Chapter 1

Her long black hair flowed down the length of her back, swaying softly as she walked up the massive staircase in what she had come to call home. Her name was Juanita. Born to poor Spanish parents, she was sold into slavery when she was barely in her twelfth year. Four years had passed since she had left her home in that uncomfortable wagon. She knew she had been sold for a high price, so she knew whoever had bought her was wealthy enough to need a housemaid. And a housemaid she was.

Her duties in her new home were no more than those she had done whilst she lived with her parents, only here, she didn't have to tend crops during the day and clean most of the night. "Here," she thought to herself as she reached the top of the staircase. "Here I have my nights to myself unless the Master requires something extra to be done." The Master, Carlos Rodriguez, was young to be in the financial position he found himself in. His parents had died when he was barely 21 and left their estate, a substantial olive plantation, to their only son. Carlos had a good eye for business and had built an empire from his birthright. Now, at 34, he found himself in the position to hire other people to do his work for him while he wandered around the countryside.

Juanita knew that Carlos had left the day before and was not expected home until tomorrow. It was late Tuesday afternoon as she stood on the landing with a pile of linen in her hands. She had done most of her work, save for changing the bed linen, which was done weekly whether beds were slept in or not. She had often wished that one of the stately rooms on the second floor were hers but she was housed in the servant's wing with the cook and butler. There was no need for many staff as Carlos was the only person that needed looking after. If he had guests staying for any length of time he would often hire extra hands from the town, usually women that were deemed appropriate to be hostesses. At 16 years old, Juanita was naive to the ways of women. She had left her mother before she needed to know the intricacies of the female body and everything that went with it. When her time came that she started to menstruate, the cook had given her things to deal with it and had given a brief explanation of why it happened.

As Juanita walked down the hall to the spare bedrooms she marveled at the beauty of the marble banister and floor. Her eyes searched keenly for any sign of disarray and she stopped to rearrange flowers in a vase that she had carefully placed that morning. She went to the first bedroom and began stripping the bed and remaking it. Her thoughts wandered as they always did to dreams of being the occupier of one of these rooms. As she smoothed down the covers on the freshly made bed she marveled at the exquisite touch of the brocade bedcover. She moved on to the next room and then another before she finally came to Carlos's room. As she opened the door she inhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring to drink in the smell of the man that lived in this room. She went to the windows and opened them up, knowing he preferred to keep this room aired. As she pulled the coverlet off the bed she smiled seeing the smooth satin sheets below it. Her hand ran over the cool fabric before she pulled the sheets off.

As she busied herself placing fresh sheets down she began to feel the summer heat warming the inside of the room. She walked across the room to the fan and turned it on then returned to her work. As she smoothed the top sheet down and tucked it in, her hands tingling against their coolness, she wondered for a moment what it would be like to sleep between these sheets. She wondered what it would be like to feel the silkiness caress her bare body. She looked around the room. She was alone. No one would know if she lay down on the bed for a little while. Just to feel what it was like. She sat on the edge of the huge bed, thinking to herself that six of her would fit easily in it. Her hands ran backwards until she was lying on her back with her feet over the edge of the bed. The bed was firm, yet comfortable but she couldn't feel the satin for the simple cotton dress she wore.

She sat up again and looked down at herself. The dress was a shapeless, dark blue, cotton sack as far as she was concerned. But it was all she was allowed to wear. It was her uniform. It came to her knees in a hanging arrangement that was hardly flattering for the young girls slim yet curvaceous body. Her fingers toyed with the hem of the dress as she wondered if she should remove it. She stood up and walked towards the door as if to leave but instead she closed it quietly and walked back to the bed. Her fingertips ran lightly over the sheets again and with a deep breath she removed her dress. She folded it neatly and placed it on the chair in the corner leaving her panties and bra on.

