Chapter 18

January 22nd, 2007, Sunday

Savannah Rowland

She hung on a St. Andrew’s cross before her Mistress, Rosa Guzman, and Master Ernesto Salazar.

The heads of San Antonio Society were not pleased, but they were calmer than they’d been when she returned to Texas after being sent away by Master Jason.

“I hear your urinal service with House Fuentes was deemed ... adequate,” Master Salazar said.

“Yes, Master. So it was described to me.”

“But every other House you served had nothing good to say about you,” Mistress Guzman said. “Why is that?”

“Because I’m unfit for service, Mistress.”

“And that’s my fault,” Mistress Guzman said more to Ernesto than to Savannah.

“I coddled you. I pampered you. You were my little golden-tanned California beach girl...”

Savannah didn’t say anything.

“Why haven’t you walked away?” Mistress Guzman continued. “You’re not like most of the subs. You are well-educated, highly-employable ... so why?”

“Because I do not wish to leave,” Savannah replied, her voice close to a sob.

“And not a ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress’ to be heard,” Master Salazar mused.

“I’m sorry, Mistress, Master!”

“So, you don’t want to leave this life,” Mistress Guzman said, her voice hard. “You instead want to bring shame on our Houses, on this city, on us personally. Then, when you should allow your attitude problems to be corrected, you instead cause us to lose more face. Your highest achievement is being ‘adequate’ as a urinal.

“You ... how did Ramon put it? You ‘laid there like a slab of jello with a slit in it’ when he used you for sex. You destroyed over two thousand dollars worth of china...”

“It was an accident!”

Mistress Guzman’s hand was a blur. Her whip left a bright red line across Savannah’s lower back.

“Mistress! It was an accident, Mistress!”

“Yes, an accident I’m having to pay for,” Mistress Guzman said. “If it was indeed an accident at all...”

There was no mistaking Savannah’s sobs now.

“I need you to answer a question for me, Savannah,” Mistress Guzman said. “Answer truthfully and completely. Your continued service relies on this.

“Why do you find it so hard to please those in charge of you? Take your time...”

Savannah’s sobs slowly petered out, and after some sniffling and snorting, she was quiet for a few moments.

“It’s not like it is in the books, Mistress,” Savannah said, so softly Master Salazar didn’t hear it at all, and Mistress Guzman had to ask her to repeat herself.

“It’s not like it is in the books, Mistress,” Savannah said, her voice at least loud enough to be heard by both of San Antonio’s heads. “With you it was, Mistress,” she continued, “but everything else...”

“With everything else,” Mistress Guzman said, “it’s not like it is in the trashy BDSM novels you love so much...”

She sighed heavily.

“It is my fault then, all of it,” Mistress Guzman said. “All right then, let’s see if we can correct the problem. You’re going into training. Ernesto, can I count on you...”

“Of course, Rosa. No problem.”

“You’re not going to like this, Savannah,” Mistress Guzman said. “Over the next six months we’ll see if Master Salazar can do anything with you.”

Ernesto Salazar

“Not all of it’s your fault,” he murmured as they walked away.

“Enough of it is as to make no difference,” Rosa said. “I let my infatuation with her get in the way of my duty. Then I sold my rose-colored view of her to you, and we presented her as a wedding gift. I didn’t want to, but I honestly thought Savannah was the best choice, the most likely to bring honor to us all.”

“And you were wrong. Welcome to the human race, Rosa. My question is how do we apologize to the children for inflicting her upon them?”
“Yes ... Ms. DiSanto is merely ... a correction, not an apology.” She paused. “I don’t know, Ernesto. Between this and our laxity in ensuring the punishment of Sebastien’s slut – not that I doubt she’ll be punished ... I’m wondering if Randall and his filthy little minions might try taking the throne this year.”

“I’m certain they will try,” Ernesto replied.

He didn’t tell her he had received an offer from Randall Steuben to support Ernesto so long as he accepted one of Randall’s coterie as Ernesto’s running mate.

“But it’s a long time til the election. A lot can change. For today, don’t worry about it. I’ll work with Savannah. Perhaps tonight at the club we can talk with some of the court, get some suggestions about a suitable apology.”

“Thank you, Ernesto. You are priceless.”

Jason

“Do I smell prime rib?” Jason asked sleepily, disentangling himself from Lizzy.

“You do indeed, my love,” Abby said, helping him to his feet. “You and our concubine smell like sex...”

“Woke up in the middle of the night,” Jason said as he hugged Abby. “She was awake too.”

