"Do I get the pleasure of going shopping, or the pleasure of your ropes?"

"Maybe both."

I pressed the CD eject b.u.t.ton. Lifted the small circle of light. Enya. I switched off the unit, the red numbers fading into oblivion.

"Yeah. I broke down. Listened to it."

"Tired of Twisted Sister?"

She made a face. "AC/DC. There's a bit of a difference. By the way, that Enya stuff is pretty good. I didn't think I'd like it."

"Wait until I tie you down and force you to listen to Country and Western."

"Oh G.o.d. Please no. I'll do anything to avoid that torture."

"I hear you. I don't think I'm that cruel. Perhaps if you try and run again. Now there's incentive to be good. Hands behind you."

She took a deep breath but moved her hands to behind her back. I moved over to her and she twisted to allow me access to her wrists. I slipped a pair of handcuffs onto her and she gasped as the cold metal touched her skin. She didn't protest as I'd expected. Just sat quietly on the sofa, legs together, waiting for my next instruction.

"Feet."

She lifted her bare feet, carefully holding them together. I looked at her puzzled, finally realizing that she'd mistaken the order. Thought I was going to cuff or tie her ankles as well.

"No. To your feet. Stand up."

She flushed, and lowered her legs. She stood up. I guided her to the front foyer where Jane and Christi were still waiting on their knees.

I spoke to them. "Hands behind you. Same as Amy."

They rose to their bare feet and allowed me to handcuff them all. No protests.

I opened the front door and they followed me out to the front porch. I admired their bare bodies as they moved outside. The sun reflecting off of them. Still sparkling from their shower. I shrugged and left the front door wide open. Who was going to break in? Find the two nude beauties bound up for my pleasure in there? It kind of felt odd walking away from the house, leaving it unlocked. Unprotected. Especially knowing what the house contained. Specifically Elizabeth and Sheila. But I suppose that it was one of the side benefits of this timeline. Not much crime beyond whatever mayhem I managed to cause.

"Okay, girls. Lead on to the nearest mall. Drug store. That sort of thing."

Jane turned to me. "Sir? We don't really know the area. We don't know where the nearest mall is."

"Well, I guess we will just wander around until we find one. It's not like we are short on time or daylight."

She swallowed. "One more thing?" I nodded to her. I might indulge her. "Can your slaves walk on the gra.s.s? Please? It's so much easier on the feet than asphalt. Have you ever walked on pavement in bare feet?"

"I have half a mind to have you crawl."

He face clouded. Frightened. Not sure what they'd done to inspire my wrath, and afraid that her tongue was about to get them all in trouble. She just begged. Hoping that would appease me.

"Please. Master. Don't make us crawl. We'll gladly walk on the pavement if you want us to. I was just asking, in case you didn't care. Please. Please don't punish us," the suddenly frightened girl's voice fell to a whisper at the end of her plea.

"You may walk on the gra.s.s for now."

Her face brightened a little. Realizing that I was just tormenting her a little. She thought for a second and managed to organize her speech.

"This slave. Thanks you."

She scampered over to Amy and Christi who were just waiting silently up ahead. I couldn't hear her voice as she whispered to them, but they had a worried look on their faces, probably as Jane related my mood, and then a little happier when told that they could walk on the softer gra.s.s.

I caught up to the bare girls. "You want to be out here all day?" I asked them.

Jane swallowed and answered for them. "No sir." And the girls began to walk, moving off to the side into the green gra.s.s. I walked about five paces behind them. Admiring the view. Just enjoying the way their bodies moved. The way the steel cuffs jingled softly against their skin. Watching their bare female feet, painted toenails, whisking through the dewy gra.s.s. Aware of my presence, the girls didn't chatter much. Just raising their faces and enjoying the morning sun as we walked. Almost ignoring me.

About an half hour later, Jane spoke again to me. "How about that one?" She indicated a shopping complex with a nod of her head. It looked fine to me. Didn't look too crowded, but by the advertising signs outside appeared to have most of the types of stores I wanted.

Our small group walked in that direction. The girls wincing as their feet struck the pavement of the parking lot. It had been a long time since I'd had any of them in such a public place. I could almost sense as their discomfort grew. Feeling their nudity, bordering on exhibitionism. But not being able to do anything as we slowly made our way past men and women, wheeling shopping carts, baby carriages and high school kids cutting cla.s.s.

