monotone, and Robin’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah. She’s definitely the
S in S and M.”

“
Doesn’t she have her own
slaves?”

“
I heard she did, once. But I don’t
think she does any more. She’s real busy, you know? Last time she
was here, I saw a list of all the things she’s produced and the
people she hits up for money. She must be moving around all year
long.”

Robin looked at the guest again. She was
probably just about thirty-five or so, and had the look of a woman
who was on the corporate track, despite the fact that she was
dressed in jeans and cowboy boots. She looked Hispanic, a little
bit lighter than Raul, with the same black hair and eyes. Her mouth
was soft, though, and her body was more curves than flat surfaces.
She tilted her head a little when she spoke, and exposed a long
throat, decorated with a soft tangle of silver chains.

“
What’s she here for now?”

“
Two things, I think. She wants to hit
the masters up for some dough, and she wants Eric to show up at
some Hollywood glitter party for some charity.”

“
Do―do you think she’ll stay the
night?”

Carl looked at her, and then back
downstairs. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “Hope she
doesn’t.”

Robin did, and Monica didn’t. And that was
the first time that Robin met her.

* * * *

“
I miss snow,” Robin said out loud as
she helped Raul examine the good china. They were preparing for a
New Year’s party, and everyone was cleaning or running errands.
Carl was making an inventory of champagne and other beverages, and
Jeff was washing windows. Raul didn’t trust him with the china or
the crystal, and Robin was drafted to handle those.

“
I don’t know why,” Raul shivered.
“Especially snow in New York. Is it ever white, or does it fall
down in that gray-black stuff that messes up the
streets?”

“
But how can you have winter without
snow? Santa in Bermuda shorts, New Year’s Eve in sleeveless shirts.
It’s just unnatural.”

“
Honey, California is the unnatural
capital of the world. Do we have enough for
twenty-four?”

“
We do! Want me to start on the
crystal?”

“
Yes, that’s a good girl.” Raul sighed
and consulted his list again. “We’ve got the catering all ready,
the booze is here, the DJ is arriving at six to set up... Did Carl
get the party things out?”

“
Horns, hats, and assorted tacky
things are all in the big box near the television.”

“
Good. White folks can’t do New Year’s
without being tacky.”

Robin snorted. “My, aren’t we brave? Where’s
Eric, anyway?”

“
He’s in the city, meeting some of the
out of town guests. And don’t be impertinent, girl, I still have
time to whip you silly.” Raul gave her a warning glance and she
composed her face and nodded seriously. “And are you ready? Do you
have your clothes, and the jewelry?”

“
Yes, boss.”

“
Good. We want you looking nice for
Miss Monica.”

Robin stopped short, a crystal champagne
glass in each hand. “Is Monica coming?”

“
That’s what I said, girl. And she’s
spending the night, and you are going to be her New Year’s
resolution.” He walked away from her startled face, whistling “Auld
Lang Syne.”

“
Now, that’s what I call hospitality,”
Monica said wickedly as she threw the door wide open. From
downstairs and out on the patio, the sounds of the party continued,
interrupted with an occasional horn blast, splash, or a steady
slapping sound.

The woman behind Monica peered in. “Oh yes,”
she agreed. “Much better than a mint on the pillow.”

Robin was glad for the blindfold. Not only
didn’t she know how to respond to that, but she really didn’t want
to see the looks on the women’s faces. It was bad enough being
bound and left in the room just like a complimentary after-dinner
snack, but it was made even more humiliating by the fact that her
costume was a cute version of some designer’s idea of what a woman
might wear for a sexy romp on New Year’s Eve. It looked like a
fishnet bathing suit with cut-outs for her breasts and a lacing of
ribbons over her crotch, and a black satin trim that sort of
suggested a tuxedo. Raul had put a clip-on bow-tie around her neck,
ignoring her insistence that she really did know how to tie those
things.

Teamed with a brief skirt and the fancy
jewelry that was provided for her, she knew that it had looked cute
during the party. It also encouraged the guests to make free use of
her exposed breasts, and her nipples were already aching and
itching for more attention. But now, they seemed nothing but
slightly numb. Raul had affixed large, decorative clamps to them
before leaving, and the weighted ball that hung suspended from the
clamps bounced against her pubic mound every time she as much as
stretched.

Her fingers clenched the sky again. It was
bad enough to be bound. It was always worse to be bound while in
high-heeled shoes. Before Monica arrived, she had experimented with
easing the pain by slowly lifting one leg and then the other and
flexing her ankles. Now, she held still and tried to look as
dignified as the circumstances allowed.

But she felt like she wanted to die. “Is
this what you wanted me to see?” The not-Monica woman asked.

“
Yep. Want to stay for the
entertainment portion of our evening?”

“
Hell, yes!”

“
Good. Look over there in that chest
and see what the boys have left us to play with.” Robin felt
someone move in front of her, and then the lifting and release of
the weight that hung in front of her body. It swung out and bounced
between her legs several times, and she gave a slight
moan.

“
Are you having a happy New Year?”
Monica asked, letting the weight swing back and forth.

“
Yes, ma’am,” Robin said. Her teeth
clenched as the weight was removed, followed by the clamps. Heat
rushed back into her nipples, making them tingle and
smart.

“
Oh good. It’s about to get happier,
isn’t it?”

Robin couldn’t help but smile. “Oh yes,
ma’am.”

“
Cheeky little slut, isn’t
she?”

“
Oh they all are. What did you
find?”

“
Good stuff. See?”

“
Great.” Monica’s body pressed against
Robin, the warmth and the scent of a woman filling Robin’s senses.
“But you know, let’s try to keep it low key. I want to get as much
use out of her as possible before I collapse from exhaustion. The
question is, do we leave her here or get her down?”

“
Well, she’s no damn use to me with
her mouth all the way up there!” The two women giggled, and Robin
pressed her lips together to keep from joining them.

“
Oh, poor baby,” Monica whispered in
her ear. “We’ll get you down soon enough. Those boys are dressing
you up like a little fashion doll, aren’t they? Well, we don’t need
this kind of wrapping on our presents. April, come here and help me
raise the boys’ costuming budget this year.”