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Lacie Ch. 02

By: Dancingwizard



Chapter 2: Lacie Sold

Lacie awoke in complete blackness. There was nothing in the dark, save for a small amount of jostling and bouncing. Lacie began moaning, and the sound came to her as if it were muffled, the source far away from her. Her thoughts were hazy and scattered, a throbbing headache pounding behind her eyes and at the base of her skull. Lacie tried to lift her hands to comfort the ache, but her arms wouldn't respond. Lacie tried to shake her head to relieve some of the aching pressure, but she couldn't move. Slowly, as awareness returned and the thick fog that blanketed her thoughts began to dissipate, Lacie realized she was bound, nearly every inch of her body covered by some slightly flexible material. 

Her jaw was jammed open around a massive ballgag, a thick phallus shaped protrusion filling her mouth, pushing her tongue towards the back of her throat, making breathing difficult. Her arms were bound behind her, tugging her shoulders back painfully as she knelt in the dark. She could feel dozens of straps criss-crossing her body, the bindings were so precise that even her fingers were bound and immobile. Lacie could feel a blindfold attached to a hood covering her eyes, effectively blinding her. Thick, fluffy cotton was balled up in her ears, trapped there by a leather hood, the combination of cotton and leather effectively muffling any noise before it reached Lacie's ears. There was a small gap in the material encasing Lacie's body, a small cutout around her lips, chin and the bottom half of her nose, allowing any observers, had there been any, to see the lower half of Lacie's face. 

Lacie could feel pressure pulling her ankles back up behind her butt, the same pressure pulling her wrists down, Lacie understood that she was hogtied, her wrists bound to her own ankles, making it impossible for her to move from her kneeling position. Lacie began to sob in terror, instantly realizing that she had finally been sold. The small jostling movements were from the vehicle that she was being delivered in. One of the men that had visited her cell had bought her, and now she would be subjected to his every desire. She was a slave. There was nothing Lacie could do about it.

Lacie, realizing that she had to keep her mind off her future, thought about her past, more specifically, how she had ended up here. The last thing Lacie remembered was being taken to a different feeding room than every other time, though the significance of that had been lost on the starving Lacie, as the poor girl hadn't been fed in over a day. Dropping to her knees, Lacie shoved her face into the feeding trough on the floor. Her arms remained in their sleeve behind her back, so Lacie was forced to eat without her hands. There were a few other girls in that room with her, but Lacie was too busy eating to care about them. The food was horrible, some cold, slimy muck with gristle and fat throughout, it looked more like someone had taken everything off a dinner table that even the family dogs refused to eat, and tossed it into the trough for Lacie.

Too hungry to care, Lacie ate with abandon, realizing it might be another full day before she got food again. The food had tasted slightly off, a strange smell filling her nostrils as she ate. Soon the room had begun to spin, and Lacie had felt her body slump to the side, pulling her face out of the disgusting muck. The smell remained, but Lacie was too far gone at that point to understand that the entire room was being chloroformed. A girl across from Lacie had leaned back, a dizzy look on her face. Her red hair bounced around her head as the girl struggled, trying to stay awake as the fumes attacked her consciousness. Lacie couldn't remember what happened to the redhead, as her own eyes had closed moments later, the dark pulling her away from awareness.

Lacie's mind dove through her memories of the past few weeks, wondering which of the old, ugly, smelly, fat men had purchased her. Sobbing into her gag, Lacie cried for hours as she bounced in blackness, unable to move, awaiting her delivery to her new owner.

Finally, Lacie felt the truck begin to slow, then it stopped completely. After a few moments, the truck started moving again, rolling forward slowly. A few more minutes of gentle rocking and soft acceleration followed, then Lacie felt the truck make a large loop before stopping again. Lacie began to hear muffled noises, but nothing was clear enough for her to understand or recognize. Then she felt a moment of weightlessness as she felt whatever container she was in lift and swing, before settling gently on something movable. Lacie heard an engine start up again, and the muffled noise of the vehicle sped away.

Lacie felt a few tugs and twists as her crate was maneuvered before whomever was moving her managed to gain control and pull it in the direction they wanted. Lacie's heart pounded in her chest as the terrified girl sat in darkness, unable to move, unable to escape. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but could only have been several minutes, Lacie felt the crate she was in slow to a stop. Then she was jostled and pushed as she was maneuvered off whatever trolley had been pushing her around. Finally, Lacie felt more than heard the wooden crate thump to the ground, creaking as the wood settled.

Lacie could just barely make out voices outside the crate, but they were all far too quiet for her to hear what was being said. Eventually, the crate was wrested open from the outside and Lacie felt zephyrs of cool air sweep across the lower part of her face. Soft, thin fingertips slid under the sides of her mask, reaching up towards Lacie's ears. The fingers grasped the cotton balls that had been jammed in Lacie's ears and slowly tugged them out, allowing the bound brunette to hear once again. The sounds that assaulted her ears were definitely not what Lacie had been expecting. Instead of a boisterous, arrogant male voice, one that threatened and snapped, full of anger and cruelty, Lacie heard a number of soft, lilting voices, feminine in nature, all of them laden with concern and care. Lacie was stunned, her expectations were so far off the mark that Lacie had no idea what was happening, and that fear finally broke out of the terrified girl.

Terror got the best of Lacie, and she began to scream into her gag, sobs of horror and dread. Her own inability to move more than a few inches finally crashed into her, the primal terror of suffocation and being entombed, caused reason and thought to flee. Pure instinct began to take over, screaming at Lacie to get free! and escape! Lost to fear, the bound Lacie began to jump and writhe, straining against the bodysuit she was contained in. Screaming and shaking, desperately, blindly seeking escape, Lacie panicked, using whatever tiny amount of leverage she could find to do something, anything, so long as it helped her escape. The voices around her all started to clamor loudly once Lacie began to struggle, all talking over each other.

One voice cut through the rest, the feminine tones laden with authority. 

"Enough! Hold her still! Lindsey, calm her down before she hurts herself, Callie, Tara, hold her down while I try and figure out how to get this thing off her."

Several other voices answered, then Lacie felt hands on her, holding her shoulders still. The added pressure drove Lacie's terror even higher, making the fear stricken girl redouble her struggles. Lacie's screams burst around her gag, the fearful howls sounding more like a wild animal than a human girl. Lacie felt gentle pressure around the back of her neck and a small tug at the back of her head as someone moved her ponytail. Then her left cheek was pressed into something soft and warm. Vibrations hummed through the object as Lacie's ear was held firmly to the smooth, yielding pillow. A soft gentle crooning sounded in Lacie's ear, and she realized her cheek was being held against another woman's chest. The soft fabric covering the other girl's body rubbed against Lacie's face as the woman's hand stroked Lacie's other cheek, gently trying to hold onto Lacie and not hurt her, while doing her best to calm the panicked teen down.

"Shhh, shhh, you're okay honey, you're fine, you're not hurt, you'll be ok, we're gonna get you out, shhh shhh, you're ok." Minutes passed as the girl's voice gently crooned to the panicked, bound brunette. Lacie finally felt the other woman's words begin to break through the fog of fear and terror that blanketed her mind, allowing Lacie to slow her struggles, sobbing into her gag as she gradually calmed down. The fear subsided as she slowed her frantic thrashing, but it didn't vanish completely. Lacie could feel the terror lurking just below the surface of her mind, like a snake hiding under a stone, just waiting to strike.

The authoritative woman's voice chimed in again, "Good work Lindsey. Keep her calm. I'm gonna try and take this thing off her. Jeez, there's gotta be fifty buckles on this thing."

The girl holding Lacie to her chest chimed in, and Lacie identified her voice as Lindsey, the soft spoken voice correcting the first speaker as she stroked Lacie's tear streaked cheek. 

"Eighty four, actually. There's some under the gloves and others binding her to the metal framework around her body. If it's the same model I'm familiar with, anyway. It's not something you just wanna start un-popping straps on either, Bridget." Lindsey said softly.

The voice that Lacie now knew as Bridget, responded. "Why not? If we work together we can have it off in five minutes."

Lindsey sighed, clearly uncomfortable. "Look at the straps behind her shoulders. They're not attached to anything except the leather suit itself. They're there to increase tension on her chest, hold her down tighter. But look at these seams, they're straining. All of these seams are strained, the whole suit is under way, way too much pressure. It's no wonder the poor girl is half panicked, this suit is far too small for her. It's supposed to immobilize, not suffocate. Some of these straps are pulled as tight as they'll go. Whoever put her in here was a sadistic bastard, she can't move at all. I'm amazed she can even breathe as well as she can. If you just go popping off straps willy-nilly, you may release tension in the wrong spot, and we won't be able to get some of the other straps off at all. This has to be done carefully. If we screw up, we could end up wrenching her body as the tension snaps back. We could seriously hurt her if this is done wrong."

A third voice chimed in, a foreign accent coloring the speech of the new girl's voice. The odd phrasing clued Lacie in to the fact that English was obviously not her first language.

"Well, if you know so much of suit, then you can safe take it off, yes?"

Lacie felt Lindsey squirm uncomfortably as she responded. 

"Maybe, but I'd rather wait for Claire. She's... better at this than I am." There was evident meaning in her statement, as several other people in the room began to giggle.

"That's enough girls, Lindsey is doing her best, which, I might add, is a hell of a lot more than the rest of us." Bridget's voice cut through the giggling. "Linds, do what you can, Claire should be on her way, so hopefully she'll be here soon. We're all supposed to be here anyway. Master's orders. Ana, take Lindsey's place, try and keep the poor girl calm." Lacie heard the strange pronunciation of Ana's name as Bridget spoke. She had elongated the "a" sounds in the other girl's name, making it sound slightly exotic. The end pronunciation sounded closer to "Ahnah" than "Ana".

The accented girl hummed a response, sliding into place on Lacie's right side as Lindsey stepped away. Lacie felt tugging on her bodysuit as Lindsey began to carefully undo the massive number of buckles trapping Lacie in the leather.

"Tara, what do you think?" Bridget's voice came to Lacie's ears again.

"Not sure yet. That suit is really tight on her. Lindsey is right, we'll have to be careful." A new voice spoke gently. A hand softly brushed the side of Lacie's leather prison. "She's wider in the hips than I am, but Tatiana should have something that could fit her reasonably well."

The accented voice chimed in again, and Lacie was able to connect another voice to a name. 

"She is welcome to anything clean, but I not sure most will fit. Looks she might be little bigger." Tatiana responded, her accented voice thrumming through Lacie's right ear as Tatiana, apparently also called Ana, held and stroked Lacie's face, the gentle touches helping Lacie stay calm, despite the panic that still bubbled just below the surface.

"Well, if she's too big for your clothes, maybe Callie has something." Bridget said.

"Sure. We can all go play dress up once Linds has her out of that leather torture rig." Another person spoke, this one evidently belonging to Callie. Lacie could hear the smile in her voice. "That could be a lot of fun."

Lacie felt another few straps loosen around her waist, and Lacie felt a blissful release of pressure in her chest, allowing her to breathe more freely. A moan of relief escaped her as more sweet oxygen swept into her body. Until that moment, Lacie hadn't even realized how much effort she had been putting into simply breathing.

"I don't like that gag, especially if she's having trouble catching her breath." Tara's voice cut in, concern in her voice as the other girl quickly understood the cause of Lacie's relieved moaning.

Bridget responded quickly. "Well, the straps are fabric. I can't see the buckle at the back cause it's under her hood, but do you think we can cut it?"

"Master might be upset. We might have to use this thing again."

"Well, do you think you could repair it if I cut it? Say, right here? Who knows, we might just be able to replace the gag with another one."

"No, it's sewn into the hood, look. There's a weave here where it's attached." Lindsey interjected, concentration filling her voice as she worked at more straps.

"Well, we can always try and repair it. How long till you can get the hood off Linds?"

"Long *ungh* time." Lindsey grunted, obviously struggling with one or more stubborn straps.

"Ok, we're cutting it off. Master can just punish me for it later if he wants to."

"Wait B, not there. If you cut, say an inch and a half to the outside, I can try and sew it back together. It'll take a few hours, but I should be able to patch it together again." Tara instructed.

"Ok, thanks Tara. Right here?" Lacie felt cold metal slide up her cheek as Bridget maneuvered a pair of scissors under the strap holding her gag in place.

"Yep. Other side too, same place if you can."

"Got it. Callie, go see what's keeping Claire, Heather and Marie. I want Claire to help Linds get her out of this... thing, and Heather should be here anyway." Lacie felt the scissors gently close, cleanly cutting one of the straps forcing the gag into Lacie's mouth.

"Kay. Be back in a flash."

Lacie felt the scissors slide up the other side of her face, again snipping at the straps holding her gag in place. Finally, the repulsive gag fell away, bouncing off Lacie's bound thighs before dully thudding to the ground. Lacie sucked in a shuddering gasp as she was finally able to breathe freely.

"Sadistic was right, look, it's not a ballgag, it's a cock-gag. I'm amazed she wasn't choking on this thing. Master will be furious that she was treated like this. I looked her purchase forms over this morning, he had specifically requested she be unharmed."

"Would telling him of poor treating be good thing?" Ana chimed in.

"Would telling who, be what, now?" A new, loud voice called out. "Whoa, who's the mummy?"

Lacie heard Bridget sigh. "Yes Ana, he'll be angry, but at least he'll know not to use that group to deliver more girls. She could have died very easily. And as for you Claire, better late then never. Where are Marie and Heather?"

The loud voice quieted somewhat, lending a melodic tune to her speech.

"Calm down. Master had a few things he wanted us to take care of before we came down. They're right behind me. Heather had to grab some more of her stuff anyway."

"Alright. Well, then help Linds get that rig off her. Be careful."

"Gotcha. Scoot over Linds, let me get in here, baby." Claire said. "Ah jeez, Linds, what were you doing? You needed to undo this one first, not that one. Now we gotta go back and redo half of these. This is a masterful job of muck up."

"Cool it Claire, you're gonna upset her. She was trying and she was on time, so I don't see where you get off coming down on her." Bridget said, swiftly coming to Lindsey's defense.

"I'm sorry, alright? Jeez. Calm down. Just don't like having to do something, only to turn around and undo it."

"Linds, I thought you said you knew what to do." Bridget gently admonished.

"I..I do... I'm just not used to this perspective." Lindsey responded.

"Perspective? What do you mean perspective?" Bridget pressed.

Claire spoke up. "What she means B, is that Lindsey is used to being put into this kind of outfit, not taking someone else out. Remember, she's Master's submissive girl. That's why her job is to get dressed up in this kind of thing. Master needs someone who can blend in outside the house. At least Lindsey enjoys it." Claire explained to Bridget before her voice quieted. "Don't worry though, baby. I like it when you dress up for me too." Lacie got the feeling that the last couple sentences were directed not at Bridget, but Lindsey. That suspicion was confirmed a moment later when she heard Lindsey whisper quietly behind Lacie's back.

"I'm glad. I like dressing up for you too."

"Girl, can you hear me? Can you tell us your name?" Bridget called out loudly.

"Ye... yes, I can hear you." Lacie rasped, coughing slightly as she spoke. "My name is L...*cough*....Lacie." "Lacy? Kinky. I like it."

"Lord above, can you try and keep it in your pants Claire?" Bridget snorted, half laughing. "Where's Heath- Ah, Heather, good, and you brought Marie too. That's all of us. Would it be ok if we gave her some water, Heth?"

"It's not likely gonna hurt her, just make sure it's small sips." A new voice, apparently Heather's, said softly. "Let me get my stuff set out. Can I use that table you're leaning on Tara?"

"Sure. I'll get some preliminary measurements off Lacie while you're doing that."

Lacie felt a couple presences draw closer, and a soft clinking noise reached her ears. Bridget spoke softly,

"It's a glass of ice water, Lacie, drink slowly honey. Here's the straw. We're working, we'll have you out soon."

Lacie felt something small and plastic gently bump her chin. She opened her mouth and the straw was lightly placed on her lower lip. Closing her soft lips around the straw, Lacie pulled the cool, clean water into her mouth, the blissfully cold liquid soothing her ragged throat, cooling her body as she gratefully sipped more and more of the icy water.

"Not too much." Lacie heard Heather admonish. "If she's dehydrated the last thing we want to do is give her lots of water, all at once. Let her finish half of that glass. That's all she should have for now, though."

"Ok, two more mouthfuls Lacie, that's it. Ok. that's enough."

Lacie whined quietly as the straw was pulled from her still parched lips.

"Once Heather looks you over honey, you can have more. I promise."

Then next few minutes passed quietly, the only sounds in the room were of women breathing and the occasional grunted curse from Lindsey or Claire as they struggled. Lacie felt slight pressure on the leather in odd spots, hearing a soft zipping noise with every new spot. When a voice started muttering numbers, Lacie realized that Tara was measuring her body.

"Well Tara? Do we have clothes that will fit?" Bridget spoke again.


Lacie Ch. 02



"Provided that the leather she's strapped into isn't compressing her figure too much, for the most part yes, I'm not sure about bras though. Either Marie or Tatiana will have to loan her some pants and panties, and she should fit pretty well into Claire's shirts and blouses."

"Around the shoulders sure, but have you seen Lacie's tits? They're more than twice the size of mine. She'll have to borrow some of Lindsey's bras."

"Very classy Claire. Always so demure." Bridget teased.

"Yeah you know me. Always the subtle one. Almost got it. Maybe another ten straps or so."

"Then why she cannot be moving yet?" Tatiana's accented voice questioned.

"This suit is reinforced from the inside, Ana. There's metal ribbing that prevents movement sewn into the leather. That's why she can't move. We're gonna have to literally peel it off her. There, last one."

As Claire spoke, Lacie felt a sudden release of pressure over her entire body as the final buckles that trapped her inside the leather torture suit came loose. Weakly leaning back, Lacie felt a zipper slide down her spine as her skin was exposed to open air for the first time in hours.

"Help me here Linds, lift in one... two... three. Nice work baby."

Lacie felt the hood slide away as her entire upper body fell out of the leather cocoon. Her naked breasts jiggled slightly as the exhausted girl slumped backwards.

"Whoa, girl. I know I like my women to fall into my arms, but that might be rushing things a bit, don't you think?" Lacie heard Claire tease as she felt strong, feminine hands catch her before she hit the floor.

Lacie's eyes burned and ached in the bright light of the room. After having sat so long in pure blackness, Lacie was nearly blinded when she first opened her eyes. Moaning, Lacie felt blood begin to flow back to her stiff, aching limbs. Her fingers and toes tingled and burned, pins and needles lancing though her as feeling returned to her blood starved arms and legs. Lacie felt more gentle hands lift her out of her prison, carrying her to the side as blurs of light and shadow passed in front of her blurry, aching vision.

"Set her there. That table. Bridget, get me that light. Marie, hand me that pillow." Heather's voice ordered. "Tara, grab that towel, cover her eyes till she's had a chance to adjust to the light."

Lacie heard several people bustling around the room, following Heather's orders. Lacie was set down gently on a table, soft leather squeaking beneath her sweat soaked body as Lacie slowly began to move, stretching her aching body, trying to coax life back into herself. Someone wrapped a hand around her shoulders, their bare arm pulling her into a sitting position as people shuffled around her. A small hand took one of Lacie's and put something soft and fleecy into her palm. Realizing it was the towel that Heather had told Tara to get, Lacie lifted the fabric and covered her eyes, shutting out the glaring lights that made her eyes ache, even through tightly shut lids. Lacie felt something else settle around her shoulders, the soft fabric was warm, helping Lacie relax.

Covered in sweat from her leather prison, Lacie felt cold in the open air of the room she found herself in. Her nipples tightened and she began to shiver slightly, dropping the towel from her face to wrap the warm fabric around her shoulders tighter around her body. One shadow moved close, and Lacie heard Heather ask her to open her mouth. When Lacie complied, Heather stuck something thin, cold and hard into Lacie's mouth. The glass clinked against Lacie's perfect teeth, and the noise gave the secret of the device away. Lacie realized that it was a thermometer. Understanding that Heather was trained in medicine, Lacie relaxed and followed Heather's orders for the next several minutes while she made sure Lacie wasn't hurt or sick. Slowly, Lacie's eyes adjusted as she grew more accustomed to the light.

"Well?" Bridget asked "Is she okay?"

"Looks that way." Heather sighed. "That torture suit didn't do her any good, but I don't see anything wrong with her other than a small amount of light sensitivity. That's probably to be expected though. Do we know how long she was in that crate?"

"No. Could have been an hour, could have been a few days. What about giving her water?"

"She doesn't show any signs of dehydration, and she was sweating in that thing. Water is probably a good idea."

Another shadowy silhouette moved closer and took Lacie's hand. Lacie felt the cool glass slide against her skin as Bridget pressed it into her palm. Stepping away, she let Lacie's hand go once she was sure the girl could hold the glass on her own. Lacie's hand shook slightly as she pulled the icy water to her lips, making the glass clink softly before Lacie began taking sips, gulping down mouthful after mouthful of the soothing liquid.

Once Lacie finished, she held out her hand, and Bridget swiftly moved up again to take the glass. Lacie reached up and rubbed her eyes, soothing the itching, burning sensations. Blinking rapidly, Lacie's vision finally swam into focus, letting her see around the small room. For the most part, the concrete room was empty. A few metal frames, whose purpose was unknown to Lacie, were stacked against the far wall. A small wooden crate sat near the middle of the floor and a red hand-powered pallet jack was set against a nearby wall. A three foot tall metal frame holding a web of leather straps sat just in front of the crate, a brown leather bodysuit suspended from the straps and cables within the web. A metal door set into one wall opened into what was likely the rest of the house, and a large overhead door, not unlike the one Lacie's dad had in their garage, took up the wall to Lacie's left.

Looking down, Lacie saw that someone had wrapped a terrycloth robe around her shoulders. It was the only clothing she wore. Flushing with embarrassment, Lacie jumped to her feet, intending to wrap the robe more fully around herself and hide her body. Unfortunately, Lacie's legs had yet to recover from her ordeal in the bodysuit, and she nearly toppled. Heather's hands swept up and caught her moments before she fell. Knowing what Lacie was trying to do, Heather leaned Lacie against the leather topped table, before she stood in front of Lacie and pulled the robe closed, protecting Lacie's modesty.

Looking up, Lacie was finally able to get a good look at the other girls in the small room. Lacie's jaw dropped. Eight other women stood or sat in the open space. Every last one was absolutely gorgeous. Stunningly, amazingly, impossibly gorgeous. Their ages ranged from late teens to mid twenties, and more than one ethnicity was present.

"Careful, there Lacie. Your muscles may feel fine, but after sitting in one position for as long as you probably did, it'll take some time before they're actually capable of holding your weight. The blood has been still for a while, so it's lost a lot of oxygenation. Give it a few more minutes, honey." Heather said.

Glancing to her right, Lacie was finally able to get a good look at the other woman. Heather was tall, standing about five foot ten. Her bright green eyes seemed to smile at Lacie as Heather looked back at the stunned girl. Heather's wavy, bouncy, fiery red hair hung level with her large breasts, the coppery red strands highlighted with thin streaks of blonde. Heather's face was slightly wider than normal, disqualifying her from the look of a "classic" beauty. But, it was a face that Lacie instantly trusted. Despite not being more than four or five years older than Lacie herself, Heather reminded Lacie of her mother, caring, loving, trustworthy and gentle. Looking down, Lacie swept her eyes over the rest of Heather's body. Heather wore a black lace choker around her neck, a small ivory circle set just in the center of her throat. Looking around, Lacie noticed that all of the women wore chokers identical to Heather's. For some reason, Lacie thought that the odd jewelry seemed strangely familiar.

Dismissing the odd sensation, Lacie continued her evaluation of the woman in front of her. Heather's large breasts sat high on her chest, the massive globes nearly overflowing from her DD-bra and tight white blouse. Her waist was trim, but not quite flat and her hips swelled out, giving her a definitive hourglass figure. Her legs were tapered and smooth, at least what parts of them Lacie could see under Heather's navy blue, knee length skirt. She wore no socks, but Heather had on sandals, a pair of dressy one-inch heeled shoes. The thin navy blue leather straps wove a web around Heather's feet, before all the strands met in the center, just atop the middle of her foot where a small, featureless, mother of pearl disk sat atop the intricate strands.

"Like them? Tara designed them. They're my favorite pair." Heather said, twisting her feet and swishing her skirt so Lacie could get a better look at the sandals.

"They're beautiful. Elegant." Lacie said, her voice sounding much softer now, the water having soothed the dry scratchiness that had impaired her earlier. Heather beamed at the compliment. 

"That's Tara right there. Tell her that. She loves when people gush over her work." Heather pointed into the middle of the group of women. A small girl stepped forward, standing no taller than five foot two and looking like she was just barely into her twenties. Tara raised one hand shyly and waved, her elbows seemingly glued to her waist. Lacie could see that Tara was at least part Asian. Tara's soft, flawless skin was a deep tan, the deep color reminding Lacie of her father's polished olivewood desk, one of his most prized possessions. Tara's straight black hair ended just inches above her shoulders. The soft glistening strands were cut at a slight downward angle, following the point of the Asian girl's chin. Tara's eyes betrayed some blood other than that of Asian descent, as they sparkled a deep, radiant blue. Tara wore a sleeveless blouse, the frilly neckline and off white color setting off the unusual, and gorgeous, combination of her skin and eyes. Tara's moderate B-cup bust barely tented the loose fabric, but a wide, deep purple sash was wound around Tara's hips and stomach, showing just how small the Asian girl's waist was. Tara also wore a skirt, but hers was angled slightly to one side, the hem of the bluish fabric tastefully embroidered with designs of gold. Tara, oddly enough, went barefoot, despite her obvious skill at making Heather's shoes.

A stunning blond woman stepped forward, "Hi, I'm Bridget. I'm kind of the den mother here. I was Master's first girl, and I'm his unofficial secretary slash assistant. I also help run the house for him." Lacie looked at Bridget, once again amazed at how beautiful all these woman were. Bridget was dressed simply, a blue collared button down shirt was tucked into a tailored pair of work slacks, the obvious shape of her legs leaving little doubt as to Bridget's physical condition. Her soft B-cup breasts tugged the shirt's fabric up and out, and the top two buttons were undone, leaving the eye to trace the small dip between her breasts, teasing observers with the barest hint of cleavage. Bridget's shoulder length blond hair naturally swept forward, partially obscuring her face, forcing the blonde to constantly tuck it behind her ear. Bridget's soft green eyes glittered as she smiled, her soft, pink lips tugging upwards as she spoke to Lacie.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the squad." Bridget joked, "You met Heather already, she was Master's second girl. She's the house nurse as well as our fitness instructor. If you have health questions or concerns, you go to her. Tara is our house tailor, as well as being in charge of laundry. I don't think any of us has ever seen her as mad as she was when I accidentally ruined one of her hand tailored shirts by putting it in the wrong wash cycle." That comment brought giggles from the other girls and a deep blush from Tara. "Tara was brought here at the same time as Callie, so they are tied in... well I guess the best word is seniority." Bridget pointed to each girl in turn, stopping at Callie.

"Hi!" The girl waved at Lacie. Callie was sitting in a chair, so Lacie could only guess at her height, but she seemed to be about average in height, maybe slightly shorter than normal, but only by a little. The blond girl waved at her, a huge smile crossing her face as the obviously excited woman bounced in her chair. Callie appeared to be around twenty, maybe twenty one years old, and was dressed very differently from the other girls. Her skintight, knee length jean shorts were covered with painted on handprints, and multicolored splashes of paint. There seemed to be no real point or purpose to the colors, other than to simply add yet more variety to the denim, but that seemed fitting with Callie's obviously bubbly personality. Callie wore an old shirt with a cartoon pony prancing across the white, faded fabric, a prettily colored rainbow had half faded into the background behind the horse. Callie was very obviously not wearing a bra of any kind, as the chilly room made her hard nipples poke tents into the fabric covering her C-cup chest. Save for a few loose strands, Callie's blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, gathered at the back of the plain grey ball cap that covered her head.

"Despite her odd personality and odder choices regarding clothes, or the distinct lack thereof," Bridget said, pointedly referring to Callie's lack of a bra, "Callie is Master's mechanic. Yeah. Weird, we know. She's also his sometime driver. She doesn't have to do that much these days though. Master doesn't like us going off the grounds. Next we have Marie. Marie was Master's next purchase, and she's our gardener. She takes care of our homegrown produce, our flowerbeds and sometimes the lawns. We try and help out where we can. It gets to be a big job in the summer."

Lacie looked over spotting Marie as the girl waved to her. "Nice to meet you." Marie said, striding forward. Marie grasped Lacie's hand and shook it gently before letting go. She stepped back and spun, wordlessly giving Lacie permission to get a good look at her. Marie was gorgeous, her long, bouncy brown hair swept almost to her full wide hips, the young looking twenty year old girl having pulled it into a ponytail as well. Her full lips and dark, tanned skin hinted at her Hispanic roots, the sinuous movements that accented her curvy shape and the impish twinkle in her eye made Lacie unsure if the Latina girl was subtly flirting with her or not.

Regardless, Marie's body was worth a second look. Slightly broader than the other girls, Marie was by no means heavy or fat. Her body was soft and curvy in the perfect places, leaving no doubt that she was proportioned perfectly. Her belly was flat and muscled, her legs strong and tanned, her wide, gracefully curving hips were covered by a skimpy pair of daisy dukes. Her D-cup breasts were held in place by a simple white cotton bra and a cut off flannel t-shirt that had been gathered and tied just under her breasts. As she had stood up, Marie had left behind a wide, floppy gardener's hat. Her feet were strapped into a pair of work sandals, obviously more for utility than beauty, they still accented the Hispanic girl's legs beautifully. Lacie caught aromatic hints of lilacs and oranges as Marie spun away, teasing her with the wonderful smells of a garden.

"Next we have Tatiana, our chef. We all call her Ana for short. Her accent takes a bit of getting used to, but she's getting better at using English syntax."

Lacie was interested in Ana, having heard the accented girl's voice. A small, thin girl towards the back of the room stepped forward, extending her hand towards Lacie.

"I are for happy meetings to you." 

Lacie couldn't help but giggle with some of the other girls at the mangled expression, but the obvious honesty and true joy in Ana's eyes as she spoke made Lacie quickly stifle her laughter, lest Ana be offended. Unable to contain her smile, Lacie shook the girl's hand.

"And I are for happy meetings to you too." Lacie said, prompting another round of giggles. A bewildered look reached Ana's eyes as she glanced back at the chuckling women.

"Have I speaked that wrongly?" The short girl asked, a concerned look on her face. Bridget stepped forward and laid her hands on Ana's shoulders.

"It's 'I'm pleased to meet you' Ana. Not, well, not what you said."

"But, said Lacie same thing..."

"She was being nice, honey. It's ok, it made us all smile. You know we love when you do that."

Ana's eyes lit up again when she realized her mistake wasn't offensive, and that her intended message had gotten across. The girl looked to be no more than Lacie's age, possibly even younger. Lacie looked at Bridget in confusion.

"Noticed her age, did you? Russian law is different from American. Over there all girls are slaves once they hit age fifteen. Technically, Master didn't buy her till last month, when she turned eighteen. Till then she was... well, leased, I guess."

"Oh." Was all Lacie said, too absorbed in studying and thinking about Ana than much else. Ana was her age. That alone made hope swell in Lacie's chest. At least she might have someone to talk to. As a bonus, now she even knew that Ana was Russian, answering the awkward question before Lacie had to ask. Looking back at the skinny girl, Lacie dropped Ana's hand before studying the eighteen year old. Ana was short, only five foot two, maybe five foot three. Her clothing was plain, a white t-shirt and jeans, but she wore an apron that was still lightly dusted with powder. Having learned that Ana was the house's cook, Lacie imagined it was likely just flour.

Ana's small B-cup breasts swelled in her shirt, and her butt gently plumped her backside, but of all the girls in the room, Ana was the thinnest, most likely just from a lack of regular meals as a child. Her small curves fit her body well though, and Ana was far from spindly or bony, she was simply small. Ana actually reminded Lacie of a number of girls that Lacie had used to dream of being, the thin, graceful models in her mother's old fashion magazines. A rosy glow filled the russian girl's cheeks as her cute, perky nose crinkled in an adorable grin, her ice blue eyes twinkling at Lacie as Ana tossed her shoulder length blond hair. Another thing that set Ana apart was a small, electric blue extension braided into her hair, attached just behind Tatiana's bangs. It was the sort of thing one expected from punks and fan girls, and to see it on Ana lent the russian girl a hint of playfulness that mixed well with her sincere nature.

Bridget turned and pointed out the last two women in the room.

"And over here we have the terrible two, Master's most recent purchases, yourself excluded, obviously. The one with short hair is Claire, and the shy one with long hair is Lindsey. Claire takes care of the animals on Master's estate, and Linds is our 'public face'. Master takes her out when he needs to be social, and Lindsey is best suited for the kinds of things people expect of slaves and Masters when out in public."

The last two girls sat side by side on a small slate grey countertop that Lacie hadn't noticed before. They were obviously an item, as both girls had one arm wrapped around the other and their other hands were laced together between their laps. Lindsey's face was hidden by her hair as she leaned into Claire's shoulder. 

Claire's appearance came as a mixed bag of surprises. Most of the other girls fit into either classic or exotic beauties, whereas Claire was definitely an "alternative" beauty. Despite the radical difference between her and the other girls, or perhaps because of it, Lacie couldn't be sure, in some ways Claire was even more stunning than the rest. Claire's hair on the right side of her head was buzzed close to her scalp, only half an inch or so of hair remaining. The hair on the top, back and other side of her head swept down to the left side of her face like a stylized bird's wing, the angled onyx strands looking soft and glossy, stopping once the 'wing' drew level with her chin. Her deep hazel eyes glittered as she watched Lacie appraise her, almost playfully challenging the new girl. 




Lacie Ch. 02



Her nose was pierced through her left nostril, and a tiny, solid black stud glimmered there, softly glinting as it reflected the light. Claire's eyes were heavily shadowed, the dark color giving the girl an undeniably sexy punk rocker image. Her thick, full lips were outlined in a dark purple, and the soft, curving arches themselves were painted a deep, luscious red. Two small piercings adorned her lower lip, both onyx stones, like her nose piercing. Set a quarter inch under Claire's bottom lip, Lacie had vague recollections of that type of piercing being called a set of "snake bites".

Claire's one visible ear was pierced through in seven different places, a combination of barbells and studs decorating the cartilage. Claire wore a sleeveless white shirt, the thin, almost sheer material revealing the black, lacy A-cup bra beneath it. The thin fabric also failed to mask the number of dark tattoos that decorated Claire's skin. One of those tattoos poked up from under the collar of Claire's shirt, leaving Lacie curious as to what the designs were, what they meant, and how many she had. Claire wore full length black denim jeans and a pair of knee high, black leather cowboy boots. Her shoes were splattered with traces of drying mud, and Lacie wondered if Claire had been outside before joining the rest of the girls here. Looking back at Claire's face, Lacie blushed when she realized how much Claire had seen of Lacie's own body, especially since the rocker chick held an obvious predilection for women. Almost as if she could read Lacie's thoughts, Claire spoke up.

"Don't worry sweetie. I don't go where I'm not invited. And I don't bite. Unless you like that sort of thing." Claire teased with a wink. "I've rolled with most of the girls here once or twice anyway. I'll bounce with Master every now and again, if he wants me, or I want him, but I usually prefer women. When that man gets his rhythm going though..." Claire trailed off with a pleasant shiver, a look of faraway bliss on her face. Lacie didn't see it, but every other girl in the room got the same dreamy look for a few moments. "Eight of us and only one guy on the grounds? Eventually we get... bored. Nothing to be ashamed of. But if you ever want closer look at my... ink... all you have to do is ask." She finished with a suggestive smile. Lacie blushed an even deeper crimson at the invitation, partially because of it's boldness and partially because Lacie knew, deep down, that a small part of her was tempted to take the rocker girl up on her offer.

Finally coming to the last girl in the room, Lacie looked at Lindsey, though the other girl's face was still hidden by her hair. Something about Lindsey seemed familiar, some vague inkling told Lacie that they had met somewhere once before. Claire leaned down and whispered something in Lindsey's ear, and the shy girl shook her head gently once. Claire frowned and repeated herself, only to have Linds shake her straight raven locks again. Bridget opened her mouth to speak and started to step forward, but Claire held up a hand, looking at Bridget, the concerned look on her face asking for Bridget's patience. Bridget stopped, but it was obvious that she would not remain indulgent for long.

Claire leaned down and started whispering into Lindsey's ear, gently stroking her submissive lover's face as she did. Finally, Lindsey relaxed enough for Claire to lift her chin and kiss her full on the lips. Lindsey's hand came up and held Claire there, a quiet moan escaping the submissive girl as she kissed her lover. Finally, as Claire broke the kiss, Lacie caught a glimpse of both girl's tongues retreating into their mouths as they escaped from their short duel. As Lindsey slowly recovered from the quick, but very passionate kiss, Claire turned Lindsey's face towards Lacie, letting the new girl get a good look at the submissive beauty. Lacie was instantly struck dumb. 

Lindsey was the girl from the slave fair! The leather wearing girl who had accompanied the well dressed man into her cell! Lindsey was the only person, the only one, who had shown her any glimpse of hope, who had shown her one single moment of kindness in that terrifying, joyless place. Lacie had been struck by the girl's tender kindness then, when Lindsey had cleaned Lacie's body of the grime from so many dirty, unwashed hands and lips. Then, she had done it again, when Lindsey had calmed her earlier, seeking to protect Lacie from herself when she had panicked. She had soothed and calmed Lacie, letting her know she was safe and protected. Lindsey had worked to free her, while protecting her from the possible threat of careless action from the other women. 

Lacie instantly started sobbing with happiness and gratitude, a huge smile growing to grace her pretty face. She hopped off the table where she sat and rushed over to Lindsey, though she slowed and stopped when the other girl recoiled fearfully. Lacie gently held her arms out to the other girl, wordlessly asking Lindsey to hug her. The smile on her face grew larger through her tears as Lindsey finally looked up and met her gaze. When the submissive girl realized that Lacie wasn't angry, or upset, something in Lindsey seemed to break free, and a dazzling smile began to shine, growing on her face with every passing moment. Leaping off the counter, she rushed into Lacie's arms, both girls breaking down in tears as they mumbled half formed apologies, and whispered thanks into each other's ears. Soon, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

Eventually though, the tears of joy turned to giggles of relief, and soon, Lacie gently pulled away. An impish grin ghosted across her face and she leaned in, swiftly pecking Lindsey on the forehead, leaving the raven haired girl stunned for a moment.

"My heroine." Lacie quipped, winking at Lindsey as she smiled brilliantly. Turning back towards Bridget, Lacie strode forwards. Bridget stepped to the side and pulled the metal door leading out of the room open, clearing the way for Lacie. Lacie stepped through the door, and for the first time in years, the seeds of hope and happiness began to grow in the beautiful young woman.



Lacie Ch. 03



Chapter 3: Lacie Owned

Lacie stepped through the metal door, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, basking in the burgeoning feeling that she felt growing in her chest. She felt a new sensation of warmth in the growing feeling of hope that her life might just end up being a happy one. Lacie slowly exhaled, opening her eyes to greet the new life before her. When she did, Lacie beheld... another door. Giggling, Heather and Claire swept past her.

"This is the loading dock, cutie." The rocker chick winked as she passed. "The house is up ahead. Come on."

Blushing slightly at her slip up, Lacie grinned and forged ahead, following the two other women. Pushing through the door at the other end, Lacie saw a short hallway with several more doors. The floors were polished hardwood, and the walls were made of dark colored chestnut, carved and fluted, the expensive building material was tastefully decorated and kept very clean. An old grandfather clock sat at one end of the hallway, it's coppery pendulum slowly swinging as it ticked off the passing seconds. Small busts and marble statues sat in alcoves along the walls, paintings hanging along the walls between some of the doors.

"Ok, girls, does anyone know where Master is?" Bridget spoke, "We want to stay out of his way today. Lacie, we'll all be helping you settle in, I just want to make sure nothing gets forgotten."

"I know where is Master." Tatiana answered, looking slightly surly. "He are to kicking me out of kitchens today. Wanted of making something 'special' for new girl."

The other girls murmured at each other, delighted expectation lighting up their faces.

"It's ok, Ana," Lacie responded, trying to soothe the foreign girl's obviously ruffled feathers. "I'd rather have you help show me around today." 

Ana grinned back at her.

"Besides," Heather chimed in, "Master is just as good a cook, and he hasn't been able to find time lately. If he wants to do something special, I say we let him do what he wants."

"Well, that's settled then. We avoid the kitchens, but we can help her settle in a bit. First things first though. Lets get you some actual clothing. Those robes are nice, but I hardly want you wandering the mansion in that all day."

Callie leaped forward with Lindsey, and the two girls started giggling as they grabbed Lacie and began dragging her through the mansion, passing hallway after hallway, twisting and turning through doors and up staircases. Lacie was thoroughly lost in less than a minute. The other girls managed to keep up though, laughing and talking to each other excitedly. Lacie was beginning to feel like a spectacle at a fair, making her a little uncomfortable. She looked over at Lindsey and saw the happy look of expectation on her face. Lacie realized that the girls probably didn't get a lot of excitement in the mansion. It would definitely be a horrible, not to mention dangerous, idea for any of the women (being as attractive as they were) to leave. Which meant that, despite the obvious number of freedoms that Master (Lacie had yet to hear his actual name) allowed his girls, they were still trapped on the grounds of his home. So, because of that, new and exciting things had to be brought to the girls, instead of the girls going anywhere.

Given everything that the girls seemed so giddy about, and all that they had already done for her, Lacie understood that, despite her discomfort, this whole situation was a rare treat for the other girls. Lacie decided to simply enjoy it. A grin spread across her face, and soon Lacie found her expectation was matching her escort's excitement. Looking around her as she was rushed through the house, Lacie was astounded by the tasteful wealth she saw displayed everywhere. She passed room after room, but most of the doors were closed, mysteries for Lacie to solve later. Finally, the group of women reached the fourth floor corridor. Over a dozen doors adorned the carved wooden walls, and a thick, fluffy red carpet tickled Lacie's feet. One door, larger than the rest, sat at the end of the hallway. The first four rooms had nothing on the doors, but each door after that had a name gilded onto dark, beautifully decorated wooden ovals that hung at eye level, each name written in beautiful calligraphy.

"We all chose rooms for ourselves, mostly picking ones as close to the Master's bedroom as possible. That's his on the end. Now, we don't have many rules here, but Master's few rules are inviolate. The first rule is, never enter his bedroom without permission. Emergencies are the only exception, like a fire or if someone is hurt. We've broken some of his rules a few times each. The punishments are... severe." Bridget spoke sternly. As she mentioned breaking rules, a pall seemed to settle over the women, and each of them seemed to shrink into herself. Somehow, all of the women seemed slightly diminished. "He won't hurt you physically, ever." Bridget choked out, a look of pure, infinite sadness on her face. "What he does do though, hurts more than anything your body could survive. The horrible thing is, when he punishes us, he doesn't ever want to. He just knows he has to. He protects us. We take care of him. When we fail... just... don't ever fail him, Lacie. You don't want to know how terrible you'll feel."

Lacie could feel the waves of pained emotion coming off the assembled women, making her heart ache for the friendly group of women.

"Thanks, Buzzkill." Claire exclaimed, rolling her eyes. The joking tone broke the sudden dark mood that had fallen over the group. Grabbing Lacie's arm, Claire dragged the younger girl to her door. Pushing it open before Lacie, Claire revealed the insides of her room. Dirty clothes littered the floor and posters of old heavy metal bands were haphazardly tacked to the walls. A dresser stood to one side, a few of it's drawers hanging open. A walk-in closet sat just beyond a large four post bed, the sheets and comforter rumpled and tossed to the side. Lacie blushed when she noticed a pair of fuzzy black handcuffs dangling from the bed frame. A big bay window dominated one wall and the glass panes had been opened just a crack, allowing fresh air to flow into the room. The bench under the three angled windows was bare, save for a small easel with a half finished painting and a collection of paints and brushes. Ignoring the rest of her room, Claire dragged Lacie towards the closet. The rest of the girls shuffled in, Tara making exclamations of disgust when she saw the disarray and dirty clothes. 

Dragging Lacie over to the hangars at the back, Claire began pulling shirt after shirt off the rack, holding them up before Lacie before either handing them to her, or tossing them back on the racks. Lacie wasn't surprised to see that the majority of Claire's clothing was either black or incorporated a little leather. Finally, Lacie's arms were full of over a dozen different shirts, and Claire grinned as she turned Lacie around, pointing her at several racks of shoes. Every kind of shoe imaginable decorated the shelves. Black sexy pumps, white tennis shoes, fuzzy animal slippers, sandals, thigh high pleather zip ups, buckled knee length platforms, leather cowboy boots, (one pair even had built in spurs) and more.

"Grab a few pairs of shoes. Most of them should fit you."

Lacie looked for a few minutes before settling on a pair of strappy sandals, some work sandals and a pair of black and silver sneakers. 

"Nice. You'll look good in those, cutie." The bisexual goth girl winked at Lacie, her casual flirtation prompting a smile from the teen. "Now, across the hall. Lindsey can lend you a few bras. Speaking of which..." Claire leaned down, snagging a black satin corset off the ground. The corset was obviously designed for a bust much larger than Claire's A-cup chest. "this one ain't mine." 

Sauntering back out into her room, Claire tossed the corset to it's owner. "You forgot this here Heth." Claire teased.

"Hey! I've been looking for that!" Heather exclaimed.

Lacie's jaw dropped. She had thought that the corset belonged to Lindsey, since it had looked like Lindsey and Claire were together.

Laughing at Lacie's confused expression, Lindsey came to her rescue. "It's ok, Lace. Can we call you Lace?" Seeing Lacie's absent nod, Lindsey continued. "We all share. We kind of have to. There are enough of us that sometimes we want to... play, and Master is a pretty busy person. So sometimes that means we have to try... new people. It's not like we have a lot of nice guys running around asking to take us to the movies."

"Just the one." Heather smiled, interrupting.

"So, sometimes we share each other. We don't own each other, Master owns us. Which means we have to get along as best we can. We're not always friends, but we try not to make enemies. So, sharing is sometimes one part of that. Now, come on, lets get you a few more clothes."

Still unsure how she felt about the girl's casual attitudes concerning "sharing". Lacie followed the submissive girl across the hall into her room. Lacie recognized the same layout in Lindsey's room as she had in Claire's room, only flipped end for end. Lacie wondered if all the girl's rooms were designed with the same floor plan. Lindsey's room was much cleaner, but hints of Claire's style had crept into her decorations. A lot of black decorated the walls, but Lindsey's bed was smaller than Claire's, cleaner as well. The room had splashes of pink everywhere, mixed with white and black. It was a dizzying mix of colors, but it fit with Lindsey's personality well. The seat under her window was festooned with pillows, and a small bookshelf sat at arms length from the nest of cushions, leaving no doubt as to the use that Lindsey put her window. There were a few children's toys strewn across the room, and a couple of black-light posters were taped to the ceiling. Lindsey opened a drawer in her dresser, and began pulling out bras.

Passing Lacie bra after bra, Lindsey would pull out a few, pick one and put the rest back, occasionally asking for Lacie's opinion or preference. Soon Lacie had a stack of half a dozen bras, from utilitarian white cotton, to black and lacy, even one that was a silky sapphire blue satin. Turning around, Lindsey giggled as she pushed Lacie back out of her room, just before Marie opened the door to her own room and beckoned for Lacie to follow.

Marie's room was radically different from Claire and Lindsey's rooms. The layout was the same, but one wall was dominated by a large mirrored dresser that sat next to a large book shelf that was completely stuffed full of multicolored candles. A blue vinyl topped massage table sat in the center of the room and a black, velvet covered bed was pushed into one corner. Her window space was full of flower pots and small patches of dirt in various odd objects. Lacie saw a beaten up, laceless leather boot, a cracked porcelain cup, and an old upturned Frisbee, all with small plants, flowers or vines growing from them.

"I love things that grow." Marie said quietly as Lacie stopped in her doorway. "Master is letting me take online courses in aromatherapy and massage too." 

Lacie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply though her nose, letting the various aromas of Marie's room suffuse her. Lacie was able to pick out the scent of thyme, lilac, freesia, lime, oranges, lilies, roses, peppers, cherry blossoms and apples. Other subtle scents from the unlit candles suffused the room, and Lacie felt adrift in a sea of aromas, calming and soothing her as she simply stood and breathed.

"They're wonderful." Lacie said gently, referring to the candles and plants that festooned the room.

"I know. I always feel so calm whenever I come back here." Marie smiled, a peaceful look on her tan face. "But, we're not here to smell the flowers. We're here to find something that can cover those long, pretty legs of yours.

Familiar with the routine by now, Lacie followed Marie into her closet while the Hispanic girl dove through dozens of pairs of pants. Marie tossed a few pairs of short shorts over her own shoulder, while sorting through even more skirts and jeans. Finally, she handed Lacie six or seven pairs of pants, and two skirts, one short, one long.

"Most of these are a bit too small for me to wear anymore. They should fit you pretty well. I have plenty more, so you can keep those. Tara should be able to take them in for you if they're a bit loose."

"Thanks! Really? I can keep them?" Lacie asked

"Sure. The jeans are too small for my butt now anyway, and the skirts never looked that good on me, but they'll look amazing on you."

Lacie set the pile of clothes down, and jumped up to hug the taller latina girl. Marie smiled and hugged her back, whispering a soft "Welcome home" in her ear as she did. That gesture alone almost made Lacie cry again. Wiping the moisture from her eyes with her hands, Lacie swept the pile of clothes off the floor before turning around and heading back out into the hall. Looking around, she saw most of the other girls standing outside Callie's open door, talking quietly to each other.

Lacie walked up and they shifted aside, letting her pass through. Callie's room almost made Lacie laugh outright, but the beautiful brunette had the good sense to stifle her laughter. Callie stood in the center of her room, picking up a few discarded odds and ends. Her bed was tiny, obviously built for only one person to sleep on, but that left the rest of the room with more space than the other girls had. Callie's walls were completely covered with posters, some of them looking like they'd been tacked on top of other layers of posters. The posters themselves were an incredibly odd mix of cartoon ponies dancing around rainbows with fairytale creatures, and several different types of cars and race tracks. Big posters of luxury SUVs were pasted over by pink ponies with little symbols on the horses flanks, and in other places horses were partially obscured by grand prix racetracks complete with speeding cars. 

The soft carpet was short, allowing Callie to have a massive toy racetrack set up in the center of her room. Several stacks of multicolored panties were draped on one edge of Callie's bed, the blond girl having obviously set them out while Lacie was occupied in the other rooms. Various little pieces of what Lacie could only image were engine parts cluttered every available surface, and some were even set atop model cars and plastic ponies.

