The Queen Slave

by Reardon, Savannah

  Finally, she was able to get out of bed and sit in the lounge chair, getting up occasionally to exercise her muscles. She was resting in the chair when Max came into the room. “Do you feel up to coming into the kitchen for breakfast this morning?”

  “I think so.”

  Max helped her out of the chair and held onto her arm as they walked slowly into the kitchen. “I made your favorite. Just be sure to not over stuff yourself. Doc said that your body still has not totally adjusted to having much food in your stomach yet.”

  Neenah smiled at Max’s fussiness over her. He had been fussing about her like a mother hen since she had been brought back home. “Max, who is taking care of your businesses while you are here with me?”

  “I am doing a lot of it from here. I have an office in my chambers and it is equipped with everything I need. Instead of having actual business meetings, I have been doing video conferences.”

  “I have gotten a lot better now. Don’t you think maybe it is time for you to go back to work? I will be okay, and you can check on me any time you wish to do so.”

  “I don’t know Neenah. I really don’t want to leave you. You are still very weak and require help.”

  “Well, I don’t want your business to suffer, and I know that personal attention is required to keep things running smoothly. I have a feeling that there are some situations that necessitate your personal attention, but you have been letting them slide to stay here and take care of me.”

  “You are very observant. There are some things that I need to handle, and they have to be done on site, but I am very hesitant about leaving you.”

  “You have hired an excellent nursing staff to take care of any medical needs, and there is a physical therapist starting this week to help me strengthen my weakened muscles. You have hired servants to take care of any thing I could possibly need or desire. I am not trying to get rid of you, but I know how important your business dealings are, and I do not want to be the cause of something going wrong because you did not give it the attention it deserved.”

  “But you will get lonely. I can’t bear the thought of you having to sit around here all by yourself.”

  “Well, how about having Keera come up here and stay? You said she had wanted to visit, and frankly, I miss her. We had become good friends before I was taken, and I miss getting to talk with her.”

  “I think that is a very good idea. Yes, I had noticed that you two had gotten close. I will send her a message to join you.”

  “Shouldn’t I undress then and you put my collar back on?” Neenah asked, for since she had been rescued, she had been dressed and there was no collar around her neck.

  “Don’t be silly Neenah. The whole galaxy knows at this point that you mean much more to me than a slave. In fact, I have drawn up the necessary papers to declare you a free person. All you have to do is sign.”

  “Even if I do not do as you desire and become your mate?”

  “Even if, though I hold out hope that you will want to stay once you have recovered.”

  “Max, would it be okay if Keera wears clothes while she is up her with me?”

  “Sure, sweet heart, if that is what you want, it is fine with me.”

  Neenah started to ask him if he would consider freeing Keera as well, but decided to wait and ask him after she had told him that she intended to stay with him.

  Max went into his office to send Keera the message and to make arrangements to travel to the businesses that needed personal attention. He then returned to the bed chamber to pack for the trip.

  “I will probably be gone a couple of weeks. You do not have to worry about anything. I have notified all of the staff that I will be gone, and that they are to take excellent care of you, doing any thing that you ask of them. I have also tightened and added more security so you will be perfectly safe while I am gone. There is not likely anything to worry about after how the Droigoird was taken care of, but you can never be too careful.”

  A buzz sounded through the intercom to let them know that someone was waiting at the chamber door, so Max went to see who it was. When he came back into the room, he was followed by Keera.

  “Carry on ladies as if I am not even here,” Max said as he crossed over to the dresser to continue packing.

  Keera rushed over to Neenah, who was lounging in her usual place in the chair. “Neenah, thank goodness you are okay; I was so worried! How are you feeling?”

  “I am feeling fine, still a little weak, but that is to be expected.”

  “Well, ladies, I am off,” said Max as he bent down to kiss Neenah on the forehead. “Keera, you are to stay here with Neenah until I return. Consider all of your appointments for the next two weeks cancelled, I will take care of that once I am on the ship. Neenah, remember that while I am gone, you have the run of my chambers and the staff is at your beck and call if you need anything.” He kissed Neenah on the forehead once more and then grabbed his bags and headed out the door.

  “Rumor has it that Master has had your emancipation papers drawn up,” said Keera.

  “I just heard about that. He told me that all I had to do was sign my name on the dotted line.”

  “Are you going to leave once you do? I can tell that Master dotes on you and really wants you to stay. The rumor going around the compound and among Master’s business associates is he never intended to keep you as a slave in the first place. I heard that he bought you in order to have you become his mate. Is it true?”

  Max did not tell Neenah if it was okay now to tell Keera everything, but she figured that if her emancipation was out of the bag, then it was probably okay to tell her. “Just between you and me, it is true, though I did not know anything about it until after my first visit to his bed chamber after being named his primary.”

  “Then why did he make you go through the training and being marked and everything else if he never intended for you to stay his slave?”

