The party was definitely a success.

We'd invited every Master and Mistress I'd ever done business with and they had all been told they could bring one guest or slave each. This meant over sixty people over the course of the event's festivities.

The party was to debut my old house as a full fledged slave training academy. With a completely redesigned floor plan and a brand new dungeon in the basement, this was my pride and joy at least as far as inanimate objects go. Some of the rooms had been remodeled for scenes, like a school room, and a doctor's exam room.

I live next door with Margaret, the one who came up with the idea to remodel my house to turn it into the academy.

Margaret and I were mingling with our guests when I heard my slave, Terri, scream from the kitchen.

I dropped my glass and ran to find out why Terri had screamed...

As I entered the room, I saw Terri in supplicant position, on her knees, head to the floor, one hand extended. She was being whipped with a belt by a man I didn't know. She wasn't cowering from his strokes; she was begging to be allowed to speak by wildly pointing to her mouth.

"STOP!" I yelled.

I placed myself between Terri and the man, who was still trying to whip her.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" I asked, in a deceptively mild voice, holding his eyes with my own.

Margaret, who, amongst a bunch of others had followed me into the kitchen blanched at my tone. She knew what it meant, and how angry I was.

"I asked the bitch a question, and she refused to answer me. She just pointed to her mouth and shook her head. I told her to answer or I'd whip her, and she just got on her knees. Since she still wouldn't answer me, I started whipping her."

I interrupted him. "And just how many times did you strike her?"

I don't know; I didn't feel the need to count."

"Mistress Margaret," I said, seeing her in the doorway, "Would you please see to Terri's needs? Thank you."

"Now, did you happen to notice, when my slave, Terri, pointed to her mouth, a red lipstick X across her mouth?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"She is my property and I have forbidden her to speak. To inform my guests, of that, the red X has been placed over her mouth. It IS a standard sign in our community. Just who are you, anyway?" I asked.

"Jack Tidwell if you must know."

"Mr. Tidwell, since this is my home, I really should know. I don't recall your name on the list of invitations. Therefore, I must presume that you are with someone."

"Yeah, I came with Reggi."

"Ahh, Mistress Regina. And where is she, right now?"

"How the hell should I know? I don't keep track of her."

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Margaret whispered in my ear, "Terri needs a doctor. The bastard hit her eye."

I looked around at Terri. There was a thin line of a cut and a welt extending from the corner of her eye around almost to her ear.

I turned back to Mr. Tidwell, the hot anger that had filled me the moment I saw Terri on the floor, had suddenly turned to a cold and implacable rage. This man would not escape my wrath.

I took a deep breath, and let it out explosively. "Thank You Margaret. Master John, Master Thomas, would you be so kind as to secure this man? If he gives you any back talk, there is a gag on the shelf behind you. Please take him to the dungeon. I am calling for a Court."

John grabbed Mr. Tidwell's hands from behind, and had him cuffed faster than it takes to say it. Tom, had grabbed the ball gag, and was ready when the man opened his mouth to protest.

"Thank You, gentlemen. Does anyone know if Dr. Roberts or his Mistress is still here?

A young slave said she would get him. "Thank You Tina," I said to her as she ran from the kitchen.

"Everyone, I have called for a Court. It will be held in the dungeon. If Dianna is still here, could one of you ask her to come see me? Thank You all, we will be along in a few minutes. Please pass the word to anyone who is not currently here."

I grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, and went to Terri. She was still whimpering from the pain in her eye, which was terribly bloodshot. I sat down on the floor, and pulled her into my lap, to hold the cold compress against her face.

Terri kept trying to get back into supplicant position, and I kept pulling her back onto my lap. "Shh, quiet. You can speak later. Hug me, now." Terri put her arms around my neck, and her head on my chest, and cried. Her hard wracking sobs tore at my heart. All I could do was to hold the ice pack against her face and rock her.

Dr. Roberts came rushing in, carrying the old fashioned doctor bag that he keeps in his car. Dr. Roberts is a tall dark man that looks like a natural Master. He is a master when it comes to the medical needs of our community, but he prefers being submissive to his wife who is also his Mistress. He has said many times, if it weren't for Missy taking control of him, the stress of being a doctor would have killed him years ago. He is the family doctor for many of us and is a close personal friend of mine.

Margaret followed him in a moment later with the big first aid kit from the dungeon.