Turning to Lacie, Callie swept her arms out wide, forgetting her hands were full, while grinning at the new girl, exclaiming excitedly,

"What do you think? Ooop, oh, shit. Dropped my stuff. Hold on."

Unable to contain her giggles any more, Lacie burst out laughing at the quirky mechanic girl's antics. Grinning up at her, Callie shrugged.

"I know, weird isn't it? None of the other girls got it either. Sometimes I'm not sure that I get it." Tossing her hair, Callie waved it off. "It's okay though. They just don't understand my genius." Callie winked at Lacie then, letting the new girl know she was kidding. "I set out some clothes for you to look at. See what you like, and we can try some, and see what fits you. Tara's room has a few full length mirrors, so we might be able to use her room for fittings."

Tara peeked her head in around the frame.

"Kinda figured you'd need my room. Gimme two minutes." Lacie heard the small asian girl dash off down the hall.

"Got everything you need Lacie?" Bridget asked, stepping into Callie's room.

"Almost. I don't have any earrings or accessories though."

At that, a chorus of squeals and exclamations erupted from the gathered women, all of them dashing off to different rooms to grab their cutest accessories. Bridget looked tempted as well, but stayed behind, gently taking Lacie's shoulder and pulling her aside.

"Look, Lacie, you're being a great sport about this all so far. Please don't lose patience with us. These girls don't get a lot of new excitement these days, and the urge to show off, now that they have an opportunity, is pretty strong with some of them. We've all seen everything here a thousand times, so having someone new to dazzle is a rare treat for them. They all want to make you happy and comfortable, but don't feel put out if they start getting a bit competitive. It's just their nature."

"It's fine, actually, I wouldn't mind if someone else wanted the spotlight for a while. It's a little disconcerting going from no one truly important to a celebrity in the limelight." Lacie responded, honestly not caring about the attention.

"Well, Master gave us all a rare day off in celebration of your arrival, so I fully expect them all to get fancied up tonight. Especially due to the fact that Master is cooking. He never cooks 'casual' meals. So please don't be upset if they all get a bit dressy."

Lacie held up the first two fingers of her right hand, pointing them at the ceiling. 

"Scout's honor." Lacie giggled.

Bridget smiled in response, tilting her head towards the door in an invitation.

"Shall we go and see what those look like on you?"

"Lead the way."



Lacie Ch. 04



Chapter 4: Lacie's Evening

Lacie left Callie's room, following Bridget down the hall towards Tara's. Lacie stepped through Tara's doorway, glancing around the room. There was a spare folding chair by the door, and after a short struggle, Lacie managed to juggle the clothes she was carrying and get the chair set up without dropping anything. Looking around, Lacie took a closer look at the asian girl's room. Tara's obvious love of fashion and clothing was apparent on every surface. Everywhere, swatches and bolts of cloth were strewn about, with tables and chairs covered in yard after yard of fabric. Two sewing machines sat along her window, and Tara's bed was currently host to half a dozen giggling and bouncing girls, all excitedly waiting for Lacie's arrival, most carrying a few small accessories and fashion items. Two long tables were covered with sketches and designs, as well as a few half finished articles of clothing. A female mannequin stood in one corner, a male mannequin only feet away from it's counterpart. A smart looking set of matching business suits adorned both mannequins, several pins and thin threads were spread out over the clothes, marking the suits in seemingly random places, but carrying obvious meaning for Tara.

A small platform was set in the center of one wall, a trio of canted mirrors only feet away. Tara's bedroom was also obviously her fitting studio. The mirrors were angled so that anyone on the platform could see the front and sides of their clothing. Tara herself was busy shuffling through the papers on one end of the table, pulling aside some half finished outfits. Picking one up, Tara lifted a web-like set of black leather straps. The outfit was designed to be worn by a naked woman, and Lacie recognized it as the outfit that Lindsey had on during their first meeting at the slave fair. Looking up from the floor in front of the bed where she sat, Lindsey caught Lacie's eye.

"Tara designed that. Master's request. A man in his 'position' should "have custom clothing for his slaves."." Lindsey intoned, puffing out her impressive chest and deepening her voice, obviously doing a weak impersonation of her Master. The fact that the other girls laughed astounded Lacie. Many masters would beat a girl within an inch of their lives for mocking them, yet here, it seemed an accepted, possibly even common, practice.

"After the fair where we met you, I had to take it back to Tara. Apparently these are still getting bigger." Lindsey joked, pointing at her chest.

"You strained the leather in a few other places too. Those cuffs at the small of the back were not supposed to be used yet, I hadn't had time to reinforce them. At that point they were purely decorative. You tore some of the stitching flailing around like you did when Master punished you. Which you deserved, by the way. If not because of what he punished you for, then for almost ruining that suit. Do you know how long it takes to cut and sew leather?" Tara complained, emerging from her closet with a tailor's measuring tape around her neck and a clip board in one hand.

"Sorry. I didn't exactly plan to get spanked." Lindsey flushed and looked at the floor, the hints of a smile at the corners of her mouth giving away the lie. The other girls laughed outright at the obvious fib, making Lacie grin.

"Alright, alright, lets get this going, Lacie, I need you to take off the robe so I can get more accurate measurements." Tara said, looking at the taller girl, waving one hand towards the platform. 

Lacie stepped up on the raised flooring, letting the robe slip off her shoulders and fall to the ground. Lacie flushed crimson when she heard Claire wolf whistle from Tara's bed.

"Yeah, baby, take it *oof*!" Claire exclaimed, almost falling off the bed when Heather interrupted her teasing catcalls by hitting Claire squarely in the face with a pillow. Turning back to Lacie with a huge grin, the redheaded beauty waved at Lacie.

"Continue."

Rolling her eyes as Lacie giggled, Tara began the laborious and slightly ticklish process of measuring Lacie for clothes. Finally, Tara was finished and the pretty asian girl moved away, absently telling Lacie she could go ahead and get dressed. Lacie's own excitement surprised her, as she practically dashed to the chair holding her borrowed clothes. Lacie simply picked up the whole chair and carried it next to the platform, setting it to the side as she began to throw on clothes. Lacie tried combination after combination, trying this, then that. Setting aside the few articles that didn't fit well, Lacie soon had several cute outfits that she liked. It didn't take long for the other girls to become involved either, excitedly tossing out suggestions, or dashing from the room only to return with other things for Lacie to try on. Several hours passed as the girls giggled and laughed, simply enjoying being girls for a while. 

Eventually, Lacie's stomach began to growl as afternoon passed into evening. The other girls noticed, and with a few disappointed sighs, began to pick up the massive clutter of clothing and accessories that had gotten scattered across Tara's room.

Bridget checked her watch and called out to the scampering girls.

"Ok, ladies. It's 6:00 now. Ana, did Master say when we were going to eat?"

"Eight, I are for thinking."

"Alright, that means we have around two hours to get ready for dinner. I want everyone dressed and ready by seven forty five on the nose. Remember where we are and why we're here. He saved us all. We work hard to keep him healthy and happy, and he keeps us safe." At Bridget's somber words, all the giggling ceased and the every girl in the room glued her eyes on her. The stunning blonde spoke again, smiling as she talked to the other girls "He let us have today off to welcome Lacie, while he kept working for us. He has spent the entire day working hard to make us all dinner. Show him your thanks when you sit down tonight. He gave us a gift today. We show our thanks tonight."

Bridget snagged Lacie and pulled her out of the way as a tide of women swept out of Tara's room.

"You, missy, get to come with me. I imagine you don't have many dressy clothes, but I think I might have just the thing."

"Your clothes won't fit me."

"These aren't my clothes. They're yours. When Master bought you a few days ago he made a special trip. We went by your parents house."

"Wait! He... He met my parents?" Lacie asked, suddenly anxious.

"Well... we did. I went with him. Master is many things, but a good judge of fashion necessities is not one of them. That's one of the reasons he loves having Tara around. While he explained your situation to them, I picked out some clothes and small odds and ends. We couldn't take much without rousing suspicion, but I was able to grab a few of your things. Tara will still have to do her nip, tuck thing with some of the clothing, but I think we can find something that'll work for tonight."

"And my parents? Are they okay? Are they safe? Did they get my... my sale money?" Lacie begged for answers, tugging Bridget to a stop.

"Your parents are fine dear, we couldn't say it outright, but we left enough hints for a smart person to figure out that you'll be treated well. Your parents got the money from your sale, and a bonus from Master. They don't know it yet, but he paid for over half of their mortgage. Your parents aren't going to lose the house."

Lacie's knees felt weak with relief. In that moment Lacie realized just how much she missed her home, her parents, her old life, as bad as some parts had been, like the knowledge that she'd be sold as a slave, she still missed it terribly. Overwhelmed, Lacie felt all the pent up emotions and the stress of everything that had happened to her bubble up and boil over. Sinking to her knees, Lacie began to cry. Bridget wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl, gently rubbing her back as Lacie let it all out. The happiness, the fear, the worry, the terror, the joy, the stress, Lacie had been keeping a huge mass of powerful emotions balled up inside her all day. Now, knowing her parents would be safe and could be happy, those emotions broke free of the crying brunette like a bursting dam. 

Lacie just knelt there, comforted by her new friend's arms as her body was wracked by sobs. Eventually, the flow of emotions began to slow to a trickle, allowing Lacie to calm down. Looking up at Bridget, Lacie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled.

"Thanks. For all of this."

"Feeling better?"

*sniff* "Much."

"Good. Come on, lets get up. We have just over an hour and a half before dinner and I want you to be the Belle of the Ball. We have work to do, girl."

Lacie laughed, the blissful feeling of having cried it all out making her feel weightless and buoyant. Grinning like schoolgirls, Lacie and Bridget raced down the hallway before dashing into Bridget's room. As she paused in the doorway, Lacie immediately knew that she could feel at home there. The wooden walls of the room were stained a warm, buttery tan, while the trim around the door and windows had been painted a deep burgundy red. The carpet covering the floor was a few shades darker red than the trim around the walls, giving the room a warm, cozy feeling. A small desk with a closed laptop sat to one side, papers stacked in neat piles beside it. Bridget's dresser was a dark walnut color, the chocolate brown wood helping to ground the room in earthy tones. Her bed was large and wood framed, hand sewn quilts covering the sheets. Light from a fake fireplace set against one wall crackled as it bathed the room in a warm yellow light. The electric fire gave off almost no heat, but it anchored the room, making it feel like Lacie had stepped out of the luxurious mansion and into some fairy tale cottage, deep in the woods.

"Like it? This room is my escape. I come here to be alone, to sit and talk to God."

"God? You're religious?"

"Not really religious. More spiritual." Bridget pointed to an obviously well read Bible sitting on her nightstand. "The book is just that. A book. It's not a deity speaking to me, it's just ink and wood pulp." she joked. "It is filled with stories, examples, guidelines. The book is there to help you learn to be a better person, religion aside. The Ten Commandments? Are there any rules there that a good person shouldn't follow, regardless of religion? Even the 'false Gods before me' one. People 'worship' all sorts of things, from gambling, to money, to sex, to alcohol and drugs. Are those any less false gods than some gilded idol? Not to me. If you truly believe in any God, then you talk can to him on a personal level and find out what he wants from you. He tells people what he wants every day when they connect with their conscience. That little voice in your head that tells you that something hard has to be done, because it's the right thing to do? That is God to me. Not some old story telling me how to live my life out of a thousand year old piece of paper."

Lacie was struck by Bridget's passion, and more than a little persuaded by her convictions. Lacie hadn't given much thought to religion, her parents having seen it as a "crock". Something about Bridget's certainty of faith made Lacie a little jealous of that confidence. Before Lacie could delve into matters of spirituality, Bridget strode into her closet, pulling out a lidded cardboard box.

"We're not here to talk God, we're here to make you even prettier. A tough job in my estimation, there's not much one can do to improve perfection." Bridget joked, gently bumping her hip into Lacie. Lacie opened the lid of the box, and dove inside. Some of her favorite clothes were in there, her nicest, prettiest dress and her mother's favorite necklace, the thin gold chain had been a gift to Lacie from her mother on Lacie's seventeenth birthday. A few old books were stacked inside as well, next to a stuffed rabbit doll her father had given her when she was three. Lacie stopped for a moment when she saw the doll. She had slept with that stuffed toy every night till the day she was sold. It was one of her most precious possessions.

"Your mother wouldn't let us leave without that." Bridget spoke, watching Lacie as the younger girl simply held the doll.

"She knows what it's worth to me."

"I'll say she does. She threw a fit when Master said we couldn't take it."

The image of her tiny, gentle, soft spoken mother screaming at a man as imposing as Lacie remembered 'Master' being was ludicrous, but somehow, Lacie knew it was exactly what her mom would have done if Master had decided not to bring the stuffed animal back to Lacie. That brought a smile to Lacie's face as she stroked the patchy, worn fur of the old doll. She hugged the rabbit to her chest and squeezed. It was almost as good as a real hug from her mother. Almost.

Setting the doll down, Lacie reached in and pulled out a long plastic bag, the hanger poking out of the top giving the garment bag's purpose away. Lacie slowly unzipped the bag, gasping as her mother's favorite dress spilled out into Lacie's suddenly trembling hands. The dress was beautiful, elegant in it's simplicity. The white satin dress ended mid calf, hanging loose at the hem. One shoulder was left bare as the fabric swept up and across the bust, allowing a small display of cleavage to tease the eye. Hanging off the left shoulder, the sleeveless dress hugged a woman's curves gracefully, meeting itself again a few inches under the right arm. A four inch wide dark blue satin sash wound around the waist, cinching the fabric together, helping to emphasize the shape of it's wearer. Lacie and her mother had teased her father mercilessly for years, often trading clothes just to watch him do double takes, especially since the two of them were practically mirror images of each other, something her father took great pride in. This was the one dress that Lacie had never worn, for fear of ruining it. 

"She made us take that too. Literally begged Master to let you have it and wear it at least once. They really do still love you, you know."

Lacie hugged the dress to her chest as she nodded, too overcome to trust her voice.

"Well then, I'm gonna take a quick shower. Care to join me?"

Surprised by the offer, Lacie turned, a look of confusion on her face. Seeing her expression, Bridget rolled her eyes. 

"Not all of us have doors that swing both ways, honey. I'm as straight as an arrow. For sake of convenience, we have communal showers down by the gym. The regular bathrooms are down one floor, but there's only three shower stalls in there. Come on. I'll take you."

Hurrying due to their press for time, the two girls rushed through the mansion, eventually stopping on the first floor, just outside an acid etched thermal glass door, sounds of running water coming from within. Pulling the door open, Bridget strode through. Lacie swiftly followed, surprised to find herself in a small locker room. There was only one bench and a few metal cubbies for their clothes. The floors and walls were tiled, and Lacie could hear muffled voices within the nearby showers as steam billowed back out into the locker room.

Quickly stripping down, Lacie grabbed a thick fluffy white towel from the stacked piles of them that waited along one wall. Wrapping it around herself, Lacie slipped down the open hall and into the showers, hanging her towel on an empty hook set nearby on the wall. Bridget stood a few feet ahead of her, the blonde woman testing her chosen shower's water before stepping under the spray. Lacie saw Heather, Tara and Callie in the showers as well, the girls giggling and joking as they splashed in the steamy water. Lacie reached out and started one of the shower heads attached to the wall, testing the water till it was warm enough. 

Stepping under the warm spray, Lacie gave a throaty moan of pure bliss as she felt the sweat and grime coating her body begin to sluice away. Letting the heavy spray pound down on her from behind, Lacie let the hot water massage the muscles of her tired back, prompting another quiet moan from the soaked brunette. Her head snapped back up and her eyes opened when she heard someone calling her name. Looking around, Lacie saw Callie looking at her, a green plastic bottle in her hand. Tipping her chin up, Callie asked her a wordless question. Lacie answered in kind, holding her hands up to show her readiness.

With a quick grin, Callie gently lobbed the bottle across the tiled room. The green plastic's graceful arc plopped it perfectly into Lacie's outstretched hands. Flashing a smile of thanks to the blonde, Lacie began to pour the greenish shampoo/conditioner into her hands, before scrubbing the soapy mix into her hair. Holding her head back and keeping her eyes closed, Lacie worked the shampoo into her hair, making sure she got a good lather throughout. Lacie looked over when she felt a gentle nudge on one shoulder, seeing Bridget reach over to her with an ivory bar of soap, one of the older girl's eyes closed due to a trickle of soapy water. Nodding her thanks, Lacie took it and began to scrub her body down. Moving quickly but carefully, Lacie scrubbed herself clean, aware of the time crunch she was under.

Rinsing her body off, Lacie hesitated a few more moments under the blissfully relaxing spray, but the rumbling coming from her stomach prompted her to start moving again. Stepping out of the showers, Lacie quickly toweled off. She was joined moments later by Tara as the asian girl strode past, still dripping. Tossing her hair forward, Tara wrapped a towel around the dripping raven locks, before straightening and wiping herself down with another towel.

"Know the way back up?" Tara's question caught Lacie daydreaming and she only heard the last two words.

"Sorry?"

"Do you remember how to get back up to our rooms?"

"Oh, uh, not really." Lacie stammered weakly.

"Don't worry, it was the better part of a week before I learned how to completely navigate this house. Come with me. Bridget usually takes a bit longer in the showers. I'll take you back up."

Reaching out, the brown skinned girl grabbed a pair of folded robes off a metal rack, tossing one to Lacie. Lacie slipped into the warm fabric, snuggling deeper into it as she felt the surprisingly warm cloth rub against her skin. She turned a questioning look to Tara.

"The metal rack. It has a small heating coil in it. It warms up when someone turns on the lights in here. Makes the robes and towels nice and toasty. Come on, we have just over an hour left. I dunno about you, but I need every last second I can get." Tara headed out the door, still scrubbing one ear with the corner of her towel as she dashed off through the mansion. Lacie followed the tiny girl up and around, finally recognizing where she was just a few seconds before climbing the last staircase to the top floor where the bedrooms were.

Thanking Tara with a quick hug, Lacie moved to Bridget's room, stepping in before shutting the door and turning back to her mother's dress. Scrubbing her hair furiously, Lacie dried it as best she could, before pulling her towels and robe off. Looking at her pile of borrowed clothes, Lacie decided that she wanted something to match her dress. Unfortunately, she lacked any strapless bras, so the brunette girl would be forced to go without one. Rummaging through the pile, Lacie soon found what she was looking for. A lacy, sheer pair of hip hugging boy shorts perfectly matched the slightly off-white color of her dress. The small, pretty bow in the center of the elastic at the top of the panties was even a dark colored blue. It was almost as if the panties had been designed for that dress. 

Slipping the thin garment up her legs, Lacie shimmied her hips into the tight lace, reveling in the comforting feeling of cleanliness and warmth she felt in that moment. Lacie heard a gentle knocking at the door. Swiftly bending down and grabbing her towel to cover herself with, Lacie called out. Moments later, Bridget's towel-turbaned head poked through the door.




Lacie Ch. 04



"Hey, mind if I come in and join you? My dress is in the closet."

"It's your room." Lacie stepped back and waved her arm, welcoming Bridget in.

"Thanks." Bridget answered sincerely. "Need any help with your dress?"

"Could you please? I don't want to crease the fabric."

"I'd love to."

Maneuvering Lacie around her room, Bridget finally got her in a position where the two of them could slip the dress over Lacie's head without rumpling or stretching the beautiful fabric. Bridget occupied herself with getting her own dress for a moment, before turning back to Lacie, her hands full.

"My makeup case is over there," Bridget said, pointing with her chin towards a small dresser by the door. A small clear plastic case sat on top of the mirrored dresser, brushes, combs, pencils and powders visible inside. "Help yourself to what you need. Down one floor and to the left is the ladies bathroom, you'll probably find the other girls there if you want some help or if my colors don't work for your skin tone."

"Thanks, can I take the case down?"

"Sure, just leave it there so I don't have to hunt for it when you're done. Oh, don't let Marie take my tube of lipstick, that's the last one I have left in that shade."

"Gotcha." Lacie answered, gently lifting the case, making sure it wouldn't spill before skipping out of the room, her dress billowing around her legs as she walked down the lush carpet. Lacie paused halfway down the hall to adjust the dress, setting the makeup case down before tightening the sash around her trim waist and brushing her hands down the creamy fabric, smoothing the ruffles. Picking the makeup case back up, Lacie dashed down the short staircase before turning down the hall. The first door in the hall was propped open and Lacie could hear laughter and conversation drifting out of the open doorway. Walking up, Lacie poked her head in, seeing most of the other girls in the cramped bathroom. Six girls jockeyed for position around three sinks as each girl blushed her cheeks, applied lipstick or eye shadow and did her best to make herself look as gorgeous as possible.

When they saw Lacie and her dress, crooning compliments gushed from the women gathered in the small bathroom, wondering where she got it, how much it had cost, who she had borrowed it from. Answering the questions as best she could, Lacie felt herself tugged into the tiny room, anonymous hands grasping her arms and shoving brushes, pencils and powder at her. The next twenty minutes passed in a blur of moving girls, giggles and the occasional squeal or muttered curse as someone made some kind of minor mistake. When Lacie was about halfway done, Marie, Callie and Lindsey all left, just as Bridget was walking in. Bridget stopped Marie in the hallway and held out her hand wordlessly. Heaving a small sigh, Marie opened her makeup case and handed a small black cylinder to Bridget. Sliding into the bathroom, Bridget held up her lipstick, wiggling the small black tube as she smiled at Lacie. Embarrassed, Lacie flushed scarlet before smiling back at her in apology.

Finally, the rest of the girls cleared out, dashing back to their rooms to do their hair, now that it was mostly dry. Heaving an exhausted sigh, Lacie sat on the countertop, her stomach rumbling loudly. Rubbing her belly Lacie looked pleadingly at Bridget, as the older girl began applying her makeup, having already teased her hair into a gentle curve that framed her face beautifully.

"Soon, Lace. Soon. Here, I think this is Marie's. Do your hair." Bridget said, carefully handing Lacie a hot curling iron. The two girls worked in silence for a few minutes till Bridget's wristwatch began to beep.

"Seven forty. We have five minutes. You almost ready?"

"Almost..." Lacie trailed off as she pulled the iron free of the last bouncy curl. "done." Lacie announced with a grin. Spinning around, she looked at Bridget, a hopeful look on her face. "What do you think?"

Bridget turned away from her own finishing touches to look at Lacie appraisingly. Somewhere in the earlier confusion, Lacie had picked up a silver hair comb, which the young brunette now used to hold her hair in place. Her hair had been artfully curled and teased, giving the chocolate colored strands incredible bounce and body. All of her hair was pulled around the back of her head, left to shimmer beautifully as it cascaded in wavy curls over the beautiful girl's bare right shoulder. The dress clung to her frame, accenting her curvy figure while drawing the eye to her trim, flat waist and curvy hips. She had slipped her feet into a flat pair of strappy sandals, the white strands wrapping around her ankles and sliding along the tops of her feet. Lacie's cheeks were blushed, making her face look rosy when she smiled. Her long lashes were painted and shadowed, making her eyes glitter and shine. Her lips were covered with a glossy pink lipstick, giving them a soft, swollen look that shimmered wetly.

Bridget raised one eyebrow appraisingly. "Honestly, Lace? I think you're gonna blow the other girls out of the water."

Lacie grinned, clapping her hands like an excited child. 

"Let me finish this up then we can go down and you can finally meet your new Master."

With that one sentence, Lacie's world flipped upside down. Her master. Hers. The man who had bought and paid for her. The man who had freed her. The man who now owned her. 

Oh god, Lacie thought, he's seen me topless! What if... what if he wants me to have sex with him tonight? What will I do? I'm not ready for that! Instantly half panicked, Lacie tried to push her way past Bridget, but the older girl had just finished her own makeup and inadvertently stepped back, right into Lacie's path.

"Whoa, now, we're not that rushed." Bridget exclaimed, reaching out and steadying herself and Lacie.

"I have, I have to go, have to leave, have to..." Lacie muttered, the wild look in her eyes giving her panic away.

"Whoa, hold on Lace, you're not going anywhere. Listen, you cannot, I mean you CAN NOT leave the grounds. You'll be snatched up before you can scream. What's gotten into you?"

"He, wants, me, wants, sex, me and, not, sex, ready, can't, no!" Lacie babbled, blind terror showing in her eyes. Bridget's reaction was not what Lacie expected. The blonde girl laughed. Not a malicious laugh, but a surprised, slightly amused, self deprecating laugh.

"What are you laughing at!?" Lacie demanded, stung by Bridget's reaction.

"No! Nothing, I'm sorry, that was callous of me." Bridget quickly apologized, holding Lacie's shoulders as she looked the younger girl in the eye. "This was the one thing I told myself to remember to tell you, so naturally, it's the one thing I forgot. Forgive me, I should have told you this much earlier. Master would never, will never force himself on you. Ever. He never has on any of us. We've always asked him if we could join him, or he has invited one of us to be with him."

"Never?" Lacie asked, her panic dimming.

"Not once. In fact, I'd be amazed if he really interacts with you tonight at all. He'll ask a question or two, probably give you a few compliments, but for the most part he'll leave you alone. He has with all of us."

"Why?" Lacie questioned, part of her still not believing Bridget's claim.

"Because of this exact reaction. He doesn't want us to be afraid of him. He wants to give us time to warm up to him, get used to the house, the new life, before he really becomes a part of it. All this," Bridget explained, waving her hands around to indicate the massive house around them. "is a dream compared to what we all thought we would get. That idea takes some getting used to. It's hard to come to love something when there's a fear that there's a catch hidden somewhere. He bought you to help around the house, not share his bed. There aren't any hidden catches here, Lacie. None. No obligations. No demands. Just food." 

At the mention of food, Lacie's stomach rumbled again.

"I promise you Lacie, he has no expectations of you, at least, none that you need to fear. Besides, there's over half a dozen other girls here that are all more than willing and perfectly happy to jump into bed with him at the drop of a hat, myself included. Not to say that he won't want you, but he won't ask you to spend time alone with him for a few weeks yet. Unless you approach him first."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Lacie thought about that for a minute. Finally, her rumbling belly decided for her. A small smile crept back onto her face as Lacie hesitantly headed for the door.

"Just food then." She said, sounding braver than she felt.

"Hold up, you smeared your eyeliner a bit. C'mere, we should fix that."

Once Bridget cleaned up the smear and Lacie reapplied her eyeliner, the two girls walked through the mansion. Once they got to the second floor, delicious aromas began to tickle their senses, making Lacie's mouth water. Finally reaching the ground floor, Lacie followed Bridget into a short hallway, seeing all the other girls gathered there, chatting quietly. Claire's teasing voice drifted out of the throng.

"I thought we were supposed to be here at seven forty five 'on the nose'. It's seven fifty."

"My fault." Lacie answered. "Had a bit of a panic attack." she said bravely.

"How bad was she?" Marie asked.

"I'd say about a three, maybe a four." Bridget responded. The other girls giggled and murmured to each other.

"Oh, that's not bad at all." Heather smiled and turned to Lacie. "Bridget had to practically tie me down my first night here."

"Practically? I did have to tie you down. You gave me a black eye, if I recall correctly."

"Hey, at least I wasn't as bad as Claire." Heather said defensively.

Bridget laughed outright and some of the other girls joined her laughter as Claire stepped to the side and gave a small bow.

Sidling up to Lacie, the goth girl nudged her gently, before stage whispering into her ear.

"I ran for it. I didn't know that Master's driveway was three miles of gravel."

"Oh, she made a run for it all right." Heather laughed, "She was half naked and her arms were still tied into the black leather cat-suit she was delivered in. Just imagine, there she is, bare-assed, barefoot, her hands stuck behind her back, half the hood still on her head, pulling her nose halfway up her face, partially blinded by the leather still stuck over her right eye, and she's running like a bat outta hell, down a gravel road three miles long." The other women roared with laughter and even Lacie giggled a bit at the mental image. 

"Hey, be fair, I did make it over halfway before you caught up to me, and you were driving one of Master's cars!" Claire smiled, not embarrassed in the least.

"You did, and then I had to spend the next six days playing nursemaid while your feet healed." Heather complained.

"Eh, I didn't care. Cutest nurse I'd ever seen." Claire teased as she sashayed past Heather, one palm flashing out to deliver a loud smack square on the surprised redhead's butt.

Heather's wide eyed squeak of shock was drowned out in more laughter as the redhead's cheeks flushed, matching her hair. Even worse for her, Heather was wearing a red, sequined, strapless evening gown, and she had gone braless as well. The slap to her butt turned the taller girl on, making her stiffening nipples poke tiny tents into her dress as she flushed with embarrassment and arousal, making the assembled girls laugh even harder.

Once the laughter died down a bit, Lacie took the time to gaze at the other girls, looking at their clothes, instinctively comparing herself to their beauty. Once again, Lacie was amazed at how gorgeous all the assembled women were, from foreign and exotic, to classy and straightforward, to homegrown and sassy. Even a little goth was thrown in for flavor. Lacie absently wondered where she fit in the group.

She looked at Bridget first, noting how the blonde girl had tied her hair up in an ornately arranged ponytail, leaving her bangs to hang free and frame her face. She was wearing a green and black tight fitting dress that swept to her ankles, the fabric covering her in two layers, the shimmering dark green dress hugged her body while the black lace clung tightly to the green satin. The effect was mesmerizing to watch as Bridget moved. She wore a wide, black leather belt with decorative silver belt buckle, the metal covered in designs that looked vaguely celtic in origin. A black satin stole hung behind the small of her back as she carried it over her elbows. She also wore a pair of green high heels, boosting her height slightly. Green was a difficult color for a lot of women to pull off, but Bridget did it masterfully.

Looking at Callie next, Lacie saw that the goofy mechanic had gone all out. Her eyes were a dusky burgundy, and her hair hung straight down, a small red flower stuck behind one ear. Her dress was a deep red and the trim was black with golden embroidery. It hugged her figure, obviously having been fitted to her shape. The straps swept over her shoulders before they crossed once behind her neck, leaving the back of the dress open all the way down her spine, the fabric coming back together just above her hips. Her lips were a deep burgundy color, matching her eye shadow. Callie wore dark red pumps, the color accenting her trim legs well.

Marie had chosen to wear yellow. Her blouse and sundress were thin and filmy, but consisted of several layers. Her clothes seemed to flow as she moved, and she went without lipstick, only the slightest hint of makeup accenting her already gorgeous features. Her hair was done up into a single long braid that she kept slung over her left shoulder. Marie's shoes were simple tan leather sandals. She wore a pastel necklace and bracelet of lightly painted porcelain. Marie's ears held tiny yellow porcelain flowers that matched her necklace.

Heather reminded Lacie of a vixen from an old cartoon movie she remembered watching once. The film had been about some weird world where humans and cartoons lived together. One of the characters had been a gorgeous, voluptuous cartoon redhead. Heather could have been that character come to life. Her hair was loose and bouncy, the blonde highlights making the strands seem to shimmer. Her eyes were done up with red eye shadow, her lips were painted a deep, mesmerizing scarlet, making the pearly white teeth of her smile dazzle with their brilliance. The dress she wore trailed on the ground as it hung from her incredibly generous curves. Heather went braless, and the dress, by necessity, was tight around her chest, pressing her breasts together. Her already impressive chest was squashed into the tight fitting dress, making her cleavage seem deep enough to get lost in. Heather's hips sashayed side to side as she moved, causing the hem of her dress to sway. There was a slit in the leg that started at mid thigh, traveling down the lower half of her dress, showing all of her gorgeous, shapely leg. Her feet were ensconced in red high heeled shoes, and the leg closest to the slit in the dress was decorated with a silver anklet.

Tara was far less vibrant, but no less beautiful, in a dress of softly mixed blue and green. The soft, smooth fabric was iridescent, deepening or lightening in color depending on how the small asian girl moved, or where the light hit her body. The dress was of Chinese design, thin black ropes forming tiny knots along one shoulder, holding the neck of her tight dress closed. Tara's short hair was done up in a bun, stereotypical chopsticks holding her hair in place. Tara's makeup was minimal, but her eye shadow accented her dazzling blue eyes, making the shy girl look demure and innocent. Tara wasn't wearing much jewelry other than the ever present choker that all the women still wore, just a pair of turquoise gemstones in dangling silver earrings.

Lindsey was wearing a simple white and black dress that hung just past her knees. The dress itself was pure white save a pair of small black stripes, making the submissive girl seem to glow in the warm light of the hallway. There were two thin black strips, spaced about an inch apart, that spun around her dress five or six times, accenting her figure where the lines changed direction slightly due to the generous feminine swells of Lindsey's body. Her hair was done up in a design similar to Lacie's, but instead of letting her hair hang loose over one shoulder, Lindsey had done it up in a ponytail and had woven a few braided strands of black twine into it. The twine had dozens of tiny living flowers carefully placed throughout the weave, the dark color of the twine making Lindsey seem as if she had woven the flowers directly into her hair.

Tatiana wore a ruffled, ice blue spaghetti strap dress. A wide white belt wound around her waist, cinching the cool colored fabric tight. The dress was loose and ruffled around Ana's moderate bust, but below the belt, the fabric became much more form fitting. Ana's smooth legs gracefully descended below the angled hem of her dress, leaving her calves and ankles visible. Her toenails glittered ice blue in her open toed blue heels. Ana wore a pair of dark blue bracelets on her wrists, and small sapphire studs glinted in her ears. The russian girl's hair was tightly curled and held back by a silver and blue hair comb, only her bangs were allowed to dangle in front of her face. Ana's blue extension was woven into the tight blond curl that hung over her left eye.

Lastly, Claire stood behind Heather, resting her wrists and chin on the redhead's shoulder as they held a whispered conversation. Claire's thin black dress left little to Lacie's imagination. Her small breasts pushed minute swells into the fabric. A deep cutout had been sewn into the middle of her dress, only a few threads holding the fabric together over her breasts. A diamond shaped hole sat right in the middle of the fabric, leaving the skin of Claire's midriff exposed. Her smooth, feminine belly was lightly tanned, and a small, golden piercing dangled from her navel. The tight dress swept over Claire's hips, ending just above her knees. The gothic girl had switched out all of her black and silver piercings for gold, making her seem to sparkle in the light. Even the slightly irreverent rocker girl had gotten into the dressy mood, leaving her cowboy boots behind for a more demure, feminine pair of black high heels. Claire's wrists glimmered with masses of golden bangles and bracelets, ringing and jingling as the raven haired rocker moved. Hints of tattoos peeked out randomly from the confines of her dress, and a series of tattoos was visible on her right shoulder blade. A trio of red and yellow five pointed stars rested just below her neckline, visible beneath the sheer fabric.

Finally, the clock struck eight, startling Lacie from her reverie. Half the other girls jumped slightly as well. Slowly, Bridget moved to the door at the end of the short hall and pushed it open. Bridget stood there as the girls filtered quietly past her. Last to enter the room, Lacie hesitated at the door. Looking up at Bridget, Lacie tried to smile, but her nervousness betrayed her and her smile faded in moments. Bridget seemed to understand, and held out her arm for Lacie, giving the younger girl a broad, comforting smile. Lace smiled at the gesture, Bridget's confidence burning away some of her nervousness. Taking Bridget's arm like they were young hopefuls on a date, Lacie moved with her as Bridget gracefully stepped into the dining room. 



Lacie Ch. 05



Chapter 5: Lacie's Dinner



Lacie followed the girls into the dining hall, doing her best not to look timid, despite the fact that her heart seemed to be doing it's best impression of an African tribal drum. Her stomach decided to try out for the Olympic gymnastics team few moments later, flipping and jumping when Lacie saw the room before her. A single long table sat in the middle of the hall, it's sheer size dominating the space. The entire eastern wall was made of huge floor to ceiling windows, and the view of the grounds outside was spectacular in the twilight. Long stretches of green manicured grass stretched off into the darkness, a three tiered fountain sprayed water in beautiful arcs and multicolored flowerbeds sat just outside the windows, beyond the patio. A small outside dining area, complete with comfortable looking chairs, tables and chaise lounges, was accessible by sliding some of the windows aside, but it didn't seem as though dinner would be an outdoors affair, at least that night.

The hall itself was decorated with burnished oak and cherry, and the floor was covered in warm, tan colored hardwood, reminding Lacie of an old ballroom floor. A large glass chandelier provided a soft glow throughout the room, suffusing the open space with a cheery, warm feeling. A few paintings hung along the walls, lending some color to the room. The long, four foot wide table had ten place settings, a covered, white china platter placed before each chair. The table was covered by a huge lace tablecloth, colored slightly off-white. The plates all had small silver dishes covering them, like the kind Lacie knew they used to keep food warm in high class hotels. Small bowls sat just to the side of the covered plates, each containing an artistically arranged salad. Leafy greens, two perfect slices of tomato, a few dried cranberries, some crumbled almonds and a few other ingredients Lacie couldn't immediately identify all sat in the bowl. A thin layer of oil had been drizzled onto the salad, a few tiny pieces of flavoring spice visible within the glistening liquid. 

Above the plate were two glasses, one tall, square and already full, the other empty, but it's inverted bulb shape told Lacie it was designed as a wine glass. The wine glass may have been empty, but the other glass had already been full for some time, Lacie noted, as she watched drops of condensation on the outside of the water glass drip down the sides. Lacie looked at the silverware, and immediately wondered why they had given her three different forks. Lacie felt Bridget's arm under hers give a slight nudge, and Lacie realized that she had stopped, forcing Bridget to do the same. Moving forward again, Lacie slid up to the table, mimicking the other girls, each of whom stood next to a chair, silently waiting for some unknown cue.

Bridget slid her arm out from under Lacie's, giving the younger girl a brief smile and nod as the gorgeous blonde moved off. Something seemed familiar about where the other girls were standing, teasing Lacie's memory, before she realized with a start that the girls were arranged by seniority, and that order also happened to be the same order they had chosen with their bedrooms upstairs. Proud of herself for grasping that small insight to her new life, Lacie smiled, looking up the length of the table. Each girl had a place setting identical to hers, though the center of the table was decorated with bunches of green and red grapes that flanked a candlestick shaped metal stand with a broad base, even though the stand was currently empty.

All of the girls stood silently, doing their best not to fidget, though anticipation was clearly written on their faces. Small, silent smiles and stifled giggles passed between them, but they all quieted immediately and snapped their eyes forward, looking over the girl standing opposite them, when a muted thud came from the far set of doors. Lacie, unsure of what to do, looked across the table, spotting Lindsey there. Lindsey stood, her arms demurely crossed in front of her waist. Her head was tilted back, displaying her black choker with the small ivory disk. Her eyes seemed focused on some point behind Lacie's head. All the other girls seemed to be holding a similar pose. Lacie did her best to mimic it, though she felt somewhat out of place, as Lacie, for some unknown reason, still did not have a choker of her own. 

Slowly, the doors at the far end of the room swung towards the girls, opening as Lacie watched from the corner of her eye. A metal cart was being pushed into the room and several different wine bottles sat atop it's gleaming surface. A large, round, covered metal tray was nestled amongst the wine, and a small bouquet of flowers sat atop the tray's flat lid. Lacie, however, barely noted the existence of the cart, because what was behind the cart seemed so much more important at that moment. More accurately, who was behind the cart. Lacie felt her knees weaken again at the sight of him, and from the hushed gasps that seemed to suddenly fill the silent room, she wasn't the only one suddenly having trouble standing.

His six foot, three inch frame dominated the doorway as he stepped through. Master's broad shoulders made him look imposing and powerful. His dark hair had been gently combed, the soft brown locks seeming to beg Lacie to run her fingers through his hair. He wore black patent leather shoes, and matching pressed black slacks. A simple, thin, black leather belt was snugged around his waist, and his plain white button up shirt was tucked neatly into the hem of his slacks. His dinner jacket was tailored to fit his impressive frame, it's shape hinting at a trim, muscled chest and broad shoulders. His huge, powerful hands gently pushed the cart in front of him, maneuvering the awkward load with skill. 

The thing that Lacie's eyes fixed on though, was his face. Master's face was broad, but unmarred by worry lines. In fact, as he entered the room and beheld the women in all their beauty, a dazzling, disarming smile graced his features. The skin around his eyes crinkled as well worn laugh lines creased the corners of his eyes and mouth. Lacie could tell that this man smiled a lot, and that fact made him seem all the more charming. The caring look in his eyes made him seem the most gentle man in all the world.

Pushing the cart into the middle of the hall, Master set the flowers aside before lifting the metal tray on the cart and carrying the circular covered dish to the table, setting it gently and carefully atop the broad based metal stand in the center of the table. Turning back, Master picked up several bottles of wine and placed them in various, seemingly random, places on the table. None of the girls reacted, waiting for some cue that Lacie didn't know. Finally, the cart was empty, save for a long, tiny black felt box. Picking up the box, Master walked around to the head of the table, the farthest seat from Lacie. Master set the box down carefully, then pulled out his chair and lifted his hands silently to the girls. He sat slowly, waiting as all the girls in the room stirred into movement, pulling out their own chairs before sitting silently. Master nodded once to Bridget, then lifted his elbows to the tabletop, lacing his fingers together and lowering his head.

The girls all mimicked his movements, bowing their heads for prayer. Bridget began to speak, her melodious voice filling the otherwise silent room.

"Lord, we thank you for this meal, these people and the safety and happiness we find here every day. We think you for setting aside your small piece of Heaven for us here, where we may live in peace. Thank you for this food, this company, and the opportunity to better the lives of those we care about, those people you have blessed us with by bringing us together. Thank you for the safe delivery of the newest member of our growing family into our arms, she will be cared for here and cared for in your Grace. Amen."

"Amen." Echoes of the prayer faded around the room, as a deep masculine tone danced under the higher, melodious pitch of the assembled women, Master's soothing voice sent wonderful chills down Lacie's spine. Blinking away the mist that filled her eyes at the conclusion of Bridget's prayer, Lacie smiled at Lindsey as conversation seemed to pop out of nowhere across the entire table. Laughter and playful banter wafted through the air as Lacie pulled her salad towards herself. Nudging the girl next to her, Tatiana, Lacie pointed at her forks and the salad, a querying look on her face. Ana waggled her own salad filled fork and pointed to one of Lacie's, answering her question.

Lacie picked up the fork that Ana had indicated and took her first bite of her salad. Lacie groaned as delicious flavors danced across her tongue, her mouth seeming to rejoice in the cool, wondrous mixture of tastes. Lacie identified the Italian dressing easily, but there was a hint of raspberry to it as well. Almond slivers and dried cranberries added subtle undertones to the crunchy treat. Lacie noticed a small wedge of soft white cheese on the edge of her salad and took a small bite. Moaning in rapture, Lacie leaned back in her chair, letting the flavors mix and blend together into a delicious medley while she chewed.

Concentrating on her food, Lacie suddenly realized she had no idea when she had last eaten. It took all her willpower to keep herself from simply shoveling the delicious food into her mouth. After a few minutes the gnawing edge of her hunger was gone, though Lacie still felt like she could eat everything on the entire table in one sitting. It was then however, that Ana and Lindsey began tossing innocent questions at her, sating their long confined curiosity about Lacie and her past. Soon, Claire, Marie, Tara and Callie were involved, all chatting with Lacie as they ate, acting as if they'd known her forever. The camaraderie soothed the last of Lacie's discordant nerves, finally allowing the nervous brunette to relax, letting some of her natural playfulness shine through.

Bridget, Heather and Master all held themselves apart, discussing other things between themselves. Finally, everyone had finished their salads, and Master traded his empty salad bowl for his covered platter. There was a clattering of noise around the table as everyone else followed suit. A veritable eruption of steam wafted up into Lacie's face when she lifted the tray's cover away. The wondrous aromas made her mouth water as she beheld her plate in awe. Lacie absently felt someone take her platter's lid from her hand, but she didn't see who it was. Lacie was too absorbed in looking at the luxurious meal before her. A large baked chicken breast sat atop aromatic rice, both covered in a thick, creamy, tan and white gravy. Four asparagus spears, each one dripping butter, lay along one side of her plate, more gravy lightly drizzled across their stalks. A small sprig of parsley lay atop the chicken breast, and a small slice of lemon sat at one edge of her plate, next to a warm, soft bread roll. A chorus of "ooh"s and "aah"s sprang from the delighted women at the sight of the decadent meal.

Ana reached over and placed the next fork in Lacie's dumbfounded hand, giggling slightly as she did. The Russian girl's laughter broke Lacie from her reverie, making her blush slightly as she grinned at the foreign girl. Lifting her silverware, Lacie began to cut into her chicken, amazed and humbled. 'This is probably the nicest meal I've ever had!' Lacie thought. Her knife sliced through the juicy meat with ease, allowing Lacie her first perfectly cooked bite. It was absolute bliss. Moaning to the ceiling, Lacie voiced her approval of Master's cooking skill. Looking back down, Lacie saw Lindsey pouring a small glass of wine for herself. The sparkling white alcohol seemed innocent enough, and when Lacie asked for some, Lindsey happily poured Lacie a glass. 

Sipping the sweet wine gently, Lacie found it to be a wonderful compliment to her dinner. Smiling her thanks at Lindsey, Lacie turned back to her plate and began to eat. Conversation had ceased for the most part, due to the hot, delicious food. Minutes passed where the only sounds were silverware scraping plates and rapturous moans. Occasionally there was a whispered request to pass some item or another. Lacie was in heaven. The flavors dancing across her taste buds put everything else Lacie had ever eaten to absolute shame. Lacie looked and felt more beautiful and happy in that moment than in her entire life. When she said as much to the other girls, they shared knowing looks, remembering that feeling themselves. Claire cut in with a joke, making all the girls laugh. Lacie never remembered exactly what Claire had said, the wine having already had a small effect on her. She did know that it was something to the effect of, "And you haven't even had dessert yet!"

Slowly, the sounds of people enjoying a meal together slowed as plates were cleaned and pushed away. Conversation started up again, and the wine seemed to flow a little more freely. Laughter echoed throughout the hall as the newer girls traded stories and anecdotes. Master seemed to be taking his time with his own dinner, stretching it out for some reason. Finally, however, even he finished eating. Gently leaning back and wiping his mouth with his napkin, he looked up at his girls. Holding up his hand, he patiently waited for a few moments while they all slowly quieted. The soft thrum of his deep voice seemed to sink into Lacie's body, soothing and relaxing her, a gentle tone audible in his words as he spoke to the assembled girls.

"Tonight is a celebration. Tonight, we welcome a new sister for all of you into this house. She has conducted herself with grace and courtesy tonight, and she is as radiant as any woman I have ever seen." A warm smile graced his features as he looked directly at the suddenly furiously embarrassed and blushing Lacie. 

"However, before we finish off our meal and head to our rest, I do have one more thing I would like to say." As Master spoke, he stood, picking up the all but forgotten felt box that Lacie had seen earlier. Walking around the perimeter of the table, Master stopped directly behind Lacie and lifted away her plate, laying the long box in it's place. Setting her plate to the side, Master placed his big, warm hands on Lacie's shoulders. The gentle touch was feather light, as if he feared hurting her. Lacie felt his lips gently press the top of her head as he stood behind her and whispered, seeming to speak to her alone.

"Welcome Home."

As he stood behind her and whispered, Lacie reached out with trembling hands and opened the jewelry box, revealing a black lace choker inside, a small circle of ivory on one end. Lacie's hands flew to her mouth at the simple piece of jewelry. Somehow she knew that this necklace was far more than just jewelry. All of Master's women had one. It was a symbol of his acceptance of her. A wordless pledge that he would keep her safe, care for her, love her if she wished, help her without question or judgment. Gently reaching out, Lacie slowly lifted the choker from the box, wanting nothing more than to have it resting around her neck. Lacie knew that in her whole life, nothing had ever seemed more right. She got it halfway before warm, gentle hands enfolded hers, gently lifting the choker away. Lacie felt a shudder of happiness ripple down her spine as she realized his powerful arms were wrapped, ever so gently, around her body.

"Allow me."

Tilting her head forward, Lacie allowed her Master to fasten both ends of the choker together around her neck, the tight necklace locking shut once he closed the clasps hidden behind the ivory. It fit perfectly. Gently sliding the lace around, Lacie positioned the small white disk over her throat, her fingers tracing the edge of the smooth decoration. Lacie could scarcely believe her fortune, her luck. Fighting back tears for the umpteenth time that day, Lacie looked up at the girls with whom she now belonged and smiled. Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the table as the other girls fought back tears as well. Everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing, choruses of welcome resounded in Lacie's ears.

Sitting back down in his chair, Master held up his hands, smiling while calling for silence once again.

"Well, now that that little piece of ceremony is out of the way, I do believe we still have dessert to finish. Marie, if you would please." Master waved one hand to the young Hispanic woman, gesturing for her to take the lid off the tray atop the stand in the middle of the table. Lacie stroked the ivory circle adorning her throat as she watched Marie lift the lid away. Despite having just eaten a huge meal, Lacie knew there was no way she could resist the dessert that had just been unveiled. A creamy white cheesecake sat in the center of the table, thick drizzles of chocolate decorated the top, and fresh raspberries seemed to infuse the decadent cake.

Already sliced, the cake was soon placed on plates hidden within the cart and passed out to the diners. Lacie flushed again when Heather raised her half empty wine glass, the gorgeous redhead offering a toast.

"To our new sister, Lacie!"

"To Lacie!" The other diners chorused, laughter breaking through their cheers at the sight of the young girl blushing yet again.

Waving at them to quiet down, Lacie smiled and rubbed her cheeks. She wasn't if sure she'd ever stop blushing, or smiling. Finally, everyone quieted and sat back down, slowly enjoying the final course of their decadent meal The cheesecake was soft and cool, while the raspberries added a tangy zip, complementing the smooth, rich chocolate well. Lacie's slice was gone long before she wanted it to be, but she decided not to ask for another. Sitting back, Lacie felt full, warm and contented. The wine she had consumed was making her drowsy, leaving her relaxed and smiling. Conversation continued for a while, but all too soon, Master excused himself, giving the excuse of an early morning to quietly slip away, leaving the rest of the evening to the girls. Lacie sat and chatted, but after finishing another glass of wine, she soon felt the room begin to gently spin. The odd sensation was far from unpleasant, but Lacie's exhaustion was swiftly making her eyelids droop heavily.

One by one, the girls slipped away to their beds. About half the group had left, leaving Bridget, Lacie, Heather and Claire in the dining hall. Bridget excused herself and slowly made her way around to Lacie, finding the brunette girl half asleep in her chair. Gently coaxing Lacie to her feet, Bridget helped the new girl through the mansion and up to the bedrooms. The older girl pulling her along, Bridget and Lacie slowly washed off their makeup before slipping out of their dresses and drunkenly sliding into Bridget's warm, fluffy bed. 

Bridget's gentle, even breathing gave testament that she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillows. Lacie lay there, thinking about her day, as the fingers on her right hand gently traced the outline of the ivory coin decorating her choker. Clad only in her panties and the new necklace, Lacie drifted off to sleep, a smile on her face as her fingers still sleepily stroked her choker. 



