Chapter 20

Carol

“I’m honored by the trust you put in me,” she said, hugging Jason.

“Mama Carol, if one more person tells me they’re honored by anything I say or do, I may completely lose my shit.”

She smiled.

“I’ll try to restrain myself. So, what’s the problem?”

Jason explained it to her.

In detail...

“All right, so let’s start the interview process, see if I can narrow down the field for you,” Carol said. “First though ... let’s get them out of here, and up to the suite. If Beebee’s going to treat them like horseflesh, so will we.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll like it, trust me.”

“Have I mentioned how tired I am of being asked to trust people? Not you, Mama Carol, because I do, but it seems to be a theme...”

Carol laughed. “All right ladies, up and at ‘em! Head for the elevator.”

On the ride up, Jason clutched her hand like he was drowning ... based on what she felt from him, that wasn’t far from the truth.

The elevator arrived at their floor, and Jason brought them all inside the suite.

“All right, ladies, get naked,” Carol said, clapping her hands. “Where’s Dayna and Lyra?” she asked Jason.

“Enjoying the city ... they hadn’t left the hotel since we were taken. They took Lizzy and Kelly out with them.”

“Okay, come along. You and I are going to speak in private for a few minutes.”

Once they were in bedroom, Carol said, “All right, do you want me to downcheck them all?”

“Uh ... no, why?”

“It might resolve the whole issue.”

“Have you met the same Madam Gao I have?” Jason replied. “She’d find more candidates, and keep at it til she wore me down. Plus ... I don’t want to insult her.”

“Okay then, good answer. And yes, I met the same Madam Gao ... you read her correctly.

“So, what I need you to do is hop up on the bed with me...”

At his hopeful look she smiled and shook her head.

“No, not for step-mommy playtime, silly man. Cross-legged, facing me ... now, give me your hands, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing...

When they came out of the bedroom a half-hour later, Jason was much calmer, much more in control ... and Carol looked at the eight women standing naked in the suite, looking, feeling, for any sign of irritation.

And found one raging case of it.

“Gao Mo Shou? Yes, you ... get dressed, leave,” Carol said.

As the granddaughter in question became indignant, and started shouting, Jason said, “Malcolm, escort Ms. Gao out ... now.”

“I’m not dressed!”

“I don’t care.”

“Well done,” Carol said as the naked, squawking woman was put out in the hall, then handed her clothes. “And then there were seven,” Carol continued, looking over those remaining. “I understand anyone deemed unacceptable will be spending some time with Baozhai ... imagine how pleasant that will be...”

“You’re mean,” Jason murmured.

“When I need to be,” Carol replied softly.

“All right, ladies,” she continued, “time for inspection.”

Down the line, she and Jason examined them physically, handling breasts, fondling asses, checking body odor, sniffing crotches, feeling legs, checking their breaths.

“We didn’t have time to clean up!” Fei Hung protested.

“So?” Carol replied. “The best time to judge such things is when you haven’t had time to primp. I assume you did so before brunch ... now you’ve had the time to become ‘real’ again.”

The women didn’t like it, and Carol didn’t care. All of them passed inspection, so they could deal.

“Now, any of them you want rejected on the basis of their appearance?”

“No ... that would be wrong. But, Qing Shan? The one near the coffee table? Ask her how she feels about putting on weight – she’s way too skinny. If something knocks her out of the running ... I wouldn’t be too upset, just judging on appearance.”

“Okay,” Carol said, “let’s start this with her.

“Qing Shan? You’re up. You and I are going into the bedroom to talk.”

Thirty minutes later she came out with a smiling Qing Shan.

Sitting down beside Jason, Carol murmured, “So, how have you been spending your time?”

“Just watching ... being kind of creepy, I imagine. I told them they could sit ... watched how they did that. They’re all trying very hard to get my attention. Some of them sat down like proper young ladies, and made eyes at me – another thing I would have sworn was never going to happen six months ago. The others sat down like lewd sluts, legs open, licking their lips. It was ... interesting. Eventually they all chilled.”

“Okay, well, if you choose Qing Shan, you can pump all the pasta into her you want. She’s pissed her mother has kept her on a very strict diet, and would look forward to the chance to eat like a human being, not an anorexic rabbit.”

“Cool ... who’s next?”