  “It was just the way things had to be. He could not let it be known right after he bought me that he did not intend to use me as a slave. It would have caused problems with his business and his reputation. It had to look like he fell in love with me while I performed as his primary. It some ways, it was also a protection for me. If I were to ever be able to regain my throne and planet, nothing could be done about my loss of virginity because I was a slave when it happened. I hope that you are not angry with me for being less than forthcoming with you.”

  “Don’t be silly, of course I am not angry with you! It is every slave’s dream to have a master fall in love with her and release her from the life of a slave. Of course, some slaves get jealous when that situation happens to another slave, but most of the time, we are all happy for her. I always thought that you did not deserve the fate of a sex slave, and I secretly hoped that you would be released. So, he does want you to stay then?”

  “Yes, he does. He talks about it more often now that I am on the mend. At first, he did not mention it much, I think because he felt very guilty for what had happened and was afraid that I was going to blame him for it. He already felt like he was fighting an up-hill battle to get me to want to stay in the first place.”

  “Well, are you going to stay?”

  “Yes, I think so. Max is not the person that I thought he was when I was first brought here. The cold authoritative persona that he projects as Master is not his true self. It is just the character he portrays in order to get the compliance from his slaves that he needs. To him, it is mostly just business. A well trained, well behaved slave means more money than one that is disobedient. In reality, he is a kind and compassionate person who makes me laugh. Oh, that reminds me, I asked if it was okay for you to wear clothes while you are in here with me and he said that it was, so you can choose any thing you would like from the closet.”

  “Neenah, that was so sweet of you to think of that. I love wearing clothes, but I just do not get to do it that often!”

  They spent the next few hours trying on outfits, Neenah part
icipating at first and then, as she tired, she sat in the lounge chair and watched as Keera put on one outfit after another.

  “Neenah, how long has it been since you enjoyed a nice whirlpool bath and had your hair and make-up fixed?”

  “I get to enjoy the bath a couple of times a week since the doctor said that it is good for my muscles, but I have not had my hair or make up fixed since being brought back home. Huh,” Neenah chuckled, “isn’t that odd? I called this home. I guess that speaks loud and clear doesn’t it? I consider home to be here with Max. The days of ruling Anthar seem so far away that it gives the impression of another lifetime,” Neenah said as she and Keera sauntered to the bathroom.

  As Neenah as helped into the warm steaming water by Keera, she asks her, “Keera, if you were free, what would you want to do with your life?”

  “Oh, now that is a loaded question if I ever heard one. To be honest, I try not to dwell on things like that. My life is what it is.”

  “Just humor me, ok? I really want to know.”

  “Oh, all right, if you insist. My dream would be to go to school and learn business. I used to be really good at math, so I think that business accounting would be a good place for me. After finishing school, I would like to find a job with a good stable company. Finding a man that could love me even after knowing I had been a sex slave would be nice, though it is probably not realistic. I would love to have a child, though after all of the years of being a slave and on birth control, I do not know if I could even conceive.”

  “In this day and age, you can do pretty much anything. Infertility is pretty much unheard of now. Science has taken care of that problem.”

  “Well, that is true, and I guess that even if I could not find a man to spend my life with, I could still have a child.”

  “Most definitely.”

  Keera carefully bathed Neenah, drawing the smooth cloth across her skin. She leaned her back and washed her hair, being sure to get it thoroughly shampooed and rinsed. She helped her out of the tub and dressed her and then seated her at the vanity table. “Master must have had this installed after he bought you. There did not use to be a vanity table in here.” She took her time and applied make up to Neenah’s still pale face, bringing color and warmth into it. She dried her hair and styled it, making the curls hang beautifully down her back.

  “That is gorgeous, Keera. Thank you so much! I actually feel half human again.”

  The two weeks that Max was gone passed much too quickly for Neenah. She had really enjoyed the time that she spent with Keera and was afraid that once Max was home that she would not see her as much. She decided that she would have to try and figure out a solution for that.

  Max arrived home, and Neenah was surprised at how happy she was to see him. She had not realized how much she had missed his smile and his infectious laugh until he was standing beside the bed, kissing her forehead.

  “I did not mean to wake you. I just could not resist kissing you. I missed you terribly,” Max apologized.

  “I missed you too.”

  “You did? Really? There is hope for me yet, it seems,” shouted Max as he danced across the room.

  Neenah smiled at his outburst of joyousness. This man, she realized, would move the heavens for her. She was counting on that to be true as she watched him dance out of the room.

  Several minutes later, he reentered the room carrying her breakfast on a tray. “Breakfast in bed for the most beautiful lady in the galaxy,” Max gushed as he set the tray in Neenah’s lap.

  She started to eat but then noticed a small box lying on the tray beside her plate. “What’s this?” she asked.

  “Open it and see.”

  Neenah picked up the box and opened the lid, gasping when she saw the magnificent diamond solitaire ring perched inside.