Lacie Ch. 06



Chapter 6: Lacie's First Morning

Lacie woke to the sun gently shining on her face. Stretching luxuriously, Lacie gently groaned, feeling the soft sheets surround her shift as she moved her flexible young body. Ruffling her hair with one hand, Lacie sat up, her hand brushing something on her neck. Her fingers quickly traced the outline of her choker, making Lacie smile as she remembered the joyous events of yesterday. Looking around, Lacie gathered her bearings, realizing she was alone. The décor of the room was instantly familiar, as Lacie remembered slipping into bed next to Bridget. Nothing had happened between them, both girls having been far too tired to do anything but sleep, and neither of them especially inclined towards nighttime activities with the same gender.

Looking over at the other half of the bed, Lacie found a white robe and towel, identical to the ones she had used yesterday, and a small tented piece of paper resting on top of the soft cotton. Lacie rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she picked up the small folded note that rested on the soft fabric. The paper was written in beautiful penmanship, and was signed 'Bridget', the older girl having obviously gotten up earlier. The paper was covered with writing and instructions. A small map detailed how to make it back to the dining hall, as well as a request that she shower and dress comfortably, then meet Bridget there around ten, after finding somewhere she could put her clothes. Glancing to the small alarm clock on Bridget's nightstand, Lacie saw she had just under an hour before she had to meet Bridget. Slipping out of the warm bed with a wistful groan, Lacie slipped the robe around her shoulders and slid off her panties. Grabbing the towel, Lacie padded barefoot across the room, before picking up her almost forgotten pile of borrowed clothes. 

Slipping out into the hallway, Lacie hopped off the cold hardwood at the edges of the floor, walking stealthily down the thick, padded carpeting that covered the middle of the long hallway. Lacie reached the four doors at the end of the hall, knowing she needed somewhere to put her clothes, since she couldn't haul them around all day, Lacie opened all four of the doors to the unoccupied rooms. The farthest room from Master's had an aquatic theme, the walls painted various shades of blue in undulating patterns. Everything was tan, blue or white, making Lacie feel like she was at a beach. The feeling was emphasized by her nudity beneath the robe, and though Lacie enjoyed the room's decor, the blue made the room feel slightly cooler than Lacie liked.

The next room was outdoorsy, decorated as if it were located in the forest somewhere. Greens and soft browns dominated the color scheme, and the fresh air coming in from the open window revitalized Lacie. She spun a small circle, looking up as she did. Giggling to herself, Lacie noted with amusement that the ceiling had been decorated with tiny glow in the dark stars. Lacie liked the room, but it didn't feel like it was home to her. Deciding to look at the other two rooms before she chose one, Lacie left the woodsy room. The nest room was definitely not Lacie's style. Cool grey paint gave the illusion of stone walls. Everything was grey or black, or a mixture of the two. There was a mattress in one corner, but it seemed more a cot than a bed. A single lumpy pillow and one scratchy brown blanket lay atop it. Several oddly shaped metal frames decorated the room, giving it a slightly menacing look. Lacie had no idea what their intended purpose was, but the room seemed more a dungeon than a bedroom. Backing out, Lacie stepped on something flexible. Looking down, she picked up the strange, thin rod. A flared leather flap was attached to one end, a leather wrapped handle at the other.

Startled, Lacie dropped the rod when she realized what it was. A riding crop. Looking around her, Lacie realized that this wasn't a bedroom, and that her earlier comparison to a dungeon was more accurate than she had realized. Seeing the room in a new light, Lacie glanced around again, looking at the metal frames and strange devices decorating the room, guessing at once their intended purpose. It was a dungeon. Not the medieval torture type dungeon, but a playroom, a room for bondage and kinky bedroom play. Giggling nervously, Lacie stepped back out and quietly shut the door.

Shaking her head, Lacie walked to the final door, this one (of the four) closest to Master's room, and stepped through. Immediately, Lacie knew that this was her room. White drapes and deep purple curtains were drawn back, letting light flood the room. A big bed sat in the far corner, a white comforter and cream colored quilt covering the bed while half a dozen overstuffed pillows decorated the head of the big mattress. The frame was wooden, stained a light tan to allow the natural grain of the wood to shine through. Several green vine-like lines had been painted onto the wood, numerous tiny painted flowers and small leaves decorating the "vines". The dresser had the same motif, the stained wood painted as if the flowers were growing right on it's sides. A trio of metal baskets hung, one under the other, right next to the empty dresser, small stuffed animals crammed into the hanging baskets.

The yellow carpeting was thick and lush, tickling her bare feet and toes as she circled the room. The walls were painted a creamy white, little vines painted along every window and doorframe as well as along the edging where the walls met the floor and ceiling. The closet wasn't decorated, but had more than enough space for everything Lacie owned, which at that point, wasn't very much. Realizing she was short on time, Lacie carefully set her clothes down, tossing her dirty panties into the hamper set just inside her closet's doorframe. Carefully hanging her mother's dress back up in it's garment bag, Lacie grabbed a pair of sandals, a pair of hip hugging, knee length jean shorts and a white tank top and bra. Tossing them on her new bed, Lacie grabbed her robe and towel and dashed out of her room.

Lacie had almost reached the stairs down when she heard a door behind her creak open. Turning, towel in hand, Lacie looked back. Seeing Master's door opening, Lacie began to give a tentative wave, one hand instinctively going to her throat, checking that her choker was still in place, tightening the robe around herself as she did. Master didn't emerge from his room however. A small, feminine shape silently slipped through the big doors, quietly shutting the portal behind her. Lacie's jaw dropped as she recognized the slim figure, still wearing her dress from last night.

"Callie?" Lacie called out, unthinking.

Jumping, Callie turned around, meeting Lacie's look of disbelief. Caught red handed, Callie gave Lacie a sheepish grin, adjusting her dress as best she could. Callie's beautiful hair was disheveled and her cheeks were flushed. Her evident embarrassment at getting caught sneaking out of Master's bedroom left little doubt as to what she had been doing in Master's bedroom, especially since she obviously had not gone back to her own room at all last night, not even to change. Straightening, the blonde girl waved at Lacie shyly, an impish grin spreading across her face at Lacie's embarrassed look. Sashaying to her room, all whilst looking straight at Lacie, Callie turned the embarrassing situation on the new girl, giving her a look that made Callie seem like she was the proverbial cat that had just gotten the cream. Pushing her door open, Callie blew a kiss at Lacie and winked lasciviously at the stunned brunette, just before vanishing into her own room with a throaty chuckle.

Shaking her head at the strange blonde girl's behavior, Lacie slowly made her way down the stairs to the bathroom. Stepping through the door, Lacie walked over to the frosted glass that enclosed the showers. Opening one door, Lacie discovered that someone had left shampoo, conditioner and a bar of soap in the stall, a small plastic bag hung from the conditioner with her name taped to the side on a piece of paper. Hanging her robe and towel over the door to the next shower, Lacie stepped inside, turning the water on. Once it was warm enough, Lacie stepped under the spray, letting the warm water wash over her body. Opening the bag, Lacie discovered a small razor and some feminine hygiene products. Pulling the razor out, Lacie put the bag back, since she wouldn't need the other things for a few more weeks. Lacie began to soap up her body before gently pulling the razor across her skin, trimming away the short hairs on her legs and underarms. Lacie's slave sellers had used electrolysis to permanently remove all of her pubic hair, save for a small 'landing strip'. Deciding to leave it be, Lacie put the razor away once she finished with her legs and underarms, before quickly soaping up her hair and body. Once she was convinced she was as clean as she could get, Lacie began rinsing off the suds. Running her hands over her body, Lacie groaned when her fingertips grazed the hard nipples capping her soft, smooth breasts. 

Realizing she was incredibly turned on for some reason, Lacie briefly toyed with the idea of getting herself off in the showers, but it was still too foreign of a place for her to feel comfortable with it. Besides, Lacie told herself, she was short on time. Sighing with a brief hint of regret, Lacie stepped out of the showers and began to towel herself off. Slipping her robe on again, Lacie wrapped her hair in her towel. Just before Lacie could reach for the handle, the doorway out of the bathroom opened, revealing a robe clad Callie standing on the other side. Lacie stepped back and waved Callie in, avoiding a traffic jam in the doorway. Callie nodded her thanks and started to open her mouth to utter an apology for her awkward behavior, but Lacie beat her to the punch. A mischievous grin spreading on Lacie's face, she reached out and gently placed a finger over the blonde girls lips just before she suggestively stroked her hand downwards. Her hand slid over the bare flesh of Callie's neck and shoulder, her fingertips gliding across Callie's skin while the astonished blonde simply stood there and shuddered, her eyes rolling back in surprised pleasure. Then, taking a page from Claire's book, Lacie lifted her hand and spanked the blonde square on her ass. 

Dashing out of the open bathroom door before Callie could react, Lacie heard the stunned blonde's surprised squeak turn to a hiccup. Lacie laughed outright when she heard Callie's grumbling curses, laughing harder when those same curses were interrupted by another hiccup. Still giggling to herself as she slipped into her room, Lacie looked around, finally spotting a clock over the door. Seeing she only had five minutes, Lacie hung her robe and towel on the hooks that were attached to the back of her door. Lacking time to do anything fancy with her hair, Lacie simply pulled her long locks up into a ponytail, using a white scrunchie she had borrowed from Marie the day before. Slipping her clothes on, Lacie dashed from her room, then turned around and headed back in, realizing she had forgotten her all-important map. Without it, Lacie could get lost for hours in the massive house.

Hurrying down the stairs, Lacie dashed past the bathroom, hearing the sounds of running water and the occasional hiccup drift out of the partially open door. Grinning to herself, Lacie dashed through the house, making her way back to the dining hall. Lacie was forced to stop only once to use her reference map, mostly relying on her memory of last night to guide her. Despite her rush, Lacie was still a few minutes late in getting to the hall. Still, she was proud of her growing knowledge of the house and how to navigate it.

Opening the door, Lacie slipped into the dining hall. Gone were the fancy embellishments on the table, the multiple place settings and the lacy tablecloth. In their place sat a number of small platters, again covered by the metal tray lids. Lacie looked around and saw Bridget out on the patio, watching as the older girl typed something onto a small electronic tablet. Looking behind her, Bridget saw Lacie and smiled, removing her sunglasses. 

Standing, Bridget slipped back inside, quickly embracing Lacie and releasing her. Lacie looked at the older girl appraisingly. Bridget could have passed for a Wall Street CEO back around the turn of the millennium. She wore a simple white collared blouse and blue pinstriped slacks. Her sunglasses sat atop her head and simple golden earrings dangled from her ears, jingling as she moved. Her hair was done up in a professional looking bun, and one of her wrists had a small golden bracelet. Her shoes were dressy, but still accented her femininity. A golden chain hung around her neck, the thin links sporting a small golden cross, in addition to the ever-present black and ivory choker.

"Ready for your first full day?" she asked cheerily.

"I hope so." Lacie replied with a grin.

"Good. Master wants me to give you an orientation of sorts today, so we'll be touring the grounds, talking to some of the girls. You and I will be discussing what you'll be doing, what's expected of you, and so on and so on." Bridget said, looking back to the small tablet she carried. "Grab a tray and eat, then we can get going. While you eat, I'll talk, just so we can get the ball rolling."

Lacie realized she was a little hungry, and quickly snatched some silverware and a tray off the table, carrying it outside once Bridget okayed it, then dashing back in for a glass of juice. Setting her breakfast on the table, Lacie swept the lid off her food, inhaling deeply as she gazed at the feast before her. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pan seared mashed potatoes, a small pancake and a large bounty of fresh fruit sat on the tray. Lacie unwrapped her silverware and dug in with relish, moaning at the warm food, enjoying the delicious flavors.

"Ok, first thing." Bridget sat down next to Lacie as she ate, filling Lacie in on what she needed to know. "Punctuality. Being a few minutes late here or there when you're working with the other girls is fine, as long as you don't make a habit of it." Seeing Lacie's nod, the blonde continued. "Being late for any appointment with Master, however, is a completely different story. Never be late for Master. Ever. We don't always know what he needs us for, and keeping us on our toes helps us serve him better, and allows him to better rely on us. Once, Heather was a mere two minutes late, and it almost cost us more than you know. Master was in a teleconference, negotiating a business deal. Half of his fortune rested on her being there at the right time, with the right information. Had she been another few seconds later than she was, Master would be financially ruined by now, and none of us would have this safe haven. Never. Be. Late." Bridget pressed.

Swallowing, suddenly realizing how tenuous her place here could be, Lacie nodded.

"I won't be."

"Good."

"What did he do?"

"Do?" Bridget asked, confused.

"What did he do to Heather, to punish her? For being late?"

Bridget hesitated. "He said that he was disappointed in her."

"That's it?" Lacie raised an eyebrow is surprise, her egg laden fork pausing halfway to her mouth.

Bridget set her tablet down and sighed. "If you've ever seen the love in that man's eyes, if you've ever seen how hard he works or how much pressure he puts himself under to keep us safe, knowing you've let him down is the most heartbreaking thing in the world. He said that since he couldn't trust her, or rely on her, he would no longer need her services as his assistant on that business arrangement. He refused to look at her, speak to her, interact with her. For a full week, she was drowning in guilt. By the seventh day, she looked terrible. She couldn't sleep. She barely ate. Finally, she broke down. She tried to run away. Master stopped her though, just in time. She started crying and she just sort of slumped into his arms, unable to stop crying, sobbing that she was sorry, over and over. Master leaned down and kissed her. He hugged her and held her as she cried her poor heart out. He just kept telling her to stay, and that an apology had been all he had wanted."

"That was it? Why didn't she apologize earlier?" Lacie questioned.

Bridget thought about her answer before replying, a faraway look in her soft blue eyes.

"I'm not sure. Pride maybe. Maybe she didn't think it would do any good, I don't know. It changed her though. Almost all of us have disappointed him at one time or another. I never want to have to see that pain in his eyes when he looks at me ever again."

Lacie had the good sense not to pry.

"Any other rules?" Lacie asked, changing the subject.

Bridget smiled briefly at her before continuing.

"Yes actually, thank you for getting us back on track. First, Master will never give you an order that you must carry out, other than in times of extreme need. If you do not wish to follow any one particular order, you can always refuse, but if that's the case, you should try and find someone else to do it. Try trading jobs if you end up with something distasteful. If it is an emergency, he will add a phrase to the end of his statement or request. The code is 'that's an order, Pet.' Remember that well. That phrase means to do what he said, and do it immediately, without question. He's likely trying to save your life or otherwise protect you, or us, when he does say that, so if you're a smart girl, and I think you are, you won't ever hesitate."

"Gotcha." Lacie answered, gracefully accepting both the warning and the compliment.

"There are all things we have to do that we don't like however, but in comparison to where we could be, none of us complain about the trade off. I'd recommend you find that same outlook concerning tasks you dislike."

Lacie nodded, chewing on a slice of fresh apple as she listened.

"For now, you'll be on a rotating basis between a few of the girls, just helping them out. Kind of a resident jack-of-all trades. If you find a task or niche that you enjoy, we can certainly put you there, provided the spot is open. We did that with Tara and Callie for example, Tara was brought on as a maid, and is now our tailor, and Callie was Master's driver for a while, when he had to travel a lot. Now she's our mechanic slash fix-it-chick. Her term, not mine." Bridget smiled when Lacie turned her head at the odd phrasing of "fix-it-chick."

"Speaking of, glad you could join us this morning Callie." Bridget called out, looking over Lacie's shoulder. Lacie turned, having just bitten into another piece of her breakfast. Using the back of her chair to hide half her face, Lacie peeked inside the house, seeing a casually dressed Callie glaring at her. For a few moments, the thin blonde's imposing glare frightened Lacie, but then Callie's concentration broke when her belly jerked with another hiccup. Squeezing her eyes shut, the frustrated girl clenched her hands into fists and stamped her foot, looking for all the world like a little girl having a temper tantrum. 

"Dammit!" Callie cursed, before a long suffering, defeated look came over her face and she slunk away to the table to eat. Lacie almost choked on her bite of egg when she started laughing.

Bridget raised one eyebrow at Lacie questioningly.

"Do I even want to know?"

Shaking her head as she half laughed, half choked, Lacie pounded her chest before taking a drink from her glass of juice.

Dismissing the incident, Bridget turned back to the porch's other occupant.

"Ok, I'll take your word for it. Next rule. Do not leave the grounds. Ever. There are thick forests and an electric fence around the property to help keep slave poachers away. We can keep them from nabbing you because they can't really get in, but we have no way to protect you if you go out. So, don't go out. We have other security systems in place around the property, but they're not relevant at the moment, so I won't bother going into them. The exception to this, obviously, is anytime you're being escorted by Master, or if he sends you on an errand. He doesn't do that much and will always ask for a volunteer, since it can be risky. I can only think of two times since I've been here that he's done that. Most of the time his money is able to bring things to us."




Lacie Ch. 06



"That's easy enough. I promise, no fence climbing." Lacie smiled.

"Good," Bridget responded, well into her stride now. "Next, every day, with the exception of Sundays and Thursdays, which you will use for rest, starting tomorrow, you are to join Heather in the gym for one full hour's workout or more."

Lacie groaned and opened her mouth to complain, but Bridget was quick to cut her off.

"We all do this, even me. It'll keep you fit, healthy, and strong, so no complaints. Master likes fit women anyway. There is another reason we want you healthy. If poachers do get inside, despite the very low possibility, how will you escape if you're too out of shape, or too tired, to run or fight? You won't. They'll take you, and you'll end up God only knows where."

Realizing the older girl was right, Lacie simply nodded, nibbling at a sliced strawberry.

"Are you done? Good, leave it here, Ana will collect it later. Let's tour the immediate grounds first, you can see where Marie spends her time, then we can go to the farmhouse and say hi to Claire."

"So we get to be outside today?" Lacie asked excitedly.

"For a few hours yes. You like being outdoors?"

"I love being outdoors and getting fresh air," Lacie responded. "and I haven't gotten much the last few months. Daddy was worried about poachers when my birthday got close, and that cell the slavers had me in was rank."

Crinkling her nose at the memory of her dismal cell, Lacie stood up and stretched.

"Lead the way."

"There's a staircase over here. Follow me."

Lacie slid around the patio furniture, falling in behind the other girl. Bouncing down the steps, Lacie reveled in her ironic freedom. It was the first time Lacie got to see the mansion from the outside. The building was huge. Four stories tall, there was a walled-in courtyard near the front. Manicured gardens and flowerbeds dotted the landscape near the house. There was a massive ivy plant creeping up the southeast corner of the building, almost reaching the bottom of the fourth story windows. The building itself was almost all red brick, giving it a warm glow in the cool morning. The stylized gargoyles on the roof and the fluted columns by the front door gave the mansion a slightly gothic look. A large greenhouse dominated the north wall, though there was a huge glass enclosure behind it that looked like it was part of the house proper. All of the windows inside the greenhouse were already steamed up from the humid environment within. The back of the house had a large outdoor pool, surrounded by patio furniture and chaise lounges. A massive grill sat just off to one side, almost in the grass. A tennis/basketball court was fenced in near the pool, but wasn't in use.

"We play softball sometimes, in the spring and summer, once the snow is gone." Bridget said, pointing to the open fields of grass just past the lawns. "Haven't had a chance lately though."

"Why?" Lacie asked.

"Well, it takes a bit of co-ordination to get a full game going, and both Master and I have been very busy lately."

"With buying me?"

"Well, yes and no." Bridget hedged. "Your purchase was... key, but just one part of a much larger plan that Master had put in motion a long time ago."

"Huh?" Lacie asked, not understanding Bridget's cryptic response.

Bridget sighed and took off her sunglasses, tucking them into her shirt pocket.

"Look, Lacie, I'm not sure if you want to know the circumstances of why Master chose you. I asked why he bought me, when I first came here. He didn't tell me. I pushed. He didn't want to answer. I kept at it, begging him to tell me. When he finally let me have the information I wanted, I realized not knowing would have been better. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. I can tell you, but you have to want to know, and you have to be able to live with the knowledge of what could easily have happened to you."

"Can I think about it?"

"Absolutely. That would be the smart thing to do, in my opinion. I can tell you anytime you want to know. That's an open offer. It's not often an easy thing to handle though. It almost broke Callie."

"Why? What was going to happen to her?"

"That's not my story to tell. You'll have to ask her."

Disappointed, but also relieved that Bridget wouldn't likely share her story with anyone else, Lacie toyed with her ponytail, sucking on the ends of a few strands that had blown into her mouth from the gentle breeze. Bridget led Lacie around back towards the patio, the two girls having made a full circle around the massive brick mansion. They stopped and Bridget had them double back after tapping something into her tablet. Headed back to the greenhouse, Lacie asked why they had suddenly changed directions. Tapping her tablet a few times, Bridget held the electronic device out to Lacie, who took the small machine in both hands.

"GPS locators. I want us to meet up with Marie first, and she's in the greenhouse."

Looking at the tablet, Lacie immediately recognized the 3d wire frame model on the screen as a rendering of the mansion and the grounds. Tiny red blips moved across the surface as Lacie spun the map, zooming in and pulling back, playing with the interesting device a bit. Zooming in towards the greenhouse, Lacie saw a red dot inside the greenhouse's rendering on the screen. Moving in closer, red dot seemed to pulse in an odd pattern, but no words appeared.

"How do you know it's Marie?" Lacie asked, handing the device back.

"Her choker sends out a strobe. It's unique to her. The warmth of her body keeps the battery active, so by looking at this, I can find her by looking for her choker's specific pulse pattern. There's one in your choker too. Here, see?" Bridget held out the small tablet again, having zoomed in on two blips standing very near each other. One dot flashed slowly, two long pulses. The other repeated in a short, three pulse pattern. "The two pulse pattern is me, the three strobe pattern is you." Bridget said, smiling at Lacie. "Another one of our sneaky little security systems."

Slightly disconcerted by the knowledge that Bridget could find her no matter where she was, Lacie soon realized that despite the social awkwardness, it was a huge blessing in disguise. Even if Lacie was forced off the grounds, as long as she kept her choker, they could find her. Though she hoped never to have to use it for that function, it was still a comfort.

Bridget reached the door of the greenhouse, knocked on the door's foggy windowpane twice and entered, Lacie following right behind her. Immediately, Lacie was glad she had chosen to wear light clothing, as the air in the verdant greenhouse was stiflingly warm and humid. Marie stood near the far end of the glass building, wearing a large floppy gardener's hat and thick gardening gloves. She had on boots, jean shorts, and a deep v-necked white tank top. Waving at the two girls as they entered, Marie leaned down towards the plants she was tending, finishing up quickly before straightening and heading towards the other women. Lacie and Bridget moved towards her, passing in front of a fan as they did, the wind catching and gently tossing Lacie's ponytail.

"Hey, good to see you. Your head okay chica? You had a lot of wine for a girl your size."

Smiling at the Hispanic woman, Lacie nodded.

"Great, thanks. I was more tired than anything, I think."

"I believe you. Stressful first day. Well, today should be much easier." The latina girl spoke loudly, talking over the nearby fans. Lacie could see Marie's clothing was already starting to grow damp in the humid air, and droplets of sweat were rolling down the valley of her breasts as she spoke. "Come on, lets go outside for a breather."

Gratefully following Marie out of the stifling greenhouse, the girls' skin was instantly covered in goosebumps from the relatively cool breeze outside the glass building. Bridget's tablet buzzed and she moved off to the side, immediately absorbed in whatever it was that the device was distracting her with.

"Oh, that feels good." Marie smiled, fanning herself with her hat. "So, did B there tell you what I do around the house?"

"Kind of. She said you look after the grounds and the plants."

"For the most part, yes. Some of that is Claire's job, but her stuff is all out by the farm."

"Farm?" Lacie asked curious.

"Master has some animals. Horses, dogs, cows, chickens and the like. Claire seems to sometimes prefer animals over people, so that's mostly her job. I think you'll probably get to go out there later. Let me tell you what I do around this part of the house."

Marie launched into a long monologue on what her responsibilities were, what she did around the gardens, what plants needed the most tending and all other facets of her 'job' around the mansion. Explaining to Lacie that the salads they had eaten the night before had come entirely from her vegetable gardens, the smaller brunette found she was impressed. From the sounds of things, Marie had enough work to keep her busy forever. When Lacie said as much, Bridget rejoined the conversation, having just finished with whatever had occupied her.

"That's one reason Master bought you. You'll be helping Marie on occasion, lightening her load. You'll be taking orders from me and Master, and you will be working with the other girls, not for them." Bridget spoke, looking over the rims of her sunglasses as she said the last sentence, staring straight at Marie. Marie, for her part, pasted a too-innocent smile on her face and pointedly avoided looking at Bridget.

"Well that sounds like fun actually. I'd like that."

"It's hard work." Marie cautioned.

"If you can do it, so can I." Lacie challenged confidently, bringing smiles to the faces of the older girls.

"You got some spunk, chica. I think I like you." Marie commented as she turned and looked over her shoulder. The curvy Hispanic girl walked back towards the greenhouse, nodding as she passed Bridget. The tall blonde absently nodded back, absorbed in her tablet and already heading off to the south. 

"Now we go to Master's garage, and grab an electric cart."

"Why?" Lacie asked, jogging up to Bridget's side.

"Because it's four miles to the farm, and this is one of my nicer business suits."

"Ah."

The two walked down a wide gravel ramp that led under the south end of the house. There were over a dozen different cars there, including a stretch limo. Half as many motorcycles were lined up against one wall, and another wall held dozens of shelves, metal toolboxes, cases, baskets and trolleys festooned with grease covered tools and engine parts. A pink pair of grease stained sneakers poked out from under the front of a silver sports car. The hood was open and Lacie could see a beam from a light source underneath the car shine out between engine parts. Occasional muttered curses and loud metallic clanks told the two girls that Callie was hard at work under the shiny vehicle. Not wishing to interrupt her, in case she was doing something that required concentration, they slipped in and hopped into one of the three electric golf carts parked near the ramp.

Bridget drove the cart slowly down the driveway for about a quarter mile, then she turned off onto a dirt path that circled back west. Driving in silence, Lacie leaned back in her seat and enjoyed the wind in her face. After nearly twenty minutes, Lacie felt the cart slow and she opened her eyes. Before her sat an old barn, red and white paint, angled roof, big doors, the stereotypical farmyard barn image. It looked like a throwback to some earlier era of life. Another cart sat by a red metal gate and Bridget pulled up right next to it. Turning off the engine, both girls climbed out and looked around. There was an open field to the south, and Lacie saw two horses grazing, one a glossy black, one chestnut brown.

Neither girl saw Claire anywhere, but the other cart gave evidence that Claire had arrived before them, so the rocker girl was around somewhere. Pushing open the metal gate, they walked through, calling Claire's name. Claire didn't respond, but two big male collies came running around the side of the barn, mouths open and long tongues flapping as they barked excitedly, tails wagging wildly. Quickly stepping in front of Lacie, Bridget leaned down, holding her hands out to the two playful animals. One of the big dogs tried to jump up and lick her face, but Bridget leaned back just in time. Scratching the ears of both panting animals, Bridget nodded to Lacie, using her chin to wave the smaller girl forward. Gently, carefully, holding out her hand, Lacie let the dogs smell her. The friendly animals started licking her palms, making Lacie giggle at the wet, tickling sensation.

"Head's Up!" The girls heard a voice call out, just before a bale of hay impacted on the ground twenty feet from them, making the women jump. Both girls looked up to see Claire leaning out of the barn's hayloft door, her gloved hands pulling tiny headphones from her ears. The dark haired girl was wearing long jeans, a tank top and a tan cowboy hat, her feet protected by the same cowboy boots she had been wearing when Lacie first met her. "Hey, be down in a second!" she yelled before vanishing back into the shadowy hayloft. A short wait later, Claire jauntily strode out of the open barn, pulling leather work gloves off her hands as she held out her arms to Lacie. Quickly embracing the tattooed girl, Lacie sketched a quick grin.

"This place is great!" Lacie exclaimed.

"Isn't it? Master wanted a couple horses, and this old barn was already here when he bought the land. He helped me fix it up." Claire said, reaching down to scratch one of the collies behind the ears. "We brought the horses here, but had no one to take care of them, so I said I'd do it. Bo and Luke here help me keep the other animals in line. Don't you, boys?" she said, leaning her face down and making kissy noises at the friendly collies that were crowding her legs. Ducking back as they tried to lick her face, Claire laughed. "Master named them from some old TV show, I think. Come on, let me give you the tour, I can show you what you'll be helping me with when you're out here." 

Slipping her leather gloves back on, Claire sauntered over to the bale of hay and lifted the heavy, blocky load with ease, balancing it on her hip as she walked, carrying it inside the barn. Setting the hay down along a pile of other bales, Claire pushed the twine wrapped blocks up against one wall before taking her gloves off and setting them on an old piece of wooden fencing. Claire turned back to the new girl and started showing Lacie around the barn as Bridget waited outside with the dogs. Claire pointed out how to take care of the horses, cows and various other animals around the farmhouse. The goth girl seemed strangely at home in a rural setting, leaving Lacie curious at to her past. When Lacie asked her about herself, Claire seemed more than happy to elaborate, telling the new girl about her life growing up on her aunt and step-uncle's farm, helping them raise the animals they had there. Claire kept at work as they talked, pausing only to greet the occasional curious farm animal before watching the creatures wander off.

Lacie continued to ask questions, which Claire answered as best she could. Lacie discovered that the main reason the farm existed was simply for the pleasure of caring for the animals. According to Claire, when Master could afford to take the time, he'd often come help her out, just to "feel good about a hard day's work" as he put it. And Lacie soon discovered, it was a lot of work. More than Claire could keep up with, since Master had just bought a few more dairy cows. Tossing Lacie a wink, Claire sidled up to an old metal fridge sitting in one corner. Reaching inside, Claire hunted a few moments before finding what she sought. Lacie heard the clinking of glass bottles from within the fridge, but when Claire pulled back, she held a long, orange carrot in her hand.

Waving for Lacie to follow her, Claire headed out into one of the gated pastures, slowly approaching the two horses that Lacie had seen earlier. The big animals watched silently as the two women approached, their tails swishing to ward off the occasional fly. Slowly approaching the horses, Claire tugged Lacie behind her, making sure to speak softly and calmly to the horses, not wanting to spook the powerful creatures. Breaking the carrot in half, Claire handed one piece to Lacie before snapping her own half in two. Holding the pieces out in her hands, and making sure her palms were flat as possible, Claire offered the treat to the horses. The animals snorted, their heavy breath washing over Claire's hands as they sniffed the proffered snack. Rubbery lips tickled her wrists and palms as the horses lazily snapped up the broken pieces of carrot.

Pulling Lacie closer, Claire broke the other half of the carrot and showed Lacie how to give the treat to the animals, making sure Lacie knew how to correctly hold it, so as not to get her fingers bitten. Once Lacie fed the other half of their snack to the horses, Claire introduced them to Lacie, allowing her to stroke the muscled necks of the powerful animals.

"The chestnut is Sadie, and the black gelding is Pharaoh. She's the calmer of the two, but he's better trained for riding. I can show you how if you want. I know you girly girls all love horses." Claire joked good naturedly. "You should have seen Callie when she heard we were getting these two. I don't think she stopped squealing for a week. Even Tara comes out here to ride sometimes."

The image of the small, shy asian girl controlling an animal as strong as Pharaoh seemed odd to Lacie. Turning back to Claire, Lacie said as much, and was surprised by Claire's answer.

"Don't underestimate her. Or any of the girls here for that matter. We all know how lucky we are to be here, and we'll fight tooth and nail to keep it. We enjoy every little thing we can about this place. Most of us know what it's like to have other owners, so this is about as close to heaven as I think exists."

"You've had another owner?"

"Personally, I've had three, Master included. Or four, depending on how you count it." Claire answered, before making her way back towards the barn and the waiting Bridget. "My step-uncle paid to keep me free till I was nineteen, technically making him my temporary owner, but the taxes on that are just too expensive for a family farm to keep paying. He couldn't afford to outright buy a girl my age with the nickels and dimes the farm was bringing in. After that I was sold..." Claire trailed off, a dark shadow passing over her features. "Well, I wasn't sold to very nice people, and let's leave it at that. There was a very good reason I ran when I was first brought here. That's a story that takes a long time to tell, which we are almost out of, if that dust trail means what I think it does." Claire pointed to the dirt road that Lacie had traveled down to reach the farm. Lacie followed her finger till she noticed a small dust cloud about a mile down the trail.

"Who is that?" Lacie questioned, hurrying behind Claire.

"Most likely Ana with lunch, I forgot to grab food this morning. With you and Bridget still out here, she probably packed something up for us. She's a sweet enough girl to make the trip all the way out here to bring it to us." Claire smiled at the distant dust cloud, sisterly affection evident in her voice. "Besides, she hasn't been out here in a while, her duties keep her in the house most of the time, so she loves it when she gets an opportunity to spend time outside. Ana is very dear to all of us." Claire stated, making eye contact with Lacie to emphasize her point. "Her country is even harsher on girls than ours. Lord only knows what she had to live through before Master brought her here. She's trying her best, but she still has trouble with the language and culture, such as it is. Try and be patient with her. She's one of the best of us." Claire said somberly, climbing over the metal gate before helping Lacie do the same.




Lacie Ch. 06



Nodding, Lacie stored the advice away with everything else she had learned that day, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Claire's prediction soon proved correct, and the three girls greeted the new arrival as Ana hopped out of the cart she had been driving, a massive picnic basket taking up the other seat, wrapped food poking out of the top. Lifting the evidently heavy basket, Ana waved to the girls cheerily as she approached. Claire took the overstuffed basket out of her hands before the four girls exchanged greetings and hugs. The girls followed Claire into the barn where the strong girl tossed a few more hay bales around, making seats for the chatting foursome.

Sitting in the shade of the barn, the girls unpacked the amazing spread that Ana had prepared for them, enjoying each other's company as Bridget grabbed four glass soda bottles out of the old fridge in the corner. Lacie pulled item after item from the basket, setting them on the blanket that Ana had thoughtfully packed on top of the food. Warm roasted chicken, coleslaw, corn, barbecued pork, potato salad, deviled eggs, and soft, buttered bread rolls soon filled four separate plates as the girls ate. Despite the delicious flavors of the food, Lacie found herself unable to finish the spread that Ana had prepped for them. The russian girl had simply brought too much food. Fortunately, Ana didn't seem offended in the least, stating,

"I am not for knowing yet how much you eats, Lacie. So I think it goods I bring more than need, yes?"

The girls all agreed with her logic before telling her the very similar idiom, "Better too much than not enough." Which, of course, led to the amusing attempt to teach the bewildered foreign girl what the term "idiom" meant. Finally, Claire broke up the impromptu luncheon, stating her need to get back to work. Disappointed, but understanding, the other three girls packed up the remnants of their lunch before heading back to the carts. Lacie would ride back to the house with Bridget, the older of the two deciding to wait a few minutes after Ana left. Lacie spent her last few minutes on the farm amusing herself with Bo and Luke, the two dogs having run up with old, ragged, knotted rope toys. Their bright blue eyes begging the girl to play tug-of-war with them, Lacie indulged the two playful collies, before she asked Bridget why they were waiting.

"I want to let the dust from Ana's cart clear off the trail before we follow her. Four miles of breathing dust on a warm day in a tailored business suit? No, thank you. I'd rather enjoy the fresh air for a few more minutes while we wait." Bridget responded cheerily, placing her tablet on the leather seat before reaching over and grabbing Luke's rope, shaking the toy that the dog had his teeth latched around. 

Unable to delay for very long, soon the girls were forced to leave the farm behind, the dogs whining wistfully as the two left. Looking back though, Lacie saw the two collies start play fighting over one of the dropped ropes, just before dashing into the horse corral. The last thing that Lacie saw of the farm was the two dogs racing next to Pharaoh, the large gelding having joined in on the fun. Smiling, Lacie pulled a strand of hair from the corner of her mouth. Leaning over, Lacie restarted her off and on conversation with Bridget.

"What next?"

"Next, is stuff you probably already know how to do. You'll help Tara with laundry once a week, mostly folding and ironing stuff. Pretty boring if you ask me. You'll also be helping Tatiana in the kitchens every so often, probably scrubbing and cleaning pots and pans and the like. Hey, don't give me that look." Bridget said, smiling at Lacie's crinkled nose and look of distaste. "Ana has had to do it all by herself so far, so don't feel bad. She's had to cook, clean, scrub, dry, all of it, and she has had to cook for nine people. The poor girl is exhausted, but she's never complained once."

"You like her." Lacie stated. It wasn't a question.

"We all do. She's an absolute sweetheart. You saw what she just did for us all. Prepping and packing all that food probably took hours, yet she was here for only about forty five minutes. That trade is worth it to her."

"I like her too, but she's a little hard to understand at times. Her pronunciation is amazing, but the way she phrases things is..."

"Odd, we know." Bridget finished for Lacie. "You should have seen her when she got here. The only word she knew in our entire language was 'Hello'. For almost a week, she was dashing around the house going, 'Hello? Hello. Hello!' everything was 'Hello'. Questions, greetings, goodbyes, all of it, 'Hello'." Bridget smiled at the memory.

"How did she learn English?" Lacie asked.

"Well, as you may have noticed, she's still learning it. But she got her start after the first week when Master started getting frustrated."

"What happened?"

"Well, Russian girls aren't treated very well in their country, and she didn't have any reason to believe Master would be any different. Since he had no way to communicate with her, she spent as much time as possible avoiding him. He didn't mind, but having her drop everything and dash out of the room anytime she heard his footsteps, well, it kind of put the rest of us on edge after a while. Finally he got fed up with not being able to talk to her and he started teaching himself Russian."

"He knows Russian?"

"Oh, yes. He's not quite fluent yet, but he's close. He knows Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish, and he's getting pretty good at Arabic."

"Wow." Lacie said, impressed.

"I know. Sometimes I think that man can do anything."

"Oh? Anything?" Lacie teased suggestively.

Bridget glanced over at the younger girl before smiling and peering over the top of her stylish sunglasses.

"Anything." She confirmed, just before both girls broke out in giggles.

"What did he do to get Ana to stop running from him?"

"He caught her by surprise. Ana was in the kitchen, sneaking food from the fridge when she thought no one was around. He stunned her by speaking to her in her own language. He wasn't very familiar with Russian at that point, but I think he managed to get his message across. I've never gotten either of them to tell me about that first real conversation, but I've managed to read a little between the lines. The language barrier gave them both a few false starts, but she eventually grasped enough to understand she didn't have to steal, and could cook anything she wanted. Well, the language barrier thing kind of popped up again, and she ended up cooking enough food for all of us. It wasn't what he had meant for her to do of course, but the happy look on her face as she watched us all eat and her obvious skill convinced Master to let her have the run of the kitchens. I, for one, am glad he did." Looking over at Lacie, Bridget smiled before whispering conspiratorially, "I'm such a bad cook, I could burn a salad."

Lacie started laughing as they pulled into the garage. Waving to Callie as they got out of the cart, the bubbly mechanic waved back cheerily, munching on some cold chicken and a roll she had probably snagged from Ana and made into a small sandwich. Apparently forgiven for the hiccupping incident that morning, Lacie grinned at the grease smeared blonde before following Bridget into the house. The women walked up a wooden staircase that emerged into the same hallway that Lacie had come though after being delivered to the estate. Bridget's tablet buzzed, and she looked down at the device.

"Master needs me for a while, he's still working some snags out of a business deal overseas, and I've been helping him with some of the trickier parts. Take the rest of the day, explore, look around, have fun. Don't get in anyone's way, and pick out a bedroom if you haven't yet. Stay out of the room with the silver door handle, that's the... uuh... 'playroom'. I think you might enjoy the one across the hall from it though. Decorated it myself. Settle in, get your bearings, explore the inside of the house. I have to go."

Bridget leaned down and hugged the younger girl before dashing off though the house, leaving Lacie standing in the hall. Sighing to herself, a more than a little overwhelmed, Lacie smiled and turned, deciding to simply start opening doors at random, enjoying the time to herself as she began to explore her home.



Lacie Ch. 07



Chapter 7: Lacie's Mansion

Lacie decided to wander the halls for a while, strolling through the hallways of the mansion's first floor. Poking her head through doorways at random, the young brunette teen enjoyed her time alone, reveling in the stately pace at which she let herself amble along. Ever since she had arrived at the mansion, it had seemed like Lacie was always rushing, dashing from one place to another, always racing the clock. Now that she had some time to herself, Lacie simply wandered. Most of the doors she peeked through led to other hallways, or were closets containing various odds and ends. 

Eventually, Lacie entered a massive foyer, seeing a pair of huge oaken doors and a gently curving pair of staircases that swept up to the second floor, the gently curving steps swept to either side of the foyer, framing the room. Realizing she was in the very front of the house, Lacie was able to re-orient herself. Turning around, Lacie decided to head to the north wing of the house and investigate the huge glass walled room that she had seen next to the greenhouse. Lacie's sandals made soft slapping noises as she walked the beautifully decorated hallways. Lacie looked down and discovered marble flooring underfoot, the polished white stone gently reflected light, making the hallway bright and warm.

Lacie wandered a bit, opening doors that seemed like they might lead somewhere interesting. Lacie found a few conference rooms, each one tastefully decorated, but otherwise uninteresting. Finally, Lacie turned around a corner and saw a metal and glass door. Immediately Lacie recognized the doorway as the one that had lead into the locker room and showers. Slipping through the doorway, Lacie took her sandals off before carefully making her way through the showers. Emerging out of the other side of the tiled room, Lacie saw another metal and glass door. The smell of chlorine was strong, making Lacie's sinuses tingle. 

Pushing the door open, Lacie felt a blast of warm chlorinated air hit her in the face. Looking inside, the eighteen year old thought she had stepped into some South American jungle. Huge trees ringed the room in waist high gardens full of moist black soil. The dirt was contained by tiled walls of tan colored bricks. The outside of the brick was patterned, the dark browns and tans of the dirt and trees mixing with the vibrant greens on the tiling. The colors emphasized the jungle atmosphere. Palm trees, acacia trees and dozens more that Lacie had never seen before stretched ten feet tall or higher, their leafy fronds adding to the tropical feel of the room. 

A large, asymmetrical pool sat in the middle of the room. The glimmering sunlight coming in through the glass that made up the entire northern wall seemed to make the warm, rippling water shimmer. A small tiled path wound behind some trees in the far corner of the room and the glass near that corner dripped with condensation from the steam that rose out from within the trees.

"I see you found the atrium." A melodious voice called out.

Looking around, Lacie couldn't see anyone. Then a dark skinned hand started waving out from behind the trees that hid the far corner from sight.

"Gimme just a sec, ok?" The voice called out again.

Lacie identified Tara as the asian girl's arm vanished back behind the trees. Moments later, Tara emerged from her hidden alcove, water dripping off her body. Tara was clad only in a red and white striped bikini. Tara adjusted her top as she approached Lacie, waving to the new girl as she skirted the edge of the pool.

"I couldn't see you back there." Lacie stated, sidling up next to the dripping girl.

"The trees are spaced oddly. Hard to see into, but there's a few spots you can see out of pretty well. Nice if you want to be alone for a while, or if you want to have a private conversation while relaxing."

"What's back there?"

"I'll show you. Come on." Tara said with a smile.

Tara turned around and headed back to the hidden corner. Lacie followed slowly, trying not to slip on the wet, tiled floor. Turning around a small bend in one of the raised gardens, Lacie saw four wide, tiled steps curve around a sharp corner. Following the bikini clad girl around the corner, Lacie beheld a beautiful, ten foot high, man made waterfall, designed to look like a small river flowing straight out of the wall. The water gracefully poured straight into a massive semicircular hot tub. The mist rising off the hot water tickled Lacie's nose as she looked at the beautiful, tiny alcove. She could see that the glassy surface of the smooth waterfall hid a small "cave" that had been built into the wall.

"Wow." Was all Lacie could say.

Tara slipped back into the water with a slight hiss.

"Yeah. It's kept pretty hot though." she explained. "Feels great on tired muscles, which is why I'm here. I just finished my workout with Heather in the gym." 

Tara finished her statement and waved her hand at the eastern wall. Lacie suspected that was the general direction of the mansion's exercise room.

"How was it?" Lacie asked, curious.

"Well, we skipped our workouts yesterday cause we were showing you around, so she was... well, not exactly gentle today." Tara said. Lacie could see the smaller girl massaging her calves under the gently roiling surface of the water. "You're welcome to join me if you want. I have to do more chores later today, but I was gonna soak for a while then go have a bite to eat."

Lacie shook her head gently. 

"I don't own a swimsuit. Plus, I kinda want to explore the mansion a bit. I have no idea where anything is, really. I don't want to get lost later, when I have to be somewhere important. I appreciate the invitation though."

"You're welcome. And don't worry about the swimsuit. I can make you one if you give me a few days. Besides, anytime water gets involved most of us consider this place to be... clothing optional."

Lacie grinned at Tara's nonchalance.

"I figured as much. None of you seem all that body conscious, really."

"When you've seen as much of each other's bodies as we all do, it kinda becomes a non issue. About four months ago, Master was working this business deal with a bunch of local building contractors. I have no idea what it was for, that's why he has Bridget. But," Tara explained, "they had a lot of face to face meetings. Master usually prefers teleconferencing, but these guys were local, so that option would have proven too expensive in the long run. At least, that's my understanding."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to it," Tara replied. "Since these guys were local, they came to the mansion a lot, and invariably, they crossed paths with us from time to time. As far as everyone outside this property knows, Master is just some reclusive rich guy with tons of cash and pretty slaves everywhere."

Suddenly, something clicked into place for Lacie.

"So, you all had to dress up in slave outfits, when they were here, that way they wouldn't catch on that Master actually treats us like people." she stated.

"Exactly. Outside the grounds, what I'm wearing right now could be considered conservative for a slave." Tara added, waving one hand over her body to indicate tiny bikini she had on.

"So I've heard, but why the charade?"

"Appearances." Tara shrugged.

"Umm, I don't quite follow you." Lacie said, leaning against the rough bole of a tree.

Turning more fully to face Lacie, Tara slid backwards into the water, floating on her back as she looked at the young brunette.

"I'm not really sure what he does on the business end of his life. I know its all 'merger' this and 'hostile takeover' that. If my understanding is correct, most of the time it's pretty cutthroat stuff." Tara said, dunking her head under the steaming water before surfacing and flipping her hair back, sending a cascade of water droplets streaming through the air. "I do know, though, that a lot of is dealing with some people most of us would rather avoid." she said, wiping the water away from her face.

"Like who? Gangsters?" Lacie asked, unsettled by the realization that she had no idea how her home was financed.

Tara laughed. "Master? Gangsters? Yeah right. He'd take all their money so fast their heads would spin. No, honey, I mean companies, CEOs, boards of directors and all that. Wall Street types. Entitled rich boys with dozens of slaves that they treat like dirt. A lot of them own companies that sell some pretty nasty products for 'punishing' slaves." Tara explained, wiping water from her face as she waded under the waterfall, letting the heavy stream drum across her back, massaging tired muscles. "That's why he needs the illusion of being a heartless, cruel taskmaster. Any hint of conscience among people like that is like blood in the water."

"So why does he work with them? If he wants to protect us from that kind of stuff, why does he work with people who make stuff like that?" Lacie asked, confused.

"That's more a question for Bridget, or Master himself. Like I said, I don't know that side of his life very well. The closest I get to that kind of stuff is ironing his business suits. I can tell you that he does what he can for women. Even those he doesn't own." Tara grinned. "He's one of the few good guys left."

Lacie nodded, lost in thought. "How did he come to own you?" Lacie asked. "I'm sorry if that sounds crude, I just can't think of a polite way to ask that question." Lacie spread her hands helplessly, a small self conscious grin on her face.

Tara laughed, "It's ok Lace. It's a pretty common question with new girls. Master actually saw me when I was around sixteen. He was doing a tour of my dad's construction sites. My father is one of the biggest land developers in Oregon." Tara said proudly. "I was on site with my mother while Master was there. Master was doing an inspection, apparently he was one of our primary investors. To make a long story short, he saw me laughing and hanging around with my mother as we waited for my dad. Made an offer there and then. It was a little unorthodox, him making the offer that early, but I guess he saw potential." Tara half joked, a note of definite pride in her voice.

"And your dad was okay with that? At sixteen?"

"Well, he wasn't about to turn the offer down. It was almost twice the going rate for a girl of my 'qualities'. Besides, Master said right off the bat that the purchase was provisional until I became of legal age. So basically, I was on layaway till I hit eighteen." Tara laughed at herself. "I was pretty happy with it anyway. I was sixteen and he was a handsome, young, jet setting investor with a mansion and a limo. I was instantly infatuated." Tara giggled. "When I found out I was gonna be his maid, well, most daydreams after that consisted of me prancing around in some black and white frilly little French maid costume complete with duster, starring him as some lust crazed, shirtless, muscled giant that gently tore my clothes off in every room the mansion had."

Lacie laughed at the mental image of Tara running around the mansion dusting old bookshelves in a French maid outfit.

"Pretty ridiculous I know, but it was an okay job once I got past the disappointment of realizing that he had purchased me to do actual work and not just dance around looking pretty. Then came the laundry. That wasn't so bad, but I kept having to mend this outfit, then that one, then adjust the dress that was the wrong length, et cetera et cetera, and before I knew it, I was pretty much making half the clothes that Bridget, Heather and Master were wearing. And I found out how much I loved it, so I got Master's permission and I started doing it as my actual job. Still do some cleaning here and there, but most of us share the random housework."

"You seem to enjoy it. You're good at it, from what I've seen. Any chance you could make a few things for me?"

"Thanks." Tara grinned. "Any ideas on what you want? I've got a few projects I'm working on right now, but nothing critical. I should be able to get a few things made for you if you give me a few days, maybe a week or two depending on what you want."

Lacie and Tara sat and talked for a few more minutes, discussing fashion and clothes. Finally, Tara sighed and stood up, climbing out of the hot water, explaining her need to get back to work after grabbing some lunch.

"You said you were exploring, right?" the half asian girl asked.

"Yeah." Lacie responded, walking with Tara to the locker room door.

"Well, then you're on the wrong floor for the fun stuff. Most rooms down here are like this, stuff that makes sense to have on the bottom floor. The gyms are just over there," Tara said, pointing again at the east wall of the atrium. "The kitchens are just south of the dining hall, through the double doors. You remember where the dining hall is?" seeing Lacie's nod, Tara continued. "There's really not much else on the ground floor that's of interest. A few meeting rooms, but that's about it. Most everything else down here is pretty utilitarian. All the fun stuff is on the second floor."