“Ru Shi, you’re up,” Carol said, standing. “Let’s go talk...”

Jason

He separated Qing Shan from the others. Wouldn’t do to have her discussing her interview with them. Jason smiled as she motioned with her head toward her discarded clothes.

He shook his head, and watched her face.

No sign of disappointment or dismay.

That certainly boded well for the future of their relationship. Putting a prude of any stripe in with Donna, Abby, and Mohini would be a mistake. But then, looking at all the women in the room, he didn’t get a sense of prudishness from any of them.

Jason smiled at her, and ducked into the bedroom.

“Don’t mind me,” he said, going to the bags they’d brought back with them. He pulled out stacks of money, went to his luggage from home, grabbed a deck of playing cards.

“Have to do something to pass the time,” he said, before heading back to the suite’s living room.

“All right, Qing...”

“I prefer Shan, Master.”

“Certainly, Shan. Know how to play poker?”

“Yes, Master. However, you’re betting money ... what do I bet?”

“Really, Shan? Sexual favors, any of the three of us you met at lunch.”

“I raise a hundred.”

“Raise my bid from a rim job to anal sex, Master.”

“Fair enough. I was wondering, why aren’t you bidding conventional sex?”

“Sir, that’s going to happen anyway, if Grandmother has her way. All part of our courtship...”

“Hmmm ... and your Grandmother always gets her way?”

“Almost all the time, yes, Master.”

“Madam Grimes is much the same. I raise two hundred.”

“And I fold, Master.”

Thirty minutes later, Jason was owed a blow job, anal sex, Abby was in for a tongue bath and an hour of oral sex, Donna had two hours of oral sex and a rim job coming, and Qing had won three grand off him. The other women wanted to be dealt in, but he’d told them only after they spoke with Carol.

Later, Ru Shi joined the game. She wasn’t allowed to bet until she got a grip on the rules. By the time she placed her first wager, Jason was up another rim job for Donna, four more hours of oral sex for Abby, and down another four thousand.

While Shan played to win, Ru played to lose, and as Carol had whispered her suitability to him when she brought her out, Jason was looking forward to their ‘road test’ of Ru.

Shan started betting the money she’d won, and getting cocky. Soon she was as cash poor as Ru, and betting her services again.

“Where did you learn to play, Master?” Ru asked, after losing a blow job to Jason.

“My mother ... she learned from my father. When they first got together, he was a struggling student, working construction part-time. He played for money, generally kept their heads above water month to month on his winnings. He wouldn’t have been as merciful as I was, Ru. You wouldn’t have had a chance to learn the rules, get comfortable. You would have sat down and before ten hands were played, he would have owned your ass ... literally.”

“So ... you are a shark?” Shan said.

“Nope, don’t cheat, won’t play with those who do,” Jason replied. “But Mom and I do play to win ... and we’ve been known to sand-bag our opponents.”

“Okay, Yin ... you’ve raised to twenty-five years of service, no marriage required...”

“And you’ve countered with fifty-five thousand dollars ... a bargain, trust me.”

Hui Yin had been the next to come out of the bedroom with Carol’s stamp of approval.

Jason put another twenty grand on the table.

“Wouldn’t want to insult a lady.”

“Still a bargain.”

“That remains to be seen. Call.”

Jason flipped his cards to reveal a straight flush to her full house.

“And now I guess we will see what a bargain we just got. I’m sure Beebee will be very understanding of your wager...”

“Double or nothing, turn of a card.”

“Done.”

A quick shuffle, Yin cut the cards, flipped first ... three of clubs.

Jason turned the jack of hearts.

“Fifty years ... I’m sure she’ll be very understanding. Care to go double or nothing again?”

“Why not, I have nothing to lose. One hundred years ... the rest of my life ... versus three-hundred thousand dollars. Do you have that much money on hand, Master?”

“No, but I can get it. My marker’s very good right now.”

Everyone in the room was watching as Yin shuffled, Jason cut, and flipped the ace of diamonds.

“Good luck...”

Yin’s hand trembled slightly as it hovered over the cards.

“As I’m a gentleman, I’d allow a lady to retract her wager...”

“Thank you,” Yin replied, turning over the ten of spades. “But no. No, goddamnit.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very understanding. Leave the table, Yin. You’re property.”

