Amy nodded in that way that says, I-don't-want-anything-but-to-go-home, but she managed a smile. At least her worst fears weren't being realized. At least it wasn't looking like she'd be raped or tormented any longer.

Christi looked like she was about to say something, but I cut her off.

"Girls? Remember that you are still slaves. There's just an end in sight. I don't want to see any last minute disobedience because I'm letting you go. Jane and Christi? Remember the clothes? Remember how you knew you were going to lose them if you didn't remember what you were? You did well with that, but remember that I can take potential freedom away as well."

The girls sobered a bit at the words. They all nodded grimly. It was probably easier for Elizabeth, Sheila and Amy to accept this, still being naked and handcuffed. I imagine it is tough not to remember that you are under control when you have no clothing and are restrained physically. But Jane and Christi had always been good at keeping me satisfied despite freedoms that I allowed them. I suspected that when I told them to kneel, all of them still would.

I shepherded the girls out into the hallway. They resumed their excited chattering as though I wasn't there. I guided them into the library where I had them kneel and carefully placed handcuffs on all of them. Jane and Christi looked hurt a bit, but I ensured that the bonds weren't tight and just restricted their motion a little. The nude women, I merely changed their hands from behind them to in front.

"Couldn't have done this before lunch, could you?" Elizabeth smiled up at me playfully.

"Then I probably wouldn't have had the pleasure of feeding you."

She blushed and accepted the cuffs over her wrists again.

I felt a bit drained and wanted a few moments to think.

"Alright. You all have free time for a while, but don't move out of these rooms. Okay?"

The women nodded, understanding. Christi and Elizabeth jumped immediately to their bare feet and headed for their books, not wanting to waste free time. Sheila more slowly climbed to her feet and began to scan the book shelves. Amy moved to the doorway and slipped into the stereo room.

Jane remained on her knees looking up at me.

"If you want company, I'll do whatever you need." Her expression told me that she would do anything I wanted, whether that involved her crying in pain, or held in my arms. Or she'd simply sit and talk.

"Thanks for the offer, Janey. I appreciate it. But I just want to think for a while."

"I understand," she spoke softly from the floor. She struggled to push herself to her bare feet. "Can I ask if I'm allowed in the dining room."

An image of her stretched out on the windowsill in the still morning sun caught my mind's eye. Her feline form, breathing softly in sleep. With and without the evening dress, she flitted behind my eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. She'd never seen a blackout and she was understandably worried. Her life could be in the balance of another blackout and she was so close to going home.

I shook off the images with a smile. She didn't understand why I looked her up and down the way I did, but I nodded to her.

"I'm fine. And, of course you go to the dining room. Little kitten."

She gave me a strange smile making me wonder just how much she did know. In a swirl of black fabric, interrupted only by her pale bare feet she scampered away to her window.

I turned away and made my way slowly upstairs. I lay back on the bed, closed my eyes and let the images of the week flash through.

Chapter 120.

I must have relaxed on the master bed for an hour or so, just reflecting on the journey, from the moment I took Christi, through all the excitement and emotions all the way to the happiness in Jane's eyes as she related her news in the kitchen. They were wonderful girls. And I was going to miss them. I closed my eyes and shuddered. The small black spider crawled over the recesses of my mind. Relaxing, I managed to stave off another episode, but I knew the time was coming. The girls deserved to be returned. They deserved better than this.

Slowly I sat up and stretched my limbs. I was tired, but it was time. I gained my feet and made my way to the door, slowly opening it. The hallway reminded me of the short journey that we had left. A straight arrow with a set of stairs leading down.

I arrived in the library, silently entering. Elizabeth was at her perch, reading the Tale of Two Cities again. Christi was curled up in the chair reading her Talisman. Both girls looked up at me as I entered. Elizabeth slowly raised her arms to display her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s, flushing a little as she did. I could almost see the thoughts in her pretty head. Not much longer, and anything to make the last few hours less painful for her. I smiled at her, appreciating the gesture, but indicated to her that she didn't have to display her body to me. Not this time. She slowly lowered her arms, a look of gratefulness crossing her features. Her arms obscured her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but it was still obvious that she was nude. She looked beautiful in either position.