She sat down on the bed again and lay back. Her body gave an involuntary shiver as her skin touched the cold sheets. Her nipples hardened with the shiver and she moved further on to the bed. "Just for a moment," Juanita thought as she rolled over on to her tummy and allowed herself to feel the luxury of the Master's bed. Her eyes closed as she reveled in a brief moment of self-indulgence and with a smile she sighed softly.

Dark eyes scanned the foyer of the house. The man standing at the door listened for sounds of anything amiss. Hearing nothing but silence he hung his coat on the coat rack and walked towards the staircase. It was late, and he wasn't expected home until the following day so he didn't mind that his butler wasn't waiting for him. He began the long climb that would lead him to his bedchambers. It was Tuesday, he remembered and knew he would have cool fresh sheets on the bed and looked forward to climbing between them. He walked slowly along the landing inspecting the area for neatness. He stopped at open bedroom doors and felt the breeze coming in from open windows. The smell of fresh linen told him that everything was well. As he walked towards his bedroom he stopped momentarily to look down over the banister. His hands stroked the carved marble and he marveled at its coolness and beauty. His knowing eyes surveyed the lower level of the house and seeing that all was in order he proceeded to his bedroom. He frowned slightly, finding his bedroom door shut, as all the others were open. He made a mental note to question the young housemaid in the morning. She knew he liked his room aired.

His hand reached for the doorknob and as he turned it he had a strange feeling that things weren't quite right. He turned once more and looked down at the level below him and shrugged it off as just tiredness. He pushed the door open and reached for the lamp just inside the door. The lamp gave a soft glow from the corner because he liked a dark room and didn't like a bright light turned on when his breakfast was brought to him. The lamp emitted a soft glow but not soft enough that he couldn't see everything. Including the half naked young housemaid lying face down on his bed. Her dark skin and black hair contrasting on the white of the satin sheets was certainly a sight to behold. He stifled his initial reaction to bellow at the girl and stood watching her closely. He remembered when she first came to live in the house; she was a mere child, sold by poor parents to him and a high price. Her work was impeccable, as she had been well trained coming from a large family. In truth, he thought, she was worth much more than he paid.

He studied the girl a little more. He noticed, perhaps for the first time, that she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her hips were small but well rounded as was her bottom under the white panties that she wore. He wondered if her skin was as soft as it looked and if her body was as supple as he imagined. As his eyes wandered over the sleeping girl, they traveled to the swell of the side of her breast. Hidden mostly from the bra that she wore, he couldn't see much, but the all over picture began stirrings in his groin. He was sure she was still pure, as there were few males she could come into contact with and most of them were too old to deflower the young girl.

His anger at finding her sleeping in his bed was not lessened although the stirrings in his groin gave him an idea of a different sort of punishment. He walked to the closet and opening it quietly he withdrew several neckties. He tied one to the massive headboard of the bed leaving a loop dangling. Another he tied around her wrists carefully then up to the loop on the headboard, securing it tightly. He then moved to the bottom of the bed. Carefully he moved her right leg, pulling it slowly away from her left leg. She shifted slightly then settled again. In silence he tied another of the neckties around her ankle then secured it to the post at the end of the bed. He did the same to her other ankle stopping when she made the slightest of movements. He stood back and surveyed the scene before him. The dark haired beauty was now tied face down and helpless on his bed and she couldn't escape her punishment.

Carlos was never known to be a cruel man, but he was strict. He had never had cause to punish the girl before, but he was going to ensure that he never had to do it again. As he moved to the head of the bed his groin tightened again. He picked a small cushion and removed the embroidered slip. He then removed the cotton coverlet underneath it and looked down at the girl. His hand moved towards her face then into her hair where he took a firm hold and pulled. The cotton fabric being forced into her mouth immediately stifled her startled squeal. Her eyes filled with terror as she recognized the master of the house and realized where she was. She tried to get up and found she couldn't. She began to struggle against the bonds that held her but was rewarded with a harsh yank on her hair. The pain of her hair being pulled brought tears to her eyes.