Wang Shu joined the game, needed time to learn, but refused his lenience.

“Win or lose, Master, I win. Pleasing you and your ladies is very important to my grandmother.”

And eight rounds later, Jason was out of money, and betting his services.

“You know something about sandbagging too, don’t you?”

“I could have told you, Master,” Yin said softly from where she sat behind him.

“But I didn’t ask, did I?”

“No, Master, you didn’t.”

“Fine. You didn’t feel like saying anything. I get that. On your knees, under the table, and blow me. That way you have an excuse for not saying anything the next time the issue comes up.”

By the time Fei Hung joined the game, Jason had most of his money, as well as all of his services, back. He wouldn’t be that careless again. He’d cum down Yin’s throat, and had her just keeping his cock warm and wet in her mouth. He would have had all his money back, but he’d lost two hands due to distraction.

Not that losing would be onerous, in fact he’d looked forward to paying his debts to Shu ... but in poker, he only knew how to play to win, not for fun.

“All right, Shan, deal Fei in...”

None of the others were silly, or daring, enough to bet service, and Jason was okay with that. The harem was going to keep growing no matter what ... keeping that growth slow was all he could hope for.

Yu Yan was the last to join the table. Carol warned him she was a switch, and leaned toward the Domme side of things.

After that, Carol sat and watched the game, studying her son, seeing him in a new light.

A half hour later, Dayna, Kelly, Lizzy, and Lyra came back, and after a quiet conversation with Carol, joined the audience.

“Fei, you realize as many lovely acts as you owe us,” Jason said, “you’re going to be with us a while.”

“Yes, Master, but not the rest of my life ... unless I am judged an acceptable bride.”
“We’ll see.”

Three hands later, Fei left the table.

“By my estimate, Master, even with a teen aged male, it will take me quite some time to pay off my debts.”

“It was good playing with you, Fei.”

Donna and Abby returned, excited and happy.

Jason kissed them, his attention never leaving the table, and continued to play.

Donna

“What’s going on?” she asked Carol softly.

“I’m not altogether sure,” Carol replied. “You ever seen this side of him before?”

“Sometimes ... not this intense, but there are times when we’re playing a video game, and he just zones out and becomes hyper-competitive. Not like an asshole, but just very focused and intense.”

“He’s already won you Yin, sitting between his knees, outright. Marriage isn’t on the table with her.”

“Why?”

“He said it wasn’t. She’s property.”

Donna watched her husband go back and forth Yu Yan as the other players figured they’d lost enough and tapped out, one by one over the next hour.

“Husband,” Abby said when it was down to him and Yu Yan, “we do have a date with Madam Gao this evening.”

“Yes, we do. Please call her and tell her we’ll be late. We’re still evaluating her granddaughters.”

Another hour passed, the tension in the room rising as Yu Yan slowly ate away at the remainder of their cash from the boat. Donna had never seen Jason so focused, so completely unemotional, not ‘trying not to show emotion’, but distant, aloof from everything and everyone.

Finally, Yu Yan had all the cash but what was in the pot, and raised yet again, offering her own submissives – three of them – as the raise.

“Sorry, don’t have anything left...”

“Certainly you do, Master,” Yu replied. “Your women...”

“You mean Donna and Abby? Not going to happen.”

“All right, sir, then the curly, black-haired one...”

“No ... you may bet your submissives, but I don’t.”

“Master,” Lizzy said, moving over to kneel at his side. “Please ... it’s the last of your money. I don’t want to see you to lose by folding. Do it.”

Donna watched Jason’s jaw work as he finally showed emotion.

“One month of Lizzy’s service, and I call.”

“One month versus the ownership of three submissives?” Yu said. “How’s that even remotely fair, Master?”

“Because I don’t give a shit about your three subbies, as apparently neither do you. But I value Lizzy very highly.”

“Fair enough, sir.”

And Yu Yan folded.

“You’re the one,” Jason replied, sweeping up the cards.

Everyone was picking up their jaws from the floor, as Yu said, “Yes, Master. After they all pay their little debts, I’ll be staying.

“You’re not going to look, sir?” Yu said, watching him put her hand back into the deck.

“Nope. That would be rude. Besides, it doesn’t matter.”

