"I, sir, am your worst f.u.c.king nightmare. By the end of this, you are going to wish I was only a cop."

"You can't do this to me. I have f.u.c.king rights. Arrest me."

"Evan. Evan. Evan. If I were a cop, would I be arresting people with this along for a good time?" I pointed to Jane.

His eyes registered the truth of that. "That b.i.t.c.h brought you in. I'm going to kill her." Meaning his former slave, Sheila.

I just looked at him. A strange calm on my face. "I'd be surprised if she doesn't torture *you* to death first."

His face paled at the implication. He began to plead.

"Please. I have money. I can get it for you if you just let me out of these d.a.m.n ropes. I'll pay you triple whatever she's giving you. I'll do anything."

"Anything?"

He began to shake. Nodded. I just sat there. Waiting. Jane patiently sat in my lap. Fascinated.

"Whose the girl? Jane you called her?" Mayer was interested in Jane. He was ready to try reasoning with me again. He'd calmed down.

"She's mine as well," I answered his query.

"Yours. So she's your slave? You and I. Maybe we have something in common."

I humoured him.

"Maybe."

"You keep c.u.n.ts as well. Right?"

I nodded. "Ladies," I patiently corrected his vernacular.

"We're not so different. Sheila is ... was ... mine. Maybe we can make a deal or something. We could ... have fun ... together. You and I."

"Evan. Let me explain something to you. I keep women. I even torment them. I enjoy it. But never. Ever. Think that you and I are alike."

"You can keep Sheila. I swear it. You can do anything you want to her if you let me go."

"Can I kick the h.e.l.l out of her?"

"Of course."

"Can I punch her in the head?"

"Sure. I've blackened her eyes a couple of times. It's a bit harder because she has to wear dark gla.s.ses for a while, but it's so satisfying. I indulge in it once in a while."

"Can I whip her until she pa.s.ses out?"

"Of course."

"I can make her f.u.c.k me?"

"c.u.n.t and a.s.s. Until she bleeds. No problem. Best b.l.o.w.j.o.bs in the world. Nothing like a crying woman giving you head. And even if she bleeds you don't have to stop. Better lubrication." He smiled and laughed. At some memory of his terror. He pulled against the ropes holding him. "Please. Just let me down. We can have fun together with her." His eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Maybe we could trade for a while?" Eyeing the young beauty perched in my lap. I felt Jane shudder just a little, but she managed to fix him with a stare of pure hatred hiding the disgust. She knew that Mayer would never touch her.

"Can I kill her?" I asked. Ignoring his *trade' offer for now.

"Slowly if you want. I've had to get rid of girls before. It isn't a problem. Have you ever killed a helpless woman before? It's quite a rush." Add murder to the list.

"See Evan. We aren't alike at all. You see. I wouldn't do that to Sheila. I might punish her for disobedience. And I will play with her. But that amount of pain isn't necessary. Further. If our positions were reversed. I would be smart enough to realize that I didn't have anything to bargain with. You see. I already have Sheila. She's mine now. I can do everything I mentioned and more. Without letting you down. You know that. Right now she's sleeping peacefully. But if I wanted to, I could wandering into *your* bedroom and screw her silly in your own bed. I could kill her if I wanted to. I don't, but that's beside the point. Not a thing you could do about it. I could do the same to Jane here. And I certainly don't need your permission. I don't need you. Period. And I would never, ever, let you get your filthy paws on any of my girls. Especially Jane here. She deserves better than you. She deserves better than *me*."

Evan swallowed heavily at the tirade.

"What are you going to do to me?" Realizing he'd lost. Bigtime.

"Well. I haven't quite decided yet. But I'm sure that Jane and Sheila could think of tons of stuff. Especially Sheila. But she's sleeping right now. When she wakes, we'll see what's going to happen to the great judge Mayer. Doesn't everyone love a mystery?"

I gently pressed my fingers into Jane's bare side. She obediently slipped off my lap and knelt quietly on the floor. Still glancing at the bound man with hate in her eyes. I could see that he was in for some real trouble with Jane. She was going to be taking out more than her anger at him. If I wasn't completely mistaken, she was going to be transferring all the pain, all the guilt, all the horror that I'd inflicted on her into this as well. Evan was going to suffer not only for his crimes, but mine. That didn't particularly bother me. It's not like I was fond of the a.s.shole.

I got up out of the chair and walked over to Evan, my face just centimeters from his. His eyes were wide and scared. I pressed the gun against his left elbow. He closed his eyes, pleading with me. Babbling.

"You are such a f.u.c.king animal, it disgusts me," I hissed at him. "This is my shot. For Sheila, and any other women you've had over your lifetime." Instead of shooting him, I drove my left fist hard into his stomach. He sagged in the ropes. Struggling for breath. Hanging from his bound wrists.

When he finally recovered and got his feet under himself, I moved back to his face. Tears were flowing down his cheeks, and his mouth was set in a determined line.

I continued. "That was the last time I'm going to touch you. But I'd get ready for the girls. I have a bad feeling that they aren't going to be as kind to you. Think about it. And while your stomach recovers consider how many times Sheila felt exactly like this."