Waving, Lacie turned around after thanking the smaller girl. Walking towards the eastern doors, Lacie slipped out of the atrium, rubbing her nose as she walked down the hall to remove the clinging scent of chlorine. Lacie passed by a long glass wall as she walked. Looking into the room, Lacie saw Heather and Callie inside, the blonde girl running on a treadmill, her ponytail bouncing behind her as she jogged. Heather was standing next to the girl, watching a small display on a device attached to a strap wound around Callie's upper body. 

Knowing her intrusion might not be welcome, Lacie simply watched for a few minutes, looking into the glass walled room at all the silent machinery inside. Groaning in expectation of her workout the next day, Lacie turned away and began to walk down the hallway, wanting to pop into the kitchens for a quick snack before heading upstairs. Lacie got lost twice before she found her way to the dining hall, both times she only found her way when she stumbled across the foyer by accident. Finally orienting herself correctly, Lacie managed to make it to the dining hall on her third attempt.

The hall was empty save for the table and chairs, but Lacie could hear loud clanging sounds coming from the doors into the kitchens. Pushing her way through the doors, Lacie stopped when she beheld the sheer size of the kitchens. Four separate ovens were in use, over a dozen different foods sat half prepared on countertops, while pots and pans simmered, sizzled and bubbled on the stovetops. In the middle of the culinary chaos was the tiny Russian girl Tatiana, singing to herself in her native language as she stirred a large bowl, her back to Lacie.

Calling out, Lacie caught Ana's attention. The skinny blonde girl jumped, before setting the bowl she had been stirring down. Leaning over a countertop, Ana pressed one hand to her chest and gave Lacie a weak smile.

"Please, be sneaking up on me no more, Lacie." she gasped. Lacie had obviously startled the distracted foreign girl. 

"Sorry." Lacie weakly apologized, "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"Is fine, just next time, be using other doors please. Easier to watch people in for coming to kitchens." the Russian girl said as she straightened, waving a wooden spoon at another set of doors between a large set of ceiling to floor cupboards.

"Gotcha," Lacie said with a smile, "I didn't know how else to get here. I just wanted a snack."

"There." Ana said, waving absently towards a small cupboard by a large stove with sizzling strips of meat in a large skillet. "Please no touching of any thing is cooking. Most things here for dinner. Free feeling to look and be smelling food though."

Smiling at her Russian friend's inexpert use of the English language, Lacie took Ana up on her offer, gliding around the kitchens after pulling a small, soft granola bar from the cupboards. It looked to Lacie like Ana was preparing Mexican food for dinner that night, and she was able to identify half a dozen ingredients for fajitas scattered around the kitchens, all of them in various states of preparation.

"Mind if I hang around a bit? It smells great in here."

"Thank you Lacie, but I is having to lot of things be making for dinner." Ana responded, turning to a sizzling skillet and stirring it gently, tossing a splash of oil in top of the sliced peppers and onions she was sautéeing.

"I'd probably just get in your way then. Ok, thanks Ana. When are we eating?" Lacie asked, backing towards the doors as she dodged ovens and pressed herself to the wall, narrowly getting out of the small girl's way as Ana rushed across the room to pull a bubbling pot off of a stovetop.

Wiping her sweating forehead with a rag she had over her shoulder, Ana gave a smile of apology to Lacie as she responded. Lacie smiled when she saw the streak of flour the rag had left on the Russian girl's forehead.

"Seven."

"Gotcha. Thanks again, Ana." Lacie said, pushing the large double doors open with her butt as she backed out of the larger doors from the kitchens. Ana muttered a response that was lost amongst the sounds of the busy kitchens.

Turning, Lacie found herself in a slightly familiar hallway, Lacie turned a corner and found a short staircase leading to the second floor. Remembering Tara's comment about the 'fun stuff' being one floor up, Lacie grabbed the banister and started to climb. Upon reaching the second floor, Lacie immediately strode off, opening doors and looking in. The first two were closets filled with boxes of papers and files, but the third door she opened revealed a treasure that made Lacie's jaw drop to the floor.

A gigantic library spread out before her, bookshelf after bookshelf, soft cushy chairs, couches, dark wooden tables, softly glowing lamps, even thin metal spiral staircases leading up to the next level. The library was so large it extended upwards, into the third floor. Lacie wondered if it took up the entire south wing of the mansion. It certainly seemed like it could have been big enough. Lacie doubted if she read a book a week for the rest of her life she could finish all of the novels tucked away in the grand library. Reaching out, Lacie brushed her fingers over the spines of the books on the nearest shelf. Her fingers felt the cool gilded lettering on the spines, and as she leaned in closer to read the titles, Lacie saw they were Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. All three titles were written by Jane Austen, one of Lacie's favorite authors. Realizing she would spend all day in the gigantic library if she let herself, Lacie turned around with a wistful look at the shelves lined up behind her.

Ducking out of the library, Lacie continued her explorations. The next few doors she opened were all bedrooms, tastefully decorated, but fairly sparse. They looked more like hotel rooms than anything and Lacie wondered if they served as guest bedrooms. There really wasn't much else on the southern end of the mansion, till Lacie opened up a doorway that was hidden in an alcove. Walking inside, Lacie had to round a wall before she could see inside the massive room. Like the library, this space was as tall as it was wide, but it served a very different purpose. Two dozen plush recliners decorated the tiered floor. Lacie saw that each chair had speakers wired into the headrests, and a small pouch to the side of each chair had a black rubber cable sticking out from it. The western wall of the room was entirely covered by a massive white screen. Sitting in one of the chairs, Lacie reached into the side pouch of her seat and pulled out a remote control and a video game controller. Lacie whistled in amazement when she realized she was sitting in a literal 'home theater'. She laughed when she imagined how some of the boys she knew would drool over the idea of playing video games on a screen that large.




Lacie Ch. 07



Leaving the home theater, Lacie headed to the main hall, eventually wandering into the northern wing. Slipping through a door, Lacie saw dozens of musical instruments, guitars, drums, flutes clarinets, a pair of grand pianos. Nearly every instrument conceivable hung from, or sat in, stands around the massive room. A small glass window in one wall revealed a small mixing studio, the electronic panels covered with slides, knobs, switches and blinking lights. 

A few more uninteresting rooms, then Lacie stepped into a very interesting chamber. Wrought iron lamps hung from the walls of the large room. The walls were covered in slate grey stone and mortar, very much resembling the walls of a castle or dungeon. There was a raised edge around the room, only about 3 feet wide, and the middle of the room was a four foot deep pit with a thick layer of sand on the floor. Padded weaponry hung from the edges of the pit walls, and the stone above was covered with beautifully designed and decorative weapons. Lacie wasn't sure whether the steel weapons decorating the upper walls were sharp, so she left them alone. Lacie thought the room was probably used for hand to hand combat training.

The young girl felt a shiver run down her spine at the idea of Master being trained in combat. He had seemed lethal enough when she had thought he hadn't had any training. Still, Lacie smiled at the mental image of him spinning around in the sand with a sword in his hands. She bit her lip gently when she wondered if he trained shirtless... 

Shaking her head, Lacie left the dojo, heading up another flight of nearby stairs. There were fewer rooms on the third floor, and Lacie knew there were likely none in the south wing at all, the entire floor likely taken up by the theater and library. Still, there were a few rooms she had yet to explore in the north end, so Lacie headed back that direction. Opening the first door, Lacie was disappointed to find a simple bathroom. Stepping back out, she headed across the hall, grasping the handle of the door and pushing gently. The door swung wide and Lacie saw a strange room spread out before her.

A massive number of computers and large screens were arranged around a large chair set in the center of the otherwise dark room. Lacie counted over a dozen different computer screens set in a curving half bowl around the chair. Some had muted news stations lighting the screens up, others had technical data, some had scrolling numbers and letters flowing across their screens. One had a 3d wireframe of the mansion on it, looking exactly like the model Lacie had seen on Bridget's tablet. The rest of the screens were blank or turned off. A large number of hard drives and computer towers sat behind the screens, and a large keyboard and a technical looking mouse sat to one side of the chair on a swinging arm. The room itself was otherwise bare, save a wooden door behind the computer screens. The room was silent, all the screens having been muted. The only sounds in the sparse room were the sounds of humming electronics.

Moving to the far door, Lacie could hear voices coming from the other side. Unable to hear specific words, Lacie didn't know what was being said, but the tones and pitch of the voices led her to suspect that Master and Bridget were in the next room. Lacie clearly heard Bridget's lilting laughter as she pressed one ear to the door. The wood was too thick for her to hear their conversation though. Stepping back in disappointment, Lacie turned away from the door. She didn't want to interrupt something important without good cause, and the way that Bridget had left her earlier left no doubt in Lacie's mind that she was not invited to spend any more time with Bridget that day. Looking back to the computer screens, Lacie saw that it was almost seven. Hurrying back down to the first floor, Lacie grinned as she dashed through halls that grew more and more familiar to the quickly moving brunette.

At five minutes to seven she found herself just outside the dining hall. Moments later she was joined by Lindsey and Heather. Conversation between the two beauties quickly included Lacie as they began to question her about her day. The discussion quickly expanded to include the rest of the women of the house as they arrived one by one. Finally, Master and Bridget arrived, a contented smile on the older girl's face as she walked arm in arm with Master, leaning her head on his shoulder as they moved at a stately pace down the hallway. Pushing the door open, Master pecked Bridget on the head and gently pulled his arm free, ushering the rest of the women into the dining hall. 

The table was already set, and Lacie saw Ana moving around the room, setting down bowls filled with delicious looking sauces, cheeses and spices. Large platters of sizzling vegetables and meats were spaced down the length of the table, and gently steaming tortillas were folded on each plate in an ornate pattern. Smiling, Lacie took her seat and joined the rest of her 'family' as they waited for Ana to finish and join them, before giving thanks and digging in to the amazing food.



Lacie Ch. 08



*In the arc of this story, (which I consider to be a romance story overall, hence it's category)there are, by necessity, a few darker portions. One cannot create a beautiful, realistic painting without using some pretty dark colors. This chapter contains some of those. They are not "real time" with the characters, but are very dark nonetheless. Just a bit of forewarning. as to the why of it being "romance", as I said, this story is an overall arc. In fact, the actual steamy bits are glossed over entirely until the last chapter. I didn't write this story as erotica intentionally, I wrote it because it was a story I had always wanted to write. So please, sit back and enjoy the rest, if you choose to do so.* 

Dancingwizard

Chapter 8: Lacie's First Month

The days seemed to pass in a whirl of activity for Lacie. The young woman quickly settled in and after a few days passed, she fell into a routine around the house. Lacie quickly became close friends with Ana, Callie and Lindsey, spending as much time with them as possible, when she was not otherwise occupied. True to Bridget's word, Master seldom spent any time around her, barely acknowledging her at times. It didn't seem to Lacie as though he was intentionally avoiding her or ignoring her, he just somehow rarely seemed to be around wherever she happened to be. She saw him every evening for dinner, which was always an amazing meal, but he was so busy at all other times of the day, Lacie never really got to spend any time with him. Oftentimes the only occasions she did see him was when he stopped in to see one of the girls Lacie happened to be working with that day.

The first few times were quick in and out occasions, scarcely enough for Lacie to even notice his presence, (though every time he showed up, her heart began to hammer and her knees seemed like they were made of rubber.) once or twice though, Lacie got to see him for a little while, and it was very easy for her to see how and why the other girls loved him so much. 

The most memorable time, Lacie had been in the kitchen with Tatiana, and Master had swept in. He had ghosted up behind Ana while the tiny girl busied herself at one of the stovetops. Wrapping his arms around her, he had pulled the tiny blonde girl into his chest, humming some tune that Lacie couldn't recognize. Ana knew it well though, as she smiled and started humming along with him. He reached out to a small music player he had brought in with him and turned it on. 

Soft classical music began to flow from the music player and he spun Ana around as the Russian girl giggled. Spinning her until she faced him, he pulled her close to his body and began to waltz the smiling Ana around the kitchens. Finally, as the music slowed to it's end, he leaned down, his fingertips gently lifting the suddenly blushing Ana's lips to his. The two shared a fiercely passionate kiss before he gently pulled away. Picking up the music player, Master thanked Ana for the dance, in Russian, before slipping back out the doors to the kitchen. The flustered girl was left dizzy and panting, her knees so weak from the kiss, she had to hold onto the countertops for balance while she recovered. A brilliant, glowing smile lit up Ana's face as she looked at the door that Master had left through.

It was obvious that his visit had been solely for Ana's benefit, and both Ana and Lacie knew it. Lacie wanted him to do something like that for her so badly her heart literally ached. She watched Ana for the rest of the day, noting how just that one tiny interlude with Master seemed to make Ana's entire day wonderful. Her friend's happiness from that short visit was obvious to Lacie, as Ana spent the rest of their time in the kitchens with a goofy smile on her face and a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. More than once Lacie caught Ana humming the tune of the music that Master had brought with him.

Lacie quickly got used to the mountains of work around the house, often spending the day working alongside Lindsey. The submissive young woman helped the other girls out as much as she could when Master had no need of her outside the mansion's grounds. Lacie would get up around seven or eight in the morning, shower, and go to eat breakfast. She was greeted there every morning by Bridget, who handed out her tasks for the day, as well as telling her when her training sessions in the gym would be. Lacie rapidly acclimated to the chores and housework, especially enjoying her days in the greenhouse and farm with Marie and Claire, respectively. Just before lunch, most days, Lacie would join Heather in the gym for her daily workout session, lifting weights and running while the redhead monitored Lacie's progress. Following lunch, Lacie would head back to work, where she would spend the rest of the day until just before dinner. 

Once Lacie cleaned herself up, she would join the rest of the household for dinner in the dining hall. It was a sit down meal every day, and the girls always enjoyed the wonderful food that Ana prepared for them. After eating, Lacie was given liberty to do whatever she wished around the house. Sometimes she would go enjoy the pool, swimming leisurely in the atrium, or soaking in the waterfall hot tub. 

A couple of times, Lacie had an embarrassing moment or two when she went to soak in the steamy water, and accidentally walked in on some of the other girls having a steamy moment of their own. Lacie was invited to join them a number of times, mostly by Claire, but she always politely declined. Other times she joined a group of the other girls in the theater for popcorn and a movie. Sometimes Lacie simply wanted to lose herself in a book, and she curled up in her favorite squishy armchair, tucked away in a quiet corner of the library. More than once Lacie drifted off in the comfortable chair only to wake up in her own bed the following morning, still fully clothed. When she asked Bridget about it, the older girl gave Lacie a knowing look, and whispered one word to her.

"Master."

Lacie grinned at the thought, knowing that he cared enough to make sure she returned to her own bed every night, even going so far as to carry her if he had to. Lacie began to think of the mansion as home in only a few weeks, and even bad days were heaven there, compared to the alternatives. The other places where Lacie could have ended up would never have been anything like the mansion, despite Lacie still not knowing where she would have gone had Master not gotten to her first. Lacie never quite worked up the courage to ask Bridget that question, wondering if she was better off not knowing. Still, Lacie figured she had time, and if it ever became too important, she knew Bridget or Master would tell her if she asked. Still, sometimes she wondered.

As much as Lacie loved the mansion and her new friends, something about her life seemed... off. One day Lacie was walking from greenhouse to lunch, seeing Heather and Callie giggling together as they approached from the other direction. Entering the dining hall, Lacie saw Tara, Claire and Ana standing in a group, laughing at something the Russian girl had said. Everything about all of the other girls seemed so... right. They seemed to belong. That was when it hit Lacie. She knew why part of her felt alone, empty. She knew why some part of her didn't feel like she belonged among the other women. Each of them had found something she loved, something she could do better than the rest, something that set her apart. Lacie hadn't.

The realization hit Lacie like a thunderbolt. Rather than comforting her, the knowledge of why Lacie felt alone only made her feel worse. Over the next few days Lacie sought ways to set herself apart, but found, to her disappointment, that although there were tasks she was good at, she did not truly love doing them. Resigning herself to the idea that she might never find something that could set her apart, Lacie went about her life, day after day, slowly sliding into a depression. The other girls noticed, but Lacie was too ashamed to tell them why she felt so poorly about herself. Master's absence only made things worse. Then one night, something happened that almost made Lacie completely forget her problems. She woke to screaming, a bloodcurdling shriek of absolute, pure terror.

Lacie was ripped from her dreams by the loud, piercing scream. Immediately, Lacie's heart began to pound in her chest. Throwing her sheets off her body, Lacie dashed to her door, tossing it open as she ran out into the main hall to investigate the terror filled screaming. More shrieks rent the air as the girls appeared in doorways, all in various states of night dress. Lacie looked down the hall as she attempted to locate the source of the ear piercing screams. The girls all rushed towards the sound, finally realizing the non-stop screaming was coming from Claire's room. Joining the headlong rush to her door, Lacie arrived later then most of the other girls and was unable to see into the screaming woman's room.

A light flicked on at the end of the hall and Master sprinted towards the assembled women, Looking over towards him, Lacie saw that he was barefoot and shirtless, wearing only a dark blue pair of silken pants. The look in his eyes frightened Lacie, the grim look on his face prompting her to step away from the crowd around Claire's door a second before his mouth opened and a single command boomed out into the hallway.

"MOVE!"

Lacie grabbed Lindsey and tugged her out of Master's way as he dashed headlong into Claire's bedroom. Letting go of Lindsey's arm, Lacie slipped into the room behind Master. Someone behind her flicked on the lights. Master reached Claire's bed and literally tore her sheets away, throwing the covers halfway across her room in his haste. Reaching down, he grabbed Claire's thrashing shoulders and shook her awake, yelling her name as he did. Claire's eyes snapped open with a gasp. Immediately, the terror stricken woman threw herself at Master, clutching tightly to him. Her eyes wide with remembered fear, Claire held on to him as if he were a rock keeping her from drowning in a raging river, as if he were the only thing anchoring her to the present, keeping her from being swept back to whatever dark terrors had filled her dreams. Master wrapped his arms around her and began stroking her back, murmuring into her ear as he held her tightly, while she sobbed into his shoulder, her eyes wide and unfocussed. 

Lacie heard an odd hiss coming from her Master as he leaned over Claire. He was holding himself in a kneeling position at the edge of her bed, allowing Claire to simply hold him. Looking down at him, Lacie saw thin trickles of blood running down his back. Claire was clutching so tightly to him, her fingernails were digging into his back and going so deep they were drawing blood. Stoically saying nothing, Master ignored the pain and stayed almost motionless, only moving his hands, trying to comfort the sobbing, fear stricken woman.

Slipping one arm under her legs, Master lifted Claire as if the girl weighed no more than a feather. Holding her tightly to his chest, he moved towards the doorway. The girls parted before him, giving him the space he needed to pass by. As he did, Lacie got a good look at Claire's body. It was the first time she had seen Claire without clothing covering her lower back and legs, or water obscuring her body from view. Lacie gasped in horror as she beheld the marks that seemed to cover half of Claire's body. 

Deep, jagged scars criss-crossed Claire's legs and back. The long, ragged lines cut across each other, some of them partially obscuring her tattoos. The flesh along either side of her ribs was pitted with small circular burn marks, likely from lit cigarettes that someone had pressed to Claire's skin. The skin along her upper back had a large number of small, shiny patches of burned skin that had healed into tiny teardrop shaped scars. Lacie had seen scars like that before, when her father had burned himself with exposed wires when at his job as an electrician. Someone had tortured Claire, burning her with electricity, over and over again.

Running from Claire's room, Lacie rushed down the stairs, knelt over one of the toilets in the bathroom and vomited. Tears filled her eyes as she heaved over the porcelain. Lacie absently heard someone enter the stall behind her. A gentle hand began to rub her back as Lacie vomited again, the mystery girl's other hand holding Lacie's hair back as she heaved. Finally, Lacie's roiling stomach quieted and she leaned back, panting as she wiped the tears off her face.

"How... how could... anyone be that... cruel?" she asked.

The mystery girl behind her squatted next to Lacie, and pulled her head into a gentle embrace. Lindsey's voice filled her ears as she responded.

"There are a lot of very evil people out there. I see them more than most of us here. Claire's second owners were horrible, cruel, evil people. Sadists of the worst kind. The kind of people that make you want to run as far away as possible, as fast as possible. She was kept restrained for two years while they tortured her for fun. That's why she ran when she got here. She thought she was being moved to a torture facility, or a testing site for new devices. I hate them for what they did to her." Lindsey stood up and opened one of the cupboards under the sink, pulling something from underneath.

"Who... Who were they?" Lacie panted, still kneeling over the toilet.

"It doesn't matter, Lace. It's Claire's story to tell, and I've already said more than I should have. Here. Rinse your mouth out."

Lindsey handed Lacie a small Dixie cup with a small amount of translucent green liquid in it. Lacie detected the strong odors of alcohol and mint. Tossing her head back, Lacie poured the mouthwash between her lips, swishing the stinging liquid around before spitting it out into the toilet bowl. Panting, Lacie struggled to her feet, nausea still gripping her stomach. Weak kneed, Lacie stood and shambled out into the hall. She grimaced as she leaned over, holding the banister beside the staircase as a strong wave of dizziness swept over her. Lacie absently noted the sound of a toilet flushing, and she heard Lindsey move up behind her as Lacie took deep breaths, trying to calm her twisting stomach and frayed nerves.

Lindsey wrapped an arm around her and led the slow moving Lacie back upstairs. Cresting the top of the staircase, Lacie saw the other girls gathered in a group outside the open door of Claire's room. They appeared deep in quiet conversation, but most of them stopped talking when Lacie appeared. Heather walked out from the group, pulling her robe tighter around herself as she headed towards Lacie.

"You okay sweetie? You look a little pale." she said, concern in her voice.

Lindsey responded for her.

"She threw up a bit. We washed her mouth out, but she's still feeling a bit nauseous."

"Take a few deep breaths Lace. You'll feel better."

Lacie sat down and leaned her back against the doorframe of her own room. Fresh tears began to pool in her eyes as Lacie lowered her head. Wiping them away, Lacie choked out two words.

"Her... body..."

Silence filled the hallway as all of the assembled women looked at each other, sharing looks of care, concern and helplessness. Master's door wasn't completely shut and they could still hear Claire's terrified sobs drifting out into the hallway. Long minutes passed while they stood in silence, each of them feeling deep compassion for their sister, torn by their own helplessness. It was Tatiana who moved first. Wiping her own tear streaked cheeks, she moved quietly down the hall, squeezing arms and whispering words of comfort to the other girls in the hall. The women all followed her, occasionally casting glances towards the half open door at the end of the hallway. Finally, Ana reached Lacie. Kneeling down beside the teary brunette, Ana gently took Lacie's hand and helped her to her feet. She leaned in, giving Lacie a strong hug, which Lacie returned fiercely. The Russian girl whispered in her ear.

"I am now wanting the some hot chocolate. Are you for joining us?"

Lacie nodded silently, gripping Ana's hand tightly as she slowly walked back down the stairs. Eventually, as they moved off, the sounds of Claire's sobbing grew quieter and quieter, until they couldn't hear it anymore. A somber mood filled the group, and they moved in slow silence. Sniffles and sighs were the only things Lacie heard all the way to the kitchens. Walking through the large double doors, Lacie wanted nothing more than to forget what had just happened. Needing something to do in order to take her mind off Claire, Lacie quickly moved about the kitchens, helping Ana put some milk on the stovetop, gently stirring as the Russian girl set out mugs and began to melt small bricks of chocolate. Once the milk began to billow steam, Lacie took it off the stove and added the chocolate that Ana had in her double boiler. Gently stirring the thick liquids together, they poured hot mugs for all of the assembled women. Heather muttered something quietly. Lacie couldn't hear her, but Bridget asked Heather to speak up before Lacie could.

"I said, 'I had hoped she was over the nightmares."

"So had I." Lindsey said, staring into her mug.

"You mean this has happened before?" Lacie asked.

Callie lifted herself onto a nearby countertop before lifting her mug into her lap, slowly sipping the hot drink.

"Not for a while. It used to be a lot worse."

"When she got here it was much, much worse. She had nightmares like that nearly every night." Tara agreed.

"I'm sure you can understand why." Heather said. "Poor woman had it worse than the rest of us combined."

Bridget looked up at Lacie. "It got better eventually, but for a long time she had to sleep in the guest wing. She kept waking the rest of us up."

"Did something change?" Lacie asked. "To make it better?"

A small smile graced Lindsey's features. "Yeah, something did change. Me." Lacie's perplexed look prompted Lindsey to elaborate. "Master bought Claire a few weeks before me. I was raised by my parents, then sold to Master when I was old enough. His parents were friends with my parents before his family died when their house burned down. My parents asked him to buy me, since they knew he had the money. They knew I'd be treated well here.. We'd actually been childhood friends till his parents died. So when he bought me, I already knew him." Lindsey sighed. "I'd only discovered a year earlier that I...well, liked girls, if you follow my meaning, and I was nervous being around so many attractive women."

All the other girls sipped at their drinks slowly, half listening to Lindsey's story. It was obvious most were absorbed in their own thoughts, only half paying attention. It didn't seem as though a single one of them even tasted their drinks as they sipped. They only drank so they would have something to keep their hands and minds occupied. The alternative was... unpleasant. Lindsey had a faraway look in her eyes, telling the story for Lacie's benefit as much as for everyone else. It drowned out the memories of Claire's screaming.

"Well, I had a bit too much to drink my first night here, because I was so nervous, and I misremembered which room was mine. It was one of the rare nights Claire was sleeping in her own bedroom." Lindsey shrugged at the memory, an apologetic smile on her face as she looked across the room at Lacie. "I was drunk, stumbled into her bedroom, lay down next to her and passed out. I don't recall much that happened that night, but I remember the next morning well. When I woke up, still clothed, mind you," she said. "The sun was shining and I was laying in a bed that wasn't mine with a sleeping girl in my arms." A full smile blossomed on Lindsey's face at the memory. "She was so beautiful, just laying there. I remember I moved back a bit, trying to get a better look at her face. She made the cutest little whining noise and pulled my arm back over her. I laid my head back down and scooted closer, just holding her. Then she smiled in her sleep. She was absolutely beautiful. I closed my eyes again, and I was out like a light."




Lacie Ch. 08



Bridget drained her own cup and set it by the sink, leaning back while placing her elbows behind her on the countertop.

"It was the first time any of us ever saw her smile. It was also the first full night that she slept peacefully since coming to the mansion." Bridget informed Lacie. "Over the next few days, Master saw the effect that Linds had on Claire, and he had her keep Claire company, pretty much everywhere she went."

"I knew Master was a good person, so I did what I could to convince Claire of the fact. As you might imagine, it took a lot of work just for her to even consider the possibility that he wouldn't hurt her if given the chance." Lindsey picked up the story once again. "Then Master found out about her life before. The one on her family farm. That same day he went out and started buying up farm animals. Pharaoh and Sadie were only a few months old then, and Bo and Luke, the two collies, they were just little, tiny puppies."

"It took a while for the animals to get here." Callie said, "About two weeks."

"During that time, Master kept taking me out to the barn with him and Claire, cleaning it up, getting things ready for the horses." Lindsey said, nodding at Callie. "Eventually she got acclimated to having him around. She didn't really relax around him, at least that I saw, but the nightmares were coming less and less frequently. I slept in Claire's room almost every night. It helped her a lot. Eventually, Claire, well, she kinda surprised us all."

Lacie smiled as her natural curiosity was piqued. 

"What did she do?"

"She asked me if I would sleep in my own bed this one night. When I asked her why, she only said she had 'something to do or nothing will ever change'. I didn't ask questions. We all knew better than to press her when she got evasive. I found out later that she snuck into Master's bedroom that night. We were all surprised the next morning when she sauntered into the dining hall, happy as you please, a big grin on her face as she gave us a cheery 'howdy y'all.' she grabbed a plate and waltzed right out, humming to herself. We were speechless." 

The girls shared smiles at the memory.

"And?" Lacie pressed, eager to hear the rest of the story.

"Master came down a few minutes later. He looked like he was half on cloud nine, half wanting to murder someone." Muffled laughter and snickers echoed around the kitchen as the girls began to giggle. "He only said one thing to us."

A chorus of voices exclaimed in unison. 

"Which one of you gave that damn crazy cowgirl the fuzzy handcuffs!?" 

All the women burst out in gales of laughter. Marie raised her hand, a gleeful grin on her face.

"Guilty!" she exclaimed, between whoops of laughter. The other women laughed even harder, some of them turning slightly red in the face as they gasped for air.

"So...so, apparently," Heather gasped out, "She cuffed him to the bed, and spent the whole night teasing him, hee hee hee, oh god, my ribs hurt." She said, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks.

"She, she, she fell asleep there!" Bridget gasped, speaking between hearty gales of laughter.

"She hadn't even uncuffed him! He was stuck there like that the whole night!" Callie finished, laughing so hard she nearly fell off the countertop she was sitting on.

"Oh, no!" Lacie said, covering her mouth with one hand as she laughed. "No wonder he looked like he wanted to murder someone!"

"Oh, he was livid." Tara giggled, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, he calmed down a lot though once he saw Claire. It was a complete transformation. Totally different person." Lindsey said, struggling to keep from laughing more. "I asked her about it a few weeks later."

"What did she say?" Lacie asked.

"Well, I'm paraphrasing, but for two 

years her other owners had deprived her of control of her own life, body and sometimes they tried to even control her mind. Indoctrination and stuff like that. Well, anyway, it was her way of 'taking back control of her own life.' She said she needed to know that she was still capable of controlling something, of meeting a challenge, even if that challenge was one she gave herself. So she set her eyes on the biggest mountain she could climb."

"She spent hours controlling the one person in her life that supposedly had complete control of her." Lacie finished, a sudden flash of clarity illuminating Claire's motivations.

"Exactly." Bridget answered. "Master isn't the type to really enjoy being tied down, but when he saw the change it had brought around in Claire, how she finally seemed like a person, not just a frightened victim, he let it slide."

"It didn't fix everything." Tara spoke slowly, yawning. "But it helped. A lot."

"So she still has nightmares. Bad ones. Like tonight." Heather put in, covering her mouth as she echoed Tara's yawn. 

The somber mood returned slightly, but the pleasant memories and recent laughter had done wonders in chasing away their feelings of helplessness. Tired, the girls decided to try and return to their beds. Walking back upstairs, the women were all silently relieved to see that Master's door was closed and Claire's sobs and screams had silenced. Slipping into her own bed, Lacie pulled the chilly covers back over her. Her thoughts whirling in her mind, Lacie found sleep difficult. Slowly her body heat warmed her covers and Lacie began to relax, but still sleep did not come easy. As she lay there, deep in thought, stroking the oval on her choker, (it had become a habit over the past few weeks), Lacie discovered that her own concerns of belonging, finding her niche, though still important to her, were no longer the driving force they had been. Lacie's life was a good one, and remained so. Any concerns over the path her life would take could be dealt with in time, and when problems arose, she knew she could handle them. In comparison to the things that some of the other girls had been forced to endure, Lacie's feelings about finding her niche seemed petty. Closing her eyes, Lacie drifted off to sleep, hints of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The next day, Lacie woke to a soft knocking at her door. Lifting her head, Lacie rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she called out.

"Yeah, come in." Lacie sat up, pulling her sheets higher up her body as she did, covering herself more completely. Lacie was surprised to see Claire poke her head into her bedroom. Lacie could tell that the tattooed girl had barely gotten any sleep, her eyes were puffy and red, ringed with dark circles. She was wearing a white robe and was barefoot.

"I'm sorry for waking you. I just... wanted to talk for a bit."

"Not a problem Claire, come on in. Here, sit down." Lacie responded, curling her legs closer under the sheets, inviting Claire to sit on the edge of the bed. 

"Thanks." The goth girl smiled, sniffling a bit as she shuffled across the room, sitting down next to Lacie. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. Bad dreams and bad memories, sometimes they come back and catch me off guard."

Lacie lifted one hand and placed it gently on Claire's arm. 

"Not your fault. It's really not. I don't blame you at all."

"I still feel like I owe you an explanation."

"I disagree, but if you feel like you want to tell me, I wont stop you." Lacie knew the catharsis of just letting it all out, and if Claire was coming to her, she didn't want to put the older girl off by denying her the release of that stress and anxiety. Claire smiled in response, sighing deeply, her shoulders slumping forward as Claire rested her elbows on her knees. The Claire before her seemed much reduced to Lacie, and her heart began to beat just a little faster, leaving her wondering if she even wanted to hear Claire's story.

"You know most of my past up until I was sold. I want to tell you the rest." Claire said, looking blankly at Lacie's wall. Lacie drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, setting her chin on the tops of her knees.

"My family sold me to a slaver group, they were the ones who did the tattoos and piercings. They sold girls like that. They'd tattoo them, keep them in lightless cells to whiten their skin, sometimes they'd permanently tattoo dark makeup onto their faces. They weren't gentle. The piercing and tattoos were all done while you were sedated, to keep you from fighting and messing up the designs. You could be 'modified' to meet your buyer's preference. I was modified for one buyer, but he died in a car accident before he could pay for me. All these," Claire said, pulling the neck of her robe down to reveal one of the stars on her shoulder, "All the tattoos, meant something to him. But since he never paid for me in full, I still belonged to the slavers. But I was considered 'damaged product' because of all the permanent stuff they'd already done. They couldn't go back and erase it, so I was sold to the highest bidder at an auction for damaged goods."

Lacie had heard of the auctions. Slaver groups and individual owners could go in and sell their damaged or overused slave girls. The poor women were usually the kind who had the worst sort of masters. The violent ones, the drug users, the drunks, felons and gangs. They were broken women, the kind who had retreated into their minds so deeply, they almost never responded, no matter what was done to them. The kind that had given up, had given in and no longer fought, or thought for themselves, the kind that no longer screamed. They were sold for pittances, and very often they simply gave up the will to live soon after. Most died in months.

"I was sold for seven hundred dollars, less than a twentieth of what the other man would have paid had he lived. A man in his thirties bought me. At first, I was relieved, because he was one of the few who was there with a woman. At first I thought she was his wife. Turns out she was his sister. He had bought her too, and they lived in a really nice house. It wasn't what you think, he was a sadist, but he never touched her, as far as I knew, anyway." Claire said, seeing Lacie's disgusted expression. "They both worked for the same company. And they... loved bringing their work... home with them." Claire leaned further forward, her shoulders jerking with barely restrained sobs. Lacie reached out and rubbed her back, trying to comfort the emotionally torn woman.

"They were designers. For a company that made... torture devices." Claire sobbed, fresh tears leaking from her eyes. "They bought me so they could test the... efficiency of their new designs."

Lacie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Claire, holding the other girl tightly while she wept. Lacie heard a noise from the hallway, and saw Master standing there, Bridget following closely behind him. Lacie flashed them a look, warning them to stay away. Lacie didn't know if Claire wanted others to hear her story. Master and Bridget gave her silent looks of apology, but entered her room anyway.

Lacie opened her mouth to tell them off, despite being terrified of yelling at Master, but Claire's hand came up and gently covered her mouth. Her shoulders still shaking gently, Claire shook her head. The goth girl's other arm waved the two newcomers into the room. Master's deep voice thrummed throughout the room.

"We're here because we have something to ask of you Lacie, and I'm not sure if you're ready to hear it yet. Remember you can always say no. We'll find another way to accomplish what needs to be done, but it'll be much easier and faster if we have your help. Claire's story is a part of that." Sitting down in one of the chairs Lacie had placed around her room, Master faced the two girls on the bed, Bridget silently stepping past him to sit on the edge of the bench beneath Lacie's bay window. Shuddering, Claire had recovered enough to continue her story.

"They kept me restrained for two years. He was more interested in whether their new designs worked, but she was cruel beyond anything I'd ever seen. She did what she did just because she liked to hear me scream. Every two weeks or so they'd have some prototype or improved design they'd want me to test. It was agonizing, day after day, they'd starve me, beat me, strap me into whipping devices, trap me in a water filed tube with stinging jellyfish, tying my head above water so I couldn't drown myself, depriving me of sleep till I began to hallucinate. I was hospitalized twice in the first year. The only reason they didn't just let me die was that my 'mistress' thought I was an exceptional screamer." Claire shuddered. 

Master came over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, lending what comfort he could. Claire gave a wordless moan of relief, and slid sideways, resting her head against his chest, her eyes fluttering closed as she struggled to keep speaking.

"When I was first brought there they had two other girls. Becky and Sarah. Becky died a few months after I got there. No one knew she had a heart defect till she died. They had strapped her into the device that they used on my back." Lacie remembered the burn scars on Claire's lower back, their shape showing that they had been burned into Claire when her torturers had electrocuted her again and again. "The first shock sent her into arrhythmia. Her heart gave out on the second or third shock. She was strapped in and she couldn't get away. She died in minutes as Sarah and I watched. Master and Mistress didn't even seem to care. A few hours later, some people from their company showed up and hauled Becky's body away. Sarah was her sister. She gave up a few weeks later. When she stopped screaming for them, they took her to another auction. I never saw her again. I was alone there for over a year and a half." 

Claire sniffled, wiping her eyes as she straightened, pecking Master on his cheek as she did. He let Claire sit up, setting his hands in his lap as Claire adjusted her position on the edge of the bed. Claire threaded her arms around Master's and rested her head on his shoulder. Master leaned into her and pressed his cheek on top of her head. The moment was so tender, Lacie couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy. Quickly stifling the inappropriate emotion, Lacie leaned back into her headboard, waiting for Claire to finish her story. Claire took another deep, shuddering breath, and continued.

"Eventually, they felt like they had perfected some of their designs and took me to the place they worked, so I could demonstrate for them. I was kept in a cage the whole trip there. I didn't even have enough space to move. I was collared and kenneled like a disobedient dog. Finally, they got to where they were going, and unloaded everything from the back of the van, except me. They left me in the back of the van. I was there for almost four hours. The van was sweltering, it was over a hundred degrees out that day. By the time they came to get me, I had passed out from heat exposure." Claire sat up and turned, facing Lacie fully as she drew up her knees onto the bed. Master wrapped one arm around Claire's back, squeezing her opposite shoulder.

"I came around to half a dozen men standing around me. I was naked. They woke me up by electrocuting me. The machine I was strapped into punished a slave by constantly shocking her with electricity. It could be set to any interval. My owners set it to shock me every minute. My body was contorted and strapped down, I couldn't even move my head or fingers. The men standing around me were the company's production board. They decided whether designs were worth putting into mass production. Each of the men took his... turn with me, even while I was being shocked, part of the design kept them from being hurt by the electricity. That was just the beginning. My owners had half a dozen machines they were trying to get their bosses to sign off on. They kept chloroforming me, and once I was out, they would strap me into the next one. All day long they did this. I was raped again and again by those men. All day long. I was burned, whipped, shocked, stung by jellyfish, one of the men even had a knife he used to cut me, just to watch me bleed, just to hear my screaming. That's how I got these." Claire pulled her robe aside, revealing a number of her scars, but pointing towards a pair of deep, jagged slices that crossed over each other on her right hip.

"Eventually it was over. It was the worst I'd ever felt. I felt so degraded, I wanted to die. I just wanted to give up and die. I was so alone, so scared and so hurt. Everything hurt, my whole life seemed to be nothing but pain, present pain, past agony, and the promise of more tortures to come. If you could die just from wanting to, I would have. I simply stopped doing what they wanted. I let my body go limp. I collapsed and I just lay there." Claire closed her eyes and her head hung. It seemed to Lacie that the other woman had simply run out of tears. Master cut in, finishing the story.

"I had been there to hear a business proposal from the company's board of directors. She was out in the parking lot when she collapsed. It was pure chance that I was outside at the same time. It wouldn't have been surprising for her to have simply passed out, considering all the fresh wounds on her body, but I could see her eyes were open. I was nowhere near Claire all day, or I would have stopped it. I had no idea what was happening. When I saw her collapse, I started walking towards her. They were whipping her, trying to get her back on her feet. I got them to stop, and when I asked them who she was, they said she was "Not worth thinking about. A mere product tester." As you might imagine, I was infuriated at their callous treatment of Claire, despite not knowing her. Her owners were cursing at her, promising bloody vengeance for embarrassing them by refusing to follow their orders."

"He paid for her right then and there." Bridget added. Lacie turned, having almost forgotten that the blonde was there. "He went on some BS tirade about 'equipment maintenance.' How the girls have to be taken care of so they last longer. It was a cover, but they bought it. He demanded that they sell Claire to him so he could make use of her talents as a tester. After he forced her recovery, of course. Since the company was trying to get him to sign off on a business deal with them, they didn't really have a choice. They made Claire's owners sell her to Master that same day."

"That's why I ran when I got here." Claire said, her voice little more than a whisper. "I didn't know he was lying to them. I didn't know I had just been rescued. I just hoped that if I ran, he'd shoot me rather than chase me down. I wanted to die. I didn't want to live with any more pain. When Heather finally caught me, all the other girls just waited with me. They all sat there and cried with me. Heather cleaned my wounds, feeding me by hand, keeping me partially sedated for the first two days while I healed."

"She was in very bad shape. It took some time before we were even able to get her to talk to us." Bridget said, shaking her head. "We wouldn't let Master near her. Then there were the nightmares."

"To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to be around her at first." Master said quietly. "She needed time to heal, and it was more than just her body that was badly damaged."

"It wasn't till Lindsey came and helped me recover that I began to feel like I could be a person again." Claire said, sniffling into the sleeve of her robe, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "She helped more than she knows. I had been... considering suicide... to escape the nightmares. But Linds helped keep them away. She saved my life. I've never told her that. I didn't trust Master either. Not really. But over time, I grew to love the farm he built for me. I loved the mansion, I loved the girls here, I loved everything here. That was when I realized I felt human again. I felt happy again. I was spending more time smiling than crying. I was enjoying my life, and it was my life. No one else's. No one could tell me I was anything less than my own person." Claire was smiling now, and she patted Lacie's knee. "Just like every other person here. That's when I finally realized I trusted Master. The same night I realized that, I asked him if I could join him in bed."




Lacie Ch. 08



"I was rather surprised by the offer, we hadn't had much to do with each other since she first arrived." Master said.

"Other than the incident with the fuzzy handcuffs." Lacie interjected, speaking for the first time in many minutes. To her surprise, Master flushed a deep red.

"They told you about that?" he asked. Claire's small smile blossomed into a full blown grin at the memory. The other two girls smiled with her, enjoying Master's obvious discomfort.

"Last night." Lacie giggled.

Master buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"I'm never living that down. Well, as you might imagine, I was caught off guard by her offer. I wasn't about to turn it down, though. I could tell it was something she felt she needed. That was ten months ago. Two months after Claire got here, I did a little digging. As it turns out, the siblings that bought her were only part of the product design team of that company. They were not the only ones who took their work home with them. I did not end up taking that board's business proposal. In fact, the last eight months of my life have been spent finding out as much about that company as I could."

"Why?" Lacie asked. "Why would you care about them if they do such horrible things?"

Master shared a look with the two older women in Lacie's bedroom.

"Because, Lacie. It's part of the reason we bought you. It's why we needed you. It's why we need your help now. We needed to know everything about them because we have a plan that has been in the works for eight months regarding that company. One that we need your help with." Master said, looking deeply into her eyes.

Lacie hesitated.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

A terrifying look of pure, cold fury crossed Master's face as he glared out the window. The simmering hatred and undiluted venom in his response sent chills down Lacie's spine.

"We're going to burn them to the ground."



Lacie Ch. 09



Chapter 9: Lacie's Almost

"I don't understand." Lacie said. "What does this have to do with me? I mean, obviously, I want to help, and I will if I can, but I don't see where I fit into all of this."

Master and Bridget shared a look. Claire slid away from Master and crawled over to sit at the head of the big bed next to Lacie, wrapping one arm around Lacie's shoulders as she did. Master looked at his hands as he folded them in his lap. He took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh.

"You're a much bigger part of this than you know, Lacie. This is my dilemma though. We usually let a girl decide for herself if she wants to know why she was specifically chosen. And you were specifically chosen, Lacie. When I came to see you at the slave fair, I lied to you. You were not among a number of girls that I was there to look at. You were the only one I was interested in. I just couldn't say it out loud, I didn't know who, if anyone, might have been listening." He looked up at Lacie, a look of deep regret and apology in his piercing grey eyes. "But if we're to have your help, you need to know what almost happened to you, and I need to apologize to you for it, because, to a large degree, it's my fault."

Lacie's jaw dropped and instinctively, she pulled away from him. Before she could stop herself from recoiling, Lacie drew her knees up and ducked her head, making herself as small as possible. Instantly, once Lacie realized what she had done, she managed to partially unfold herself, but the damage had been done. A look of heart-wrenching pain crossed Master's face when he saw her shy away from him. His hands clenched into fists and he gritted his teeth.

"I am sorry, Lacie. And I deserved that. Hell, I deserve a lot more than that. If you let me tell you what almost happened, and why it was necessary, and you're still angry, I won't fault you for it. If you want me to leave the room, if you want me to never talk to you again, if you want to slap me till my head rings, go ahead, I'll understand."

Lacie was torn. Having heard Claire's story, she was more scared than ever to know what could have been. Master wasn't making it any easier. Still, Lacie knew he wouldn't be asking her to do this unless both he and Bridget felt it was absolutely necessary. Remembering that Bridget was in the room, Lacie snapped her gaze up, looking at the older woman. A look of fear crossed Lacie's face as she made eye contact.

"What should I do?" Lacie asked her.

Bridget's eyes softened. 

"I don't know Lace. I don't. This is your decision."

"Why right now though? You said I had time!" Lacie's tone turned accusatory.

"We thought you did. Things progressed faster than we expected them to." Bridget flinched from Lacie's hot glare. "I didn't mean to lie to you. We have a new opportunity, and without your help, we might miss it. We'll eventually take them down, yes, but if we have your help, we can do it in months, not years. Maybe sooner."

Lacie looked at Claire, though the other woman refused to meet her gaze. Lacie pulled herself up and sat cross-legged, pulling her robe from the bedpost and tossing it over her shoulders. Glaring hotly at the other people that she now felt were invading her room, Lacie crossed her arms and huffed angrily. All three flinched slightly when Lacie spoke.

"Fine. Tell me. I'm not guaranteeing anything though. You've all known about this, and you kept it from me. You've been lying to me since I got here. You told me I was only here to help around the house, and now I find out you've been planning this. You told me that I had no obligations, and that I wasn't here for any other reason. You lied to me, I'm not going to forgive you just because you want me to."

"That's fair." Master said quietly, pulling his gaze up to look at Lacie. "Your involvement started about three months ago, just before you turned eighteen." he sighed. "You had been scouted a few times before then. You're attractiveness and school scores placed you in one of the top value brackets for sale. You were... expensive." Sitting up fully, Master turned to face Lacie fully. Despite herself, Lacie felt a little intimidated by him.

"So?" Lacie challenged, trying to maintain a hold on her anger.

"So, you were a perfect candidate for our next step in our plan." Bridget said.

"We sent out a 'leaked' e-mail to several of our target's direct competitors. It was fabricated, untrue and almost a complete deception. But... none of their competitors knew that." Master spoke, and despite herself, Lacie felt her anger cooling slightly. "In it, we stated their need for a new 'poster girl' for their advertisements. That much was true, their last girl had been 'requisitioned' by one of their board of directors for more... personal use. Since one part was true, their competition didn't even bother checking the truth of the rest of the memo."

"What did the rest say?" Lacie asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"I'm getting to that. Once their competition knew about the e-mail, it wasn't long before our target company learned about it too. There really wasn't any way for them to refute it. We had backed them into a corner with it. The rest of the letter stated that they had chosen someone for their new ads, and to purchase her at all costs. It was a declaration of intent. The person indicated in the false letter was you." he said. "I'm so sorry, Lacie. There was no other way to force their hand, to get them to make a mistake."

Lacie's heart began to pound, fear of Master filling her as she realized what he had almost done to her. He had knowingly placed her at risk, he had dangled her like bait on a hook for some of the most sadistic people Lacie had ever heard of. This time when she recoiled, it was fully intentional. Claire's arms around her held her on the bed as Lacie struggled to pull away from him.

"Get away from me! Get the HELL away from me!" She screamed at him, fear and anger flashing in her voice. Master stood and walked away, stopping just behind Lacie's closed door. When he turned back, Lacie saw that her words had hurt him deeply. Bridget's eyes flashed at Lacie and she moved to join Master, but he held up a hand to stop her, shaking his head as he did.

"I deserve this, B. Let her be angry. She has every right to be. Lacie, I'm sorry. I really am. I'll let Bridget finish. I'm so sorry, Lace." He apologized again. Lacie could see the agony in his expression, and she knew her anger hurt him more deeply than if she had outright stabbed him. Despite her anger, despite her fear and the confusion whirling in her mind, her heart skipped a beat when he called her "Lace" Something deep inside her realized it was the first time he had ever used her nickname. Turning, Master opened her door and left her room, gently closing the door behind him as he vanished into the hallway.

"Lacie, you didn't have to yell..." Bridget began.

"DON'T! Just, don't, Bridget. Don't defend him right now. Just finish explaining why you were inches away from handing me off to a life of torture and rape, then get out." Lacie said harshly, tears of pain and broken trust falling from her eyes as she pushed Claire's arm off her shoulders. The other two girls looked at each other. Bridget began to speak, finishing the story.

"Okay, Lacie. Okay. So, you were the one they needed to buy. Master had backed them into a corner. All their competition knew they were going to buy you. They had no choice but to try and do exactly that."

"Why?" Lacie demanded.

"Because we routed the leaked message through their most secure internal servers. Either they had to say there was a mole in their highest ranks, or tell everyone that there was someone who could get in, send out messages and get back out without a trace. That kind of weakness would have had all their competition putting them to siege. Their only real option was to simply go along with it. These businesses are cutthroat. Admitting a mole or a hacker would be admitting weakness. It was much easier to say that the missive was accurate and that a careless employee had accidentally left the message laying around."

"So everyone bought it." Lacie spat.

"Yes, they bought it." Bridget agreed. 

Lacie could see the hurt her anger was causing her friend, but she was furious that she had been manipulated without her knowledge. Knowing Lacie deserved a complete explanation, Bridget continued. 

"Once they bought it, they still had to buy you. That's where Master stepped into the picture. He used the cover of having seen you at the slave fair as a reason to attend your auction. You were one of the girls that was actually auctioned rather than simply price tagged and sold. Once there, he began to bid for other girls, intentionally losing, using them as a cover. Finally, when you were up for sale, he sat back and watched. The company we're targeting had sent a representative to bid for you. Some of their competition had sent a few people as well, and it started a bidding war. It looked like the competition had underestimated our target though, as they were outbid every time. Finally, when the last of them dropped out, Master began to bid, only going a tiny amount over our target's bidder every time."

"Why?" Lacie asked, despite herself.

