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“No resin? But I saw you…”

  “Normal clothing,” I said. I turned to Olivia. “How do Bee and Dee take theirs off?”

  “They will it, but they’re only able to because I ordered it for bathing.”

  “What about… other times?” Lisbon asked.

  “There are openings,” Olivia said. “They normally close.”

  We talked for a while. Olivia got up to check on Bee and Dee, then returned and said, “They’re napping now.”

  “I can’t believe they’re napping.”

  “Well they weren’t,” she said. “They are now.”

  I snorted. She’d ordered them to nap.

  We sent Bess out to a nearby shop to collect food for us. Over the meal, we talked a little more. I volunteered Lisbon to help me with dishes, and when we were alone, I asked her, “How are you doing?”

  “It’s a little wild.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Bee was creaming her pants.”

  “That’s so crude.”

  “What part of this isn’t crude?” she asked.

  “Fair enough,” I said. “Yes, she was.”

  “So was I,” she whispered.

  “I know,” I whispered back.

  “I don’t know if I would have been, but Bee kept whispering to me.”

  I laughed. “Fair enough,” I said.

  “Why were you first, Sis?”

  “I was foolish enough to attract attention.”

  “You’ve always been good at that.”

  “Did you call me an attention whore?”

  “No. I called you someone who steps in when someone needs to step in.”

  “Oh. Are you and Deenie sleeping together?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Then I’m not answering any more of your questions, and I’m going to tell Olivia I’d rather she not answer, either.”

  “That’s not fair!”

  “You saw me as a sex slave, and I have openly answered every question you’ve asked.”

  She sighed. “You’re right. No. I was waiting to see how you were doing. I’m going to let her seduce me if she wants, though.”

  “Does she know that?”

  Lisbon giggled. “No. Do I get into trouble if I order you not to tell her?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t tell her.”

  I tried it on for size and then nodded. “Want to play?”

  “Sure. What are we playing?”

  “We’re testing how obedient I am. Order me to kiss your feet.”

  “I think you’re setting me up with Olivia.”

  “And if you claim it was my idea, she’ll ask me, and I won’t be able to lie to her.”

  “Fine.” She pointed to the floor at her feet and then put on a commanding tone. She sounded a lot like me. “Kiss my feet.”

  I folded my arms and studied her.

  “I mean it,” she said. “Claary! Kiss my feet.”

  I shivered for a moment, and the urge was strong, but I shook it off. Instead, I hugged her. “Damn it,” she muttered.

  “It was close,” I replied. “It might still work on other things, if you catch me by surprise.”

  She pushed away and returned to drying dishes. I washed a few more than set myself to putting things away. “Claary?”

  “Yeah, Lisbon?”

  “I want to do it.”

  “I know.”

  We turned to face each other. “Was Olivia serious about Bee and Dee?”

  “I think so, but I haven’t talked to her about it.”

  “Is that as big a favor as it sounds?”

  “Probably.”

  “I don’t know if I want to belong to Deenie. I really like her, but I’m not sure I want that dynamic. I don’t know how to tell her that.”

  “You’ll have to be honest, Sis,” I said. “Deenie really likes you, but if she wants a relationship as equals, this would skew it. And if she wants one as your owner, you have to decide if you want to wear that resin the rest of your life.”

  “It looks pretty hot.”

  “It does.”

  “And Dee and Bee are clearly quite happy.”

  “Quite happy,” I agreed.

  “And I’m used to doing what I’m told. You order me around all the time.”

  “Lisbon.”

  “I’m stalling.”

  I laughed.

  “I’m torn,” she admitted.

  “I know.”

  “Tell me what to do, Claary.”

  “Kiss my feet.”

  She laughed. “Nice try. Come on, Sis. Help me figure this out.”

  “How much do you trust me?”

  “Entirely, but how much of your head is back on straight?”

  “Enough I think my advice is good, but you’re going to balk.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “Let’s go back there and tell them what you’re thinking.”

  “I don’t want to hurt Deenie’s feelings.”

  “You won’t.”

  “Promise.”

  “I promise. And then I think you should ask to be pacified for a day.”

  “What?”

  “Olivia did it to me,” I said. “It was the price to give the council women some mercy for their role in the events that brought us all to this point. I liked it, although I didn’t feel good for a day afterwards.”

  “Did she... do things?”

  “She made me pamper her, but no sex. I didn’t want it to stop.”

  She nodded. “Let’s go talk to them.”

  We finished, and when we found them, they had drinks. I told Lisbon, “No more alcohol,” and she nodded. Then we took seats on a spare loveseat. I thought Olivia and Deenie were both surprised. “Lisbon wants to say something, and she wants advice.” I turned to her. “It’s best to just get it out.”

  She turned to Deenie. “I really like you.”

  “I like you, too.”

  “Do you like me because you see a girl about to be a slave, or because you think you might want something after that?” Deenie paused, and Lisbon said, “Fuck!”

  “No, no, no,” Deenie said quickly. “That’s how it started. But it’s more than that. I really like you, Lisbon. But you needed a guide.”

  “I asked Olivia to find one for you,” I said. “And she seems to be good at picking the right people.”

