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  “Unless someone breaks her vow.”

  “Yes.”

  I got up and walked to the window, attempting to ignore the sisters. They were still at it. Olivia watched, but she didn’t press at me.

  I stood there for perhaps fifteen minutes before she stood and walked to me. When she set a hand on my shoulder, I didn’t pull away. “How can I help?” she asked gently.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I whispered.

  “It’s a lot to consider. Do you want time to think about it?”

  “Frankly, I don’t want the temptation to break any vows,” I replied. “I suppose that by itself is one decision.” I turned to her. “I won’t fight this. Is there any way I can save Mother?”

  “Not the way you mean, and I will not let you buy her. That is a poor plan. But I can see to it she is well-treated. I won’t promise more than that, Claary.”

  “What about Lisbon?”

  “Any agreement we make regarding your sister becomes void if you betray me,” she replied. “Or if she breaks the rules.”

  “I suppose I assumed that.”

  “Assure me you won’t betray me, Claary. And then ask.”

  “I won’t betray you,” I said. “It won’t do any good. It would only cause widespread panic. People would be hurt. Killed. I don’t know what else. Please give Lisbon a chance.”

  “All right. If you keep your promises, then I will give her the same chance as any girl born of Ressaline City.”

  “She is 17.”

  “I know, so her initial period is a month, if she volunteers before she turns eighteen. But you won’t tell her anything we’ve discussed, Claary. That is our agreement.”

  “That is our agreement,” I said. “What about me?”

  “I won’t force you to pick someone in particular. You want no temptation?” I nodded. “Then you have three basic choices. You may offer yourself to me. You may offer yourself to someone else. I have offered five possible choices, but there are a hundred others likely to accept you. Or you may ask me to find someone for you, and I will do so. I understand if you are angry with me and make another choice. I won’t hold that against you.”

  I stared out the window. “If we had known this before opening the gates, I’m fairly certain our response would have been different.”

  “Which is why we didn’t tell you,” Olivia said. “What would have been gained, Claary? We would still have taken the city. Some of my soldiers would have died. Far more of the townspeople would have. The rest would have been enslaved immediately. You would have either been killed in the fighting or have by now become a permanent slave. You sister, your mother, your brother, your cousins, everyone you know would either have died or have become a permanent slave.”

  “You should go home.”

  “I am not the one doing this to you,” she said. “Your council had multiple opportunities to do the right thing. They chose not to. What happens next is inevitable. If I don’t do it my way, then Queen Lisdee will send someone else, and that woman probably won’t take the care I’m trying to take.”

  “Care?”

  “Do Bee and Dee hate their lot in life?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “It is certainly a point,” Olivia said. “To do this my way, I need some to go first, and then to honestly tell the others of your experiences. I have started with the women who we find most interesting, but if you do not wish any further attention, you may leave. I won’t bother you again.”

  “And becomes someone’s permanent sex slave?”

  “Not necessarily. Claary, we both know you’re going to do what I want for several reasons.”

  “Do we?”

  “First you can’t escape. Which means you should look for what is in your best interests.”

  “What about what is best for my friends and family?”

  “You can ruin this for me,” she said. “You can break your vow and stir up the city. The least that happens is I will be removed and replaced. The most that happens is a full insurrection. It will be put down. Maybe I’ll be killed in the process? Maybe not. But either way, the city will be handled far more harshly, and probably not by me. I am not a harsh person and would not want to oversee things done that way. Others would love it.”

  I said nothing, and she continued. “What is best for you, for your family, and for the entire city is if you are one of the first, Claary. You should experience this so you can speak intelligently.”

  I sighed. “How does this work?”

  “Perhaps we should have a small bite to eat,” she suggested.

  “What about them?”

  “I’ll send them off to nap,” she said. “If you choose to offer yourself to me, I’ll ask them to help.”

  “I don’t want that.”

  “If you choose to offer yourself to me, you will do what I tell you, Claary.”

  “I suppose I will.”

  “Are you going to let this make your decision for you?”

  “No.”

  “Let’s see what we have that’s easy to eat.” She took my hand. On the way out, she told the girls to finish this round and then to take a nap.”

  * * * *

  We ate a little fruit and shared a sandwich. My stomach was in knots, and I wanted no more. “I want to know how it works.”

  “It is a little frightening that way, Claary. I don’t think you should ask. If you grow up with it, it is exciting, but you won’t find it so.”

  “So I’m going to panic?”

  “Of course not. I’ll drug you first.”

  “I see. I want to know what you want.”

  “You know what I want.”

  “Maybe you’re offering this out of pity or something. Maybe you’d rather give me to one of your officers, either because you don’t really want me, or because I represent a favor.”

  “You do represent a favor. What I want is to keep you. But what I want more is for you to make this decision for yourself. It is wrong for me to make it for you.”

  “You,” I whispered.

  “Do you want to do this right away?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “You’ll drug me again, and then I’m your slave?”

  “No. I pacify you, and then there is a ritual. The ritual enslaves you.”

