This was not his ultimate victory, having the grand duchess thrown down over a bed with his cock in her ass was not the final ambition for Michael.
Nor was simply claiming the throne his true intention. When he was crowned Emperor and had an heir on the way he would not rest upon those laurels... because that kind of behavior had led to the stagnation of the Empire.
Michael was an ambitious man, far more then any would ever suspect. His goals were more then he would likely ever achieve in his life and while that infuriated him, he also knew that he would need to strive to ensure his heirs would carry on with the legacy. The Empire shouldn’t be a single continent, the Empire should span the globe and all people should live under its authority. That was his dream and breaking the Grand Duchess was simply a step on the way...
But as his cock pressed into her ass, as he felt her body grip him and heard her begging, Michael took a moment to reflect that this might be one of the most enjoyable things he would do to achieve his dreams. To his ears the shrieks of pain and the begging were music beyond compare and the unwilling embrace of her ass was a stimulation like no other. Both his hands found her hips, gripping tight with cruel fingers digging into her flesh for no reason beyond causing her more pain... though hurting her had been inevitable Michael had offered Katie a gentler path and he would enjoy every single instant of her suffering.
She had brought it on herself after all.
“She is perfect in body.” He remarked, his cock about half way inside of her, five inches buried inside of her ass with a little more then five more still to go. That is where he stopped though, a moment to simply savor the sensation. “A legendary beauty... men would have sent fleets to claim her in the days of legend and she is no less valuable now.”
Slowly he began to draw his hips back, hands on her hips to keep her in place as he pulled all but the head of his cock from within her... and then pushed forward once more. He was taking his time as he violated her ass, not wanting to cause her any real harm beyond the pain and the shame but there was also another element to the leisurely pace... no more then half his cock entered her.
This was a trick he often used when breaking a new slave, fuck them from behind to dehumanize them, letting them grow used to half his length, don’t let them know it wasn’t the entirety of his cock though... not until the moment was right.
As Katie begged he continued to slowly fuck her, his breathing slow and steady, his pace even, not speaking for a little while until he judged the time was right. “You are lying to me.” He whispered, pausing at the end of an out stroke, bending at the waist so his chest was against her back and his lips brushed her ear. “You don’t know you are lying but that doesn’t change a thing. I know you will continue to fight me, to try and oppose my will.”
One hand moved from her hip, tracing over her stomach, sliding downward and finding her smooth cunt, experienced fingers brushing her clit. “You will mean those words soon though... soon they won’t be a lie and I won’t need to punish you for being dishonest.”
That was the moment, at least as far as he judged it, the perfect moment to let her know that he had been showing a sort of mercy. As the fingers on her clit suddenly withdrew he gripped her hips harder and thrust forward again, pulling her back to meet the push as he drove his cock all the way into her, not stopping until he felt her ass press against his body, hissing in pleasure as he claimed her properly for the first time.
Anneli had not been complimenting the duchess, though she admired the girl’s pretty body. No, she had been talking about the rape itself. The sight of Master’s swollen angry red cock pushing into the tightly resisting gleaming ring of flesh. Sliding in and out of the hole, that pink skin pulling with him. Clinging to his cock before almost reluctantly peeling away. Anneli could have easily cum just watching that, watching the masterful savagery with which Master took the crying girl.
But Anneli was too well trained to cum without permission. Nor would she distract Master from his enjoyments just to beg for her own satisfaction. Master was always aware. He would tell her if she was permitted to cum. So she simply lingered on the edge, panting and whimpering as the poor little duchess sobbed.
Her eyes gleamed as she watched. She knew what Master was doing, he had performed that trick on her as well. She remembered the agony, but felt not an ounce of pity for the raped girl lying in front of her. To give pity to her was to believe Master was wrong in some way, and that was something Anneli was simply not capable of.
If Katie had been humiliated before, it was nothing like the unendurable mortification of hearing him talk about her body as if she were a THING, not the heir of the entire Empire. As if she were not even a person. A surge of hatred for him almost blinded her. No doubt he was right. Her pleas had been the instinct of a hurt animal. Given a quarter of a chance, she would try to kill him. Unlike both him and Anneli who were certain of her eventual submission – no such eventuality was possible as far as Katie was concerned. Even as his bloated cock thrust into her still resisting ass, even as she sobbed pitifully underneath him, she hated him with every fiber of her being. Everything was hatred and pain and fear.
His heavy weight settled on her, pinning her squirming, sweaty, naked body to the bed. Her violent thrashing stifled, though she still squirmed in pain as his fingers dug into her hips with bruising force, her ass still burning painfully. Never had she felt weaker, more powerless, than she did now – his body looming over her, hard and powerful and in full control.
She sucked in ragged breath of air, barely paying attention to his words. Feeling her naked breasts push deeper into the bedding. Squirmed when his fingers found her clit, humiliation roaring in her ears as she realized to her horror that her pussy was …perhaps not wet, but definitely damp. How it happened, she had no clue. No understanding of how her body could respond to such horror in that way. And it got worse, his fingers fluttering against that swelling traitorous bud. Her pussy tingling, heat flushing her loins. Then his body shifted – the only warning she had.
Her scream was a wild animal, shrill and piercing. The brutal, cruel thrust tearing her slightly. A faint pink smear on his cock. His weighted sac slapped against her cunt with a wet smacking sound. Anneli shivered, almost shaming herself by cumming, barely holding back. Katie howled in pain, her slender body thrashing and bucking under him again, her rebellious little asshole savagely clamping down as if to try to keep him out, though the time for that was long over. And yet even underneath the pulsing agony, Katie was aware of HIM inside HER. Throbbing. Alive. Possessing. Unable to process anything, she simply resorted to base instinct and fought like the wounded animal she was.
Michael knew how close Anneli was to climax, he had trained her well and was confident that he could make her climax with a single word if the moment was just right. In that moment she was the perfect audience for the humiliation of the Empress to be, of his bride to be. Perhaps later there would be a larger audience, perhaps some time in the future he would take the security footage from the room and force Katie to sit as others were shown her humiliation. He had done similar things with Anneli, never allowing another man to lay a hand on her but he displayed his masterpiece often enough, letting her show her loyalty and how well trained she was to his fellow lords and law enforcement officers who were being granted an audience with their highest ranked superior.
With his cock buried entirely within Katie’s ass Michael took a moment to rest, once more savoring the moment, enjoying her frantic attempts to fight. Futile of course, accomplishing nothing but earning a burst of laughter from Michael right into her ear, cruel mockery. “The more you struggle the more I enjoy this.” He reminded her, releasing her left hip to grab her hair, forcing her to list her head and look at Anneli, eye level with the cunt of the slave who was pleasuring herself to the rape of the Grand Duchess. The irony of that moment was delicious to Dominic, someone from the lowest rung was deriving pleasure as the pinnacle of the social order was violated, brought as low as any slave.
Though he knew that it wasn’t something intentional that Anneli was doing it did bring a smile to his face, the girl deserved a reward and he knew that it would only heighten the humiliation Katie felt. Shifting, he tried to push her further up onto the bed, looking to force her face closer to the soaked cunt of his masterpiece. “Cum for me whore.” He growled, glancing up into her eyes. “Show your future Empress the fate that awaits her.” A message for both as he forced the Grand Duchess to watch as his masterpiece climaxed. “If you look away or close I will parade you naked through the streets on the day of our wedding, the reception guests will watch as I fuck you like a bitch in heat, and I will conduct official state business while you choke on my cock.” Not empty threats, even if she did behave he might still do those very things for the sheer pleasure of it.