“What the fuck just happened?” Donna asked Carol.

“Your husband and one of Madam Gao’s granddaughters just arranged their marriage,” Carol replied, grinning. “You’ll have to watch yourself with that one though ... she’s planning on ruling your roost, you and Abby be damned.”

“Oh, that won’t happen,” Donna said. “But she’s welcome to try.”

Madam Gao had sent two stretch limos for them. The granddaughters, an irritated Yu Yan, and security in one, Jason, his ladies, Yin, and security in the other.

Donna had Jason reclining between her legs, arms propped on her knees.

“So,” she said, playing with his hair, “what happened?”

“I got bored,” Jason replied. “I grabbed the money, the cards ... it was just going to be a friendly game for the fun of it. I mean, if I lost, it was found money, and they’re all so cute I wouldn’t mind paying off any other debts to them.

“Then I realized ... again ... I can’t play a friendly game of poker. Not too good at casual games of spades either. I get pretty intense over Go Fish and Crazy Eights as well...”

“So, Yu Yan?”

“Yeah ... I’m sorry I didn’t consult with you, and if you or Abby decide another would be a better choice ... well, nothing’s really decided yet. It was just words over cards.”

“No, beloved husband, it was many things but it was most definitely not “just words over cards”. Remind me – unless I’m dead serious, don’t ever play cards with you.”

“Now where’s the fun in that? I was thinking of betting the right to name our children on a real calm game of War...”

Harry

After Margo told him of Jason’s melt-down, he’d been totally fine with a far more relaxed schedule where Jason was concerned. Just fine with it.

And then Madam Gao threw everything into an uproar.

“Marriage.”

“Yeah,” Margo replied. “Had a feeling it was in the cards for either him or us ... I hope I can be forgiven for hoping it was him?”

“Of course,” Dommi replied. “Two political marriages in the last month is more than enough.”

“So, she’s offering eight of her granddaughters as candidates? How many damn granddaughters does she have?”

“From what I hear, over eighty grandchildren total, so figure around half that many granddaughters,” Margo said, motioning to Magda to bring her a fresh cup of coffee. “And if none of them are suitable, she’ll move down to great-grandchildren.”

“Wouldn’t they be a little young?”

“Some of them are older than Baozhai,” Margo replied. “And if they were a little young, they’d be pledged to marry him, and then Madam Gao would wait until they were of age.”

“And her idea of “of age”?”

“Probably fourteen ... maybe as young as ten, although I’m sure she’d expect us to keep the bride in purdah until she was older.”

“That’s fucking comforting.”

“Harry, darling...” Margo said, “she’s dead serious about making this right ... by her definition of ‘right’. When Madam Gao told me she was ready to liquidate her holdings and hand it all over to us, in trust for Jason and his family, she was serious. I must have had some look on my face – she laughed and said, “I’ve built a fortune before, dear, I can do so again.”

“We’re not taking her up on that, are we?”

“No ... although there are times I’m tempted. Nelson and his brood should have been dealt with a long time ago.”

Abby

“Is this kind of thing normal?” Lizzy asked as they walked into the Great Hall of Clanglang for a later-than-expected supper.

“No ... this is extreme, even for Society,” Abby replied.

Yin leaned in.

“Smells like Grandmother got rid of supper, had everything prepared again when she got word we were on our way, Milady.”

The table was thirty or so feet long. Standing by over half the chairs were middle-aged women and men.

“Who are they?” Abby said.

“Our parents, Milady,” Yin replied.

Abby felt her husband tense up.

“Oh God...”

“Master, relax,” Yin said. “They’re excited to meet you.”

“You should be quiet now,” Abby said. “You just made it worse.

Abby, Donna, Lizzy, and Jason stood by their chairs as the rest of the granddaughters came in and took their places with their parents.

“Don’t worry,” Beebee said, “introductions can wait until after supper.”

Abby hoped her husband would be able to enjoy the meal ... but she wouldn’t have put money on it.

“I don’t see Gao Mo Shou,” Donna said.

“She was judged unacceptable,” Beebee replied. “She and her parents will not be in attendance.”

“Unacceptable?”

“Carol found her to be too impatient...” Jason replied.

“And ill-tempered, in all probability,” Beebee said. “Brilliant mind, no desire to be dominant, strong submissive streak, but she frequently forgets her place.”

