Chapter 5

Later he would not be proud of what he did; later he would be sorry. Bellowing his rage he grabbed Lila's hands jerking her to her feet; he dragged her behind him to the torture room, his roars of anger waking up everyone within earshot. She tried to follow him but wasn't given a chance. He tied her wrists to the suspension beam and raised her on tiptoe.

She did not plead, nor cry. She knew why and what was to happen. She struggled on her tiptoes to balance herself awaiting her punishment. He picked up the single tail whip and started on her back. He lashed her hard, hard and fast. Too drunk to do a proper job, too enraged to care, he lashed at her back until her grunts turned into screams of pain. When his arm tired, he stopped, drank some ice water and resumed whipping her, this time on her front.

Hearing the screams coming from the dungeon, the sheik came in and observed the whipping from the entry door. He did not know why Manu was beating Lila so hard, nor did he really care. He knew that Manu had been drinking, he knew just about everything that happened in his house, or thought he did. Perhaps the slave had been less than respectful; or perhaps Manu just wanted to hurt her.

'In any case', Al-Mansur said to himself, 'perhaps Manu does not care for the slave as much as I thought.'

He waved to the two guards who had arrived, guns at the ready, to see what was happening, "Nothing to see here; he can handle it, does not need our help."

He started up the stairs, stopped for a moment and said to a guard, "Send Aisha to my room."

Lila hanged limp from her wrists, her back and her front a collection of angry red stripes and pink welts; she had long since stopped screaming. Only pure fatigue stopped Manu's arm. He poured a bucket of water over his head.

"What have I done?" He said.

He rushed to release his beloved and took her unconscious body in his arms. Gently he took her to his bedroom and laid her down on his bed. He wiped her down with a cool towel. Soon, she regained consciousness.

She looked at his face, in the dim light of the room; she saw the concern in the line of his jaw, the worry in his eyebrows. She closed her eyes.

'Oh my God; he loves me, ' she thought.

He opened his mouth but she touched her finger to his lips, "I am sorry I disappointed you," she said, "but you would have been blamed. I could not bear that."

He hugged her body to him and then, hearing her whimper in pain, released her.

"Hold me; don't let me go," she asked.

He held her close, for a long time, until, silently, they fell asleep in each other's arms; the first time they shared a bed.

Lila woke up alone in bed; she stepped off, still sore from the previous evenings lashing, and sought out Manu. She found him sitting at his desk, in the room he used as an office. His head resting on his hand, elbows on the table, and his face, a picture of dejection.

"Why so gloomy master?" She always called him master, even in private.

"I need to meet the sheik today and show him the plans for your torture and execution."

Still nude, she started making coffee for both, "What have you planned for me?" her voice belied the butterflies in her stomach.

He shook his head, "Nothing."

After a moment he added, "I fully expected you to escape yesterday; I could not have made it any easier for you."

She brought him a mug of coffee; they both liked it the American way for breakfast.

"You know why I stayed."

He nodded. She sat across from him; his eyes strayed to her firm breasts, noticing the angry stripes that crossed their fair skin. He reached out and touched them; she grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips.

"I could help you."

He looked at her, startled.

She continued, "I do know a bit about this and I have been reading your books and records."

"I have not found anything about Mei Ling and what happened to her," she concluded.

"That was before my time here," Manu answered, "I do not have any records from back then."

She stood up and wrapped a sheet about her waist. This was the only item of clothing that she wore in the dungeon. Had she asked, Manu would allow her to wear the sheet as a sarong, covering her breasts, but Lila knew he liked to look at them and she did not want to deny him this, or any other pleasure.

"After I go to the bathroom I shall help you," she said, "If you let me."

Manu let her use his bathroom now, he only made her use the bucket on the first day; Lila though grateful, worried about what the sheik would do if he found out Manu cared so much for her.

She showered; the warm water soothing to her lacerated breasts and back. Her hand strayed to her pussy, which she soaped up. The scab from her de-clitting fell off when she touched it. She noticed her hair beginning to grow; she had not shaved in a few days. She picked up one of Manu's razors and carefully shaved her pubes off. Once she was smooth again, she dressed herself and went into the office.