I was silent. Not knowing what to tell her.

Christi continued as her wrists were freed from their restraints. "I truly am sorry. Not because I'm afraid of punishment. I am. But you seem different. Quiet. Melancholy. And whatever I did to cause it, I'm sorry."

I finished with her hands and she pulled them in front of herself, rubbing at her wrists. She slowly turned her body on her hands and knees, falling into an easy cross-legged position.

I looked into her deep blue eyes and spoke solemnly. "Christi, honey. Honestly. It isn't anything that you did. Everything is fine."

I tried my d.a.m.nedest to get a smile onto my face. It shouldn't have been hard with her, nude, and available sitting there in front of me. But I knew I had failed when tears threatened to form in Christi's eyes.

Instinctively, she threw herself forward and hugged me. I'm not sure what possessed her to do it, but it was right. I felt her bare body press itself into my clothes tightly. She held me for a few minutes, and then slowly backed away, falling back to her knees on the bedspread. Strangely I felt better somehow.

"Thank-you," I spoke quietly. Christi raised her pretty eyebrows at that. I don't think I'd ever thanked any of them for anything that they did. They were human, but they also had to be reminded of their status in small ways. She still looked a little worried, but she managed to speak.

"You're welcome. I know you can make me hug you whenever you want, but that one was real."

"I know."

She held her wrists out, close together, offering herself.

"Don't you want to get dressed first?" I asked her gently.

Her eyes brightened immediately as she was distracted from my state. She nodded her head slowly.

I lay back on the bed as she crawled off and picked up her discarded clothing. I watched her lithe body as she covered it, pulling the too tight jeans over her hips, and the top over her head. I marveled that she could look so perfect both nude and clothed. She smiled brilliantly at me as she stood there, waiting for my approval.

I smiled at her as I sat up and swung my legs off the bed. I was really going to miss her.

Chapter 119.

She held her wrists out again expecting the handcuffs. She seemed almost eager to have the restraints, or perhaps she was simply more accepting of her treatment since I'd allowed her the clothing back.

Instead of attaching her wrists together, I grasped her right hand firmly in my left and walked with her, allowing her to open the bedroom door and lead the way out and into the hallway. If she was surprised at the fact that I hadn't handcuffed her, she didn't show it.

As we approached the kitchen, I released her hand, and watched as she wiggled her fingers. She smiled at me, not quite understanding my mood. Her bare feet danced in nervousness on the hardwood of the entranceway to the kitchen.

"I feel like it's my birthday or something. Everyone in there is going to jump out and yell *Surprise' when I walk in."

I smiled at her. "Maybe it is. Maybe they will," I spoke quietly.

She gave me a confused look, and waited with her hands at her sides for me to allow her to enter the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the kitchen door and motioned for Christi to enter. I watched as she walked into the kitchen, the sway of her feminine body exaggerated as she moved.

As I followed her, I noticed that the other women were scattered about the kitchen. Amy and Elizabeth were quietly talking at the table, their hands impeding them a little as they sat upright in the kitchen chairs.

Jane was swirling around the kitchen, finishing up making sandwiches. Sheila was doing whatever she could at Jane's direction to help. Her bound hands making any ch.o.r.e difficult. But she didn't seem to mind as she moved her bare body around. Christi moved over to Sheila who was trying to carry a small tray of cookies behind her. Christi immediately took the tray and spoke a few whispered words to Sheila. Sheila looked a bit relieved and moved towards me, kneeling at my feet.

"Can a slave ask to have her hands released so that she can help with lunch?" she inquired with a sweet look on her face. The bruises had faded considerably from her features, but they weren't completely gone yet. She was still beautiful.

"Sweety. Go sit with Amy and Elizabeth. Christi can take over."

She looked a bit disappointed, probably hoping to be released even if it meant ch.o.r.es for her to do. She slowly climbed to her bare feet, with a helping hand from myself, and walked over to table, settling her bare bottom onto one of the hard chairs.

I leaned against he wall watching the activity. Jane and Christi quickly set the table with plates and trays of small sandwiches. As Jane fished pickles out of a huge jar, I couldn't believe the sights. Three women, completely nude from the tops of their heads to their pretty toes, handcuffed, talking like it was the most natural thing in the world. Christi, in her tight jeans and top, no underwear and barefoot. Jane in evening wear, her feet bare and moving against the tile. Busily making lunch. They were all just so ... exquisite, delicate creatures.

It was hard to believe what I'd put them all through over the last days. Pain. Humiliation. s.e.xual slavery. I closed my eyes and pictured them, just this morning, covered in syrup, sticky, eating without complaint, in a situation that just wasn't imaginable for most people. And they were here. Still alive. Still surviving. And unbroken. Even happy. I watched a quick smile flash across Amy's face as she laughed at something Sheila had said. The female of the species is a wondrous creature.

I took a deep breath.

"Christi?"

She looked up from her tray of sandwiches that she was placing on the table, her eyes questioning. If I was to tell her to make love to Jane on the floor, she would. No questions. No complaints. If I was to ask her to whip Amy's b.r.e.a.s.t.s for a few minutes ... she would. She'd protest. Try to avoid it. Try to offer herself. Any number of things. But she'd do it for me. Any of them would. I felt a tingle race through me.