  “For two months?”

  “Until I release you, but I will do so in two months from the moment the ritual completes. It then takes time to recover.”

  “Will I feel sick?”

  “No, but you’ll be needy. I’ll take care of you.”

  “Where?”

  “Let’s find the girls,” she said. “We’ll wake them, and then I’ll take you somewhere for a while before we start.”

  “All right.”

  She took my hand. We had to look for a few minutes. “Of course,” she said, looking at her bed. The girls were curled up together on the foot of the bed. I was reminded of pet dogs. I whimpered a little.

  “Shh,” Olivia whispered. “You’ll be very, very happy. We’re going to wake them, and I will tell them where to find us.”

  I didn’t say anything. Olivia woke the girls, who smiled at her and then agreed to find us after preparing things for us. Then Olivia took my hand and led me back to the parlor. We sat down on the sofa together, and I sat stiffly, staring ahead.

  “I’ve never forced anyone into this,” she told me.

  “You’re forcing all of us.”

  “You have the same choices I had,” she said. “You do not have to accept this with me.”

  “You,” I said. I turned to her. “I’m scared.”

  “Close your eyes and let me touch you.”

  I did as she told me. She spent a minute stroking my face, finally pushing me back so I leaned against the back of the sofa. She stroked and whispered soothingly. She told me I was so very lovely.

  And then she whispered, “Open your mouth, Claary.”

  I obeyed her. She dumped the pacification potion into my mout
h and then made me swallow it the same as the first time. I said nothing.

  “That takes a few minutes, as you remember,” she said. “During challenges, we don’t use it, except as a handicap. We don’t need it tonight, except you’re scared, and I don’t want you to be so afraid.”

  I nodded.

  She spoke gently for a while longer. And then I heard the door open.

  “You’re a good girl, Claary,” Olivia whispered. “You’re such a good girl.”

  And I felt good.

  I felt hands on me, hands belonging to Bee and Dee. “Let them do what they want to you,” Olivia ordered. They pulled me to my feet, and I let them. They took my robe, and I let them. They led me from the room, and I let them.

  They led me downstairs, both of them touching me as we went, although not intrusively. Olivia followed behind.

  They led me to the ballroom, and it wasn’t empty.

  In the middle of the room was a structure. I’ll describe it shortly. Standing around were several of Olivia’s officers and soldiers, perhaps a dozen in total.

  “Claary Rosebush has offered herself as my slave,” Olivia announced. “She will be mine for two months.”

  The women applauded, including Bee and Dee.

  And then they pulled me to the structure. There was some sort of padded bench just about waist height. They pulled me against it, and then Bee moved behind me, leaning against me and stroking my body. Dee moved around and took my hands, pulling on them, then wrapping rope around them. She stepped away and began cranking a handle, and the roped tightened, pulling me further.

  Bee moved my body. She tied ropes around each ankle. Then she moved to another handle. The two cranked together. Bee’s ropes spread my legs further apart. Dee’s pulled me further over the bench. The ropes drew taut, and I was fully pinned in place.

  Once I couldn’t move, even if I hadn’t been pacified, the twins stepped back to me. Bee kissed me. Dee stroked my body. Olivia whispered to me to enjoy what was happening, and so I did.

  Oh, did I enjoy what they were doing.

  Then Olivia was closer, standing behind me. She began stroking me as well.

  And then she began pressing at my sex. I was beyond ready, and something slipped inside me.

  It was heaven. From the very moment it entered me, it was heaven, and I gasped and then began moaning.

  The twins stroked me. And behind me, Olivia drove in and out of me, working slowly at first, and then faster.

  “You will be mine, Cee,” she said. “You are mine. You are mine, Cee.” She said that, over and over, and other things. The words wrapped around me, tightening their hold. And my body went insane with the pleasures.

  I cried out wordlessly, and then again, and again, and again. And then I lost my mind and knew nothing else for a very long time.

  Pleasure

  Oh, I don’t mean two months, but perhaps several hours. When I came to awareness, I was lying on Olivia’s bed. There was someone spooning me from behind, and someone else wrapped around my legs. I looked down and saw Bee. It felt very good.

  I looked up. Olivia was sitting up, watching me. I smiled.

  “There you are,” she said in her lovely accent. “Can you speak?”

  I smiled. Apparently not.

  “No matter,” she said after a moment. “Some can speak right away. For others, it takes a few days. You won’t become talkative and may not speak a word for the next two months. Are you listening, Cee?”

  I nodded, and then I smiled more broadly. I could communicate.

  “Good. There are rules. Rule one. You will obey me.”

  I will obey her. Oh, that idea felt good. Yes, I will obey her.

  “You will obey no one else unless I specifically tell you. You will obey me and only me.” I smiled some more.

  “You will see to your own needs as necessary,” she continued. “You, Bee, and Dee will also see to personal grooming.” She talked about that for a minute. In short: they would help me, and I would help them.

  “Next: you will not touch yourself for pleasure without permission.”