And as Anneli climaxed he kept Katie right there, forcing her to watch up close and personal while he shifted his hips, stirring the inside of her ass with his cock, a subtle motion that was done just to add to her torment. Only when he saw that the climax was coming to an end did he move properly. “You may continue.” He instructed Anneli as his hand shifted from Katie’s hair and to her throat, gripping tightly and pulling her upright, letting her body weight force his cock even deeper within her. His other hand moved back to her clit, finding her wet which drew another chuckle from him as he began to tease her again. “The Grand Duchess, heir to the Empire, ran away from everything and yet she is getting wet while the man who will be her husband rapes her in the ass.” He mocked, drawing back a little and then thrusting forward again, resuming her violation at a quicker pace than before, not drawing out nearly as much before each thrust but making up for it with a faster pace, the sound of his hips crashing into her ass filling the room.
“Will you cum for me Duchess?” Mockery dripping from each word, especially her title. “She did, Anneli came the first time I fucked her ass and look at how happy she is.”
His laughter wounded even more than his cock. His laughter left her pride bruised in a way his raping cock never could. She had often scorned the weakness of women who were raped, about how traumatized and shattered they became. Now, she understood. This was not just an assault on her body, it was far more intimate than that. It was an assault on HER very soul and spirit. Her pride and dignity torn from her, her sense of self as bruised and aching as her raped ass. Hot tears flooded her eyes as her thrashing body quieted somewhat. Exhaustion leaving her unable to continue to fight against his unyielding strength. Her hot face yanked out of the bedding by his fingers twisted cruelly in her soft hair, blinking through the watery sheen of her tears at that perfect pink little cunt so shamelessly displayed to her. She bared her teeth in sheer hatred.
She heard his command to the slave. So cruel and casual to her ears. So welcome to the ears of the slavegirl. Anneli shivered at the darkness in her Master’s voice, his brutal term of address an endearment to her well trained ears. Ever obedient, Anneli looked down to make sure the duchess was watching. Master wanted her to see.
The duchess was not watching. Determined not to be a witness to further shame being heaped on her, Katie clamped her eyes shut. At least until that dark, rough voice whispered all those horrific consequences to her. Katie was a bright girl, and she was learning. Slowly, but learning. She heard the certainty and knew he would do those abominable things.
Her eyes flew open, filled with despair, shame, pain, and impotent rage.
Only when Anneli saw the eyes of the duchess open and watching did she let go of the tight control. She came with a mewling cry, pearly juices dribbling out of her cunt as she writhed in abandoned pleasure. When she came for Master, she never held back. There was no attempt to keep any sort of dignity or pride or self possession. She let the pleasure take her and do as it willed, let her Master see her pleasure in his commands.
It took everything Katie had to keep her eyes open and focused on the quivering slavegirl. Even though she knew the slavegirl had no choice, was forced to obey, she hated her. That anyone was a witness to her humiliation was unthinkable. That it was a slave….Katie wanted them both dead. Wanted her shame erased with two bodies being burned in a pyre.
The panting Anneli continued to toy with her pretty cunt as her Master’s stiff cock stirred in Katie’s ass, shifting as his fingers curled around her neck, pulling her brutally down on his cock as he thrust in. Katie was no longer fighting, her body too exhausted to do more than squirm and wiggle underneath him, soaking in the cruel agonies as his cock slammed in and out of her swollen, bruised hole. She could smell the musky scent of the slave girl’s cum in the air. His wickedly knowing fingers going back to her own traitorous cunt. His amusement was palpable, shattering any vestige of dignity she had left. She let out a broken sob, feeling something deep inside her soul crumble. It frightened her enough that she roused herself, spitting out an enraged, “Not a chance in hell. I am NOT a slave!”
Anneli smiled softly, glad for the sake of her Master the girl was still fighting on some level. Master would need a strong wife. She swirled her finger around her swollen, sensitive clit as she looked down at that painfully stretched asshole, Master’s cock sliding in and out. She licked her lips, wondering if he would use her to make the duchess cum.
Michael had the utmost confidence that Anneli would tell him if his victim didn’t open her eyes and take a good look at what was happening. He was also confident that she would hold off her own release until his orders were obeyed, that was the beauty of having someone who lived to make you happy, that was the beauty of someone who had been so delicately broken and reassembled. Any slave could be made to obey with fear and force but this was someone who did it from devotion and adoration... and since he had done it once he knew that he could do it again.
Katie wouldn’t be a slave in name or title but in the end it would make no difference, he wouldn’t rest until she took every breath with the thought of his pleasure on her mind.
“You might not be a slave but you are getting off on this.” He whispered to her, lips brushing over her neck in a twisted parody of affection and tenderness that was entirely at odds with the way he was violating her. Of course he expected her to deny it and to cut off any attempts he simply raised the fingers that had been teasing her, showing the clear evidence of her arousal to everyone in the room. The sight of the juices from her cunt gathered so continently gave him a beautifully cruel idea, without warning he pressed the fingers past her lips and deep into her mouth, not caring if she gagged or choked, only caring that she tasted her bodies betrayal.
“Do you taste good?” He asked, lips still against her neck, teeth teasing the delicate flesh but careful not to leave a bruise even as his fingers pressed down on her tongue and prevented an intelligible response. The fingers around her neck shifted a little, thumb and forefinger moving up and gripping her jaw to keep her from biting down, not trusting her to have learned the lesson yet. “I would like a taste.”
Glancing over to Anneli he smiled at her. “Get to work my dear, we both know you want too... and when you are done I want to taste her on your lips.” Another cruelty to inflict on Katie, letting a slave bring her to orgasm while she was violated and mocked, his own body tense with the need for release being barely restrained, holding out until the humiliation was complete.
Those fingers glistening with evidence of her own body’s betrayal was even more cruel than the vicious rape. Especially delivered in that tone. So soft and gentle, almost pitying in its quality. She opened her mouth to instinctively deny even that undeniable evidence shoved in her face. She could smell herself on his fingers, and it smelled horribly like the cum from the satisfied slave half reclining across from her, the scanty orange dress now pulled up to her waist.
But her protest was cut off when those fingers rammed into her mouth. She spluttered and choked, her jaw tightening to bite down, but even that defense was removed from her when the fingers of his other hand tightened over her jaw painfully, keeping it open. She gurgled frantically around his fingers, eyes wide and panicked, her untrained body not sure how to breathe. And for the first time in her life, she tasted herself. Tasted the thick sweet muskiness of her own pleasure – a pleasure that came from a violent rape perpetrated by her greatest enemy.
She squawked in outrage at his next command to the slave, who promptly disappeared from her range of vision. Her soft body shuddering underneath his as she felt Anneli’s silky hair slide against her spread thighs. The shame was absolutely unendurable. Her hips bucked violently underneath him, a pitiful attempt to dislodge his heavy weight. It did nothing but lodge his cock deeper in her bruised ass. Fresh hot tears burned her eyes as the slave lapped gently at her pussy, dragging her tongue up the virginal pale lips, flicking against the swollen, slippery clit.
Katie grunted, her wide eyes filling with despair as hot pleasure shot through her. Oh dear god no….no….please god no….her mind chanted silently as the girl tried to summon every bit of her willpower to resist. But it was a hopeless attempt. The pain in her ass had not gone away, it still throbbed with a deep ache that promised to last for a long time, and everytime his swollen cock shifted in her it brought a fresh stab of pain. But it could no longer compete with the delicious lapping of the slave tongue at her cunt. Anneli’s worming that wicked tongue into the duchess’s flexing empty hole, fucking her with it. Her master’s heavy sack sliding along her soft hair as he raped the duchess.