"To frustrate him. To make him angry. It worked. For nearly four minutes, forever in a bidding war, they went back and forth. Finally, their bidder made his mistake. He bid the entire auction amount they had authorized him to use on you. It was an attempt to intimidate. This had a few effects. It gave our target's competition a glimpse into our target's financial situation, while also telling them all how desperate they were to have you. Master acted intimidated by the amount they offered. The auctioneer counted down, and just as he was about to announce your sale, Master stood up. Everyone was dead silent as Master quietly offered his final bid. It was double what our target was offering. The auctioneer sold you to Master, and our target left in disgrace. He was fired the next day. The weakness they had been trying to cover up and avoid had become a total fiasco for them, as now it was far more public than it would have otherwise been."

"So, you got what you needed from me. Why do you need my help now? It seems like I've already done enough." Lacie said bitterly.

"We still need your help Lacie, because they're trying to recover. And they're close. We need one more reminder of their failure to convince their competition that they're weak and to attempt a hostile takeover. They're throwing a big party in three weeks, and Master was given an invitation. They're trying to rally his support to their side. If he seems to join them, their failure with you won't seem quite as bad, since the person they lost to will be seen as giving them tacit support. We need you to go to the party with Master. It'll be the last nail in their coffin. It'll be a blatant reminder of their failure and a huge slap in the face. At the same time, we'll hack into their internal servers again and send out more falsified data on our target. Once that data gets out, we believe some of their competitors will stage a hostile takeover. Our target is stronger than they'll expect, and we're trying to get them to bankrupt each other with their fighting. Master has an... associate that owns a similar company, though he makes no torture devices, only restraints and fetish stuff. Clothing, suspension frames, that sort of thing. After all of our target companies exhaust each other's funds, he'll sweep in and snatch up the pieces, once they're too weak to defend themselves from him. That's why we need your help, Lace. Everything else is in place."

"I...I'm not going to give you an answer right away. I need to think about this. But for now, I think you should leave, Bridget." Lacie said.

"I thought you might say that." Bridget said, reaching for Lacie's door handle. "By the way, Lace, I just want you to know, there was no way Master was going to let them buy you in that auction. He had a lot of money set aside for you, if he needed it. If you were wondering, he used quite a bit as it was. You cost more than all the other girls here combined. Four and a half million dollars. He had enough set aside to have bid over twice that if he needed to. He wasn't ever going to let them have you Lacie. Ever." Bridget slipped quietly out of Lacie's doorway as the brunette sat on her bed, dumbfounded. Claire stood up and wrapped her robe tighter around her shoulders. The rocker girl's haunted eyes looked back at Lacie a she moved to follow Master and Bridget out the door.

"Please... please, Lace. Think about it." she whispered. Claire turned and slipped out of Lacie's room, silently shutting the door behind her.

Lacie pulled her covers back up around her, slipping back into bed as she curled herself around a pillow. Fighting tears, Lacie was torn, she didn't know what to do. She knew that Master needed her help, but despite what Bridget had told her, Lacie knew she had still been in very real danger. The only reason she had been in that danger had been because of Master's plan. Still, a company that made the kind of devices that Claire had described needed to be taken down. Lacie just didn't know if she could ever trust the others at the mansion ever again, or if she even had the courage to face people who made money from things that were designed to torture. Confused, hurt, conflicted, Lacie closed her eyes and wept.



Lacie Ch. 10



Chapter 10: Lacie's Decision 

It had taken a long time. Almost the whole day, but finally, Lacie knew that in the end, she really didn't have any choice. She knew that she was still being manipulated, and it infuriated her, but Lacie knew that part of her anger sparked from her fear at what had almost happened to her. That same fear of what could have been, was a sad reality for unknown numbers of poor, suffering women. Lacie knew that if she didn't help, they would continue to suffer and possibly die simply because Lacie refused to get more involved. Lacie headed downstairs around seven, knowing that was usually when the household sat down to eat dinner. She knew she was being slightly petty, but she felt she had a good enough reason to feel hurt.

Sweeping into the dining hall, Lacie walked towards her place at the table. Everyone else, Master included, quieted when she walked in. Most of the girls looked at her with concerned or pitying expressions on their faces. Lacie gritted her teeth, taking deep breaths to avoid lashing out at them, neither wanting nor appreciating their pity. Claire refused to look up at Lacie. Lacie stopped at her place setting, noting the covered dish that was her dinner had been set out already, waiting for her. Lacie crossed her arms over her chest and spitted Master with a glare.

"Fine. I'll help, but only because we both know you didn't give me any other options. I'll go and be your pretty piece of eye candy. I'll let you show me off like a prize, like some pretty, mindless, worthless pet. I don't like it, I don't like you, and I don't want to have anything to do with you after this, ever." Lacie spat. She knew she was probably being more harsh and far more cruel than she needed to be. She could only think about how much his betrayal of her truly hurt. Looking at the agonized expression on his face, Lacie felt like her heart was literally being ripped to tiny pieces inside her chest. Every breath was torture, and her life seemed to be just grey, all enjoyment in her life having fled when she realized she was just a piece on his chessboard.

The pain in her heart was echoed by the agony written on his face, but he said nothing. Lacie hesitated, pausing for a moment. She realized she wanted him to yell at her, tell her she was wrong, make her sit down and force her to understand why he did what he did. 

Master didn't move. 

Lacie waited for him to respond, to yell, to stand, to argue with her. He didn't, he only looked at her, torment and pain deep in his eyes as he let Lacie say what he felt she had the right to say, what she needed to say.

Then, Lacie realized that he thought she was right, and her heart nearly broke all over again. The pain in his eyes was too much for her to bear looking at. Turning away, Lacie picked up her tray and stormed back out of the dining hall, slamming the massive doors behind her as she turned and fled back up to her room, tears streaming from her eyes. When she made it back to her room, Lacie threw herself back onto her bed and wept for over an hour. Finally, her tears stopped and Lacie moved back to her door, picking the tray of food off the top of her dresser, where she had placed it before her flight to the bed. 

Lifting the lid off the tray, Lacie looked down at the wonderful, beautifully arranged food, sitting there, still warm, on the plate. Lacie almost threw the plate across her room when a wave of nausea swept through her at the sight of the food. Swiftly covering the tray again, Lacie crawled back into bed, fighting to keep from throwing up. The pain of Master's betrayal, and the disgust she felt for herself and her actions in the dining hall twisted her stomach into knots as Lacie closed her eyes, her tears threatening to overflow again at any moment. Soon, Lacie fell asleep, curled around a pillow, as her uneaten dinner grew cold.

The next morning, Lacie woke to a grey sky outside. She could see distant thunderheads drawing closer as cold drizzle pattered into her window, the rapid tapping noises setting Lacie's frayed nerves on edge. Getting out of bed, Lacie wrapped a towel around herself and slowly walked downstairs to take a shower. The steaming water felt good, massaging away some of the newly formed knots of stress in Lacie's back. Once she was finished, Lacie walked back to her room and dressed for her chores that day. She was slotted to work with Tara, simply doing laundry that day. 

Normally it was a job she enjoyed, as both Tara and Lindsey usually worked with her and the girls chatted and gossiped as they worked, making the time pass quickly. Even when she was working by herself, Lacie enjoyed the solitude, as the simple work gave her time to let her mind wander. A wandering mind was not something that Lacie wanted that day, because she knew right where it would end up going, and she most definitely did not want to dwell on recent events.

Lacie pulled her hair back into a ponytail, cursing in pain when a few strands got caught on the clip of her choker. In a sudden flash of anger, Lacie tugged on the caught strands sharply, accidentally pulling them out of her scalp, rather than freeing them from the choker. The sharp spike of pain caused Lacie to scream as her anger and frustration boiled over. She reached up to her neck, grasping the oval of ivory on her choker. Lacie yanked sharply, pulling with all her strength. The thin lace parted, and with a soft ripping sound, Lacie tore her choker free. 

Lacie looked down into her hand, a moment of apprehension flitted through her, making her second guess her reasons for pulling the choker free. The moment was quick to pass, though, once Lacie looked at the destroyed piece of jewelry again. She had been so happy to put it on, to receive the promises that had come with it, the promises of protection, of safety. The promises that had been built on a foundation of lies. Lacie threw the choker into the farthest corner of her room. It had once been such a point of happiness and pride for her, now it was just a reminder of how she had been duped, and it only served to make her more furious than ever.

Stalking out of her room, Lacie stormed downstairs. Lacie was about to enter the dining hall, when she realized she already knew her job for the day. The thought of talking to Bridget quickly caused Lacie to lose what little appetite she had. So, Lacie spun around and headed for the laundry rooms. Pushing the doors open, Lacie started her work, stuffing clothes and sheets into the massive machines. For most of the morning, Lacie worked alone, Tara only popping in and out, delivering more clothes for Lacie to wash. Part of her felt lonely, as she had gotten used to spending her days with at least one other person around to talk to. Another part of Lacie, however, was glad for her solitude, as it made it easy for her to keep from snapping at someone who didn't deserve it. 

As far as Lacie knew, the only three people who were aware of the true reasons that Lacie had been dragged into Master's scheme were Master himself, Bridget, and Claire. Lacie couldn't really be angry at Claire. Since Lacie found out what the other girl had been forced to endure, she felt a strange kinship with the raven haired woman. Lacie didn't blame Claire at all, really. It wasn't her plan. She just happened to be there when Master decided he would use her as justification to play God with other people's lives.

It wasn't until around two in the afternoon that Lacie heard a knock at the doors of the laundry room. Lacie didn't answer, not knowing who it was, and not really caring. A second, then third tapping sound echoed against the door. Finally, the door cracked open and out of the corner of her eye, Lacie saw Ana poke her head into the laundry room.

"Lace?" the Russian girl tentatively moved inside the room, a covered tray of food in her hands. "I are having hard time for the finding you. Cannot be seeing you on scans. Is choker being broken?" 

"No." Lacie responded curtly, not looking up from her work. "I took it off."

"Oh." Ana's eyes widened in surprise. "Was not thinking they could be taking off. I thought were permanent clipped on."

"That would be why I ripped it, Ana. I tore it off and threw it in the garbage where it belongs, okay?" Lacie said harshly. Realizing she was snapping at her friend, Lacie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Slowly exhaling, Lacie turned back to the tiny foreign girl, still standing by the doors. Ana was fidgeting awkwardly, looking like she was torn between wanting to say something, and opening the door to flee.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I'm not angry at you. I just couldn't wear it anymore. It hurt too much to think about it." Without even thinking, Lacie's fingers began to drift up to her neck, habitually moving to stroke the ivory on her now-absent choker. Realizing what she was doing, Lacie quickly snatched her hand back.

"Is ok." Ana responded quietly, looking down at the tray in her hands.

"No, Ana. No, it's not ok. I'm trying not to be angry at the people who don't deserve it, but it's hard. I shouldn't have acted like that. I'm sorry."

A brief smile ghosted across Tatiana's face, and she moved forward to set the tray down on the nearest folding table, which at the moment, was unoccupied by laundry.

"I made some you lunchings. Not sure if you hungry, but I know you missing breakfast and were not for eating dinner last night. Here. Is good, I promising."

The mention of promises sent a knife straight into Lacie's chest. Despite the fresh reminder of her pain, Lacie smiled as best she could, thanking Ana for thinking of her. Although she put forth her best effort, Lacie suspected that Ana knew something that had been said had stung Lacie. Ana didn't hang around much longer before slipping back out of the room and vanishing down the hall. Sighing, trying to ignore the heartache she felt, Lacie walked over to the tray, lifting the lid off her belated lunch. 

The food was simple, a trio of small bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, a handful of chips and a small dish full of glistening black olives. There was a small carton of milk on the tray as well, reminding Lacie of grade school. Lacie tried to smile, Ana knew that Lacie preferred light lunches, and had probably made the food specifically for her. Biting into one of the sandwiches, Lacie got back to work. Despite the small size of her meal, Lacie wasn't able to work up enough of an appetite to finish, leaving most of the olives and one of the sandwiches untouched. Lacie sighed, in her current mood, she barely even tasted the meal, and what she did taste seemed bland and flavorless.

It was late evening by the time she finished her daily tasks, and Lacie headed back to her room. Walking back up the main third floor staircase, Lacie literally ran straight into Lindsey and Heather. The two girls had been talking, laughing about something. Lacie was so distracted, she bumped into the pair and lost her balance on the stairs. Tumbling to the ground, Lacie fell and banged her knee on the corner of one of the steps. Grimacing in pain, Lacie pushed past the other girls, both of whom had managed to remain on their feet. Lacie ignored their calls and apologies, storming into her room. Lacie sat on her bed and let her face sink into her hands. She had never felt so angry or so frustrated in her life. Everything was turning on her. Lacie heard yet more laughter coming from the hallway, Tara's and Callie's giggles drifting under Lacie's door as her two friends shared a moment of levity.

Unable to stand it one moment further, Lacie stood up and ran into her closet, tossing random clothes into the basket she usually used to carry down her laundry. Having done all the laundry already, the wicker was empty. Picking up the basket once she had filled it, Lacie paused only to grab her stuffed rabbit before marching out into the hall. Lacie shut her door quietly, not wanting to have one of the other girls see or hear her and ask what she was doing. A flash of gold caught her eye as she closed the door however, and Lacie looked up.

There, hanging right at eye level, was a beautiful round disk on her door. The oak of the wood was polished and stained, the deep, rich colors blending together, throwing the gilded letters on it's surface into sharp relief. The plaque only had one word stenciled on it. Lacie. The beautiful disk had just arrived to declare which room was hers, where she belonged, and it had gotten there right as Lacie reached the decision to abandon her room. Flushing with shame and frustration, Lacie picked up her basket and fled, dashing through the mansion until she reached the second floor of the south wing. Opening one of the guest room doors, Lacie set her basket down on the floor, shutting the door behind her. Lacie slumped to the floor behind the doorframe, hugging her stuffed animal to her chest as she stared at the opposite wall. She felt empty, tired. Lacie wanted to cry, but it felt like she had simply run out of tears.

Despite her unwillingness to be around the rest of the household, Lacie knew she couldn't avoid them forever. Lacie's stomach began to rumble, churning uncomfortably. Lacie flopped down on the unfamiliar bed, letting her thoughts swirl. Finally, she knew she had to eat. Leaving her new room behind, Lacie walked downstairs, realizing that dinner had already begun without her. Quietly pushing the doors open, Lacie stepped into the dining hall. The diners looked up at her in surprise, but Lacie couldn't meet their gazes. Picking up her plate, Lacie stepped outside, sitting down in one of the chairs on the patio. Fortunately, the earlier rain hadn't been coming from the right direction to get on any of the furniture, and Lacie was saved from having to sit in a wet chair.

Lacie ate alone, barely tasting the food. Just as Lacie was about to finish and head back inside, Lacie heard the sliding glass doors shift aside as someone joined her on the patio. Setting her silverware down, Lacie stared straight ahead as Bridget sat down in the chair next to her.

"You can't be mad at him forever, you know." She said softly, looking out over the grounds. Something in Bridget's tone, and the fact that she was intruding on Lacie when she obviously wanted to be left alone, irritated Lacie. The anger she'd been trying to hold in all day exploded, surprising both girls with it's intensity.

"Try me." Lacie spat furiously, narrowing her eyes, still not looking at the older girl. "It's not just him I'm angry at."

Bridget's eyes flicked to Lacie before the blonde woman turned back away from her.

"I wasn't sure whether to believe Ana when she said you ripped your choker off. I thought I had misunderstood her. Can I ask why?"

"No. It's not relevant at the moment, so I won't bother going into it." Lacie quipped snidely, echoing the first conversation that Bridget and Lacie had out on that very same patio, the morning of Lacie's first full day at the mansion. "Why would you care anyway? You just want me around so I can help with your plans. It's not like you did anything for me because either you or Master actually cared about me. You just did it because you needed me to be your trump card." Lacie hissed, finally turning to glare at Bridget.

The older girl sighed. 

"Fine, Lacie. I can see that you want nothing to do with us at the moment. I'll leave your tasks here in the mornings. They'll be written on a note by your food. Remember though, no matter what or how you feel, when you go to the party, you have to at least act happy there, or the whole thing falls apart. If Master looks unhappy, or you defy him and other people see you, it weakens our position, and everything will backfire. I can't pretend to know what this is doing to you, and I wish it hadn't been this way, but I can't change it now. For what it's worth, we're all sorry you had to go through this."

Lacie crossed her arms over she chest as she heard Bridget stand and move back to the house. Lacie couldn't resist throwing one last barb at Bridget.

"As far as I care, you being sorry isn't worth a damn thing."

Lacie heard a slight hesitation in the other woman's footsteps as Bridget walked away. The sliding doors whooshed aside and, wordlessly, Bridget retreated back into the house. Lacie hung her head. Pushing her chair back, Lacie stood up and walked off the patio, heading into the grounds. The sun began to dip over the horizon as Lacie walked out across the soft, wet grass. She wrapped her arms around herself as a chilly breeze swept by. Shivering slightly, Lacie began to wander, heading into the forests behind the mansion. Lacie didn't really have a plan or reason for why she was heading out onto the grounds, but she knew she didn't want to head back inside. Sighing, Lacie pushed deeper into the wild forests as the sun set.

The time alone gave her the opportunity to think about what Bridget had said. Lacie didn't want to admit it, but she knew her 'friend' was probably right. Lacie knew what Master was doing was a good thing, and that it was helping improve the lives of countless others. Lacie knew she didn't want to hate him, she didn't want to hate anyone. Master had betrayed her trust, and though he had asked for her forgiveness and Lacie knew he deserved it, his betrayal could very well have cost Lacie her very life. Even one distraction, one moment's hesitation, or one unforeseen hitch in the plan would have sent Lacie spiraling into a world of horrors she couldn't even imagine. 

She knew she was being harsh to him and Bridget, and she wanted to forgive them, but Lacie's emotional wounds were still too raw. Lacie blinked in surprise as the forest suddenly stopped. Standing only a few feet before her was a razor wire topped fence, blinking lights adorning every steel post that was anchored into the ground. Lacie had wandered all the way to the edge of Master's property. Still not wanting to head back, Lacie turned along the fence and followed it away from the mansion.

'I should stop being so harsh on them.' Lacie thought. 'They're only doing what they feel they have to do.'

'Really?' Another voice in her head argued. 'They had to betray you and hang you out to dry? They had to use you as bait for those monsters? They used you. They used you!;

'They had to.' The first voice riposted. 'If not me, then they would have used someone else. I wouldn't wish that betrayal on anyone. If it had to be someone at least it's... me...'

Then, Lacie halted, instinctive fear locking her knees as adrenaline shot into her blood before her conscious mind could even comprehend the situation she faced. About forty feet in front of her, Lacie could see that a massive tree had fallen. The ancient oak had snapped off at it's base, age, weight and disease toppling the massive forest patriarch. While not unusual in a forest, it was where the tree had fallen that concerned Lacie. When the tree had died, it fell and landed straight across the fence that was supposed to keep poachers off Master's property. The tall metal fence never stood a chance. Ripped, torn and shredded lengths of steel and wire lay strewn everywhere, mixed with crushed branches and fallen leaves. Lacie's hands flew to her neck, checking that the tracker she knew was in her choker was still there. Belatedly, Lacie remembered she had torn it off in anger that morning. 

If poachers had discovered the weakness, they could already be on the grounds.

Lacie's first thoughts were of the tortures Claire had suffered at the hands of her other owners. The revelation of that same possible danger, here, now, shocked Lacie into frenzied action. Turning, Lacie bolted down the length of the fence. Despite knowing it would take longer than if she tried to run straight through the forest, the benefit of following the fence was that Lacie knew it emerged from the trees only a half mile north of the house. She didn't want to risk losing time by getting lost in the dark trees. Lacie knew that her friends in the house had to be warned, and that there very well could be poachers right behind her. That terrifying thought spurred her on, encouraging Lacie in her headlong sprint beside the fence.




Lacie Ch. 10



Lacie's heart hammered in her chest, her breath turned ragged in her lungs as she struggled to pull enough air to sustain her breakneck pace. The moon was out, casting wan light over Lacie's path as the brunette girl ran. In the darkness, Lacie's imagination began to play tricks on her. At first, Lacie knew she was alone in the woods. Then, she could have sworn she heard the faint echoes of running feet hitting the ground, in a longer gait than hers. Looking behind her, Lacie saw nothing, but the sound seemed to grow even louder. Lacie shook her head and tried, without success, to convince herself that it was just her imagination. Gasping from exertion and terror, Lacie ran faster than she had ever run in her life, adrenaline slicing through her veins as she sprinted along the fence. Lacie's lungs burned and her legs felt like they were on fire, but her terror wouldn't let her stop.

Finally, many long minutes after Lacie had made her frightening discovery, she emerged from the dark forest. Making a sharp turn, Lacie gasped for breath as she ran towards the distant lights of the house. Her hair streaming behind her, Lacie sucked in deep breaths, trying to fuel her body for the last desperate stretch of her panicked flight. Lacie looked over her shoulder again, swearing that she could hear a pursuer behind her. The quick glance cost her. Lacie had forgotten that the grounds just north of the mansion were slightly hilly. When Lacie had looked back, she had though she was running up the side of a small hill, when in fact, the weak light of the moon had tricked her and she was actually just reaching the top of the hill. Lacie pulled her right foot forward, stomping it down as she sprinted towards the mansion. The resistance she expected from the side of the hill did not materialize, and Lacie's forward inertia threw her off balance.

Lacie fell, slamming face first into the soft, wet grass. The far slope of the hill was steep and wet. Lacie's momentum worked against her, the slick grass causing her to slide down the hill, rolling and tumbling as she fell. Lacie felt a searing flash in her right ankle as it caught for a moment, causing Lacie to cry out in pain. The cry was cut short when Lacie's left temple smacked into something hard and unyielding as she rolled. Bursts of light flashed across Lacie's vision, as waves of dizziness suddenly assaulted her. Finally slowing from her brief but violent tumble, Lacie groaned into the dirt beneath her. Lacie could feel something warm and wet trickling down the side of her face as a pounding headache reared up, the throbbing pain in her head nauseating her, threatening to make her vomit.

Shaking her head to clear out the cobwebs that had suddenly sprung up there, Lacie pushed herself to her hands and knees. Her whole body ached from the tumble, and she was pretty sure she had concussed herself. Shakily, Lacie stood. Remembering why she was so desperate to reach the mansion, Lacie tried to resume her headlong dash, only to be brought back to her hands and knees with a sharp gasp when fire ripped outwards from her ankle the moment she put her weight on it.

Looking down, Lacie could see that her leg was already swelling. Gently rising again, Lacie tried to gingerly place her weight on the badly twisted ankle. Though it was incredibly painful, the damaged joint was able to support her weight for a few moments. That was all that Lacie was willing to risk stressing the wound with, but it was all she needed. The trickle along her left temple began to drop over her eye and Lacie swiped at it with one hand, clearing her vision. Lacie knew she still had to reach the mansion as fast as possible, so the injured girl began to hobble towards the lights that were now little more than a quarter mile away.

Lacie's hand felt strange, as if the water she had wiped off her face was making her fingers stick together. Limping to avoid straining her injured ankle, Lacie lifted her wet hand in the moonlight. Lacie gasped as she saw her fingers were coated in crimson. Turning her head, Lacie could see that the shoulder of her shirt was already stained red. Lacie gritted her teeth, knowing her injuries were just beginning to show, but could, and likely would, quickly grow much worse if any poachers caught up to her. Limping as fast as she could, Lacie's breath came raggedly, warning her that her body was approaching exhaustion as her legs trembled with strain. Finally clearing the last hill due north of the mansion, Lacie saw Marie outside, her sundress billowing in the light breeze as she brought some plants back into the greenhouse to keep them from getting too cold overnight.

Lacie waved her arms over her head and screamed Marie's name, desperately trying to get the Hispanic girl's attention. Finally, Marie turned towards Lacie, a curious expression on her face. When she saw the brunette girl running towards her, limping and partly covered in blood, her eyes widened. The pot she had been carrying fell to the ground, the clay shattering as it struck the hard packed dirt. Immediately grasping that they were somehow in danger, Marie turned and began to scream for Master. Terror filling her eyes, Marie turned and dashed back towards the mansion, yelling as she did. Marie reached the doors well before Lacie and threw them open, desperately beckoning Lacie inside. 

Less than a hundred yards from the door, Lacie's tortured ankle finally gave out, her aching, bruised body no longer having the strength to carry her. Her fingers desperately scrabbling in the dirt, Lacie got to her hands and knees and began to crawl. Looking desperately at Marie, Lacie saw when the look of fear in the dark skinned girl's eyes morphed into to pure, unrestrained terror. Lacie looked back behind her as she desperately crawled towards the open door. Time seemed to slow as a pair of silhouettes, clothed entirely in black, materialized out of the darkness, both headed straight for Lacie. A she screamed in terror as the two figures closed.

Lacie knew she was losing the race, and as she desperately tried to crawl away, one of the figures snapped out a long black rod, a pair of crackling electrodes at the end. It was a shock prod, meant to restrain and punish rogue slaves. Looking back towards the mansion, Lacie saw she still had fifty feet to the house. She knew she would never make it there in time, even though Marie bravely stood her ground, holding the door open as she screamed for Lacie. The black clad poachers were less than fifteen feet away from Lacie when she gave a wail of despair, throwing her arms over her head, instinctively trying to protect herself. The crackling sound moved closer and as Lacie closed her eyes and screamed in terror, an instinctive denial of what was about to happen. As she prepared for the stabbing, burning sensation of being struck, something totally unexpected happened. She was surprised by a primal scream of rage, the sound coming from in front of her, cutting off only to be followed immediately by a thudding sound so deep, Lacie could have sworn she felt it vibrate in the ground beneath her

At almost the same time, Lacie heard a sharp, rippling, snapping sound. A man's gurgling scream echoed through the night. Confused, Lacie uncovered her head and looked behind her. One of the black clothed men was on the ground, writhing in agony. A dirty, muddy boot-print was stamped into the middle of his chest, and from his wheezing gasps, the thud had been from some kind of kick, one that had landed straight across his sternum. Lacie realized, to her horror, that the snapping noise following the kick had likely been the sound of his entire ribcage shattering.

Her eyes snapped over to the remaining black clad poacher. The man was barely standing, his body jerking and twisting as he was rocked by blow after powerful blow. Master stood there, barely four feet away from Lacie as he pummeled the poacher with his bare hands, his fists and booted feet lashing out to slam heavily into Lacie's would-be assailant. Master unloaded a brutal flurry of punches to the man's gut, and as the poacher doubled over, Master's feet moved rapidly, distancing him from the man slightly. Faster than Lacie's eyes could follow, he crouched and leaped towards his opponent. Master's right knee hooked out wide, his foot tucked in tightly to his body. Finally, right when Lacie realized what he was doing, Master's foot flashed out, the toe of his boot connecting with the man's neck as Master unleashed a punishing kick. There was an incredibly loud, sharp snap and the black clad poacher collapsed. Lacie knew from the boneless way he fell that the man was dead before he hit the ground.

Chest heaving, Master crouched warily between his felled opponents, the man with the crushed chest having gone still only moments before. The look in Master's eyes seemed like it would scorch the earth bare from the heat of his rage. Moments passed where the only sounds were the ragged breathing of Master and Lacie. Eventually, satisfied that every immediate threat had been dealt with, Master turned. Straightening, he rushed over to Lacie's side. Lacie could only stare at him as she panted for breath, her eyes wide in astonishment. Slipping his arms under her, Master lifted her as if she weighed nothing. Lacie clung to his shirt as she gulped for breath, still dazed and stunned with disbelief from her sudden rescue. Rushing to the door, he carried Lacie back inside the mansion, passing the trembling Marie. His barely restrained fury almost choked his voice as he whispered a single command to her.

"Lock it down. All of it. Right now."

Spurred into action, Marie slammed the door shut, peeking one last time at the bodies of the two poachers on the lawns. Lacie simply clung to Master and gasped for breath, too stunned to even comprehend what had just happened. Master dashed through the house, trying not to jostle his precious cargo. Finally, he reached the medical suite, just beside the workout rooms. Lacie had never been there, since she'd never had a reason to. 

Heather was already inside, humming to herself as she rearranged some supplies. She jumped when Master burst through the doors, the loud noise startling the redhead. She looked at Master before realizing he was carrying someone. When Heather looked down at Lacie, her hands flew to her mouth. Dropping the plastic bottles she had been holding when Master had burst into the room, Heather immediately ran to him, helping him carry the injured Lacie.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, directing him towards the inspection table/bed she wanted him to put Lacie on. "Did she fall off Pharaoh?"

The cold fury in Master's response caused the blood to drain from Heather's face. 

"We're breached. Lock the door." He placed Lacie on the table and gently pulled his arms away. Reaching up, he pulled a few bloody strands of hair from Lacie's face before kissing her gently on the forehead. Lacie didn't try to resist. Turning, Master dashed back out of the door, once more reminding Heather to lock it behind him.

As Lacie lay there, the full pain of her injuries finally slammed into her, causing her to groan as she rolled slightly on the wide hospital bed. Heather dashed around the room, grabbing supplies.

"Hold on Lacie, I'll be right there." Heather moved up to her and tore Lacie's blood stained shirt off her shoulders. Swiftly rubbing a swab over Lacie's shoulder, Heather leaned down, picking up a needle and tiny glass jar as she did. Drawing some of the clear liquid into the needle, Heather warned Lacie of the coming pinch. Turning her head, Lacie didn't look as Heather injected Lacie with the needle's contents. Hissing in pain, Lacie waited as Heather withdrew the needle and held a cotton swab to the injection site.

"There, that should help the pain. Try and stay still Lacie." Heather lifted a small penlight and waved it in front of Lacie's eyes. Groaning, Lacie tried to push Heather away, but the redhead simply held her down with her free hand.

"I need to make sure nothing is broken, Lacie. If I can't do that, it'll hurt more. Stop fighting me." 

Lacie let her arms fall limp, and turned back towards the painful light in Heather's hand. The red head put a patch of gauze in Lacie's hand and pressed it to her temple, just above the hairline. "Keep that there, it should stop the bleeding." Heather was quick, but thorough. 

Even before Heather had finished checking the extent of Lacie's injuries, a warm lassitude began to fill her body, trickling through her veins as the painkillers began to take effect. Heather saw Lacie's body growing lax, and she gently turned Lacie's head so that the weight of Lacie's own hand would keep pressure on the scalp wound.

Using a simple pair of scissors, Heather cut most of Lacie's clothing away, leaving her clad in her underwear alone. Despite the painkillers and Heather being as careful as possible, Lacie still screamed out in pain when Heather pulled the shoe and sock off of Lacie's badly twisted ankle. The flesh was already swollen and purple, and the slightest movement sent fiery needles up Lacie's leg. Heather set the leg down and stepped away, rummaging through a set of cupboards. Finally finding what she was looking for, Heather pulled out a tiny blue sleeve, looking almost like a flexible ankle brace. Heather moved back up to Lacie, and before the younger girl could resist, Heather slid the sleeve up Lacie's foot, snugging the device around her ankle.

Lacie cried out, but Heather ignored her, moving to a small freezer by the locked doors. Pulling out a small, cylindrical, plastic cooler, Heather hurried back to Lacie and set the cooler on a nearby countertop, stacking a couple of thick books under it, elevating the cooler. Heather then took a small tube and attached it to the cooler's spout, running the other end to the tiny cuff around Lacie's swollen ankle. Twisting a valve above the tube on the cooler, Lacie heard a gurgling sound come from the orange bucket-like container. Moments later, Lacie felt icy water begin to trickle around her ankle. Looking down, Lacie saw the cuff begin to inflate and fill with the cold liquid.

Heather walked back and gently pressed Lacie's head back onto the pillow beneath her. Lifting the gauze away, Heather "tsked" as she shook her head.

"Sorry, Lace, that'll need a few stitches. What happened?" as she spoke Heather moved away, pulling supplies out of drawers before sitting on a wheeled stool and pulling herself closer to Lacie. As she waited for Lacie to answer, she pulled a small tube of white cream out and slathered it on a piece of gauze. Gently dabbing the cream on Lacie's cut, Heather applied the local anesthetic, giving it time to sink in before she started stitching.

"I was out walking." Lacie replied slowly, the drugs in her system slowing her thoughts down. "I got to the fence," Lacie breathed absently. "A tree had fallen over the fence. I ran back." Lacie shivered slightly, goosebumps covering her body from the cold feeling creeping up her leg. Heather noticed and grabbed a nearby blanket, tossing it over her friend while tucking it under Lacie's leg, cocooning the limb, keeping the icy cuff from cooling her knee and thigh further.

"Ran back along the fence. Thought I was being followed. Ran out of the forest, then I slipped and fell. Twisted my ankle, hit my head. Kept going. I saw Marie outside, she started screaming. I fell again. Saw two poachers running at me."

"Oh my god, Lacie, how did you get away?" Heather asked, her face pale.

"Didn't." Lacie slurred, the painkillers lowering a thick haze over her thoughts. "Master fought them. Won. Carried me inside." Lacie absently stroked her throat where her choker would have been. "Lucky."

Heather nodded her wordless agreement with Lacie's assessment of the situation. Pulling a tray on a wheeled stand towards her, Heather began threading the needle to begin stitching the cut on Lacie's head. Heather angled a nearby light and got to work. She was done in minutes, efficiently sewing up the cut. She pulled a small tube from the same table and slathered it on the cut. Lacie couldn't feel what Heather was doing, so she asked.

"I just finished sewing your cut, and I put on some flexible, medical grade superglue on it. It's beneath some of your hair, so you'll have to keep it clean, but it should be invisible once it heals, provided you don't shave your head." Heather tried to joke, tossing a concerned look at the locked door. A sudden loud thudding against the wood made both girls jump, Lacie hissing in pain as she jostled her ankle.

"The mansion is on lockdown, Heather. They can't get in. There doesn't appear to be anyone inside that shouldn't be. I have the rest of the girls with me. Can you unlock the door so we can get in? I want everyone to stay together." Master's voice called from outside. Lacie could hear the faint murmurings of the other girls.

Heather moved up to the door but didn't unlock it. Placing her fists on her hips, the redhead faced the locked doors squarely.

"Safe word, or this door stays locked till we starve in here." Heather called out defiantly, her strong voice clear.

"Safe word, Breakfast at Tiffany's." Master said from the other side of the door, a slight chuckle audible in his voice.

Blushing, Heather unlocked the door and opened them. Master shepherded the rest of the girls into the room. Once everyone was in, he embraced Heather and kissed her full on the lips, kicking the door closed behind him.

Bridget looked at Heather questioningly.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's? Seriously?"

"Hey, when Master asked me what I wanted my safe code to be, I was daydreaming. I thought he asked me what my favorite movie was!" Heather defended herself, despite the giggles issuing from the other huddled girls.

Master threaded his arm around Heather and led her to Lacie's bedside. 

"How is she doing?" he asked, obvious concern in his voice as he looked at Heather.

"mmm drugged, not deaf." Lacie slurred, gently slapping his arm.

Master chuckled.

"Sorry, Lace. How are you?"

Lacie shifted slowly, the drugs in her system making her thoughts muddled and hazy. "Cold leg. Tired. Head fuzzy." she frowned. A twinkle shone in her eye a moment later as a slow smile spread. Hesitantly, she looked up at him. "Alive. Safe. Home." Lacie grinned up at Master, before her smile withered and tears began to form in her eyes. "Sorry. So sorry. So mean to you..."

Master slid his big hand across her lips, quieting Lacie's half mumbled apology. A huge smile graced his features, and Lacie could see the happiness in his eyes. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Lacie had never noticed how cute that made him. She reached out to touch the corner of his eye, but Master intercepted her hand. Holding her fingers in his gentle grip, he brought her hand to his clean shaven cheek. Smiling as he gazed at her, he leaned down over her, the thumb of his other hand gently rubbing her face. 

Slowly, Master brought his lips to Lacie's. The moment he kissed her, lightning coursed though Lacie's body, every inch of her skin seeming to tingle and burn. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, and her eyes fluttered as they rolled back into her head. Her lips felt like they were being consumed in a blissful inferno, it was so good it almost hurt. It was almost pure bliss. Lacie heard a soft, gentle moan echo around the suddenly silent medical suite, and it was only then that she realized the moan had come from her. 

Lacie threw her arms around Master's neck, despite the aches and pains, hugging him tighter as she hungrily pressed her lips to his. Master wrapped his arms around Lacie's body, squeezing her tight to him. Lacie was having a hard time breathing, but she didn't ever want him to let her go. Finally, Master pulled back, gently lowering Lacie back to her bed. Pulling her arms from around his neck, Master broke the kiss. Lacie whined at the loss, holding her arms out for Master to hold her again as a pouting expression crossed her face.




Lacie Ch. 10



Laughing, he pulled up the wheeled stool that Heather had been using while she stitched up Lacie's cut. Sitting down, he leaned back over Lacie, holding her as she slowly scooted closer, resting her head drunkenly against his arm. Lacie closed her eyes and started stroking the upper half of Master's right arm.

"Don't let her fall asleep. She's got a moderate concussion." Lacie heard Heather tell Master. Lacie felt slight pressure on her uninjured leg. Opening her eyes, Lacie saw Claire, Callie and Ana standing at the foot of her bed, all of them gingerly squeezing her leg, giving what comfort they could. They were teary eyed, but smiling. Lacie snuggled closer to Master and gave them a gentle, drunken wave. The three girls smiled back, curling their own fingers over as they returned the wave.

"How bad are her injuries?" Master asked.

"Well, considering how long they must have been chasing her, and how fast she was going when she fell, her injuries are relatively minor. She needed eleven stitches and she's got a moderate concussion, as I said. She probably hit her head on a rock when she fell. Her ankle is swollen, but I don't think it's broken, she just twisted it really badly." Heather answered, picking up and putting away the supplies she had used on Lacie. "I gave her some pretty strong painkillers, that's why she's kind of loopy at the moment. She'll be fine with a few days of rest. I've got the Icesleeve on her ankle, it should help with the swelling. Aside from a few cuts, scrapes and minor bruises and abrasions, otherwise she's fine. Do we know where the breach happened?"

"Not yet. I have some friends I trust coming in. They won't ask the questions they don't need to and won't go snooping where they don't have to. I called Michaels and Edwards personally, you've met them." Lacie saw some of the girls nod.

Callie spoke up. "Those are the guys who were here after we set up the fences, right?"

"Right." Master answered. "They know the truth of us here, so if they want to ask you anything, be as honest as you can." He turned to Lacie. "Lace, Lacie?"

"Hmm?" Lacie replied sleepily.

"Where is the breach in the fence? How did they get in?"

"North. Dead tree. Fell on fence." Lacie waved in a general northwards direction, too drugged to do or say anything more.

Master looked at the door.

"That would do it. The fences wouldn't be able to withstand the weight of a tree. Clever. It's too convenient though. I check the fence integrity every day. It was fine this morning. So either they hacked my computers or that tree fell today. That's not a lot of time for poachers to find the breach, get outfitted and sneak in. It had to be an intentional breach." Master's phone buzzed and he pulled the small device out of his pocket before answering. 

Walking away, Master began talking to the person on the other end of the line. The girls all crowded around Lacie, talking over each other at once, but Lacie never really remembered anything after that, the drugs having worked their way too deeply into her system.



Lacie Ch. 11



Chapter 11: Lacie's Day Off 

Heather didn't let Lacie sleep much that night, due to her concussion. She woke Lacie intermittently, checking on her condition, making sure her head injury didn't worsen. Most of the group stayed in the medical suite, only Lindsey and Master went outside once Master's 'friends' arrived. For a few hours the girls heard nothing about what was going on. Then Master came back with Lindsey in tow. Lindsey had gotten dressed up in an outfit made of nothing but lace and leather, a show for the men outside investigating the breach of Master's property. Two men in dark suits entered the medical suite behind Master. They shook the girl's hands, and Master introduced them as his friends Don Michaels and Brian Edwards.

Brian began checking Lacie's injuries almost immediately, while apologizing for the awkward inspection, tossing question after technical question at Heather. Heather was delighted to have someone else to talk to who knew medicine. Soon the two were so deep in medical detail that it confused Lacie and made her head hurt. Later, Lacie learned that he had been a medic in the army for a few years, before getting out of the armed forces. 

His partner fired question after question at Lacie, who did her best to answer. Part of her was irritated at the constant stream of seemingly repetitive questions, but it helped keep her mind off the other man still scrutinizing her injuries. Don wrapped up his questions for Lacie and picked up his radio, speaking rapidly to his men outside. Brian finished with Lacie soon after, reluctantly wrapping up his discussion with Heather. He commended her on her exemplary care of Lacie, and departed with his partner, both men speaking to the assembled women in turn, being as courteous as possible.

Master followed his friends out of the room, and Heather finally gave Lacie permission to sleep. The other girls hunkered down inside the medical suite, unable to return to their rooms due to the uniformed men still swarming the grounds, looking for more intruders. Lacie closed her eyes and smiled, remembering the short, passionate kiss she had shared with Master only a few hours previously. She was out in moments.

The next morning Lacie woke to the soft breathing sounds of the other girls. Looking to her left, Lacie saw Claire and Lindsey cuddling on the next bed, both sound asleep. Callie and Heather were in the bed to her right, though they were facing away from each other. 

Lacie's mouth was dry, making her grimace in discomfort. Lacie tried to sit up to get a glass of water, but a sudden, pounding headache made her flop back with a groan. Immediately, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder.

"What do you need, sweetie?" Lacie heard Tara say. Lacie croaked a response.

"Water."

"Let me get you that. You shouldn't be moving around with your ankle. Back in a flash." Lacie heard Tara patter barefoot across the med suite. The sound of running water came from nearby and soon the small girl was back at Lacie's bedside, holding out a glass of water. Lacie cracked her eyes open and lifted the glass to her lips. The water was slightly warm and tasted funny, but it soothed her mouth and throat, quenching Lacie's thirst.

"Thanks." Lacie said, her voice much softer as she looked at the asian girl.

"No worries. I was up anyway. I couldn't sleep at all last night."

Not that she was going to say anything, but it was obvious to Lacie that Tara wasn't exaggerating. The smaller girl's eyes were slightly bloodshot and had dark circles under them. She pulled herself up onto the foot of Lacie's bed and perched there, her legs dangling off the edge.

"I was really freaked out last night. We thought that they had caught you and you'd fought free at first. Then Marie told us what she saw by the door. I didn't know Master could fight like that." a shiver ran down Tara's spine.

"I'm glad he can. I wouldn't be here if he couldn't." Lacie said with a smile. "Lock the door then come here. You can lay down next to me."

Tara gave Lacie a small smile of gratitude before hopping down to lock the door. Once Tara got back, she pulled herself up onto the bed next to Lacie. Laying her head down with a moan, Tara began to fill Lacie in on what had happened since she fell asleep.

"Master's friends came back in a few hours after you conked out."

"Did they find anyone else?"

"No people. Some footprints though. Master's people brought in dogs around midnight. All of the trails ended up circling back to the broken fence. They think that the rest of the poachers got spooked when Master killed those two guys. They're launching an investigation into who they were. Hauled the bodies off right away. Hopefully that will pan out. Master hired a crew of guys to chop the tree up and repair the fence. It should be running again by tomorrow. He doesn't want us going outside the mansion itself till then though. The doors are all barred from the inside, so not even Master can get in unless we let him in. We're safe for now. We don't think any poachers got into the house, but we're traveling in pairs just in case. Bridget went with Ana to go make us some breakfast. I said I'd stay up here in case someone woke up and had to go get something."

"So we stopped them?"

"Sounds that way." Tara said, rolling over to face Lacie. "Thank you for that. If you hadn't seen the tree, we'd have never known they were here till it was too late. Heather says you nearly killed yourself trying to get back here to warn us." Tara's eyes clouded with unfallen tears of gratitude as she held her arms out to Lacie. "Thank you."

Lacie smiled, holding her arms out to the shorter girl as Tara enfolded her in a hug.

"You'd have done the same for me." Lacie responded, knowing it was the truth. A different voice croaked out from the next bed over.

"Touching. Now can you two please quiet down so I can go back to sleep?" Lacie couldn't see who it was, but she did see Tara lift her head and stick her tiny tongue out at the offending speaker.

"Oh, zip it Claire."

Lacie could hear muffled snickering from the next bed over as Claire lay back down.

"Anytime you want to put that tongue to better use, let me know, cutie."

Tara flushed scarlet all the way to the tops of her ears as she ducked back behind Lacie. Both girls could hear Claire's muffled laughter as the older girl buried her face in a pillow to keep from waking the others. Lacie smiled to herself. Everything seemed like it was back to normal. 

A soft tapping came from the door, and Lacie recognized Ana's distinctive, slightly timid knock.

"Open up!" Bridget called from the other side of the door. "We're back with breakfast."

Lacie heard Claire sigh and get up. Looking over her shoulder, Lacie flushed when she saw that both Claire and Lindsey apparently had slept in the nude. Claire winked at Lacie before throwing the covers back over Lindsey, who was still fast asleep. Reaching down, Claire picked up a robe and slipped it on. Another insistent knock came from the door and Claire responded irritably.

"Yeah yeah, hold your damn horses. Gimme a sec to put some clothes on. Safe Code?" Claire queried. There was a small sigh outside and they heard Ana speak up in response.

"Claire, be for opening the damn doors of please. Is cold out here and I are not for wanting to waste my timing of playing word games with silly little girls. Is just us for being out here and food are getting cold."

Claire's look of incredulity made Lacie giggle. It was probably the first time either of them had ever heard Ana cuss. The stunned look remained on Claire's face as she unlocked the doors. The handle turned and swept inwards as Bridget and Ana pushed their way into the med suite. They were hauling a large cart between them, and it was absolutely full of trays, plates, glasses and utensils. As Ana brushed past the slack jawed Claire, she lifted herself onto tiptoe and planted a quick kiss on Claire's cheek, teasing the older girl again.

"Thanks you." she said, a huge grin on her face.

Claire was so confused, Lacie swore she could have blown her over with a feather. Bridget and Ana were giggling up a storm, and Lacie could feel Tara shaking with silent laughter as she lay next to her. Finally, Claire seemed to come out of it and turned to Lacie, a querying look on her face. Lacie simply held up her hands and shrugged. The confused girl shook her head and closed the door again, locking it once it was shut. Bridget and Ana were gently shaking girls awake all around the room, passing out plates from the cart they had pushed in with them. Claire sidled up to Ana and bumped the shorter girl with her hip. 

"Silly little girl? You're at least four inches shorter than me, missy." Claire said to her, cocking one eyebrow at the grinning Ana.

"Really?" A teasing light grew in Ana's eyes. "Perhaps I are meaning little in other ways." she said suggestively, turning to face Claire directly. Ana ran her hands up Claire's robe, stopping right as her hands slid over the once-again stunned Claire's chest. Gently pushing, Ana backed Claire up to the counter, her hands gently squeezing Claire's breasts through her robe. Leaning in, Ana moved as if to kiss the taller girl, slowly angling her head back, lifting herself onto her tiptoes as Claire moaned weakly. Less than a hairsbreadth from making contact with Claire's lips, Ana smiled and suddenly tweaked Claire's nipples, winking at her before dancing back, dodging Claire's questing lips as the other girl instinctively leaned in, trying to kiss Ana.

"See? Silly." Turning and skipping away, Ana once again left Claire standing there, gaping like a stranded fish. Laughter echoed through the small room as the rest of the girls began to giggle at the expression on Claire's face. It was rare to see someone teasing Claire, since she was usually the one doing the teasing. To see one of the most shy and awkward amongst them do it to her made it even more funny to the assembled girls.

"Claire," Bridget said, trying to get the bewildered girl's attention. "Don't worry about it. She's been acting like this all morning. I think she might have gotten into some of the drugs that Heather keeps around here."

"Not likely," Heather yawned, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she stretched. "I keep those under lock and key."

"Nope. No druggings for me. Just having for good day. We all still here, thank yous to Lacie, and we happy, safe, mostly unhurt, and still being living. Is good day." Ana explained. 

Lacie had to admit, Ana had a damn good point. Considering the very real danger they had all been in, a moderate concussion and a twisted ankle were a small price to pay for their continued safety. The rest of the girls were soon swept up in Ana's good mood, though Claire looked slightly uncomfortable as she sat and fidgeted in her seat. Curious, Lacie watched Claire and saw the rocker girl cast furtive glances at Ana from time to time. Lacie almost laughed out loud when she realized what was bothering Claire. She had the good sense not to draw attention to her discovery though. Ana really had gotten to Claire, in more ways than one.

Ana ducked into the cart she had been pushing, pulling out a huge covered tray. It took both her arms to carry, and the tiny Russian girl almost fell twice while carrying it over to Lacie. Setting the huge platter on Lacie's lap, Ana stepped back and grasped the handle topping the lid.

"And this, be for Miss Heroine of house." Ana said with pride, sweeping the lid off the massive tray. Immediately, Lacie felt a huge burst of steam waft up into her face. The smell of sugar and cinnamon, mixed with the delicious scents of fresh bread and other warm spices, made Lacie's mouth water as she inhaled deeply. Looking down, Lacie saw a huge tray of food. Eggs, pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage, syrup soaked waffles, apple slices, strawberries, grapes, and in the center of the tray, a cluster of steaming, spiced cinnamon rolls. The soft, gooey bread was literally dripping with the warm sugar glaze that Ana had slathered on top of the aromatic treat.

Lacie's mouth dropped open as she looked at the freshly baked rolls. Reaching out, Lacie picked one up, biting into the soft bread, moaning in rapture as the flavors mixed in her mouth. Ana stepped back and grinned, practically glowing with happiness and pride. Lacie looked down again at the tray. Realizing there was more food there than Lacie could eat even if she had a few days to accomplish it, Lacie waved the other girls in, inviting them to share her feast. All of the others rushed up to try some, and Lacie giggled as she held the tray out.

By the time the rush was over, all the girls had full plates and were sitting back down. There was one cinnamon roll left on the tray, and Ana picked it up to set it on a spare plate nearby, along with a few of the remaining pieces of food. A few minutes later, Bridget's ever-present tablet buzzed, and she set her plate aside. Picking up the tablet, Bridget grinned.

"Master's finished outside, the crews finished clearing the tree. Now they're waiting on the guys who'll be fixing the fence. Master wants to come back in."

"I'll go with you." Claire jumped off the foot of the bed she had been sharing with Lindsey, pecking her lover on the head. Lindsey reached out and grabbed Claire, pulling her in for a quick, sugary kiss on the lips. Claire smiled at Lindsey before heading out the med suite door with Bridget. The girls continued to eat, waiting on their friends to return with Master.

It wasn't long before they heard a knock at the door and Ana stood up to answer. 

"Who being it?" she called out playfully.

"Just let us in, you crazy Russian tease." Claire's voice sounded from the other side of the door. 

