From nowhere@nowhen.com Thu Apr 24 22:35:23 1997 Path: news1.infoave.net!news-dc-10.sprintlink.net!news-east.sprintlink.net!news-dc-26.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!sprint!ix.netcom.com!news From: nowhere@nowhen.com (Legion) Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories Subject: Re-re-post: Lottery 1-40 in 25 parts - lottry19.txt [1/1] Date: 25 Apr 1997 02:35:23 GMT Organization: None of The Above Lines: 931 Message-ID: <5jp59b$bg5@dfw-ixnews7.ix.netcom.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: pon-mi7-33.ix.netcom.com X-NETCOM-Date: Thu Apr 24 9:35:23 PM CDT 1997 X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.99.8 (16bit) Chapter 32 A Lamb in Wolf's Clothing When Rachel brought Tara in the rest of the girls were scattered about the house, trying to look like they weren't waiting for her. Which was a good thing, Tara was as jumpy as a kangaroo on speed. She wasn't shivering, but I could see it wouldn't take much to make her bolt. Even Rachel made her nervous, and that is going some! "Hello, Tara." I said softly. "Hi." Her voice was clipped, harsh with tension. She winced at the sound. "Relax, my lady." I said. "Nobody's going to hurt you." "I know. It's just I'm scared out of my skin." She made a quick jerky movement, then subsided. I studied the skittish girl, struck by how much she resembled a thourghbred race horse. She had the same willowy build, the same nervous stance-and she was huge. Well, not huge. But she towered over me by half a head. I hadn't realized how tall she really was until I saw her standing next to Rachel, who was a good size girl herself. Gina had seemed tall, but she was shorter than I was. Tara, though, wow! I instantly realized tall jokes wouldn't be appreciated. "How was your flight?" I asked, trying to be the gracious host. "Fine." She said, biting the word off. "You really are scared, aren't you?" I asked in genuine concern. "Listen, Tara, you're among friends, I promise." "Just-give me a minute, ok?" She snapped. Taking visible control of herself she said. "I'm sorry, ok? I just need some time to adjust." "Take all the time you like." I said. "Would you like to settle in before you meet the other girls?" "Yes, thank you." "I'll get someone to help you with your luggage." I said. Looking around I spotted Melinda drifting through, trying to look busy. "Melinda! Could you help Tara with her luggage? She's got the room next to yours." "Yes, master." Melinda said. Tara actually jumped. "Is something wrong?" I asked. "I thought we were slaves only in the evening." Tara said, staring at Melinda as though she were a tarantula. Melinda blushed furiously, which seemed to confuse Tara. "It's a long story." I said. "But you seem to have embarassed Melinda." "I'm sorry." Said Tara, who didn't sound it. She clutched her purse tightly. Her red hair gleamed copper in the sunlight coming through the window. "Perhaps someone more outgoing." I said. "Melinda, would you please see if you can find Alima?" Melinda fled. Rachel was stony faced. Tara seemed to realize she'd put her foot in it, but seemed at a loss how to extract it. Alima came in, cool and haughty. She and Tara took one look at each other and you could hear the crunch from across the room. "Yes, master?" She asked, veiled fire. Tara wasn't scared anymore, she was visibly baring her claws. "Please show Tara to her room and help her with her luggage." I commanded sternly. "And curb your arrogance." "Yes, master." Alima lowered her eyes. But I saw the look that she gave Tara. The two of them went off like cats just before the fur flies. This was the first time two of the girls had ever hated each other on sight. "Well, Tara seems to be getting off on the right foot." I said to Rachel. "How does she strike you?" "Very scared. Brash, and angry." Rachel said. "I think she's terrified." "Any idea if she's an agent?" I asked. Rachel hesitated. "I don't know." She said slowly. "If she's an agent, she's not very good. But she's too scared to really want this. I need more time." "You'll have it. I want you to give Tara a guided tour. Avoid the dungeon. We don't want to give her a heart attack." "Yes, master." Rachel said. She went off to join Alima and Tara. Somehow I knew the red-haired girl was a plant. FBI, almost certainly. In the movies spies are glamorous people, the women beautiful and seductive, the men handsome and debonair. Didn't you ever wonder why counter-agents couldn't smell them a light year off? In real life it's not like that. Agents are quiet little mousy people you'd never notice twice. Most aren't very intelligent, and have little imagination. Imagination's not an asset when you're spying, which leaves you far too much time to think. I could just imagine how Tara'd been recruited. After the Fed's had scented my hunt they tossed in a ringer of their own. She had to be beautiful or I'd never have picked her. She was a filing clerk or some such that had been fast talked into this assignment. She probably started off with stars in her eyes, puffed with the importance of the mission. But remember what I'd said about imagination? Tara was chock full of it. Being of Irish ancestry she had inherited a fiery temper, a dreamer's soul, and the brilliant inspiration of a poet. That much I'd gleaned from her tapes and letters. Although, come to think of it, how much was Tara and how much was FBI? At any rate, she was here, and the cold hard reality of the situation was slashing through her game fantasy. I might really be raping her. That thought troubled me deeply. If she were acting out of an overgrown sense of duty, she might not really want to be here at all. "Rachel, don't be wrong!" I murmured fervently. By the time Tara had settled in Sherry got home from school. I braced myself, and I wasn't disappointed. She marched straight into the library, stayed there for just a second, then came marching toward me like a teenage Tiger tank. "All right." I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "You aren't going to argue?" Sherry asked, disappointed. "Would it do any good?" I asked. She grinned and kissed me, a full body effort that got my instant attention. "Nope." She said happily. "How soon?" "Now." I said, taking her by the hand. "You mean right here?" She giggled. "At three-thirty in the afternoon?" "There's more to being a handmaiden than being available." I said. "Go see Mei and have her fill you in about Tara." "Who's Tara?" "Ask Mei. Now scoot, we've got things to do." She left obediently. Probably the first time she'd obeyed a command in two years. Rachel was giving Tara the grand tour I'd asked her to so I tracked down Alima and pulled her aside. "Now what's between you and Tara?" I asked quietly. "It wasn't a full second before you bared your claws." "She just rubs me the wrong way." Alima explained. "She doesn't seem to like you much, either. Listen to me, Alima, I'm deadly serious. Don't fight with her, don't bully her, and don't snipe at her. I'll give her the same warning I did you, as soon as she's settled." "As soon as you've fucked her you mean." Alima snapped. