by Lily White
“We should start the movie.”
He finally glanced up at me from Claire. His hand stroked down Rebecca’s cheek, tapping it softly a few times to indicate that she needed to move so he could stand.
Smiling up at him, Rebecca appeared content and I wondered if Aiden had chosen not to sell her after all.
By the time he’d crossed the room, Claire had settled at my feet and I couldn’t help but appreciate how her hand wrapped around my ankle. She didn’t squeeze or grip down, just continued to touch me as if it would save her from whatever Aiden was about to do.
It dawned on me in that moment that touching me brought her comfort. The small smile that adorned my face at the realization was one of accomplishment and pride. My methods might not be what Aiden considered proper, but they were working nonetheless.
After readying the television and DVD player, Aiden turned to look in our direction. His arrogance was obvious in the way he held his body perfectly straight, his shoulders pulled back as he lifted his hand up over his shoulder and clicked the play button. His eyes never left us when the movie began.
As soon as I saw the first picture on the screen, I knew why he stared at us instead of the television. He wanted to witness our reaction.
Claire was on the screen, her naked body glistening beneath the spray of the guest bathroom’s shower. Her arms were held in front of her and her face was turned towards a person out of the camera’s view. I recognized the recording immediately and realized that it was my fault it existed at all. The white noise of the shower blared through the speakers, only broken apart by the sound of my steps and my voice.
“Turn around. Hands against the wall and keep them there.” One simple phrase and I witnessed something I hadn’t seen at the time the scene was recorded. The look in her eyes was vacant when she shook her head ‘no’. There was no desire, no longing, it was the look of a woman who had no choice.
It was a look that made me feel disgusted for what I’d done.
I turned away from the screen to see Aiden’s smug grin. Anger shot through me, fast and sharp and I knew that he’d succeeded in terrorizing Claire without ever having laid one finger on her body.
He was using me against her, showing her the betrayal behind the kindness I fought desperately to give her.
“I want to taste you, Courtesan.”
The familiarity of my voice drew my attention back to the screen and Claire’s hand gripped tighter around my ankle where she sat. I couldn’t look down at her, couldn’t betray myself by acting in a way that Aiden would recognize as guilt. He was breaking me as much as he was breaking her and he knew it.
The fucking bastard had a reason for every action and every word that he spoke. This particular action I was sure was intended to destroy the small amount of trust I’d gained in Claire.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Claire. I’m going to shove my cock in that tight little cunt of yours and I’m going to enjoy every fucking second of it.”
Another click of the remote button and he paused the recording. My eyes shot over to his face and for the first time, I saw the cruelty I knew he was capable of committing aimed directly at me.
“Didn’t you tell her you’d be sharing that moment with me?” Stepping forward he knelt down beside her, reaching out to trace his thumb across her bottom lip. He feigned remorse for her pain, the expression foreign on a face such as his.
“I’m sorry you had to find out like this, Claire. It’s the reality of your new life. There are no moments that are yours. Not now and not ever.” He glanced up at me for a second before returning his gaze to her. “It’s a shame that Holland isn’t a full-fledged Master. If this had been a moment with me, I promise you it would have been between us alone. You enjoy those moments. Don’t you?”
Claire attempted to pull away from his touch, but he gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
“Do not try to pull away from me.” He paused to allow her the time to stop struggling. Once she stilled, he added, “I guarantee you won’t like the results.”
Releasing her, he stood up, moving to the side of the room to pull out a bench. The wheels slid easily over the carpet, the polished black leather covering on the bench reflecting the image on the television screen. The beginnings of a headache threatened the base of my skull as I watched him prepare his scene.
Claire’s hand was no longer touching my ankle. Even though that small amount of trust had been shredded, she still leaned into my legs when she realized what Aiden was doing.
After locking the wheels, he slapped at one of the shackles attached to the legs of the bench and the metallic clang echoed sharply through the room in warning.
“One of my favorite things when I was younger were dinner theaters.” He spoke casually as if nothing more was going on than a lighthearted discussion occurring amongst friends. Smiling, he looked between our faces. “I know. I’m not the first person you would imagine enjoying such a thing, but I’ll admit I loved them.”
He paced across the front of the room, slow measured steps that punctuated the tension between us. “One of the things I loved about those shows was the inclusion of the audience. It wasn’t like going to a movie where everything occurred on screen. At times, those actors would come off the stage to make their audience an active participant in the scene. To me, it was a genius idea…” He stopped, glancing between us before stating, “…and it is an idea I’d like to try out tonight.”
My stomach churned when I understood his plan, the small amount of food I’d been able to eat in the kitchen now threatening to force its way back up my throat. Claire must have had the same realization as me. While I was attempting to keep from throwing up, she was hugging closer to my legs. Anger washed across my thoughts because I hadn’t planned this for her. Aiden, despite his word that she was mine to train, was making his influence known. I’d never intended to share her fully, but right here and right now, I was being taught that I had no choice.
