She enjoyed the times when Mistress Katherine was on the island. Ever since Patience's ordeal with Elke, KC seemed softer and kinder. She was not nearly as cold and distant as she had once been. She spent most of her time on the island with her pet these days instead of doing whatever she used to do. Patience enjoyed the change and the attention and the closeness that they were developing.
But KC was spending less time on the island lately. And when she would show up, she frequently seemed distracted, although she always treated Patience with kindness. The rumor on the island was that KC's companies were not doing well and that she was falling victim to a ruthless competitor who was using government influence to try to ruin her.
Patience always greeted her owner cheerfully when she arrived and always tried to create an atmosphere of warmth and love when KC was on the island. The days of sleeping in a cage were long past. Patience was always a bed-warmer for her mistress these days. And the bowls had been retired long ago. Patience might be totally naked at the dining room table, but at least she was seated at the table.
One of the most noticeable changes was Patience's lack of cuffs. Slaves on the island were expected to be bound when they were not in their owner's houses. Patience had not been bound for everyday life in over a year.
A change that Patience was not even aware of was that permission had to be sought for her use. Ever since the unfortunate incident with Elke, KC had required that people who wanted to enjoy her slave request permission first. She was not going to subject Patience again to the whimsical furies of another deranged mistress. It did not mean that Patience was less busy. It just meant that the long distance phone bill was much higher with the new rule.
The only exception to this rule was Mistress Grace. When Grace was on the island, with or without her flock, she was granted all rights to slave Patience.
"Alana wants you as a birthday present," Grace announced as Patience was spooned against her. Grace had one arm draped across the slave girl and was toying with one of the amethyst teardrops.
"Alana wants a slave?" asked a bewildered Patience.
Grace laughed. "I'm never sure with that girl," she replied. "She didn't say she wanted a slave. She said she wanted you."
"Oh," pondered Patience. "Am I for sale?" Three years earlier, that kind of question would never have occurred to the girl. But in the years since her trip to Las Vegas, she had become accustomed to the fact that she was mere property.
"Not that I am aware of," responded Grace, tugging on the amethyst and making the girl squirm a bit. "But would you mind if I asked KC for a price?"
Patience was having difficulty concentrating. Grace's full breasts were pressed against her back and she could feel the hard nipples drilling into her flesh. And her nipple was sending signals to her sex and brain that were keeping her totally off balance. "It's not my position to mind, Mistress," she replied diplomatically.
"Oh," said Grace with disappointment in her voice. She had been hoping for a more enthusiastic response. She thought that Patience and Princess got along very well. In fact, she thought she detected love between them. "Well, it was just a thought. Good night, little one."
Patience laid there with her mind churning for over five minutes. She didn't know what to think of what to say. But finally she spoke. "Mistress?"
"Yes, little one?" murmured Grace. It was obvious that she was starting to fall asleep.
"I would love to belong to Alana."
Grace gave Patience's breast a squeeze and pulled the girl close to her. "And I'm sure that she would love to own you. I will make it so."
Several more minutes passed and Patience spoke again. "Will you still own Alana, Mistress?"
"Of course I will," replied a half-asleep Grace. "I will always own her."
By the end of the following day, Grace had spoken with KC and had come to an agreement with the other mistress. The two had drafted a contract and faxed it to one another for signatures. The visit to the island turned out to be a very productive shopping trip for Grace, but a strange one also. She never would have guessed that she would have bought another human being.
On the way back to the mainland, Grace saw Patience shifting nervously and scratching. "Are you okay, girl?" she asked.
"Yes, Mistress," replied Patience. "I'm fine. I guess it's just these clothes. I haven't worn any in three years and I guess it takes a little getting used to."
Grace laughed. "Don't worry about that. Once we get home, I'm sure Alana will relieve you of those clothes. She never wears any around the house."
Patience was curious about how much she had cost Grace and Alana. She had heard rumors about prices after each of the auctions and none of them had been less than seven figures. Jan and Jean had been sold three months earlier and it was rumored that they went for five million dollars. Patience recognized that both girls were included for that price but two and a half million dollars apiece still seemed very expensive.
Grace relaxed on the flight and finally pulled the fidgeting slavegirl down on the padded bench so that Patience's head rested in the mistress' lap. Grace ran her fingers lovingly through the sun-bleached blonde mane as Patience reclined on the bench and soon fell asleep, leaving Grace to her own thoughts.
The negotiations with KC had gone well. KC obviously did not want to part with her dear slavegirl but knew that her business commitments would keep her too distracted for the foreseeable future. She would not be able to properly tend to Patience.
Still, KC had wanted to get value for one of her prime assets. She reasoned that, under the right scenario and with the right set of buyers, Patience would net her several million dollars at auction. But there were several problems. First, KC would likely never see her favorite pet again and she had grown very fond of the girl who she won in a poker game. Second, she was very particular about who could own Patience. The girl had gone through enough abuse at the hands of Elke and KC wanted to shelter her. Unfortunately, she couldn't guarantee that in an auction, so a private sale made more sense. The third problem was that Grace could not afford to pay several million dollars for the beautiful slave.
A solution was negotiated that met with KC's approval. After some hesitation and much soul-searching, Grace also agreed, although it could not exactly be said that it met with her approval. The deal had two parts. The first was that Grace agreed to always have one of her girls in residence on the island. Since Grace would now have four female slaves, that would mean that each one would spend about three months each year in the Caribbean sun. There are far worse fates than that. KC made it clear, however, that only the female slaves were to be sent to the island. Grace also owned Ted, the husband of Meredith. He was to be kept at home.
The second part of the agreement was what caused Grace to pause. In the end, however, she agreed that, for two weeks each year, she would become KC's slave. She would report to one of KC's other residences and serve KC in any way KC desired. The others in the island society would never learn of this arrangement, however, so that Grace's position in that society would not be affected. It was just an agreement between two mistresses.
Grace leaned down and kissed the slumbering slavegirl's forehead. "You were an expensive one," she thought. "But you were worth whatever the cost."
Grace may have thought the terms of the agreement were acceptable, but KC thought that they were exceptional. She had long thought that Grace would make a lovely slave, although she had to admit that the woman was also a wonderful mistress. But now she would have the beautiful woman all to herself for two weeks each year, to do anything that suited her fancy.