Chapter 2

Sure enough, not long after Satya kissed me, the Chattel Collectors, as they called them in Texas, arrived to register her as my property. Oh, yes, perhaps you were unaware that when Gautam decided upon slavery and divorce for one year, it was a very legally binding deal. Yes, thanks to the federal law conveniently reinterpreting the Thirteenth Amendment to permit states to legalize “voluntary and indentured bondage arrangements,” to use their wording, Texas had enacted the Temporary Servitude Act of 2028, which allowed citizens to be voluntarily enslaved for up to two years and non-citizens for up to five years.

Since the federal act failed to provide protections to ensure the spot of legal immigrants seeking naturalization in the queue, Satya no doubt lost her place for the year and would have to regain it. She would also have to reapply for a new green card and everything, so theoretically, she could be deported, another example of Gautam’s shortsightedness. On the upside, I would control her savings during that year, the slavery would automatically dissolve her marriage, and I fully intended to get her pregnant. This last part would not only make her return to Gautam problematic, something that he failed to consider, but it would also mean that her child would be an American, no matter what. In that case, it was likely that she would get a new legal status that let her remain here long enough to become my wife.

There was no way in Hell that I, Hank Morgan, was about to return that lovely woman to the custody of Numb Nuts, as I called her hubby ... or ex-hubby now. He didn’t know it, but he had lost her for good. Clearly, he hadn’t thought this thing through, but his loss was my gain. I would keep her working at the hospital, but on hours that I controlled, I would keep her pay in a special account designed under Texas law to make it easier for slaves to transition back to freedom (thank whichever people wisely included this provision), and I would marry her, by God! Nothing on Earth would stop me from taking her as my bride, short of her own refusal to let me, which I didn’t expect to happen. Gautam blew it ... he had hit the jackpot of wives and threw away his prize, as far as I was concerned. Satya was beyond precious. Only an idiot would send her to another man’s house.

“So, here is the indenture contract. That’s what this is under Texas law, just so that you know. You’re often called slaves, but under the terms of the law, slavery does not exist. It is indentured bondage. You opted for the one year term, according to the online application. Is that correct?” Agent Ethan Mitchell asked us to confirm.

“Yes, I wish to be his indentured bondwoman for a period of one year. This dissolves my marriage, right?” Satya asked the man, to which he nodded.

“You’re married and you’re signing up for this? Why? For that matter, why here and not at home?” Agent Janice Freeman inquired.

“It was hubby’s idea, but Hank here rightly observed that Gautam doesn’t give a shit about me, or else he wouldn’t ask this of me. Well, I don’t want him here as I declare that I have no intention of going back to him. I don’t know yet if I will end up staying with Hank or not. Hell, I might pop up on Indian Singles Chat or whatever, but I will not return to my husband’s arms. Well, ex-husband now. You know what they say. If someone’s your ex, they’re an ex for a reason. 365 reasons in my case. Your agency contracts people to collect possessions for us slaves, right? Yeah, yeah, I know, us ‘not-slaves, ‘ I mean.

“Anyway, if I can help it, I’d like to never see Gautam again. I never should have married him, though it was my parents’ idea. Fuck arranged marriage! If I marry again, it will be because I want to marry, not because Mom and Dad want to join the fucking country club! How’s that for sucky? I was a bribe to get my parents admitted into the ranks of Beaumont society. What a low blow! They didn’t give a shit about me, but Hank actually does,” Satya said in her Mumbai accent, which made it strangely sexier when she said it than otherwise.

“That’s up to you, of course. There’s no rule or law requiring you to return to your ex-husband, and legally, you are divorced. Unlike some other states, here in Texas, you still get half of the marital assets, which will be held for you for that period of one year, though as a ‘not-slave, ‘ to use your words, you’re not entitled to alimony. Oh, and you need to strip completely naked. ‘Not-slaves, ‘ as you call them, don’t get to wear clothes during their term of bondage, except when weather or other dangerous conditions require them. So, off with those scrubs, missy. By the way, sir, it’s entirely up to you whether or not she works during that year, as her registered controller. That’s your legal title, though I know that most call you a ‘master’ or ‘owner, ‘ of course.

“If she continues nursing work, though, she will sometimes need to wear her scrubs again. For obvious, health-related reasons. However, under Texas law, indentured workers cannot be scheduled for more than thirty-two hours per week, and they must be paid the same minimum wage as the rest of the staff. The reason for this is to keep this from turning into another form of unpaid or underpaid labor with sweatshop conditions, while also keeping businesses, and hospitals in this case, off the hook for their health coverage. Remember to add her to your health plan, incidentally, and cover her. That’s required by state law. Controllers must provide health care for their indentured servants. I imagine that, as a nurse, this is only a formality, as you would care enough to cover her,” Agent Mitchell urged me.

“Of course. Satya is not covered under the hospital plan, so someone needs to make sure that she gets her checkups, both regular and for STIs, among other things. That’s the law, too, I believe, but even if it weren’t, I don’t want her to get infected or injured or seriously ill otherwise. You’re right that, as a nurse, I am especially keen to make sure that she remains in good health, particularly since she was always my favorite colleague.

“Yes, Satya, from the first time that you were hired here. In fact, I urged the administration to employ you here. My first impression of you was a very positive one, the way that you handled that one kid. That was more than enough to draw my attention. You weren’t even on the staff yet, but you treated that kid as if you were already his nurse. Don’t think that I failed to notice that, of course,” I told Satya as she disrobed in front of us, showing us her thick bush as well as her impressive breasts, hips, and buttocks, all of it as earthy and swarthy as the rest of her.

“Oh, Texas law requires that pubic hair be shaved prior to any servile medical examinations, so while she doesn’t have to shave off the bush right now, she will have to do so at that point. Until then, that’s up to you, of course, Nurse Morgan,” Agent Freeman informed me.

“Chief Nurse Morgan to you, but thank you. Then again, I was in the Navy for a few years as a corpsman, so some of that rubbed off on me. What is the rest of the processing?” I asked her, not entirely sure as I had never done this before.

“She gets a collar with a leash. Sorry, but that’s just required for whenever she accompanies you in public, for legal liability reasons, same as if she were a pet. Leash laws and all that jazz. We have to issue you an IUD for her, but you don’t have to use it. Depends on whether or not you want her to get pregnant. If you do, though, prenatal care is your responsibility during her term, regardless of actual paternity. That’s also mandatory. Also, no abortions are allowed during the term, since controllers don’t benefit from a woman’s right to choose,” Agent Freeman answered me.

“If she became free and decided on an abortion afterward, well, you have no say about that, even if you shelled out lots of money for her prenatal health. That’s the risk that you take when letting her get pregnant. Then again, I could see why you’d want to knock her up. She’s absolutely, ravishingly beautiful, and those tits are perfect for breastfeeding, among other things. I would love to motorboat her myself,” Agent Mitchell confessed, making Agent Freeman laugh softly, and she probably would have blushed if her biracial complexion permitted it.

“You two ... you’re not ... lovers, are you?” I teased them both a bit, while fondling Satya’s very fine bottom.

“Guilty as charged, and if you ever want to swing and swap, I’ll try to persuade Janice here. She sucks one hell of a mean cock!” Agent Mitchell admitted, causing Janice to slap him on the tush.