I had to open the door and hold it for the girls, their hands not being particularly useful still cuffed behind them. The bare girls and I filed inside. We had to let our eyes adjust to the darker interior of the mall. It was a standard strip mall. One floor. A mult.i.tude of specialty shops. Shoe repair. Fabric places. Women clothing. A grocery store near one end. A video store. Jewelry shops.

Jane was the first the speak. Braver than the rest. As usual.

"M-master? Can this slave ask what we are shopping for?"

"You want to eat, don't you?"

"Yes sir."

"I thought we'd grab some food before the kind Mayers run out of the basics. And I thought that we might do a little other shopping."

"For other women?"

I smiled. Perceptive. As always. "Perhaps. But I think we ought to get the food first. What do you think?"

Jane silently nodded. Her bravery run out.

I herded the bound girls towards the far end of the mall. Dodging the odd pedestrian. The mall wasn't particularly crowded at this time in the morning. I took note of some of the shoppers. Families. A couple of late high school girls caught my eye. Frozen talking to one another as they strode down the hall. A young mother, wheeling her infant in a carriage. Talking to it, by the look of things. A family. Boy. Girl. Mother and father. Almost looked like tourists. A clerk in a jewelry shop caught my eye. Blonde. Athletic looking.

I listened to my charges' bare feet against the tile as they walked down towards the grocery store.

The girls stopped in front of the entrance door. Helplessly looking at the automatic door.

"Come on. We don't have all day. Get in there." I admonished them.

Christi looked at me. "Sir? But the doors are automatic. They aren't opening."

"I don't want to hear any excuses. Get in there."

Her eyes welled up with tears and she walked towards me instead of the doors.

"Please," she whispered. Really frightened by my sudden change of mood. "You know we can't get in without help." She gently rubbed her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s against my arm. I reacted. Of course, I reacted. "Please. If you are looking for someone to punish, you know you don't need a reason. You can punish us anytime. For anything you deem fit. Please. You don't need to torment us with this." Her eyes were the perfect vision of helplessness and frustration.

I gently moved her away from me. Tears still falling silently down her cheeks. Her hands moving ineffectually behind her, wanting to brush the tears away, but unable. Amy and Jane were standing by the door, looking frightened and helpless.

I let them wait there for a few moments and then released the auto doors from the time block. The heat sensor sprang to life, sensing the warm girls standing in front of it. The doors slid open.

Relief flashed across the women's faces as they realized that punishment, whatever I was planning for them, had been staved off for little while at least.

Chapter 90.

The store was nearly deserted. I left the girls huddled by the door and walked along the front of the store. Pop cases were piled up against the front windows. The cashiers and tills a step or two back.

There were a few customers lined up at the registers. Four cashiers were ringing up the sales. A more senior woman was taking care of the express line. Another middle aged woman was ringing up a elderly woman's purchases in lane four. Down at the other end two younger women had their lanes lighted. Lanes ten and eleven. Both brunette. The shorter of the two looked like she was helping bag for the one in charge of lane ten.

I walked over to them. They were both mid twenties. Perhaps late twenties. Kathleen and Nicole their name tags read. They almost could have been sisters. Similar builds. Similar upturned noses. Kathleen was ringing up the groceries of an older gentleman. His young grandson, seated in the cart. Kathleen was smiling, talking to the older man as her hand swiped a bag of milk across the laser reader. All frozen in time.

I wandered back to my nude girls. They were still frightened and huddling near the door. Whispering.

"Christi?"

"Sir?" She stepped forward hesitantly.

"Turn around." She did and I unlocked her hands. I released the equipment pack from her fingers. She turned back around to face me, her hands limply at her sides.

She looked at me. Apprehension still evident on her face. "You are going to take them. Aren't you?"

I pursed my lips. "Probably."

"Why are you angry with us?" she whispered.

"I'm not angry with you."

"You sound angry. Please. We haven't done anything."

I touched her shoulder. "Christi. I really am not angry with you. I'm just in a strange mood."

"It's not about what Jane and I did? Is it? Amy doesn't deserve to be punished for that."

I shook my head. "I'm not punishing anyone, unless there is a reason to. We might play a bit, though."

