Felicia (21 page)

“Yes, master?” she acknowledged.

“Begin whipping her ass, slut,” the sheik ordered. “And do not merely pretend to do so. If you do not make it sting, I will turn you over to Selim!”

“Yes, master!” Felicia said, trembling. She stepped behind Neha, who must have heard every word but acted as if she hadn’t. Felicia raised her arm, hesitated, remembered how skillful Selim was with any kind of whip, and brought the little cat-o’-nine tails down across Neha’s defenseless rump. Neha flinched and grunted at the impact, but it did not affect the rhythm of her sucking at all. The sheik appeared to be pleased.

“Again, slut,” he commanded. “And harder!”

Felicia obeyed, praying that she wouldn’t hurt Neha too badly for the dancer to forgive her later. This time, Neha jerked and made a tiny, high-pitched grunt through her nose. She kept on sucking. The sheik reached out and ruffled her hair.

“This is a well-trained and obedient slut,” the sheik said. “She will not bite, no matter the provocation. Hit her again!”

It went on. Neha sucked, deeply and wetly. From time to time the sheik ordered Felicia to whip her again, and Felicia always obeyed. She could see red marks on Neha’s round ass now. Neha would jerk and grunt with each blow, but never stopped fellating her master.

“Strike her again!” the sheik suddenly bellowed. “Now! HARD!”

Felicia brought the whip down harder than ever. Neha squalled loudly and at the same moment the sheik jerked and groaned as his hand came down on Neha’s head, forcing her to take his cock in deeper. All Felicia could do was stand there with the nasty little whip in her hands and watch as he came into Neha’s mouth and Neha desperately swallowed.

When the whole horrible scene was over, the sheik seemed to be in less pain, and finally relaxed. He patted Neha as he would a dog and ordered Felicia to untie her. Felicia obeyed with fumbling fingers. Poor Neha’s ass was striped with angry red marks, but the dancer made no sign of the pain she must be feeling. Once she was freed, the sheik rose from his chair. He made no attempt to belt his robe, and it swirled around him loosely as he went back to his bed. He summoned his slaves to join him, and the two women did. His bed was wide and comfortable. It also had leather collars attached to it with lengths of light, strong chain. He laid back and ordered the women to collar each other. They had to lean over him to do so, since the chains were not very long, and he seemed to enjoy the display. Once the collars were on, he bade them lie down to either side of him. They obeyed. There was nothing else at all that they could do.

Chapter Seventeen

“Are you not pleased, slave?” the sheik asked Felicia. “You have been very quiet.”

“I am pleased, master,” Felicia replied. She tried to keep a note of anxiety out of her voice, but knew that she had failed. She could see why she would be expected to be happy about this. It was the first time she had been outside of her master’s palace compound in months. Well, long enough for her tan lines to have faded completely, anyway. She sat on the mat provided for her, on the floor of her master’s limousine. As a slave, she could not expect to sit on the seat.

Opposite her, little Sabadta was most visibly pleased. She crouched on her own little pad on the floor, looking about excitedly, dark eyes wide and a huge smile on her pretty little face. Their master sat at ease in the middle of the rear passenger seat, sipping chilled fruit juice he had just poured from a carafe. He was dressed casually, in a dark silk suit that must have cost thousands, brand new Italian loafers, and a crisp white shirt he had not bothered to button up all the way. Selim, clad like some bad Hollywood version of an oriental harem guard, occupied the front passenger seat. Felicia knew that there was a black SUV full of more guards traveling down the dusty road some distance ahead of them, and an identical one trailing some distance behind. She did not know where they were going.

Also for the first time in months, she was allowed to wear something other than one of the obscene harem costumes that never covered what clothes would normally be expected to cover. She was clad in a pale yellow bikini that complimented her honey-blonde hair and fit her perfectly. It ought to fit her perfectly. From the moment she had been given it she recognized it as one of hers, from the life she used to have. She was also wearing her own cork-soled platform sandals and thigh-length white terrycloth beach robe. The only thing she was wearing that wasn’t something she used to own was the heavy golden chain around her neck. It was made to look like jewelry, but she recognized it as a chain choke collar, the kind you might put on a big, unruly dog. Sabadta wore a white bikini that set off her warm brown skin, a pale yellow thigh-length terrycloth robe, and cork-soled platform sandals of her own. She also had her own golden chain choke collar on. Her hair was cut very short, but she had always worn it that way. Felicia’s hair had been washed and combed and brushed until it shone. They kept it at just more than shoulder length these days.