  Max took Neenah’s hand and said, “I know we got off to a most unusual start and that things definitely could have gone much more smoothly. However, I no longer just admire you from afar but from close up. During the time we have spent together, I have discovered that you are everything I thought you to be and more. I have fallen madly, deeply in love with you, and I want nothing more than for you to be by my side for the rest of my life. I know that I do not deserve you or your love, but I fervently hope that you can overlook the circumstances that brought you here and believe the depth of my feelings for you. Neenah, will you marry me?”

  Neenah had never heard anything more romantic in her entire life and tears slid down her cheeks as she answered, “Yes, I will.”

  Max let out a whoop of joy and swept Neenah into his arms, knocking the breakfast plate to the floor. “You will not regret this. I promise you that. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

  He took the ring box from her and pulled the ring from its perch, sliding it onto her finger. Neenah looked at it the sparkling piece of jewelry on her finger in wonder. “When you first told me what you had done, I could not believe it. I could not understand how you could do such a thing, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see how you deemed it to be the only choice you had. As we spent more and more time together, your feelings for me came across loud and clear and I found myself falling for you.

  “After I was abducted, I thought that I had been mistaken about your feelings for me and that you would not rescue me, but you did. Every time I would wake up after you brought me home, your face was the first thing I saw and the first voice I heard. You proved your love and devotion to me many times over. You also showed me your true self, and that is the man that I fell in love with. I only hope that I can be the wife that you want me to be.

  “Neenah, all you have to be is yourself,” Max said as he cuddled up next to Neenah on the bed.

  “You look really tired,” Neenah proclaimed as Max yawned, proving her statement.

  “I did not sleep much while I was gone. I was too busy worrying about you and missing you. I have a feeling that from now on, any time that I go on a business trip, I will have to take you with me.”

  “Why don’t you take a nap?” Neenah asked.

  “What about your breakfast?”

  “I think it will probably be difficult to eat off the floor,” Neenah chuckled.

  “Good point. How about I fix us something else later?”

  “Sounds good to me, but right now, let’s go to sleep.”

  Max and Neenah fell asleep in each other’s arms. Neenah, for the first time since being abducted, slept without nightmares. She woke some time later to find Max gone from the bed. She got up and padded to the kitchen to find him puttering about, working on fixing their meal.

  “Hey beautiful, was I making too much noise?”

  “No, you did not wake me up. I guess I had just slept enough.”

  Max finished cooking, and they sat down to eat lunch. While they were eating, they discussed details about the wedding. Max went on and on about who they would invite and where they would have it and how beautiful it would be when he noticed a faraway look on Neenah’s face.

  “Neenah, are you okay? You seem miles away.”

  “Yes, I am fine. I was just thinking. I have no family or friends to invite to the wedding so the guests will all be made up of your family and acquaintances.”

  “I know and a lot of that is my fault.”

  “Not really, even on Anthar, I did not have any close family left, and I definitely did not have any friends. There is one request I have though. Something I would like for you to do for me.”

  “Anything love, just name it,” Max responded.

  “Emancipate Keera and Nylia. At first, I was just going to ask you for Keera, but thought that it would not be fair to continue to subject Nylia to the life style after Keera had been released. You do not need to own slaves. With as much business as you have, you most certainly do not need the income, and you can find other ways to keep your clients happy, or you can rent escorts from for them from somewhere else.”

  “I can do that, but they would not likely
be safe on the streets. They have no formal training of any kind. They would not be able to get a job anywhere.”

  “That brings me to my next request. Send them to school. You do it all the time. You can send them to school to learn about an aspect of your business, and then you can employ them and let them live here in the compound. That way they would be free to live their own lives, but they would be safe and have a place to live.”

  “You have really thought this out, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, I want Keera especially to have a chance at a normal life. She has been very good to me the entire time that I have been here, and I love her very much. I want her to be free, but yet I still want her to be near me. She is the only friend that I have besides you.”

  “Okay, Neenah, your wish is my command. Consider it done. You can call them up here and tell them if you wish. While you are at it, find out what interests them, and I will get them enrolled in school. For now, I will remove the restrictions on the slave quarters and they can continue to live there.”

  “Okay, but order beds for them, they should not be sleeping on the floor.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Max said, glad that Neenah was once again using the intellect that she had for a worthwhile cause. He had a feeling that before she was finished, she would have gotten him to emancipate all his different slaves and pay wages to them for their jobs. He could live with that, as long as he had her by his side. He sent the messages for Nylia and Keera to come up and then let them in when they arrived at the door several minutes later.

  “Neenah is waiting for you in the bed chamber,” Max told them as they entered the apartment.

  Keera and Nylia walked into the room and Neenah greeted them, “Good, you are here. I have something I want to tell both of you. Have a seat,” Neenah said as she motioned towards the lounge chair.

  “First of all, I want you to know that Max is going to free you both,” Neenah said as Keera and Nylia looked at her in amazement. “He is also going to put you both through school and give you jobs within his company once you finish. You are welcome to live here in the compound for as long as you wish. The slave quarters are being reconfigured so that all outside controls are removed, and you are free to watch and read whatever you wish, and you will have beds in your rooms. Also, you will be able to come and go as you see fit.”