She wore one of those, I'm-not-very-surprised-about-that looks. "You are going to hurt us. Aren't you?" Her voice was flat. And almost unemotional. Though tears had begun to well in her eyes.

"Maybe. We'll see. For now, we need to do some shopping. Come here."

The frightened girl followed me meekly to where the shopping carts were stored.

"Hands."

She held her hands out in front of her. Expecting the cuffs back. I gently took her hands and placed them on the pushbar of a shopping cart.

"Oh no. Why do I always get tied to the cart?"

I smiled. She still remembered the hardware store. And Kimberly. Seemed like a lifetime ago I'd tied her naked body to that shopping cart. I silently used short lengths of cord to secure her to the cart. She pulled idly at the bonds, not expecting to be able to work herself free. She didn't complain further. Probably frightened to.

I motioned the other girls over. I turned them around, one at a time and changed their handcuffs from behind their back to their fronts. Jane and Amy just waited quietly. Pulling at the restraints on their wrists.

"Alright girls. I'm going to let you go nuts here. Buy the good stuff. Make sure that you get staples. Bread. Peanut b.u.t.ter. Cold meats. Stuff like that. Milk. Eggs. You can get some cookies or something. Whatever you want as a treat. Don't go too nuts though. Remember whose carrying all this stuff home. Okay?"

Jane and Amy nodded. Christi was grimacing at the mention of peanut b.u.t.ter.

I watched as the girls slowly made their way down the first aisle. Jane and Amy reaching for items with their bound hands. Soon they were out of sight. The naked women softly talking amongst themselves as they did the shopping.

I wandered back to Kathleen and Nicole. I turned the gun over in my hands. Wondering how to release them. I decided not to release them at the moment.

I walked through the store. Towards the back. Finally I reached a door marked Employees Only. Private. I shrugged. I pushed the door open. There was a flight of steps leading upwards. I walked up the stairs and opened the door at the top. Lunch room on the right, manager's office on the left. I peeked into the lunch room. Couple of older guys smoking in the corner. I opened the door to the manager's office. The manager had a small office. Desk. Chair. Phone. And a small window that looked out over the store. The manager was a woman. Coincidentally named Jane according to the name plate on her desk. Jane Orton. She looked to be in her mid-thirties. Nice figure. Reddish hair. Business suit. She was talking to another younger woman across the small desk. Orton was holding a piece of paper in her hands. Almost studying it. The younger woman was dressed nicely as well. Dark skirt and blouse.

I ignored them, for now, and glanced out the private window. It was high and gave a good view of the store. I could see the nude girls slowly making their way down the third aisle. I couldn't tell what they'd thrown into the cart from here. I'm sure they were doing an adequate job. They knew what kind of mood I was in. Forgetting something would be cause for punishment.

I turned back to the women at hand. May as well have some company if I was going to wait for the others to finish shopping.

I studied the gun in my hands. Probably the easiest way to get them under control. I closed the door. I leaned back against a wall, just under a framed Escher print, and concentrated. The new Jane and the younger woman suddenly began to resume their conversation. Unaware of my presence.

"... and I have a head for numbers. Have a look at my math marks. Miss Orton ... who's that?"

The younger woman had just noticed me. Jane looked up and screamed as she saw me.

"Who? Who are you?" after her initial startled reaction, Jane had raised her right hand over her breast and calmed fairly quickly. Calm under fire.

"It doesn't really matter who I am." I tapped the gun idly against my thigh. Jane's eyes immediately glued to the gun. The younger woman shrank back in her chair. Really uncertain about this situation, but not really frightened yet. But I wasn't sure that she'd seen the gun either. Her view of it was blocked by my thigh.

"What do you want? I can't open the safe. Brinks is the only one that can do that. How did you get in here?"

Jane had begun to raise her hands, like in Hollywood. The younger girl had finally seen the gun. She also began to raise her hands.

"Listen to me. I'm not interested in your safe. Keep calm and n.o.body will get hurt. Understand?"

The two women nodded.

"Put your hands down. You look silly. I know that you don't have any weapons. Why would you?"

Both women lowered their hands and held them lightly at their sides.

"Wh-what do you want from us, then. If you don't want money." Jane stammered.

"First of all, I'd just like to know who you both are."