  “Is that all this is? I’m supposed to ask you to be my first? That’s all you want?”

  “No, Lisbon, that isn’t all I want.”

  “Well, I’m not asking you,” she said.

  “Lisbon,” Deenie said. “Don’t do this.”

  “Let her talk,” I said.

  “I came out here to say I wasn’t sure I wanted to be your slave, because I thought you wanted a real relationship with me,” Lisbon said. “And I might want one with you. I didn’t think I would like the dynamic if I were to spend a month as your sex slave. I don’t see how I would come out of that as an equal partner. If the reason you’ve been hanging around is to be my first, I’m not very pleased with you.”

  “I started hanging out, as you put it, to help you, Lisbon.”

  “That part’s true, Sis,” I said. “Don’t beat her up for that.”

  “Fine,” Lisbon said. “But at no point did you indicate you were around to help me, to be a guide. You said you liked me.”

  “And I do.”

  Lisbon considered her and finally said, “I’m just a kid. I’ve looked up to Claary my entire life. She’s only four years older, but that’s always been a ton. But I'm just a kid. I told her I was nervous about it being you.”

  “I understand, Lisbon.”

  “Lady Olivia, does it have to be Deenie?”

  “No, Lisbon. You may offer yourself to almost anyone you want. She must be a citizen, and she cannot be a close relative. Or you may present yourself to Government House and ask them to find someone for you. But Deenie honestly likes you. She hasn’t been acting.”

  “She
likes me because she wants me as her slave, or she likes me because she wants me as her girlfriend?”

  “It started as a guide and a possible choice for your first time,” Olivia said. “It has grown into something more.”

  “Is this how it works back home for you, people showing up and offering to guide you?”

  “No.”

  Lisbon nodded. She turned back to Deenie. “If you’re just after a sex slave, go look somewhere else. If you’re after a real relationship, then you may stick around, and we’ll talk when I get back from la-la land.”

  Deenie nodded. “I’m sticking around.”

  She shifted her gaze. “Lady Olivia, I’ll do what you’ve asked. I’ll let people know I’m excited. I’ll tell them my sister is doing great and will be back to work soon.”

  Olivia inclined her head. “Thank you, Lisbon.”

  “I like Bee and Dee,” she continued. “When it’s my turn, I want it to be you. If you aren’t interested, then I want it with someone with her own Bee and Dee, and I want to meet them first.”

  “Do I need to decide tonight?”

  “No. Am I asking for too much?”

  “No, Lisbon. If I choose not to accept your offer, I will find a few possible choices for you, and we’ll see. If necessary, I will loan Bee and Dee.”

  “Thank you,” Lisbon said. “When?”

  “Once your sister is fully herself, she and I will talk about her first challenge. I will be able to answer you after that.”

  Lisbon nodded. “Thank you, Olivia.” She turned her gaze back to Deenie. “Are you going to be jealous?”

  “A little, but this is part of our culture, Lisbon.”

  “I like you. If you promise me you’ve been hanging around because you like me, then you may walk me home. Otherwise I’m going to ask Lady Olivia to arrange an escort for me.”

  “The town is safe now,” Olivia said.

  “I don’t care,” Lisbon said. “I’m not walking home alone.”

  “Olivia,” I said.

  She nodded, and we looked at Deenie. She smiled, stood up, and then crossed to my sister, holding out her hand. Lisbon offered a hand, and Deenie lifted her to her feet. The two headed for the door, but I called my sister’s name. “Change your mind about something?”

  “Nope,” she said.

  “Okay,” I said.

  * * * *

  We watched them go, and then Olivia asked, “Why are you still all the way over there?”

  “Are they all the way out of the house?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does Captain Bess know the details of stage three?”

  “Yes.”

  “Captain Bess, how do you feel about lying to people who are treating you like a friend?”

  “I haven’t been lying to anyone.”

  “Everyone believes it’s two months, and then back to normal. You’ve been helping them believe that. But that’s not the plan, or so I’m told. For some of us, it’s two months. For others, it’s two forevers.”

  Bess looked down.

  “I understand why you wouldn’t tell,” I continued. “But I want to know why you can’t treat everyone fairly. Olivia, I want Bess’s answer, not yours.”

  Olivia inclined her head. Bess thought for a minute then looked up. “There are several realities. One is simple: we’re pretty good at determining who would make a good citizen. Frankly, if you’re not raised to it, then it takes something special.” She gestured at the door. “Lisbon is not a good candidate.”

  “She’s 17, and you’re making decisions before she’s had a chance to finish growing up.”

  “That’s fair. Kathareet is also not a good candidate. Why is it you’re the one who handles the rowdy crowds? Why isn’t it your mother?”

  “She’s a better cook than I am.”

  “Half the reason Deenie has been helping at the inn is because your mother is terrible out front. Lisbon at least tries. She could grow into it, but she’s been in your shadow, and that lessens her chances. Deenie’s been handling the front, and your mother couldn’t be more relieved. If she can’t manage her own customers, how is she going to handle the responsibility of a citizen?”

