Chapter 4

This is a first! Galen observed, grimly, as Justine lay unmoving on the floor. I've never had a lover pass out before. A glance at Angel revealed a grin that almost split her face. "What's so funny?" he growled.

"You!" she popped off, then went on, "You act so worried! She's going to be okay ... she just hasn't had sex with a guy for a very long time. It's different enough to be something of a shock, especially if you mistakenly thought you were a dyke."

"Well, help me get her to the bed," he commanded. As they moved to do that, he looked at Angel intently, and asked, "Did you know this would happen? I'm remembering your remarks as we left Mary's Game Room. Especially the one about where you girls live."

"No Sir," she replied. "At the time I was only thinking that she'd have to leave town, and you are her only possible ticket out. When you took her down at the club, it effectively ruined her reputation as a toughie. The others smell blood now, and they won't ever let her forget that she was bested by a man! That's unforgivable in that social circle. You can avoid confronting men, and no one holds it against you, but if you get into a fight for real, you'd better win. No one expects you to fight at all if you're a 'bottom', like me."

"What's a 'bottom'?" he queried.

"That's just another term for being a submissive," she explained. "A 'top' is the dominant in the relationship. You're the 'top' in your relationships with me and P ... uh ... Justine. The lifestyle has what amounts to it's own language, and of course some folks get into it more than others."

They tucked Justine in, left her sleeping, and returned to the living area. As they relaxed together on the sofa, Galen began thinking out loud. "As idyllic as I find the current arrangements, I have to go back to work on Monday, and that presents me with some hard choices. The easiest thing for me, would be to set you free." Looking at Angel, he knew that wouldn't fly, but he had to know why. "What do you not like about that idea?"

"Sir," she began sadly, "I know you'll do what you think you must do, but I must tell you now that neither Justine nor I would be free for very long." She hung her head.

"Why not?" he countered. "If I choose for you to be free, why shouldn't you stay free?"

"Sir," she answered, "everyone in this town knows I'm a bottom. 'PeeJay' led me around on that leash too long for it to be otherwise. The guy she got me from still lives here, too, and I'm sure he's spread it far and wide that I can be dominated. Without a strong Master to protect us, we're free for the taking, and the only people who would be willing to defend us are those who would want to own us."

"That sounds to me as if you have a pretty severe case of low self-esteem."

"No sir, I actually think quite well of myself. I'm very good at being a submissive. I've always been able to please my 'top, ' and not just with sex. I'm also very loyal when I feel appreciated, although until today, that hasn't happened for awhile. I'm just not a fighter. No sub is. If you try to free us, it will have the same effect as abandonment. Justine will have a harder time of it, because she has no experience being a submissive. She will likely suffer a lot of beatings. It is said that some doms have even killed subs who failed to please them. If you don't want us, then we would be better off if you made a gift of us to someone. Hopefully someone who would be as kind as you are."

"Look," he said, " I understand that you have strong feelings about this, and I'm not going to ignore them, but I think we need to bring Justine into the conversation before I make any final decisions. Are you okay with that?" Angel glumly nodded her acceptance.

"On another subject," he continued, "you mentioned that 'PeeJay' had obtained you from a guy who lives around here. How did that happen?"

Angel smiled wanly, and said "My former Master is an amateur gambler. He has a liking for poker, and he usually plays well. Not long ago, he got into a game with several players who were better, or at least luckier, than he was. 'PeeJay' was one of those. He lost nearly everything he brought to the game, but on the last hand, he thought his luck had finally turned."

She grimaced. "He begged everyone at the table for a stake. Nobody was interested until he offered me as collateral. I think the other guys were interested, but they were all married, and probably fearful of the reaction their wives would have." She paused, and sighed.

"Anyway, for whatever reason, only 'PeeJay' showed serious interest at that point, and her interest in me wasn't as collateral. My Master really didn't want to use me as a stake, but she didn't offer him any other choice. It was put up or shut up time, and he felt he had a winning hand. He didn't." Angel shrugged, and finished, "So here I am."

Galen sat quietly for awhile, staring into space. He'd heard about "the lifestyle" before, but never in much detail. He had difficulty imagining the mindset that allowed a person to feel that it was right to be owned. He'd always thought that the "doms" in those relationships were simply forcing the subs into slavery. Angel's words contradicted everything he'd ever thought he knew about dominance and submission.

He still intended to talk with Justine, but he already knew he couldn't leave the girls behind. His main problem was that he didn't yet have a workable plan for dealing with the reality that he was now a "dom," and that he was now responsible for the well-being of two slaves.

Justine awoke shortly after having been tucked in, and though she couldn't make out any words, she could hear the quiet murmur of conversation coming through her bedroom door. Still shaky and disoriented from her recent coupling with Galen, she moved cautiously to the door, where she overheard nearly the entire conversation between Angel and Galen.

Her emotions ran the full gamut as she listened. She felt the truth of Angel's description of her change in status with the local community, and fear when it seemed that Galen might free his new slaves, in order to go on with his life. She felt shame, when it seemed that Galen might disapprove of submissive behavior, and gratitude when Angel refrained from describing just how cruel she'd been as a Mistress. Finally, she felt elation, when it seemed that Galen might keep her, and showed his sensitivity to her feelings about their new relationship.

She timidly approached him, where he sat with Angel, and asked, "Master may a girl speak?"

She surprised Galen with her sudden appearance, and unnerved him with her meek demeanor. "Yes, of course!" he replied, somewhat abruptly.

"Master, everything Angel has said is true. We have no future if not as your slaves," she told him fearfully. "I wish only to serve you, in whatever way you need me. Please don't leave us!' Then she hung her head, and began to softly cry.

Galen couldn't stand it. He got up and took her into his arms, and kissing her repeated about her face and neck, promised that he would never abandon his girls. When she composed herself, he sat her on the sofa, and took his place between the two.

"It seems that we have some planning to do," he started. "I can't stay here. I have a well-paying job in Atlanta, that I have to get back to. What do you ladies do, when you're not being slaves?"

Angel spoke up, "I work for a local accountant, keeping books for several of the medical professionals in the area." She smiled at Galen, and went on, "I'm pretty sure that I could find similar work in the Atlanta area. I do need to give two week's notice, though."

Galen nodded, and looked at Justine. "What about you?" he asked.

"My current job isn't anything to brag about," she laughed, bitterly, hanging her head. "I'm a commercial artist. I even have a college degree in it, but there isn't much of a market around here for those kinds of skills. I have to pay rent and buy groceries, though, so I take what work I can find. For the past several months, I've been dancing for tips at a strip club."

"I've heard that that's tough work," Galen observed. "From what I've been told, most girls who do that eventually get pressured into doing tricks. How have you been avoiding it?"