Anneli could not resist dragging her tongue from the duchess’s cunt to slide along her Master’s cock as he thrust back into the girl’s ass. But she went right back to her job, her tongue swirling, flicking, fluttering. Leaving the poor defenseless duchess squirming in reluctant heat. With her attention on her delighted pussy and not on Lord Kane’s fingers in her mouth, Katie’s body learned how to breathe again, panting through her nose, fighting the orgasm swelling through her body. She had orgasmed a few times before masturbating in bed, but those small orgasms were nothing like what was threatening her now.
Her will never stood a chance, crumbling beneath the onslaught of sensations she had never suffered under. She came hard, wailing around the thick fingers shoved in her mouth, her tight little raped ass clamping down on his cock as her hips jerked uncontrollably, her pussy juices dribbling into Anneli’s eager mouth. Everything in her shattered. Her sense of self, her pride, her dignity. Even her anger and rage – all of it washed away as she nearly went blind with pleasure, ass raped by her enemy and eaten out by a contemptible slave. She went limp underneath him, every ounce of tension gone from her soft body, all trace of resistance vanished. Unmoving as Anneli crawled out from between her legs, climbing over the bed and squatting near Katie’s head. One again she smelled the sweet scent of the slave’s excitement as Anneli leaned in to her Master, kissing him hotly, letting him taste his new wife slave’s pussy on her lips and tongue.
It wasn’t enough just to hurt the girl’s body, she had earned physical pain when she had lashed out at him violently, when she had tried to fight against the inevitable. Michael knew that he had to break her spirit and her will, torment her beyond the simple pain that he was inflicting upon her flesh. To some, allowing her to climax, to feel pleasure of any sort, might seem counter to his desires to make her suffer, but he knew that the shame would hurt her so much more and linger far longer. A crack in her psyche was his ultimate goal in that moment and he was looking forward to exploiting the flaw as time went on. Sure, he couldn’t rush things too much and he knew it, but at the same time he also wanted nothing more than to have her happy to serve her proper roll.
That was what Katie couldn’t comprehend, the more she fought the more she would prolong her suffering, true happiness would be such a simple thing once she simply gave in and accepted the inevitable.
Looking down he smiled at the sight of Anneli working to fulfill his desires, so selfless, so perfect, and of course absolutely fucking gorgeous as she used her tongue to violate the empress to be… and tease his shaft which he had not instructed her to do. That stimulation as almost enough to make him cum right away, unexpected and so damn pleasurable , gritting his teeth he managed to hold off but it wouldn’t be much longer, he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself for long.
And then, the climax, just what he had been waiting for. His fingers in her mouth might be making it difficult for Katie to properly give voice to what she was experiencing but the noises she made were no less pleasing to him. Rather than continue thrusting against her Michael was content to let her bucking body do the work for him, holding onto her tightly as his own climax was finally allowed to run free. It had been too long, at least by his hedonistic standards, he had been waiting to celebrate with Anneli and a few choice new young ladies when he was confirmed at the Emperor but this would have to do. His cock pulsed deep inside of her, each twitch accompanied by a long burst of his seed deep into her ass. No attempt was made to pull out, he was content to let her feel his cum deep within her to leak out later as a reminder when she wasn’t thinking of it.
The perfect addition to the moment was when Anneli’s lips met his, pulling his fingers from Katie’s mouth and tangling them in the slave’s hair in order to pull her deeper into the kiss, savoring the simple pleasure, the almost alien intimacy that was accompanied by the taste of his bride to be. In time he would taste her directly, drinking from the proverbial source, but she didn’t deserve such kindness yet.
Breathing heavily he broke off the kiss and released Katie, letting her fall forward in exhaustion, feeling his still hard cock within her ass and taking a few moments to rest before pulling it out, this had been a long day and he could almost emphasize with the exhaustion the empress to be would be feeling.
“Was running away worth this?” He asked, standing for a few moments and looking down at Katie, with his lust and anger temporarily dealt with, he was a little bit curious. Of course this was not a state that would last long, he would need to sleep before very long and in preparation for that he kicked away his shoes and sat down on the bed, starting to peel off his socks and unbutton his pants. “All of this pain for what, a few years living among your lesser before you were in my grasp?” Pants were discarded, allowed to simply fall to the floor without a second thought before he shifted up onto the bed, grabbing a pillow and arranging it beneath his head for comfort, knowing sleep wouldn’t be far off.
“If you have no yet realized it my dead Grand Duchess, there will be consequences for your choices.” He warned her, looking up at the ceiling with a small smirk on his face. “You will be spending the night with me, you can curl up in my arms or you can sleep naked on the floor… there are no other choices.” He was letting her pick her own poison, a night on the floor shivering and struggling to sleep or a night of comfort in the arms of the man who had just violently raped her, and either choice would please him.
Perhaps she HAD lost every battle she waged against him. Particularly this last one. But though her abused body had temporarily given up, though she no longer had the energy to muster the fight she had before, Katie was not yet broken.
When he stood up, quiet tears of shame leaked out of her eyes as she felt his seed dribbling out of her gaping, raped ass. She did not answer him verbally, instead choosing to roll over, huddling in a fetal position at the bottom of the bed. Her violated but still lovely ass was displayed now, pearly cum streaked with pink blood dribbling down over the curve of her asscheek, deep pink inner ass peeking out of the well-fucked hole. She wanted to conceal herself further from him, crawl under the bedding and hide. But she couldn’t do more than that small, shift in position right now. Even that small movement made her ass hurt terribly. Cold chills wracking her body, leaving her shivering after his heat was gone. Never before had she felt so alone, and she longed desperately for Gage and his gentle touch. For Heather. For her foster parents. For anyone…anyone at all. But they were all out of her reach. Though unspoken, her answer was yes. Yes, it had been worth it. Those few years among the lower classes were the happiest in her life. She only wished she had stayed away, had never exposed herself and her friends by coming here.
But she was no fool. The backing of the General would have vanished if she had refused to play Empress when the time came. Only Gage and Heather had ever cared for her while not demanding or getting something from her. If she had not submitted to the quiet but insistent General, she would have found her foster parents were no longer able to afford to take care of her. She would have been on the street, without the proper documentation to work. Without the vast resources of the General at her command. She would have been picked up by the Crows within 24 hours. As she considered that, hate flickered in her heart for the General. It was because of him she was here instead of at home in her warm secure bed. It was because of his idealism he had transferred to her that she had been so cruelly raped, that she was being held prisoner in the same rooms she had grown up in, that she had been so thoroughly humiliated by the attentions of a slave. A SLAVE. She couldn’t even bear to think of it, her thin naked shoulders hunched in a reflexive, defensive motion.
The bed shifted, and she whimpered as a reflexive spike of terror shot through her. She had no idea how pitiful she looked, shivering, her fiery hair darkened with sweat, sticking to her pale skin. Her small body curled in on itself as she blood and cum leaked out of her raped ass. He didn’t attack her again though, he merely relaxed on the bed. She realized with sudden horror he intended to sleep there. In HER bed. A small shift of her body told her she wouldn’t be able to make it to one of the other rooms here, even before he calmly laid out her choices. Impotent rage surged hot in her blood, but physically she could not fight him. Could do nothing but drag her sore and aching body off the bed, whimpering with pain. Curling up on the floor, unknowingly rocking back and forth as tears ran free. It was the only fight she had left right now.
