"They didn't kill him. I checked. But he didn't look like he had a good time with the girls."

"I can imagine. Who is that?"

"That's Elizabeth."

"Your girlfriend?"

"She's another slave. Definitely not my girlfriend."

"Oh my G.o.d. You mean there's more? Christi and Jane aren't it?"

"No. There's one more as well. Amy. She's currently cooking our breakfast."

"You're kidding."

"Have I ever kidded you?"

Sheila seemed to be a lot more comfortable around me. I guess since we'd slept in the same bed and I hadn't raped her. She was perhaps feeling a little safer and less vulnerable. Maybe she had shed some emotional baggage from her healing activities last night. Perhaps her bruises just weren't causing her the same level of pain. Constant pain can do strange things to a person.

"No. But I think I'm hungry."

"I'll bet."

"Can we please take these chains off me? I don't think I have the strength to attack you, much less hurt you."

I smiled. I'd forgotten that I'd cuffed her last night. She was still mostly hidden beneath the covers. Her hands and feet included.

"I'm sorry. I forgot. Of course we can take them off."

I lifted the covers off of her. She shivered slightly, but held up her hands. I unlocked them. I still couldn't see what her condition was. I wouldn't be able to tell until I turned on the light. She shifted around and gave me her feet. I took the handcuffs off her ankles as well.

She sighed. "I was kind of surprised when I woke up in the middle of the night and found myself in handcuffs. It shouldn't have surprised me. You have no reason to trust me yet. They didn't hurt or anything. But you didn't have to restrain me. I wasn't going anywhere."

I nodded. The girls, for the most part were good. Apart from Jane, they had never risked attacking me while I slept. And Jane hadn't gone through with it. Didn't even know that I knew.

"I'm going to wake up Elizabeth." I walked around to the other side of the bed. I gently touched Elizabeth's hair. Smoothed her bangs back from her face. Her eyes opened. Not startled. Looking rested.

"Time to get up?" she inquired.

"Yup. Breakfast is on. Give me your wrists."

I heard her stomach rumble under the covers. She quietly turned over presenting her cuffed wrists to me. While I unlocked her, she noticed that the other woman was awake.

"h.e.l.lo," Elizabeth greeted her a little uncertainly. "You must be Sheila."

"Yes. Good morning." All civilized. As though there was nothing strange about sleeping in the same bad when they had never even met. Naked. Handcuffed. Sharing the bed with a strange guy. Even sharing his body heat. These women. Such a different world they lived in. I'd never figure them out. I swear.

"I'm Elizabeth."

"I know. He told me."

They lapsed into silence. Elizabeth's hands clicked free.

"You ready for lights?" I asked them. I walked slowly over to the light switch.

"Yes," from Sheila.

"Don't you dare," from Elizabeth.

Smiling, I snapped them on. Sheila blinked rapidly, but she'd been awake a lot longer than Elizabeth. Her eyes adjusted quickly. Elizabeth just squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. Shielding her eyes with her hand.

"You can't do that to a girl before she's fully awake."

"You were awake. And besides which. You know fully well that I can do anything I want to a girl. Awake or not." I grinned playfully at her.

"Shut up," Elizabeth mocked me. She was just playing.

Sheila swung her legs off the bed and climbed to her bare feet. Her fingers reaching up to run through her tangled hair. She winced as she straightened.

Her bruises were as bad as yesterday. Her side was still that nasty purple colour. Her face still had the mottled reddish bruise on her right cheek. That bruise, perhaps looked a little better. Her eye looked a little worse. She gently touched her left side and softly cried out. She put her hands down at her sides and simply waited for Elizabeth to rise.

"How do I look?" she asked me.

"Like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards." I returned to the doorway by the light switch waiting for the girls.

She smiled at the expression. "I'll look better after a shower."

"After breakfast."

Elizabeth had finally managed to stop blinking. Her eyes adjusted to the higher light levels. She glanced at Sheila and gasped. She was on her feet in a split second.

"You f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Elizabeth practically screamed at me. "How could you do that?" Her bare feet pounding on the carpet as she launched herself at me. Her fists driving into my chest. I stepped back and grabbed her wrists. Stopping her from continuing her a.s.sault. Gently.

"Calm down. Calm down."

"You filthy f.u.c.king animal. How could you do that to her? What did you do? Use her as a f.u.c.king punching bag? Jesus Christ. Look at her. n.o.body deserves that. Holy Christ. Look at her." She was in tears. From frustration. Horror. Fear.

"Elizabeth."