Ana giggled while unlocking the door. Bridget and Claire came through the open door first, followed by Master. Oddly, he wasn't wearing his usual business suit. Instead he was in heavy leather work boots, blue denim jeans and a black t-shirt. It was obvious from the tiny scratches on his hands and the windswept look of his hair (which had a few twigs still stuck in it) that he had been helping the crews clear the tree away from their disabled fence. As he passed Ana by, the tiny blonde crouched and jumped, landing right in the middle of Master's broad back. His eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to maintain his balance, even sweeping one arm behind him to playfully swat at Ana as she clung to him.

"Hey, get off!" He grumbled, while angling his arms behind him to lift Ana into a more comfortable position, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Looking back over his shoulder, he grinned at the small girl, letting her know that he was happy to play along. Ana lifted her hands and slid her fingers into Master's thick hair, shaking her hands as she did. Master leaned forward slightly, and specks of sawdust and a few tiny leaves and broken twigs cascaded down. Straightening, Master grinned.

"Well, would you look at all these lazy bums. Not a one of you has done one thing today, save monkey girl back there." Master jerked a thumb behind him, indicating Ana, who still clung doggedly to Master's back. Ana smiled, but like a shy child, she hid her face behind Master's head. 

"Speaking of which..." Master trailed off, reaching out to pick up the plate which had the last cinnamon roll on it. Tearing a piece off with his fingers, he popped the treat into his mouth as he leaned against the countertop, careful not to squash Ana as he did.

Master's teasing prompted a barrage of glares as the assembled women stared him down. Master began to laugh around his breakfast as he saw the girl's reactions. 

"Come on, the crews are all gone, I have a security detail watching the fence. We're as safe as we're going to get. I think a day off is in order. Let's go out to the pool."

A cheer rose up from the women as they dashed towards the door, glad to finally be free of their confinement. Master leaned back over the counter, gently placing Ana down before pulling her arms away. Master popped the last of his cinnamon roll into his mouth as he turned around to lift her off the counter and back down to the floor. As he reached for her, Ana intercepted one hand, pulling his sugar and cinnamon coated fingers to her mouth, gently sucking his fingertips as she gazed straight at his eyes. Giggling, Ana licked her lips and vaulted down off the counter by herself before dashing off, leaving Lacie and Master alone in the Med suite.

Before Master could turn and give Lacie the questioning look that she knew was coming, Lacie spoke up.

"Don't worry about it. She's been like that all morning. I don't know what she was doing in the kitchens around Bridget, but you should have seen her earlier with Claire. "

Master turned with a grin.

"Bridget mentioned something had happened. Wish I could have seen it, I've never seen Claire speechless before."

He walked over to her bedside and sat down on the nearby wheeled stool. The smile ghosted from his face. Leaning over her bedside, Master steepled his fingers in front of his face.

"Look Lacie, I don't know if you're ready to forgive me yet, but I wanted to thank you for last night. You just might have saved everyone here. If you hadn't...."

Lacie covered his mouth with one hand and shook her head. She'd been drugged, but a few things had become very clear to her last night, and she wanted him to know how she felt.

"Shut up. Last night, you saved me. Not the other way around. And it wasn't the first time, either. You saved me at the auction. Yes, you manipulated me, yes, I have a right to be angry, but the end result got me to this place. If you hadn't set me up, I would never have been involved, and I would have ended up a real slave for someone else, someone who wouldn't care about me, someone who... well, someone who wouldn't treat me like a person, like you do. So thank you. I love it here. I always have. I did what I did last night because I had to. As far as I'm concerned, you've saved my life twice. That means I have to forgive you." Lacie smiled impishly, "But, only on three conditions."

Master raised an eyebrow.

"I'm listening."

"First, I'm not the black plague. Stop avoiding me." Lacie said, her grin teasing Master.

He laughed.

"Done."

"Two, fix my choker. Please? I want it back. The same one if possible. It might take me a while to wear it again, but I want the option of putting it back on if I choose to."

"I'll see what I can do. I don't know if it can be repaired easily, but I'll do what I can. What's your third condition?"

Lacie lay back, snuggling deeper onto the bed, smiling shyly as she pulled the sheets up around her neck.

"Kiss me again?" She whispered nervously. Lacie could suddenly feel her heart begin hammering in her chest. She was amazed he couldn't hear it.

A smile slowly grew on Master's face as he looked down at Lacie. The same crinkles around his eyes that Lacie found so adorable reappeared as Master stood up. Leaning over Lacie, he slid his big hands under her shoulder and behind her head, gently twining his fingers into her hair as he moved closer. Mere inches away, Master slowed and stopped, Lacie choked off her disappointed whine before he could hear it. A teasing glint shone in his eye as he spoke.

"Yes ma'am." 

His open lips pressed against Lacie's and her eyes snapped open wide. The sensation was even better than Lacie remembered. Electricity crackled through every nerve in her body, every fiber of her being felt like it was tingling and burning at the same time, but the sensation was so pleasurable, Lacie's eyes rolled back into her head as she closed her eyelids with a soft moan. Wrapping her arms hungrily around his neck, Lacie pulled herself up, pressing her lips to his so hard it hurt. Even the sweet pain was delicious to Lacie. She felt his arms slide behind her, holding her close to him as he opened his mouth. Lacie's tongue darted out of her mouth and slowly slid against his. Lacie let out a sound that was half whine, half moan as Master kissed her deeply. Lacie's world spun around her and she finally broke the kiss, desperately pulling in air as her breath shuddered in her lungs. 




Lacie Ch. 11



Master didn't seem like he was finished however, and Lacie gasped as she felt his warm, soft lips kiss her neck, her eyes flying wide at the sensation. Lacie's fingers slid up his back to tangle themselves into Master's hair. Pulling him into her, Lacie wordlessly encouraged him to continue. Lacie's breath came in quick gasps as every touch of his lips to her skin sent fresh prickles of electric bliss sizzling through her body. His mouth slowly traced the line of her jaw, sliding up towards her ear. Gently sucking her earlobe into his mouth, Master let it scrape through his teeth as he released her ear.

Lacie's skin broke out in goosebumps and a deliciously pleasurable chill raced down her spine. Turning her head back, Lacie leaned into him, begging him for another kiss. Long moments Lacie waited, anticipation building. Finally, she opened her eyes to see him grinning impishly at her. She could tell he was teasing her, holding back any further kisses.

Lacie's eyes immediately slitted into an impatient glare. Spitting Master with her dagger-like gaze, Lacie huffed at him as she withdrew her hands from his hair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What?" he teased. "You only asked for one!" Master leaned back, making as if to let Lacie go.

Realizing he was going to leave her high and dry, Lacie uncrossed her arms and lunged.

"No you don't!" She playfully exclaimed, grabbing his shirt and pulling him back over her. Master began to laugh as she tugged him down, but the jovial look on his face quickly shifted when he saw Lacie's face twist in pain. Jumping back instantly, Master threw his arms up and away, not wanting to touch Lacie and possibly hurt her. Lacie opened one eye as she grimaced up at him.

"Sorry," She apologized. "Jostled my leg a bit when I pulled you back down. My fault."

Master moved back to Lacie. She thought he was possibly going to pick up where they had left off, but Lacie realized, with no small amount of disappointment, that the playful mood had vanished. Master frowned.

"Well, that ankle of yours rules out strenuous activity. At least till it heals. Tell you what, I bet most of the others are already on their way out to the pool. How about we forego the trip back up to our rooms and I just carry you outside? It's absolutely gorgeous out there."

Nodding her assent, Lacie held out her arms to him, helping him support her weight. Sliding his arms under Lacie's back and the crook of her legs, Master picked her up and walked out of the med suite. Lacie lay her head against his chest as he carried her, listening to his slow, rhythmic heartbeat. Humming to herself in pleasure, Lacie closed her eyes and relaxed. It was only a minute or two before Lacie felt sunshine on her face and fresh air began to fill her lungs. Smiling, Lacie opened her eyes. Looking around, Lacie saw the girls already by the pool, setting out towels on the chaise lounges and slipping into their swimsuits and bikinis behind makeshift towel curtains that other girls held for them.

Tara raced up and smiled.

"Hey Lace, I thought you might want something more than that robe. Here, I just finished this for you a few days ago. You...umm...didn't seem like you were in the mood for gifts." Grinning at her friend, Lacie took the swimsuit that Tara handed her. It was a beautifully designed bikini, the outfit was small, but not embarrassingly so. The fabric was beautifully designed, a shimmering mix of blue and sparkling silver. The lines undulated like waves across the patches of cloth. Lacie loved it.

Master set Lacie down on one of the chaise lounges before moving off to the grill set off to one side of the pool. Ana walked up to him, clad in a bright blue one-piece. The two had a short discussion before walking back to the house, Master letting the tiny girl clamber up onto his back once again, carrying her back into the house. Callie and Lindsey walked over and helped Lacie dress in her new swimsuit, Callie helping Lacie actually dress while Lindsey held up a towel as a changing curtain. 

Claire was dashing around like a kid in a candy store, a bottle of suntan lotion in her hands, offering to rub sunscreen on anyone who needed it. It was such a blatant, obvious ploy, Lacie simply had to laugh. Waving Claire over, Lacie giggled as the goth girl ran up, winking at Lacie as she did.

"Hey, since I was so grievously injured in my brave and selfless attempt to keep you safe, I think you owe me a favor or two." Lacie grinned, teasing the older girl as she lay facedown on the chaise lounge beneath her. Claire didn't miss the opportunity and soon had Lacie moaning gently beneath her as Claire not only applied the lotion to Lacie's legs and back, but also made sure to work it into Lacie skin well by gently massaging her as she did. Claire wasn't at work long before they heard another voice. 

"If that's the best massage you can give someone, Claire, you need more practice." Marie pulled up another chaise lounge and sat down on it, flanking Lacie as she did. "Put more pressure here and less here. There's a nerve cluster here and a lot of people carry tension here." Every time Marie said the word 'here' Lacie felt heavy pressure dig into her back, Marie's thumbs pushing into her muscles, releasing tension and loosening knots. Lacie's groans immediately heightened in intensity.

Claire took up the challenge and began to massage Lacie with renewed pressure and attention to detail. Marie got to work on Lacie's other side, equaling and exceeding Claire in skill, though the raven haired girl's enthusiasm helped make up for the lack. Smiling to herself, Lacie allowed the other two girls to continue for a few minutes longer, till a shocking splash of water caused all three girls to jump, squealing with surprise. Callie and Tara floated alongside Lindsey in the pool, the three of them having all thrust out their arms at the same time, making a huge wave of water that had splashed over the edge of the pool and onto the distracted girls.

"Oh, no you didn't, honey!" Claire yelled, a smile on her face as she dashed around to the dry tiles beside the floating girls. Lindsey saw Claire headed straight for her at a run, and realized what she was about to do. With a playful shriek, Lindsey dove under the water, swimming away from Claire. Reaching the edge of the massive pool, Claire jumped into the air, curling her arms around her body as she cannonballed straight into the water where Lindsey had been mere seconds earlier. Another wave of water splashed up and barely missed Lacie, who sat watching the scene before her with a smile. 

Surfacing, both Lindsey and Claire dove at each other, trying to dunk each other's heads beneath the surface. Giggling, Tara and Callie engaged in their own aquatic wrestling match. Claire quickly gained the upper hand in her match, though her tactics were a little underhanded. Apparently Lindsey was very, very ticklish. A few moments later, everyone was soaked yet again, when a massive wave surged up and splashed all of the giggling, wrestling girls. Master popped his head back out of the waves, sending cascades of water flying as he reared up out of the water. His massive cannonball had been what made the wave.

The four wrestling girls looked at each other silently, a wordless conversation passing instantly between them before all four turned and converged on Master. Huge grins grew on their faces as they caught their laughing prey. All four attacked him simultaneously, using their combined weight to shove him beneath the surface of the water. Master surfaced with a playful roar, reaching out and grabbing Callie by the waist. Shaking with laughter, Callie beat her fists gently against Master's muscled chest before gasping in surprise, and letting out a shriek as he surged again, lifting her completely out of the pool before gently tossing her in a graceful arc, despite her wide-eyed flailing. Callie landed in deep water about ten feet away, splashing down, only to surface a few seconds later, a delighted grin on her face as she shook water from her hair.

A competition soon ensued, the girls trying to push and hold him under while he grabbed girls in turn, tossing them away, sending them flying through the air with his powerful arms. Landing with shrieks and giggles of laughter, the girls would swim back, reaching Master just in time to see one of the other girls go flying. Lacie sat by the edge of the pool on her reclining lounge chair, smiling as she watched her friends at play. Looking over, Lacie saw the other girls talking by the grill as they also watched the aquatic battle. Lacie lay back in her lounge, soaking up sun as she relaxed.

It wasn't long before Callie climbed out of the pool, signaling the end to the battle. Puffing, Callie snorted once, clearing the chlorinated water from her nose. Laying down on the lunge chair next to Lacie, Callie grinned as she panted, her eyes bright as she dripped water all over the ground. 

"Wish you could join us. That was fun."

"It certainly looked fun." Lacie agreed.

"Who says she can't join us?" Master joined in the conversation, his arms crossed under his chin as he puffed for breath, supporting himself on the edge of the pool.

"Um, your nurse?" Lacie joked.

"Pft. You just shouldn't swim on your own. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy the pool."

Lacie cocked an eyebrow as Master hauled himself out of the water. Lacie was so distracted by his gleaming muscles, his body gently shimmering with water as he stood there, gloriously shirtless, that she almost forgot that he was soaking wet. It wasn't until he was towering over her, casting a huge, muscular shadow, that she felt the first droplets. Squealing, Lacie held her arms out, trying to fend him off. Lacie's eyes snapped open wide when Master simply grabbed both of her wrists in one huge hand and swooped under her extended arm. There was a whirl of motion, and before Lacie knew it, Master had her slung across his back in a fireman's carry. Lacie couldn't really fight him, her ankle was still too sore to jostle, and her other leg was poorly positioned. Add to that the fact that Master still had an iron grip on her wrists, and Lacie found herself effectively helpless.

Huffing, Lacie pasted a grumpy pout on her face as Master sidled up to the edge of the pool. Suddenly realizing he might be planning to simply toss her into the water, Lacie pulled back as best she could, before Master's calming voice reassured her.

"Relax, will ya? Jeez, I've carried panicked farm animals that squirmed less. I'm not throwing you in. Just, don't move." Master set Lacie down gently, seating her at the very edge of the pool, allowing Lacie to dip her feet into the warm water. Sliding into the water beside her, Master swam a small circle before gingerly lifting her legs by the calves. Turning around, Master placed his back to the wall at the edge of the pool, placing Lacie's legs on either side of his head. Gently scooting her forward, Master pulled her into the pool, seated comfortably on his shoulders. The water was the perfect depth, allowing him firm footing while also allowing Lacie to reach the water's surface. 

Soon, Claire had Callie seated on her shoulders as well, and the two women made a beeline straight for Lacie and Master. Lacie extended her hands, and Callie held hers out as well. Claire and Master circled each other for a few moments before Claire lunged, carrying Callie straight towards Lacie. The two girls grappled for a few seconds before Claire lost her footing and toppled, sending Callie splashing into the water. Laughing, the two soon got themselves sorted out. The next time they came at Master and Lacie, they had switched up, Callie carrying Claire. Lacie was at a disadvantage, since Claire was so much stronger than she was.

Despite Master's best efforts, he and Lacie lost the next two rounds before Callie slipped, sending Claire splashing into the water face first. Deciding to leave the competition a tie, Lacie ended up being slung onto Master's back as he clambered back out of the pool. Setting her back down on a lounge chair, this one much closer to the grill, Master moved off towards Ana, who looked to be starting their lunch. Sidling up behind the small girl, Master literally reached down and simply picked the tiny Russian up, slinging the stunned blonde over one shoulder. Realizing his intent, Ana's eyes lit up as she started beating on his broad back with her tiny fists, kicking wildly as she cursed at him in a steady stream of Russian obscenities.

Master walked around to the end of the pool, walking out onto the diving board at the end. Once she was out on the board, Ana panicked, switching from trying to get Master to put her down, to trying to keep him from throwing her into the water. Master seemed to suddenly change his mind as he pulled the girl off his shoulder. Ana sighed in relief as he held her to his chest, carrying her the same way he had carried Lacie around the house. Ana misread his intent though, and Master bounced once, high off the board, before coming down and using the springboard to launch both himself and Ana high into the air. Her eyes wide with surprise, Ana screamed as she plummeted down into the pool, Master still holding her tightly.

The pair vanished beneath the water with a huge splash, only to come surging up again as Master tossed her through the air, the same way he had been throwing Ana's friends earlier. Shrieking, Ana splashed down into the pool for the second time. Surfacing a second later, Ana swam over to Master, splashing a wave of water into his face. From the look of surprise on his face a second later, and the way he flinched, Ana had used the water as a shroud, and was now furiously kicking out at Master under the water. Master yelled out, half laughing, before finally turning to flee from the tiny Russian terror he had unleashed. Ana chased him all the way across the pool, shouting more obscenities at him in Russian as she flailed at him any time he came in arm's reach. Master fled, laughing the whole time, yelling back to her in Russian.

Finally escaping her, Master got out of the pool and dashed away. Ana hauled herself out of the pool and sauntered back to the other girls, all of whom were laughing uproariously. Still muttering to herself in her native language, Ana slid back behind the grill to continue with what she had been doing before Master interrupted her. Ana had a huge, self satisfied smirk on her face, and anytime she thought Master wasn't looking, she'd throw little bits and pieces of food at him. Master eventually retreated out of her range, prompting a few teasing catcalls from the tiny girl.

Lunch was simple, a few sandwiches, some fresh fruit, some potato chips and a tray of brownies that Ana suddenly pulled out of nowhere, bewildering everyone. Laughing, Ana showed them that the grill had a baking rack beside it, in what all the other girls had assumed was only a simple marble counter. 

For the rest of the day, the girls splashed and played, sunbathing and munching on snacks. Just before the sun started to set, Master finished making dinner, Ana having surrendered the grill to him in order to allow Ana to join Bridget, Marie and Heather's team in a game of water volleyball against Claire, Callie, Tara and Lindsey. Lacie sat and talked with Master as he cooked, learning about his childhood, his parents, his family and what he did for a living. 

Lacie already knew his parents had died in a house fire, but she was surprised to learn that for the rest of his childhood, Master had been raised by his grandfather. The old man had been the rock that Master had needed, and it was from him that Master realized what he wanted to do with his life. The old man had hated the new laws regarding treatment of women and had lobbied hard against them, but had ultimately been unable to stop the changes from happening. It was this attitude that he had shared with his grandson, showing him that the Laws were unjust and cruel. He taught Master how to act, how to treat others firmly but respectfully, how to lead by example, and to protect his family. It was thanks to Master's grandfather that Master had decided to build the mansion and rescue women by bringing them there.

She learned that Master was heavily invested in dozens of lucrative businesses, and that bank interest and stipends off his stock holdings alone amounted to enough money that Master was able to live and maintain the mansion comfortably. Master had just finished his story when he announced that their dinner was ready. 

Lacie was ravenous, and all the other girls had worked up an appetite as well. Master's cooking was amazing as usual, grilled corn on the cob, baked potatoes and sizzling teriyaki steaks fresh off the grill. By the time she was finished, Lacie was exhausted. The drowsy looks from the rest of the girls let Lacie know she wasn't the only tired one. A cool breeze swept across the gathering as the sun began to set, prompting the group to swiftly pack up and head back indoors. Master carried Lacie back up to her room on the fourth floor, gently laying her down on her sheets before pecking her on the forehead and wishing her goodnight. Lacie hesitated, then asked Master if he could go grab her clothes from her other room in the north hall.

Master gave her a quizzical look, but didn't say anything. Ducking out of her room, Master gathered her belongings from the other room, but by the time he returned, the exhausted Lacie had already fallen asleep. Smiling, Master pulled the covers over Lacie, gently kissing her on the lips. Even in sleep, Lacie leaned into the gentle contact. Hugging her gently, Master stepped back and gazed at her tenderly for a moment before sliding her stuffed rabbit into her hands. Lacie snuggled closer to the stuffed toy, a smile growing on her face as she slept. Slipping quietly out of her room, Master flicked Lacie's lights off before silently shutting her door behind him.



Lacie Ch. 12



Chapter 12: Lacie's Preparation

For the next two weeks, Lacie did her best to cope with handling her tasks around the house. Her ankle was still swollen six days after her injury and bruised for a week beyond that. Heather worked with Lacie every day, restoring flexibility and strength to the damaged ankle, rubbing creams and applying cold and heat packs to reduce the bruising and swelling. A few days after the injury, Lacie was able to stand on it, but moving with any semblance of speed was out of the question.

Since she was completely unable to help in strenuous activity, Lacie did her best to help out Ana and Tara with their tasks around the house, while Lindsey picked up as much slack at the farm and in the greenhouse as she could. Lacie was getting impatient for her ankle to heal, but overall, Lacie felt it was worth the trade. Not only were the other girls safe, but Lacie saw Master more and more frequently. While he never seemed to have the time to pick up where they had left off in the medical suite, he was around enough that Lacie was able to enjoy his company.

Two weeks before the 'big event' as the house had come to call it, Lacie was called in to Tara's room. Limping in, Lacie saw Claire standing off to one side of the room as Tara measured Master for clothes. Hobbling over to Claire, Lacie asked her what was going on.

"Tara is working like a madwoman. Master asked her to make us some new outfits."

"Us?" Lacie asked, confused. "I thought he was taking me and Lindsey."

Claire sighed.

"He was. I asked him if I could go in her place. I want to be there. I want to see those bastards walking around laughing. I want to watch them as their world crumbles around them and they don't even see all their work burning to ash." The cold look of anger in Claire's eyes unsettled Lacie. Putting her arm around her friend, Lacie smiled at her.

"We will watch as it burns." Lacie said, watching as her smile spread to Claire's face.

"Ok, Lacie, come up here please. I need to take a few more measurements for your dress." Lacie hobbled over to the stand that stood in front of Tara's mirrors, but Tara waved her away. "You don't need to stand there. I can do this just as easily with you on the floor and you won't have to strain that ankle getting up there."

Sighing in relief, Lacie stood as still as possible while Tara took a few more measurements. When she finished, Lacie limped back to Claire, though she was disappointed when Tara called out that it was Claire's turn. The disappointment rapidly evaporated when Master took Claire's spot, sitting on the edge of Tara's bed next to Lacie.

"How's your leg?"

"Better. Still not as good as I want it to be, but better."

"Good. Any improvement is good. I'm amazed it wasn't broken." He said, gently running the fingers of one hand absently up and down the ridge of Lacie's spine.

Lacie shivered with pleasure at the gentle contact as she responded.

"I got lucky. It still hurts though."

"I'll believe it. Still, I don't know if we'll be doing much dancing at the big party."

"What kind of party is it? Is it... a.. slave party?" Lacie asked hesitantly.

"No." Master answered quickly. "No, this is going to be an actual party. Food, drinks, music, dancing. A lot of old men in nice suits talking business. That kind of party. Not a slave party."

Lacie breathed a sigh of relief. Slave parties had been a growing fad around when Master had first bought her, and the horrors of the 'parties' made Lacie's skin crawl. They weren't really actual parties, just places where groups of slave owners got together to abuse and violate each other's women. Lacie had only that morning realized that she didn't know what kind of party Master was taking her to. Now that she knew, Lacie found that she held a strange kind of excitement regarding the party. She knew that there were going to be horrible people everywhere, people who made their living off of the pain of women, and that fact put a huge damper on Lacie's excitement. Still, she was going to be getting all dressed up, made as pretty as possible and she'd actually get to leave the grounds, not to mention the thought of dancing with Master.

As much as she loved the mansion, things were getting slightly stale. She had talked to Bridget about it, and the older girl had assured her that the feeling of restlessness would pass. Lacie had actually had a long talk with her friend, going over all the odd facets of life at the mansion that Lacie had never expected could exist. Lacie had even gone into why she had felt alone for a few weeks, talking about how she felt as though she had yet to find a place she truly belonged amongst the others. Bridget had hugged her and told her to "give it time." She had further explained that it was something that every single one of Master's girls had gone through, and all Lacie needed to do was to wait.

Bridget's convictions had lifted Lacie's spirits and, armed with new confidence, Lacie had set out to learn anything she could about what was expected of her during the final stages of Master's plan. Surprisingly, Lacie's role was actually a very small one, but it had massive implications. Now that Lacie had a moment to discuss things one on one with Master, she grabbed the opportunity to ask what effect, if any, Claire's presence would have on the plan.

"Actually," Master answered as Lacie leaned her head on his shoulder, "I wanted to ask her to come with us, but I didn't know if she could handle it. Her presence will throw them even more off balance. As far as I know, most of the executives believe she's dead. Her previous owners certainly do. The board of directors are asking me to try again with their business deal. They asked me to say a few words after their fancy dinner. They think I'll be graciously announcing my support and how I look forward to a lucrative future together as their new financial backer. I have another speech I want to give in mind. Having Claire by my side as I give it will make the moment all the more perfect. Especially since, by then, Bridget and Callie will have sent out the falsified data package that will spell doom for their company. Once I'm done speaking we leave and never go back. Honestly, the hard parts are already taken care of, we just need to be there to distract them and throw them off balance long enough for the data to get out to enough people. If we can manage that, by the time I get up to give my speech, the data will be too widespread for them to stop, and they'll find themselves under electronic and financial siege by the time we walk out the door."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Otherwise, it's just a regular party. Relax, have a few drinks, enjoy your food. Do some dancing. Find some other cute guy to make out with." Looking down at her, Master laughed the expression on Lacie's face. At the mention of another man, Lacie screwed up her face, scrunching up her features as if she'd just bitten into a sour lemon.

"Other guy? What will you be doing?" Lacie asked, playfully smacking him on the shoulder.

"Hopefully paying attention to what he needs to be doing and not getting too drunk." Tara mumbled around the tape measure she had folded between her teeth as she measured Claire.

"Oh, come on. You know I never drink off the grounds." Master nudged Lacie with an elbow. "Makes me too susceptible to the considerable charms of the pretty young ladies I'm with."

Lacie rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased by the compliment. She had to fight to keep her smile off her face. Tara finished measuring Claire and banished the three guests from her room, stating her need to get back to her 'mountain' of work. Master headed back to his offices at the north end of the mansion while Claire and Lacie decided to pop down to the kitchens and help Ana finish prepping lunch. Walking to the staircase, they actually caught Ana just as she was coming up the steps, a big plate and a bottle of cola in her hands. Explaining that the food was so that Tara could 'keep at the workings', Ana asked them to wait just a minute while she dropped off the asian girl's lunch.

Once done with her quick task, Ana skipped back to the waiting pair, and the three headed back to the dining hall. Lacie appreciated their company, as both girls slowed their pace so that Lacie and her injured leg could keep up. They fell into easy conversation about the upcoming coup, and both Lacie and Claire admitted to a growing nervousness. They knew it was to be expected, but that didn't change the fact that they knew they were walking into a very dangerous place, with very dangerous people.

They knew their reasons were sound, and the plan was good, but it didn't mean it wasn't without risk, however small. Still, as the trio walked into the dining hall and saw the rest of the household there, minus Tara and Master, their nervousness was quelled for awhile. The camaraderie of the house and the slowly changing seasons were the primary topics of the smoothly flowing conversation, and for the time being, Lacie was able to forget her worries over upcoming events.

The next few days passed quickly, her bruises fading to almost nothing while Lacie was able to move on her ankle better every day. After Tara had done some work on Lacie's outfit, she called Lacie up to her room every other day or so to check the fit and length. Despite having been at Master and Claire's first fitting, Lacie never actually saw their outfits, which left her with a strange sense of excitement and expectation.

Finally, it was only a week to the big event, and Lacie's tension was starting to creep back up. Master and Marie took Lacie aside every day to give her a few lessons in ballroom dancing, just in case someone asked her out onto the floor. It wasn't likely, with someone as imposing as Master lurking nearby (and he had promised Lacie he'd never be far away) but Lacie was adamant in wanting to help as much as possible.

At first the lessons went slowly, seeing as Lacie was still having movement issues. But as the final week passed, Lacie grew more and more confident, though she still blushed furiously anytime she took to the floor with Master. The lessons ended up taking more and more time out of her day, and Lacie was astounded to find that she seemed to have natural skill. Master was happily surprised, teaching her more and more complex dances, even going so far as to practice a few fast paced tangos and some salsa dancing.

The last few days passed in a blur as Lacie spent almost all of her waking hours in fittings, working, in dance lessons or working with Heather. Finally, it was the day before the event, and Master pulled Claire and Lacie aside.

"Look, I want to thank you both again for doing this. I know you're not happy about it, nor comfortable with it. So take the day, do something fun. Relax, sleep, eat something." He said jokingly, poking both women in the belly. Lacie and Claire both glared halfheartedly at him. Heather's exercise regimens had quickly rid all of the girls in the house of any excess weight, leaving all the girls incredibly trim and sleek. Wrapping his arms around them, he pulled the two women close, kissing them both atop the head as he simply held them. 

Neither girl could resist his tender embrace, and leaning into his chest, returned the gentle hug. Lacie closed her eyes and simply breathed, luxuriating in the feel of his arms around her. Inhaling deeply, Lacie could smell his soap and skin, the musky but clean aroma made her belly flutter and tremble with a twinge of desire. Long before she wanted him to, Master relaxed his arms and stepped back. Placing one hand on each girl's shoulder, Master gave a gentle squeeze before heading up for his final fitting.

Lacie sighed and sat down in a nearby chair, feigning disinterest in doing anything else to cover the fact that her knees refused to support her weight. Across the hall from her, Claire did the same. 

"Any ideas?" Lacie asked wistfully.

"On what to do?" Claire asked.

"Yeah."

"A few. None that you've been interested in before though." Claire answered impishly, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Ha, Ha." Lacie rolled her eyes. "You know I don't swing that way." It had become surprisingly easy to talk about her sexuality around the other girls.

"Still, you've been here several months without so much as a heavy petting session. Isn't that getting to you?"

"First off, I've gone eighteen years without one, so a few months isn't a problem. Second, it's none of your business what I do, or with whom I do it." Lacie said, turning her head to the side and tilting her chin up imperiously.

"Or with whom you're not doing it." Claire stage whispered, grinning at Lacie. Lacie tried to maintain her aloof mask, but Claire's joke and her absurdly large grin broke through Lacie's defenses. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth before her resistance crumbled entirely. Covering her smile with one hand, Lacie swiped at Claire as if to smack her, though the other girl was several feet beyond her reach.

"Gotcha!" Claire crowed triumphantly.

"Shut up." Lacie muttered, still smiling. "Help me get up. Let's go see what Callie's up to. I haven't seen her much lately."

Claire stood and helped Lacie to her feet. Lacie started to head towards the motor pool, but Claire gently snagged her sleeve.

"Hold up." Claire said, looking at the clock on a nearby wall. "I think she's just finishing up with Heather. She'll probably head to the atrium."

"I could use a soak. Lets go." Lacie said enthusiastically.

It was a bit of a walk, but Lacie's ankle barely twinged as she and Claire made their way to the north end of the mansion. Slipping into the small locker room, Lacie pulled the swimsuit that Tara had made her out of one of the lockers. (she had decided it was easier to keep it there than having to trek all the way up to her room every time she wanted to swim.) Lacie and Claire both stripped down quickly, Lacie studiously avoiding looking at Claire and her scars, despite knowing that the bisexual girl was eyeing her body up thoroughly.

Slipping into the atrium, Lacie walked around to the hot tub waterfall, peeking around the trees to see Callie sitting in the steaming water, her eyes closed as she soaked. Lacie knocked on the bole of a palm tree and called out.

"Mind if we join you?"

Lacie and Claire shared giggles as Callie squeaked in surprise and spun rapidly, scrabbling behind her for something. Lacie flushed crimson when she realized that Callie was reaching for her bikini top. Looking over at Claire, she rolled her eyes when she saw her companion was practically drooling. They gave Callie a few moments to make herself presentable.

"sure... Sure! Come on in!" Callie called, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. Both of the newcomers stifled giggles as Callie surreptitiously adjusted her top under the water. Sliding into the hot water across from Callie, Lacie hissed at the near scalding temperature. Claire simply sat at the edge, near the wall, dipping her feet into the bubbling water, lifting her arm to let her fingers dance in the smoothly arcing waterfall.

It wasn't long before the trio were deep in conversation, mostly concerning the events of the next day. Callie expressed her optimism and concern, before gently changing the course of the conversation, sensing the other girls were already nervous about it. Claire brought up Callie's workout with Heather, which naturally, led to some good natured grumbling from Callie. Claire, never one to miss an opportunity, began massaging Callie's shoulders. Apparently Heather had decided Callie's upper body strength was below where she wanted it to be, and had been particularly ruthless to the bubbly mechanic. Lacie studiously avoided noticing what her companions were up to. It wasn't long before she had to excuse herself however, since Claire had slipped into the water directly behind Callie, and had most definitely given up the pretense of a relaxing massage. Lacie could hear giggles and soft moans coming from behind the trees as she headed back for the locker rooms.

Despite herself, Lacie felt a twinge of jealousy at how easily most of the girls around the mansion seemed to be able to simply go with whatever felt natural. Shaking her head, Lacie slipped her swimsuit off and began to shower the chlorine off her body. As much as she wanted to deny it, Claire's earlier comments had struck a nerve. Lacie was lonely. She still had yet to find a place she belonged, (which bothered her more than she wanted to admit) and still hadn't worked up the courage to ask anyone in the mansion to stay in her bed with her. Lacie held no illusions that she eventually would, but it was far too frightening for her. Lacie had yet to be with anyone, and the horror stories of the pain and brutality she had heard of her school friend's first times had absolutely terrified the brunette. Lacie knew that Master would never intentionally hurt her, but Lacie didn't know what it would be like, and that ignorance frightened her.

Without even realizing she was doing it, Lacie began to think about Master and those weeks ago that she had seen him shirtless by the pool, when his gentle hands had lifted her, so easily, and how his warm body had been so close to hers. Before she realized what was happening, Lacie felt her body responding to her memories. Clenching her fists, Lacie snapped her back straight as a rod, trying to clear her head of the images, though she could still feel a growing warmth, a soft trembling in the pit of her stomach. Spinning in a circle, careful to avoid hurting her ankle, Lacie snapped the handle on the hot water all the way off, leaving the cold at full blast. A few seconds later, Lacie was deluged with a frigid spray of water. 

"AAH!!" Lacie yelled, hopping sideways to escape the icy water. Reaching out, she turned the warm water back on, testing the spray before stepping back under, chasing the chill away. "Okay, bad idea." Lacie said to no one in particular. Rinsing herself off one final time, Lacie slipped out of the showers and redressed, after drying herself off with one of the ever present white towels.

Deciding to do something to keep her mind off the upcoming events, Lacie slipped into the library and picked up a new book. Flopping down into her favorite chair, Lacie began to read. It only seemed like a few minutes before Lacie realized how late it was. She had almost missed dinner. Dashing downstairs, Lacie caught up with the other girls outside the dining hall. Puffing her apologies, Lacie walked in with the rest of them. Dinner was a tense affair, conversation being short, undercurrents of expectation and nervousness permeating the air as they ate. Finally, dinner was over and Lacie decided to head upstairs to bed.

Making her way upstairs, Lacie unexpectedly found herself following Master. Immediately, Lacie felt a sensation of heat wash over her body, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she watched him slowly move towards his room. A warm feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach, making Lacie twist her fingers with indecision. Lacie bit her lip as she raised one hand towards him, fighting her own feelings as Lacie battled the frightening sensations within her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out of her suddenly tight throat.

Silently frozen in the middle of the hall, Lacie watched Master's retreating back till he vanished behind his huge door. Finally, Lacie's body seemed to thaw, and her shoulders slumped as she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Lacie bit her lip as she ducked her head into her bouncing tresses, her heart hammering in her chest as she pushed the door to her room open. Lacie's knees shook as she pulled in shuddering breath after shuddering breath. Her legs too weak to support her, Lacie leaned against the back of her door, nearly hyperventilating as she thought about what had just happened.




Lacie Ch. 12



Lacie's eyes filled with water, making the room swim as she fought her irrational fears and her sense of sudden anxiety and shame. She had wanted him so badly, it almost physically hurt her to not be in his arms. Shaking, Lacie slid down her door, eventually sitting on her soft carpet as she tried to calm herself down. Slowly, her eyes cleared and her breathing slowed. Unknotting herself from the ball Lacie had curled into, she finally looked up, gently knocking the back of her head against her door as she sighed.

"Don't be such a coward, Lacie" she said to herself in a whisper. 

Still, Lacie quailed at the thought of heading back out into that quiet, empty hall. The huge, intimidating door at the end, and what it would mean if she were to walk through that door, terrified her. Knocking her head against the door a few more times in frustration, Lacie slowly stood. Her hand twitched towards her door handle as she stood there, torn. Finally, with a huge sigh, Lacie turned away, letting her hand fall to her side.

"Okay, you can be a coward." She muttered to herself, turning towards her bed as she slipped out of her clothing.

Groaning in relief at the end of the stressful day, Lacie was soon clad only in her underwear as she crawled onto her bed, stopping in shock as she spotted a small felt box laying just below her pillows. Reaching out with a suddenly trembling hand, Lacie picked up the small box, gently popping the lid of the long, royal blue, felt box open.

Her choker lay inside. Lacie knew it was hers immediately, the soft, subtle swirls in the ivory were intimately familiar, and the soft, thin lace of the satiny fabric of the black band was instantly comforting. Lacie's hands shook as she picked up the necklace, holding it gently in her shaking hands. Tears again formed in the corners of her eyes as she smiled, wiping away the moisture as fast as it formed. Lacie dropped the box, fully intending to put her choker on immediately. Brushing her hair out of the way, Lacie leaned forward. Pulling the lace to her neck, Lacie smiled. Then, when the choker was half an inch from closing around her, Lacie hesitated. A brilliant smile shone on her face as she got an idea. 

Picking up the blue felt box, Lacie gently set the choker back inside. She would ask Master to put it back on her tomorrow at the party. She was his. She belonged to him. It was only right that he get to be the one to place that reminder around her neck once again. Plus, Lacie realized as an afterthought, it would probably send another cutting message to the people they were going to be around at the party. Smiling at herself, Lacie gently set the box on her nightstand, right on top of her alarm clock, so it would be the first thing she found upon waking.

Happy, truly happy for the first time in a long time, Lacie smiled as she realized she still belonged here. She was still wanted here. With that happy thought, Lacie slipped under her sheets, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.



Lacie Ch. 13



Chapter 13: Lacie's Party

Lacie still blushed anytime someone looked at her. Probably because no one was just looking at her, they were outright staring. Her long, soft hair was done up in a wonderful style, seemingly tied in a gently flowing waterfall down her back, falling smoothly from a complex, artistic knot at the back of her head. She carried a small, silver and blue purse, matching the elegant hue of her shimmering dress. Lacie's long gown was simple in it's elegance. A single thin strip of fabric slithered up over her collarbones, joining behind her neck, beneath her hair, leaving almost the entirety of her smooth back exposed. The strip of fabric held her dress in place, while the rest of the shimmering satin slid over her curves, stopping just an inch off the floor. 

Lacie's dress clung to her body, emphasizing her delicate frame and sleek, feminine curves. The dress shimmered in the lights, changing color as Lacie moved. The silver deepened in hue to a brilliant, dazzling blue and back again every time she breathed or took a step. The deep, plunging neckline dove between Lacie's breasts, almost down to her navel, tantalizing and teasing observers with hints at the treasures hidden by the thin fabric.

Past her hips, the tight dress had a thin slit on one side, near the knee, allowing Lacie to move and walk comfortably. The bottom of the dress hovered a mere inch off the ground, looking like her lower legs were cocooned in an inverted calla lily. Lacie's makeup was barely visible, a soft blush to her cheeks, and light hints of blue eye shadow accented her dress, making her eyes seem wide and happy with excitement beneath long, luxurious lashes. A soft, subtle red lipstick colored the soft bows, accenting the blush on her cheeks, making Lacie seem vibrant with joy.

Beside her, Claire held herself slightly stiffly, still a little uncomfortable. They had been at the party a few hours already, but Claire was having trouble loosening up, knowing her former owners were wandering around somewhere close. Despite her tension, Claire was breathtaking in her own ensemble. Claire's bird wing hairstyle was gelled to look carelessly windswept and wild, but it had taken nearly an hour of work to achieve the effect. The leading edge of the wing partially concealed her left eye, lending her a smoky, mysterious look. Her eyes were shadowed a deep black, and her lashes were long and thick.

Claire's lips were a deep purple, and her gold piercings had all been switched out for glimmering silver. The effect was mesmerizing. Claire's dress was a deep, dark purple, only a few shades darker than her lips. The dress she wore was similar in design to Lacie's, but instead of leaving her scarred, tattooed back exposed, Claire's dress had two straps that crisscrossed behind her shoulder blades, partially concealing her skin. A thin veil of translucent purple silk hung under the straps, further protecting Claire's scars from being seen. Her dress stopped mid calf, unlike Lacie's. Thick black lines obscured the seams of Claire's dress, almost seeming to blend in with the purple fabric. The stitching continued around the hem of the dress, just above Claire's feet. 

Both girls wore elegant shoes, Tara having made the strappy, heeled sandals in record time. The sandals were similar, but subtly different. Lacie's shoes had thinner straps, and fewer pieces held them to the brunette girl's feet. Claire's shoes wrapped around her bare toes before curling around her arches and tying into a simple loop around her ankles.

When Lacie had seen Master in his black tuxedo, Lacie had been glad he wasn't facing her. The embarrassment she would have felt at him watching her collapse from weak knees would have killed her. Master's black tuxedo fit his large frame like a second skin, emphasizing his powerful physique and strong, tall stature. Under his dinner jacket, he had on a vibrant red silk shirt that clung to his chest. He wore a red tie the exact same shade as the button up shirt, allowing it to subtly blend into his outfit. His eyes were hidden behind a dark pair of designer sunglasses, making him seem dashing, mysterious and a little intimidating. Master's pressed black pants were spotless, and his polished Italian shoes glimmered in the light. Lacie was knocked breathless by the sight of him, and it took almost all of her willpower to hold herself back from simply running up to him and throwing herself at him. Lacie had once thought that Master could never be more attractive, more dashing, more imposing than in his normal business suits. Lacie had never been more wrong in her life.

It had taken almost all afternoon for the group to get ready, but the effect was astounding. Both girls were the objects of stares from males in every corner of the massive ballroom, and Master had the women present almost drooling over him. Apparently, Master's target had wanted the event to be huge, and had rented out a massive ballroom in one of the most expensive hotels in the city. When Lacie had entered, she had flushed when she saw the doorman's jaw drop as he caught a glimpse of her. Clinging tighter to Master's arm, she had almost missed one of the signs inside the door. Immediately, the sight sobered the young girl, reminding her why they were there.

The sign had simply read, "Girls for rent upstairs, new product device use free with purchase of time with a girl. Inquire at front desk for details."

Lacie had shuddered in horror at the thought of those poor girls. Clinging tighter to Master's arm, Lacie had looked up at him, fear making her belly tremble and knees shake. The confident smile on his face had washed away her fears, and the eye crinkling grin that lit up his face as he looked down at her made her heart soar. Smiling back, Lacie had winked at him, grinning as he winked back. Lacie hadn't yet put her choker back on, and she was waiting for the right time to ask Master to do it for her. He didn't seem put out by it's absence, but Lacie was a little concerned about being off the grounds without having it on. Still, she was keeping it close, the tiny felt box hidden inside her little handbag.

The party was huge, hundreds of well dressed people milling around, massive amounts of champagne and food on the buffet tables, waiters and waitresses walking around the room offering hors d'ouvres and drinks. People clustered in groups and cigar smoke wafted overhead as waves of noise hummed through the room. Once inside, Master was almost immediately pulled into a group of well dressed men, dozens of people coming up to him, shaking his hand, clamoring for his attention. 

Lacie was surprised at how well Master seemed to do under the onslaught. Laughing good-naturedly with some people, Master seemed to slip effortlessly from one person to the next, giving each man an ear, a handshake and a few moments of time before moving on. Within the first forty minutes, Lacie had been introduced to over a hundred different people, almost all of them rich men in suits. More than a few frowned at her, whenever they thought Master wasn't looking, blatant hostility painted on their features. Lacie stood her ground, glaring back. They knew who she was.

Every time someone looked at Lacie or Claire like that, Master was very quick to wrap things up there and move on. More than a few lasting glances told Lacie that Master's plan to partially disrupt the party was working, as people not only started to watch her, but as more people started to notice who she was, observers started to watch the executives that were hostile towards her. It was a subtle thing, but slowly, people began to distance themselves, conversations started to lag, and uncomfortable silences filled the space around Master's targets. 

For his part, Master seemed blissfully unaware of the effect he was having, but in a few rare moments alone with him and Claire, Lacie could see the gleeful grin on his face, before he schooled his features again to meet the next person who asked for some of Master's time. Lacie watched him with awe, amazed by his poise and courtesy as he effortlessly guided the conversations around him. He was constantly dropping subtle hints, but those around him latched onto his every word like sharks on the hunt. A few soft words from him and the tenor of entire conversations changed, and people who had been spouting their viewpoints quickly retreated when Master gently opposed them, or surged forward aggressively when he commended them for their wisdom.

Shaking her head at his deft maneuvering, Lacie stepped away. Realizing how hungry she was, she gently touched Claire's arm, tilting her head towards one of the massive buffet tables, a question in her eye. Claire nodded gratefully, glad to escape, even if only for a few minutes. Lacie caught Master's attention and silently motioned towards the table, his answering smile and nod acknowledging them, while his eyes warned them to be careful. Lacie smiled at him before twining her arm through Claire's, gently bumping her hip into the other girl before grinning at her friend and tugging her towards the food.

It took the girls longer than Lacie had expected to get to the table, but eventually they reached the food. The spread was enormous, and both Lacie and Claire grabbed plates, careful not to pile too much on in their haste and hunger. Sitting down at a nearby table, Lacie began to eat. Claire sat only a foot away, almost shoulder to shoulder with Lacie.

"You know what?" Claire said after taking a small bite of her sandwich, eyeing the tiny triangle critically.

"Hmm?" Lacie responded, softly blowing on a spoonful of hot soup.

"This is nowhere near as good as Ana's cooking." Claire said, grimacing as she took another bite.

Lacie smiled as she swallowed another spoonful of soup.

"Tell her that. I'm sure she'd love to hear it."

"I mean, it's not horrible, but it's not all that good either."

"Ana cares about what we eat. She wants us to enjoy her food. She makes it special for us, knowing what we like and what we don't. She puts love into it. This is all impersonal." Lacie replied, waving her spoon back at the laden buffet table. "I think that's part of it."

Claire considered that for a few moments.

"I think you may be right. Still, as much as all this must have cost, you'd think it'd taste a bit better."

Lacie almost snorted soup as she giggled, casting an admonishing look at Claire, who grinned at her, unashamed.

"Maybe it's one of those situations where the food is all stuff that rich people try to convince themselves they like." Lacie grinned back.

It was Claire's turn to laugh into her food, coughing a bit as she almost swallowed another bite of her sandwich whole.

"Oh, there's a lot of things here that rich people like." Another voice came from nearby, the soft, sultry tones betraying the speaker's gender. At the sound of the voice, Claire's sandwich fell from her nerveless hands, the tattooed girl suddenly trembling violently as her face drained of color in an instant. 

"For instance, my pretty little pet," Lacie saw a beautiful woman, her softly bouncing, flame red hair artfully swept around her face as she leaned down over Claire's shoulder, whispering into the trembling, frozen girl's ear. "the sound of your screams."

Lacie's eyes widened as she realized who this woman was. Claire's former owner stood behind the stricken girl, her hands drifting down, settling, feather light, on Claire's shoulders. Claire's trembling was visible to Lacie, and the wide eyed look of absolute panic and terror in Claire's eyes forced Lacie to act. Turning as if to get a better look at the newcomer, Lacie intentionally elbowed her glass of sparkling champagne off the table, forcing the redhead to jump back to keep the crystal glass from landing on her foot. As it was, she was barely splashed with the fizzing liquid. Still, Lacie knew she had to keep her as far from Claire as possible.

Stammering false apologies, Lacie grabbed her folded napkin off the table and began patting at the woman's legs. The redhead protested, but Lacie simply ignored her, gushing about how sorry she was, how clumsy she could be and otherwise trying to make as big a scene as possible. She knew she had to create a diversion so Claire could escape. Lacie could feel the redhead trying to back away, but Lacie had her pinned between two occupied chairs at a nearby table. Lacie ducked her head and pushed closer, grabbing the hem of the woman's dress, jerking and tugging as she apologized and apologized. The woman grabbed at Lacie's hands, desperately trying to keep Lacie's violent tugs from pulling her strapless evening gown completely off of her body.. The moment she managed to get Lacie's hands free, she pushed the brunette girl away. Lacie spared a quick glance behind her, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Claire had vanished, hopefully headed back to Master as swiftly as possible.

A pair of busboys swept in to clean up the shattered glass, momentarily separating Lacie from the redhead. Given a few free seconds, Lacie eyed her adversary up, watching as the redhead did the same. The woman was older than Lacie by a good amount. While nowhere near middle aged, Lace thought the other woman was probably in her early thirties at the youngest. There were already a few lines forming at the corners of her eyes and mouth.

The woman's hair came down below her shoulders, billowing around her head in soft waves of fiery red. Her face was angular, striking. Her dark brown eyes stared out at Lacie, her sharp chin and angled cheekbones making her look like a bird of prey. Her outfit was a simple black cocktail dress, but with red trim that matched her hair. It didn't hug her form as well as Lacie's dress, but it was still striking. The two women stared each other down, palpable tension in the air as they stepped forward at the same time, the shattered glass having finally been cleared away.

"So. You must be Lacie. His... newest little whore." The woman's voice sang like crystal bells, belying the venom in her words.

Despite herself, Lacie smiled.

"Oh, we don't get paid. He doesn't need to pay us. He's good enough that we let him take us to bed without it. In fact," Lacie said offhandedly, playing on a hunch. "if he asked, we'd probably pay him for the... pleasure."

Lacie had the satisfaction of watching the woman's face flush, the redhead's lips pulling back over her teeth in a snarl, proving Lacie's hunch correct. This woman wanted Master for herself. Lacie grinned at the other woman, knowing that there was no way she would ever get him. He belonged to Lacie.

'Well, me and over half a dozen other girls. But every one of us would fight tooth and nail to keep Master away from a woman like You.' Lacie thought, narrowing her eyes at the redhead standing opposite her.

"Don't be so arrogant, you little slut." the older woman said to Lacie, her face returning to a somewhat more normal color. "You never know when the tables will turn." she snarled, attempting to intimidate the younger woman.

Lacie had to bite her lip to stave off an attack of the giggles, covering her mouth as she shook with silent laughter. All Lacie could think of was the irony in the woman's warning. Lacie's mirth stole the heat and venom from the redhead's verbal barb, rendering it harmless. The redhead looked at Lacie as if she were mad.