Anneli watched, a frown furrowing her brow. She had not expected it. Why would the duchess choose to sleep on the floor instead of the bed? Admittedly it was not cold in these rooms, the temperature was always kept comfortable. But lying on the floor naked would make it too cool for comfort…and yet the girl had chosen it. It made no sense. Anneli was a sensible slave girl, and with no instruction from her Master she chose her own preference. Pulling off the pretty dress, firm tits bouncing free. Crawling into the bed to burrow next to him, his body radiating a comforting heat. She heard soft crying sounds from the floor and shook her head. What a silly girl, to continue to put herself through misery, fighting off the inevitable.
Master was not a man to be resisted, Anneli had learned that quite quickly indeed. She kissed his bare shoulder, one small hand going out to carress his chess in a soothing massage to help him sleep. She would remain awake till he slept. If he rolled over, she would rub his back. Her training ensured that his needs came first – always. And he had worked hard tonight, raping the pretty duchess. A gentle rub down was likely just what he needed.
Truthfully Michael had expected her to choose the floor over comfort. The girl was the foolish sort, perhaps she thought that she might be making some sort of point by choosing to sleep on the floor rather than curling up in the bed or perhaps she just couldn’t stomach the thought of being anywhere near him. In the end it was downright pointless really, if she thought this would accomplish anything then it was simple naïve of her, if he wanted to then it would be no effort at all to simple lift her onto the bed and force her to sleep in his arms, the thought had occurred to him but it was dismissed almost immediately, in time she would learn not to make herself suffer needlessly.
Almost immediately upon laying back he had closed his eyes and slowed his own breathing, knowing that he couldn’t afford to sleep for too very long, it was a luxury that he couldn’t afford. There was still much to accomplish if he wanted to ensure that the throne would be waiting for him when Katie was ready and beyond that, the less sleep she got the more malleable she would be.
Feeling Anneli’s hands working on his body he smiled slightly but didn’t bother to open his eyes. “You preformed perfectly tonight.” He praised her directly, not something he did too often but he was in a good mood so felt that it was proper to indulge her. Kindness, praise that wasn’t simply remarking on her body or her talents in the carnal arts, a treat that he rarely gave her, knowing that its scarcity only made it all the more valuable.
After those words he was soon asleep, his breathing slow and even, his body almost perfectly still. Michael was a light sleeper, he had learned a long time ago that his status meant that he had many people who were very motivated to see him dead and being able to wake up at the slightest thing, and be alert right away, had saved his life several times. He didn’t think that Katie had the strength to actually try and harm him but it wouldn’t matter, if the girl got up and approached or tried to unlock the doors he would be awakened immediately.
Still, nothing woke him up and for six hours he enjoyed the sleep of a man who had accomplished much in a long day. Then, without any outside influence, his eyes slowly opened and a moment later he was sitting up and stretching. Climbing from the bed he made no effort to avoid waking anyone else, going to his pants and digging out his phone which was swiftly unlocked with a finger print, seeing a text message from Miss Rui, the ambitious young woman had taken the liberty of having some personal effects delivered for him, clothing and toiletries as well as some of the same for Anneli, gathered from his personal penthouse. Though pleased this did make Michael pause for a moment, he would need to have a word with her about the liberties she had taken.
“Anneli, there will be some clothing for us that was delivered.” He explained, expecting her to be up and ready to move right away. “I will need some underwear and a robe and I want you to find something for the Grand Duchess, comfortable.” He suspected that if he hadn’t specified that the slave would see his wife to be dressed the same way he was. “Once you have accomplished that, find our guest… Heather. Invite her to these rooms for breakfast and a personal apology, half an hour.” Before he had slept he had been inspired by the most delicious idea, a way to torment Katie that went beyond the mere physical.
As Anneli went about her assigned task Michael began to type into his phone, instructions to the Crow who was currently overseeing security of the palace, instructions for the breakfast, not technically the man’s job but he would know how to get it done. Finished with typing Michael knelt by Katie, not sure if she still slept or was simply feigning unconsciousness to avoid his attention. Reaching out he roughly pressed two fingers into her ass, twisting them to make sure she was awake and giving him her absolute attention. “Wake up.” He hissed, knowing the words were likely not necessary but uncaring about redundancy. “In a short while your friend Heather will be joining us for breakfast, you will be on your best behavior or else she will join you in suffering.” Not an idle warning, the only thing that kept him from hurting the girl already was that it worked better as a threat but that would lose some power the moment he acted on it.
“I’m going to go shower, take some time to compose yourself and then you will clean yourself up after I am done, Anneli will bring you clothing, and you will wear it without complaint.” No time was given for her to object, instead he simply went into the adjoining bathroom and began to shower.
He didn’t waste time indulging in the comfort of the hot water, instead simply and methodically cleaning himself, drying most of the way off and leaving his hair still slightly damp before leaving the bathroom, stark naked, and finding the clothing Anneli had left for him. With a smile on his face he pulled on the dark briefs, adjusting himself so that a prominent bulge would show through them, and then pulled on the robe, tying it loosely so that it might shift any number of ways and show off the body that he had worked so hard sculpting. A glance to Katie and a tap on his wrist, a warning of the time, before he exited the bedroom and made his way to the contained dining area.
The breakfast was still being set out when he took a seat at the table, opening a newspaper that someone had been smart enough to bring and scanning the contents, pleased at the bold front page story of the Grand Duchess’s return without a mention of her behavior at the meeting or the fact that she was in custody, only comments about secluding herself in the palace with trusted advisors until the coronation. Rumors would start soon, he knew, but for the time being things were contained.
Hearing someone approach he looked up from the paper, taking note of the spread on the table and smiling at his ‘guest’. “Heather?” He asked, though he already knew the answer. “I am so pleased you could join me for breakfast, I am Lord Michael Kane, future husband of The Grand Duchess.” A simple introduction as he rose to his feet, gesturing to the food before her, taking note of the bottle of sparkling wine that had been delivered just as he had ordered, a cheap brand by his standards but for someone from Heather’s position in life it would be recognizable as something expensive enough to only be drank on special occasions.
“Please, eat, Katie will be joining us shortly but after the day you endured I won’t make you wait on ceremony.” And Katie had better join them soon... her friends comfort depended on it.
Katie did not sleep well. While her rapist slept soundly in her bed cuddled up with his slave, Katie slept fitfully, cold and aching. She did not toss and turn, everytime her sore body twitched, the pain woke her up. A few times she contemplated sneaking out, but she was too sore to move. So she remained there throughout the endless night, shivering, whimpering, crying even in her sleep. But when he woke up, it was during one of those few times she was actually sleeping. Even if she had been at her best, he likely would not have woken her up moving around. Katie was normally a heavy and long sleeper, rare was the occasion she managed to crawl out of bed before 9am, and her foster father used to joke she could sleep through a tornado. But Katie was not at her best right now. She was exhausted, her brutalized body desperately clinging to the little sleep it was getting as he moved around the room. But his cool voice speaking to Anneli terrorized her dreams, and she whimpered in her sleep.
Anneli, on the other hand, had been trained well to wake when her Master woke. As soon as he sat up in bed she was awake, her eyes blinking open, stretching out in the bed like a pleased kitten. Plump tits jiggling as she rolled over, smiling at him. But Master did not want to play, he was all business. So Anneli rolled out of bed, stepping over the duchess curled up on the floor in a ball trembling in her sleep. Naked and utterly shameless about it, she left the room in search for the clothing. It was in the front room, neatly boxed and in front of the couch. She retrieved underwear and a robe for Master first, setting the neatly folded clothing to the side. For the duchess, she had to think carefully. Something casual, but elegant and pretty. Something that would allow the duchess to move freely, because she would be sore. Something that would have forgiveness in sizing.