Sheila was lying quietly on the floor, thumbing through an atlas of all things. She hadn't looked up as I entered, intent on something in the reference book. I nodded easily to the other girls, who slowly turned back to their books. But I could feel their eyes still on me as I crouched beside Sheila. She finally looked up as my shadow crossed her book.

She smiled weakly, somehow understanding that I wanted her. She pushed herself off her stomach with her handcuffed hands and knelt. Not a word had been exchanged yet. I gently touched her shoulder as I rose to my feet. She followed, somehow knowing that it was expected of her. Her bare feet whispered across the carpet as I guided her out of the room. At the entranceway, she turned, gazing back at her friends. Christi and Elizabeth both were watching us intently now, their books forgotten. Elizabeth waved her bound hand, and Christi followed suit. They had no idea if they'd ever see Sheila again. Tears formed in Sheila's eyes as she waved back. But a weak smile also graced her features.

As I guided her to the stairs, she tried to speak. I shushed her gently. She obeyed, and silently climbed the stair, her bare legs working in front of my eyes.

We reached the bedroom and I sat on the bed. Looking around, a bit confused, she finally decided that the safest course was to kneel, which she did. I let her kneel there quietly for a few minutes. She broke the silence.

"Master? Are? Are you going to rape me?"

I laughed gently. "If I haven't raped you yet, little one, I'm not going to."

She looked a bit relieved. "Why am I here then?" she asked quietly.

I looked at her. She was a vision of beauty. She perhaps had the most stunning physical attraction of all of them. And I'd never even touched it. She was kneeling easily with her hands held in her lap. She was squirming a little, but not as much as I would have in a similar situation.

"You know why you are here," I spoke gently to her.

She swallowed heavily. I wasn't making it easier for her. She thought she knew, but she was afraid of being wrong. I couldn't blame her.

"Master? I. I know what I want." She finally found the courage to take a chance.

I nodded to her, letting her know that it was alright for her to continue.

"I. I haven't been allowed to leave this house in three months. I've been raped. I've been beaten. I've been put through things that even you couldn't imagine. What I really want is to stay, here with you. Relatively safe. But I'm pretty sure that I can't," her voice faltered and she paused for a moment, her thoughts spinning through her head. "I. I want to go outside. I just want to be free, just for a while."

I smiled. That was easy enough to grant. I slowly got off the bed and released her wrists. I dropped the handcuffs to the floor with a jangle. She remained on her knees, slowly rubbing her freed wrists.

I urged her to her bare feet and guided her silently downstairs and through the kitchen. I could see the tears br.i.m.m.i.n.g in her eyes as she antic.i.p.ated the outdoors again. Anything but this house, her prison. She didn't care if she was naked. She didn't care if she was still sore from Evan's treatment. She didn't care about anything except feeling the air against her skin, the sun beating down on her.

I opened the back door for her, letting it swing open. She hesitated in the doorway. She breathed in the fresh air wafting in from outside. She almost seemed like a dehydration victim, willing herself to take it slow, knowing that her body would reject water if she gulped.

In one slow and careful motion she stepped outside, her bare feet touching the gra.s.s.

She turned to me, "I can go?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. And she turned her bare body, her arms reaching for the sky. She ran. I watched as her steps faltered a bit as she ran past Evan's frozen body, and again as she pa.s.sed Gertrude, but she continued, turning her face from them and running like the wind. I stepped out into the bright sunshine and watched her. She was like an antelope, a deer, a cheetah. She ran with the abandon of an alcoholic who was desperate for her next drink. I could hear her cries and laughter as she ran through the gra.s.s. I walked after her, just enjoying her pure joy and happiness.

