She fixed her eyes on the carpet fibers and concentrated on taking deep breaths. Suddenly there was a pair of shoes in front of her and she stiffened.
"Oh, look! You were right! Boy, she is cheap!"
She closed her eyes and tried not to whimper in fear. A hand grabbed her breast in a hard squeeze and she squealed in pain but held herself in place.
"Nice tits! I love the rings." He grabbed both rings and pulled up harshly. She tried to throw her hands up to grab his arm as she rose on her toes, but only one hand made it up; the other was still chained. And one hand wasn't enough to get him to let go. She screamed in pain as he continued to lift her nipples higher with the rings and her free hand beat upon him without effect. She tried to bite him but she couldn't get close enough and her teeth closed on air.
"Dammit! Show this bitch who's boss!" he said to someone behind her, and she felt the crack of a strap across the backs of her legs. She shrieked again, now more frantic.
Suddenly the rings were released and she fell to the floor, her free hand cradling the injured globes. She heard an argument over her head and looked up.
The man named James was standing over the other man, who was now on the floor, curled up around his private parts.
"Get. The fuck. Away. From her." The barely-held anger in James' voice was clear, and dangerous.
"Who the fuck are you?" the man sputtered, oblivious to the threat. "We have every right to do whatever we want to the bitch. Unless you own her."
James held up a piece of paper and a key. "Actually, I do. For the next seven nights. So get the hell up and away from my slave."
He'd rented her? For the whole seven days? She looked up at him from the floor, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open, until she remembered her manners. She moved to kneel at his feet, one hand still attached to the stand and hanging at the level of her head, the other tucked behind her back as she bent as low as possible. She remained motionless, scarcely remembering to breathe lest he change his mind. She felt the chain on her wrist release and now she was able to bend forward to kiss his shoes.
"Lydia, get up. We need to go." He didn't touch her at all as she scrambled to her feet. "Follow me." He wheeled around and headed towards the front of the building. She grabbed her small bag from behind the stand and hurried to catch up. His friend fell in behind and they exited into the sunshine.
Dinner on the Grass
Lydia presumed her unexpected rescuer had accommodations at the Sapphire Hotel, where off-world visitors usually stayed, and as she followed him down the street in that direction, it seemed she was right. She'd never been there before and in the middle of her confusion found herself also excited and curious.
But the man behind them both wasn't going to follow quietly. "James. James, dammit! Stop!"
James stopped so suddenly that Lydia ran right into his chest as he whipped around.
"Sorry, sir!" she cried as she backed off and tried to maneuver out of the way to stand in her place behind him.
"James, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"
James ignored him as he turned to face Lydia, who was now standing where he himself had been a moment before.
"Lydia, what are you doing?" He sounded exasperated.
"James!"
"What, Raym?"
"I asked what are you doing?"
"Well, at the moment I'm trying to figure out why she keeps moving around to my back."
"That's because she belongs behind you and she knows it. But that's not what I'm talking about! You just rented a slave for a week!"
"So?"
"What are you going to do with her? We spend every minute in that damn basement with those damn books–"
Books? A frisson of fear went through her and she shivered. She saw James look down at her.
"– and if we're not there, we'll be in the lab. What is she going to do?"
"I don't know. What would you normally do during the day, Lydia?"
He was asking her?
"Sir–" her voice was cracking, "–um, normally I'm rented for one or two days and nights, and the only thing that I do during the day is, um, serve my master for his pleasure..."
"All day?"
"Well, if he's paid good money for me, um, then he usually wants to spend most of the day being pleasured."
"See?" The man whose name was Raym gave a snort.
"Shut up. Okay, Lydia, well, we'll have to figure out what else you can do while we're together."
"You-you don't wish to use me... for pleasure?" She was completely confused.
"No! I mean, sure, but, oh, shit. I don't know what the hell I was thinking."
The rejection hurt more than she'd thought it could. "I'm sure they would give you most of your money back, sir, if you brought me back," she whispered, looking at the concrete beneath her feet.
"What? Why would..." He paused and she heard him take a deep breath. "Lydia, I am not taking you back. You're with me for the next seven days. We'll figure it out."
The other man made an exasperated groan. "Look, you two have fun with whatever you do. Me, I'm going back and finding myself something to play with tonight. James, I'll see you, not too early tomorrow morning." He turned on his heel and walked back the way they had come.
As Raym stomped back down the sidewalk, James looked down at Lydia. She looked dejected and confused. He shook his head. This was not what he'd meant to do here on Midros. But it was what it was, and he'd be damned if he would take her back to face a week of hell, all because he was too much of a coward to figure out how to occupy her time.
"Lydia, I'm sorry. I'm – this–" he gestured at the world around them "–is just so strange for me. I've never had a real slave before. I mean an involuntary one."
"Yes, Master." She was still staring at the sidewalk.
