She lay on her stomach on the tiles of the hall. She lifted her head slowly. She shook her head to clear her vision. She looked at me disbelievingly.
I removed my sandles and threw them to the files, near where she lay.Obediently, on her hands and knees, one by one, putting her head down, she brought them to me in her teeth, and put them down before me. She then looked up."Kiss the whip," I told her.She took the whip, held before her, in her small hands, and pressing her lips fervently to it, kissed it.She then looked up at me, and I saw in her eyes, moist and awe-stricken, that I was her Master. I then collared her.
"Your duties in this house, Lola will be numerous and complex. In particular you will be a house slave. You will dust and clean the house and keep it neat. You will mend and sew. YOu wil wash and iron clothing. You will shop and cook and serve. all manner of domentic tasks, trival and servile unfit for free women, will be yours." "Yes, master," she said.
"Too, you will take orders in this house from Lady Beverly, Miss Henderson, who is a free woman in the house, as you would as if from me, but you are to remember always that is it I who owns you and not she."
"Yes, Master," she said. "But for such a handsome Master am I to be only a house slave?" Foremost among your duties," I said, "for you are beautiful, will be to attend to the pleasures of your Master." "Yes, Master," she said. "Please forgive me Master, for not having been pleasing to you before." "Do you wish to be whipped again?" I asked. "No, Master," she said, "No!"
The whipping had convinced her that she was under discipline. This understanding, or course, goes far beyond the mere pain of a particular episode. The whipping in itself, though of considerble moment, is insignificant when compared to the lesson it teaches. It teaches her that she is at his mercy, and is owned, truly.This fulfills something very deep in the female. This is the lesson of the leather. This isnot to deny, of course that a woman who is fully conscious of her imbonded condition, does not fear the whip. She does, for she knows what it can and will do to her if she is not pleasing. The only woman who does not fear the whip is she who has not felt it.
"Then perhaps you should begin to be pleasing to me now," I said. "Yes, Master!" sahe said and began to kiss at my body. "But on the other hand," I said, "perhaps you should merely tie my sandals." "Let me tie them later," she said. "Let me please you now," "Do you bet it?" I asked. "Yes Master," she said. "Very well," I said.
Lola, kneeling behind the bars of the slave kennely, looked up at me. "You are so different now from before," she said. I shrugged.
She put her arms timidly through the bars, to touch me. "Will you not again sometime, subjec me to slave rape?" she asked. "Perhaps," I said.
"I am pleased that you bought me," she whispered. "I will try to serve you well." Do notthink things will be easy here for you," I said, "for there is a fee woman in the house."
"I will obey her," said Lola, "and with perfection" "But do not forget," I said, "that it is I who owns you and not she." "I shall not forget Master," she smiled. then she kissed her finger tips and putting her hand through the bars, put her hand to my waist. "The Mistress will be home soon, and then doubtless, you will soon be set to chores." "Yes Master," said Lola.
Lola now returned to the small table and, kneeling, head down, served us our dessert, slices of tospit, sprinkled with four Gorean sugars.
"I see there may be some advantages to having a slave in the house," said Miss Henderson. "I never doubted it," I said. "Youmay serve the black wine now, in small cups, Lola," said Miss Henderson. "Yes Mistress," whispered Lola.
This was a delicacy. I had purchased, some days ago, but we had not yet served it. In a few Ehn Lola returned with the tray, with the vessel of steaming liquid, the creams and sugars, the tiny cups and the small spoons for mixing and measuring.
"Delicious," said Miss Henderson. "Thank you Mistress," said Lola. She then drew back a bit, and knelt, to be unobstrusive and yet available, instantly, to serve should free folk wish aught.
"You are a very pretty girl, Lola," said Miss Henderson regarding her. "Thank you Mistress," said Lola, head down. "Men must find you attractive," said Miss Henderson. "Perhaps, Mistress," said Lola, "some men." I smiled to myself. The man who did not find Lola attractive must indeed be an inert dolt.
"How long has you been a slave?" asked Miss Henderson. "Four years, Mistress," said Lola. "Have you have several Masters?" asked Miss Henderson.
"Yes, Mistress," said Lola. "Have you served them as a slave?" she asked. "yes Mistress," said Lola. "As a full slave?" asked Miss Henderson.
Lolo lowered her head further. "Yes, Mistress," she whispered. "Did you enjoy their hands on your body?" asked Miss Henderson. "Yes, Mistress," whispered Lola. "I see that you are a true slave," said Miss Henderson.
"Incidentally," I said to Miss Henderson, "move your things out of the master bedroom." "It is my bedroom!" she said.
"No," I said,"I am taking it. It is larger. And it has a porch, and a view of the garden and sky. I am renting the house. I am making it mine."No!" she said. "Too," I said, "it has the great couch, the one with the slave ring at its foot.
"I see," said Miss Henderson looking angrily at Lola. Lola did not raise her head, but knelt there, her knees close together, in the brief slave tunic. "I see," said Miss Henderson and rose to her feet, hurrying angrily upstairs.
I finished my black wine, enjoying it. When I had finished, I permitted Lola to clear the table and address herself to the work in the kitchen.
After a time, I went upstairs. Miss Henderson had cleared the room. I looked at the heavy iron slave ring, about eight inches in diameter, set in the stone of the great couch. I then went into Miss Henderson's room. She was sitting on the couch. "You did not knock," she said. "I need not knock to enter the room of my kept woman," I said. I then took my things from the room and put them into the master bedroom. I looked over the balustrade to the sky beyong. It was lovely. As I again started downstairs, I met Miss Henderson on the lasnding. She too was going downstairns.
"You seem angry," I said. "Not I," she said."Why are you goind downstairs" I asked. "To supervise the slave," she said. "Such girls are lazy and will do no work if they are not closly watched.
I stepped aside and let her precede me down the stairs. She was a free woman, and a woman of earth. She was not a slave, who must heel her Master.
"Come here Lola," I said.
It was not in the early evening. Miss Henderson and I, with small cups of a Turian liqueur before us, lounged in the living room. A tharlarion-oil lamp lit the room."Stand her," I told Lola. "Yes Master," she said.
"Surely you are not angry," I said to Miss Hendrerson, "that I bought her?" I faced Lola away from me. I put my hands on her ankle. "Look at this ankle," I said. Lola trembled. "And these calves and thighs," I said, "and the luscious, central curves of her, and these breasts and shoulders." I put my hand under her chin lifting it up. "And this neck in my collar," I said, "and this head and face and this hair. Surely you can see that she was an excellent buy. "Yes," said Miss Henderson angrily, "she was an excellent buy."
"When you have finished your work tonight, Lola," I said, "go up upstairs to the master bedroom. Take your clothes off and kneel there, by the slave ring, and await my pleasure."Yes, Master," she said, and went then hurriedly to the kitchen.