“And that would explain it, wouldn’t it? You and Lizzy, awake and horny,” Abby said, smiling.

“Yeah, all of you make a powerful argument for sexy funtime whenever possible. What time is it?”

“10. You have time for a shower. Should I wake everyone else up?” Abby said.

“Time for ‘em to wake up anyway,” Otter said. “Up, you lazy sluts! Time to clean your filthy bodies and dress for Sunday brunch! If you are not up and moving in one measly little minute I shall begin kicking plump behinds!”

“Sounds like she’s serious,” Abby said. “Let me help you get through the shower and out of their way in case there’s a stampede...”

Jason stood in the shower, letting the hot water beat some of the residual soreness out of his muscles.

“How long can I linger?” he asked Abby.

“Long as you like, more than enough showers on this boat, although with everybody heading off to their showers, I might worry about the hot water supply...”

“Yeah, good point. Here, get in with me, we’ll soap each other up...”

“That all you planning?”

“Yes ... but only because I will not insult Estrellita’s cooking by being late to brunch.”

“Very good answer,” Abby said, getting in the shower and grabbing the bottle of body wash. “Turn around, let me get your back.”

“Any sign of Donna this morning?” he asked.

“She was up and in the shower early. Headed off for a massage.”

“So, she’s thinking too hard about something.”

“That’s my read on it, yes.”

Donna

She’d known it was a mistake before she did it.

And did it anyway.

Calling her father to get an update on the search for the remaining Nelsons, news on Chorale as a whole, news on any surprises waiting for them in Hawaii ... Donna had expected stress from the Nelson issue ... turned out, for the time being, Chorale and Hawaii were quite stressful as well.

“Stop thinking, Milady,” Nocturnia said.

“How do you know I’m thinking?”

“Your back knots up when you do, and is easier to work on when you don’t. I’m tired of having my work undone by your insistence on worrying over things you cannot change, Milady.”

“Why haven’t I had Otter discipline you?”

“Well, Milady, in this instance, because you know I’m right.”

“That’s fair.”

“Will you be talking with your husband about whatever has you so tense, Milady?”
“I’m going to have to ... but I really don’t want to.”

“That bad, Milady?”

“Not bad ... just ... until we get some business cleared away once we’re at Hau’oli Mala, we’re still not really on our honeymoon. And ... well, the other issue is on me.”

“Do you wish to talk about it, Milady?”

“I’ve been pushing – hell, aiding and abetting – Jason to impregnate Abby.”

“And that’s a problem, Milady, because...”

“There’s really no choice but to return to the mainland before she gets past a certain point, or commit to staying in Hawaii for awhile, at least until we all agree the baby is ready to travel.”

“Would that be so bad, Milady?”

“No ... and yes. It would get rather insular pretty quickly. Don’t get me wrong, occupying a secluded mansion with few interruptions ... it’s going to be wonderful. But it’s not ... it’s not what we need, long-term. I think we’re going to need our family, our House, around us.”

Nocturnia threw her hands up in the air.

“Milady, talk about all this, and all you haven’t spoken of, over brunch! I am tired of trying to relax your muscles.”

“I’m sorry, Nocturnia,” Donna laughed. “It really is unfair to you, isn’t it?”

“Damn right it is, Milady.”

Harry

The service had been very hard on Tattie. Part of that was the generic nature of the priest’s eulogy – it was very obvious that while he had visited Yuri at Rays of Sunshine, he’d never known him otherwise ... not that he would have gotten much out of visiting him prior to his time at the home.

And Tattie blamed herself. No matter what she said, how she protested, that much was crystal clear. From the looks on Julie and Chiron’s faces, they saw the same thing.

Tattie had ridden out the last half of the service with everyone keeping a hand touching her. She seemed to take strength from it, which was the point.

The service ended, and Tattie withdrew into herself.
Harry was pretty sure it was the only way she could survive the aftermath of the service without breaking down. He raised an eyebrow in Carol’s direction, and she slowly nodded. Harry took it to mean ‘let her be’, and nothing Carol did or said later changed his interpretation.

Harry watched their friend go through the motions, interacting with other attendees ... it seemed wrong to refer to them as ‘mourners’, since none of them had ever met Yuri. Hell, most of them had never met Vashti and Svetlana.

Tattie was physically there, mentally there enough to put on a good show of being functional, but emotionally and spiritually? She was light years away, somewhere dark and ugly and very, very lonely.

Carol signaled him, motioning toward the exit.