"Sound advice, dear." Lacie said when she had recovered. "I'll take that under advisement." Lacie couldn't resist and tossed a wink at the other woman. "You might want to do the same." Lacie giggled at the woman's face as she glared at the brunette furiously. "Now, if you'll excuse me dearie, something around here is beginning to smell. I'll take my leave." Lacie said formally as she smiled. Turning, she saw the other woman's trembling hand curl into a tight fist, looking like she was barely restraining herself from attacking Lacie right then and there. Adding insult to injury, Lacie turned and sashayed away, taking the eyes of over a dozen men with her.

Once she was a safe distance away, unable to see the redhead anymore, Lacie slowed and headed for a nearby wall. Gently leaning her back against the solid barrier, Lacie took a deep, shuddering breath. Lacie grimaced as she saw her dress trembling in little waves as her knees shook violently. Adrenaline pumped in her veins as she rested against the wall, taking deep, calming breaths to steady herself. Slowly, her racing pulse slowed and Lacie weakly grinned at herself. It had taken everything she had inside her to stand there calmly and banter with Claire's former owner, but she had done it, and done it well. Not only had she done it well, Lacie had emerged the clear victor in their brief confrontation. She had been filled with terror the whole time, but she hadn't shown one iota of it. Lacie's grin grew on her face as she realized she had stood her ground, actually laughing at her enemy.

Lacie suddenly felt light as a feather, as warm as if she were bathed in sunlight. Closing her eyes, Lacie stepped away from the wall, taking in a slow, relaxing breath, releasing it in a sigh of happiness as she opened her eyes. Lacie stopped with a soft gasp as a young man materialized out of nowhere in front of her. She had seen him around the room once or twice, his eyes following her every move, but he'd never once approached her. That seemed to have changed. Lacie blinked with surprise as he held out a thin glass of champagne in one hand. Lacie could see him take a deep, calming breath, apparently gathering his courage.

"Hi... um... I'm Eric." he said bravely, his voice threatening to crack with every word. Despite herself, Lacie smiled back at him. Brushing a loose strand of hair over her ear, Lacie introduced herself to the young man. He didn't seem that much older than Lacie herself. He looked like he was nineteen at best, though from his awkward stance and his apparent shyness Lacie would have had to say he was probably just a little younger than that.

"Hello Eric. My name is Lacie." 

"Oh, uh, hi Lacie. I like your name. It suits you."

"What can I do for you Eric?" Lacie asked, cautiously looking around the room for Master.

"I uh, saw what happened between you and Clarissa, and well, I, uh, thought you might like another glass of champagne."

Lacie's eyes drifted back to Eric as he spoke. 

"Who?" Lacie asked.

"Uh, Clarissa? The redhead you were arguing with?"

Lacie smiled in sudden understanding. She realized then that she hadn't ever heard Claire's old owner's name.

"Well, thank you Eric." Lacie smiled at the young man. He held out one of the two drinks he was carrying, but Lacie, still feeling daring, took a step closer to him. Lacie sidled up close enough that she was able to lay her palm on his face and feel the rough shadow of his beard. Winking, Lacie slipped her hand down, gently tugging the glass out of his other hand, rather than taking the glass he had offered her. Lacie felt she was probably being overly cautious, but if Eric was offended, he didn't say anything. Clarissa's warning had her a little worried.

"Um, well, uh.. Lacie... I was wondering... um... if... you... uh..."

Lacie smiled demurely, reaching up to gently squeeze Eric's arm.

"Use your words Eric." Lacie teased, a smile on her face.

"Doyouwanttodancewithme?" He blurted out, his haste and nervousness blending the entire sentence into a single word.

"Oh." Lacie blinked, caught a little off guard. Lacie quickly glanced at the boy again, noticing the broad set of his shoulders, the square set of his jaw, the dark stubble of his five-o-clock shadow. Smiling to herself, Lacie realized that he was kind of cute. And he had brought her another drink. Smiling again, Lacie decided to tease him a little more. Reaching up, she gently twisted a few loose hairs around her finger as she looked up at Eric.




Lacie Ch. 13



"You want to dance... with me?" Lacie asked incredulously, as if she were unable to believe him.

"Of course, I'm amazed that no one has asked you yet." he responded enthusiastically.

Lacie made a show of glancing at the big open dance floor nearby, nervously biting her lip as she continued to absently play with her hair. Turning back, she nodded at the tall boy.

"I think I'd like to dance with you, Eric." Lacie said, setting her untouched drink down on a nearby table. She lifted her left hand, holding it out for him. Eric nearly spilled his own drink in his haste to set it down, flushing as he turned back to accept her hand. Lacie smiled, amused at the effect she was having on the boy. Eric led her out onto the dance floor, stopping only a short way onto the lacquered wood. Turning, Eric stood stock still, his face flushing again as he held his hands up in front of himself.

"Problem?" Lacie asked.

"I... uh... well... I've..."

"Are you trying to say you've never danced with a girl before Eric?" Lacie asked, trying to hide her smile. She didn't want to look like she was laughing at him.

"Of course I have." His brow furrowed as he frowned at Lacie.

"A girl your age?"

"...uh... not so much." He looked at her with a sheepish grin. "My dance instructor is like, sixty."

Lacie laughed as she reached up. Gently grasping his wrists, Lacie pulled his arms around her waist, setting them at the small of her back.

"Those go there." she smiled. Lacie schooled her expression, turning it into a short glower. "Not one inch lower, mister. Got it?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Eric's mouth.

"Got it."

Lacie set her hands against his shoulders, gently letting her hands drift behind his neck before she twined her fingers together. The band started playing a new song, and Lacie smiled up at him as they gently started swaying.

"You have a dance instructor?" Lacie asked, curious.

"Well, yeah. My mother wanted me to learn. Says it's good practice."

"For what?" Lacie asked quizzically.

"I... you know, I have no idea." Eric laughed. "Other than dancing, which I almost never do."

"Well, you're not bad at it." Lacie praised him.

"Not bad? This is swaying in a circle. This isn't dancing." He said, a teasing frown on his face.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Lacie leaned her head back, pausing their gentle motions as she stared into his eyes. "You're the one leading, mister."

"You know how to ballroom dance?" Eric asked, surprise lending a slightly higher pitch to his voice. "Most girls our age think dancing is either this or grinding their rears into something."

Lacie smirked up at him.

"Try me."

With a grin, Eric pulled Lacie's hands away from his neck, pulling her close with one arm while twining his fingers through her other hand. Slowly, but with increasing speed, Eric began to take bold steps, confidently moving across the dance floor. For her part, Lacie simply let him lead her wherever, allowing Eric to control the pace and length of their movement. It was almost effortless, but she could feel her dress billowing out beneath her as she twirled next to him. Lacie almost forgot where she was as she grinned up at Eric. 

As the realization of where she was and what she was doing washed over her, Lacie couldn't help but be amazed at the unexpected turn her life had taken. Lacie's past few months ran through her mind like a movie on fast forward. She could hardly believe where she had ended up, how happy she was with her new life. Images of Master filled her mind, and Lacie couldn't help but smile. She could clearly remember practicing this very same dance with him only a few days ago. The memory swirled through her mind as she remembered the feel of his body against hers, the smell of his skin, the soft zip of electricity that tingled in her body anywhere his skin touched her.

As the song, and her twirling, slowed to a stop, Lacie closed her eyes and leaned forward, inhaling, trying to catch Master's scent off his broad chest. The musky, woodsy, yet clean odor she was expecting didn't materialize. Instead, a strong, unfamiliar cologne filled her nose. Lacie's eyes flew open and she leaned back, confusion in her eyes for a split second. Eric was standing in front of her, looking away and softly clapping for the band as they stood and bowed, taking a short break. Lacie realized that she had, only for a moment, wanted to be dancing with Master so badly she had actually convinced herself that she really was. Eric looked down at her and opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance. A large, strong hand settled on the boy's shoulder, prompting Eric to look up. Lacie turned to the newcomer, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she saw Master standing next to Eric.

"Excuse me, can I cut in?" his soft, velvet voice washed over Lacie's ears and a strange sense of release accompanied his arrival, as if she had been in pain and not even realized it until the unnoticed agony was absent. He spoke at the same time as Lacie, who, unable to contain her excitement at seeing him again, blurted out his name.

"Master!" Lacie grinned at him. She took a step back, pulling herself free from Eric. Lifting her hands, Lacie looked up at the men, preparing to introduce them. Eric's hissing voice cut through the air first, silencing her.

"Master!? You're a slave?" he asked incredulously.

Caught off guard, Lacie stuttered.

"I...well... yes. Of course."

A look of absolute revulsion filled Eric's face as he stepped back, pulling his arms away from her as fast as he could.

"Ugh!! I can't believe I touched a slave! Disgusting creature!"

Eric's disgust at the concept of touching a slave was obvious, his tone dripping with revulsion. Lacie's jaw dropped. Instinctively she wanted to lash out, hurt by the connection that Eric had made in his mind. She was a slave, and therefore unclean. Unfit for even the slightest contact. As if she were a disease. All her beauty, all her maturity, all of her courage, ceased to matter the moment he discovered she didn't have enough money to buy her own freedom. Tears filled her eyes as rejection washed through her, her anger at his unjust judgment of her almost sending her running from the room.

A firm, gentle hand cupped her cheek, pulling her face up as tears threatened to overflow. Master smoothly stepped between Lacie and Eric, placing himself in front of her like a shield.

"Yes, she's a slave. And as a slave, she has a thousand times more worth to this world than you could ever hope to have, young man. If I may suggest, I think it would be best if you were to leave." Master looked at Lacie tenderly, brushing her tears away before they fell. 

His tone left no room for misinterpretation. His 'suggestion' was not a suggestion at all. It was an order. One that carried the promise of swift violence if not obeyed immediately.

"I think you may be right." Eric said, trying to salvage some dignity. He turned and stalked away, casting one last glance over his shoulder at Lacie, before shuddering in horror at what he had done. Eric vanished into the crowd a moment later.

"I...but...he...I...I..."Lacie stammered, trying to stop the flow of tears from her eyes. "But...I didn't do anything wrong!" Lacie whispered, looking up at Master for an explanation of Eric's behavior. 

Master closed his eyes and sighed, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled Lacie in close.

"Sometimes people equate money with worth. Those are the kind of people who value girls like you as dollar amounts, rather than people. The kind of people you and I are fighting right now." 

Despite her suddenly unhappy mood, Lacie felt a little thrill when he said 'you and I'.

"Why did he do that? I didn't hurt him, so why did he say that to me?" Lacie almost whispered, still hurt.

"His father is a very... uncaring man. It looks like the elitism of his parents has rubbed off. I'm sorry. I would have interrupted sooner, but it looked like you were enjoying yourself." He growled, looking up and away. Lacie had a sneaking suspicion that the anger she felt radiating off him wasn't just because of how rudely Eric had treated her.

Lacie looked up, confused by the aggressive tone of his voice.

"You're angry that I was having fun?" she asked, lifting one hand to set her palm along the solid line of his chin, turning his face so she could look him in the eye.

"Well...no... not exactly." He hedged, turning to look up and away.

Lacie stared up at him, distracted by his uncharacteristically gruff behavior. Then it struck her like a lightning bolt.

"Wow!"

"Wow, what?" Master asked, meeting her gaze again.

"You're jealous!" Lacie laughed, pushing off his chest with her hands, leaning back to see his face better. "You're jealous that I danced with someone else!!"

"What?! No, I'm not!" Master shot back.

Lacie curled one corner of her mouth up in a knowing smirk as she cocked an eyebrow.

Master looked at her, and his mask of denial slowly began to crack before it fell away completely.

"Much." He amended. "I'm not jealous, much." He hedged again, looking away once more. Lacie caught his eye and he crumbled. "Okay, fine, I wanted to wring his scrawny little neck." Master sighed, looking down. "When I saw you, at first I was happy, but then I saw who you were dancing with, and I was suddenly absolutely furious." Master's arms pulled Lacie tighter, crushing her into his warm, hard chest. "You're mine. I don't want to share you with anyone."

Lacie could feel that he was squeezing her too tightly, but in that moment, she could not have cared less. Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard him claim her as his, melting into his embrace, leaning her head against his chest with a blissful sigh. She knew he didn't mean that she was his property, he was claiming her as his partner. His friend. She was his responsibility, he was her protector, her provider. Lacie knew that she was no less his responsibility than he was hers. It was her job to care for him, to help him, to be there when he needed her. 

It was not her job to love him, but in that moment, Lacie understood that she loved him all the same. She loved him so much it hurt. She needed the wonderful, caring, brave man that stood in her arms more than she needed food, water, or oxygen. She needed him in her life more than she needed life itself. Reaching up, Lacie grabbed his chin and pulled him down to her, kissing him fiercely. Lacie didn't know how long they stood there, and honestly, she didn't care who saw.

Lacie gently moaned into his lips as she slid her fingers through his hair. Her lips burned with tiny bolts of crackling electricity, fire and lightning ripped through her veins as a warm yearning blossomed in the pit of her stomach. Master's fingertips slid up and down her exposed back, sending shivers and goosebumps racing through Lacie's body as she moaned. Lacie's world spun as she fought her need to breathe, not wanting to move one inch away from the perfect place she had found in his kiss. Finally, though, Master's strong hands gently gripped her shoulders and pushed her back, knowing they both needed to breathe.

Gasping for breath, Lacie took a half step back, desperately trying to get her world to stop spinning around her. Literally dizzy from the kiss, Lacie held up her arm, knowing that Master would understand what she wanted. A moment later, just as she knew would happen, Master's warm hand grasped hers, steadying the panting brunette. Slowly, her world swam back into focus, the trembling in her belly not fading at all. Lacie looked up at him hungrily, her breath shuddering in her lungs. She wanted him.

Lacie caught Master's eye. She couldn't help but frown when she saw the smug, slightly cocky grin on his face.

"I didn't think I was that good of a kisser."

Lacie wanted to come up with a snappy comeback, something witty that would take him down a notch, but instead, she found herself leaning into him, burying her face in his chest as she inhaled the wonderful smell of his skin. Her hand gently smacked his arm, so lacking in force it was almost a pat. Snuggling closer, Lacie simply smiled as she held him close.

"Well, that's not true. I am that good a kisser, but I usually need a bit more buildup first." he teased.

"Buildup?" Lacie asked, unwilling to look up and put even an inch of space between them.

"Sure, like dancing, or a massage, or a tickle fight. You know, something to work up to the inevitable make-out session."

Lacie smiled and rolled her eyes. 

"Stop acting like a teenager." She admonished halfheartedly.

Without turning her head, Lacie saw Claire standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching Lacie and Master with a huge smile on her face. Lacie lifted an hand and gave a little wave, smiling as Claire waved back.

"That took a lot of courage. I'm proud of you, Lace." Master's voice whispered. Lacie could feel his voice vibrating in his chest as he spoke.

"What did?"

"Covering for Claire like that. She told me everything. That was very brave, what you did."

"I didn't do anything." Lacie protested innocently, finally pushing away to look Master in the eye. "I spilled my drink." she said firmly.

Master smirked at the brunette girl in his arms.

"If that's the way you want it remembered..." he trailed off.

"It is." Lacie smiled with a sigh, leaning back into the comfort of his chest. Absently she noticed that the band was coming back and sitting down, readying themselves to play more.

"You're a very selfless person Lacie." Lacie laughed once in protest, but he continued. "You help where you see something needing to be done, you give more than you have to, and the only time you ever complain is when someone wrongs you like I di..." One of Lacie's fingers pressed into his lips, cutting off the rest of his sentence.

"First off, I'm nothing compared to you. Second, you did what you had to do. I'm more grateful for that than you will ever know. Thirdly, we're at a party, so no moping or pity parties. Tonight is a good night, if only because I say so, Master." Lacie's tone made a joke of the word 'master', prompting a short, barked laugh from him. "So, it's a good day, we're at a party, on a dance floor and we've established that you're jealous because someone else got to dance with me." Lacie grinned up at him. "Would you care to correct that oversight in your evening, Sir?"

Shaking his head at her logic, Master laughed.

"Absolutely."

Lacie's face lit up in a dazzling smile.

"One second."

Despite never wanting to leave his arms ever again, Lacie pulled away. Turning around, Lacie forced herself to walk in a slow sashay, knowing dozens of men's eyes were gluing themselves to her ass as she walked. Lacie didn't care. She was only giving one man a show. Somehow, despite that, she knew he would never be so crass as to stare at her. Still, the thought of making him jealous again was... amusing. He was fun when he was acting all protective and possessive. Walking up next to Claire, Lacie handed off her tiny silver bag to the other girl.

"Can you watch this for a minute? I have something I need to do."

"Something? Or someone?" At Lacie's confused look, Claire elaborated. "I saw that kiss." Claire teased as she took Lacie's bag, setting it on the table next to her as she sat down. Lacie flushed and giggled, shushing Claire as she did. Pausing for a moment, Lacie looked at Claire then cast her gaze around. Claire understood why immediately.

"She left already Lace. That won't happen again. We're safe. Go dance. Just try not to start losing clothes out there."

Lacie grinned at her friend, gently shushing Claire again as she blushed and turned back to Master. It was a struggle to keep from dashing headlong across the dance floor into his arms. She reached him just as a new song started playing, a faster paced salsa. Grinning, Lacie held out her hands, allowing Master to sweep her up and pull her in close, stepping with her in time to the slow starting music. Soon, the music picked up in it's beat, and Master began spinning her in tight circles, keeping pace with the rapid music. 

Fast trills would sound in the air and Master would pull on her arms, sending Lacie careening towards him, always stopping a fingers breadth from his body as she leaned into him before twirling away, allowing him to stalk her across the dance floor once again. They came together only to have him lift her into the air, tossing her around, always in complete control. Other couples moved aside to make room for Master and Lacie to twirl and pace across the dance floor, drawing even more eyes to the dancing couple.

Lacie set a sultry smile on her face and didn't let it recede as she twirled across the hardwood floor. Master pulled her in before slinging his arm out, twirling Lacie in tight spins before he gently tugged her off balance, forcing Lacie to fall backwards. He lifted his arms up high and twirled his elbow, using Lacie's inertia to spin her in a circle before tugging sharply, bringing her back up to her feet. Taking a single step backwards, Lacie ended up with Master's chest pressed to her spine, her hair swinging around her head as she crossed her arms and leaned backwards. Master leaned with her, allowing Lacie to bend far over him, almost seeming to lay on top of his body as they danced.

With a quick sidestep, Master spun out from under her, capturing her arm as he did, tugging her upright sharply, pulling her out of her slow fall backwards. Lacie almost seemed to flit up to him, her chest instantly pressed into his, their faces only inches from each other as they stalked each other in a slow, tiny circle, always looking each other in the eye. Lacie's hand slid up to his face, not quite making contact with his cheek before he back stepped, lifting his arms out to one side before stepping into a rapid stepping spin around Lacie. Lacie coped his movement, and for a moment they spun like tops around each other. With a sudden snap, Master halted his spin and leaned to one side, holding his arm out.

Lacie stopped her spin and allowed herself to fall into his arms. Master pulled her upright, crushed her to his chest and leaned back down over her, almost holding Lacie horizontal. The song ended with a strong guitar note, and the crowd around them broke into applause. Lacie didn't hear a single bit of it. All she could see was Master's face slowly descending towards her. Lacie's breath came in short, gasping pants. Slowly, Master's lips pressed to hers.

Once again, blood boiled in Lacie's veins, her lips were on delicious fire and her breath came in wild gasps as he pulled her to his body, feeling every delectably rock hard muscle of him pressing into her. His arms held her against him, almost crushing her as she gently curled her fingers around the collar of his shirt, holding his lips to hers. Slowly, Lacie felt her world tilt around her as Master straightened up, gently breaking the kiss as Lacie flushed, panting from both the dance and the incredible kiss.

Weakly smiling up at him, Lacie fanned herself off with one hand. Lacie tried to take a step forward, but almost stumbled from dizziness. Master quickly caught and steadied her. Lacie weakly smacked his arm when she heard him chuckle at her disorientation. Master slid his arm around her waist and turned her. Gently leading her off the dance floor, Master angled his path towards Claire. The raven haired girl sat in the same chair Lacie had left her in. Lacie smiled breathlessly at her and Claire's answering smile was so smug, Lacie swore the purple clad woman should have had canary feathers on her lips.

Still holding her close, Lacie felt when Master's phone vibrated in his pocket. Reaching down, he approached Claire while digging for his phone. Hugging her with one arm, he pulled the phone free and stepped off to one side. Pulling away from Master, Claire leaned into Lacie, giggling as she pressed her head into the brunette girl's. Giggling like schoolgirls, Lacie and Claire began a whispered conversation.




Lacie Ch. 13



"Well?" Claire asked expectantly.

"Whoo." Lacie gasped, then she smiled impishly. "Good kisser."

"That's not all he's good at." Claire wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, prompting both girls to look back at Master and giggle. "Well? Are you going to do anything about it?"

Biting her lip, Lacie blushed as she nodded at her friend.

"Well?! Details, girl! Details!!!" Claire grabbed Lacie's hands excitedly.

"Jeez, Claire, I don't know! I'm still half panicked at the... the thought of... well, him... and me... and..." Lacie swallowed audibly, smiling weakly at Claire.

"Being naked?"

"SHHH!!!" Lacie admonished Claire as the raven haired girl laughed. Lacie looked around, but no one appeared to have heard her.

"Oh, honey, that's hardly the worst part." Claire chuckled.

Lacie stilled as she whispered back.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Claire blinked, realizing she had made a slip.

"I'm sorry honey, 'worst' was the wrong word to use. I just meant that, well, nervousness is just in your head honey. The first time hurts, but he'll be as careful as possible, I promise. You have a nice guy who likes you and who wants to be with you."

"But what if I'm not... good?"

Claire laughed outright, hugging Lacie close. For some reason, her laughter comforted Lacie, and Lacie smiled back at the purple clad girl.

"Honey, it won't matter. He'll enjoy himself, I guarantee it. There's no way he won't with a girl as cute, sexy and fun as you. Hell, I'm half tempted to take that dress off of you myself on our way back home."

Lacie grinned back.

"Yeah, but he has first dibs." she teased. Suddenly feeling daring, Lacie quickly leaned forward, pressing her lips to Claire's. After a moment, Lacie pulled back, her face reddening furiously. Claire didn't react at all, her eyes wide and unfocused, swaying gently in place as the stunned woman absorbed what Lacie had just done. Blinking furiously, Claire seemed to regain a few of her senses, peering at Lacie with a look of incredulous surprise on her face. Lacie licked her lips, still feeling the slight tingle Claire had left behind. Lacie could still taste her.

The look on Claire's face was so funny, Lacie wanted to tease her again. Reaching up with one hand, Lacie slipped her finger into her own mouth. Pulling the saliva wetted finger free, Lacie allowed her hand to drift across Claire's cheek, keeping her wet finger away from Claire's skin. Finally, as her hand slid under the point of Claire's chin, Lacie stroked her fingertip across the stunned girl's lips, wetting them with her saliva. Leaning in close, Lacie whispered into Claire's ear as Claire's lips instinctively kissed the very tip of Lacie's finger.

"I wouldn't mind if you called second dibs though..." Lacie breathed, giggling as Claire's eyes shot open in surprise. Twirling away, Lacie had to fight to keep from laughing at Claire's expression. So, to cover her mirth, Lacie wiggled her fingers in a teasing wave at the other girl. Still shell shocked, Claire instinctively, absently waved back, not comprehending what had just happened, still trying to wrap her head around Lacie's offer. Neither girl was totally sure if the offer had been simple, harmless flirting, or if was an honest invitation.

Both girl's eyes snapped back to Master as he appeared out of nowhere, wrapping an arm around each of them protectively.

"We need to go. Now."

Both girls arched their necks in surprise.

"What happened?" Claire was quick to react, turning for the doors.

"Bridget just called. Our electronic path in and out of the company's mainframe was under surveillance. They must have found how we got in last time and decided to not fix it, instead waiting for us to try and get back in again."

Both Claire and Lacie gasped.

"Don't worry, Bridget slowed their back-trace. She still got in and sent out our fake data package. She couldn't get everything done that she needed to and completely crash their trace program, so it won't be long till they find out who hacked them. I'd rather not be here when they do. Let's go."

They almost made it to the valets when Lacie realized she didn't have her purse. Gasping, Lacie turned in circles, half panicked.

"What? What's wrong?" Master asked, worry in his voice.

"My purse! I left it on the table after Claire gave it back! I have to go back and get it!"

"It's just a purse, Lacie, leave it."

"NO! Please! It has my choker in it! I was going to ask you to put it back on me tonight. I can't leave without it. I'll be two minutes. Go get the car. I'll be right back." Lacie called out over her shoulder, dashing back inside the hotel.

Flitting between well dressed partygoers, Lacie dashed as fast as she could in her heels to her table. Her silver purse sat on top of the satin white tablecloth, only about thirty feet away. A hand, decorated with red lacquered fingernails, reached out and snatched it off the tabletop only moments before Lacie reached it. Looking up, Lacie's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Clarissa standing there, holding her purse in one hand. Clarissa smirked at her, beckoning Lacie to follow her with one finger. Shoring up her courage, Lacie stomped up to her enemy, glaring at the redhead as she held out her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Give it back."

"Oh, tsk, such disobedience from a mere slavegirl. I can see I'll need to teach you some manners." Clarissa giggled.

"You don't get to teach me anything. Give it back, now." Lacie snarled.

"Oh, dear. You seem to be misunderstanding the situation. You see, we detected your first breach of our security months ago. We knew who it was from minute one. We know what's going on. We also thought he'd bring back my little screamer. I saw her holding this and thought I would take the opportunity to get my property back." Lacie's eyes widened in fear as she understood what was going on, what Clarissa had meant with her earlier statements. Lacie backed away, but after only one step her back smacked into something rock hard. Glancing up, Lacie saw four massive, muscled men in suits standing behind her, all glaring down at Lacie. Suddenly, Lacie felt very much alone. 

"Oh well. I may not get my screamer back, but I'll settle for you." the other woman's tinkling feminine voice echoed in Lacie's ears. Lacie turned back, unable to contain the look of horror that grew on her face. Lacie sucked in a breath to scream, but before she could let it out, she felt Clarissa press something small and hard into her belly. Fire blossomed from her stomach, and Lacie's muscles seized, almost tossing her to the ground as crackling electricity coursed through her body. Big hands caught Lacie as she fell. Lacie twitched weakly as she felt the sharp pinch of a needle in her shoulder. Darkness closed over Lacie, and the last thing she heard was the childlike delight of Clarissa's laughter.



Lacie Ch. 14



(A/N. This chapter is very dark. I'll not apologize for the content, but I will warn of it. This chapter contains scenes of brutal torture. Every story needs a climax. A conflict. This chapter delves heavily into that conflict. At times, literally, excruciatingly so. If you cannot stomach this as a reader, please do not read this chapter. I have no desire to lose any of my appreciative readers, though I have again posted in the 'romance' section. This is due to my personal feelings toward this story as an overall romance. I bear no hard feelings if any of my readers decide to skip this chapter. The next few chapters delve into this as well, so for those of you who do wish to skip the dark portions, I beg, please do not stop reading entirely. The final 2 chapters are free from the dark content, and you will lose very little of the overall plot by skipping to those once posted. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Dancingwizard)

Chapter 14: Lacie Kidnapped

Lacie groaned, her eyelids fluttering weakly. Darkness swirled around her, and Lacie could smell a cloying, sickly sweet scent coming from very close by. Leaning her head back, Lacie tried to move away from the nauseating aroma, but her body refused to respond. Slowly, Lacie pulled the heavy weights of her eyelids open and looked around her groggily. Immediately, Lacie knew she was in trouble. The room around her was stark white, only a small lamp in one corner of the room illuminating the large space. The walls and floor were tiled, glossy white squares reflecting light from the single lamp. In the center of the floor Lacie could see a small iron circle on the floor. Lacie's hazy mind finally recognized what it was, and she shivered at the implications. A drain.

Moaning as sensation slowly began to trickle back to her body, Lacie felt as if her stomach was on fire. Rolling her head, Lacie tried to cover her aching belly with her arms, tried to curl up protectively. Her limbs barely twitched. A thick haze seemed to cloud her thoughts, and Lacie realized that she'd been drugged. Memory of the disaster at the party flooded back to her, and Lacie whimpered in terror. Sudden understanding nearly overwhelmed her, and Lacie realized where she was. She'd been kidnapped by the most sadistic people she'd ever heard of. Claire's old owners had separated her from Master, knocked her out and taken her here.

Lifting her head, Lacie had to strain to lift her eyes to a point where she could see. From the weakness, Lacie knew she had been drugged with something that made her weak and slowed her thoughts. Finally, Lacie was able to look down at herself, almost falling back in relief when she saw she still wore her dress. Her arms and legs were splayed out on a cot, not bound to anything. Lacie tried to make a fist, but all she achieved was a tiny twitch from her fingertips.

Moaning in pain from the fire in her stomach, Lacie lay back down. Her belly felt like she had just done a thousand crunches, burning with exhaustion. Still, she was able to turn her head relatively easily, so Lacie took the opportunity to look around the room. Her cot was on one corner of the room, and the only door Lacie could see was on the far wall, nearly thirty feet away. The single lamp sat atop a featureless stainless steel table, set in the far corner.

There were nearly a dozen large, sheet covered objects in the room with Lacie, but she couldn't see what the covered objects were. Thick, heavy black sheets were draped over each of the formless shapes, hiding what lay beneath. Lacie's heart accelerated, guessing that torture devices lay underneath the heavy draping cloth.

Lacie had no idea how long she lay there, alone, but it was long enough for the fog in her mind to partially recede. Her hands and toes were slowly becoming responsive again, the drugs in her body wearing off. Just as Lacie was starting to seriously consider the possibility of crawling to the door and escaping, the stainless steel portal opened.

A tall, redheaded man walked in, carrying a metal tray. From her angle, Lacie couldn't see what was on it. Instinctively, Lacie tried to shy away from the man, despite him being all the way across the room. Setting the tray down on the table, the man busied himself with whatever was on it, keeping his back turned to Lacie. He was tall, but thin. His back was turned to Lacie, so she couldn't see him very well, his body partially blocking the lamp light. Slowly, having finished on the table, he turned around and calmly approached Lacie.

She got her first good look at the man as he walked towards her. He wore a white lab coat, with white pants and no-slip surgical shoes. The impersonal clothing frightened Lacie almost as much as the absolutely huge syringe he carried in one hand. His face was uncovered, but his features were blank, bored, lifeless. His brown eyes swept over her still form, not even seeming to really see her. His fire red hair was graying around the temples, the lines on his face seeming to make his eyes sink into the slightly pale skin, giving him a vaguely cadaverous look. He had to have noticed Lacie moving, but if her weak twitches and soft moans registered, he gave no sign.

Moving up to Lacie, he leaned down, swabbing her bare shoulder with a wet cotton ball. Gently, he pushed a small syringe into her sterilized shoulder, slowly depressing the plunger. Lacie turned her head away, unable to watch. Lacie felt the pinch of the needle, but it seemed muted, dulled. A moment later, Lacie felt a vague tugging from the injection site, and then a gentle pressure replaced the dull ache. Rolling her head back around, Lacie saw him holding the cotton swab over her skin, stopping the tiny flow of blood.

"Wha...What..." Lacie slurred, her thoughts slow and muggy.

"Just another muscle relaxant. Also a slight stimulant. It should help you wake up and shake off the effects of the chloroform." his voice was soft, but bored, like that of an overtired parent.

"Chloroform?" Lacie asked numbly, feeling the tiny strength in her fingers slowly beginning to bleed away again.

"Yes." he answered her, the bored look on his face echoed in the flat tone of his voice. He reached next to her and picked up a rag that had been lying next to her neck, too close for Lacie to have seen it. The fumes coming off the rag made Lacie's head spin, her eyelids instantly weighing far more then they should. Woozily, Lacie recognized the sickly sweet smell. The man lifted the rag away and straightened up, carrying the syringe and rag with him.

He set the two objects down on the tray and turned, walking back to Lacie. Lacie could only watch as he slowly walked back and grabbed the metal frame of her cot. Slowly tugging, he pulled the metal frame away from the walls. Lacie could feel and hear the bed frame shaking gently, quiet squeaks coming from underneath as Lacie then understood that the bed had wheels. Moaning in fear of what was happening, Lacie tried to roll off the bed, anything to delay what she knew was about to happen. Her traitorous body didn't respond.

Seconds seemed like hours to the helpless girl as she was wheeled next to one of the covered contraptions. The man reached up and pulled the black covering off, revealing one of the oddest devices Lacie had ever seen. It looked like a six foot tall 'Y'. The frame was almost entirely made of stainless steel, only about eight inches wide in the upper 'arms'. The lower base was almost a foot and a half wide. The front of the machine was softly glowing a light blue, since, unlike the sides, the front was only steel for about an inch and a half around the edges. The rest looked like some kind of gently curved plexiglass. Under the clear surface, a soft bluish mist swirled. Lacie barely noticed the softly swirling mist, or the graceful curve of the plexiglass. Her eyes were locked on the manacles and metal clamps that festooned the metal.

The man reached down and grasped Lacie's waist, tugging her body to the edge of the cot, where he lifted her with surprising gentleness to a slumped standing position. Using his own body to prop her up, the redheaded man clamped one of Lacie's arms into a manacle at the top of one of the 'arms'. Despite her whimpered protests, Lacie was unable to fight him off, the drugs in her system simply making it impossible for her to control her own body. It didn't take long for her other wrist to be clamped onto the machine's other arm.

Lacie slumped in her manacles, her back pressed to the glowing plexiglass. Moaning, Lacie fought of tears of terror, her heart straining in her chest, adrenaline fighting the cocktail of drugs in her system. Lacie knew what was coming, she knew who he was, what he did for a living. He created pain. Lacie knew she was his newest guinea pig. She couldn't stop herself as she weakly whimpered in fear.

'Please, please please, Master, please, don't let them do this to me, please, help me! Master! PLEASE!!! HELP ME!!!!' Lacie begged and prayed. 'Don't let them hurt me. I just want to go home! Please!!!'

Fear coursed through Lacie as the man turned back to the nearby table, picking the tray up and heading back to Lacie's cot. Looking down, Lacie saw a number of things he was carrying on the tray, including a pair of clothing shears. Setting the tray down on the cot, the man picked up the shears and turned towards Lacie. Gently lifting the tight satiny fabric away from her skin, he moved the scissors into place.

Lacie closed her eyes as she heard the soft snipping sounds of the scissors closing. Tears leaked from her eyes as Lacie slowly had her clothing cut from her body. Lacie's thoughts twisted away from her prison, back to the mansion. Lacie felt tears leaking from her eyes as she thought of Tara and all the hard work the lovely young woman had put into Lacie's now ruined dress. Lacie felt hands around her ankles, gently pulling off her shoes. 

Lacie took a deep breath, sending her mind away, ignoring what was happening to her in the sterile lab. It wasn't real. It didn't exist. Lacie was back home, at the mansion, talking, laughing, joking, playing. She was working in the gardens with Marie. The vegetables needed to be harvested. It was a beautiful sunny day, and she was laughing at some joke Marie had just told her, reveling in the feel of the sun and the smells of dark, fertile earth. She knew Ana was inside, preparing lunch for the household. Lacie wondered what they would be eating. She knew yesterday had been sandwiches and chips, and Lacie knew Ana didn't like to repeat styles of food, so she was hoping for soup and salad. She had just helped Marie bring in some fresh lettuce that morning. Lacie smiled in anticipation.

A dark, cruel voice, dripping with smugness and arrogance, broke into Lacie's escape.

"Oh, let me do that part Tyler." Lacie's eyes snapped open at the sound of Clarissa's voice.

The redheaded woman was seated on the edge of the cot in front of Lacie, wearing a simple v necked black t-shirt and skintight jeans. The smug, delighted grin on her face made Lacie's stomach curl in on itself. Lacie could see the cruelty in her smile, lurking in her beady, mud brown eyes. Clarissa must have entered the room as Lacie was daydreaming.

Lacie shuddered once as she realized her own nudity. Her body was completely on display, all the clothing gone save the tiny blue lace panties she had been wearing under her dress. Tyler, as Lacie now knew him, handed Clarissa a pair of rubber surgical gloves and a plastic tube of something. At first, Lacie thought it was a tube of toothpaste, since it was the same size and shape. Clarissa snapped the gloves in place then picked the tube back up before gently squeezing a generous glob of a viscous, clear gel-like substance inside onto one of her gloved hands. Rubbing her palms together, Clarissa pressed her hands into Lacie's naked torso, smearing the gel across her body. Shuddering, both in disgust and from the cold gel, Lacie grimaced, unable to even shy away.

"You should be thanking me, whore." Clarissa's voice sounded like crystal bells to Lacie, belying the hatred and cruelty that was all to obvious on the woman's face. "The gel will keep this machine from burning your skin. We think. It's a new model. You have the honor of being our test subject for today."

Lacie narrowed her eyes, peeling her lips back in a snarl.

Clarissa laughed, peeling the gloves off as she covered her mouth with one hand. Once the gloves were off, Clarissa reached up, stroking Lacie's cheek. Lacie bared her teeth and lunged, trying to bite the redhead, but her muscles were slow to respond, and Clarissa was easily able to pull her hand away in time.

"Oh, naughty girl. tsk." Clarissa smiled. "You'll soon learn to respect your betters."

Lacie knew it would get her in trouble, but she had no other way to fight back. Narrowing her eyes, she spat in Clarissa's face. The redhead reeled back in surprise, her hands swiping at the wet patch of spit that was dripping down her face.

"I...don't...see...any...betters...here." Lacie strained, fighting to form the words as she glared at her captor.

Clarissa finally wiped off the sputum with her sleeve and turned back to Lacie. Infuriated, Clarissa twisted her whole torso before swinging her right hand in a wide arc, the back of her hand smacking full force into Lacie's cheek. The impact knocked Lacie's head back into the machine, dazing her slightly. Lacie felt a stinging burn from her mouth, and she knew her lower lip had split from the weighty attack. Her face stung and burned from the powerful backhand, but Lacie grinned at her enemy anyway, smiling through the coppery taste of blood.

"You...hit...like...a...girl." Lacie mocked her, watching as Clarissa's eye flashed with fire and hatred. Clarissa's fist curled up and slammed into Lacie's gut, blasting the air out of her lungs, making her gasp and wheeze for breath.

"How do you think I hit now, bitch?" Clarissa reached over, grabbing Lacie by the back of her head, lifting her face to eye level. Clarissa leaned in, her face only inches from Lacie's. "Do I still hit like a girl?" she hissed.

Knowing it would infuriate the redhead even more, Lacie smiled again, tasting iron and copper in her mouth from the blood slicking across her tongue. Grinning at her enemy, Lacie gasped her response.

"Yes...but...I...don't!!!" Lacie quietly whispered, trying to use the soft volume of her voice to pull Clarissa in closer. It worked. As Clarissa leaned in to hear Lacie more clearly, Lacie surged with every ounce of strength that her drug weakened muscles could muster. Arching her neck before snapping forward and down, Lacie threw her forehead forward. The crown of Lacie's head crashed full force into Clarissa's face, completely crushing the older woman's nose and bloodying her upper lip. Lacie ignored the sting of pain in her scalp, Clarissa's hand had pulled out some of her hair when Lacie had lunged, but Lacie knew it was a worthwhile trade.

Screeching in pain, Clarissa fell back, her hands flying to her ruined face, trying to stem the flow of blood from her broken, misshapen nose. A huge explosion of pain slammed Lacie's head to the right, a massive burst of light and color splashing across her vision, blinding Lacie for a moment. Groaning, Lacie squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the dizzying pain in her left temple. A moment later, she opened her eyes and saw Tyler standing in front of her. His huge fists were balled at his sides, and Lacie understood then what had hit her.

"Bitch broge by node!!" Clarissa screeched, fury in her eyes as she jumped up. Her hands turned into claws as she charged at Lacie. Just before she reached the bound girl, Tyler's arms swept around her, holding her, keeping her just far enough away from Lacie.

"And she'll pay for it." His quiet voice cut through Clarissa's furious howling. "She's still bound, drugged and she has no way out. Let's fix up your nose, then you can come back and take your time with her."

Clarissa slowly stopped trying to lunge at Lacie, her brother's reasoned argument clearing her fury.

"Fine. Bud she's mine todight. Bitch id godda pay for dis." Clarissa winced as she talked, still glowering at Lacie.

Lacie pursed her lips and kissed the air between the two women, mocking Clarissa again. Before Lacie could see it coming, another huge backhand rocked her head back into the machine, dazing her once more.

"Yeah, enjoy id bitch. Tonight you'll be beggig me to kill you." Clarissa's eyes flashed, then she turned towards the door and left the room. Tyler watched her leave. As soon as the door shut, he heaved a loud sigh.

"That was... ill advised. She enjoys hurting people," Tyler spoke, turning back to Lacie as he did. "she'll not go easy on you tonight. Nor will she be so careless again. Enjoy your victory for the moment, girl. It won't last." Shaking his head sadly, Tyler walked around behind Lacie. Noise wafted around to the bound girl, hanging limp in her bonds as she was unable to do anything but wait. A moment later, Lacie felt something soft press into the skin on the back of her thigh. A moment later, the sensation repeated itself on her other leg. Even straining her weak neck muscles, Lacie was unable to see.

"What...are...you...doing...to...me?" Lacie panted, still slightly breathless from the punch to her gut.

"Attaching leads." a quiet, bored sounding voice answered her.

Leads. Gel. Burns. Despite the drugs, Lacie quickly understood what was happening, putting the clues together. They were going to electrocute her. They were going to attach leads to her body and use them to torture her. Lacie bit her lip as tears slowly began to leak out of her eyes, her heart began to hammer in her chest as fear and adrenaline coursed through her. A long time passed as she limply hung there, silently inches away from full blown panic. Lacie refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing how scared she truly was.

Biting her lip, Lacie silently dove back into her mind, recreating her fantasy. She was laughing around the table, joking with Callie about something trivial as the girls sat down to lunch. Lacie had been right, it was soup and salad. A wonderful garden salad sat next to a tureen of soup, several varieties decorating the middle of the table, from chicken noodle to tomato, to broccoli and cheese. Lacie could taste the delicious coolness of her salad as she chewed, watching Master as he sat down. His grey eyes flicked up, watching her as she watched him. Lacie smiled at him and he wordlessly winked at her, prompting a smile from Lacie. 

Lacie could her Tyler standing up and stepping away from her, having finished attaching the leads to Lacie's body. Lacie fought to stay in her daydream.

They were laughing and joking around the table. Ana was trying to understand a phrase strange to her, and the other girls were laughing as Master tried to explain without success. 

The machine behind Lacie vibrated to life, sending a gentle thrum though the otherwise quiet room. Lacie bit her lip and continued dreaming.

Master had given up, leaving Ana even more confused than when he had started explaining. Bridget cut in and deftly unraveled the linguistic puzzle for Ana, giggling and looking back at Master impishly as he glared at her playfully. The smug look on her face prompted him to gently shove her shoulder, slopping soup out of her spoon and down her chin. The table laughed as Bridget, rather than trying to wipe the soup off with her napkin, stood up and lunged for Master, leading with her face. The chuckles turned to gales of laughter as he jumped up and ran, circling the table as Bridget chased him, playfully trying to wipe her face off on his clothing.

That was when the first bolt of lightning hit her. Lacie's eyes flashed open and she gasped, feeling her muscles contract and jump. Lacie's skin felt like it was burning, every major muscle contracting despite the drugs. Lacie's body jerked and shook, her muscles battling each other as electricity burrowed deep into her body. The burning ache in her belly redoubled, leaving Lacie breathless as the fire coursing through her body died. Stinging pains prickled at her skin as her lungs finally allowed breath back into her body. Moaning gently, Lacie hung her head, closing her eyes as she panted, still feeling her muscles jump and jerk occasionally, still bleeding off the electricity.




Lacie Ch. 14



Lacie had never felt such a powerful shock. Her whole body ached as if she had worked out at the gym for hour and hours, mercilessly pushing her body far past it's limits. Lacie gently lifted her head, seeing Tyler standing only a few feet away from her, holding a tablet in his hands. The unexpected reminder of Bridget, her tablet and the home she now knew she would never see again sent Lacie's stomach crashing through the floor. She felt empty, lifeless. Quiet sobs shook her body as Lacie fought the tears, grieving for the life she had lost.

Another bolt slammed into her, the lightning making her back arch, thrusting Lacie's chest out as her head snapped back, just missing the machine behind her. Lacie's body thrashed, beyond her control, wrenching in several directions all at once, sending fire lancing through her. Lacie could smell the ozone, the stomach turning odor of burnt air crackling around her as the machine finally shut off. Lacie slumped, exhausted. Soft whimpers escaped her control. Lacie knew she was starting to crack. It just hurt so much. Gritting her teeth, Lacie swallowed the pain, ignoring her aching body's protests as she lifted her head.

"Go...to...hell." Lacie gasped, glaring at Tyler.

His bored looking eyes peered up at her. As if in response to her defiance, his fingers lightly tapped the screen of his tablet. Fire coursed through her veins as the lighting struck again, submerging Lacie's world into an ocean of pain. Finally, her body subjected to torture, her life and loves taken from her, her hopes of rescue gone, Lacie couldn't fight the agony any more.

She screamed.



Lacie Ch. 15



(A/N Again, I will warn of dark content. For those who may say that this story does not belong in the 'romance' section, I say this. I. Don't. Care. What. You. Think. I did not write this story to please you. Arrogance aside, I wrote this story to please ME. This is, admittedly very much not a 'standard' or 'normal' romance story, true. But, that being said, as the author, I reserve the right to do what I damn well please with it. While I adore and cherish positive feedback and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, I have no need for unappreciative comments and will simply dismiss them out of hand. I'll not censor you if you wish to comment negatively, as it's always good to know what readers like as well as what they DON'T like. But, please, if you wish to comment negatively, I implore you, tell me HOW I can improve my next story, since I'm damn well not gonna change this one. That being said, please be aware, my personal view of reality is not so skewed that I would ever condone real life acts in any capacity as they've been told in this story. Torture and slavery are truly abhorrent and should never be practiced on a living person, and I do not endorse, support or condone them in any way shape or form. This is fiction, and fiction alone. Dancingwizard)

Lacie

Chapter 15: Lacie's Prison

"Wake up pet." A soft voice whispered into Lacie's ear. Whimpering, Lacie tried to turn away, some part of her mind knowing that wakefulness only brought pain. Something hard pressed into Lacie's back, and a second later, Lacie's eyes flew open with a shriek, a sharp snap of electric current slashing though her.

"I told you to get up, bitch. Next time, do as you're told." Clarissa's voice echoed throughout Lacie's white cell. "Are you ready to give up yet?" Moaning, Lacie rolled over, pushing herself off the tiny cot. Levering herself up, Lacie shook her head, trembling as she waited for Clarissa to hit her. Every morning Clarissa asked the same question, wanting Lacie to give up, to stop fighting. Lacie knew that the moment she did, she would truly lose. Thus far, the siblings had only tortured her with pain devices, but Lacie knew that the moment she gave in, her innocence would be torn away, robbed from her by the insidious, evil, sexual torture devices the siblings made.

Lacie had no idea how long she had been prisoner of the sadistic pair, but Clarissa's face still had dark bruises under her eyes from when Lacie had broken her nose. Lacie hated to admit it, but Tyler had been right. Clarissa was never careless again. Lacie was kept drugged almost all of the time, her muscles weak and barely responsive. Clarissa never entered Lacie's cell unarmed.

Every morning (or what Lacie assumed was morning, there were no windows or clocks in her cell) Clarissa woke Lacie, getting her 'morning workout' before Clarissa left for the day. It always started the same way. Clarissa would wake Lacie with pain, get her to sit up, then slap Lacie, knocking her to the floor. Clarissa would kick at Lacie, getting the beleaguered captive to crawl across the cold tiles, trying to escape the punishment. Clarissa would herd Lacie towards one of their machines, finally pouncing on her when she was close enough, quickly shackling the exhausted brunette to the device of the day. Lacie was forced to rotate between the torture machines that crowded the floor of her cell. There was one black shrouded machine though, that Clarissa said she was saving for Lacie, saying she was 'waiting' for Lacie to want it. To 'beg for it'. 

Lacie waited for the day's slap to fall, but it never came. She could hear Clarissa's breathing, so she knew the other woman was not very far away from her.

"Well, pet, I have some good news." Lacie could hear the smile in Clarissa's voice. Lacie suppressed a shudder. Clarissa being happy was never a good sign. "Your vaunted Master is still looking for you." Lacie's eyes flashed open as she gasped in shock. Clarissa was holding a tablet out in front of her. A newspaper article decorated the flat screen, Lacie's picture front and center. Before Lacie could even comprehend that, Clarissa jerked the tablet back, keeping Lacie from being able to read the text accompanying the picture.

"Of course, he searched my home. Kidnapping a claimed slave is still illegal after all, but fortunately for my brother and I, he has no idea this place exists." Clarissa smiled down at Lacie. Lacie didn't see her, her heart hammering against her ribs. Master was still searching for her. Hope soared through her body, lifting her spirits. A moment later, suspicion clamped down on the euphoric feeling. Clarissa wouldn't be showing her this unless she had something that would hurt Lacie. Clarissa was not the kind of person who cared about her slaves.

"Why?" Lacie croaked, her throat raw and sore from screaming. A croak was the best she could manage, her voice otherwise limited to soft, scratchy whispers and loud, piercing shrieks of agony.

"Oh, I just thought you'd like to know that while he's wasting all his time hunting for you, our company recovered. It's been three and a half weeks since the party, dear. His false data package was intercepted. It never got out. Our hackers retraced his entry and are busy at work destroying his finances as we speak. In little less than a week, he'll be broke, and you and your sister sluts will be fair game. I look forward to getting my little screamer back. You're fun, but you have limits. My pet, on the other hand..." Clarissa shivered, a cruel smirk marring the lines of her face. Lacie trembled, fear for her friends filling her chest with ice.

"Anyway, I'm off today to oversee the final stages of your wonderful 'Master's' downfall. I just thought you'd like to know." Lacie heard the vicious mockery in the other woman's voice as she sobbed with fear for her friends. "Oh, by the way, I have a little gift for you."

Lacie looked up through tear streaked eyes. There, only inches from her face, dangling from Clarissa's fingers, was Lacie's choker. Gasping in surprise, Lacie's jaw dropped as her eyes locked on the tiny strip of lace, the little ivory circle gently swinging from Clarissa's hand.