She found it in a delightful little sundress she had bought last month, white with large green leaves imprinted on it. It would look lovely on the girl with her vibrant red hair. No underwear would be required either, which would likely please Master. She carried the clothing back to the bedroom, smiling as she heard a shriek of pain. Ahh, the duchess was awake. How nice. Leaving the clothing on a small hallway table outside the bedroom so she would not interrupt them, she went to dress herself and carry out her Master’s other wishes.
Katie came awake with a shriek as his fingers dug into her raw, raped ass.
“Noooo! No, please!”
In a burst of energy she scrabbled closer to the side of the bed, his fingers slipping out of her ass as she rolled over, back towards the bed as she stared up at him with wild, bewildered eyes. Her ass pulsed, a deep horrible ache.
She could barely process his barked out commands, but her eyes widened in horror when she heard Heather’s name. The fucking bastard. He had brought Heather here to use as a weapon against her. She huddled against the bed as he strutted away, cock swinging. Utterly shameless in his nudity. Even as hate burned in her heart for him, she had to admit that he had an appealing body. It was a grotesque thing. A man as cruel and evil as he was should LOOK cruel and evil, a warning to all of humanity.
She took a deep, ragged breath as he vanished into the bathroom, the door automatically shutting behind him. Reaching up and pulling the cover off the bed, she wrapped it around her chilled naked body as she took the few minutes available to her to think. Somehow, she had to warn Heather. But she had to be very careful, because Lord Kane was extremely perceptive and she could not endanger Heather any further than she already had. Some small sign or word to put Heather on her guard, that Lord Kane would never pick up on as a warning. Her mind churned for several minutes, but finally she had to accept that she would have to play it by ear. She was too tired, too frazzled to think properly. And she hurt too much. She grimaced at the memory of last night, mercifully faded in the light of the morning sun.
It was surreal in a way, as if all the horror of yesterday – from the discovery that her father was dead to the vicious anal rape – had happened to someone else. She recognized it was a protection her mind had created in order to cope, but she still marveled at it. She felt horribly sorry for that poor girl of yesterday, but the only time it seemed personal was when she moved.
And when he came back out of the bathroom, looking perversely well rested and fresh – ready to face the day. She, on the other hand, was almost numb with exhaustion, her body sore and battered. Half of her wanted to crawl back into the bed and just die – lie for hours in sleep, swathed in soft warm blankets. The other half wanted desperately to wash the stench of HIM off her. Crusted semen, pussy juice, and blood streaked on her thighs.
She kept a wary eye on him as he dressed, huddled in the bedding. Unable to stop herself from openly sneering when he adjusted himself, all but preening as he did so. The fucking bastard. A mental vision of herself clawing at his disgustingly handsome face with fingernail helped her survive the sight. She literally bared her teeth at him when he condescendingly tapped on his watch before leaving.
She hated to obey him, but she really did need a shower….and she needed Heather to stay safe. She would do anything for her and Gage. And the bastard seemed to know it. Whimpering with pain, she slowly stood – using the bed for support. Every movement sending pricks of pain through her brutalized ass. She shuffled to the bathroom like an old woman, tears in her eyes. Letting the bedding fall from around her body as she entered the bathroom – someone would pick it up. Someone had always picked up after her – even while she lived with her foster parents.
The shower was as glorious as she had hoped it would be. She washed as quickly as she could, but it still took time. The hot water soothed away much of the aching at the same time it washed the stench of him off her. She even bent over in the shower, spreading her legs and pulling apart her asscheeks, letting the warm water rain down on her sore flesh, pattering gently. When she finally left, she felt much better. Fresher. Almost restored. Still hurting with each movement, but bearable. She cracked the bedroom door, scanning for the promised clothes, lighting on the unfamiliar green and white cloth. She grabbed it, retreating back into the bedroom. Shaking it out to examine it.
And she laughed.
That blessed, stupid little slave bitch had given her exactly what she needed.
There was something about sleeping in a palace that induced someone to sleep better than they had their entire lives, Heather concluded. She woke on her own, with a gentle morning sun shining softly into the bedroom. She stretched, smiled, and looked around. Many of the palace bedrooms had security covers that automatically covered them at night, and re-opened early in the morning. The room was a bit too masculine for her taste, done in browns and creams with delightful touches of gold. But it was stylish and expensive and that made it just exactly right as far as Heather was concerned. The sheets were simply superb, soft and silky on her bare skin. She didn’t want to leave them when she heard a soft knock on the door, but forced herself out of the bed, wrapping a silky sheet around her curves and heading to answer the door. Bare feet padding out the bedroom door, into the hallway, then to the large wooden door.
She was greeted by one of the most stunningly beautiful women she had ever seen, dressed in slim white cotton pants and a gray silk cami. Heather’s discerning eye immediately realized that the clothing was not cheap – this woman reeked of money.
“Hello, Miss Heather. My name is Anneli. Lord Kane has asked me to request your presence at a breakfast with himself and Her Grace so he can deliver a personal apology for the horrible mistake that was made last night. If that is acceptable to you, I can be back in twenty minutes to escort you to Her Grace’s chambers.”
It took a second for Heather to realize that Her Grace was actually her best friend, Katie. Excitement boomed in her heart. Breakfast with a Lord! I mean yes, Katie was the Grand Duchess, soon to be the Empress. But Katie was Katie. But a Lord! She distantly recalled how Lord Kane had been feared and hated in her neighborhood, but….he was a Lord! She was going to have breakfast with a member of the highest council in the world!
“Oh yes!” She squeaked, then cleared her throat and spoke normally, trying to imitate the polite formality of the woman. “I will make sure and be ready.”
The woman smiled again, cool and professional.
“Excellent. We assumed your parents would be worried and that you would want your own clothing today, so some representatives from the palace went by and notified your parents you were safe here with Her Grace, under the personal protection of Lord Kane. Your parents packed up some of your clothes for you and they were delivered last night. You should find them in the seating area to your side.”
Heather’s breath caught in her throat.
“under the protection of Lord Kane…”
That sounded so….so…..official. And hot. She almost laughed. She bet her parents had been overjoyed to hear their daughter was in the palace. They were probably already telling all their friends about how THEIR daughter was visiting her friend, the future Empress, in the PALACE.
“Th…umm..thank you….Anneli.” She smiled shyly at the woman, surprised at how intimidated she felt in this beautiful woman’s cool presence. She was used to being the pretty one, the sexy one, the one that intimidated everyone else. Anneli smiled warmly back at her.
“I will see you in a few moments then, Miss Heather.”
“Oh please, just call me Heather.”
The woman’s smile grew wider. “Heather, then. Thank you, and I will see you soon, Heather.”
Heather shut the door behind her, sighing happily as she leaned against the door. It was all a dream come true. Sleeping in the palace. Her bestie about to become an empress. Under the personal protection of a LORD.
She all but danced over to the boxes piled neatly on the sofa, slinging clothes everywhere as she tried to find the perfect outfit. What did one wear when one was breakfasting with a LORD? All her pretty things looked decidedly plain now. She needed to go shopping, if she was going to be staying in the palace. She really wanted to wear some of her prettiest things, but they were all a bit too slutty. She didn’t want to seem like a trash girl coming from one of the Lahas slums, though that was very nearly the case. She was well aware that she and her parents would be looked down on as social inferiors even by someone who was just a free worker in the castle, much less a Lord. No, sophistication was key here. But not too sophisticate, it was, after all, only morning breakfast.
