"Master is kind to spare my feeling," said Peggy.I smiled. I had not pressed her on the matter of he whose collar she longed to wear.
"Put her from your mind," whispered Peggy," "There are many lovely women in the markets. Buy one. Put her in your collar. Teach her with the whip who it is, to whom she belongs. Make her yours. I looked up at the low ceiling.
"Is she so special to you because she is from Earth, or because you knew her from Earth?" sha asked. "I do not know," I said. "Is that why you cannot forget her," she asked. "Is that why you are so concerned for her?" "I do not know," I said.
"There must be hundreds of girls from Earth, perhaps some thousands, who wear their collars on Gor," she said. "Yes," I said. "That is doubtless true." "What then is so special about her?" she asked. "I donot know," I said.
"Imagine a wall," she said, "of eight feet in height of heavey stone a hundred years in length. Imagine too a hundred women, beautiful, stripped, chained helplessly to thsi wal. It is of coruse, a market wall. In the company of a slave, their owner, you examine these women. Each in her chains kneels before you and begs you to buy her. One of these women is the girl we shall call Beverly. But you have never seen her before. Which of all of these women would you buy?" I looked at her.
"Which of all these women," she asked, "would you have released from the wall? On the torat of which, of all of them, would you lock your inflexiable collar. On the wrists of which, of all of them, would you lock your unyielding slave bracelets. Which of all of them, would you lead home as your slave?"
"She," I said, "the one whom we might call Beverly."Ah," said Peggy, drawing back, "I fear she is your love slave."
"She is too fine to be a slave," I said. "let alone the most complete of slaves, the total and abject love slave."Even if it is what she wants most deeply in her deepest heart?" asked Peggy.
"Of course," I said angrily. "But what is she is a slave?" asked Peggy. "in reality a true slave?" It does not matter," I said. "Surely you have recognied Gorean women can be slaves and have treated them accordingly," said Peggy. "Yes," I said.
"And surely you have recognized some Earth women can be slaves and have treated them accordingly," she said. "Yes," I said. I looked at Peggy. She blushed deeply and smile. I had often treated her, thoroughly and completely as the mere slave she was. "How then," asked Peggy softly, smiling, "is this other woman different?"
"She is different," I said angrily. "Can you admit the possibility that sh emight not be different?" asked Peggy. "No," I said. "No!" Then she would be only slave," I said angrily.
"But if this is what she is and what fulfills her and makes her joyful?" she asked. "It does not mattter," I said angrily. "The nature of the woman and her fulfillment and joy does not matter to you?" she asked.I was silent. I was furious."Do you not, honestly, want her in your chains?" asked Peggy.
"The first instant I saw her," I said, I wanted her in my chains." Peggy kissed me. "But I must put such thoughts from my head." I said bitterly. "Why?" she asked. "I do not know," I said. "Nature if harsh but it is not so terrible truly," she said."
"I must go," I said. "It is not yet even the Twentieth Ahn, Master!" she said. Swiftly she knelt beside me, head down. "Have I displeased Master?" she asked. "No," I said smiling, looking up at her.
"Dare to become a Gorean Master," she said, "please."Perhaps," I said. Swiftly she nestled down beside me, holding me. She did not want me to leave the alcove. "Thanked you forfor talking to a mere slave," she whispered.
"Why do you not simply place yourself on your belly before he whose collar you wish to wear," I asked, "and with tears, kissing his feet, implore him to buy you."I dare not," she said, "I am only a low slave and an Earth women."I see," I said. "He might be offended and slay me or Tasdron my Master discovering my crime might slay me for my insolence." "I see," I said. "And so I must see him daily and cannot reveal in the least my feelings for him, beyond those of the silken slave who must serve any man who can afford the price of a cup of her Master's paga." I put my arm around the girl. "You see Master we are not so different. You have lost your slave and I cannot even permit myself to be found by my Master."
I kissed her softly. She began to sob in my arms, and I held her gently, closely. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "It is hard being a slave girl," I told her."Yes, Master," she said, "Master," she said. "Yes," I said.
"Please have me with gentleness," she begged, "though I am a slave."Very well, slave," I said."Thank you Master," she said softly.
She lay beside me. She fingered the chain depending from her collar. "I love being chained," she said."Chains are very useful in impressing her slavery on a woman," I said."They leave little doubt in her mind so as to who is Master" she smiled.
I did not respond. When she said, however, was doubtless true. The effect of a chain or a rope on a woman's sexuality is sometimes incredible. This is particularily true with the new slave girl. With the older slave girl, one who has already learned something of the meaning of her collar, a mere snapping of the fingers or a small, imperious gesture can have a similarily devastating, triggering effect on her sexuality. The readiness and excitability, indeed, the almost helpless sexual vulnerability of the slave girl is something for which the men of Earth, whose experience has been limited to the free females of earth, are totally unprepared. It commonly takes 15 to 20 minutes to bring a free Earth female to orgasm. A slave girl, on the other hand, whether Gorean or an imbonded Earth girl, finding herself on Gor, once trained and understanding, fully, her condition, will often find herself on the brink of orgasm, simply finding her Master's eyes casually upon her. The differences, or course, are almost entirely psychological. Sexuality, as is well known, is almost entirely a function of the imagination and brain.
The slave girl knows that she is a slave, truly, and that passion is not only permitted to her but required of her. Indeed, she may be whipped or slain if she is insufficiently passionate. Her sexual needs are thus liberated. Frightened, she often begins by acting, and this is known to the Master, but soon, perhaps to her horror, she discovers that she, obedient to the Master's touch, and no longer acting, and this too is known to the Master, has become truly, suddenly, a yielding, spasmodic slave.
Too, of course her slavery and her sexuality is impressed upon her in a thousand, subtle ways. Certain modes of speech are expected of her and certain gestures and postures. She must, for example, address free persons deferentially and commonly will kneel in their presence.
Her garb too is commonly distinctive; it is usually inexpensive and brief; sometimes it is only a rag; it is designed to remind her of lowliness; it is desiged to of course, generally, to leave little doubt as to her charms. Needless to say, too her throat is encircled by a collar which will identify her Master, sometimes too, the collar will bear the name by which he has decided to call her; and her thigh or some other part of her body will be branded. She is an animal, sensuous and beautiful, marked as property, and has a name only on sufference of her Master; he need not even give her a name, if he does not wish to do so. Beyond this of course she finds herself in the Gorean civilization. It is a complex, vital, bright, colorful, deeply sensuous civilization; it is a harsh, gorgeous world in which the slave girl has a special role and place; her condition is unquestioned and categorical; it is supported by history, by custom and law; there is absolutely no escape for her; she is slave. Accordingly, an animla and property, without eve a name in her own right, she kneels before her Masters; she waits to be commanded.