"I thought you might like to have this back." Clarissa sneered. Lacie nodded numbly. She couldn't believe that her choker had survived. She had thought that Clarissa would have destroyed it the moment she could have done so. Lacie's hands trembled, her weak muscles straining to reach up and take the choker. Just as Lacie's fingers were mere inches from touching the gentle curves of the ivory circle, Clarissa's hand pulled back.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast pet. You have to earn it. Tell me what you want me to do, Pet. Beg for it." 

Lacie shuddered, looking at the last covered machine, the ominous black shadow in the corner. She knew what Clarissa wanted. There was still one machine that Lacie had yet to test. A sinister black sheet still obscured it from view, hiding what lay beneath.

"You know, I'm surprised you've lasted this long. Most girls we bring here beg for us to use that last machine on them within the first week. They beg for the final degradation. The last torture. They want escape. All they have to do is ask for it, and when they do, we take them away from here. We let them have some freedoms. They get real food, see real people. Real sleep. They beg us to rip their innocence away so the pain will stop. I wonder why you still fight us. You knew you had lost the moment you first woke up here. I suppose it doesn't really matter. You'll ask for it. We both know you will. And when you do, we'll take that final step of your enslavement."

Lacie knew what she was talking about. Lacie knew what the last machine would do to her. Her purity would be ripped away from her by an uncaring machine. Lacie's mind whirled, balancing her fears with the need to have that tight black lace back where it belonged. Her eyes teared up, indecision ripping through her. 

"I...I...I..." Lacie hesitated, her arms still outstretched. Lacie weighed her options. The drugs in her body made her thinking slow. "Please...Please just... let me have it...back." Lacie whispered, unable to take her eyes off the gently swaying necklace.

"I want you to beg me for it. That's the only way you'll ever get this back."

Lacie knew what she had to do. It was the hardest sacrifice she had ever had to make in her whole life. The hollow feeling in her chest that had been her constant companion in her cell, the hopelessness of her new life, blossomed further, ripping it's way through Lacie. Closing her eyes, Lacie took a deep breath and looked up at Clarissa's face, seeing delighted expectation lighting up the older woman's face. Lacie exhaled, breathing out her answer.

"No."

Angry surprise filled Clarissa's face. The delight that had filled her eyes turned steely, ice cold fury flashing as she gazed down at her defiant captive. Clarissa's hand whipped around, slapping Lacie across the face, sending the beautiful girl tumbling to the tiles with a cry.

"Fine, bitch. Have it your way." Clarissa snarled. 

Lacie looked up, one hand rubbing her cheek as she beheld Clarissa taking a step back. The redheaded woman flicked her wrist, opening her hand as she did. Lacie's eyes locked onto the tiny fluttering strip of fabric that tumbled earthward, weighted down by the ivory disk. With a barely audible *clink* the choker hit the floor only a few feet from Lacie's hands.

Without even realizing what she was doing, Lacie began to crawl, dragging her drug weakened, exhausted, aching body across the tiles. Clarissa watched as Lacie pulled her body across the floor, contempt written on her features. Lacie fought her body, forcing her tired, battered body across the floor, intent on the tiny lace choker that rested just outside her reach. Finally, her arms couldn't hold her up any longer, too exhausted, too tired, too battered. Collapsing, Lacie stretched, tears falling from her eyes as she reached, her fingertips only inches from the choker.

Out of nowhere, a thin, red stiletto heel flashed into Lacie's field of vision. The scarlet spike drove itself downwards. Time slowed for Lacie as the brilliant red heel arced down, towards the floor. Immediately, Lacie saw what was about to happen. Lacie's screaming denial tore out of her throat just as Clarissa's heel stomped down on the delicate ivory, shattering the choker into a hundred pieces. 

Lacie could only stare, sobbing quietly as she beheld the tiny, ruined piece of jewelry that was her last link to her former life. Tears trickled from her face as she stared numbly.

"You made your choice. Now you have to live with it, bitch." Clarissa hissed. Her hand smacked into the back of Lacie's head, painfully gripping Lacie's hair in a tight fist. Lacie barely felt it. Her eyes were still locked on the ruins of her choker. Lacie's mind reeled, unable to comprehend the unthinkable. Her choker was gone. Her final link to Master, only rediscovered moments ago, was destroyed. Agony, far more painful than anything else the siblings had inflicted on her, ripped it's way through her. 

Lacie felt Clarissa dragging her across the floor, but Lacie was barely aware of it. Her mind reeled, waves of anguish threatening to drown Lacie beneath their dark pull. A soft ripping sound echoed through the room, and Lacie was only dimly aware that she was the source. Her choking, despairing sobs shook Lacie's body between gasped denials.

"no...no...no, please god no... no... no..." Lacie whispered. The room around her blurred into whiteness as Lacie's tears began to overflow. Dimly, she could feel Clarissa strapping her into one of the machines, but Lacie didn't fight her. There was no point to it anymore. Clarissa's hand flashed out, slapping Lacie time and again, the redhead insulting her, berating the bound girl. Lacie didn't even hear her. The only thing she could see was the sad little remnant of her last hope, her last tiny piece of happiness, now destroyed.

As the torture began, Lacie could hear Clarissa leaving. Lacie knew there wouldn't be any respite. No rescue. No hope. She closed her eyes and wept. Waves of darkness rose inside her, the agony her body was being subjected to echoing the torture in her heart. Lacie could feel the dark waves of hopelessness and pain lapping at her consciousness. With a soft, gentle sob, Lacie knew her life of happiness was truly and forevermore gone. There was no longer a reason to hold on. She let herself go, drifting away, letting the pain and hopelessness wash over her head, pulling her into the dark, deep waters of agony and despair.

She did not surface.



Lacie Ch. 16



Chapter 16: Lacie's Dream



Lacie drifted, thoughts and memories floating through her mind. There was no order to them, just tiny, weak flashes of a life she had lost amongst the pain. Agony was now her life. It was all she knew. In between the moments of physical pain, Lacie could feel a literal ache in her chest, a dull throbbing in time with her heartbeat. It felt like her heart had literally broken, searing needles of pain shearing though her torso with every breath. Lacie knew she would die there, in her white, lifeless, sterile cell. 

Somewhere, somehow, Lacie, drowning in the darkness, heard a voice.

"Live for us. Live for us, Lacie. We will find you."

The warm tones of the gentle voice swept through her. Lacie gasped, hearing Master as he whispered to her.

"We're looking, Lacie. Don't give up. We'll find you. We'll bring you home."

"I can't..." Lacie murmured to the empty cell. "It hurts... it all hurts."

Lacie felt gentle fingertips against her face. Trembling, Lacie leaned into the ghostly feeling. She didn't dare open her eyes, or her wonderful illusion might vanish. She wanted nothing more than to see his warm grey eyes again, but Lacie knew she couldn't take it if she lost him again. Her mind was cracking as it was. So, Lacie kept her eyes closed.

"We'll find you Lacie. We will. We're working hard, all of us. We'll bring you home." 

His gentle voice whispered to her as the machine started up again.

Lacie's screams filled the cell, her throat raw and torn from the force of her shrieks. Finally, Lacie slumped back down, the pain in her limbs cutting off, leaving her sweating and trembling.

"Please, take me home... I want to go home..." Lacie pleaded desperately, her mumbled words coming out like mush.

"We'll find you. Hold on for us Lacie." Master's warm, calming voice begged her. Lacie could feel his palm cupping her cheek.

"I can't... it hurts too much..."

"We're coming Lacie. We'll find you and bring you home."

Lacie had no idea how long she hung from the machine, weakly talking to her loving, wonderful delusion. It seemed like an eternity. Lacie's eyes stayed closed the entire time, knowing the moment she opened her eyes, the illusion would be dispelled, and she would be alone again. Hours passed.

Then, just after another few minutes of agony, Lacie heard something new. Hammering sounds, a rapid, deep thudding, almost seeming to come from the ceiling above her. Lacie could hear something from beyond the door, rapid cracking noises that sent shivers down her spine. Dimly, Lacie knew the sounds meant danger, but her pain hazed mind couldn't identify the noise. Lacie couldn't understand anything beyond her cell and the cycle of agony and brief recovery. The rest of the world didn't exist for Lacie.

"We're coming Lacie. We're close, Lace. We'll find you." Master's soft voice told her. The concern and love there barely held Lacie's head above the waves of pain that threatened to drown her, crushing her mind and soul. There was a loud banging noise in Lacie's cell. She couldn't bring herself to look, knowing it would dispel her delusions.

The pain started again. Lacie's back arched as she screamed, her hoarse voice unable to make much noise beyond weak, gasping, raspy shrieks. Then, too early, the pain shut off. 

"Hold on. We're looking... stay... alive... Lacie..." Master's voice trailed off, vanishing.

"Nooo..." Lacie whimpered, pleading for Master to come back. Lacie gasped then, as big, warm hands cupped her face.

"We found you..." Master's voice breathed.

Lacie squeezed her eyes tighter. This was the best delusion yet. Lacie could smell the warm, clean scent of his skin. The warmth of his hands soothed her clammy skin. His voice was strong in her ears.

"Lacie... look at me."

Lacie whimpered, shaking her head. She didn't want to lose this illusion. Lacie was stretched tight on the machine, yet for some reason, it almost felt as is her arms were pulling themselves free.

"Look at me, Lace. Tell me you're okay. You'll be fine. We're gonna get you home." Master's voice was wrong. There was pain there. That was wrong. Lacie needed Master to take away her pain. She couldn't cause him any. Lacie would happily take a month of torture to spare him that. 

"Noo..." Lacie mumbled, her voice only a whisper.

Lacie's legs pulled free, and Lacie felt something warm settle over her body. Slowly, Lacie realized what that meant. She was dying. Her body was pulling free, and she was drifting to her heaven. That's why Master said he was taking her home. Anywhere he was, that was her heaven. That was why she couldn't feel the torture anymore. Lacie felt Master's soft hands pull away from her face. She whined in disappointment, but a moment later, Lacie felt his arms under her legs and back, lifting her into the air.

"I'm taking you home Lacie. We're leaving here. You'll be okay."

Lacie could feel the soft fabric of Master's shirt against her cheek, she could hear his heartbeat. Too fast. Rapid staccato thudding in his chest. Master's heart was supposed to be strong and slow. Calm. This was wrong. This wasn't right. Her delusions were off. Master shouldn't be in pain. He shouldn't be exerting himself.

"Lacie, you're frightening me. Open your eyes. Please, Lace. Open your eyes."

Lacie burrowed her face into his chest. Weakly lifting her hand, Lacie pressed it to the cool fabric of his shirt.

"Nooo... you'll...leave...again..." Lacie whined.

"Lacie, open your eyes. That's an order, pet." Master's strong voice commanded.

Lacie's mind whirled. Something there was important. Master's words meant something more. She just didn't know what. Gasping, Lacie's fingers curled around Master's collar, holding him close as memories of her old, lost life blasted through her mind. One memory stood out from the rest. Two women sat on a patio, just outside the big dining room of a huge mansion. One was blonde, wearing a suit and carrying a tablet. The other was brunette, younger than the other. They were talking.

"...it is an emergency, he will add a phrase to the end of his statement or request. The code is 'that's an order, Pet.' Remember that well. That phrase means to do what he said, and do it immediately, without question..." the blonde spoke. The brunette girl nodded, listening intently as she ate.

That's an order, Pet.

The phrase echoed in Lacie's mind. Her delusions wanted, needed, her to open her eyes. Lacie whimpered, feeling soft gusts of air waft over her face, as if Master was moving while carrying her in his arms. Lacie wanted her delusions to continue, but she couldn't deny Master anything. He wanted her to open her eyes, so she knew she would. There was nothing she could, or ever would, deny him. She just didn't want to let go. 

Slowly, Lacie bit her lip, preparing to open her eyes and find herself back in her cell. Then, knowing she couldn't delay any longer, Lacie slowly opened her eyes. What she saw threw her mind into confusion.

She was wrapped in a thick brown blanket. Big arms held her aloft. She was being carried through a long, wallpapered hallway. Blinking in confusion, Lacie looked up. What she saw there blasted the breath from her lungs. Warm, soft grey eyes looked down at her.

"Oh!" Lacie breathed. Master smiled down at her, relief plainly written on his face.

Gently, Lacie reached up with one hand. Her fingers inched closer, finally, her fingertips touched his cheek. Lacie could feel the warmth of his skin, the scratchiness of his chin. Her fingers traced the smiling, happy bow of his lips.

"We found you." he breathed.

"...Master?" Lacie replied quietly, still not sure if she believed what was happening could actually be real. His answering smile dashed away all her doubts. "What? How?..."

"The choker. When Clarissa destroyed it, the accidentally triggered the failsafe hidden inside. The choker sent out one big pulse on our trackers. All it took was to trace it to the source. It wasn't exactly hard to find once we looked into the corporation that owns this building. It's a shell company. One of the last few remaining places that Clarissa and her former brother had left to hide in."

Lacie's hand tightened around Master's collar, pulling herself closer. The pair emerged from the long hallway as Lacie buried her face in his chest.

"But, she said you were about to lose everything..." Lacie trailed off at the look of confusion on the handsome face mere inches from hers. The absolutely baffled look told her the truth. Clarissa had lied to her. To try and get her to submit. To give in. Master was safe. All of her friends were safe. Confusion, relief and the tiny lingering fear that she was still dreaming almost made Lacie weep, till something Master had said caught in the back of her mind. 

"Wait, former brother?"

"Well... he was here when we arrived. I'm sorry Lacie, but he was a cruel man." Master's voice hardened as he spoke, cluing Lacie in to what he was talking about. Finally, Lacie realized that some of her 'delusions' had been real. As realization swirled in Lacie's mind, she finally put the picture together. Master had come looking for her. Tyler had been in the building. The sharp pops that Lacie had barely recognized had been gunfire. Tyler was dead.

It all crashed into Lacie at once. She was free. No more pain. No more machines. No more Clarissa, no more Tyler. No more insults, beatings, no more despair. No more torture.

Master had her in his arms, and he was never going to let her go again. Lacie closed her eyes, pulled herself closer to her savior and wept.



Lacie Ch. 17



Chapter 17: Lacie's Recovery

Lacie sat up and stretched, groaning as she chased the sleepiness from her muscles. Yawning as she rolled over, Lacie rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"I like the look." Claire's voice came from the other side of Lacie's big bed.

Lacie turned around and stuck her tongue out at her roommate. Claire had moved in with Lacie once she got back to the Mansion. Lacie had to admit, having someone around who understood what she'd gone through did help keep the nightmares away. It was easier to talk, to let it out. In a sense, the two girls were now more like sisters than anything else. They were each other's therapists, best friends, and roommates. It had been three months since Lacie's kidnapping, but the nightmares still came on strong. Having Claire there made the terror seem muted. Dulled. 

Pulling the sheet up, Lacie covered her chest with the fabric as she stood up. Doing so tugged the thin sheet off of Claire, who squealed at the cool air in Lacie's bedroom. The naked rocker dove back under the huge comforter buried at the foot of Lacie's bed. Lacie giggled and moved off into her closet, ignoring Claire's grumbling complaints.

Lacie had grown used to Claire's preference for nudity in private. Aside from the occasional awkward moment in the morning when the girls woke up in an embrace, nothing ever happened between the two of them. Any time Lacie even thought of intimacy, that last big black shroud covered machine sprang into her mind's eye. Sex had been the ultimate torture tool that could have been used against her. It was dark. Scary. Painful.

Lacie knew she was being irrational, but she had been tortured day and night for nearly a month with the threat of that machine always hanging over her head. It was a difficult fear to shake.

Grabbing a towel, Lacie slid into a bathrobe and slipped out of her room, headed for the showers. Glancing back, Lacie let her eyes linger over the gilded plaque that adorned her door, proclaiming her place in the world. It was a small place, but Lacie would never have given it up for anything. 

Sighing in contentment, Lacie padded downstairs and slipped into the showers. Steam billowed from one of the showers, and Lacie could see a feminine silhouette behind one of the frosted glass doors. Soft humming and the flame red of Heather's hair gave away the occupant. The first time Lacie had woken up back at the Mansion, she had screamed. Heather had stood over her, checking charts and bustling around the hospital bed that had become all too familiar to Lacie on her last visit to the small room. The shock of seeing Heather's flame red hair had nearly sent Lacie into hysterics.

Many times during her torture Lacie had been too drugged or in too much pain to be coherent, and her vision had focused in on Clarissa's shock of red hair. It wasn't Heather's fault, but Lacie still felt little flutters of fear when she saw Heather out of the corner of her eye, or just caught a fleeting glimpse of her. It had taken several hours for Lacie to calm down enough that first day to let Heather treat her injuries.

Shaking off the memories, Lacie slipped into the shower next to Heather. Turning on the hot water, Lacie let the pounding of the water steam and massage away some of her stress. Lathering up her hair, Lacie began to hum along to the tune that Heather was keeping. Lacie gently pulled a razor across her skin, shaving away the stubble on her legs and underarms. Finishing up, Lacie rinsed out her hair and lathered her skin up. Realizing she was probably running late, Lacie quickly rinsed off and skipped out of the shower. Quickly brushing her teeth, Lacie dashed upstairs. Passing Claire in the hallway, the girls exchanged smiles as Lacie ran into her room.

Tossing on a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt, Lacie painted on some quick makeup and bounced out of her room, headed down to breakfast. As she walked, Lacie felt butterflies fill her stomach. Master had asked if she wanted to spend the day with him, and Lacie had agreed to before he'd even really finished asking. His quirky, lopsided, roguish, (and seriously cuter than it had any right to be) grin had grown on his face at her eagerness, and Lacie had blushed as she realized she'd overplayed her hand.

Lacie was looking forward to today, though she didn't know what he had planned. Pushing open the door to the dining hall, Lacie was surprised to see that Bridget was nowhere to be seen. Instead Master sat at the table, picking at a nearly empty plate of food. A steaming mug of coffee sat by his elbow and the daily paper was folded in his other hand. He looked up and smiled at Lacie as she entered. Standing, Master set the paper down on the table and swept around it, moving over to Lacie and enfolding her in a gentle hug.

As he'd moved, Lacie's eyes had feasted. Master was wearing dark blue denim jeans and a tight fitting black tee, revealing the rippling muscles under the tight clothing. Seeing he was moving towards her, Lacie had grinned and held her arms out towards him. As he wrapped her in his arms, Lacie inhaled deeply, his clean, slightly musky scent making her head spin. Sliding her hands up his back, Lacie laid her head against his chest. Closing her eyes, Lacie just stood there and breathed as her world spun around her. She was so lost in her blissful moment that Lacie only realized Master had spoken because she felt the vibrations of his broad chest against her skin.

"Um, sorry?" Lacie asked sheepishly as she looked up at him.

Master laughed.

"I asked if you wanted to eat or if you were just gonna hang on to me all day."

Lacie narrowed her eyes and danced back a step. Tossing a playful scowl at him, Lacie turned away and started heading for the table and her breakfast, wordlessly leaving Master behind her. A moment later, Lacie felt his towering presence beside her, as she looked up at him and smiled. Looking down at Lacie, Master smiled back before lifting his arm, as if to pull her into a walking embrace. Lacie leaned towards him, but rather than having his hand settle on her side, or her hip, Lacie felt a quick bite on her rear. 

Stopping cold in shock, Lacie realized that Master had just pinched her ass. Reacting instinctively, Lacie reached up and shoved at him, eyes blazing with playful anger.

"You jerk!"

Master laughed as Lacie pushed at him again.

Deciding that he wasn't taking her seriously enough. Lacie stuck her fists on her sides and shifted her hips to the side, glowering at the taller man.

"Really? You pinched my butt?" Lacie challenged.

Master merely shrugged.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." he grinned.

Lacie could feel the butterflies in her stomach go into overdrive as they stared each other down. Lacie's breathing deepened as she saw him slowly approach her again. Lacie stood her ground, hoping he couldn't her hear heart hammering in her chest. He slipped up to her, their heaving chests mere inches away from each other. Lacie's eyes widened as she realized she was having the same effect on him that he was having on her. Lifting her hands, Lacie gently placed her palms on his chest, feeling his hammering heart. Sliding her hands over the soft fabric, Lacie bit her lip as she looked into his gentle grey eyes. His skin was soft silk, the finest velvet, a soft layer hiding the corded steel underneath. Lacie felt the taut, coiled steel springs of muscles wrapping his body. Slipping her hands up into his soft, silky hair, Lacie tightened her fists and pulled him down to her, taking the initiative for the first time. The world around Lacie melted away the moment his soft lips met hers. The blissful sparks of electricity that coursed through her made her knees weak. Master's big, warm hands gently stroked her back, making Lacie moan into the kiss and pull him tighter, pressing her body against him as their tongues slowly dueled. Her heart hammering in her chest, Lacie slid her leg to the side, drawing her thigh up the outside of his jeans. Master pulled her tighter and groaned into the kiss. Lacie blushed as she realized she could feel him beginning to stir as his jeans pressed into her belly.

Stark white lights flashed in front of her, silhouetting a black, shroud covered machine. 

With a cry, Lacie threw herself away from Master, her skin prickling with goosebumps as she went into a cold sweat.

For a moment, Master looked confused, then a flash of understanding crossed his features.

"The machine again?" he asked cautiously, careful not to approach Lacie.

She nodded, pressing her hands to her stomach, wrapping her arms around herself, as if to hold herself from falling apart at the seams.

"I'm sorry. That was my fault. I got carried away." Master quietly spoke.

Lacie's answering 'don't be ridiculous' look was enough to halt any more apologies on his part.

"We both did. Not your fault." Lacie panted. 

"Still, I wish I could help you, Lace."

Lacie forced a smile onto her face as she straightened, pulling her arms to her sides with a bit of effort.

"You are helping. When I got back you couldn't even hold my hand."

"True."

Sadly, Lacie realized the mood had been ruined. Sighing gently, Lacie walked back over to her friend. Popping up on tiptoe, Lacie planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I'll recover eventually. I'm not about to let that machine ruin my life." Lacie smiled with some effort, but it felt more genuine this time. Sitting down at the table, Lacie pulled a tray over. Looking up at Master, Lacie smiled again. The concerned look on his face made her roll her eyes.

"Honestly, I'm fine. I just... well... I'm not sure what I need. Time maybe." Lacie shrugged. Pulling the tray lid off her food, Lacie inhaled deeply, using the delectable aromas of her food chase away the last remnants of her chills.

Master sat down next to her, before reaching over to grab the paper again.

"Well, I had thought this might help too." he said mysteriously, before sliding the paper over to Lacie. There on the front page in huge bold letters was the headline,

'Slavetoys Inc. falls to merger with rival corporation'

Lacie's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped in amazement. They had done it. 

"Of course," Master said gently, rubbing his fingertips down Lacie's back "their news break is a few weeks late. We felt it would be best if the story broke late, in case some other corporation decided to try and snap up a few of the falling crumbs. There's a related story on page 3A."

Lacie cocked an eyebrow, but was still too off balance to read Master's features for a clue as to what he was talking about. Slowly, Lacie flipped to the third page of the paper. The story practically jumped off the page at her.

'Former Slavetoys Inc employee indicted on 17 counts of registered slave theft'

There it was in black and white, seemingly just for Lacie to read.

'Former Slavetoys Inc. Employee Clarissa Adams has been indicted on eighteen counts of registered slave theft and six counts of willful destruction of high value enslaved property. Miss Adams reportedly had several 'safe houses' that she and her late brother owned where they tested new designs of their work on the stolen property. Many of the slaves that had been taken did not survive, prompting the DA to push for maximum sentencing during her trial Approximately three months ago police and several unnamed 'interested parties' conducted a joint raid on some of the safe houses, recovering nearly a dozen slaves in varying conditions. 

The late Tyler Adams, (fraternal relation to Clarissa Adams) resisted police and the authorities were forced to return fire. Mr Adams was pronounced DOA at Field Mercy Hospital within the hour. Miss Adams was not on any of the premises, but an anonymous tip led authorities to her location within hours of the completion of the raids. Police are still baffled as to the mysterious dossier that appeared on the lead prosecutor's desk two days after her capture, but the information contained within has been verified by several independent sources, says an anonymous source within the police force. 

According to other sources, the anonymously delivered dossier has been the hinge pin of the prosecution's case from day one, giving the DA everything they needed to put Miss Adams away for three consecutive life sentences at the Federal Grandham Penitentiary. The Grandham is renowned for it's unruly female population, largely made up of uncontrollable and violent slaves. It's considered to be a twist of irony on the part of the Judge, and speculation states that miss Adams will be unlikely to make it through 1/3 of even the first of her life sentences. Story continues on page 12A.'

Lacie set the paper down with trembling hands. Her vision swam in front of her as sobs wracked her, tears of relief dripping down her face.

"It's over Lacie. She'll never get to you again."

Lacie wept, and as she sat there crying, big arms wrapped around her and Lacie could feel the terror and fear, the pain and hurt, the despair and anguish all slowly seep away. Feelings of safety, security, happiness, slid in to replace them. The dark nightmares faded into the background as Lacie let it out, crying her heart out, emptying all the dark corners, pushing out the last of the remnants. Instead, Lacie allowed something else fill her. Belonging.

Lacie knew where she belonged. Here. It was always here, in his arms. 

Slowly, Lacie's tears slowed, the cathartic release making her feel light and buoyant. Smiling through the last droplets, Lacie looked up at Master. Smiling down at her, he reached up and rubbed her face clean with his thumb. Lacie nuzzled into his hand, lifting her own hand to press his palm to her cheek. 

"Better?" he asked.

"Better."

Lacie grinned as he pulled away, allowing her to turn to her food. Lacie hadn't noticed, but Master had re-covered her tray, keeping her food warm while he waited for Lacie to recover from the intense emotions that had wracked the young girl.

Turning to her food, Lacie marveled at how hungry she was. Master sat by quietly, gently touching her skin every so often, making shivers run through her every time. Finally, Lacie felt sated and sat back with a heavy exhalation. Master stood and swept up her plate, absently speaking to her.

"What did you want to do today?" he asked, turning away so he could pick up his own tray.

"Me? I thought you had everything planned." Lacie pouted.

Turning to look over his shoulder, Master grinned. 

"Oh, I do have plans, I just wanted to see if you had something specific you wanted me to toss in somewhere."

"Nope. This is all on you. You get to do all the work today, I just get to sit back and enjoy." Lacie teased, leaning back in her chair and biting her thumbnail.

Master rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"Naturally. You would want me t..." Master jerked up and nearly dropped both trays when he felt a sharp pain in his rear. Swiftly retreating giggles accompanied her footsteps as Lacie fled.

"You... just pinched my ass!" Master called out, turning around.

Lacie's head and shoulders popped back through the doorway as she answered.

"Yeah, I did Mister. That's what you get for doing it to me. Ha. See how you like it. Mmmlleh!" Lacie stuck her tongue out at Master. "Now what are you gonna do about it? Nothing. See?" Lacie waved her hand at Master, indicating that he hadn't moved since she'd pinched him.

"Nothing?" Master straightened as his voice rumbled deep in his chest.

Lacie's eyes widened in the doorway as she watched Master begin to stalk around the table.

"Oh... shit." Lacie muttered to herself. 

Master cleared the corner of the table, and with a playful roar, took off running straight at Lacie. Lacie let out a playful shriek and abandoned the doorway, giggling as she dashed deeper into the mansion with a laughing bull of a man hot on her heels.



Lacie Ch. 18



Chapter 18: Lacie's Place

Lacie dragged herself up the stairs, Master plodding a few steps behind her. Both were tired from a long day. After Master had chased Lacie from the dining hall, they had spent the whole day running around the mansion's grounds. 

They spent most of the morning in the pool area, Master cooking for just the two of them out on the grill. After lunch they spent hours out on the farm, riding Sadie and Pharaoh. They joined the rest of the household for dinner, but Lacie kept looking up to see Master giving her not-quite surreptitious grins from the other side of the table. Every time she saw those grey eyes crinkling at the edges, smiling at her, Lacie felt her whole body warm. More than once the butterflies in her stomach seemed to fill her whole body, making her feel flustered and distracting her from her conversations. The other girls caught Lacie off in la-la land several times, and Lacie only noticed when they started giggling behind their hands.

Still, dinner had been enjoyable, and the others in the mansion had seemed to be aware that Master and Lacie wanted some more time to themselves. It didn't take long for the rest of the women to excuse themselves from the dining room and head up to their rooms.

Lacie groaned as she cleared the last step, her legs a little sore from horseback riding. A big warm hand stroked her back and Lacie smiled up at Master. 

"Well, I had fun today." Lacie heard him say, a note of regret in his voice. Lacie understood completely. She'd had more fun spending time with him today than in the last few weeks combined. 

Lacie looked and realized they were standing in the empty hall, right in front of her door. Smiling shyly up at him, Lacie moved a step closer, placing her palms flat against the soft fabric covering his thickly muscled chest.

"Me too." Lacie said, popping up onto her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. His answering smile sent a thrill of heat down Lacie's spine. His big, gentle arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her into an embrace and held her close. 

Electricity tingled in her body everywhere she felt him pressing into her. Looking up into his deep, soul-piercing grey eyes, Lacie's breath caught in her lungs. Slowly, ever so slowly, Master leaned down towards her, their eyes locked as sparks seemed to fly from the intensity of their gaze.

Mere inches away from her lips, Master hesitated, prolonging that tender, blissfully sweet moment before the actual kiss. With many men, it was that final moment where he waits to discover how his advance will be received. With him though, it was different. He was waiting to see if Lacie could handle it. If she felt safe there. He knew the visions of the machine could pop up at any moment. He was waiting so he wouldn't hurt her with the memories.

For that, and for everything else that this wonderful, caring, generous, loving man had ever done for her, Lacie tossed all her caution and fears to the wind. 

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Tremors of pure ecstasy shook her body as their lips made contact. The musky scent of his skin made her head spin while the smoldering heat of the kiss made the world around her tilt crazily. Dizzy from the spicy sweet taste of his lips, Lacie opened her mouth and let her tongue slide forward hungrily to duel with his. Before she knew it, Lacie's hand had slid around to behind him, her fingers gently digging into his back, pulling his body closer to hers. 

Sizzles of electricity zipped through her as she finally broke the kiss, dizzy and gasping for air. His lips never broke contact with her skin, trailing across her throat, up her chin before his scorching lips pulled the lobe of her ear into his mouth, his teeth gently scraping her skin as she shivered while he pulled away.

Lacie gasped as his hands slid up her sides, holding her to him. Lacie felt the wall against her back, and realized that somehow he had pressed her into it. Rather than feeling trapped, Lacie felt more safe there than anywhere else in her entire life. Her breath shuddered in her lungs as Lacie gasped out.

"please..."

Master stopped his gentle ministrations. Leaning back, his keen eyes locked with hers. Silent, he waited for her to speak.

"Please..." Lacie pressed herself forward, crushing herself against his body. Lacie took a deep shuddering breath, and whispered the words she had ached to say for so long. "Please, don't stop. Don't stop tonight. I need this. I want this. I need you." Lacie bit her lip before finishing. As she stroked her hand down the front of his shirt, Lacie leaned forward and whispered in his ear. 

"Tonight, I want you to stay with me."

Master looked into her eyes for a long moment. Gently, his hand lifted up to her face, stroking a few stray hairs away. His thumb rubbed the soft skin of her cheek as she stood there, chest heaving with desire for this man. His finger and thumb tugged at her chin, lifting her up to kiss him again, assenting to her request.

Lacie felt the passion in their kisses redouble, sending bolts of blissful lightning flashing across her lips. The boiling heat of the need she felt for him left her breathless, the feel of his body against her skin made her weightless, and the feeling of floating in his arms was the most wonderful thing Lacie had ever felt.

Lacie's eyes flashed open wide as she felt his arms scoop her up as if she weighed as much as a feather. Without breaking their passionate kiss, Master carried her towards his room. Lacie's fingers tangled in his soft, silky hair as she kissed him. She was glad he was carrying her, because she knew there was no way her own legs would support her anymore.

Lacie barely even heard the doors open, and before she even knew it, Lacie was laying on silk smooth, cool sheets. Lacie had never been in Master's room, but at that moment she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the wonderful man in her arms.

Time seemed to slow and stop for her as he lay next to her. Lacie had no idea how long they laid there, sliding their hands over each other, exploring by feel. Their mouths were never more than a few inches apart, exploring throats, chins, ears, lips and slowly dancing tongues. As time slowly went on, the passion seemed to overflow, and Lacie finally could take no more. Reaching down, she tugged the bottom of Master's shirt out of his pants. Pulling the black fabric over his head, Lacie hungrily pushed him down, allowing her fingertips to explore his perfect skin. She could feel the soft give of his body, the silky smooth texture of his skin barely softening the coiled steel cables of his muscles. Looking down at him, Lacie gasped again in wonder. He was so beautiful it hurt. 

Lacie felt his hands on her sides, and before she even could think about it, Master's hands pulled her shirt over her head. Lacie's arms lifted instinctively, allowing him to take her shirt off. Lacie gasped anew when his big, warm hands settled again on her sides. Leaning over him, Lacie slid her fingertips across his skin, tingles of blissful heat sparking between her body and his. While she was exploring his body, he was no less busy with hers. Slowly, teasingly, his hands crept closer to her bra-clad breasts. Finally, one of his palms ghosted over the flesh of her body there, and Lacie tossed her head back with a moan, the pure pleasure from the gentle contact making her legs tremble, sending hundreds of butterflies into flight in her belly. Before she even knew what she was doing, Lacie's hands flew to his wrist, pressing his hand harder into her. She could feel his palm rubbing her nipple, even through her bra. The pleasure of it made her shake and shudder as she sat atop him.

Lacie couldn't take any more. Shoving his hand away, she reached behind herself and undid the bra clasp, holding the fabric up with one arm as she slid the straps off her shoulders. Biting her lip nervously, Lacie finally tossed the tiny piece of clothing away. Master's eyes feasted on her body for a moment, before his hands slid back up her torso, gently caressing and squeezing at her flesh. Groaning with the electric bliss of his touch, Lacie threw her leg over his waist, straddling his hips as he explored her breasts. Moaning gently, Lacie placed a hand on his chest as she shuddered. 

Lacie's eyes flew open as she felt his erection begin grinding into her. Gasping aloud, Lacie looked down, only to see that it was her hips that were grinding into him. It just felt so good. Nothing Lacie had ever felt compared to this sensation. Even her most erotic moments of self exploration paled in comparison to this perfect bliss. The eroticism of what she was doing to him was not lost on Lacie, and the soft, sometimes rough skin of his hands on her body made Lacie react, strongly.

A familiar warmth blossomed in her belly, a growing need, an emptiness there, a burning, scorching heat. A powerful heat that only grew with each passing passionate moment. Slowly, gently, Master pulled Lacie to the side before rolling atop her, supporting his weight on his own arms. Leaning down, he pressed his body into her. 

Lacie's eyes flashed open and she threw her head back as he began to grind into her. Reaching up, Lacie pulled his head down so she could whisper into his ear.

"...please..." was all she said.

Master leaned back, his powerful chest heaving, sweat beginning to glisten on his skin. Lacie was again struck speechless by his perfection. Just as she had hoped, his hands slid down her sides, tugging at the waistband of her jean shorts. Biting her lip, Lacie lifted her hips, allowing him to strip her completely as he pulled her panties down with her jeans. Lacie could feel her own heat, and she knew she had never been so aroused in her life. Reaching behind himself, Master tossed her clothing to the side as he pulled up a sheet from the foot of the bed.

Laying down beside Lacie, Master pulled the last remnants of his clothing off as well, tossing them off the edge of the massive bed. Lacie reached over and grasped his shoulder, pulling him back atop her. Once more, Lacie looked deep into his eyes. Reaching down between them, Lacie grasped him, feeling his size. Her eyes widening in amazement, Lacie groaned with the feelings of intense need for him that swept over her. Reaching up with one hand Lacie stroked his chest and cheek before pulling him down and whispering once more into his ear. As she wrapped her legs around his powerful thighs and pulled him down atop her, Lacie whispered breathlessly, her words almost inaudible over the pounding of their hearts.

"...please... please... I need you..."

Slowly, gently, Lacie guided him. There was a sharp sting, a bite of pain so strong, tears began to leak from her eyes. Lacie sensed he was about to retreat, fearing the pain he was causing her. She threw her arms under his, wrapping them up and around to grasp at the thick muscles of his shoulders, holding him there.

"no... please... just... please don't. I want this... I need this. I need you here." Lacie whispered.

"I don't want to hurt you." his voice whispered in her ear, the warmth of his breath making her tremble.

"Please, baby, don't stop. Please, just keep going. I couldn't take it if you stopped." Lacie begged. Lacie felt him hesitate for a moment, just before she let out a sharp gasp of passion. Lacie let out a noise that was half groan, half animalistic whine as she felt his length slide deeper inside her body. Her fingers scratched gently at his back as he pushed deeper and deeper into her. Lacie began to pant and her eyes lost focus as she curled up to his body, the sensations that were wracking her dashing away her reason. Slowly, finally, Lacie felt his advance slow and halt. Gasping and gulping for air, Lacie shuddered. She'd never felt so full in her life. She could feel his pulse inside her, making him gently twitch in her body. The feeling of having him so deeply buried inside her made her tingle with every delicious movement. Groaning, Lacie gently rotated her hips, shuddering as she felt him rubbing everywhere inside her. His size was difficult to take, but even the ache of having him stretch the depths of her body felt wonderful to the young girl.

Slowly, Lacie felt him begin to pull back out. The only thing that kept her whine of disappointment from being audible was the fact that it was drowned out by his groan of pleasure. Lacie felt a thrill of happiness run down her spine as she realized she was pleasing to him as well. His lips crept back up her body, searching, exploring, and Lacie met them with her own. Her fingers twisted in his hair as he slipped back inside her, pushing deeper once again. Lacie couldn't stifle her groan of bliss as he bottomed out in her once again. Moaning into his mouth, Lacie gently rolled her hips, encouraging her lover in his actions. His hand ghosted across her breasts again as he pulled back out, making the muscles in Lacie's body shudder.

Gently, slowly, Master began to slide into her, again and again, gradually increasing his speed. Every thrust sent spikes of pleasure blasting through the two lovers, their bodies shuddering and twisting in unison, both actively participating in their gentle, furious lovemaking. Finally, Lacie felt the heat growing in her belly reaching a crescendo. Master's groans into her ear were growing louder and deeper as well, and Lacie knew what was about to happen. Leaning back, Master pulled her up, seating her atop his hips, still buried inside the tiny girl. His lips ducked down to attach themselves to one of Lacie's nipples as he lifted her up then gently pulling her hips back down on him.

The sizzling heat in her belly finally reached it's peak, and Lacie couldn't hold back the bliss any longer. Tossing her head back, Lacie let out a scream of passion, wrapping her arms around Master's head, pulling his lips against her breast. The explosion of ecstasy was earth shattering. Lacie's toes curled as she shuddered atop her lover. Her belly twitched and jumped, squeezing her lover as she shook and writhed. Electricity burned through every fiber of her skin, leaving blissfully hot tingles in their wake. Her skin sizzled with heat, Master's sweat slick skin rubbing against hers, making her mind whirl dizzily. Lacie's release hammered into and through her as she rode the waves of pure pleasure. The sensations redoubled when Lacie heard Master's groans reach a peak, before a feeling of blissfully hot warmth flooded into her. Lacie's vision lost focus as she tossed her head back. Gasping for breath, Lacie shuddered, desperately holding onto her lover, enduring the crashing waves of bliss and ecstasy.

Then, finally spent, Lacie slipped back, Master's arms cradling her as she slowly fell back to the sheets beneath her. Moaning in bliss, Lacie felt the aftershocks race through her, making her muscles twitch and jump on their own. Panting, Master lay down next to her, his sweaty chest heaving with exertion. His huge arms gathered her to him and pulled her close, pressing her back against his chest. No words passed between them, both just basking in the afterglow. His arm slipped under her head, and Lacie used it as a pillow.

Smiling to herself, Lacie pressed herself closer to her lover. Somehow, Lacie knew she'd never again be bothered by the nightmares. It was an indescribable feeling. Safe, happy, warm and content, Lacie smiled as she felt Master press his warm lips into the back of her head with a gentle kiss. Pulling the sheets over the two of them, Master flicked the light off. Content in his arms, Lacie was asleep in moments.

The next morning, Lacie awoke to the sun shining through a huge bay window. The scent of breakfast was in the air and Lacie's stomach rumbled. Rolling over, Lacie saw Master seated on the bed with his back to the headboard, a breakfast platter on a tray over his lap. A second one sat only inches from him. Lacie could smell the coffee on their trays. Lacie only realized how much last night had taken out of her when she tried to crawl over and her left leg simply gave out. Face planting straight into the middle of Master's bed, Lacie blushed furiously as she picked herself up. Master was laughing so hard he almost choked on a piece of toast. 

When he had finally cleared the obstruction, he gestured with the remainder of the toast.

"Love your outfit cutie." he said, winking as he did.

Lacie looked at him, not comprehending till she realized she was still totally naked. Squealing, Lacie grabbed the sheet and pulled it up and out from under the comforter. Glaring at Master, Lacie wrapped it around herself, fashioning a passable toga before sliding up and sitting down next to him huffily.

"I suppose you think that was amusing, don't you?"

"Hell yes. I haven't seen a faceplant that funny in years."

Lacie gaped at him in half shock, half playful outrage. All Master could do was sit there laughing again as he tried to avoid choking on the rest of his breakfast. Lacie narrowed her eyes in a glare as she tugged her tray over to herself. Setting it up huffily, Lacie pulled the lid off the tray before a big hand gently caught her wrist. As she looked over, Lacie was caught off guard by Master's deep, passionate kiss. Lacie melted into it without thinking. She could taste the flavor of strong coffee in his mouth, and she could smell his clean, musky scent in the air. She could smell his shampoo and she realized he'd showered already. Slowly, Lacie pulled back, realizing she probably had morning breath.

Smiling, Lacie just shook her head as she rolled her eyes at him. Both of them ate in silence for a long while. Finally, when breakfast was over, Master cleared out the trays. Lacie slipped off Master's bed and padded barefoot across his soft carpet floor to what she hoped was an adjacent bathroom. Slipping in, Lacie looked over her shoulder at Master, giving him a loving smile before shutting the door behind her. Lacie was thrilled to see her little bag of toiletries on the sink, and she was delighted by the huge shower behind her. Quickly brushing her teeth, Lacie hopped in the shower. The hot, steamy water felt sooooo good on her skin. Lacie winced as she realized how sore she was, but all in all, Lacie knew she'd jump at the chance for a repeat performance, no matter how sore she was.

Finally, Lacie stepped out and toweled off, once she had made sure her body was shaven clean. Smiling, Lacie slipped back out, once again using her sheet as a wrap. Padding back to the bed, Lacie slipped beneath the huge silk comforter before sliding close to Master and cuddling up against his side, resting her head on his chest.

"Feeling okay?" he asked gently, looking down from the morning paper.

"Never better." Lacie smiled into his side.

"Good." Master chuckled above her. 

They lay there like that for a long time, Lacie's hand tracing lazy circles on his chest. Master's big arm wrapped around her shoulders as she lay there listening to him breathe. 

Lacie had almost dozed off when she felt Master shift, setting the paper aside. Looking up at him, Lacie smiled drowsily. Master smiled back, just before Lacie felt one of his fingers poke her right in the side. Lacie jumped a bit, her drowsiness chased away by the slight tickling sensation. Glaring at him, Lacie pursed her lips.

"What was that, Mister?"

Master's eyebrow twitched cheekily.

"That was the appetizer."

"Wait, what? Appetizer..." Lacie's voice drifted off for a second before she realized what he meant. Her eyes flashed to his face just in time for her to see him pounce at her, his hands outstretched.

Master landed atop her, his big fingers dancing up and down her ribs like piano keys. Lacie shrieked with laughter, giggling and twisting beneath him. Her halfhearted attempts to push him away were foiled by her trying to both fight him off and cover her ribs. Laughing along with her, Master continued his relentless assault, chasing her as Lacie pushed herself towards the edge of the bed, desperately seeking escape from his pleasurable torment.




Lacie Ch. 18



Finally, Lacie knew she had to do something, or he'd never let up. Her hand flashed up towards the head of the bed and grabbed wildly. Finally finding what she sought, Lacie grabbed the pillow and swung it full force into Master's face. The look of pure surprise there as it made impact would have made Lacie laugh outright, were her ribs not already sore from laughter. Lacie swung again, this time using the pillow like a baseball bat. Still stunned from the sudden shift, Master took the pillow full force in the face again. The impact pushed him back off Lacie, so that he was sitting on the very edge of the bed.

Knowing that her advantage wouldn't last more than a few seconds, Lacie lunged. Slinging the pillow behind him, Lacie used her body to knock Master off the bed and onto the soft carpeting below. Master's arms pin-wheeled as he tried to keep his balance, but it was a futile battle. Master crashed to the floor beneath Lacie, the pillow in her hands softening his landing onto the thick carpet.

Lacie dimly realized that somewhere in their tickle fight, she'd lost her sheet, leaving her nude atop him. It didn't really matter to the gorgeous brunette, as she suddenly realized that Master was laying beneath her, his lips mere inches from hers. Both of them were panting with exertion already. Lacie's eyes met Master's unblinking gaze. She could see the desire there, and she could feel it deep within her, welling up once again. Without hesitation, Lacie lowered herself to him, and gently, tenderly kissed him. Master's hands slid across her legs, making her moan into his mouth. When his fingers ghosted up her sides and behind her back, gently massaging her skin, Lacie pulled her face away and settled her head into the crook of his shoulder, biting her lip as her passion grew.

Slowly, Lacie's hands slid down Master's sides, gently pulling off the last of his clothing. Settling herself astride him, Lacie nipped and suckled at his powerful neck as she slowly ground her hips into him. Lacie could feel him reacting to her as she moved. With a gasp, Lacie felt him press against her. Moaning, Lacie slid her hips gently backwards. With a deep groan of bliss, Lacie felt him slip back inside her body. Finally reaching the limit of his length, Lacie leaned back, moaning with pleasure at how perfectly he fit inside her. She never wanted the sensation to end. The hot scorching need she had felt last night was gone, replaced by a slow, simmering heat, a gentle but fervent desire. 

Placing her hands on his chest, Lacie began to rock her hips atop him, feeling him shift and move inside her. Lacie's fingernails lightly scratched at his chest as his hands moved to her body. One of his hands settled on her hip, and the other slid further up, to gently pinch and lightly tug at the sensitive pink crown on her breast.

Lacie let out a breathless, low groan at the sensation, wordlessly begging for more. Gently, Master moved his hand along with her hips, guiding her into a steady rhythm as his hand cupped and gently kneaded at her breast. Lacie never knew how long she rode him like that, alternating between biting her lip and moaning with the soft, slow burn of their gentle passion. Finally, Lacie leaned back down to kiss him, and Master met her lips with his. The lightning in their kisses from the night before returned, flashing across her vision like fireworks.

His lips sent sparks dancing across her skin, setting the slow burn of need in her belly alight, turning it from simmering desire to an inferno of white hot need in mere seconds. Lacie gripped his hand and pressed it harder into her chest, moaning into his mouth as she quickened her pace atop him. Master let out a low growl of passion that sent shivers down Lacie's spine. His hands tightened on her, and in a whirl of motion, Lacie found their positions reversed. 

Master laying atop her, Lacie could feel every inch of him slip in and out of her body, the soft perfection of the feeling making her world tilt and spin crazily. His soft skin on her cheek and his heavy, panting breaths in her ear were the most erotic things Lacie had ever experienced. Slowly, gradually, Lacie could feel the bliss inside the pit of her stomach begin to build. Master increased his speed as he moved within her, and Lacie flexed her hips, meeting his thrusts. Lacie wrapped her arms and legs around his body, his arms cradling under her shoulders, holding her body close to him. The heat and passion seemed to blossom between them, and Lacie pulled her head back as she gasped with the ecstasy of every moment. 

As if he knew exactly what she wanted, Master looked at Lacie. Just as her pleasure reached it's peak, Master leaned down and kissed her, fiercely, passionately. Lacie could feel his love for her in that kiss, his happiness that she was a part of his life. Lacie drove her tongue against his, sending every charged emotion she had for that singularly rare, wonderful, beautiful man back through the passion of her kiss. Then, the massive, building waves of pure pleasure broke over them. Lacie screamed her ecstasy into his mouth, as she could feel his gentle shuddering atop her, his soft groans accompanying the warm, blissful flood of heat inside her. Lacie's vision dimmed as wave after wave of crashing pleasure hammered down atop her, making her shudder and writhe in his arms as she screamed her release into his mouth.

Master leaned back a bit, sweat rolling down his body as he held her close, letting her ride out the waves of bliss as he remained inside her, letting her enjoy the fruits of their love to their fullest.

Slowly, gradually, Lacie came down from the wondrous sensations. Quietly moaning, Lacie shuddered gently as she felt Master slip back out of her. Lacie lay there quietly, basking in happiness as she caught her breath. Lacie opened her eyes to see Master sitting next to her, panting as he caught his breath. The sight of his sweat slick body, sweat earned from his passion with her, made her breath catch in her lungs. Lacie gently reached out a hand and took his.

Pulling him down to her, Lacie gently kissed him before sliding down and laying her head on his chest as they caught their breath together. Lacie could feel the slow, heavy hammering of his heart as she curled up beside him. His body was warm against her, making Lacie drowsy once again. Lacie and Master lay there like that for long minutes, content in each other's presence. Finally, Lacie knew she couldn't stay there any longer, or she'd never bring herself to leave his arms.

Whining gently, Lacie pushed herself up and slowly stood on weak legs. Master caught her eye, and seeming to understand, merely nodded. Lacie smiled and gradually backed away, unwilling to let the perfect vision of him leave her sight. Finally, Lacie had to turn and push her way back into the bathroom.

Looking up in the mirror, Lacie gasped at what she saw. A familiar stranger gazed back at her. Tousled hair, flushed cheeks and a few soft, slowly fading red marks decorated the brunette beauty in the mirror, but the look of contentment, happiness, absolute bliss was so unfamiliar on her own face, Lacie barely recognized herself. Taking a step back, Lacie merely gazed at herself in wonder. 

Her life was nothing like she had ever imagined it could be. She had wonderful friends, a loving, caring man in her life and a beautiful home. The absolute perfection of her unexpected life nearly brought her to tears. As she gazed at her reflection through watery eyes, Lacie's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know how, but she knew. Somehow, deep inside, Lacie KNEW. 

In that moment, Lacie broke down into tears of absolute joy. Lacie, in that one, perfect moment, realized her place. She knew where she belonged. She belonged here, with him. She belonged in his wonderful home. 

She finally knew her place. Her place was beside him, forever beside him. Her place was in that mansion, raising his beautiful child. The child that somehow, Lacie knew she was now carrying in her womb. Her child. Master's child. Their child.

Lacie knew where she belonged.

And it was perfect.

Fin