She selected a slightly oversized crisp white shirt and a discrete black pencil skirt, with black heels. She left her sleek legs bared after a quick shower, combing her hair out and choosing to keep her makeup subtle.
Exactly twenty minutes later another soft knock came at her door. The flustered Heather leapt to her feet from where she was perched on the side of the bed putting on her lipstick. Her heartbeat fluttered wildly in anticipatin.
Lord, she HAD to calm herself down. This was supposed to be a bad guy, she reminded herself. Maybe he wasn’t, because Katie was having breakfast with him. And Heather just didn’t see her strong willed friend having a casual breakfast with someone she thought was her enemy. So probably everyone was mistaken. But still, she had to be cautious. Had to make sure Katie was ok. She couldn’t let herself get distracted by drooling over what amounted to royalty, even if he was the next best thing to an actual emperor.
Taking a deep breath, she marched over to the door and open it, a genuine smile lighting up her face at the sight of the pretty Anneli. Especially when she saw the other woman take in her outfit with an approving gleam in her eye.
“Thank you so much for taking me there, I am afraid I would get lost.”
Anneli laughed. “No one would allow you to get lost. If you get TOO lost, one of the guards would help get you pointed in the right direction.”
Heather flushed, giggling. No doubt they would. Hopefully without a weapon in hand. Anneli led her deep into the palace, and within minutes Heather was indeed lost. They passed a variety of servants and workers and guards – Heather noting that none of the guards had visible weapons.
“Why aren’t they armed?” She whispered to Anneli after they passed three guards huddling in a circle talking. “I mean Katie….I mean Her Grace may be in danger, and none of her guards are armed.”
Anneli smiled. “They are most certainly armed. Your friend is perfectly safe here. Lord Kane has personally verified all of the guards in the palace, they are simply trying to be discrete. Trust me, Lord Kane will make sure no one lays a hand on our future Empress.”
‘Except himself….’ Anneli thought to herself with a grin, warmth pooling in her cunt as she remembered the rape last night. But the pretty Heather seemed to be content to accept her answer. Anneli liked her. She liked Katie because Master was going to marry the girl, but she liked Heather for herself. The girl seemed quite sweet and pliable. Loyal to her friend, but easily led. No doubt Master would find her entertaining.
She led Heather to the silent guards flanking the doorway into the Duchess’s suites, then paused, looking to one of the silent, impassive guards.
“This is Miss Heather, a close friend of Her Grace. Please show her your weapon, she is worried and wants to be sure her friend is protected.”
They didn’t argue with her. They all knew who she was, and though a slave she was far too close to Lord Kane for them to question. Both of their left hands twitched, and a black barrel slid out of their sleeves. She wasn’t even finished speaking before they were both displaying deadly weapons to the astonished and impressed Heather. Pleased, Anneli led her into the suite, to the dining area. It was a cozy, intimate dining area, though it was nearly the size of Heather’s living room back home. Two neatly dressed servants – slaves, though neither Heather nor the duchess were aware of how pervasive slavery had become in the palace – had just finished setting out the breakfast and were leaving. Anneli left with them. A generous plate of flaky croissants, butter, thick chocolate sauce, strawberry jelly, honey, orange juice, coffee, milk, small bowls of fruit, sliced cheese and ham, and a warming dish with quivering scrambled eggs.
She smiled shyly at him as he stood.
“Yes. Thank you for inviting me, Lord….umm…” Oh gods, she had forgotten his name! How could she have! “…..Sir. It was very kind of you.”
Never had Heather been so embarrassed. She could have kicked herself. How could she have POSSIBLY forgotten his name! She opened her mouth to apologize, but he simply continued on as if she had never made such a horrible faux pas. He politely introduced himself, and she could have kicked herself. Anneli had said his name several times, there was no reason she should have forg….wait….
Her eyes widened.
“H..hus…husband?” She stared in shock. Husband? What about Gage!?
She sank into the chair on suddenly weak knees. Well, of course Katie had to get married. She was an going to be an empress, it wasn’t proper for a woman to be on the throne alone. Heather wasn’t even sure if it was legal. But…what about Gage? Katie loved Gage, Heather knew that. She felt a stab of pity for them both. Were they having to sacrifice love? It seemed like such a terrible tragedy. As handsome as Lord Kane was, it was hard to see Katie in love with him, not after seeing her with Gage and the open adoration between the two.
Before she could make more of a fool of herself, Katie blew into the room. all smiles and girlish squeals. Acting so totally unlike the Katie Heather knew it took her breath away.
“Heather! I am so glad to see you! I missed you so much!”
The astonished Heather found herself kissed on the cheek and hugged, before Katie smoothed her skirt down, then twirled happily. “One of the benefits of being a soon to be duchess, I get new clothes! Look? Isn’t this the prettiest dress? I don’t think I have ever owned a prettier one.”
Heather’s jaw dropped. Katie, in a dress? The prettiest she had ever owned? Did Katie even OWN a dress?
She blinked, recovering. “It’s gorgeous, Katie. I am so glad you are ok. We were so worried about you, especially after….”
She fell silent, her eyes darting over to the watching Lord as Katie slowly set down, gathering her dress carefully. First the dress, then this curiosity. Katie, who usually flopped into chairs, sitting so primly. My, how becoming an empress to be changed people. Still….so odd about the dress….
Katie was proud of herself for getting herself seated without flinching from pain a single time. She reached out and retrieved a croissant, her stomach growling angrily. She was absolutely starved.
Michael was ravenous when he sat down at the table, tempted to devour everything that was set before him but he resisted the urge, knowing that what he was doing now was about the perception and first impression rather than his own immediate needs. The night before with Katie had gone perfectly, as beautiful as he might have hoped for, but that only set the stage for what would be following. Still, having just woken up, he did need something to help him get going properly and with a small smile he poured himself a large measure of coffee from a French press that had been set before him. The smell alone was enough to confirm to him that it was his preferred blend and the first taste of it on his tongue helped his eyes open a bit.
As Heather arrived his eyes moved over her, not with the open lust that he assessed Katie with but his interest was not particularly well disguised. She was quite a bit more attractive than even the pictures had led him to believe, the thought of keeping her around even after he was crowned did occur to him, a way to ensure that Katie remained perfectly well behaved during the delicate early days. Plenty of Emperor’s in the past had enjoyed having a harem before but something with a little more status would likely help keep Katie in line, his consort would have a nice ring to it.
As Heather stuttered, clearly shocked at what was coming, Michael merely smiled at her, the perfect picture of nobility and indulgence, amused by her shock. He knew of the little boyfriend that Katie had enjoyed while she was out and free but did Heather actually think that a future Empress would be permitted to marry someone from so low a station? Gage would honestly be lucky if he survived the next year of his life, he would only be kept alive so long as he might be needed and the moment Michael was confident that Katie’s behavior had been ensured…
No one would ever give another body being pulped and used to enrich the soil of Empire controlled farms.
Before he could speak and assure Heather that it was quite alright, taking time to properly introduce himself, he heard Katie approaching. Remaining standing he watched the girls embrace, looking for any sign that his bride to be might be trying to pass along some sort of message without him noticing. Only when the girls separated and Katie primly sat down did he also sit, moving his chair so that he was sitting at her side, separated by mere inches, and only when Katie took her own food did he begin to serve himself. Right away he sought out the meat that had been brought out, a few sausage patties and some bacon on a plate that were joined moments later by some eggs and diced fruit, the violence of the night before had taken quite a lot out of him… especially after such a long day.
