The Novice Prey & the Daring Prey

by S. J. Lewis

  “Enough about me,” Alexa said hurriedly. “I have a question for you.”

  “Ask me anything,” Mike said spreading his arms in a grand gesture.

  “You've been here before,” Alexa began, “so you must know some things about this place. What are 'girl catchers'? Aren't all captives just 'females'?”

  “Oh, that,” Mike seemed disappointed. “Yes, a captive woman is a 'female'. But there's a sub-category. Girls are younger-looking females, usually below average height and on the slender side. Girl catchers go after them, catch them, give them some basic training, and then sell them in a slave market to guys who are into girls.”

  “Huh.” Alexa thought about that for a moment. “Are there other sub-categories?” she asked.

  “Probably more than I know about,” Mike answered. “This place is set up to cater to a wide variety of tastes. It's even possible to have a perfectly ordinary vacation here if that's what you're into.”

  “Really?” Alexa tilted her head and looked at him. “I can't imagine anyone wanting to do that. Not here.”

  “I guess that in Gordburg being ordinary might be considered the ultimate in kinky.” Mike commented.

  Alexa laughed. She wondered how many times Mike had been here before, and how much he wasn't telling her.

  “So you came here to be hunted,” Mike went on.

  “I came here to break a record,” she corrected him.

  “And once you break that record, what then? You pack it in and go home? Or do you keep pushing, trying for an unbreakable record of your own until somebody brings you down? How long are you here for, anyway?”

  “Two weeks,” Alexa replied.

  “Ah.” Mike smiled. “That leaves you plenty of time to break the record, pad out your own a bit, and still get caught and enjoy a lengthy naked captivity as a sex slave. Sounds good to me.” He looked at Alexa intently, no doubt imagining... well, there were a lot of things he could be imagining, but the look in his eyes told Alexa that they were all sexual. It was a familiar look, but it still made her blush.

  “Down, boy,” she held up a forefinger.

  “No,” he said.

  “Oh? And why not?” Alexa asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Why should I?” he countered. “This is Gordburg. You're perfectly safe as long as you stay in town, but the moment you step outside the boundaries you're fair game. You've been here before. You came back, which means that you didn't find your experience completely unpleasant. Whoever caught you had the time to give you some training. But you've still got a wild streak in you, and you like challenging men. Wasn't whoever caught you last year dominant enough for you?”

  “That's none of your business,” Alexa retorted. The fact was that Will had pushed her harder and further than she would have believed herself able to go, both here in Gordburg and later when she'd gone to see him where he lived and ran his wilderness survival training business. She felt the heat in her cheeks as she recalled all the things he had done to her, all the things he had taught her, and all of the things she had done at his command to please him. He had opened her up, figuratively and literally, and she would forever be grateful for all that he had taught her. But along with all that he had taught her there was one thing that she had learned for herself. As much as she cared for Will, and as much as he cared for her, they weren't in love, and never would be. Will still had his thing for tall, strong, confident women, and she still had a hankering for men taller than Will was. If the two of them lived closer together, she could easily see them making regular booty calls, but they lived so far apart, and in such very different circumstances, that that just wasn't going to happen either.

  “Well,” Mike shrugged, “You're right about that. It isn't any of my business, but I'm making you my business for as long as you're here, so you might as well get used to it.”

  Alexa was beginning to regret dragging this persistent and very annoying man off to bed earlier. He was certainly attractive, and fit, and pleasantly endowed, but he kept getting underfoot, and if he kept her from breaking that old record she'd... well, she wasn't sure what she'd do, but it would certainly put a damper on things between them.

  “Are you worried I'll keep you from setting that new record you're so intent on?” Mike asked.

  “What?” Alexa abruptly leaned back in her chair. It was as if he had read her mind, and that was really disturbing.

