Encircled

by Robin Roseau

  My guard stepped forward. She picked up the next glass and held me as she poured it into my mouth. I thanked her and smiled. “You’re very pretty,” I told her.

  “And you’re very drugged,” she replied.

  “Look me up,” I said. “I’d let you do this challenge to me.”

  “I would, but you’d win,” she replied, laughing. She patted my cheek, filled my empty glasses, and stepped away.

  I shifted my gaze to Jessla. “This would have been fun with one or two more participants.”

  “I imagine so,” she said. “Olivia would like to do this with you and Lisbon.”

  “I imagine she would,” I replied. “Please don’t talk about my sister right now.” Then I smiled. “Or do. It might slow me down, but I bet it speeds you up. You could have sisters, Jessla. Wouldn’t you like that?”

  “That’s Olivia’s thing.”

  “I bet you wouldn't turn us down, if she were here right now.”

  The colonel barked a laugh. “Neither of you would turn down a randy goat right now.”

  “She’s right,” Jessla agreed. “You were asking a question.”

  I zoned out for a minute, trying to remember. I wanted her to take off her shift. And then I wanted to touch her, and have her touch me, touch me in all those delicious ways she’d been promising. I squirmed madly, thinking about them. I’m sure I moaned a few times, too. Finally I looked over at her. “Are you really going to do all that to me?”

  “Oh, yes,” she replied. “And more.”

  I looked at the glasses. “I don’t know how many of those we’ve had.”

  “An even twenty,” she replied. “I really wish you would hurry up. I have such wonderful plans.”

  “I bet you’re getting sore and need to use the water closet.”

  “Don’t you worry about me,” she said. “And we’ve had more than enough for my plans. They don’t go to work instantly, after all.”

  I tried reaching for her, but we weren’t within touching range. “Why are we so far apart?”

  “So we don’t hurt ourselves, pulling on each other,” she replied. “And because I couldn’t beat you in a physical challenge.”

  I smiled. “Oh, I’d love to do that to you right now, make you ride up and down.” I began doing my own up and down. “Oh. Oh. Please, Jessla.”

  She began talking of her plans for me. I closed my eyes, and after a minute, there were guards beside me, holding my hands, holding me steady so I wouldn’t fall from the stool.

  They tipped my head back once more, emptying a final glass into it. It was only another minute or two before I began shuddering and thrashing, completely lost.

  But I opened my eyes to see Jessla also supported by two guards. And I could see a hint of the red resin, peeking out of the neck of her shift.

  I gave one more thrust, crying out again, coming hard for a second time.

  “Jessla wins,” Colonel Melstie declared.

  * * * *

  They pulled us from the stools and took us downstairs before they let us go. We came together, and we were all over each other. We had hands inside each other in moments. I took a third orgasm before she basically gave herself one, thrusting against my hand. A minute later, she was grinding against my face, and I couldn’t get enough of that.

  After that, they had to separate us, pulling us apart and binding us besides. There was a carriage ride, and I was out of my mind. I was entirely out of my mind. Jessla was better, but not by much, but better, and when we stepped into her house, she began screaming orders.

  They carried both of us to her bedroom, four other red-clad slaves hurrying ahead. The guards carried me to the bed. Jessla was walking, but she needed help. Then she yelled, “Your orders from earlier. Tie us both, and don’t accept another order from me until morning.”

  Everything was ready. The guards helped to restrain me while the slaves tied me, and then Jessla, too.

  “Use us!” she screamed. “Use us.”

  They did.

  * * * *

  I remained entirely out of it. I passed out a few times, but each time I woke back up, it was while moaning and screaming for more.

  Jessla calmed down, and so some of the time, it was she who gave me what I needed. Other times, she lay beside me, watching, while one of the others saw to me, or took from me what she wanted. That was fine with me, too, and I might orgasm three times just from the pleasure of giving the slave what she wanted.

  I don’t know how long that went on, but then Jessla ordered, “Look at me, Cee!”