“Before I forget Katie.” He spoke before starting to eat, reaching into the pocket on the inside of his robe, palming a small box that he had retrieved from his pants in the time between Katie starting the shower and Heather arriving. “I had this commission when your father first arranged our betrothal, I know that we haven’t made it public yet but I thought it might be a good idea to let you try it on before it is seen publicly.” Slowly he withdrew the box, making sure he had the full attention of everyone at the table, and as he set it down he opened it slowly.
The story of the rings origin was true but years ago he had put it aside in his office, not expecting to ever give it to the young lady it was intended for… but the return of Katie had made it useful once more.
After the day before Katie might have come to the conclusion that she was dealing with a brutal sadist who was incapable of subtlety, who didn’t know how to act any other way, but he was far more dangerous than a mindless savage. The night before, the brutality of her rape, wasn’t simply for his own pleasure, the pain and exhaustion would serve to break her down and weaken her will… and the way she was treated the following day would allow her to see the contrast, what her life might be if she didn’t fight him. On their own, either approach would likely not be enough, but he was confident that both put together would have a profound effect.
The ring set down he took a few bites of food from his plate, eating carefully rather than just devouring his food the way he would have if Heather hadn’t been present. A few bites though, enough to take the edge off his hunger before he addressed Heather.
“I owe you an apology Heather, and I hope it is ok that I call you Heather. When our Grand Duchess returned I gave an order to have some people who knew her outside the palace taken into custody. It seems there was something of a misunderstanding though, you ended up in a rather nasty prison, the sort of place where terrorists end up. The people responsible for your mistreatment will be held responsible but at the end of the day, I should have been far more careful.” Another bite of the food washed down with a gulp of strong coffee.
It was all bullshit of course but Michael could sell it when he needed to, able to turn on the charm without any difficulty. “But I am sure you can understand why we might have been overly cautious, we can’t risk anything happening to our future Empress.” Reaching out he laid a hand atop Katie’s, a moment of affection, wanting to make sure Katie behaved properly.
This wasn’t just a way to show the future Empress a contrast in how she would be treated if she was well behaved, it also was a way to test her.
Katie stiffened when he shifted his chair to sit beside her, but the movement drew no other reaction. She was far too hungry. The croissant was soon split open, the flakey layers steaming as she put a slice of ham in and piled scrambled eggs on top. She drew a small bowl of fruit onto her plate, and choose orange juice over the wine and coffee.
Heather was starving too, helping herself to some eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit and coffee. She surreptitiously studied the couple as she put the food on her plate. She had been too embarrassed and overwhelmed and then shocked to realize it at the time, but had the handsome Lord that was to be her best friend’s husband been giving her an interested eye when she came in? She was immediately indignant for Katie, though she doubted there was anything more than affection between the two. Her puzzlement as to why the marriage was going to take place was somewhat solved when Lord Kane produced a ring and mentioned a marriage contract.
Marriage contracts were extremely rare amongst the lower classes, but more frequent amongst the nobility and royalty. Marriage amongst the high classes was never about love, but about status and wealth. Sometimes even infants were contracted to each other. Heather had read once about a cousin of the last Empress who had been contracted as an infant to a young man of twenty-two. Still, it was odd that Katie was so willing to go along with it after such a short time. Heather remembered her friend as having little patience with the traditional way of doing things, and had often spoken sneeringly of the marriage practices of the elite. And there was still that puzzling bit about the dress, with Katie acting as if she were always in dresses.
Was it possible Katie was trying to tell her something? Was she in trouble? Where was the General? Where was Katie’s security team that had come for her at the party? Doubt flickered in Heather as she looked back at the elegant, handsome Lord Kane.
The morning was getting even more and more surreal. Mere hours from violently and cruelly ass raping her in front of his outrageous slave, there was a shockingly well done tone of affection in his voice as he displayed one of the most beautiful rings she had ever seen. The exquisite workmanship drawing a gasp from both her and Heather.
“it’s beautiful”, she almost reluctantly admitted, then immediately covered by giving him a bright smile “Thank you so much, it’s very sweet that you bought it for me so long ago.”
When he set the open box on the table she did not pick it up, mumbling something about greasy fingers. Unwilling to wear it. Her heart ached, and unshed tears burned in her eyes before she furiously blinked them away. How different this should be! It should be Gage sitting beside her, giving her the ring as a symbol of his love. She couldn’t sit here and think about it though, she would start crying, and possibly cause trouble for Heather. Instead she forced herself to look happy as she took a bite of the admittedly delicious croissant. Her stomach rumbled, demanding more.
Heather looked down at her food, breaking off her bacon in small pieces and mixing it in her scrambled eggs. Her mother would have been horrified at her lack of proper table manners, but Heather wasn’t thinking about table manners. She was thinking about how…different Katie was. Dresses. Hugs and kisses. No mention of Gage or the General. The almost formal politeness she gave the Lord. Something was off, and Heather was growing more and more worried. Her head jerked up as Lord Kane spoke to her, automatically smiling, the smile weakening as he gave his apology.
She didn’t understand why he would have people who knew Katie arrested. And she didn’t understand Katie’s silence on the matter. The Katie she knew would have been roundly scolding him for his actions at best. But this Katie sat silently, submissively eating, making no comment at all. If anything, she looked a little puzzled when Lord Kane rested his hand on hers in a sweet, affectionate gesture.
“Oh no, I understand.” She really didn’t, but Heather wasn’t about to be rude. “I am glad you are being so protective of Katie. Was Gage arrested too? Was he released as well?” She looked over at Katie, directing her next question to her. “And where is General Moore and the security team he had with you last night?”
Katie confirmed Heather’s suspicions when she didn’t answer herself, but looked questioningly at Lord Kane. The Katie Heather remembered would have already known her friends were safe, and would have no hesitation letting Heather know.
There was something very, very wrong. What it was though, Heather did not know. Nor did she know what, if anything, she could do about it.
Michael didn’t realize that he was giving away far more information than he had wanted to Heather, though it really didn’t matter in the end if the girl figured out what was going on it would sure simplify things a little. Keeping her there as a hostage would be a little simpler if she wasn’t aware that she was there to keep her friend in line. Of course, other men would be guarding and monitoring her so the work wouldn’t fall upon Michael himself.
As the girls marveled at the ring Michael continued to eat, displaying far more concern for appearance as he ate then what he normally did when it came to breakfast, eating slowly and controlled. Normally breakfast would be a hurried meal for him, something that was relatively rushed and often eaten on the go… but today his only task, at least the only task he had in the moment, was to work to break Katie down, allowing him to eat in a somewhat civilized manner.
The questions from Heather about Gage and the general made him pause in eating though, not glancing over to Katie though it was tempting to watch her closely, best not to be too obvious. Setting down his fork he took a moment to clean his mouth with a napkin, a way to give himself a moment to think about the right words to use, a way to buy a little time. “That’s an unfortunately complicated question with a very complicated answer.” He acknowledged after taking a sip of his coffee, suddenly wishing he had Anneli nearby, knowing he could use her to create a distraction so the question wouldn’t need to be answered right away.