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth and stared at me with wide frightened eyes. "Are you jealous?" I asked in disbelief. She shook her head quickly, then slowly nodded. "Stupid, isn't it?" She said. "I look at her and she's so, so, graceful. Like a fairie queen. Titania in the flesh." "I didn't know arabic girls read fairie tales." I said, surprized. Alima snorted. "We aren't locked away in a harem, you know." Then she giggled. "I learned many things at those boarding schools. My father saw to that." "You weren't jealous of Melinda or Gina." I said, trying to puzzle it out. "Nobody can be jealous of Melinda. She's too nice." Alima said seriously. "And Gina's so sad all the time, it'd be like kicking a puppy." "What about Sherry?" I asked. "Sherry's my friend." Alima said, stung. "I'm not jealous of anything she has. She deserves some good luck for a change. I can't imagine how she felt, having to take all those men, and her only a child." "She's only two years younger than you, lady." I said, touching her nose. Alima startled me by licking my finger. She grinned. "But I've traveled, master. And I was gifted with some of the finest education money can buy. Did you know I studied in Europe?" "No." I admitted. "I'm surprized you didn't learn another language then." "Oh, English was de rigeur at that kind of school." Alima shrugged. "Very stylish, very proper. And they kept us so close we didn't have a chance to see any of the country. Heaven forbid one of the school's rich pampered bitches should get herself pregnant." "You're getting away from the point. Leave Tara alone, promise?" "I promise. If she leaves me alone." Alima added defiantly. I sighed. Knowing Alima that would have to be good enough. I'd just have to come up with some way to keep them apart until they could develop tolerence for one another. Maybe Rachel would have some ideas. By five o'clock Tara was calm enough to be civil when we met. She was still with Rachel. "Well, Tara, how do you like the estate?" I asked, not wanting to frighten her. "It's very lovely." She said, her voice still clipped, but not harsh now. I was to learn later that she clipped her words out of habit, to kill her Irish accent. "Fit surroundings for such a lovely lady." I said, bowing my head. She tensed and I realized I'd moved too fast. "Is Rachel taking good care of you?" I asked, desperate to relax her again. She seemed relieved. "Yes, she's been very kind." A smile crossed her face, just a small one. Rachel smiled back warmly. "I hate to interrupt your tour, Tara, but you and I need to go see Mei." Tara tensed again. "Why?" "So we can explain the estate rules to you." I said gently. Tara bit her lip, then took a deep breath. "Ok, I'm ready." She squared her slender shoulders like a soldier readying for battle. Titania, indeed, a slender graceful creature of fairie. Or the Sidhe, I corrected myself. More appropriate for Tara's ancestry. "I'll see you at dinner." Rachel called to Tara as I led the red-haired girl toward the library. It seemed that Mei had adopted it for her office, because papers were scattered around her. Melinda was with her, but when she saw Tara she spoke quietly to Mei and got up to beat a hasty but unobtrusive retreat. "Melinda, wait!" Tara called. Melinda stopped, watching the tall girl warily. Tara moved over to her. "I'm sorry I embarassed you this morning. I promise I won't do it again. Please forgive me?" Just a hint of brogue broke through her clipped speech. Melinda studied her for a moment solemnly. Then she smiled and nodded. She waved at me and left. Tara watched her, eyes bright and inquisitive. Another elfin trait. The more I got to know this enigmatic woman the more she seemed touched by the other world. Mei didn't miss it either, she exchanged a look with me. "Good afternoon, master." She greeted me. "Hello, Tara. Welcome to Raven's Wing." "Um, hi." Tara managed. Mei began gathering up her papers. As she did she spoke to me. "Good news, master. Teresa will arrive day after tommorrow, and Aki the day after that." "Hot dog! It's about time Aki showed up. I can't wait to see her face." "She's going to love it." Mei agreed, totally mystifying Tara. Show our Tara a mystery and she's like a cat with a catnip mouse. She can't leave it alone. But she's also something of a diplomat. So she didn't inquire, just sitting down in my favorite chair. I sighed and stretched out on the couch, closing my eyes. "Hard day, master?" Mei asked sympatheticlly. "Too many shocks for this old frame." I sighed theatrically. "Yikes and alarums, the slings and arrows of outrageous fate." There were a pair of giggles. I opened my eyes to see Tara hiding her smile behind her hand. "Ah, the lady does protesteth at last." I declared lazily, not wanting to startle her. "Mei Ling, I think she's finally decided she's not going to be eaten." "What? But that's the best part." Mei said with a perfectly straight face. Tara looked puzzled for a second, then she blushed, as only a red- head can. Mei chuckled. "You'll have to excuse Mei." I said to the embarrassed girl. "Her mother was frightened by a traveling seltzer bottle." "A what?" Mei said, a trace of accent appearing. "Don't listen to him, Tara, it was a full blown three-ring circus." She glared at me, then laughed. "This isn't at all what I expected." Tara said. "What did you expect?" I asked. She waved her hands helplessly. "I don't know, something different." "Whips and chains, dark dank dungeons, and the artful screams of the ravaged maidens shrieking in agonized ecstasy?" Mei offered helpfully. Tara looked at Mei in disbelief. "Could you say that again?" She asked. Mei shook her hea. "I don't think so." She admitted cheerfully. "The muse has fled. And speaking of fled, why haven't you?" Her manner turned serious. "I don't understand." Tara stammered. "You're obviously scared out of your