“She’s being punished...” Donna said.

“Mo Shou is spending some time sharing Baozhai’s cell,” Beebee replied.

Abby reached out and squeezed Lizzy’s hand on her left, and Jason’s on her right.

“Cell ... Madam?” Lizzy said.

Abby gripped Lizzy’s hand even harder.

“My ... apologies ... Madam ... I retract the question.”

Abby looked over to see Beebee smiling at Lizzy, and her expression was that of a tiger considering a rabbit.

“Our apologies as well, Beebee,” Jason said. “She’s very new to things.”

Beebee was all smiles and charm.

“Welcome to your new life, child! I’m sure the story of your acquisition will entertain me during supper.”

Thad

“When should I expect to be let out of the doghouse?”

“Well, darling, the twelfth of Never is booked solid, so I’m not sure,” Vida replied, all sweetness and light.

Thad regretted not staying at Nelson’s home, choosing instead to come back to his and Vida’s hotel room and face the music.

“Perhaps in eighteen years or so when the last of my surprise adoptees will leave the nest,” Vida continued. “Of course, by that time I’ll be buried in grandchildren, so you might want to stay away just in case my advancing senility clears a bit and I remember you stepped down from Chieftain at the absolute height of our strength, leaving me to either abdicate my position or spend too goddamn much of my time commuting two hours each way, every day, to care for other women’s children when I was just beginning to enjoy not having any of my own to watch over!”

“I’ll be at the bar,” Thad said. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

“If you walk out that door,” Vida said, “best you leave your room key behind.”

Thad pulled the key out of his pocket, dropped it on the table, and left.

Colin and Robert wisely kept quiet as Robert drove Thad to the Nelson estate.

Thad wished the SUV had a minibar, and watched the city flow by out the windows.

Vida had every right to be angry, he would not pretend otherwise, and of all the possible worst times to step down, events had conspired to bring it about now.

With Lori’s marriage to the Grimes, he didn’t worry about the Karghold’s alliance ... but even if Vida stayed in her position, the level of support wouldn’t be the same ... unless either Thad or the Grimes spent some political capital on Lori’s parents, the Johengins. And once he stepped down, Thad’s political capital would diminish. Thankfully, it wouldn’t disappear, and some of his plans with Kjersti would restore some, but it wasn’t something he could afford to spend profligately.

“Sir, should we retrieve your luggage?”

“Don’t know, Colin. She might throw it at you ... she might scratch your eyes out. How do you feel about being blind?”

“Not something I’m aiming for, sir, but I’m game if you want me to try.”

“Tell you what, let me talk to her at Madam Gao’s tomorrow night, we’ll see.”

He’d called ahead to let Kjersti know he was on his way ... not only out of politeness, but also to see how she’d react.

Thad hadn’t killed four women in the harem, and obviously neither had Simon Nelson. So why had Kjersti done so?

Walking into the foyer, there was a line of submissives to help him get comfortable, including a Bombay Sapphire and tonic, ice cold and possibly one of the five finest drinks he’d ever tasted. It was gone in less than a minute, and the male sub who’d served it was running off to get him another.

“Where’s Mrs. Nelson?”

“Waiting for you in the den, sir.”

He allowed himself to be undressed, then wrapped in a robe that probably cost more than the SUV he’d arrived in. His second drink arrived, every bit as excellent as the first, and he sipped it as he headed for the den.

The “public areas” of Nelson’s estate weren’t built to live in, they were statements of power and position ... and overwhelming pomposity. The den was a perfect example. So hyper-masculine, with the heads of game animals stuffed and mounted on the walls, mahogany everything, thick with the smell of generations of cigar smokers. Two more recent additions were a wet bar and walk-in humidor. The books covering the shelves had probably never been read, the bragging wall had pictures of Nelson with business and political leaders, as well as photos that just made Thad want to vomit – the bloated asshole in a racing suit with helmet next to the Formula One car Nelson Endeavors sponsored, the photo of Great White Hunter Nelson and the elephant Thad was pretty sure Nelson’s guide had shot, Nelson at the wheel of his yacht – Thad wasn’t sure if it was the “Strange Loves” or if the family owned more than one – looking into the distance through his piggy-little eyes. There were even more, but Thad’s eyes refused to linger on them.