  I turned to her. “Help me,” I whispered.

  She smiled and held up a vial. “You’re going to let me give this to you. It’s going to make you sleep, but it takes time, and I’m going to do delicious things to you until you pass out. I’ll free you while you’re sleeping, and then we’ll have our next challenge in the morning. Open your mouth and drink.”

  I didn’t want it, but I couldn’t disobey. She emptied the drug then wiped away a little that had spilled. Then she showed me a new toy before climbing on top of me and beginning to use it.

  * * * *

  I lay on my side, my entire body sore. There was a warm body behind me, and I thought there might be one or two on the bed somewhere. “Jessla?” I whispered.

  “Hello, Cee,” she whispered from behind me.

  “How long?”

  “It’s still dark, a day and a half since our challenge.”

  “I hurt.”

  “I know. I do, too. For the first time in five years, Emmy begged for no more. Tee and Va-va are nearly as worn out but thanked me for the lovely treat.”

  “That’s three.”

  “Ah. Vi-vi. We used her more lightly. I held her in reserve.”

  “In case I wasn’t sated.”

  “No, no. You would never be sated, Cee. In case I lose our challenge later. I’m going to turn Va-va and Emmy back into household slaves before our event. I kept Vi-vi in case you win our challenge. If you win, they’ll all obey you.”

  “Is that going to happen?”

  “No, but because it could, I planned. I thought you would want at least one pleasure slave.”

  “Beside you.”

  “Oh, no. By late afternoon, one of us will be quite pleased to spend time in the gardens.”

  “Ah.” I paused. “I’m naked, aren’t I?”

  “Why yes, yes you are. I bet that doesn’t excite you at all.”

  “You freed me.”

  “Yes. Are you going to try to escape?”

  “Why would I do that?” I asked. “No. I’m right where I want to be.”

  “Go back to sleep for a while,” she said.

  And so I did.

  * * * *

  She let me watch while she changed Va-va and Emmy. I was expecting a very one-sided challenge. Instead, it was different. I asked her about that.

  “You can do it that way, like I am with you. But other than the fun of doing challenges, it’s a lot of bother with no gain. This is far easier.”

  What happened was simple. There was a room in her home devoted to this. There was a shallow tub and chains hanging from the ceiling. The slaves were clearly accustomed to this. Emmy went first, and she simply stepped into the tub and locked her wrists into the chains. Va-va then pulled on the other end, lifting the chains, Emmy’s wrists with them. She didn’t make her stretch, but only pulled her hands slightly above Emmy’s head, and then she clipped the chain to a sturdy hook on the wall.

  “In case she fights,” Jessla explained. “Emmy wouldn’t fight, but some of the others might.

  “You didn’t have to order her.”

  “They would obey if orders were necessary,” Jessla said. “Right now, disobedience is close to impossible. Partway through, that isn’t as true. Wait here.”

  She stepped forward. And then she was kind. She caressed Emmy’s cheek for a moment and gave her a gentle kiss. Then she talked before she began brushing Emmy’s body, short strokes down
her body, beginning with her wrists.

  And it was as if the resin returned to its sticky, liquid state, slowly flowing down Emmy’s body. It took perhaps five minutes to brush the resin all the way into the tub. And then she did the reverse, stroking upwards. Fresh, blue resin climbed Emmy’s body until she was entirely covered. Emmy spent the entire time watching Jessla.

  It was quite something.

  Then Jessla gave her another, sweet kiss before nodding to Va-va. The slave released the chains, but it was Jessla who had the key for the locks. She hugged Emmy, and I heard Emmy say, “Thank you, Jessla.”

  “You’re welcome, Emmy.” She sent Emmy from the room. Va-va was next, and I stepped to the other end of the chain. Va-va locked herself in, and I pulled on the chains, lifting her arms. Jessla nodded, and I clipped it off.