mind." Mei leaned forward. "I've been watching you on the sly. You walk like you expect somebody to grab you." She nodded toward Tara's purse, which I hadn't noticed. "You don't let that out of your hands. When somebody gets close you act like they're going to bite you." "I'm just scared." Tara said defensively. "Haven't I got every right?" As she spoke I noticed Mei was correct. Tara didn't let the purse out of her grip. I began to get a cold feeling about that purse. I was very glad Mei was in the same room. "No, Tara." Mei said gently. "You're not just scared, you're terrified. Why?" Her voice was still sympathetic but I noticed her body was now poised to let her rise quickly. Tara noticed it too, her body stiffened visibly. "I'm ok." She said. "You're scaring her again, Mei." I said. "Tara, listen, if you don't want to do this, I'll put you on a plane right now. You can sleep in your own bed tonight." "I don't have my apartment, anymore." Tara said quietly. She was trying not to tremble. "I burned all my bridges behind me. I've got nowhere else to go." She was tightening even as I watched. Any tighter and she would snap. "That's all." I said quietly. "Tara, I'm sorry. You can stay as long as you need to find someplace else. I won't touch you." "What?" Her voice broke. "I won't rape you. Not like this. You're here against your will, out of a sense of duty. When I brought you here I didn't realize how deep your loyalty to your employers ran. The Bureau can go shove it's underhanded tricks right up its ass." Tara turned absolutely white. "What are you talking about?" She gasped. She clutched her purse in a death grip. I smiled sadly. "You're an agent for the FBI. I'd guess they recruited you because you were a virgin, and beautiful. And that's exactly what they needed to get you in here. I imagine there were others, you just happened to pick the short straw." She was trembling now. "I knew when I called you that first night. Mei was there, she can verify it. Don't be frightened, no one's going to do anything to you. You're perfectly safe." "How?" She damned herself with that word. "How did you know?" "Now that would be telling, my beautiful faerie queen." I said, smiling sadly. "I'm rich and powerful and I have odd friends in strange places." I cocked my head. "Or is that strange friends in odd places? At any rate, I knew. I thought, oh hell, I thought you'd be like the others. I thought I could seduce you. I watched too many James Bond movies, that's what I did. I never dreamed you'd be afraid of me. So stay or go as you will, Tara O'Keefe. I'll not hinder you." "I'm curious about one thing." Mei said to the trembling girl. "Is Tara your real name?" "Yes." Tara admitted. "Please don't hurt me." "No one is going to do anything to you, Tara." I said gently. "Besides, you have a gun. You also know how to use it." I was shooting in the dark, but from Tara's sharp cry of dismay I'd struck dead center. "Get me out of here, get me out of here now!" She suddenly shouted. She bent over and fumbled with her purse. I set the all time couch potato back-jumping record, landing hard on the floor behind the couch.. There was a muffled grunt and the sound of another body hitting the floor. "It's all right, master. You can come out now." Mei said, in a harsh voice I'd never heard her use before. It scared me. I peered over the couch back. Tara was laying on the floor, cowering. Mei was standing over her, gun pointed in Tara's general direction. It was a snub nosed thirty-two caliber, ugly and frightening. Cautiously I sidled from behind the couch. "Don't kill me, please, please!" Tara pleaded, shaking. Mei looked very, very, grim. "Mei Ling, I think this has gone far enough." I said. "She tried to kill you, master!" Mei spat. Her eyes were mere slits, she wasn't a beautiful woman now but a cold-hearted killling machine. There was nothing lovely about her. Whoever said a woman with a weapon is a turn-on never had a woman with a weapon before. It wasn't a turn on, it was unnerving. The game had suddenly turned deadly earnest and out of control. "Mei Ling, I think you should give me the gun and call Rachel, right now." I said, speaking as calmly as I could. Mei looked at me, and there was nothing of the tender lover I'd known, now she was a raging dragon in all truth. "If you would be my handmaiden, obey me." I said. She stiffened, but reluctantly handed me the gun. It was cold and heavy in my grip. I handled it carefully with both hands. Tara watched me with horrified eyes. Carefully I released the cylinder and removed the shells. "Call Rachel, Mei." I said shakily. "Tara, please get up. No one's going to hurt you, I promise. Mei, obey me." "Yes, master." Mei hissed. "If you make one false move, bitch, I'll tear your heart out!" Tara was thouroghly cowed. Truth to tell so was I. I'd never imagined warm and mischevious Mei Ling could turn into such a monster. Rachel came running into the library after Mei's venom drenched command. "Oh, my god!" She gasped. "What happened, master?" "Something pretty serious." I admitted. "Rachel, everything's gone to hell in a handbasket. We need you to pick up the pieces. Think you can do it?" "What happened?" "Tara tried to kill him!" Mei shouted furiously. Rachel blanched, then tensed, actually growling. "Rachel!" I snapped. She paused. "Rachel, my love, if you lose it there's no hope. I need you now. Work your magic, lady. Let's calm this situation down so nobody gets killed, ok? Please?" "Yes, master." Rachel said. Tara was still white as a sheet, seeming to have given Mei all her color. Mei was ready to kill, enraged past reason. Rachel was angry, but controlling it. Me, I was as scared as Tara. "Mei, please, sit down." Rachel requested. Still coiled, Mei sank down. "Relax, Mei, it's all over." "So she can try to kill him again?" Mei snapped. She wasn't relaxing one little bit. Thuy appeared at the doorway, her face sagging in shock as she took in the scene, the gun in my hand, Mei coiled like a rattlesnake, and Tara cowering on the floor. "What the hell?" She asked. "Thuy, please go away." Rachel said. "I think dinner's going to be very late tonight." Thuy bolted. Still watching all of us Rachel retreated to the door, closing and locking it. "Now, master, why don't you sit down?" "NO!" Mei snarled, half rising. "He should get away from that mad woman! Now! Before she can hurt him again!" "I'm all right, Mei Ling." I said soothingly. "It was my fault, Dragon Lady. I provoked her into it. I