"So this is what you do when I am away from home huh?" His voice frightened her, but she shook her head unable to tell him that she had never done it before. "Well if you don't normally do it, why do I find you here now? Oh dear, you can't answer can you." The smirk on his face told her that he was enjoying himself and panic set into her dark eyes. He stood back and looked at her. Her young body stretched prone on the bed, firmly secured gave him a feeling of smug satisfaction. It had been a while since his last enjoyment with a woman, one of the perils of living alone he thought. But now, this pretty young lass was at his mercy and needed to be taught a lesson. He reached over and ran his fingers down her back. She tried to move away but was rewarded with a stinging blow to her buttocks. She whimpered from behind her gag and stilled her frightened body. As his hand trailed down her back to her panties she struggled to not move as he tugged gently on the elastic. As he let the elastic go he saw her breath a sigh of relief and sniggered.

"You know Juanita, that this cannot go unpunished and the punishment will be severe, don't you?" She closed her eyes and sighed nodding her head.

He watched her face as she replied in the only way she could. His groin throbbed again in anticipation of the things he could do to the bound and gagged girl. His hand moved to between her legs and she screamed from behind the gag. He slapped her again, then grabbed her hair and held something cold and sharp to her throat.

"Scream again you little bitch and I will give you a new hole to breath through, understand?" His voice was soft yet terrifying and Juanita nodded her head very slowly.

He dropped the knife in front of her face and she sobbed softly seeing the size of it. Her heart beat rapidly as she felt his hand between her legs again.

His touch wasn't harsh, nor was it gentle, as his fingers moved up the inside of her thighs. She squirmed slightly as they reached her private place and moved over her panties. Then the fingers were gone. The relief that made her sigh was short lived as her eyes watched his hand pick up the knife. Terror filled her heart as her sobs of fear racked her body. She could feel sweat beading in the small of her back as the knife tip ran down her spine. She shuddered involuntarily as it moved lower and lower.

"These panties are in the way don't you think Juanita?" He sneered. She shook her head violently which was rewarded with a harsh laugh. The tip of the knife slid under the cotton of her panties and rested on her hip. The sharpness of the blade was proven by the ease with which it slipped through the fabric. Feeling her panties give way under the blade her sobbing increased. Carlos toyed with the piece of fabric momentarily before moving the blade to the other hip and repeating the slow easy glide through the material. His hand moved to the warmth between her legs and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as he ripped the panties away from her.

Carlos struggled with himself not to touch the soft down that had been uncovered. He moved to where she could see him and placed the knife in front of her eyes.

"Open your eyes bitch," he snarled. Juanita did as she was told and saw the knife immediately. She stifled another sob as his hand twisted cruelly in her hair.

"I intend to teach you the error of your ways, Juanita. Whether you have done this sort of thing or not before is inconsequential. If I left you get away with it this time you may feel you can do this any time you like." Her head shook violently in denial and he tightened the grip in her hair until it stilled.

"Therefore, you will take your punishment as I see fit to give it to you. You are not in any position to argue about it are you?" Juanita shook her head again, this time in resignation. She expected him to whip her or belt her and as long as he didn't hit her too many times she was sure she could stand it. Her eyes moved to the knife in front of her.

"The knife, Juanita, is to ensure that you do exactly what I tell you to do and in the way I instruct you to do so." She was not quite sure what this meant but she was not about to question him should he decide to hit her more than he had already. He moved away from her face and she heard him opening a drawer. Her heart thundered in her chest as suddenly she was plunged into a world of darkness.

Lying there tied and gagged she at least knew where he was and where the knife was. Now she was blindfolded all she had were her ears to give her indications of where he might be and what he might be doing. Her awareness of the danger she was in caused her already panic stricken mind to lose control and she began to scream behind the gag. Her body thrashed as she tried desperately to escape from her bonds. She knew the binds were cutting into her skin but the pain didn't register. The cotton cloth in her mouth muffled her screams and she knew no one could hear her.