"Hey, look at me." He touched her under the chin and her troubled brown eyes met his. "First, please call me James. Okay?"
"Yes, sir. I mean yes, James."
"Second. Are you hungry?'
She shook her head. He had a feeling she was lying.
"Well, I am. But it's too beautiful to go inside. Let's go for a walk and we'll grab something from one of the food stands when we see one. C'mon." He turned towards the park and waited. She looked at him but didn't move. He made a gesture with his hand. "This way."
"Yes, sir. I'll be right behind you." She had that confused look again.
James chuckled as the situation dawned on him. "You're supposed to walk behind me?"
She nodded.
"Is there any exception to the rule that would allow you to walk next to me?"
"Well..." She colored.
"Well what?"
"If you're holding on to me, it's permitted." She said the words in a rush.
He shook his head. "Okay, but it won't be easy," he teased. He moved beside her and picked up her hand, tucking it inside the crook of his elbow tight enough that she couldn't pull it loose, which she'd probably never dare to try anyway. She was looking at the sidewalk again. What had he done now?
"Lydia, look at me." This time her eyes were full of tears as she looked up. "I'm sorry. I was teasing you. Holding the arm of a pretty girl is about the easiest thing a man on any planet can do." He smiled at her, and to his astonishment, she smiled back.
"Oh. Thank you, sir."
They started down the street. He hadn't been out of his hotel room and the Archives much, so he looked around with interest. A mixture of languages drifted through the air – Basic, spoken by almost everyone in the galaxy, and Eluiim, spoken mostly by women in quiet, polite voices. Groups passed them, some carrying bags and talking together, some hurrying with their hands empty and their eyes glued to the ground. A few young women walking together giggled at something and then one of them dared to smile at him out of the corner of her eye. It was a completely normal scene from every planet he'd ever been on, except for the silver collar around every woman's neck.
He smiled back and that seeme
d to scare her because she whipped her head around and skittered away, her friends calling out to her and rushing to catch up.
As they walked, he asked Lydia questions about the city. Eventually her shoulders relaxed and she lost the pinched, scared look she'd been wearing since he met her. She had a good memory and shared many details about the buildings and parks, and the history of the area. He stayed away from asking her anything personal, until he accidentally broached the topic.
"I can't believe how much you know. Have you lived in the city all your life?"
She stopped. "Well, my school was outside the city and that's where I spent my childhood. I suppose I was born here, though I don't remember much about my early life." Her brow wrinkled. "Could we get some food now, sir?" She pointed at a vendor across the grass. The smell of roasted meat wafted through the air, sending his empty stomach into paroxysms.
"Absolutely." He filed the abrupt change of subject away in a corner of his mind and pulled her in the direction of food.
Lydia realized she was having a lovely time. It wasn't unusual for her to get out of her master's house, but she was typically on an errand of some kind, so she hardly ever stopped to look around. James asked her what she wanted to eat when they arrived at the food cart, and she stumbled for a moment, not used to having the choice. She solved the problem by ordering the same thing he had ordered. The only awkward moment was when he guided them to a bench. Her hand was still tucked under his arm, so when he sat, he pulled her down. She reflexively tried to pull out of his grasp to slip to her knees next to the bench and when he didn't let go, she wound up almost falling into his lap.
"Hey there! What are you doing?" he laughed.
She reddened. "Sir, I'm not allowed to sit on the bench. It's for men only. That's my spot there." She pointed to a square of concrete to the side of the bench.
"You have to kneel on concrete?" He seemed bewildered.
"Well, yes, it's better than kneeling in the dirt or the mud..." she trailed off.
He stood up abruptly, still holding the containers of food, and gestured with his head to follow him. He moved a dozen feet away to the shade of a tree.
"Anything that says I'm not allowed to sit on the grass?"
"No, sir. You can do anything you want."
"Then sit here next to me."
And she did, and for a little while they talked and laughed and she forgot that she was a rented slave.
A Rough Start
The light was beginning to fade by the time they had finished eating. James – it was strange to think of him by his first name only - bought her dessert, something she didn't have very often, and she'd downed the flaky-sweet pastry faster than was polite. A chill was descending and her skin was prickling; the dress she wore left nothing to the imagination, and neither did it hold in any heat. In her distress this morning she hadn't thrown anything in her small bag she could put on for warmth. But saying something was out of the question. If he wanted to stay out all night, she'd shiver her way through it obediently.
She started to gather the wrappers together but he took them from her and smiled as he rose to walk the few meters to a trashcan. She plucked her bag off the ground.
Once she stood, the cool air ran over her whole body and she clutched her arms across her middle.
He threw a look at her. "Are you cold? Stupid question. Of course you're cold! You're shivering. Do you have something to keep you warm?"
She shook her head. "No, sir. I was so worried when I packed this morning I forgot to pack anything practical."