“Tattie,” he said almost too loudly, “your afternoon appointment ... we really need to leave if we want to make it.”

“Yes, Ms. Turov,” Chiron chimed in. “Time to go, if you would.”

Tattie tried to hide her gratitude, and mostly succeeded, but it was there.

He let Carol handle getting Tattie and her family into their car, as he gave the driver the restaurant’s address.

Jason

He leaned back in his chair, motioning for a refill on his coffee.
“Estrellita, that was incredible,” he said. “I have honest-to-God nightmares about you moving on somewhere else.”

“No chance of that, sir. I am happy to serve your family.”

“If there’s anything we can do to make you happier, you just ask.”

“I’m sure we can get you some time on Jason’s face tonight,” Donna said.

“Just what I was thinking of, Milady,” Estrellita replied.

“Beat me, hurt me, make me perform oral sex on beautiful women...” Jason murmured.

“I know, dear, your life is hell,” Donna said, grinning.

“So,” Jason said, nodding his thanks for the coffee refill, “what’s got your brain working overtime?”

“I talked with Daddy last night, got all sorts of news...”

“Okay, spill.”

“These are the things we’re going to be dealing with sooner, rather than later. ‘Later’ can wait for another day.

“Word through the familial grapevine is we’ve been given custody of Bethany for a year. She fucked up really bad, and not only are we to further her education – something few of us are qualified to do – but we’re to keep her out of sight, at least so far as Texas, and Texas politics, are concerned.”

“Jesus ... does Sebastien hate us?” Jason asked.

“No, love, he honors us. I figure to turn her over to Otter and Nocturnia.”

“Good plan,” Yan agreed. “The two of them seem more than capable of handling her shit.”

“Won’t be every day, all day – I expect she’s going to spend a lot of time in domestic service to us,” Donna said, “as well as getting fucked whenever you, or any of us, want her.”

“That may take a while to happen,” Jason said. “Father says she’s nowhere near as talented in the bedroom as Dommi...”

“Yes,” Lizzy said. “I honestly believe Mistress Dominique could fuck us all into our graves and we’d die happy.”

“But, my love,” Donna said, “relative talent levels aside, are you going to be able to resist Bethany-slut’s body as it’s exposed for you every day?”

“Okay ... uh ... no. Are you?”

“Not even going to try,” Donna replied. “No reason why we should. Look, she knows the game, she’s well aware of her poor behavior, and expects to be punished, to be used.

“Just think, my love, of the five of us winding her up, edging her until she’s a sobbing mess, begging to be allowed to orgasm ... on your face, or cock, or hand, or foot ... anywhere...”

Jason felt his cock stir at the thought.

“Yin, come here, get under the table. Something for you to deal with.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Very nicely done,” Yan said. “We’ll make a Dom out of you yet.”

“I get the feeling that would best be done sooner than later,” Jason said, his eyelids drooping as Yin began to blow him.

“Yes ... and you’re worried about that?” Yan replied.

“Well ... not at the moment ... but in general ... yeah.”

“Easy, husband,” Yan replied. “Keep faking it til you make it, just like you’ve been doing out in public. To help, we can all give you advice beforehand, but you make the call.”

“Yeah ... uh ... okay...”

“Yin has a mouth like a thousand-dollar-an-hour call girl,” Donna said. “Won’t be long now...”

“What would you know about high-priced escorts?” Lizzy asked.

“A present from my brothers when I passed my sex-ed exams,” Donna replied. “Although I suspect Tiffany was more of a ‘thousand-dollars-a-night’ girl. Not that there was anything wrong with her, she was lovely and talented, just not ‘ultra high, ridiculously expensive, top of the line’.”

“So ... details?”

“Well, got her to take off her dark brown wig – she was bald by choice otherwise. Pretty sure there wasn’t a bit of that head I didn’t lick and kiss. For that matter, pretty sure there wasn’t an inch of her skin anywhere I didn’t tongue bathe. Too skinny, but beautiful skin, a mouth made for oral sex, and oh my God, a night with her exposed me to some things I’d only heard of.”

“Do tell...”

“No. A girl’s got to have her secrets. But tell you what, we get back to Waterloo, I’ll see if she’s still in the business, and hook you up.”

Yin’s mouth and throat worked over his cock, swirling and caressing, nursing on it more than just sucking on it, long slow tongue strokes up the underside of his dick...

His brain tried to derail him into thinking about just how unlikely it was that he would be sitting at a table in the salon of a private yacht, getting head in front of a crowd of people, most of whom he was intimate with.