her.
Afterwards, she was allowed to bathe, given some morsel of food and perhaps a sip or two of wine as a reward, and then led back to the seraglio to wait for the next customer or the next exercise routine. Kara was always there to welcome her back, and brush her hair, and demand, in surreptitious, whispered conversation, to know what it had been like, in painful and humiliating detail. The tall blonde really seemed to get off on that.
Kara was sometimes taken out for a customer to evaluate and try out. There was always a steely glint in her eye when she was summoned. It was always gone when she was brought back. Sometimes, one of the guards had to all but carry her back. She was always weak and shaky when she returned. Usually there were deep, red rope marks on her wrists and ankles. Often there were angry red welts on her ass and thighs. Less often there were similar welts across her belly and shoulders. Rarely, there were some across her breasts. Gia always wondered what could reduce Kara’s tight, toned, athletic body to trembling weakness, but she never asked and Kara never told her. Whenever Kara was brought back in that condition, Gia always tended her carefully, even brushing Kara’s hair as Kara brushed hers, until she was able to care for herself again. She suspected that something about the way Kara carried herself, something about the Olympian fitness of her body, prompted men to try very hard to break her. Another possibility was that Kara actually wanted to be cruelly mistreated in that way. Gia tried very hard not to think about that possibility.
Chapter Nine
“Up, Gia. Up!”
Even in her sleep, Gia could recognize the voice of her trainer. As sleepy as she felt, she scrambled into the position he usually wanted her to take: Kneeling, with her ass resting on her heels and her hands on the floor in front of her. She looked up at him, awaiting further commands. As she did, she noticed that the windows up above were dark. It must be nighttime. That would explain why all of the inmates of the seraglio seemed to be sound asleep. The room was dimly lit. They never let it get completely dark in here.
“Good girl,” her trainer grinned down at her. “Now stand up and strip naked, little Gia. You’re coming with me.”
Gia’s heart sank. She had gotten used to being undisturbed while she slept through the night. It was one of the few small pleasures she had been permitted, and now it looked like that was being taken away too. But she knew better than to complain about it. That would only earn her punishment, which could be anything from a caning to being strung up by her wrists until she was screaming and sobbing in pain. Gia hadn’t actually suffered that last punishment herself, but she’d been forced to witness another woman suffer it, along with several other inmates of the seraglio. It had served as an object lesson to all of them. The lesson was further driven home when the punished woman had been taken away afterwards, never to be seen again.
She pulled the veil off and then carefully removed her anklets so that the tiny bells wouldn’t ring and maybe waken Kara. That done, she remained on her knees and bent over, crossing her wrists behind her, and waited.
“Just stand up, Gia, and follow me,” her trainer said. He turned and began to walk away. Gia quickly got to her feet and followed him as he’d ordered. They didn’t need ropes, or collars, or leashes to move her any more. And her trainer was so certain that she would obey that he didn’t even look around to see if she was following. Gia shuddered. Had she already been reduced to an obedient animal? But what else could she do? She still had no idea where in the world she was. It felt like she was at the opposite side of the globe from her house and her servants and her club and her shopping, but for all she knew she could be only a couple of miles from there.
As she followed her trainer out through the doorway she realized that she
Afterwards, she was allowed to bathe, given some morsel of food and perhaps a sip or two of wine as a reward, and then led back to the seraglio to wait for the next customer or the next exercise routine. Kara was always there to welcome her back, and brush her hair, and demand, in surreptitious, whispered conversation, to know what it had been like, in painful and humiliating detail. The tall blonde really seemed to get off on that.
Kara was sometimes taken out for a customer to evaluate and try out. There was always a steely glint in her eye when she was summoned. It was always gone when she was brought back. Sometimes, one of the guards had to all but carry her back. She was always weak and shaky when she returned. Usually there were deep, red rope marks on her wrists and ankles. Often there were angry red welts on her ass and thighs. Less often there were similar welts across her belly and shoulders. Rarely, there were some across her breasts. Gia always wondered what could reduce Kara’s tight, toned, athletic body to trembling weakness, but she never asked and Kara never told her. Whenever Kara was brought back in that condition, Gia always tended her carefully, even brushing Kara’s hair as Kara brushed hers, until she was able to care for herself again. She suspected that something about the way Kara carried herself, something about the Olympian fitness of her body, prompted men to try very hard to break her. Another possibility was that Kara actually wanted to be cruelly mistreated in that way. Gia tried very hard not to think about that possibility.
Chapter Nine
“Up, Gia. Up!”
Even in her sleep, Gia could recognize the voice of her trainer. As sleepy as she felt, she scrambled into the position he usually wanted her to take: Kneeling, with her ass resting on her heels and her hands on the floor in front of her. She looked up at him, awaiting further commands. As she did, she noticed that the windows up above were dark. It must be nighttime. That would explain why all of the inmates of the seraglio seemed to be sound asleep. The room was dimly lit. They never let it get completely dark in here.
“Good girl,” her trainer grinned down at her. “Now stand up and strip naked, little Gia. You’re coming with me.”
Gia’s heart sank. She had gotten used to being undisturbed while she slept through the night. It was one of the few small pleasures she had been permitted, and now it looked like that was being taken away too. But she knew better than to complain about it. That would only earn her punishment, which could be anything from a caning to being strung up by her wrists until she was screaming and sobbing in pain. Gia hadn’t actually suffered that last punishment herself, but she’d been forced to witness another woman suffer it, along with several other inmates of the seraglio. It had served as an object lesson to all of them. The lesson was further driven home when the punished woman had been taken away afterwards, never to be seen again.
She pulled the veil off and then carefully removed her anklets so that the tiny bells wouldn’t ring and maybe waken Kara. That done, she remained on her knees and bent over, crossing her wrists behind her, and waited.
“Just stand up, Gia, and follow me,” her trainer said. He turned and began to walk away. Gia quickly got to her feet and followed him as he’d ordered. They didn’t need ropes, or collars, or leashes to move her any more. And her trainer was so certain that she would obey that he didn’t even look around to see if she was following. Gia shuddered. Had she already been reduced to an obedient animal? But what else could she do? She still had no idea where in the world she was. It felt like she was at the opposite side of the globe from her house and her servants and her club and her shopping, but for all she knew she could be only a couple of miles from there.
As she followed her trainer out through the doorway she realized that she
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