I turned away from the gasping pathetic excuse for a man and helped Jane to her bare feet. Without another glance at him, I guided her back to the door and we slipped out. She spat at him as we pa.s.sed. I wasn't watching so I have no idea if it hit him or not. I didn't care.

I heard his voice just as we slipped out. "We are alike, you know."

We'd see about that.

I softly closed the door to the business room. Jane stood up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.

"You were wonderful in there. So calm. You scared the h.e.l.l out of *me* and I wasn't the one in ropes. For a change. G.o.d. I hope to G.o.d I never p.i.s.s you off that badly. He doesn't know what hit him."

"You'll get your chance at him. I promise."

"I can do anything?"

"Yeah. I'm going to let you, Christi and Sheila convince him that it isn't nice to do what he does in real life. I'm going to let him think about it for a while first though."

"Oh G.o.d. This is one time I'm not going to fight you when you want me to hit someone."

Chapter 73.

I poked my head into the master bedroom as we pa.s.sed. Sheila was still fast asleep in the bed. She'd pulled the covers over her as best she could with her one free hand. She'd tucked the cover up under her chin. Her slow, steady breathing visible even through the covers. The covers hadn't quite covered her legs and feet. And with her right wrist bound to the bedpost, she probably couldn't fix it herself. I slipped in and arranged the cover to cover her bare legs and feet. She mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't wake. I returned to the hallway.

I silently closed the door, letting her sleep. Jane and I walked back to the main floor in silence. We stopped at the base of the stairs.

"Wrists."

"Please. You don't need to ..." she began and then realizing the futility of that decided to simply raise her arms for me. I slipped the steel bands closed around her wrists. In resignation, she simply let them fall in front of her.

"Just feeling antsy."

"Uh-oh."

"Don't worry. Your skin isn't in danger. Need you fresh for our friend Evan. You feel like relaxing for a while?"

"What did you have in mind?" She smiled mischievously.

"Not that. Go on. Go back to your patch of sun."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I'm offering myself to you, and you are sending me to my patch of sun? G.o.dd.a.m.n. I'll never figure out the male of the species. What are you going to do?"

"I think I'm going to go off and play with Amy and Elizabeth."

"Oh. G.o.d help them."

I aimed an easy slap at her bare a.s.s but she twisted and got it on her thigh instead. She yelped. She stuck out her tongue and scampered back to the dining room and her bay window.

I walked back into the living room. Amy was still listening to music. I walked over to her and gently lifted the headphones from her head. She looked up and smiled at me.

"At least you didn't deafen me this time."

"You ready?"

"For what?"

I slipped the headphones over my ears. Thunderstruck pounded into my head. You've been ... THUNDERSTRUCK. I slipped the headphones off my head and looked at her quizzically.

"What?" she asked. Completely confused.

"Thunderstruck?"

"Yeah." She smiled at me.

"Never would have figured you for that kind of music."

"I wouldn't have guessed you'd recognize it either."

"You ready?"

"I guess. Where are we going?" I guided the naked girl to her feet. "Oh no. Playing?"

I nodded.

"Wrists."

She obediently gave me her wrists. I unlocked the left wrist and pulled her arms behind her. I relocked them.

"You don't have to ..." but she trailed off when she noticed that her hands were going to be bound behind her no matter what she thought of the situation.

I guided the pouting girl to the library. Elizabeth and Christi looked up from their respective books and noticed Amy with her hands bound behind her.

Christi spoke up. "Break over?"

"Not for you. You are going to need your strength for later."

"I am? How's Sheila?"

Noting the way the conversation was going, Elizabeth put on a resigned face and gently closed her book. Carefully marking her spot. I continued to speak to Christi while I recuffed Elizabeth's proffered wrists behind her.

"Sheila is sleeping pretty soundly. She'll be alright. If she wakes up, you or Jane should go and make sure she's alright. Try to get her to rest. She needs it. By the way, you have an appointment with the Judge later."

"Oh G.o.d." She gasped. Misunderstanding. Thinking that I was going to let the judge have her for a while.

"No. No. Perhaps I should rephrase that. The Judge has an appointment with you. And Jane. And Sheila. I'm guessing that he ain't going to like it much. For now, keep out of that room. Okay?"

"Other than that and these," she rattled her handcuffs, "I'm free?"

"Yup."

"Thank-you," she whispered.

By this point, Elizabeth's wrists were securely fastened behind her. Her face registered disappointment, but she knew better than to complain.

I took Elizabeth and Amy by the arms and gently walked them to the front hall. I opened the front door and walked the two of them out into the bright sunshine. Amy was bouncing her hands behind her, purposely making the chain between her wrists jingle. I sort of liked the effect.

We walked through the gardens with the girls silent in front of me, their bare feet walking free on the path to the front gate.

When we reached the front gate, Elizabeth's curiousity got the better of her.

"Master? May a girl speak?"

I smiled. I was wondering how long her curiousity would be held in check. "Sure." I answered the bare girl. She'd stopped walking and she was facing me.

"Whose Sheila?"