  “This isn’t anything bad about Kathareet,” Olivia said. “She wasn’t born to this. She doesn’t have a command presence. Lots of people don’t. She is still a good person who is good at what she does. But the inn would fail without you, or someone like you, Claary.”

  “And because of you, she’s been running it without me.”

  “And because of me, and our discussions, Deenie’s been there. And because your clientele isn’t rowdy except when we’re testing your mother or sister, they haven’t had extreme situations to manage. But if it did grow rowdy, I’ve had someone I trust there nearly full time to take care of things if necessary. It is part of taking responsibility for you.”

  I looked away. “They should still have a proper chance,” I said.

  “It is far better for morale if people beg to be permanent slaves than to attempt to be citizens and fail.”

  “Isn’t that how it works? One wins, one loses, and half your people are slaves?”

  “No. There are different challenges. But it would go the other way, Claary. We would have ten women lined up, and they would be taken one after another.”

  “You want to take my mother away from me,” I said.

  “That’s what this is about.”

  I turned back. “It’s about all of it,” I said. “You said I can’t keep her. You’re going to give her to someone else. And you’re lying to all of them but asking me to be quiet about it.”

  “What do you want me to do, Claary?”

  I thought about it. Finally I said, “I want to know you’ll be honest. And I don’t want you to break up my family.”

  “Can we treat those as separate issues?” I nodded. “All right. So. Honesty. Tell me your plan.”

  “The current plan is to let them undergo their first time, but then trick them into asking for it to be permanent.”

  “How hard do you think that will be?”

  “Trivial,” I said. “You could have convinced me to agree. You would have had to barely say a thing. I almost asked.”

  “And a lot do.”

  “So that’s the current plan?”

  “Yes, for those we feel would be poor citizens.”

  “What would you have done if I had asked.”

  “Put you off until you had recovered, and then let it be your decision.”

  “Then that’s what I want you to do, but then sit them down and be honest. I just want you to be honest. I don’t want to be part of a lie. Don’t catch them when they’re vulnerable. Help them recover. And then sit down and tell them they’ll be much happier if they accept this.”

  “Accept this,” she said. “You want me to talk in euphemisms? Claary, I think it would be better if you let me make you a permanent slave.”

  “Don’t be like that, Olivia,” I said. “Are you really telling me you don’t think you could talk me into it, especially if you included Bee and Dee in the conversation. Hell, we could probably talk Lisbon into it right now, if you set the two of them on her first.”

  “So seduce them into it. That’s what you’re saying.”

  I got up from the sofa and walked to the window. “No,” I said. “Am I an idiot?”

  “No, but you haven’t thought it through entirely.”

  I didn’t turn back, but I said, “I bet Bess could talk me into it right now, and she’d be completely open and honest.”

  “You’re not fully recovered.”

  I spun around, my eyes flashing. “But I’m also not naturally submissive, which means normally I’d be far more challenging. We both know either of you could talk someone into it. You would talk about how good it felt and go from there. I don’t know.”

  Olivia considered me then nodded. “You’re right, for some women. But there are women who are just not nice women, and we don’t want th
em free to become citizens, either. What do we do about them?”

  “Is it fair that it’s your choice?” I asked. “Who are you to decide someone isn’t a nice person?”

  “It’s my responsibility to look out for the people they would abuse. Maybe you want the responsibility. How will you feel if, oh, I don’t know. Imagine someone.”

  “Ledda Redleaf.”

  “Fine. Ledda Redleaf. Imagine if Ledda Redleaf convinced Lisbon to accept a challenge.”

  “Lisbon isn’t stupid enough to accept.”

  “Work with me, Claary.”

  I stomped over and glared down at her. “Come on. Imagine.”

  “Fine. I don’t want Ledda Redleaf having authority over anyone. She’s a harpy. What do you do back home?”

  “The same thing we’re going to do here, which is to convince them during recovery, and we’ll drug them if we have to. Is that wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted.

  “Now, I admit. It sounds like Ledda might be good at something.”

  “No, she’s dumb as a brick but doesn’t realize it. But she’s got legs up to here and is used to getting her way. She’s going to see this as a way to acquire a dozen slaves to wait on her hand and foot. But it sounds like that’s what you’re after, too.”

  “Did I mistreat you?”

  “No.”

  “Then I don’t deserve that comment.”

  “You’re the one who has two sex slaves and has talked about acquiring domestic staff. And I have a pretty good idea how far you have to go to get them.”

  “Is that what you think is happening here, Claary? I’m here because I want a bunch of slaves for orgies all day long?”

  I stared at her. I was upset. I didn’t want to be upset. “Why are you letting me be a bitch?”

  She smiled. “What am I supposed to do about that?”

  “Order me to kneel and lick your toes or something.”

  “And do you think you would?”

  “No.”

  She laughed. “Sit here, Claary.” She patted the couch. I sat down beside her, and she took my hands. “The Ledda Redleafs of the world aren’t the real problem. It’s people like me, but without empathy that we need to watch out for.”

  “And you can identify them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mother has empathy.”

  “Some. Not much. But she also isn’t abusive. She’s not the problem, but she won’t win a real challenge, either.”