“We are going to a party,” sheik Ismail announced. “It is being given by some associates of mine. You will behave properly while we are there.”

“Yes, master,” Felicia nodded.

“You will smile at everyone, but you will speak to no one,” he went on.

“Yes, master.”

“The party will be in an outdoor garden. There will be a pool. You may swim if you like, but do not try to wander off of the grounds. My associates have strict rules. If you try to do so, you will probably be shot. Do you understand?”

Felicia gulped. “Yes, master,” she replied.

“I have decided to give you this boon because you have done so well with your training,” the sheik went on. “And because you look so very decorative.” He looked at bouncy, happy little Sabadta. “Both of you.”

“Thank you, master,” Felicia said humbly. She had been pretty sure when she had been told that she would accompany her master on an outing that there would be no chance of her escaping. Being told that she might be shot instead of simply retaken and severely punished was something she had not considered. In the meantime, she told herself, it would be a nice change to be outside, and clothed, and free to move around in a slightly larger and airier cage than she was usually kept in.

“Food and drink will be served,” her master continued. “You may partake of either or both in moderation. Do you understand?”

“Yes, master.” Felicia knew that Sabadta wasn’t getting any of this, and wondered if she had been told the rules ahead of time. She probably had. And if the girl misbehaved anyway, that was her problem, not Felicia’s. Felicia would be smiling and polite, she would probably go for a swim, she would probably sample some of the food and drink and she would certainly take the opportunity to do a little sunbathing. It would be nice to be among other people and actually dressed for a change. One thing that bothered her about all this, though, was that under her bikini she was wearing delicate gold nipple rings and the labial rings that she was rarely, rarely free of. Casual observers might never know that they were there, but the bikini fit her snugly enough so that she was always reminded that they were there. She supposed that she should be thankful for small mercies. The last time that creepy, cold-handed doctor had had her up on that examining table he and her master had discussed putting a ring through her clitoris, and another through her nose. Maybe they’d just let her overhear them to scare her, but she doubted that. Sooner or later, she was sure, she would be strapped down on that damned table again, and then they would do it to her, no matter how much she might beg or plead or cry or scream. It was inevitable. The only question, as far as she was concerned, was when it would happen and how much it would hurt. Neha had told her not to worry, that they always used an anesthetic and that most of the pain came afterwards, once the drug had worn off. That hadn’t been very comforting.

The limo turned sharply. Felicia had to put out her hands to brace herself. Sabadta was caught by surprise. She rolled into the sheik’s leg and quickly scrambled away, looking up at him with a bright and nervous smile punctuated by a giggle. The sheik simply smiled at her. Felicia didn’t think that it was entirely fair the way the slender little East African got away with things that would get any other member of the harem whipped. She must be awfully good at something for her master to cut her so much slack. Or maybe she just seemed to be so happy that she was clothed and fed and taken care of that their master kept her on a long leash for variety.

“Ah,” the sheik said as he looked out of one of the tinted windows. “We have arrived.”

All Felicia saw was a high stone wall to either side as they passed through a gate. She stayed obediently on the floor until the limo came to a stop. Then she waited until Selim opened the door and gestured for her to get out. It was bright enough outside that she wished they had given her one of her old pairs of sunglasses to go with the outfit, or maybe her big, broad-brimmed white hat. She looked around as her master emerged from the vehicle, followed by Sabadta.

The stone wall was not only high, it was long and wide as well. Here it enclosed a big grassy area where a lot of cars were already parked. Some were limousines, others were SUVs. There was even one sporty little red convertible over that way. A bit further away, she saw a low, rambling set of buildings. Two wings of it partly enclosed an area between them. She could hear conversations and laughter coming from that direction, but she couldn’t see much because of an intervening hedge.

“This way,” the sheik said as he strode past her. Felicia obediently fell in behind him, with Sabadta bouncing along just to her right. She knew without looking that Selim was following them, and debated whether or not she should practice her smiling. She hadn’t had anything to smile about for a long time, and she was probably rusty at it. She decided to wait until she had something here to smile about and give it a try then.