frightened her so badly she attacked. Surely you can understand that?" Mei paused, unwilling to let go of her fury. "Listen to him, Mei. He's your lover and your master. Trust him." Rachel urged. "You know he's usually right about the girls in the harem." "Except this one." Mei seemed to be calming down. "This one is dangerous. He should banish her." "That's his choice, Mei." Rachel said soothingly. "He's the master. We're just his handmaidens. You did well to protect him. That was good and proper. You did what was required. Let go of your anger now. It has served its purpose. Dragon Lady, it's time you became our beloved Mei Ling again." Mei drew a shuddering breath. Something inside her seemed to release and her shoulders slumped. "Are you ok, Mei?" Rachel asked, moving to her friend. Mei nodded, then weakly hugged Rachel back as the Apache girl embraced her. "Master?" She asked, turning to me. "Thank you, Rachel. Mei Ling, I'm very pleased that you protected me like that. But you frightened me, my love. Please, never unleash the dragon again." I said shakily. "It was needful." Mei said. "I've never needed to do that before, master. I'm sorry I scared you." "That's ok. Rachel, I think it's time for Tara now." "I think you're right." Rachel said. She went and knelt by the thin girl. "Tara, are you ok?" "Yes." The answer was a sob. "Are you calm enought to tell me what happened?" Rachel asked gently. As she spoke I moved carefully around the room to Mei and took her in my arms. Silently the Chinese girl buried her head in my chest. I could feel the hot tracks of her tears as she lost all control and wept. I stroked her back, riding out the reaction as I watched Rachel soothe Tara. "I don't-" Tara shook her head. "I wasn't really going to hurt anybody, I swear! But I'm so scared, I just want to go home! Please, let me go home!" And she broke down too. Rachel gathered the sobbing girl awkwardly into her arms, cradling the larger girl. Tara hugged Rachel and lost all control, her sobs harsh and heart-rending. Mei finally recovered enough to look at me. Then she looked at the terrified girl in Rachel's arms. Rachel continued to rock the red-haired girl even as she met Mei's eyes. "It's ok, it's all over now." She murmured. "It was all a horrible misunderstanding. Shh, it's over now, it's over." Mei shivered, and looked at the gun I was still holding. "That should be put away." Mei said quietly. I nodded. I gave her the bullets and kept the gun myself. We let ourselves out of the library. When we were outside I took the bullets back from Mei and told her to wait for me in the living room. The other girls were hovering nervously, Thuy had obviously told them what she saw. I went upstairs, then paused. It was my own rule, no one could touch another's property without their permission. True, I hadn't envisioned being shot at, but still... Cursing myself for seven kinds of idiot I went into Tara's room and laid the gun on the bed, and the bullets next to it. If I was wrong, well, maybe Mei would be fast enough again. I just hoped I wasn't wrong. When I joined Mei in the living room I was surprized to see Tara and Rachel there as well. The other girls had also come in. I made the ninth body. I winced and cancelled that image with a shudder of revulsion. Nobody said anything for a long time. Finally Tara stirred and spoke. "I guess I'd better go." Her face was puffy and her eyes red. She wasn't one of those women who are immune to the after effects of a crying jag. She looked miserable. "That would be best." Mei said cooly. Nobody moved. "I'll need a ride into town." Tara said after another long pause. "I know that's asking a lot." Something was bothering me. I tried to pin it down. "I'm too busy." Mei said in a cool, distant voice. The girls stared at Mei in surprize, this wasn't like her. I kept hearing in my mind's ear... "Who were you calling to, Tara?" I asked, voice intense and urgent. "What?" Tara asked, beginning to look like a trapped animal. "Who were you calling to?" I asked again, not loud but very intense. Mei's eyes caught fire and she sat up. Tara cringed back, raising one hand defensively. "Please, don't!" She pleaded. "I'm wired. I was calling for help." "We should be hip deep in cops about now." I said. "How come we're not?" "I don't know!" Tara said. "They told me if I got into trouble all I'd have to do is yell and they'd be there. But nobody heard me." "Where is it?" I asked, getting up and moving toward her. I held out my hand. She trembled, but finally opened her purse and pulled out a small radio. She gave it to me. I studied it, turning it on. Static blasted my ears. Hastily I turned it off. "This is a bug?" I asked in disbelief. Tara took it back from me and turned it over. She pointed to a small hole in the back of the case. I took it back and examined it. The hole wasn't part of the original design. I popped the battery lid, revealing the nine volt battery. I carefully removed the battery, reassmbled the device, and gave both battery and radio back to Tara. She stared at me as if to say what am I supposed to do with this? "They couldn't hear you, Tara, because this house is sheathed in a Faraday cage." I said. "A what?" She asked blankly. "A Faraday cage. When this house was built they used a great deal of iron. The plastering in the outer walls is supported by iron mesh screens. Even the roof has iron supports. Cold Iron, my fairie queen." I smiled. "Your little transmitter couldn't possibly punch through that kind of shielding. They had to run a cable to an outside antenna before I could get signals." "So they don't know what happened?" Tara asked slowly. I shrugged. "That means..." She stared at me, eyes widening with unease. "You're totally at my mercy." I said softly. She paled. "Will you let me go?" She asked carefully. "Of course." I said. She relaxed. "Tomorrow." "What? But I thought you said...in the library..." I held up my hand. "Things have changed. You incurred a pretty heavy debt you know." "You're going to rape me?" She asked, voice held tightly in check. She trembled once, but controlled herself. "Look around you, elf." I said, gesturing. "There are a half dozen women here. Experienced slave girls all. Every one eager and willing to satisfy my slightest whim. Why should I rape you? I could, easily enough, and get away with it. I've got eye witnesses, after all. But why?" "I don't know." Tara said. "What do you want?" "A story, queen of the fairies." I said softly. "The story of your life. How you came here, what you desire, why you are here. And perhaps the reason you want to stay." Tara was silent. Mei looked at me in disbelief. "Master, you can't." Mei pleaded. "She tried to kill you." Everyone but Rachel and Mei were stunned into immobile silence. They hadn't known exactly what was going on. "Kill you?" Thuy whispered. "Why?" She stared at Tara in horror. Alima smiled a grim smile. "I knew she couldn't be trusted." She said in satisfaction. "Get rid of her." "Be still." I said to her. "Speak, elf. Tell me a story. Tell me about Tara O'Keefe." "Why do you keep calling me an elf?" Tara asked, nettled. "I'm as human as you are." "Alima named you Titania. Queen of the fairies, beautiful, graceful- treacherous." I explained. "Ruler of fancies, queen of deceit. I know nothing of Tara O'Keefe, only Titania the queen. Or shall I name thee Bain Sidhe?" "No!