Encircled

by Robin Roseau

  “Where are you living?” Lisbon asked.

  “Walk with us, and I’ll show you,” I said. “Wait here.” I headed to the center of the room, looked around, and then headed for the nearest table of soldiers. “Who is the highest ranking person here?”

  Everyone turned to one of the women. I’d seen her in before. “I’m Sergeant Millda,” she said. “But I’m off duty.”

  “I have five fresh pleasure slaves that I need to get home. It’s two blocks away. Do I need help so they don’t get, well. Lost?”

  “You shouldn’t,” she said. “But you know what? Let’s just be sure. How soon?”

  “Five minutes?”

  “Out front?”

  “Sure. Thank you.”

  She nodded. I then collected the girls and told them to get their goodbye hugs. Hessey was gone, but Mother and Lisbon got hugs and kisses, and then I took hands and led them from the inn.

  Sergeant Millda was waiting with three other women. “Sergeant, this is my sister, Lisbon.”

  “Pleasure, ma’am,” she said. She gestured to me. “That’s good. We’ll just flank you until you’re safely inside.”

  “Thank you so much, Sergeant.”

  * * * *

  Ten minutes later, we were inside the house. I invited the soldiers in “for a minute, if they want,” but they said there was more beer to drink. “Is Miss Lisbon staying?”

  “No, but it’s two blocks. Lisbon, do you want to go back with the soldiers or stay a few minutes?”

  “It’s only two blocks,” she replied.

  The sergeant nodded. “You ask every night, if you want. We don’t mind.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant.”

  “I was there yesterday. That was damned impressive.”

  “Thank you. If I don’t look too harried, invite me to sit sometime.”

  “I will.”

  I closed the door at them and smiled at my slaves. Then I considered my sister. She was eyeing them. Then she turned and made a pleading gesture.

  “You know they want you back at the inn.”

  “So I’m picking up your slack?”

  “Don’t start with me. Where was Deenie today?”

  “We had a fight. She’s gone.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. What are you going to do with them?”

  “I’m going to let them decide.”

  “I find that unlikely.”

  “Look. If we get a slow night, I’ll have one or two pamper you. But you’re not having sex in this house.”

  “I could take one out back.”

  “Lisbon, please don’t push this. I already had a load from Mother.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “And jealous.” I snorted. “You were pretty amazing yesterday. I was sure you were in trouble.”

  “So was I. Rondi and Cerelle both made strategic mistakes, although I made at least one tactical mistake.”

  “It worked out.”

  “Luck,” I said.

  “We haven’t had a slow night since they came, Claary.”

  “Mother will kill me if I take not only the slaves and myself away, but you, too.” I grinned. “You’ll get your chance.”

  “I’ll be one of them.” She gestured.

  “Do they look unhappy?”

  “No.”

  “Looking forward to it?”

  “Yeah, but Olivia hasn’t offered someone else yet.”

  “I’m sure she’ll find someone. If it comes down to it, we can ask any of a dozen people some night at the inn.”

  “I suppose. I should go.”

  “Sorry.”

  “I know.”

  * * * *

  I turned to the girls. “We’re going to bathe, and then we’ll play for a while.” They grinned. Of course they grinned. And then I let them grab me and pull me to the spa room.

  We bathed, just like yesterday, and soaked away the aches. I encouraged the girls to pamper me and each other, and they were quite joyous about it. Once dry and brushed, we headed upstairs to the bedroom. I told them to sit on the bed, and once they were arranged, I said, “Who wants to play?” Five hands went up. “Excellent,” I said. “Who wants permission to do anything she wants to me?” Five hands went up. “Excellent,” I said again. “Here’s my plan. In a minute, I’ll give you permission to do absolutely anything you want to me.” They grinned and began squirming. “But here’s the thing. There are five of you and one of me. So maybe one of you should join me. And you can do anything you want to two of us. Who likes that idea?” All five hands went up.

  “All right. I’m going to let you decide. Should we have one with me and four doing what they want, or perhaps two with me, and three doing what they want. Do you understand?” They all nodded. “So, three choices. Five to just me, four to me and one other, or three and three? Who wants five and just me?” They didn’t raise hands. “Four to two?” Five hands went up. “Three to three?” And they dropped their hands. Okay, so they actually picked a number.

  “All right then. So one of you will be with me, and she has to let the rest do anything at all they want. Who wants to be with me?” They all raised their hands. “Who wants to be able to do anything they want?” And they all raised their hands. I laughed, and they giggled with me. “All right. Look around and decide. Who do you think should be with me. Point at someone.”

  They did look at each other. Rondi was first. She pointed at Lassa. “Does that sound like fun, El?” She nodded vigorously. “All right then. In a minute, you’ll be able to do anything you want to us. You may do nice things. You may spank us. You may play with us. You may do anything you want until you wear us out. Then if you want, you may play with each other for a while, but we need to get up early, so we won’t stay up too late. Ready? Go?”

  * * * *

  I loved having pleasure slaves.

  I have no idea where they found the rope.