“You look angry, Holland.”
I looked up to find him staring at me, his face completely neutral except for the challenge in his eyes. I wanted to tell him to fuck off, to grab Claire and pull her from the room and out of the house. But I couldn’t do those things. If I even attempted it, if I lost Aiden’s agreement to train me, I would lose everything I had. More was riding on this than Claire’s submission, my entire life and my future rode on this moment as well.
“I’m fine,” I lied. Claire’s body flinched against my legs and I knew that those two words of betrayal had stabbed her.
Aiden nodded. “That’s good. Grab Claire. Lock her down to the bench. I want her facing the screen.”
I hesitated only for a second before standing up and pulling Claire to her feet. She didn’t voice her objection and she didn’t have to. The look of betrayal and hatred in her eyes told me everything she was feeling in that moment.
Leading her to the bench, I pushed against her back to bend her over the cool surface of the leather. She didn’t resist like I’d expected her to and I was thankful for that. Perhaps she realized that the violence that would follow her refusal would force her into the position anyway, so what was the point in fighting back?
With her chest balanced over the leather bench, I locked her arms and legs into place with the shackles and cuffs attached to the legs. When she was finally secured, Aiden instructed, “Take a seat.”
My ass wasn’t even firmly in the chair yet when he started pacing the floor again. He hands were folded at his back and his face was tilted down towards the floor. An expert at creating anxiety, of building tension through lack of action, Aiden didn’t speak at first. Every so often his eyes would glance at Claire and his lip would twitch to see her squirm. I couldn’t blame her for not being able to hold still. She was locked down and exposed to a room full of people, her face positioned in such a way that she was forced to stare at a television screen with the image paused precisely at the moment where she would be raped.
She flinched again, this time without him having to lay a single finger on her.
“Since you’ve supposedly submitted already, I’ve decided that you must be ready for the next step.” Sarcasm and contempt oozed from his words.
Standing up, he moved to Claire’s feet, looking between Rebecca and me as if he were making a decision. The muscles along my spine tensed.
“Rebecca. Stand up, my beautiful girl. You’re the lucky audience member who gets to participate tonight.”
Chapter Sixteen
Claire
When he said her name, I felt like I would faint. Adrenaline shot through me with such force and ferocity that my head spun, my eyes closing to block out the screen in front of them. The room spun around me, my entire world shifting on an axis so steep that I felt like I would float away if not chained down.
His voice sounded like he was deep in a tunnel, far away, but still close enough that the echo of his words struck against my conscious thoughts.
“I have always enjoyed the sensuality of a woman with another woman. And as Courtesans, you will do anything to please the men around you because you are the most desirable and beautiful thing in the room.”
I shivered at what he was doing. It was so obvious. A small compliment paid to endear the woman, to make her believe that her obedience is what gave her value. I didn’t think the speech was intended for me. I believed it was intended for Rebecca. Almost immediately after he said those words, I could hear her shifting up from the floor behind me. Her hands touched my feet and my body jumped.
“You are the most beautiful,” Aiden repeated. Except this time, it was said in a much softer voice, directed to no other person but her. I couldn’t see what they were doing, however the soft feminine moan clued me into the fact that he was focused on his courtesan.
He whispered to her and although I could hear the faint hint of his voice, I had no idea what he said. From the corner of my eye, I could see Holland sit back in his chair, his hands folded in his laps with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He was relaxing despite what Aiden planned to do.
I felt a small hand run up between my legs, the fingernails trailing along the inside of my thigh.
“Stop.” The word rolled out of my mouth before I could stop it. It was obvious Rebecca had been abused like me and I prayed that I could convince her that what she was doing was wrong. “Rebecca, please stop. You don’t have to do what he says.”
A masculine chuckle was followed closely by a feminine reply. “I don’t?”
This wasn’t going to work. She was too far gone and it was obvious by the tone of her voice. I tried anyway, because what other choice did I have?
“No. You don’t. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but this abuse against both of us is wrong. You’re not a dog. You’re a human being, yet he makes you eat at his feet and walk around on all fours like you don’t mean more to him than an amusing pet.”
Aiden’s laughter was louder this time, more jubilant and proud. “Is that so?” He asked.
Tears burned my eyes, slowly breaking free to trail down my cheeks, becoming cold as they finally dripped from my chin.
“Yes.”
“Then maybe it’s not your body that she should abuse.” His eyes were locked to mine after he kneeled down again. In his hand was a red ball with black straps attached to its sides. He held it up to ensure that I could see it.
“I’m tired of hearing you already. I hope you don’t mind.” With his free hand, he shoved his thumb into my mouth, hooking it down over my teeth to pull my jaw down. He inserted the ball, which was large enough to force my tongue behind my teeth, the width of my open mouth painful over both the muscles and skin. Within seconds he had the gag secured at the back of my head and with no ability to communicate, all I had left was the screen in front of me, and Holland to my side. That small comfort of his presence wouldn’t last long.