  “Oh, come on,” Mike chuckled. “You've been going on about setting a new record here, and right now that's more important to you than all the kinky fun you could be having. I'm just thinking about that kinky fun, and I want to have it with you. You're really fit, you're hot, you're clearly competitive, and I'm really interested in you. The problem is that by now lots of other men are probably just as interested. If I don't stay close there's a chance that one of those other men might catch you, and I don't want that to happen. I'm willing to wait until you set your record. I'd get a bit of a reputation for catching the uncatchable female that way. But I'm not willing to let some other guy grab you.”

  “Ah...” Alexa relaxed a little. “Okay. Do you mean what you just said?”

  “Every word. I've got a lot more words that I mean just as much, but I'm not sure this is the best place for me to say them.” He gestured at the other patrons. “We could talk about it later, if you'd like. Maybe back in my room? Or are you planning to split soon?”

  Alexa couldn't help laughing. “You really aren't going to give up, are you?” she asked. “Look, I had fun with you too, but the only way you'll ever get me back in bed is if you catch me and drag me there.”

  “That's okay with me,” Mike grinned, “but you are taking playing hard to get to a whole new level.”

  “Oh, stop,” Alexa waved a hand. There was a break in their conversation as the waitress brought their orders and asked if she could get them anything else. They both told her 'no', and she went off to another table.

  “Would you mind answering some questions?” Alexa asked as she tucked into her meal. It was tasty. Whoever the cook was, they knew their business.

  “What kind of questions?” Mike asked.

  “Well, for starters, what do you do back in the real world?”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “Come on. I told you a little something about me. Now you tell me a little something about you.”

  Mike shrugged. “Okay,” he said. “I'm in construction.”

  “So, you're what?” Alexa prodded. “A carpenter? A plumber? An electrician?”

  “I'm a contractor,” Mike replied.

  “Let me see your hands,” Alexa demanded. Mike looked at her quizzically for a moment and then complied, reaching across the table, his palms up. Alexa took each of his hands in one of hers. He had strong hands, hard and a little rough. They might have already had quick, hot sweaty sex that one time, but she hadn't given him much chance to use those hands, and for a brief and exciting moment she imagined how they might feel spanking her bare ass.

  “These don't look much like a carpenter's hands,” she said. “Plumber's or electrician's either.”

  “I just told you, I'm a contractor,” Mike said as he pulled his hands back. “I still do some of the work, but I spend most of my time drumming up new business. That takes up a lot of my time these days.”

  “So you own your own business?” Alexa asked.

  “Yes. It's not as big as it used to be, but it's mine.”

  “Do you like it? Running your own business, I mean?” Alexa asked.

  “There are times I miss working with my hands,” Mike shrugged. “So I pitch in on jobs when I can.”

  He didn't volunteer any more information, and Alexa suspected that he wouldn't tell her much more even if she asked him directly. For a moment, there was an awkward, still silence between them. Mike went back to eating his supper. The awkward silence was no longer still, but it felt just as awkward, and Alexa couldn't figure out why.

  “So, you've been here before?”
she asked. “Can you tell me anything about this particular little town?”

  “Not much,” Mike answered. “I never quite got this far before. I heard it's called 'End', because it's the end of the line, at least so far as the stage is concerned. But there's supposed to be more stuff out past here that most people aren't allowed to go to. Somewhere east of here, between her and the highway, there are some working farms, and in amongst them somewhere is a place called The Farm. Capital letters. Hardcore stuff is supposed to go on there.”

  “What kind of hardcore stuff?” Alexa asked.

  “I heard some things, but I'm not sure,” Mike replied. “Anyway, it didn't sound like anything I was interested in trying, so I didn't pry.”

  This was strange. Mike had been so open with her just a few moments ago, and now he was closed off. Alexa wondered what she'd said or done to trigger such a change in him. She picked up her fork, hesitated, and then put it back down again. Mike was focused on his meal, and not paying any real attention to her.

  “Look at me, Mike,” she said. He looked up, saw the expression on her face, and quietly put his own fork down.