She paled. Horror crawled across her face. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Knowing what she'd done. It didn't matter what I did to any of them. It never justified trying to hurt me. Those were the rules. And she knew it.

"And I f.u.c.ked you last night. Jesus Christ. You are a monster." She slowly sank to her knees. Frightened. Realizing what she'd done. Knowing that she'd be punished for attacking me. For screaming at me. For swearing at me.

"I am a monster. And you are right. n.o.body deserves that. Elizabeth. Honey. I haven't touched her."

Elizabeth looked up from her knees. Wanting to believe me but not quite being able to. Wondering why I wasn't angry with her.

"It's true. He hasn't touched me, Elizabeth. He's been nothing but kind to me. He freed me. Thanks for coming to my rescue though."

"What?" I could see the confusion spreading across Elizabeth's face. "How?"

Sheila walked carefully across the room. Favouring her left side still. She slowly sank to her knees. Held Elizabeth's face in her hands.

"Christi and Jane explained to me what this place is all about. The time stuff. I don't understand it. But I don't need to. This guy. Our Master. He isn't the only one that likes to hurt women. He's not unique in the world. Christi and Jane told me that he does unspeakable things sometimes. But not like this. Look at me. This was done before he came and took me away. He didn't do it. You know that. In your heart. My. My former master. He was. Rough. Rougher." She pointed at her body. Her left side. "Evan. That's my former master. He kicked me here. Twice. He slapped me here. Hard." Her right index finger circled her right cheek and eye. "G.o.d it hurt. I know it looks bad, but I'm used to it. He saved me from this. I swear to you that he hasn't touched me. I swear it."

Elizabeth began to cry, her bare body shaking on her knees. "Good G.o.d. Look at you. You mean. This happened to you in real life? Oh my G.o.d. You'll never forget this?" Sheila shook her head. Tears beginning to fall from her eyes as well. Elizabeth looked back up at me. "Oh G.o.d. This. This slave is so sorry. She presumed. She. She deserves punishment. Please forgive her." She reached out and softly touched my leg with her hand. "Please."

I touched the women's shoulders, urging them to their bare feet. I spoke rea.s.suringly to Elizabeth. "It's okay. I understand. I wasn't thinking how you'd might take the sight of Sheila here. My fault. She looks like she's been through a war or something. Doesn't she? Can't really blame you for thinking it was me. And if you weren't horrified about this, I'd think something was wrong with you. I'm not going to punish you. You actually did the right thing. If I ever do this to anyone I'm going to keep, I'm giving you permission right now to take your anger out on me. Understand?"

Elizabeth nodded mutely, tears still flowing. Confused. I stroked her tangled hair.

"Still regret making love to me?"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that."

"You did. And I understand."

"No. I don't regret it anymore." She moved towards me. A bit hesitantly. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug. "Thank G.o.d you didn't do this." Her body shook a bit.

I kissed the top of her head and she managed to control her crying. Sheila stood uncertainly watching her sister in captivity and I interact.

Elizabeth sniffled and reached up on her toes to give me a kiss. "That's for helping her instead of hurting her."

Jane poked her head in the door. A whirlwind of brunette. "I'm sorry to interrupt your little party here, but didn't you hear me hollering for you? I've been yelling for like five minutes. Breakfast is ready."

Chapter 84.

Jane disappeared and I gently guided Elizabeth and Sheila out of the bedroom. Sheila looked wistfully at the bathroom and shower as we pa.s.sed, but we all padded down the stairs together. I needed a shower as much as they did. Well, maybe not quite as much.

I smelled the heavenly aroma of coffee, bacon and eggs greet me as I walked into the kitchen. My stomach growled. Elizabeth and Sheila trailed me, wrinkling their noses as they entered.

Elizabeth muttered, "Coffee. I would do anything for coffee." Her eyes glued to the mug that Amy held in her hands. She looked at me hopefully.

"Can a slave beg for coffee. Please?"

Suddenly I had a clamour around me. All of them but Amy trying to speak at once. All of them begging for coffee.

"QUIET!" I barked out at the women. They silenced themselves. I sighed. "That's better. Like a pack of hyenas you are. Yes. You can all get yourselves coffee." Amy's eyes twinkled. Amused. "And before you all start asking, the cream is in the refrigerator and the sugar is on the counter."

Jane, Christi and Elizabeth practically dove at the coffee machine. Amy had placed four mugs beside it. All different mugs. Catchy sayings on them. I Hate Mondays. I'm a Bear Until I've Had My Coffee. Hard Work Never Killed Anyone, But Why Take Chances. I smiled at the nude girls scrambling for the coffee. Sheila had hung back. I looked at her quizzically.