-no. I'm no evil spirit." Tara said. "I'm just a silly girl who's got herself in it right proper." Her brogue was in force now, the clipped words submerged. Her voice was lyrical, beautiful. "No more lies, Tara." I said. "As a secret agent you stink." "No more lies." Tara agreed. "I'm really a secretary in the department. I never thought I'd ever be a field agent. They came to me six months ago and told me they needed my help. Somebody was setting up a harem of slave girls. They thought it was a front for buyers from the Middle East. They needed a beautiful girl they said. A sacrifice for your country, they said. It was risky, I might be raped before they could extract me. They needed a virgin they said." Tara didn't blush. "They said I'd be planted and they'd pounce when they had the evidence. It was dangerous, but if I didn't do it dozens of girls would end up real slaves, and probably die young." She shuddered. "I was overwhelmed. They counted on that, the bastards." She looked at me. "So here I am. Master." She sneered. "I panicked in the libarary. I thought you were just toying with me, that you really knew everything. I don't think I could have actually used the gun, I was just trying to protect myself. Threaten. Not kill." And she shuddered. I looked at Mei. "Mei Ling?" I said softly. "Can you believe her? You saw how frightened she was. Could it all have been a tragic misunderstanding?" "Maybe." Mei said, the word dragged out of her by her own honesty. "Rachel?" I asked. "She's either telling the truth or she's the most wonderful liar I've ever met." Rachel said somewhat ruefully. "In truth, I can't say." "She's telling the truth." Sherry said suddenly. Even Tara turned to look at her in surprize. "How can you be sure?" I asked. "Because I know." Sherry said. "This isn't the first time I've seen this." She hesitated, then shrugged. "Mei, you're wrong. As much as I love you, and respect what you think, this time you're wrong." "I once knew a girl named Renee." Sherry said. "Timid, and shy. One night her pimp beat her up real bad. Acused her of holding back. She grabbed a gun and shot him." "I don't get it." I said. "How-" "She swore that she only wanted to scare him." Sherry said. "She said the gun went off accidentally. Well, don't you see?" Sherry demanded to the room at large. "No." Mei said reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Sherry I don't. What's the point?" "The point is if you're scared you'll do anything to protect yourself. You'll lie, cheat, steal, or threaten. Even kill. We all saw how scared she was. It wouldn't have taken much to send her over the edge." Sherry snorted. "I've been there myself." "Well?" I asked Mei. "All right." Mei agreed finally. "I was wrong. Tara, we've been the victims of a horrible mistake. Will you forgive me?" "Sure." The red-haired girl agreed, only too glad to find a way out. "What happens now?" I asked Tara. "I don't know." She answered. "This whole thing's got me so confused I can't see straight." "You've got two choices. Stay, and become a slave girl, or have your people extract you." I answered. "My people seem to be asleep." She retorted. "Why don't you take a walk in the fresh air?" I suggested. "That might wake them up." She sat up straight. "Are you kidding? Alone?" "Take as long as you like." I said. "Of course your dinner may get cold." "I'll keep it warm for her." Thuy offered eagerly. Tara looked at her strangely. "What happens if I decide to stay?" Tara challenged. "Then you become a slave girl." I said. "From 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. you'll be required to submit to me totally." "Why do they call you master, even during the day?" Tara said. "If it's only at night, why do they act like slaves?" "I'll let you handle that one, Mei." I said, chuckling. "It's our own choice, Tara. We're not his slave girls anymore, we decided to become his handmaidens." "Against my better judgement." I interjected. She nodded. "Against his better judgement." "What's a handmaiden do?" Tara asked suspiciously. Mei smiled. "Just what a slave girl does-24 hours a day." Mei answered. "So you're a real slave girl then." It wasn't a question. "Yes. He's even allowing me to arrange for my collar." Mei said proudly. Tara looked at her like she was insane. "I'm proud to be his handmaiden, Tara." Mei said, noting the look. "I've schemed and conived and wheedled, and I'm the happiest girl in the world that he owns me." "Owns you?" Tara's voice became uneasy. "I sold myself to him." Mei said simply. "For how much?" The Irish girl asked before she could stop herself. Mei smiled. "For all he had. His soul." Tara looked at me, then at her, then at the rest of the girls. She shivered and stood up. "I need to think about this." She said not meeting anyone's gaze. "I may not be back." And she left hurriedly. The front door opened and closed. "She won't be back." Alima predicted confidently. "I say she will." Thuy interjected. "What do you say, Rachel?" I asked curiously. "I haven't the foggiest idea. But I will say this. Tara isn't like the rest of us. I can't see her enjoying sex slavery." "Sherry?" I asked. "I'm hungry." The adolescent answered. "I don't know if she's coming back or not. But I'm too starved to care. Let's eat dinner, and if she's not come back by then, one of us can go see if she's really gone." Well, it was sound advice. So we ate dinner. By the time we'd finished desert, Tara still wasn't back. "It looks as though somebody should go see if she's ok." I said. "Who's the least frightening among us?" I swear, every eye turned toward Melinda. "But I