  * * * *

  The next afternoon during the lull, I gathered the girls and said, “My mother could use pampering. Are there two volunteers to pamper my mother?” Yes, five hands went up. “Gi, pick someone to help you.” She grabbed Sareet. I nodded. “The two of you will pamper her for comfort, but not for sex. Do you understand?” They nodded. “All right. Let’s go find her.”

  Mother was in her office. She looked tired. We slipped in, and I said, “Mother, Gi and Sari would like to take care of you for a while.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Comfort, not sex.”

  “They’re going to rub my feet?”

  “You’re going to take them upstairs to your room and let them do whatever they decide to do. They’ll lose track of time, so if we need them back, I’ll come and get them. Girls, if you help her nap, you may nap with her or come back downstairs. But no playing. Comfort.”

  They both nodded then stepped over and each took an arm, not really giving Mother a choice. A minute later, Lisbon found me. “What are those two doing with Mother?”

  “Backrub,” I said. “And she might nap.”

  “She works too hard.”

  “We all work too hard,” I said.

  An hour later, Mother came back downstairs with Gigi and Sareet. She looked a whole lot better. She made a point of thanking them with a hug. They gave her quick little kisses as well, which didn’t seem to bother Mother at all. She headed to her office, and the girls bounced over to me for more hugs.

  “Thank you,” I told them.

  “Why is Kathareet so sad?” Gigi asked.

  “I don’t know, Gi.”

  “If you let us have her, she wouldn’t be sad.”

  “You might be right, but that’s a little too weird for me. She’s my mother.”

  “She’s not our mother,” Sareet said.

  “I know. You two are very sweet.”

  * * * *

  Bess came to dinner at the inn the next night. I wasn’t surprised to see her. She received impeccable service, and I invited her ba
ck to the house with us. She grinned. “Why do you think I’m here?”

  “I want to talk to you during our evening bath, but you know I’m going to give them free rein.”

  “Sounds like fun,” she said. “Are you trying to talk me out of coming? It’s not working.”

  “This is pretty new to me, Bess.”

  “And you’re careful with your power,” she said. “Which is why you’re receiving so much attention.”

  I said nothing to that.

  It was an hour later that we all found ourselves in the spa. “I haven’t figured out how we have hot water.”

  “Imps in the basement, I think” Bess said. She laughed. “I have no idea, either.”

  “It feels good.”

  “What Arr is doing to my feet feels good, too,” she replied. “If you want me to talk intelligently, it needs to be now.”

  “I have a few concerns.”

  “What’s the largest?”

  “I have five pleasure slaves for seven more days, and then I’m going to have five needy former pleasure slaves going through withdrawal.”

  “I’ll come help you with them. They’ll be fine. They can turn to each other as much as you. You’ll need help with the process, anyway, especially if they fight you.”

  “They seem very obedient.”

  “Seventy percent of well-treated slaves, especially pleasure slaves, don’t want it to end. They don’t fight physically, but they don’t necessarily cooperate as they’re freed.”

  “You should keep us, Claary,” Gigi said.

  “You see?” Bess said. “That feels very nice, Arr.”

  Rondi wasn’t talking, but she smiled and nodded.

  I reached over and caressed Gigi. “You’re very sweet.”

  “It will be fine,” Bess said. “Can you imagine, though, if you hadn’t already been through this.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out,” I said. “I imagine some people think, ‘They’re just slaves. Why should we care?’”

  “Yes,” she said. “That’s common. And you know what Lady Olivia wants to do about that.”

  “I suppose I do,” I said. I grinned. “They’re spoiling me though.”

  “Good. They’re supposed to. But you indulge them as well.”

  “They work very hard at the inn. La-la and El have done wonders in the kitchen, and the guests love the others. I think business would go up if I could keep them.”

  “You should keep us,” Gigi said. “I like working at the inn.”

  “What’s next?” Bess asked.

  “We have a staffing problem at the inn.”

  “You should keep us!” Gigi said.

  “I know, Gigi,” I said. “I’d love to, but it’s against the rules. You agreed to ten days. Bess, what happens if I try to keep them?”

  “You get a visit from someone like me and several very capable women. We pacify you and haul you before a judge. And she will probably enslave you, perhaps permanently.”

  “But we want to stay,” Gigi said.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Bess said. “It was a Practice Challenge, and we cannot cheat the system. You agreed to ten days, not eleven and certainly not forever. Do you understand, Gi?”

  “Then we should have a Real Challenge,” Gigi said. “And Claary can keep us forever.”

  “That is possible, but not right away,” Bess said. “The courts won’t allow that until you’ve had a chance to recover.”

  “Then we can do it,” Gigi said.

  “Gi,” I replied gently. “I could lose.”

  “You won’t lose.”

  “Gi, it was only luck that I wasn’t the first taken. I can’t afford to lose. What would happen to Mother and Lisbon without me?”

  “Gi,” Bess added. “After you have recovered, if you want, we can talk more about this. All right. But you belong to Claary for another, wonderful week.”

  “Are you going to let us play tonight, Claary?”

  “I’m going to let you do anything you want to Bess.”

  She began to grin. “Okay.”

  I turned back to Bess. “Staffing. It has become harder to find people.”