"I think we are going to need a couple of chairs," I spoke to her.

She looked at me incredulously. I was implying that all of them might actually get chairs? At lunch time? Not make two of them sit on the floor, or worse eat off the floor like pets? She didn't move, her thoughts freezing her body.

"Christi?"

She shook herself and looked at me again, her mouth open.

I laughed gently. "Yes, you all get to sit like human beings today."

She finally took a breath and scampered towards the dining room. Smiling, I watched as she struggled with the larger dining room chairs. Hugging them as if they were a person, using her whole smaller body to lift the things and bring them into the kitchen. She used her bare foot to push open the door.

After she was done, there were six chairs gathered around the small kitchen table. She had arranged the chairs with a little help from the three nude girls, such that one dining room chair had more s.p.a.ce than the others. Presumably mine.

I looked at the girls. Jane had finished preparations, all the food was on the table. The girls were all standing demurely beside their chosen chair, waiting quietly.

"Christi?"

She looked up a bit fearfully, afraid that she'd done something wrong. Something in my tone, I guess.

"Relax, silly female. Two things. You could have dragged them," meaning the chairs that she'd struggled to carry in here. Christi blushed a bit at that, realizing that she wasn't thinking. I continued, "And even out the chairs. You'll never have enough room like that." The girls chairs were really jammed together giving my chair an excessive amount of s.p.a.ce. While I liked the image of them pressed together and a little uncomfortable, it wasn't necessary today. No need to have them unable to eat easily, constantly b.u.mping elbows and other softer things.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Given past treatment, there was no reason for her to think that I would allow them more room at the small table. She was apologizing anyway, as though it were her fault for not reading my mind. After this morning, I suppose that I couldn't blame her for being careful and thinking any perceived transgression might be punishable. She quickly moved to separate the girls' chairs. She still left me more room, but I didn't push the issue.

I slowly moved to the chair intended for me and sat. The rest of the girls sat down as soon as I touched the chair. They were quiet, not really knowing what was happening. Except Jane probably had an inkling what my unusual mood was about.

A tremulous voice rose from beside me. Elizabeth spoke, almost fearfully.

"M-master? Are we. Is it," she stammered and finally found her tongue. "Was it your intention for some slaves not to eat?"

I looked at her quizzically. She looked down quickly, probably sorry she'd spoken at all.

I was a little confused by her question. She looked up quickly, saw the confusion and took a breath. She rattled her wrists trapped behind her bare back.

The light dawned on me. I smiled and reached forward, picking up a small egg sandwich. I touched it to her trembling lips. Obediently, she parted her lips and accepted the food into her mouth. I watched her chew slowly, comprehension dawning of her pretty face. She flushed a little, realizing that she was sitting next to Sheila who was similarly bound. Unless I relented and released her wrists, she was going to get fed by me. Or I would force Christi or Jane to lean across the table to feed her. Tears briefly brimmed in her expressive eyes, but she managed to control them. I guess just the image of her not even having the control to feed herself had washed over her. For me it was exciting, for her probably a bit humiliating.

I looked around the table at the four stunning faces watching my movements. Perhaps they were waiting for permission to eat.

"Jane? Share your fingers with Amy. Christi? You feed Sheila. And I'll take care of Elizabeth."

Taking that as a sign to begin, I watched as Christi hesitantly picked up a ham sandwich and offered it to Sheila. Seeing my gaze on her, and seeing the look in my eyes, she antic.i.p.ated my next request. After Sheila had bitten off a small bite, Christi turned the sandwich to her own mouth and shared the food as well as her fingers. Jane watched and did the same. Soon, the women were eating slowly and talking softly around the table. I tried to remember to share with Elizabeth. The girl took whatever was offered to her from my plate. Sandwiches of a mult.i.tude of flavours and pickles. She seemed to enjoy all of them. She was happily talking to the other girls, and directing some questions to me. Asking to try some foods that I hadn't taken. I wasn't very hungry, but I did share my food, allowing her to request whatever she wanted. I figured if she was willing to sit there naked and cuffed being fed by me without complaint, then she deserved to eat whatever she desired.

Finally, Elizabeth was full, and I didn't want any more. She obediently licked the crumbs off my fingers after we were done. I idly sat back, stroking her red hair, watching the other's still interacting. Christi and Jane still slowly fed the naked women and themselves.

The girls got into an animated discussion of the relative merits of oral vs. conventional s.e.x. I wisely refrained from entering the discussion and they continued as though I wasn't even there. But I did notice a gleam of mischievous intent in Jane's eyes. If I recalled correctly, she had initiated the discussion with some inflammatory comment. Considering that she was the only girl what had escaped oral s.e.x with Amy this morning, it was actually ironic.

At last, the conversation began to show signs of weakness, and Jane rose to clear the table. Christi automatically followed, being the only other female free of fetters. She began to run water into the sink.

"Just clear the dishes. No need to wash them."