The desk was a huge rococo nightmare, the lights all had sharp and angular Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass shades, and the rug was probably older than Thad’s grandparents.

And Kjersti was on that rug, in the nadu pose, signaling her willingness to be a pleasure slave.
“Kjersti, I so don’t need this shit right now. Get up, sit down over there.”

He pointed at two overstuffed black leather wingback chairs separated by a small Gueridon table.

He sat across from her and sipped his drink, watching her.

Kjersti was showing no sign of embarrassment, no distress at her offer being refused ... she was the ice queen again, albeit one exposing a lot of very delectable flesh.

“Who killed the four women in the harem, Kjersti?”

“I did, sir.”

“Why?”

“While they weren’t as mad as Simon or his monsters, sir, they were crazy enough to make excuses for them. That willingness had granted them power in the household...”

“So you did a little house-cleaning...”

“Yes, sir.”

Thad Newton pondered the likelihood he was involved with a sociopath ... or a psychopath, although he’d seen no psychopathic behavior so far. What would the crime scene photos show? Simple stabbing, one, maybe two, thrusts and done? Or had Kjersti gone to work on them like she was butchering an animal? No security tapes to view, not of that night, and he doubted the family’s police associates were going to show him a damn thing Kjersti didn’t want him to see.

To test that theory, or preserve the mystery a while longer?

“Fine ... but that better be the last such house-cleaning for a long time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How much did Nelson tell you about ... well, any of the things his little monsters were up to?”

“Nothing, sir. But the three of them made sure I knew more than anyone sane could ever want to know. They used the knowledge of what they were doing to torture me.”

Dayna had spoken with him briefly concerning her questions about Simon Nelson’s involvement in the abduction and what came after.

“Did Gao Baozhai contract with Simon to have the children kidnapped and disposed of?”

“Yes, sir. I’m not privy to the actual specifics of the deal, though.

“While the monsters were perfectly capable of such atrocities on their own initiative, they didn’t consider your daughter and her spouses to be worth more than some run-of-the-mill abuse. Their father instructed them to abduct and kill them. Leo decided he would sell your daughter and the other woman – not because he needed the money, but because the thought of them living their lives as real slaves amused him.

“It’s hardly the first time they were employed by their father in such an underhanded fashion.”

Thad wiggled his empty drink glass at Kjersti, and admired her ass as she ran off to get him another.

Jason

The guest house Beebee showed them to, walking with them through the late California evening, gave him some ideas about how to design for a hedonistic life. While the exterior was Victorian ‘painted lady’, parts of the interior were straight out of ‘Better Kinks and Fuckery’.

From the front hall, to the right was a perfectly normal ... well, Jason assumed it was normal ... wealthy person’s idea of an entertainment room. Huge television, surround-sound system, comfortable furniture for lounging. Then a full bath, separating the entertainment room from the formal dining room, and the kitchen and pantry beyond that.

The hall staircase led up to bedrooms and full baths. While the master bedroom was a bit larger, it wasn’t huge. The second floor was designed to house large retinues, with the master bedroom, two additional ‘normal’ bedrooms with queen-sized beds, and then two bedrooms with adult-sized triple bunk-beds.

On the other side of the downstairs hall, were the playrooms ... as well as additional crash space he supposed. The first was a pillow-filled ... well, fuck pit. Next, a bath area with two huge tubs, a hot tub, large shower, toilets, and bidets, all of it able to be sluiced off, the water draining out from multiple spots. The final room on that side of the house was a good-sized dungeon, with all the gear necessary to have sadists and masochists fall in love with the place.

“The only real rule,” Beebee had said, giving them the tour, “is if you’re so drunk or ... whatever ... that you can’t safely climb the stairs, don’t even try. Just pass out on the first floor, please.”

At the end of the tour, Beebee said, “All right, children. Brunch is in the Great Hall at noon. Do try to be on time. We have a lot of things to cover tomorrow.”

She hugged the three of them, kissed the cheeks of her granddaughters, and on her way out the door, turned back to say, “Something to think about though, for tomorrow ... assuming you want to get out of this town, which is perfectly understandable, do you want to go someplace specific, or is a comfortable journey enough, in and of itself?

“Good night! Have fun!”