wouldn't know what to say." Melinda protested. "You must admit, she's not frightened of you." I said thoughtfully. "And you only got here last night. The first night is still fresh in your mind. So you know what she's feeling right now." "What do you want me to do?" Melinda sighed. "Find her. I've got a pretty good feeling she'll want to talk. Listen to her. Be her friend, Melinda. Behind your timidness, you are a wonderful warm person. Let Tara discover that." "I'll do my best." Melinda said, and left. She was gone an hour and a half. The rest of the girls congragated with me in the living room. We watched some movie or other, I can't even remember the name. The first sign that Tara and Melinda were back was Socks. He came frisking up to Gina and demanded to be petted. Melinda quietly slipped into a seat. I muted the sound and turned to Tara who was nervously shifting from foot to foot. "I've decided to stay." The tall girl blurted. Thuy grinned wickedly at Alima. "As a slave girl?" I asked. Tara nodded, a quick jerk of her head. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." I said carefully. "But I would like to know why you changed your mind. If you're willing to tell me." "I don't mind." Tara said. "But I don't know if I can. I walked around the garden for a while, then went out to the gate. I even put the battery back into the bug." "I don't know why I didn't call for help. I wandered back to the house and sat down in the statuary garden. That's when the dog showed up. He jumped up on the bench with me and put his head in my lap." She laughed. "It felt nice. He just wanted to be petted. So I petted him for a while. Then Melinda found me. We talked for a long time." "About what?" Rachel asked softly. She smiled at Tara. "About what happened to her last night. About what I could expect here. About the other girls. About Paul." "And what did she tell you about me?" Rachel asked. Tara watched the Apache girl. "That you're magical." Tara said. She smiled. "And I believe her." Rachel blinked. "And what of me?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer. "That you're a terrific lover, a wonderful master, and she's madly in love with you. And you with all the girls. Now just how is that possible?" Her tone wasn't fearful anymore, but her clipped words were smoother, the brogue very evident. And her tone was disbelieving. I rather liked it. "It's a long story, fairie queen." I said, smiling. "Why don't you sit down and I'll tell it as best I'm able." Tara went to the couch sitting next to Rachel, who scooted over to make room. "Each of the girls was selected carefully from eight thousand candidates. Including you." I said. "Although in your case I'm not sure how much was true and how much wasn't." "Each girl was chosen because there was something about her I liked. Each one had some quality that made me want her. When I started this I thought I'd be something like a Hugh Hefner of the bondage set. Sex slaves R us. But then Mei came. Our first night was paradise. We traded secrets and became intimate literally overnight. And the more I got to know her the more I came to respect her. Before I knew it she'd fallen in love with me. And I with her." "Rachel was second. After a rocky start she also fell in love with me. With Mei's blessing. And you're right, she is magic. Her Apache name is Moonlight's Laughter. It fits her, don't you think?" "And so it was with the others. After a week or so, love blooms. It's real and it's solid, and it's truely wonderful." "Melinda's only been here one day. I don't love her yet, nor she me. It hasn't been long enough. But there is strong affection. There are bonds of the heart here, Tara, not just of the body." "And what about the sex?" "Each girl comes here knowing it will happen. She wants it, she demands it. And I give her as much pleasure as I can. Sometimes, I hurt her. But the pain's rarely severe, and I never injure her. And that too they enjoy." "How could they enjoy pain?" Tara scoffed. "That's just macho bullshit." "Is it?" I smiled. "Want to bet?" "What do you mean?" Tara parried uneasily. "Thuy would disagree with you. And so would Alima. I'm not so sure about the others." "They have to say that." Tara said. "They're slaves." "We're slaves by choice, Tara." Thuy said. "And I've had just as many orgasms from his whip as from his lovemaking. I think if he didn't whip me I'd be disappointed." "He beats you with a whip? And you like it?" Tara demanded unbelievingly. "Yes I do." Thuy said firmly. "The first night we made love he caned me hard enough to draw blood. He didn't mean to, of course. He's never done it since." "Jesus." Tara breathed. "And you let him?" "I didn't have much choice." Thuy said drily. "I was spread-eagled between two trees at the time. But yes, I let him. I let him hoist me in the air and flog me four days ago. And I came so hard he had to carry me to bed." Tara shook her head in disbelief. "If you're afraid of burns, stay out of the fire." Alima snapped. Tara bridled instantly. "I said I'd stay!" She snarled. "I'm hungry and I'm tired and I will not put up with your tongue, my girl." Alima paled and would have flared back, but I intervened. "Alima!" I snapped. The Arabic girl subsided, glaring at Tara. "Remember what I told you? That outburst was uncalled for. Apologize, now!" "Yes, master." Alima said sulkily. "I'm sorry, Tara." She didn't sound it. Tara looked at me, then remembered how precarious her position still was. "Accepted." She said, clipping her word almost in half. "Alima, you have disobeyed a direct order." I said coldly. "You will be punished tonight, in front of Tara. And then you will apologize most sincerely, do you understand?" "Yes, master." Alima said, uneasy now. "Please, don't do that." Tara said quickly. "She's probably got a point. I haven't been the perfect houseguest, have I?" She smiled wanly. "I don't want to cause you any more trouble, believe me!" "I believe you." I said. "But Alima's never been a very docile slave, she has to be reminded from time to time that her manners need improvement. Isn't that right, Alima?" "Yes, master." She said, humbly. "It will also show you that a girl can have an orgasm from pain. Alima's quite adept at it. Not as good as Thuy, but then that's not her specialty." "Specialty?" Tara was quick. "As time goes by everybody finds something they like. Sometimes it surprizes them." "And each girl has a specialty." Tara said. "No exceptions?" "I don't imagine there could be." I said