"What's up? Why aren't you in there as well?"

"Couple of reasons," she answered. "This." She pointed at her side. "Last thing I need is one of them to accidentally elbow me. They look a little rambunctious in there. And I'm not so sure I want any. Evan, that p.r.i.c.k, wouldn't let me have coffee at all while I lived here. It didn't matter how much I begged and pleaded or how obedient I was. I had to make it for them. But I wasn't allowed to drink it. It was one of his little torments. Showing his power over me. After a couple of weeks I realized what he was doing and stopped begging for it. I guess I broke the habit. I'm not sure I want to start it up again. I thought I did. As soon as I smelled it. But now I'm just not sure. You'd really let me have coffee?" A bit incredulous. Not quite used to her new *freedoms'.

"Want some orange juice, instead?"

"I'd love some."

"It's in the fridge."

She walked gingerly over to the refrigerator and pulled out the jug I'd found earlier. Amy handed her a gla.s.s.

"Hi Sheila. I'm Amy. I'm glad to meet you. I hear you've been through a lot."

Sheila smiled at the other girl. "Someone has been telling stories. Don't believe everything you hear."

"Jane and Christi. And your face and body kind of tell it as well." Sounded like Jane and Christi at least managed to warn Amy. She hadn't blinked an eye when Sheila walked in. At least I hadn't had to deal with another performance like Elizabeth's.

Sheila poured herself a gla.s.s of orange juice, and raised the gla.s.s to her lips. I glanced around the kitchen. It just seemed so normal. Five nude women, happily interacting. Fighting for the sugar bowl and laughing on one side. I was almost sure I saw some nipple tweaking as they playfully fought. Like a bunch of school girls. And two others just quietly talking over by the refrigerator. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to seeing this.

I touched Amy's shoulder. "How's breakfast coming?"

"Oh s.h.i.t. I forgot about that." She rushed back to the stove. She opened the oven portion. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she'd have been punished if the breakfast had been ruined. She had the plates and food keeping warm while she had waited for me.

"*fraid we don't have enough chairs here. Two will have to be on the floor. I guess I'm newer, I'll take the floor. Someone else will have to as well," Amy called out to the others.

She started to distribute plates around the table. I sat down at one end.

"I'm newest, I'll take the floor too." Sheila spoke up.

Christi and Jane exchanged a glance. They nodded to each other. Sipping at their coffee.

Christi spoke up. "That's not really fair. You cooked this morning, Amy. You take my chair. Please."

Jane stepped in as well. "Please. Sheila. You take mine. I can't let you sit on the floor. Not with those bruises. I'll be fine on the floor with Christi."

Sheila smiled thankfully at Jane and reached for a kitchen chair. Jane and Christi moved to the side and sat on the floor. Their bare backs pressed against the floor cabinets, knees up in front of them. They were talking in whispers together. Sipping at the coffee. Savouring it.

Amy distributed the plates. "Watch. They're hot," she warned as she placed the first one in front of me. Scrambled eggs. Bacon. Toast. She placed three more plates down on the table. Same fare in front of Elizabeth, Sheila and where she'd be seated. She carefully handed plates to Christi and Jane on the floor. All the girls thanked her as she served.

She pulled out a drawer and picked up some utensils. She handed me a knife and fork and then sat. Sheila picked up a piece of bacon and was raising it to her mouth. Amy touched her arm and whispered to her, "Wait for permission." Sheila nodded and dropped the bacon back to her plate. Not realizing the rules that the girls had made up. I actually had nothing to do with that one. I think Jane had made it up in the hotel room one morning in an effort to please me. And it had just been accepted as fact that the women waited for me to tell them to eat. At least at breakfast.

I smiled at Sheila. "Go on eat."

"Please. Sir? Can I get cutlery?"

Amy whispered to her. "I know. I hated it too. Still do. He won't let us use cutlery."

Sheila just nodded as though she understood. Maybe she did. Maybe she was just used to accepting unreasonable situations. She picked back up her piece of bacon and nibbled at it. Without another word she simply began to eat her breakfast. The eggs were going to be a bit messy, but they all needed showers anyway.

I wolfed down my breakfast. It was surprisingly good given that we were a bit late coming down. Still warm and we were all so hungry that anything would taste good. I finished, as usual, far ahead of the women. All of them were struggling with the eggs. Having to let them cool a bit before they could get their fingers into them to eat. I watched Christi and Jane eating on the floor. They didn't seem to be having more trouble because they were on the floor. No more so than the women at the table. They were still talking to each other in hushed whispers. Glancing my way once in a while. I idly wondered what they were up to.