  From there, it was the same process. When she was done, Va-va clung to Jessla for a minute before heading from the room. Jessla turned to me. “It is similar to freeing them, but you think about the coating. You are freeing the coating, not freeing the slave.”

  “Ah.”

  “Not everyone can do this. It takes practice, and more practice to recoat them without a challenge involved.”

  “What are the legal implications if you accidentally free the slave instead?”

  “Then you have freed the slave, and legally, a fresh challenge is required. The reality is that unless you have been a poor owner, you could ask her to accept a new challenge, and she is going to agree.”

  “You don’t have to wait?”

  “You still must register the challenge, and that means you must convince someone like me to let her accept.”

  “And?”

  “And approximately half the time I do.”

  “Ah.”

  “How obedient are you feeling, Cee?”

  I gave myself a little assessment. “I’m not sure. I believe I’d go along with most orders, but if you told me to do something I really didn’t want, I could fight you.”

  “Come.” She strode from the room, and I followed her. She led me to the conservatory, a sort of greenhouse tower. We walked the paths between the plants for a minute before coming to a rather unusual plant. “This is our challenge.”

  “It’s a plant.”

  “It’s several plants,” she said. “Ah, there she is.”

  I turned, and a pleasure slave was approaching, pushing a metal cart. “Vi-vi?”

  “You don’t remember her? She’ll be hurt. You had your tongue inside her about twelve hours ago.”

  “Funny,” I said.

  “You seemed to think she tasted good.”

  “I imagine I did.”

  “You begged her to come back when she climbed from you.”

  “You’re enjoying this.”

  “So did you,” Jessla said. “But don’t worry. We took care of you. I replaced her. You were a little frantic, and that took something from the experience, but what you lacked in control you more than made up for in earnest need.”

  “Why are you trying to tease me? You drugged me. You’re the one who should be embarrassed.”

  “I’m not embarrassed. I’m proud.”

  I laughed.

  “Oh, the things you said to me,” she said.

  “I can imagine. Were the words ‘fuck me’ in the mix?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact.”

  “What is this challenge?”

  “I thought you would never ask. We each remove our clothes. There is a bed of sorts. And then we relax. When we climb out, one of us will be green.”

  “I think you’re skipping something.”

  “Not really. There is a small beverage involved.”

  “Why am I not surprised. Another aphrodisiac?”

  “Not at all. You aren’t about to be a pleasure slave. You are about to take your joy from tending to my conservatory. Other than Vi-vi, we have no audience, and so this can go on as long as it must. The longest I’ve experienced is eight hours. It was quite pleasant. Every hour, Vi-vi will give us a drink. It is a plant extract, and it does nothing but encourage the process.”

  “What process?”

  “Of becoming lost to the plants.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Remove your clothing, and I’ll show you.”

  I did what she ordered. And then she helped me climb into the plant. It was quite strange. It was a soft, sweet-smelling, comfortable bed. I settled in, and the plant lightly rippled over me. It felt very soothing, and I smiled at Jessla. “Nice.”

  “Isn’t it?” she said. “Very relaxing, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yes, actually. Just what I needed.”

  “Which is why this is our second challenge. This is actually several plants, and one of them is the one that produces the resin we use. If you were to lie here long enough, you would become completely encased in the resin. If you were to stay far too long, it would grow thicker. You would be unable to move, and your juices would feed the plant.”

  My lidded eyes snapped open. “What?”

  “Relax,” she said. “This one is toothless. Oh, that could still happen, but it lacks the entrapping vines that hold you here. You can climb out any time you want. Well, except some of these other plants are very, very soothing. You won’t want to climb out after a while.”

  “Is this safe?”

  “It takes days,” she said. “Vi-vi will pull us out, but if I fail tomorrow to report to Olivia, she will send guards. They know what we’re doing.”

  “This plant wants to eat me?”

  “It’s just a plant,” she said. “Relax or I won’t join you.”

  I stared up at her then said, “Fine. How does one of us win?”

