Stephanie's Reunion (Mf, nc) By Sir Kevin Stephanie smiled at the slavegirls kneeling under the neon sign of Pompeii's Cafe, the favorite hang-out of her master and the other slaveowners. They smiled back at her. None of them said anything. An exchange of smile was all the greeting the slavegirls were allowed among themselves. All the girls were naked, like herself. Some of them were chained or bound, others were not restrained save for the chains around their necks, but they also rigidly crossed their wrists behind their backs, as if held by their masters' magic spell. Stephanie walked to the end of the row and fell on her knees. Sitting on her heels, she threw out her chest and knelt with the grace of a Greek statue, while her master locked the chain on her collar to a ring in the wall and disappeared into the cafe. Her arms and hands were tied tightly behind her back, so tightly that it was hurting her. But she had decided not to complain. Her master was not in a very good mood that day. In fact, just before they left home he had whipped her severely for some extremely trivial mistake. Her back and breasts were still burning from the pain. The street was crowded as usual. A constant flow of legs and feet moved to and fro before Stephanie's eyes. Some of them stopped in front of her. Then there would be a hand touching her at different places on her body, and maybe even a few flirting words. But over the last few years, Stephanie had learnt to simply ignore them. The armed security guards standing by the door of the cafe were her insurance that these passing menaces would not be any serious threat to her. A pair of young lovers appeared around the corner, and Stephanie could not resist the instinct to glance at them a few times. The young man, rather gloomy-looking in his dark grey rain- coat, did not attract much of her attention initially. But his girlfriend, a cheerful little blonde wearing a bright red and white sport jacket, tight-fitting blue jeans and a pair of white leather boots, who walked in a way of dancing and talked in a way of singing, reminded Stephanie very much of herself before that fateful day in the slave market. The girl stopped in front of each of the slavegirls and giggled brief remarks on them like an art critic appraising art- works on an exhibition, while her boyfriend hemmed single syllables from his nose either in agreement or disagreement. Vaguely, Stephanie found his voice somewhat familiar. The white leather boots danced over to Stephanie, and the girl exclaimed in a raised voice: "Oh look! This one has all the elements of a Degas!" "Now there you got it, darling. She's a real piece of art." The young man finally spoke. Immediately, Stephanie realized whose voice she was hearing. On an uncontrollable impulse, she raised her head and called out: "Eddy!" Stephanie felt like in a dream. Towering over her pitiable kneeling figure was indeed her younger brother Eddy. Eddy was the only family she had in the world. Orphaned at a early age, she practically raised him by herself, although she was only a year older. Having always demonstrated a strong talent in art, Eddy aspired to go to an art school in Paris. Five year before, when he graduated from high school, Stephanie withdrew from her own college to work as a waitress in order to help him save the money. A few months later, when it became clear to her that they would never be able to save enough money with the kind of jobs they could find, she made an ultimate self-sacrifice for Eddy. She went to a nationwide slave dealer and signed up for an upcoming slave- auction, designating her brother as the sole beneficiary of the proceeds from her sale. The evening before she was taken away to the auction, Stephanie and Eddy locked each other in their arms and cried well into the night. The next morning, the men sent by the slave dealer had to literally tear her away from Eddy's arms. When the van moved down the road, Stephanie saw her brother running frantically after it, while she hit the barred windshield until her hands bled. Eddy's distorted voice had been echoing in her mind ever since then: "Stephie! Stephie! I'll come and get you out as soon as I return!" ... It seemed to have happened only the day before, but in reality Stephanie had not seen or even heard from Eddy for well over four years. She knew Eddy should be back from Paris by now, and she had been praying day and night that he would come to her the very next minute. And now when her dearest brother suddenly appeared before her eyes like a miracle, Stephanie could not contain herself. Looked up at Eddy, her whole body was shaking violently, and her eyes were filled with passion and expectation. A complex expression flew over Eddy's face. He had apparently recognized his loving sister, too. He stepped forward to her, but stopped instantly. Instead of throwing himself down to her and relieving her of her bondage as Stephanie expected, he stood motionlessly, mouth half open and eyes staring blankly beyond her, as if stricken by a lightning. The little blonde looked up and down between Eddy and Stephanie, and asked him curiously: "You know each other?" "Huh, what? Oh no, no, not really. I don't think so." Eddy seemed to have finally gathered himself together. He turned to his hapless sister, and asked: "How do you know my name, slavegirl? What do you want from me?" "Eddy..." Now it was Stephanie who felt like stricken by a lightning. "What? Do I know you?" The cruel question came upon Stephanie like a dagger piercing through her heart. She let her chin sink on her chest, leaned back against the wall, and breathed deeply. "You have forgotten, Ed...Master Eddy," after a long while, Stephanie managed to say in a small voice, without raising her head. "My master used to be your next-door neighbor...and I used to help you with your housework when you were young..." "Ah, I see," Eddy quickly played along. "Now I remember --- Stephanie, right?" "Yes, Master Eddy..." Stephanie felt as if something had been stuffed in her throat. "It's been a long time, Stephanie. How have you been?" "I'm fine...I guess. Thank you, Master Eddy." "Where's your master, Mr., eh..." "Mr. Van Dyke, Master Eddy. He's in the cafe. I have a message for you from him." In her shocked state of mind, Stephanie did not realize the illogicality of her last statement. "Oh? What's the message?" "My master wishes you all the best in you career, Master Eddy." "That's...very kind of him," Eddy said after a long pause. "Please thank him for me, Stephie." "I will, Master Eddy." Both of them fell silent. They stared at each other for a time without saying anything. Finally, Eddy's girlfriend broke the awkward silence. "I don't want to interrupt your little reunion, Eddy," she whispered, "but I think it's time for us to get back to the airport now. I don't want my parents to wait for us too long." "Hm," Eddy replied, and slowly turned away from Stephanie like a dream-walker. Then abruptly he turned back to her and asked: "Stephie, is your master treating you well?" "Yes, Master Eddy, very well." Tears streamed down from Stephanie's eyes. "Good...now take good care of yourself, OK?" With the words, he walked away quickly. "Hey, wait for me!" The little blonde bounced along after him, while waving to Stephanie. "Bye-bye, Stephanie!" "Why do I have the feeling that you knew each other much better than just neighbors?" Stephanie heard her asking Eddy teasingly once she caught up with him. "Oh, just those silly childhood things. You don't want to know." "Yes I do! Tell me!" "Nah. Leave me alone." "No, I won't, till you tell me. Tell me tell me tell me..." They disappeared into the crowd. Stephanie spent the rest of the evening crying to herself. The other slavegirls watched her with great sympathy. Some even accompanied her in tears, but none of them said anything. The security guards standing around also looked at Stephanie sympathetically. "Poor girl," said one of them. "Must have had a crush on that little boss man." "Hopeless," another guard commented. "That's why I always tell these girls: never get wrapped up in those romances." Stephanie just cried. Stephanie's master was astonished to see her tear-covered face when he came out from the cafe. "What's wrong, Stephie?" He squatted down to wipe her face with his silk handkerchief and caress her bruised shoulders. "Did I beat you too hard this evening?" "No, my Lord...not at all." Stephanie threw herself into his broad chest and cried like a child. "Please...my Lord," she murmured between sobs, "please whip me again...whip me right now, my Lord; I want it...and whip me harder than ever..."