  My smile faltered, but the command settled in.

  “You may touch for comfort as much as you desire,” she said. “You may touch me, Bee, or Dee for comfort, and they may touch you. You will not seek comfort from anyone else and will avoid contact with others unless I give you permission.”

  I didn’t want anyone else touching me anyway.

  “You, Bee, and Dee may touch each other for pleasure only when I give you permission. I will do so often, but I do not want you worn out all the time. You are here for my pleasure.”

  I was there for her pleasure. Yes. I was. I reached out, and she moved a foot where I could reach. I grabbed it and pulled it to me, hugging it tightly.

  “You, Bee, and Dee are pleasure slaves, but until I acquire household slaves, you will be responsible for keeping the house neat and clean. On this, you will do as Bee and Dee direct you. I don’t care to train you myself.”

  She let me think about that for a moment and then said, “You will spend most of your time with me. If I leave you home, you will accept household duties from Bee or Dee, but unless I give you permission to play, you will probably nap a lot. If I am home, unless I tell you otherwise, I want you to nap in the same room I am in. If I am not home, then if you wish to nap, I want you to do it here on my bed. That way, I always know where to find you.”

  Then she leaned down and caressed my head. That felt very good, and I closed my eyes and stretched into her hand.

  “Crawl up here,” she said. “I wish pleasure.”

  She wished pleasure! Oh, yes. I did as she said, crawling up. And then I began to give her every pleasure she ordered.

  * * * *

  Olivia stayed home with me for the next two days. She spent some of it working in an office inside her home. Those were the times that Bee, Dee, and I saw to the household needs. Once done, we cleaned and primped each other, and then we found Olivia again.

  At that point, she had three patterns. The most common was to order us to cluster about her feet, sometimes with a head in her lap, if it wouldn’t disturb what she was doing. We were to not disturb her, and we could nap if we wanted, but we would do so at her feet.

  I liked sitting at her feet, and I could do it for hours. It felt so good.

  The next pattern was simply to tell us to nap, and she might point to a sofa or a rug, or she might send us to bed.

  The third pattern was to give us permission to play. I loved when she gave us permission to play! Bee and Dee were both very clever, and they taught me many things. Sometimes Olivia simply told us we may play. Other times she was more specific. She liked ordering one of us to stand in a particular position then tell the other two the pleasures we were to give the first. Sometimes she told us to wrestle together. Sometimes she told Bee and Dee to hold me down and then take their pleasures from me.

  I loved every moment of play time.

  But as I said, Olivia stayed home for the next two days, and I spent nearly every minute with her, and nearly all of it in physical contact with her. It gave me deep pleasure if she stroked my hair, but it also gave me deep pleasure if she told me to brush her hair, or massage her feet, or simply to lie with my head in her lap.

  And yes, we did far more hedonistic things. I’m not even going to describe them, or I’ll never finish. I gave her pleasure after pleasure, and every time she came, I came with her.

  She touched me a lot. She held me a lot. She stroked me a lot.

  I was in heaven.

  * * * *

  On the third day, Olivia left the house. She gave us careful orders. We were to see to the house, and then we were allowed to play together, but only until we each had one turn to receive pleasure. After that, we were to nap.

  It was terrible watching her leave. The three of us knelt at the door as she prepared, and then we stayed there for a minute or two after she was gone.

  But then Bee turned
to me. She cupped my chin. “Comfort,” she said. And then she offered me a sweet kiss. Dee stood and moved in front of her sister. They kissed, sweetly, and then Bee stood. Dee moved in front of me and gave me a sweet kiss then said, “Stand.”

  I rose to my feet. She smiled at me. “It’s hard when she leaves.”

  I still wasn’t talking, but I nodded.

  “Today we work together,” she declared. “Comfort touch between tasks.” She caressed my face.

  “Kitchen first,” Bee said. “Bedroom last.”

  And so that was what we did, the three of us seeing to the needs of the house. We touched not constantly, but nearly so, always in shifting combinations. We could lean together, or just touch feet while working. Bee sat in Dee’s lap while we polished silver. I hugged Bee’s feet to me.

  It was nice.

  We finished the house. And then the two of them turned to me, grinning. “We may play now,” Bee said. She turned to her sister. “Massage tables.”

  “Yes. Let’s catch her.” They both turned to me. “Run.”

  I took off, running and giggling. They chased me all over the house, finally herding me into the massage room. They caught me and pulled me to the massage table. I didn’t fight, not really, and I couldn’t stop giggling.

  They were the first sounds I’d begun making, or so I thought.

  They strapped me into the massage table the same way I had been several days ago, and then they set to offering me pleasures. Oh, such pleasures!

  Dee was next, and then Bee, and it was such fun to make them feel good, such fun.

  We unstrapped Bee and collapsed together, giggling and hugging each other, right there on the floor. But then Dee said, “Baths now, then naps.”

  And so we bathed, saw to each other’s hair, and then they led me to the bedroom.