"Let's have a look, then, shall we?" I hated his fake British accent, but it did help Terri stem her tears. "Ahh, Terri, Tsk, tsk.

"Master," he said to me, "I need to touch her, and I need her to talk to me."

"Yes, you do. Terri, answer Dr. Roberts questions fully."

"Yes, Sir," she said softly.

"Terri, are you injured anywhere else than your face?"

"No, Sir."

"Are you able to stand?"

"Yes Sir."

"Then let's get you on your feet to where the light is better."

We both helped Terri to her feet. She was trembling and in pain, but managing to stay on her feet.

He examined Terri's eye very closely, and then said, "Well, he missed hitting the eye directly, but there is some swelling in the socket. The skin and soft tissue damage is going to swell even more. I want to examine it again, on a continual basis, to check for swelling in the eyeball. If there is any, we'll have to get Terri to the hospital as fast as we can. For now, we'll put a dressing on it, and then the ice pack.

"Master Don, may I give her something for the swelling and pain?" While he was talking, Dr. Roberts was also doing. By the time he asked about medicating Terri, he was done and holding some pills from his bag.

"Terri?" I asked. This pain you do not deserve. Do you want relief?"

"No, Sir. I can stand it. If I take anything, I might not be able to feel my punishment for breaking silence."

Dr. Roberts said, "This is just aspirin. It won't do a lot for the pain, but it will help reduce the swelling. We need to keep any swelling down so you don't lose your eye."

I felt a chill run up my back. "Take the aspirin NOW Terri."

"Yes Sir."

I looked up, and noticed Margaret, with tears in her eyes. With a communicative look, I asked what she needed.

"Sir, Mistress Dianna is waiting for you. Everyone else is in the dungeon, except Mistress Regina. She is in the bathroom, throwing up. She thinks her "date" may have put something in her drink."

"Thank You, Margaret. Please assist Dr. Roberts for a moment, while I speak to Mistress Dianna." Margaret took my place, holding and comforting her daughter.

Dianna had been listening at the door. She poked her head in, and asked if she could enter.

"Please, Mistress," I said, walking towards her. "I have called for a court. I would be honored if you would preside."

"The honor is mine," she replied. "Shall we begin now?"

"By all means," I replied

"Margaret, if you would escort Mistress Regina, as soon as possible?" I asked, as I took Terri back into my arms.

"Yes Sir."

Dianna said, "Dr. Roberts, you may be called upon to explain your findings."

"No problem, Mistress. I may have to stop proceedings because it is important that I examine that eye, often."

"Rest assured Doctor, that will not be a problem."

I hugged Terri to me, and whispered into her ear, "I am so sorry that I wasn't here to protect you. I will make it up to you. I love you, Terri."

"I love you too, Sir," she replied, and I felt her melt against me. "Sir, This..."

"Sush, now," I interupted. "You'll get your chance to tell me all about it."

"Thank You, Sir," she whispered. A very bold thing for her to say since I'd just told her to be quiet.

I picked Terri up, and carried her down the stairs and into the dungeon. A collective gasp was heard when Terri's face became visible to the crowd. I sat Terri on a low table, and told her to be still. She gathered herself into her basic display pose and waited.

Looking around, I saw Margaret and Regina had followed us down. All were now present.

"Ladies and Gentlemen."

The room went silent, except for the muffled noises Mr. Tidwell was making. Everyone was waiting for me to speak. After a moment, I said, "I have a grievance. I have called for this court, and asked Mistress Dianna to preside."

Dianna stood, and said, "Is there any one that objects to my presiding?"

No one said a word.

"Then I accept the responsibility of presiding over this Court. Sir, state your grievance."

"Madam, my property has suffered damage and injury at the hand of Mr. Tidwell. Mr. Tidwell did, by his own admission, touch my property and attempt to engage my property in conversation, without my or her permission.

Indeed, Mr. Tidwell never attempted to request my permission. He did not bother to inquire who my slave's Master was. He punished my property, without my or her consent when she failed to respond verbally to him. She was properly marked with the red X upon her lips, to signify the command of silence, as is the common custom."

There was a groan from the people watching. One never talks to a slave without the owner's permission. One never touches anyone else without invitation. These concepts are so basic that we hardly ever think of them, and violations are a total shock to us.

"In the course of punishing her, by whipping her in an uncontrolled manner, He struck my property very close to her eye. Dr. Roberts has said that she might yet lose sight in that eye."