  “What just happened?” Alexa asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don't try to pull that,” Alexa replied, waving a hand dismissively. “You know what I mean. You were all friendly and funny until I asked you about what you did for a living, and then it was like you dropped... what do they call it? That thing in a castle gate? A portcullis! Yeah, you dropped a portcullis between us, right across the middle of this table. Why? I told you some stuff about me. I just wanted to know a little more about you, and you shut down on me. I want to know why.”

  Mike just looked at her at first, and then a smile slowly bloomed on his face. It was a rueful smile, but it was enough for Alexa to feel a bit relieved.

  “Sorry,” he said. “You're right. Look, back in the real world I'm under pressure all the time, just trying to pay the bills and keep my business going. I come here to get away from all that, just for a little while. Some years I can afford it, some years I can't. Last year I couldn't.”

  “Oh,” Alexa said. “Okay, now I understand. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't like you, you know?”

  For an instant, Mike frowned, and then his smile was back. “Okay,” he nodded. “Now I understand. I think. I hope you're not saying you hope that we can still be friends.”

  Alexa laughed again, all of her doubts and tension suddenly gone. “I didn't come here to make friends,” she said. “I came here to get away from all that real-world stuff myself and cut loose for a while.”

  “I thought you wanted to set a record.”

  “Oh, I do!” Alexa nodded emphatically. “But I want to have some good, dirty fun while I'm doing it. Back home I run my own one-woman business, and I have to keep a spotless reputation so I can stay in business. Here, I can cut loose and show my wild streak.” She leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Mike's.

  “In fact,” she said, “I just thought of something I'd like to do once we're done here. You can come along if you want.”

  “The way you put it, I don't think you mean coming back to my room with me. That offer's still open, by the way.”

  Alexa chuckled. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “It's a tempting offer, but I want to do a little more self-promoting before I head off into the wilds. Can you meet me at the slave barn in a while? I've got some shopping to do and a few things to try to arrange, and I need to do all that alone.”

  “You promise you're not going to try to sneak away while I'm waiting?”

  “Would you believe me if I did promise?”

  “Maybe a little,” Mike said with a shrug. “But from the look in your eyes, you really do have something interesting planned, and whatever it is, I'd like to see it.”

  “My first time here, I discovered that I was a bit of an exhibitionist,” Alexa said. “I really get off on the attention.” She got up from the table and smiled down at Mike. “That ought to give you something to think about while you're waiting.”

  She didn't look back as she walked out of the restaurant, though she would have loved to see the expression on Mike's face. It would have spoiled her exit, though, and she really did have some things to do. She'd already planned to sneak out of this little town tonight. She'd been to each and every little hamlet along the stagecoach line, and made herself highly visible in each one of them. Now it was time for the hard part, going out into the woods where she could be hunted. She had no illusions about her ability to run free indefinitely. She just hoped she could avoid capture long enough to beat the 'official' record set by that woman who went by 'Elf-Girl'. She found herself wondering if that Elf-Girl would ever come back here. She'd like a chance to meet her if she did.

  The shopping didn't take long. Alexa knew exactly what she needed, and unlike last year, this year she planned to travel as lightly as she could. Will had taught her a lot about wilderness survival. He'd also taught her quite a lot about her submissive side. Whatever lucky man finally ran her to ground would have no good reason to complain about how hard she'd made him work for it.

  Finding the town proctor, on the other hand, took a while. The black-clad woman was all over the town, but never in the same place at the same time as Alexa. It shouldn't have been as hard to find such a distinctly-dressed woman in such a small place as it turned out to be, and Alexa began to fret about the time. She had some very distinct things that she wanted to do before nightfall, and only the proctor could make the arrangements. Besides everything else he'd taught her, Will had filled her in on how much power and authority a proctor could wield. She finally caught up with the woman near the stage office and drew her aside to make her pitch. It didn't take much for the proctor to agree to everything, but by then it was getting late and Alexa had to hustle.