  “Ah. You’ll see.” Then she undressed. Vi-vi helped her into place. Vi-vi stepped to the cart and then returned, handing something to Jessla. Jessla rolled closer to me and smiled. “Spread a little bit.”

  “Excuse me?” Her hand moved down, and she began tapping at my legs. “Oh,” I said. I didn’t move.

  “You’re not going to cooperate?”

  “Of course I’m going to cooperate, but do you like it when you don’t get an answer?”

  She snorted. “Spread.”

  I opened my legs. And yes, she slipped one of those devices into me. Then she did something, patting the plants, and one of them pressed up against me. “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure it doesn’t move. There you go. Relax now.” Then she lay back. Vi-vi moved to her side and did the same thing to her that Jessla had done to me.

  “Now we relax,” she said.

  “I’m a little nervous.”

  “You’re more than a little nervous,” she said. “It isn’t necessary, but it gives you a small advantage. Would you like to hold hands?”

  “Yes,” I said. “And tell me this is safe.”

  “I’m not here to commit suicide, Cee,” she said. “Although others have. It appears quite pleasant at first, but I do not believe it stays that way. We’re not sure, but we believe the victims awaken.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “It’s perfectly safe,” she said. “Try to stay alert. Let me tell you a story.”

  * * * *

  Jessla had long stopped talking. I had long relaxed. Lying there was so soothing. All my aches and pains were gone.

  Vi-vi knelt down. She had a cup. She lifted my head and poured the contents into my mouth, then stroked my throat until I swallowed. A minute later, she did the same to Jessla.

  My thoughts drifted.

  * * * *

  I felt so good, so good. I gave a little gasp, and grew still again.

  * * * *

  I opened my eyes. I was lying with my head in Jessla’s lap. I looked up at her. She was dressed in a robe. I felt my body and realized I had lost. “I don’t even understand what happened,” I whispered.

  “You became entirely lost faster than I did,” she said. She stroked my face then helped me to sit up. “How do you feel
?”

  I looked around. We were still in the conservatory. “Good,” I said. “This is a lovely room.”

  She stood then pulled me up. “You have duties, Cee. Come.” She led me to a workbench. She showed me the tools and supplies.

  I soon became lost in the work, relaxed and completely at ease.

  * * * *

  “Hello, Cee.”

  I finished my current task before turning to her. “Hello, Jessla.”

  “You have done well. Put the tools away. It is time for our next challenge.”

  “Yes, Jessla.” I smiled and saw to my task, cleaning up carefully and caressing the plants nearest me for a moment before following Jessla from the conservatory.

  She led me to the room where she had changed Emmy and Va-va. I thought she would lock me, but she ordered me to stand still. She pressed the coating from me, and with it, my enslavement. I sagged and looked away. Jessla wrapped me in a robe and a hug. I laid my head on her shoulder and held her for a while.

  “We’ll go sit,” she whispered. “Only a while.” Dully, I nodded.

  She took me to the parlor. One of the chairs was pulled out of the way, and a rather strange device in its place, but we moved to a sofa. I clung to her as we sat.

  She spoke soothingly, stroking me besides. I finally summoned enough strength to talk. “Why are you spending so much time on me?”

  “I’m having fun,” she said. “And I get work out of you besides.”

  “How long was yesterday’s challenge?”

  “Two and a half hours. That’s short, but you were still worn out from the previous day and a half.”

  “I don’t even know what that one was.”

  “You need only remain alert,” she explained. “But the plants are soft. They smell nice. They’re warm. They pulsate slowly, so it feels like you’re being hugged. No one would last forever.”

  “It seems like I should have known that at the beginning.”

  “I told you to try to remain alert,” she said.

  “Please, Jessla. May I actually understand the challenges in the future, before they begin?”

  “I’m sorry. Yes. Honestly, I didn’t want you to fight that one. You needed to recover more than you had. That was my attempt at kindness.”

  “I understand,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind if we repeat that.”

  “I have no repeats planned, but I’ll ensure you understand the challenges.”