  “Put a new sign up,” she said. “I think we can help to resolve this.”

  “Thank you.”

  “My solution won’t be permanent, but it will get you through a year or two. We are particularly interested in The Baby Blanket remaining entirely viable, but Claary, you know that Lady Olivia has higher plans for you than running an inn.”

  “It’s all I know.”

  “You’re 21 years old. I’m fairly certain that’s considered ‘damned young’ in most circles, and you’ve demonstrated an ability to learn.”

  “It’s still Mother’s inn, but I run it as much as she does.”

  “You need to learn the jobs she’s doing, Claary. She’s going to need her First Time, and it’s going to be for two months, and that’s if she gets it done before the year is up. You all get one year as if you are 18, but beginning with the second year, it is based on your birthdays. If her birthday is the next day, she’s suddenly not treated as 19, but as 20.”

  I nodded. “I understand, Bess. But if I’m doing her job, then I am really going to need help, especially if Lisbon wants Practice Challenges. And if Hessey goes to her first time, I’m really in trouble.”

  “I know. Let’s solve the most immediate problems, and then we’ll work on long term. You’re going to need more practice before your first Real Challenge. This was a fluke.”

  “You can bet I’m deeply aware of how it could have ended far differently,” I said.

  “You won as much through your opponents’ mistakes as anything.”

  “I know.”

  “Verla and Cerelle had early success and turned cocky.”

  “I know.”

  “When you can beat me a third of the time, you might be ready for someone with far less practice.”

  “I’m never going to beat you, Bess.”

  “Why not? Aren’t you going to accept more challenges from me?”

  I smiled. “If I asked you to treat me differently than you did, would you?”

  “I treat you the way I like being treated,” she said. “I don’t do it to be mean. Why don’t people get that?”

  “I do get it,” I said.

  “Were there more concerns for tonight?”

  “No. Do I owe money for the house?”

  “No. Use of the house is a gift from the duchess.”

  “It belongs to her now?”

  “It doesn’t belong to Olivia. It belongs to the duchess. If she is replaced, it belongs to the new duchess.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “All property that was abandoned without an inheritor became hers,” Bess continued. “She’s assigned much of it, but she’ll keep places like this. We think there will be a little more immigration.” She paused. “That’s no longer the right word. It’s one country now. But you know what I mean.”

  “Right.”

  “I’m going to point out something else. First Time isn’t always as a pleasure slave.”

  “I think I knew that. It’s been discussed regarding Mother.”

  “Your mother is that age where a woman is still attractive to people of nearly all ages, but she feels her age and remembers her youth. It’s not that hard to find someone who would accept her as a pleasure slave.”

  “All right. And?”

  “Your cook is quite good at her job, but no one is going to want her as a pleasure slave.”

  “I didn’t think about that,” I said.

  “I like Hessey,” Lassa said. “She’s taught me a few tricks.”

  Bess turned to her. “So you’re talking, too,” she said. “Good. El, have you played What Would You Rather?” Lassa nodded. “What would you rather do? Play with your pick from the people here right now, or play with Hessey.”

  “Play with someone here,” Lassa said. “Oh.”

  “Right,” Bess said. “Hessey’s
first time is almost certainly going to be as a form of labor slave, and frankly, it’s a waste if she’s not a cook at an inn or pub.” She turned to me. “Do you see where I’m going?”

  “No.”

  “You should let Hessey’s first time be as your slave,” Gigi said.

  “Which you can only do if you’re a citizen,” Bess said.

  “Oh.”

  “The courts have quite a bit of leeway, and you seem to have attracted the attention of a highly respected judge.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Your cook could get an extension.”

  “Is that idea yours?”

  “No.”

  “She’s really meddling.”

  “No. She’s really paying attention. You’re not the only one, but she hasn’t taken any other First Times or Practice Challenges, either.”

  I nodded. “Was there more?”

  “No.” She grinned. “Do I really get to stay?”

  “Girls,” I said. “Bess is staying. Who wants to play with her?” Silly question. “We’re going to get out and dry off, then you may do whatever you like to either of us. Once you wear us out, you may play with each other, but only for a while.”

  Have I mentioned how much I liked having five pleasure slaves?

  Sister and Staffing

  With The Baby Blanket closed Monday evening, Lisbon came over. We bathed and had dinner. I was surprised she didn’t ask, but she kept eying the girls, and they were eying her and finding no end of opportunities to touch her.

  And me, too, of course, but I was growing accustomed to it by now.

  Afterwards, I let them pamper her. I could tell she wanted more, but that was just too weird for me. But she liked the pampering, and they liked doing it. When it was time to send her home, she asked me to walk her to the front door. She pulled her shoes on then turned to me. “I don’t want my First Time to be as the only one.”

  “I know.”

  “Was Lady Olivia good to you?”

  “The best,” I said.

  “Do you think she’d take me, if I asked her? Would you mind?”

  “Yes, Lisbon.”

  “She still has Bee and Dee? They’re permanent slaves, right?”

  “I haven’t asked if she’s kept them, but yes, they are permanent slaves, and they’re very, very sweet.”

  “Will you talk to her for me?”