Chapter 3

He left Egypt and travelled back; armoured with this new information. These girls were of use to Sir Harry; but it certainly appeared that the older man had little enough affection for them as individuals.

The journey back took longer, but when the pirates approached, the canny captain raised the Jiha flag, and they sheered off again. There was honour amongst these thieves apparently. Perhaps this would be a way of shipping the women without too much expense, if the reimbursement was sent.

He arrived back in poor humour; the journey had not been calm on the way back, and he was aware of having wasted several days on a fools errand to the girls’ father. He had, at least, concluded a sensible deal for the cotton. He was sure the man would pay, but not speedily. “SIR! A word! I told you we would accompany you. Yet you left without us. That is not to be born. What have you to say?!” Drusilla was, he decided, in need of a lesson.

“Suleiman! Yes, would you take these two to the room please.”

“We do not wish to return to our room.” Drusilla all but shouted.

“Not your room, THE room. You really are the most arrogant, irritating bitch I have had the misfortune to be in the same place with. I do think that you should have been given a good beating once a week as a child to teach you some manners. Now fuck off before I really lose my temper.” The twenty year old had never been spoken to like that before and was speechless long enough for her to be dragged out by the arm with her sister. Suleiman was large and strong and if they had struggled it would have done no good whatsoever.

“Madeline? Ah, yes, thank you for your warning. That is why you are not heading to the room. Tell my, why do they still need a governess?” She explained that although her title was still governess, she was more a companion to look out for them and help them. She had been their governess when they were five years younger. “In fact, as governess, I expect you had the need to provide remonstrance when necessary; is that not so? Good. We shall let Suleiman prepare them, then I shall explain your role.” She had, occasionally had cause to give them mild rebukes, but nothing to what she was about to be required to do.

A little later, the eunuch arrived to inform Degas that the young ladies were ready for instruction. He thanked Suleiman, which always pleased the slave, and the two – Madeline and Solomon – walked down a corridor to a room which was down some steps and normally kept locked. There were windows high up, even they had slats to prevent direct light. Still, there was enough light to see the two women tied by their wrists over a padded bar supported by legs every 4 feet, their legs were open, their ankles tied by short cords to loops on the supporting legs.

“Now, you have provoked me too far with your arrogant and disagreeable attitude. Drusilla more than Caroline, but sisters are treated together are the not?

This room existed before I acquired the house, I had much of the equipment taken out; I shall not bore you with the details. I kept this bar – though I applied padding – to occasionally explain to someone who was in charge. As you can see, there are a range of implements from cane to leather strap to soft whip and finally a very unpleasant knotted whip.

Madeline, we shall start with a slipper for these I think. Here.” He handed the woman one of the indoor slippers that all wore in the house. “Now, you will berate these two on their prominent rear ends until they accept that they are not to be rude and are to obey me in all things whilst they are here. We shall start with the slipper so there is no broken skin, initially. Hopefully we can avoid it. I would prefer not to scar them. One of the other bidders – Sheikh Matoosh – he has any new slave whipped every day for a week. Then they will do anything to avoid a whipping. It is not my preferred approach. The cane will cause red stripes, and as we traverse the implements, the cuts become thicker and wider and more damaging and will leave scars. As I say, I have no desire to break their delicate white skin.

Madeline, if you fail to bring them to heel with slipper or cane, I fear that you will not have tried hard enough, and you can join them. There is, as you see, room for four.

Oh, ladies, if you make too much noise then you must be gagged. The problem with that is then you will find it harder to signal acquiescence is that not true?” he watched as she started to swing. “No! Those layers of cloth will lessen the sting! You can lift their skirts.” There was a surge of protest from all three, though more from the bound young ladies. Madeline objected as much as a matter of form; in truth she was slightly looking forward to the ensuing action. “Ladies, if you make too much noise, I shall gag you!” The noise lessened, “Good. I shall leave you now, since the punishment is to be performed on your naked bottoms, I am sure you would prefer me not to be here.

However, that view will come, I am sure.”

He actually wanted to stay, but there was still an element of genuinely wanting to do the right thing. Perhaps the ambassador was, at this very moment, dispatching him the money. He would give a few days. He was just tired of being treated as second class in his own house.