"Never mind. Stay in my arm and we'll get straight back to the hotel. Once you're inside, you'll be fine."
She didn't mind. Not at all, in fact, if it meant she could stay within the warmth and comfort of his arm. He smelled good, kind of a faint exotic spicy smell.
They made their way back towards the hotel under the darkening sky of deep pink and blue. The stars were beginning to pop out and he asked her if she knew anything about them. They chatted about the different constellations and before she had a chance to think about being cold, they were at the hotel.
She'd never been in The Sapphire Hotel before. The building looked much bigger that she'd imagined it was. As they entered the large glass doors, he slipped his arm off her shoulders to hold the door for a man behind them. Lydia stepped out of the way and into the lobby.
The scene that met her eyes stopped her in her tracks. She stared at the trees and the hanging vines, then looked out to the center at the different stone levels. Mesmerized, she walked towards the center far enough to look up – and up and up.
"Lydia?" Suddenly mindful of not being in her place, she whirled around to find an amused-looking James, his arms crossed, waiting for her to return to the present. She scurried back to his side, resolving to look only at the floor as they resumed their walk across the immense lobby. He led her up wide, curving stairs, around a corner to the left, and once more she stopped in her tracks.
This time the view was water. They were looking down onto a lake – in the middle of the hotel! There was even a waterfall. Lush bushes and flowers grew around the curved edges. There were chairs for lounging, and more than a few very naked women, either swimming in the water, or laying on the chairs, all with the black collars that marked them as visitors.
She closed her mouth and looked up at James. He was grinning again.
"Like to go swimming there sometime this week?"
Her face fell. "I'm sure I'm not allowed to, Master. But thank you for asking me."
"Hmm. We'll see about that. Anyhow, my room is just down the hall here."
The room was far larger than Lydia had expected. There was a huge picture window overlooking the plunging hillside. The last rays of pink were disappearing behind the sand-colored cliffs. When the lights popped on, she was startled by the huge bed in the middle of the room, with four elaborately carved posts that stood at each corner and rose up almost three meters. A wooden frame enclosed the posts at the top. The bed was made from beautiful reddish-brown wood from one of the trees native to Midros, and the bedspread was a deep blue. His chuckle drew her away from her examination of the room.
"It's a bit over the top, I know, but my friend – you met him; he's the other guy that was with us – he's paying for the room. He doesn't know how to do things half way, so I have enough space for a party."
All right, Lydia, you've had your fun, now remember your place, she chided herself. She sank to her knees in front of him. "Thank you, sir, for dinner. How may I serve you now?"
"Lydia, I don't expect you to have sex with me. That's not why I brought you here. You can do whatever you'd like to do. "
She'd spent her entire life being told what to do almost every waking moment. This was uncharted territory. She floundered around in her mind looking for a possible option and latched onto the one that had worked earlier with the food. "What are you going to do, sir?"
"Watch some vid and probably fall asleep, to be honest. If you want, you can c'mon up on the bed and watch with me."
She was relieved at the suggestion, so she placed her shoes neatly in the corner near her bag, then climbed onto the tall bed. He settled back against the pillows and after a moment, she did too, feeling very strange at the casualness of it all as she lay next to him.
The program was one she'd seen before at home so she paid only scant attention to it, instead sneaking glances at the man lying next to her. He was tall with dark brown hair and when he opened the buttons on his shirt she caught a glimpse of well-defined muscles over his ribs. He looked like he hadn't shaved in several days and she wondered what it would feel like to have him scrape his short beard across her nipples. She felt a wave of arousal rush down to the place between her legs, and hoped she wasn't going to leave a wet spot on the immaculate bedspread. What the hell? A couple of hours ago she'd been terrified at the thought of being rented for sex by a stranger, and now she was having fantasies of him?
She made herself turn
back to the vid and concentrate so she'd stop thinking of anything else. It worked for a few minutes. The next time she peeked at James he was sound asleep.
Oh. Now what did she do? He was completely dressed, lying on top of the covers. The very least she could do was cover him up. She dragged the folded blanket from the bottom of the bed up over him, relieved that he didn't stir.
Now what about her? There were a few guiding rules in this situation, and one was that slaves wait to be invited into bed with their masters. She hadn't been, at least for sleeping, so that was out. The floor was very familiar territory for most slaves. She looked at the carpet and sighed. It was thick, but not as nice as her bed at home. She wondered if there was at least another blanket somewhere. There was another section of the room she hadn't explored yet. She padded over to the other side of the bed, her feet silent on the thick carpet. In the dim light, she saw a sitting area, with a couch, several chairs, a desk, and two small tables scattered about. In one corner was a large object covered with a sheet, and a suitcase sat open on top, some of the contents hanging out over the side. But no blanket.
Memories of Surrender (Midrosian Chronicles Book 1) Page 4