Her master led the way across the grass to a flagstone pathway that ran through an opening in the hedge. Once they had passed through, she could see dozens and dozens of men and women, all well-dressed, all seeming carefree and at ease. She heard some English being spoken along with French, German, Italian and more that she couldn’t identify. Some called out to the sheik as they passed by. He would nod and wave, but did not stop until they reached the edge of the pool area.

“I will leave you here for now,” he said to Felicia. “You may do as you please until I send for you. Stay close together so that Selim may keep an eye on both of you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, master,” Felicia said quietly. She didn’t want to speak loudly enough for any of the strangers nearby to hear. If she was allowed to pretend that she was no more or less than one of her master’s playmates for a while she didn’t want to ruin the image early.

“Very good,” the sheik said. “I have some important business to take care of here. I would be most unhappy if something were to interrupt me.”

“I understand, master,” Felicia said, still speaking quietly. Now that she was here, she was anxious to get on with her play-acting. She thought that she could probably fool everyone here. If she was very good at it, she might even fool herself for a little while.

“Run along,” the sheik said with a wave of his hand. He disappeared into the crowd.

Felicia, finally free… sort of… made her way to the pool. It was big and wide, with bodies in bikinis and trunks bobbing around in the cool, clear water. There were a bit too many bodies there for her not to feel crowded, so she appropriated one of the beach chairs, shed her robe and sandals, and stretched herself out to soak up some sun. She didn’t even bother to look for Sabadta. That little bitch could stay close or wander off as she saw fit.

A moment later, she remembered that she hadn’t been out in the sun for a while and could easily burn. She reached down and retrieved her beach robe. She already knew that there was a small plastic bottle of tanning oil in the lone pocket. It had been there when she’d first put the robe on. It wasn’t a brand she’d used. It wasn’t even a brand she’d ever heard of, but she was glad to have it. She squeezed some into her palm and began slathering it all over her body. As she did she noticed some of the men there watching her and no doubt wondering what it would feel like if they were applying that slick, slippery oil on her warm, silky skin. In another time and place, she might have actually picked out a cute one and flirted with him subtly until he came over and offered to help. Now, she didn’t dare. But it was nice to have men looking at her again and wondering what she looked like under the scant covering of her bikini.

She heard a gleeful squeal and looked in its direction just in time to see Sabadta dive into the pool. She sank like a stone, apparently unaware that she’d chosen the deep end to dive into, and clawed her way back to the surface. There she clung to the side of the pool, still happy, still smiling. Felicia envied her, and not for the first time. She didn’t seem to mind that she was a slave, not so long as her needs were taken care of, and her needs were pretty simple. Could she even read and write? Slaves didn’t do that anyway. Well, sex slaves didn’t.

Felicia had to turn away both from Sabadta and from that line of thinking. She laid back on the beach chair and let her mind go blank as she felt the bright sunshine soaking into her. For now, that was all she wanted or needed. But she couldn’t just leave it at that for long. She might be a slave. Her body might belong to her master, to use and abuse as he saw fit. But her mind, trapped inside her body as it was, was still free to wander wherever it wanted. As she lay there and let the sun toast her gently, she began thinking.

When she had first been put into slavery, she had seen that life was easier in the harem, and she had tried very hard to be admitted into that group, saying and doing things to accomplish that that she didn’t want to think about now. Once she had gotten into the harem, she discovered that the only improvement in her situation was that she was a bit more comfortable in between the nasty, degrading things she was made to do, or that were done to her. Now it seemed that there might actually be another step up beyond the harem: To accompany her master outside of his palace compound, and mix with ordinary people. It would be nice. She could picture herself accompanying him to nightclubs… did he go to nightclubs? Oh, well, she could at least be his arm candy for events like this one. She didn’t know how she had earned enough of his trust to be brought along this time, but if she behaved herself he might consider bringing her along to more of them. She knew that she would have to pay for the privilege with her body, but he had free use of it anyway, so why not get something for herself out of the deal? She still hated it when he put his hands on her, hated it even more when he fucked her, and could barely stand it when he made her fellate him, but if she could look forward to rewards like this outing, it would not be quite so loathsome, would it?