He was called back after thirty minutes. The tears had been shed, and the skirts had been lowered. The sisters had held out well against the slipper, but two strokes of the cane each had broken their will. They both had agreed that they would obey the man who had bought them, in all things. They may have suspected what that might entail. Solomon Degas walked in and took the cane and swished it through the air. “So, we now understand each other, I think. Yes. One more each for luck, I think. Since you have been so rude to me.” He brought the cane down on Caroline’s rump and she squealed. The pain was deadened a little by the cloth that now covered her. Drusilla, he hit harder, he felt she deserved it. Then he said “You can release them both and take them to the baths, there are soothing oils there which will help. I will see you there.”

They didn’t pick up on that last sentence, not immediately. At the bath room, Asra was waiting, still in her small loin cloth. All three women tried not to see her naked breasts with the red colour around the nipple nearly hidden by the dark skin. They tried not to see, but somehow she had been given a command and was seeking to obey it. She began to undress them. Caroline and Drusilla were too shocked by the recent events to argue as they were stripped to their skin and given a similar loin clothe to cover themselves. They looked for other clothing to cover their breasts, but there was none. Madeline saw how the land lay, and stripped herself, wrapped the cloth around her and entered the water. She remembered what Degas had said.

Sure enough, Solomon Degas arrived. The three white women bobbed down in the water so their upper bodies were submerged. Then they watched astounded as the man simply disrobed entirely and walked down the steps holding a small towel around his waist before tossing it to the side and entering the water. This was not part of their upbringing in etiquette; Drusilla and Caroline had no idea what to do, and Madeline had no suggestions to make. He smiled at them and beckoned to Asra, who happily started to scrape the travel from his skin.

“There on the side are some bowls of oil and scrapers. Try it. Come, come, no need to be shy. Is the water not already feeling pleasant on your pinked flesh girls? Madeline, come over here, let me massage your back.” She moved over and found oiled hands gently squeezing her shoulders from behind. So pleasant it was that she did not notice that his hands moved down her back, and she slowly stood until her bust was clear of the water. He called the younger sister over and had Madeline begin to do the same for her; finally Drusilla was brought over and stood in front of Caroline whilst she massaged her shoulders and back. “Now, all turn round so we can massage the shoulders and arms, that’s all.”

Fearful of disobedience, they complied, and he got a first view of the breasts in three stages of development. Madeline’s were full and womanly, they hung just slightly as the unsupported tissue weighed down the two mounds into those delicious curves that are created at twenty and are beginning to be lost even at thirty. Her nipples stuck out boldly and were surrounded by bumps in the red discs. Drusilla’s were more solid, and a little smaller, maintaining their conical nature of young breasts, even as they were just starting to allow gravity to let them show their true beauty. Her nipples were smaller, but the discs of red were larger, though still fairly smooth. Caroline’s, meanwhile, were still self-supporting large hillocks topped with small nipples with barely a bump around them.

An hour of this resulted in calmer people; they had swapped a few times, and the hands had always stayed above the water; nobody had found any intrusion; though Solomon Degas admitted to himself that he was on a knife edge. He suspected that he had actually crossed the Rubicon and it was only a matter of time. His commercial experience suggested that Sir Harry’s prevarication meant that his guests would be with him for a substantial amount of time. Since he, legally in Jiha, owned them, he decided that he probably had the right to take payment for their board and lodging. Even thinking along those lines meant that he was already planning rather than deciding. Still, in the baths, they were getting used to exposing more flesh than anybody had seen since they had been born. At times all three had found themselves suddenly shocked at this turn of events, but then the two younger ones were reminded of their situation by the stinging of their nether regions. Madeline was reminded that she had rather enjoyed beating the backsides of her two recent charges and she accepted that she would fulfil each and every whim of her ‘owner’. He still had the intention of delivering these women to Sir Harry, or at least he told himself he did, but he was also aware that Sir Harry had little or no interest in ransoming Madeline. He was an uncaring employer who paid for time given and thought he had no responsibility for safety or security if things went wrong. Solomon was one of the newer type of employers who thought he had responsibilities beyond the minimum. In a sense, he was extending the responsibilities he had for his slaves (who were his property and therefore he had a financial interest in protecting them).

He left first, aware that six eyes watched him leave. His body was not too bad, but he was rich and a man, so he just assumed he looked good; he realised that the women would not yet be comfortable walking up the steps naked under his gaze.