Occasionally she stopped, plucking flowers from the garden and smelling them. She trailed her hands over the rough bark of the trees. And she knelt in the gra.s.s, running her hands through the blades.

I slowly approached her as she knelt. I settled beside her, unable to stop smiling at her simple happiness. Her teary eyes turned to my face. Her smile was enough to thank me forever, but she said the words anyway.

"Thank-you," she whispered. "I wish I could stay out here all day."

"And I wish I could watch you all day," I answered her back.

She smiled at that and carefully lay herself out in the gra.s.s. She arched her back, pushing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s out into the sunshine. She was breathing hard from her exertions, her nipples hardened into small points.

She reached her arms out towards me, beckoning me to join her with her fingers. Such a difference from that frightened paranoid girl that I'd found with Mayer and afterwards. All she needed was some respect and some care and this girl would be yours forever.

I touched her fingers with mine, and then withdrew. She looked up at me quizzically. "I know I'm still knocked around a bit, but you don't want me?" She was genuinely surprised, her fingers touching her still bruised face. I suppose she was used to men wanting her.

This was the same girl that not a half hour ago was worried about me raping her?

I slowly nodded my head. The sight of her bare body was more than arousing. Even after my tumble with Christi this morning, I could react to Sheila.

"Come on then," she whispered.

"Sheila, honey. I didn't give you what you wanted so that you'd have s.e.x with me. I promised I wasn't going to rape you. I enjoyed just watching you."

She smiled shyly in the gra.s.s. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were still rising and falling in an irregular rhythm. Her nipples still hadn't fallen.

"Master? A slave wants to point out that it isn't rape if the girl wants it too."

"Do you want it?"

She shyly nodded. She'd probably been used to some s.e.xual activity on a daily basis for a long time. Even if it hadn't been welcome. And while I'm sure the break was nice for her, her body probably expected the stimulation. I hadn't seen any indication that she had ever pleasured herself while under my care, but I suppose it was possible. Her body was healing, and she certainly looked interested. I guess I could understand.

I slowly moved into her embrace, taking pleasure in her soft skin. She embraced me fiercely, pressing herself into my body. She kissed me, aroused me. I fell into her lips, letting her guide this. My body felt like it was on fire as her fingers gently pushed me down into the gra.s.s.

I watched her as she straddled me, her fingers pulling at my shirt. She bent, pulling me to her, pressing her bare body into me. I felt her nipples against my bare skin for the first and last time. She kissed me again, her tongue carefully exploring.

She whispered in my ear, her breath hot and desirable. I lost my bearings, enjoying her sensations, enjoying her softness. I closed my eyes, feeling her tugging at my jeans. I felt myself, at last, naked and nude as she. I gasped as I felt her moving up my body, her skin becoming a part of mine. I unconsciously reached for her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, caressing her firmness, eliciting her gasps as I stroked her nipples.

Slowly I was engulfed by her. I felt her arousal as she lowered herself onto me. She rocked gently, seeking to get me further into herself. She moaned slightly, probably not even aware of it as she began her rhythm. Her hands left my chest and I concentrated on her sensations. She was gasping for breath, her breath hissing between her teeth. Slowly she accelerated her rhythm, searching for her own rhythm. I opened my eyes. This gorgeous creature straddled me, her blonde hair damp. Her left hand caressed her nipples alternately, her right was gently pushing herself between her straining thighs. Her eyes were closed, head thrown back as she worked. I could feel her muscles quiver once as she took in a last breath of air. She shuddered, and screamed as she exploded, her fingers a blur working herself between her spread thighs. I could feel her tight v.a.g.i.n.al muscles contracting around me. The sensations were too much. Her image burned into my mind, I exploded upwards, emptying myself into her. She cried out again as she felt the warm rush of fluid within her.

Her climax lasted longer than mine, but eventually she came down with a small moan. She fell forward, trusting me to catch her as best I could. Her body was bathed in perspiration, her v.a.g.i.n.al muscles still spasming around my softening impalement.