mildly. "Everybody's got their favorite thing, right?" "I suppose." Tara seemed doubtful. "What if two girls end up with the same specialty?" "No skin off my nose." I said cheerfully. "With a baker's dozen there's going to be enough variety to keep me happy. And no two slave girls are ever remotely alike." I turned serious a moment. "Tara, this is something you need to understand. I love every one of my girls. Even the disobedient ones." I glared at Alima, who hung her head. "Each one is a person, with her own unique abilities-both in and out of bed. Sex isn't everything I demand from my slave girls. There's also love, and respect, and whatever skills she has." "It goes both ways, of course. I'd never hurt any of them, and they know that. You'll know that, in time. If you stay. This house is like nothing you've ever seen before. Or will again." "I can believe that." Tara said ruefully. "Look, would it be ok if I eat before-" She hesitated. "Uh, whatever it is?" "Of course." I said. "Eat, then shower. I'll have Melinda and Rachel waiting to dress and bind you. You aren't afraid of Rachel or Melinda, are you?" "No." Tara blushed. "What do you mean, bind me?" I grinned at her. "Bondage is a way of life here. Better get used to it." "But what are you going to do?" Tara insisted. "I mean, bind me how?" "I'll leave you to dwell on that." I said. "Anticipation will heighten your pleasure. Mei, would you brief Tara while she eats? Just the high lights will do. You can give her the full training tomorrow." "Yes, master." Mei said. Thuy, Tara, and Mei all left. "Master, are you really going to punish me?" Alima wheedled. I stared at her. "Before I take Tara, yes." I said. "Don't worry too much about it, I don't bear grudges. Hey Melinda!" Turning to the Phillipino girl I asked. "How are you holding up?" I said. "We have a few minutes if you'd like to talk in private." "No, thank you." Melinda said. "Listen, if you have any problems you let me know. If I'm not available Mei or Rachel will help. Ok?" "Yes, master." "Gina, you remember what Sherry did to you last night?" "How could I forget?" Gina shuddered. "I still get wet just thinking about it." "You're going to do it to Melinda tonight. I want you to be extra careful, our shy Melinda's not very big." Melinda blushed and looked away. Gina nodded solemnly. "I'll take care of her. Don't worry, Melinda. It won't hurt a bit." "Thank you." Melinda managed. "Sherry, my pet, did you enjoy Mei Ling last night?" "Very much." Sherry nodded. "Thank you, master." "Tonight I've got an assignment for you." "Yes?" "I want you to teach Gina how to deep throat. She should learn quickly." "Ok." Sherry eyed Gina speculatively. "Afterward, you belong to her till eleven o'clock. Anything goes. Understand?" "Yes, master." Sherry was watching Gina now with a predatory gleam in her eye. "And finally our magic lady." I said, turning to Rachel. She smiled and chuckled. "Did you find Alima and Thuy to your liking?" "Yes, master." "How'd you like a chance at Tara?" Rachel considered it. "If she doesn't mind." Rachel said after a moment. "I mean, she's not like the rest of us. She isn't really a slave girl." "Do you like making love to the others?" I asked, watching her. She paused again. "Yes. But I like you better." "Shameless hussy." I said with a smile. "Flattery will get you bedded." She grinned. "I think you've found your specialty." I said. "Does that shock you?" "What, making love to other women?" Rachel considered it. "I think before Mei and I did it it would have. But now I enjoy it. Making Alima come was a real treat, she'd never made love to a woman before." "Everybody is best at something." I said. "Let's see, Mei's is anal sex, yours is lesbian sex, Thuy's is sexual torture, Alima, yours is almost certainly being disciplined, wouldn't you say?" "Well-" She hedged, then nodded. "It seems to be. It frightens the hell out of me, but when it's happening I get really excited." "I noticed." I smiled. "Gina, I don't think you've been here long enough to find yours yet, and neither have you Melinda. It will be interesting to see what they are." "I think mine might be giving head." Gina said thoughtfully. "That really turns me on." "What about you, Sherry?" I asked. "What's your specialty?" "Group sex." She said without hesitation. "I really dig having two or three guys take me at the same time. Or a gang bang from a dozen or so." That drew shocked looks from Gina and Melinda. Sherry laughed at them but didn't say anything. "Uh, Sherry, I think you might want to explain that." I said hastily. She hesitated, then shrugged. "What the hell? Everybody else knows. Before Paul found me I was a hooker." "But you can't be more than-" Gina started. Then, realizing what she was saying she clamped her jaw shut and looked like she wanted to fall through the floor. "I'm sixteen. I started a little past my fourteenth birthday. Don't look so shamefaced, Gina. It wasn't all that bad, although I like it here about a million times better." "How could you do that?" Melinda asked timidly. Then she blushed and stammered an apology. "Hey, Melinda, it's cool." Sherry said, holding out one hand to the black haired girl. "I think I know what you mean. You mean how come I wasn't ashamed?" Melinda nodded jerkily. "I was hungry." Sherry shrugged. "You can do a lot of different things if you're hungry enough. And I had to pay my rent, and buy new clothes, and all the rest of it. It was a way to survive." "I got lucky, though." She said, looking at me. "I was found by a wonderful man and tricked him into enslaving me. My slavery was worth those two years. Even being raped by my uncle." "Why Sherry!" Rachel said lightly, to cover the shocked silence. "I do believe you've made him blush!" I never have been able to accept heartfelt compliments, especially of that magnitude. "Your uncle raped you?" Gina said in disbelief. That's not the kind of thing you expect to hear someone say. Melinda looked horrified, and instantly sympathetic. "Hey, no big deal." Sherry tried to brush it aside. "It didn't kill me or make me an emotional cripple, or anything like that. It's over now. I don't even think about it anymore." "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." I said firmly. "There are some things that should remain private." "In the harem there are no secrets." She quoted. "I don't mind. As your hand maiden I'm safe from my past. It can't hurt me anymore. And if it gives you a quick thrill, then I'm glad. After all, how