“Holland. We’re going to reenact your little encounter in the bathroom from this morning. I’m surprised at how quickly Claire responded to you and I wanted to see it in person to understand how a Master as young as you was able to manipulate a woman on the second day of her training. I’m curious because progress such as that is usually unheard of, so congratulations for that. Nobody has piqued my curiosity since Rebecca first crossed my path.”
Holland stood up from the chair and moved out of my peripheral view. Rebecca’s hand released my leg and I was left trembling and exposed to three people I could no longer see.
Aiden was back at eye level with me. A wicked grin pulled at his lips with evil stirring behind his blue eyes. “You see, Rebecca is a curiosity all on her own. She was the first courtesan I trained to also become a Master.” Leaning in, he spoke so softly that only I was able to hear him. “That’s why what you say to her will never work, Claire. You misjudged the situation. Rebecca is not a woman abused into submission. She enjoys it, almost as much as she enjoys taking part in it.”
Back up and out of my view, he continued his instructions to Holland. “Pants around your ankles, position yourself behind your whore.”
The tears poured thick from my eyes, but I tried not to think about what was being done. I hated Holland for his part in all of this, but understanding the level of evil that controlled him, the absolute lack of morality in the man who trained him, I felt sorry for Holland. He’d been manipulated into this life, into the task of stealing women for the sole purposes of breaking them down, training them to be slaves. The symptoms had been obvious from the beginning. Yes, he took part, but not with the vigilance of Aiden and except for a few occasions, he’d attempted to use a light hand, he’d attempted to avoid violence and force.
Aiden, on the other hand, reveled in it.
“Grab the whip, Rebecca. I know that’s your favorite.”
Holland’s hands were on the back of my thighs and I could feel his hips between my legs. He gripped down when Aiden gave Rebecca her instruction, but he didn’t move away.
“She’s not using that on me.” Holland spoke firmly, his voice not wavering even the slightest against Aiden.
“Then she’ll use it on Claire.”
The chains between my appendages and the legs of the bench rattled from how violently my body trembled.
Aiden explained, “You see, a choice is going to be made here, Holland. If you want to train her without violence, then you will take the brunt of the violence for her. If you refuse, then she’ll take it, because that is how a woman is properly trained.”
The room grew quiet between the two men.
Holland’s voice was the first to disrupt the tension in the air. “I’m a Master….”
“No…” Aiden interrupted. “…You’re not. Not in the eyes of the society, at least. Not until I say so. I can always break the agreement, Holland, but you should consider how your stepfather would feel if that were to happen. You should consider everything that will be lost as a result.”
“Fuck him…”
“And you fuck yourself,” Aiden interrupted again, the touch of triumph on his voice.
More silence. I swore my heart was beating so fast and the air was so still between us that every person in this room could hear it pounding against my chest.
“Fine. I’ll take it for her.”
“I suspected you would.” Aiden knelt down by my head again. “And you are going to show him how much you appreciate his kind hand aren’t you?” Pointing up at the
screen, he didn’t speak again until I looked at it. “You’ve submitted to him before and by the looks of it, you enjoyed it. What’s happening now shouldn’t be any different.”
After he’d finished taunting me, he stepped away and back out of my view, directing the players in the room from what sounded like a slight distance.
“When I push play, Holland, I want you to fuck your courtesan, long and slow, just like in the recording. Rebecca, I don’t believe I even need to explain what you are supposed to do.”
The room grew quiet and I felt Holland position the head of his cock at the entrance of my body. It took everything I had to relax, to keep myself from fighting against the chains holding me in place.
“She’s not ready. She’s as dry as a fucking desert.” Holland advised.
“Then get her ready.”
Aiden was steadfast in his instruction and Holland sighed heavily above me. He leaned down over me so that his chest pressed lightly against my back and his mouth pressed lightly against my ear. Speaking softly, he said, “I’m sorry. Please try to relax and this will be easier.”
His fingers trailed over the skin between my legs and he rubbed circles over my clit, preparing my body for sex. I closed my eyes and was thankful that neither Aiden nor Rebecca spoke.
“Pretend that it’s just you and me, Claire. There’s nobody else in the room.” Pulling away, he continued to fondle me, causing a natural reaction in my body that prepared me for his cock. Once I was sufficiently wet and once my body had relaxed back down against the bench, he pressed himself up against me again, slipping just the head inside me to loosen up the muscles.
I relaxed more, breathing out slowly and doing as he’d instructed, pretending it was just he and I in the room. Aiden must have rewound the recording before pushing play because Holland’s haunting voice floated through the room.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Claire. I’m going to shove my cock in that tight little cunt of yours and I’m going to enjoy every fucking second of it.”