  Chapter Seven

  “So it's okay?” Alexa asked. She was talking to the proctor's back as the woman began quickly walking away from her.

  “Yes, it is,” the proctor called back over her shoulder. “But I'll have to supervise, and I'm afraid I have a rather pressing matter to attend to first.” She kept walking quickly, heading towards the slave barn. Alexa slung her new backpack, filled with her recent purchases, over her shoulder and hustled to catch up. She meant to go to the slave barn anyway.

  “What's this pressing matter?” she asked as she caught up with the proctor.

  “You're welcome to come along and find out,” the woman answered. “It seems that there's a bit of a crowd there already.”

  Indeed there was. Alexa could see over a dozen men and a couple of women gathered around the entrance to the slave barn. This might be interesting, so long as it didn't eat up too much of the remaining daylight. The proctor pushed through the small crowd. Alexa followed closely in her wake, hoping that the crowd would think she was accompanying the black-clad woman and let her pass. They did. The proctor continued into the barn, but Alexa stopped just inside the big swinging doors. There were four women standing in the open area between the stalls, looking decidedly edgy. She recognized them as the same four women who had come in on the same stage as Mike had. They were all wearing long robes now, and barefoot. Standing near them were three men, all well over six feet tall, heavily muscled, shaved bald, and deeply tanned, as if they spent a lot of time outdoors. They were identically clad in tight jeans, cowboy boots, and very tight white t-shirts. They were very intimidating-looking. Two held coils of braided rope, while the third wielded a riding crop. He was the only one of the three that sported any facial hair aside from dark stubble. His handlebar mustache looked as if he spent a lot of time caring for it and cultivating it.

  “All right,” the proctor addressed the four women. “I'm here to see that everything proceeds according to the rules. You've all agreed to go to The Farm, correct?”

  The women all nodded, with greater or lesser degrees of trepidation. Alexa regarded them more closely. They all seemed to be in their late twenties. One had
dark blonde hair, while the other three sported various shades of brown.

  “These three men,” the proctor indicated the slabs of muscle that stood nearby, “are here to conduct you to The Farm. Do any of you wish to decline now?”

  The four women exchanged quick, uneasy looks. One by one, they all shook their heads 'no'.

  “They're all yours,” the proctor said, addressing the man with the riding crop. He grinned at the women as he softly slapped the crop against his massive leg. “Get 'em registered,” he said to one of his companions. The man handed his rope over to the third man, took one of those peculiar cell-phone-looking devices from a pocket, and quickly scanned each woman's left ear. Each time he did that, the device made a beeping noise. Alexa supposed that the beep indicated that the scan was completed.

  The man with the riding crop walked slowly over to one of the women, a pretty brunette with shoulder-length hair. He towered over her, and she shrank back just a little. When he reached out to unbelt her robe, though, she stood her ground. She didn't seem to be able to meet his gaze. She kept looking at the ground. He pulled the belt free, parted the robe, and slid it down off of her shoulders. Alexa heard the female make a shuddering gasping noise as the garment fell to the floor. Under it she was naked, and shaved.

  “On your knees, female,” the man ordered. He put a hand on her shoulder, but it didn't look as if he was actually pushing her down as the female sank to her knees, her head bowed. She put her hands behind her, and one of the other men quickly crouched down behind her and began binding her wrists. From the occasional whines the female made while he was doing that, he was tying her tightly.

  Alexa suddenly remembered the other onlookers. She looked back to see what kind of effect this ritual was having on them. All of them, men and women, seemed fascinated. One of the women in the group was pressed up against one of the men. Alexa wondered what the two of them would be doing later. Actually, she had a pretty good general idea of what they'd be doing. The details were all there were to wonder about. When she looked back at the interesting tableau, the female with the dark blonde hair was already disrobed and beginning to kneel. Alexa saw that she had been shaved also. As she watched, the other two women were stripped, made to kneel, and bound.