"Why? Are we moving again?" Christi turned off the water and joked with me. "You harbouring a run-out-of-plates-and-move mentality now?"

Jane had transferred most of the plates and trays to the counter beside the sink.

I didn't answer right away, and Christi's face became more worried.

"Or are you just anxious to play with us, again?" Christi whispered. Fear had begun to creep into her eyes despite her obvious efforts to remain casual.

I took a deep breath. "We're moving. Sort of."

Christi looked at me. All the girls looked at me, except for Jane.

Christi's lips moved gently. "Please. Master. We like it here. It's comfortable. We picked it. Please don't make us move again. I'll. We'll do anything you want. Please let us stay here."

"You'll do anything I want, anyway. Whether we move or not."

"Oh." Her face fell betraying her disappointment. I could see the resignation cross her face. If I wanted to move them, they didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. "I suppose you want us to pack all our chains and ropes and stuff."

"Actually no. I don't. I said we are moving. Sort of." This time I emphasized the *Sort of.'

"I. I don't understand," Christi spoke quietly. The other girls didn't know what to think, letting Christi speak for them, for now. They just watched quietly, Jane closing her eyes and watching the floor. I could see the smile playing about her lips, the vixen, but she hid her involvement here well.

I took a deep breath and looked at Christi's deep blue eyes until she looked away, resigned that I'd explain to her when I was ready. Not much she could do about it.

"Janey?"

Jane looked up with widened eyes, not expecting me to call her.

"Yes, sir," her mouth automatically formed the words.

"Tell them." I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms across my chest and trying to keep my face neutral.

Her face dropped in surprise, but she recovered quickly. She looked around at the four intent faces staring at her. Waiting for her to speak. Confusion infused all the expectant faces. They didn't know what was coming, but they knew that this was far more important than a move from a hotel to a mansion. They could tell by my behaviour, by how they'd been treated over the last hour or so, and the look on Jane's face.

Jane took a deep breath, holding her hands to her face as though she was going to cry. Finally, the soft, almost whispered words fell into the silent room.

"We're going home," Jane whispered, tears running down her face. She caught her breath and continued to her stunned audience. "He's going to let us go. Today."

Amy whispered from her chair. "You. You're kidding. Please. Don't."

Tears had formed in all their faces. They knew instinctively that Jane wasn't lying, that she was telling the truth to them. That they were going to return to their former lives. Forgetting about this time, this place. What they'd all wanted since I'd dropped into their normal lives.

Almost as one, the girls surged out of their places. Had I ordered them to stay where they were, they wouldn't have listened. Their voices mixed together, laughing, crying, talking. They moved together with Jane overwhelmed in the middle. The two free girls hugged and kissed the bound ones, pressing their bodies together in a show of happiness and relief. They'd made it through. Sane. Even Sheila was excited and partic.i.p.ating. Christi and Jane hugged fiercely, crying onto each other's shoulders.

I sat back, shaking my head, just watching them. I don't think I will ever see such a display of such relief and happiness as long as I live. The girls couldn't stop talking, asking Jane questions, overwhelming her.

I let them get it out of their systems, waiting patiently, quietly enjoying them. Finally, Jane extracted herself from the mob of girls, gently pushing them away from her. She walked slowly to where I was sitting and spoke slowly and somberly.

"I honestly thought that you were going to keep us forever. I thought, that you were maybe even going to kill us one day. I was sure of it. No matter what your reasons are, I for one want to thank you for this. Even if I have to wait a little longer yet."

She bent and kissed me on both cheeks and then full on the lips, holding my jaw firmly between her hands. Each girl, in turn, followed Jane. Kissing me the same way, Christi last, running her tongue softly over my lips before breaking away.

Amy looked over at me after Christi was done. Her bare skin shone clean despite her exertions this morning. Her hands pulled gently at the cuffs holding her.

"When?" she asked quietly.

"Soon," I answered her vaguely. Truthfully, I didn't know when they'd all be released.

Her face paled. "You want to hurt us one last time. Don't you?"

I looked at Jane who turned to Amy. She touched Amy's bare shoulder, turning the girl to face Jane.

"Sweety. He's done hurting us. He got that out of his system this morning. Those handcuffs are about as close to hurting as you'll get. He's going to let us go later today."

"Why not now?" Amy was understandably the most anxious to leave and get back to her real life. She'd been a bit of a firebrand since that day where she'd discovered what pain really was. A tongue clamp, a riding crop and some rope.

"Amy, honey. He does have some plans for us."

Amy paled. "Rape hurts some of us, you know?" she whispered.

Jane actually laughed. "Honey. He's not going to rape us. At least I don't think he is. Christi already gave him a tumble from what I heard." Christi blushed fiercely for some reason. "He. He's going to let us all do something *we* want to do. Something that we normally couldn't."

"I just want to go home," Amy spoke quietly.

Jane took a deep breath. "You are going to be here until tonight anyway, honey. Think about it. I'm sure there are limits here, but make it worthwhile being here. If he's going to let us do something for us, take advantage of it. Think about it."