many rape victims really and truly are able to say they're over it?" "Anyway, he didn't threaten me, or try to hurt me. So I didn't have any bruises or broken bones to mess up my head." "What did really happen?" I asked. "So you are curious?" She teased. I nodded. "I have to admit it. Your first night I thought about it. That's why I was extra gentle with you." "I wondered why you didn't paddle me." She said. "Although I'm just as happy you didn't. I don't think I'd care to be punished at all." She shivered, then brightened. "My uncle drinks a lot. He isn't a mean drunk, but one day he was drinking and he called me into his bedroom. When I came in I never dreamed he was about to do what he did." Dispite her words to the contrary Sherry shivered. "He got up and marched to the door. He closed it, locked it, then picked me up and put me on the bed. I remember laughing, thinking he was playing some sort of game." "Sherry," He said to me. "You're fourteen years old and very pretty. I know you're still a virgin, but it's time you learned about sex." "Can you imagine what went through my head? Before I could say anything he went on." "Now I know you think what I'm about to do is wrong, my being your uncle and all. So I'm going to tie you up so you can't fight me. I don't want you to hurt yourself, because there's nothing you can do to stop me." "By now I panicked. He must have expected it because when I opened my mouth to scream he shoved a sock in it. Before I could stop him he was sitting on me, pinning my arms with his knees. Then he took a rope and tied the sock in place so I couldn't spit it out." "Then he blindfolded me. That scared me so bad I just laid still while he tied my hands over my head." "He didn't hurt me, you understand. He just forced me. He stripped off my shorts and panties, then shoved my top up my arms. Then he got my bra off." "He tied my legs apart and gave me some time to recover. Then when he was sure I was calmed down a little he took off the blindfold." "Sherry, he said, I'm not going to say I'm doing this for any noble reason. I'm horny, you're pretty, and I'm drunk. I'll probably regret this tomorrow, but now I'm going to enjoy it." "He enjoyed it for two hours before he laid down on me. I have to admit after a while it got me hot. But he wasn't a very good lover, and he hurt me when he broke my cherry. If he'd been gentler, and a better lover I might be with him yet." "But it hurt, and before I could get into it he came inside me. I remember being scared that I'd get pregnant, but I didn't. He untied me and let me go clean up." "I ran away the next day." She shrugged. "When I got to the city I starved for two days before this guy picked me up. He offered me a hundred bucks if I'd let him fuck me. So I did. That's how I started hooking." "Wow." Gina said softly. "When Paul made love to me that first time I remember thinking that this is what it should have been like with my uncle. Gentle and loving and oh so good." She smiled dreamily. "I just laid there and came and came and came. It was wonderful." Her eyes refocused. "You know, Tara should here this." I said thoughtfully. "Not just you, Sherry, but all the girls. Once she sees how happy you are she'll relax and enjoy herself." "Don't count on it." Rachel warned. "She doesn't like it here." "Give her time." I councilled. "After all, you weren't going to stay at first, either. Remember?" "I remember." Rachel admitted uncomfortably. "But I didn't try to shoot you either." "Will you forget about that?" I scolded her. "She was scared, and it's over now. Like Sherry said, people do a lot of things when they're scared. Besides, her head's all messed up from playing secret agent. She'll be ok." Just then Mei and Thuy returned. "Tara's gone to her room to shower." Mei reported. "Good. Rachel, Melinda, here's what I want you to do." I gave the girls some quick instructions and sent them off. I also had Alima go scrounge up a cushion from somewhere. "Well?" I asked. "What do you think of her now?" "She's still frightened, although she's trying to hide it." Mei said. "I'm sorry master, but I still don't trust her. Where did you put her gun?" "On her bed." I said. Mei stared at me as though I'd lost my mind. "You didn't reload it did you?" She gasped. I shook my head. She relaxed with a shudder. I decided not to tell her what I'd done with the bullets. "You think she's still playing spy games?" I asked. "I don't know. She might be. Rachel could tell you better than I could." "Thuy?" I asked. "I don't know, master. She didn't say much as she was eating. When Mei asked her if she understood the house rules she just nodded. The whole thing feels spooky." Thuy looked steadily at me. "Be careful, master. Tara might be dangerous." "Tara is very dangerous." I said soberly. "The only thing I don't know is if taking her will defuse the bomb or detonate it." I grinned suddenly. "Just think. Tara's a real live secret agent! And she's going to allow me to tie her down and rape her. And it might just not be a game to her." "Does that excite you?" Gina asked. She'd been very quiet since the oriental girls had come in." "Yes." I said, nodding. "She's even more of a challenge than you are, Gina. She's never fantasized about being a slave girl. She's an ordinary girl that's been thrust into an extraordinary adventure." "Your mission, should you choose to accept it-" Mei quipped. I hummed the theme to Mission Impossible and broke out laughing. "Mr Reiner," I said in the serious tones of the Misson Impossible briefing tape. "You must take an ordinary, unkinky girl, restrain her with diabolical thoroughness, strip her naked, and perform diverse and perverted sexual acts to her shrinking virgin body." I winked at Sherry, who chuckled. "You may recruit members of your team from your harem, leaving no tush unturned in your search for the ultimate attainment of your mission. As always, if you are captured by enemy agents, we will disavow all knowledge of your activities, and force you to turn in your Captain Midnight Decoder Ring, and your keys to the executive washroom. This tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds." "Boom!" Gina shouted, and laughed. I grinned. The other girls jumped at the black girl's shout but laughed with us. "Gina, Sherry, you're excused, along with Melinda." I said. "The rest of you girls are going to be on call in case I need something. For right now, let's all go down to the dungeon and wait for Tara." Continued in part 20