She pulled me close, tears falling down her face. I held her on top of me, letting her cry. Eventually, she raised her face, wiping at her tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I. I didn't mean to cry."

I smiled at her, understanding. Sort of. She'd been through a lot and it was ending. I almost felt like crying too.

I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, still being inside of her, but for now, it was bearable. She shifted her weight a little and whispered to me again.

"I. I never knew what I was missing with Mayer. I. I had climaxes, because he forced me to, but I didn't know what a real climax felt like. Thank-you."

I wasn't sure that I had anything to do with it. She'd done all the work.

"Thank yourself. You did this."

She smiled and rested her head on my chest. We were still joined.

Finally her musical voice spoke again, softly turned away from me.

"I. I don't want to go back."

"I know. And I don't blame you. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. But. I've tasted freedom again. I'd forgotten what it was like."

"Sheila, honey. You are probably my worst problem. I care about you. Well, I care about everyone, but I really don't want to send you back. I have to, but you are going back to the worst situation that I can imagine."

She lay still for a moment, unknown thoughts moving through her head. She turned her head towards me, tears streaking her face again.

"You honestly have to send me back? I. I prefer it here. I. I don't mind being your slave. I'd happily stay for you. I'm going to miss this."

"I know you will. I know."

She turned her head back, resigned. She knew that she was going back, and she was well aware of how bad her fate was. I had to admire her bravery. She didn't even beg me to keep her. Even if she didn't understand why, I think she understood that I would have done anything in my power not to send her back if I could.

"Sheila, honey? I want you to know that I will take care of him for you in real life. You won't remember any of this. You won't remember me. But I will make sure he's caught. And I will make sure that you are freed. Somehow. He won't get away with this. And I won't let him torture you to death. You only have to survive a couple of days. That's all."

She had turned to face me again. She forced a weak smile onto her face.

"Even though I've seen what you can do, and what you did to Jane and Elizabeth in there. You will never be the a.s.shole that he is. You care about them, and I want to thank you. For everything. For freeing me. For not raping me. For taking care of me. And for what you are going to do for me. You never owed me anything, and, I know it's ironic, but you are kindest person I've ever met. I wish I knew who you were."

I smiled at her and brushed her damp hair back from her face.

I squirmed a bit, feeling the tight friction of her against my soft p.e.n.i.s. She screwed up her face and actually laughed, feeling the odd sensation from the other end. I don't think I've ever felt myself go complete soft inside a woman before, and I doubt if she'd ever felt it either.

"I'm sorry. I was just so comfortable."

She hastily withdrew and eased me out of her s.e.x. I sighed as I slipped free of her, and she laughed at the expression on my face.

"Time to go?" she asked quietly.

"Unless you want anything else. Like to take one more shot at Mayer."

Her eyes clouded a little, but she managed to force them back to a brighter shade. She was outside, free and just had s.e.x that she had actually enjoyed. G.o.d knows how long it had been since the last time she had enjoyed s.e.x. She spoke quietly.

"Much as I'd like to see him suffer more, I don't want to ruin this by even seeing him. The only thing I want is to say good-bye to the others, if I can." She took a deep breath and quietly continued. "I. I think I'm ready. As ready as I can be."

I rose to my feet and extended my hand. She smiled up at me and grasped it, pulling herself to her bare feet. She stood and watched as I quickly replaced my clothes. As I approached her, she stood on her bare toes and kissed my lips. She returned to her easy stance and smiled shyly at me. She reached out and gripped my hand. We walked almost like lovers back to the house. She purposely avoided looking at the former occupants of the house as we pa.s.sed.

She hesitated by the library door, tears beginning to form in her eyes. I patiently waited for her to control her emotions and let her decide when to push open the door. In a few minutes she wiped at her face and entered the room. Her bare feet moved in a stilted motion as the other's looked up.

Amy had joined the other two, and they were talking quietly together. They all looked up, concern on their faces as Sheila walked in.