A deep breath, his eyes closed for a moment before he spoke. “Gage was also taken into custody though he was sent to a different location and I have made sure that his treatment wasn’t the same that you received.” He admitted, technically true as no one was threatening to rape Gage, in fact he was being kept in solitary confinement with nothing but food delivered through a door as a way of interaction with others. “But I am afraid he will be remaining in custody for a little while longer. His relationship with the Grand Duchess would complicate things right now and the Empire very much needs the transition of power to go smoothly. He won’t be mistreated but he is going to be away from the capitol for a while, at least until after Katie is crowned Empress and we are married.” A reasonable enough explanation, one that he had been ready to give as he had anticipated Heather asking about the young man…
The general was another matter though and he took another deep breath, his tone very different when he continued to speak. “As for the general… he is currently in a hospital. Normally I wouldn’t discuss such matters but you are a friend of the Empress so I will make an exception. General Moore intended to use your friend to destabilize the Empire, trying to use his influence over her to rule from behind the scenes. When Katie met with the Council of High Nobles… there were complications and he attempted a coup.” He hadn’t expected the question, he hadn’t known that Heather had been aware of the General, and while he was as skilled a liar as any noble he hadn’t expected to need to improvise.
Another sip of coffee, thinking quickly about what should come next before he finished up his words. “I regret it, I really do, General Moore was a friend of my father’s and he had a prestigious career serving the Empire. The man is a hero and because of that I would rather keep this from the public… let them think the man died a hero rather than attempting to overthrow the lawful rulers of the Empire.” Patriotism was supposed to be ingrained in all citizens, he didn’t know if it would be enough to work on Heather though and finding a change of the topic seemed prudent.
“Anneli, I know you are nearby!” He called out, hoping his favored slave would be listening in. “Come over here please.” What he would do with her, he wasn’t sure, but any distraction would be better than giving Heather time to pick apart the problems… perhaps having her escort Heather around the grounds would be prudent.
The tension at the breakfast table edged up as both of the young women waited on his answer to Heather’s curious questions. Perhaps Heather knowing about the General was not to be expected, but she HAD been Katie’s best friend, and after trust had been established between the two, everything Katie knew, Heather knew. Gage was the only other one who knew about Katie that wasn’t in the General’s inner circle – most of whom were now dead.
Another one was going to join the roster of the dead. Even as the Grand Duchess and her friend carefully picked their way through the breakfast that seemed littered with mines that could blow up in their face at any second, the beautiful Ahuron Hadad was in her home on the border of the capital district, where most of the higher ranked politicians were located at. Unfortunately, Ahuron was located on the wrong side of that border. She hoped her work betraying the Leninist council would result in her being rewarded with a home in the capital district. Ahuron had not yet breakfasted, she was chatting on the phone with her sister, promising her that her way into the Empire was now assured, it was simply a matter of days till Ahuron got Lord Kane to grant her sister asylum and citizenship. Egypt had for generations been a state in decline, and now it was simply too dangerous for Ahuron’s sister to leave her well-guarded home. Servants had to be sent for food and needed items, and unless sent with a guard, quite simply never made it back.
The streets and fields of overcrowded Egypt were running with blood, and only Ahuron’s money kept her sister alive. The situation could not continue, and her sister was in tears from gratitude for Ahuron’s efforts to get her out. A knock on her door distracted Ahuron, and she held the phone away from her ear.
“Show door.”
A small screen over her bedroom dresser flickered to life, showing a young woman in a neat, professional skirt and bouse, holding a small box with what appeared to be the imperial seal on it. She was flanked by two grim-faced men in dark clothing – clothing she recognized instantly as the armor of the Crows, Lord Kane’s personal security force. She smiled. Lord Kane had not forgotten her, even with all the unexpected events of the last 24 hours.
“Rabiah, they are here to reward me for my service to Lord Kane. Hopefully with information that they are getting you here, to safety. I will call you right back.”
She hung up and hurried to the door, opening it with a bright smile. The young woman greeted her with a small respectful bow that pleased Ahuron. None of the imperial workers would bow to a mere secretary, even if she was the secretary for one of the most important politicians in Lahas. Her star was rising.
“Greetings from Lord Kane, Miss Ahuron. May we come in?”
Ahuron gleefully all but threw the door open for them.
“Oh please, come in! I trust all is well with Lord Kane and his bride to be?”
The three stepped in, one of the crows shutting the front door.
“I don’t know, you traitorous cunt. Why don’t you tell us? Everything.”
The formerly polite girl turned rabid, all but snarling at the startled Ahuron. She opened her mouth to scream, and one of the men hit her, his fist slamming her down to the ground.
“We don’t have time. Let’s get to work.”
Work they did. Less than half an hour later, video footage of nearby security cameras showed the three leaving. The two men were no longer dressed as crows – those disguises had been shed. Investigators later found the clothing on the floor, soaked with blood.
Ahuron’s body was identified with dental records. She had been tortured – teeth pulled, her body skinned, fingers and toes gone. An autopsy would later show that Ahuron remained alive throughout the torture, and had been killed when her throat was cut open. She had drowned in her own blood.
The daily maid found the body an hour later, and after calling Lahas Law Enforcement she called her mother, sobbing hysterically over the phone. Her mother called her neighbors, friends, and family. One of the neighbors called The Voice. By the end of the day, nearly everyone in Lahas would know that the Leninist movement was not defeated, and had exacted bloody revenge.
As the pretty, unfortunate Ahuron was being tortured, Heather listened skeptically to Lord Kane’s explanations. Katie’s only reaction to the fate of her boyfriend was a dropped fork from suddenly numb fingers, frightened eyes shooting a glance at Lord Kane before she whispered a trembling apology. Heather’s eyes narrowed.
Katie was afraid.
She listened further, her doubt thickening. Yes, she knew the General had been manipulating Katie. Hell, Katie knew that. But somehow, Heather suspected the coup was from Lord Kane, not General Moore. Katie would not have been afraid of General Moore. General Moore would not have imprisoned Gage, he would have used him to help keep Katie calm and secure. There was no way Katie would tolerate Gage being held a prisoner, not whispering the slightest protest.
Unless she was terribly, terribly afraid.
Heather’s eyes dropped as she stirred her suddenly tasteless eggs, trying to think. What could she do? If General Moore had failed, if everyone else had failed Katie, what could she, an untrained socialite of a girl, do to help her friend?
She lifted her head as the friendly girl she had met earlier was called, looking towards the doorway leading out into the rest of the Duchess’s suite. Anneli had been waiting quietly in the small kitchen, carefully out of everyone’s way and sight, but within earshot if she was called, and near items that may be requested. Hearing her Master’s call she hurried to him, entering the dining area with a warm smile, her eyes immediately going to his.
“Yes, Master?”
It slipped off her tongue, as natural as could be.
Heather gasped, jerking her head to stare at Lord Kane in horror. Her voice going frigid as she spoke without thought.
“So you are going to flaunt your slave in front of your wife to be? Doesn’t that seem a bit rude to you?”
Katie’s horrified eyes shot to Heather, silently shaking her head, trying to warn Heather to not protest.
Michael Kane was many things, he was a sadist, a rapist, a man of horrific ambition who told himself that it was for the good of the empire and very truly believed that… but he also did his best to be a man of his word. It wouldn’t do for people to believe they couldn’t trust you, if you made a promise then it should be kept and if you made a threat then they had to understand that nothing would keep you from making good on it should the need arise.
The common people, the people who only knew his name because of the news, who only heard about him in gossip and rumor, they didn’t know that side of Michael, the side that prided itself in being trustworthy in the darkest ways possible. In exchange for Ahuron’s help, the information she had, he had promised that he would get her sister to the safety of the empire.
Of course the wording was very specific, she would be brought to the empire but what happened after that would not necessarily be what Ahuron had intended, the woman had to be punished after all… she had known about the whereabouts of the Grand Duchess for quite a while and only turned informant at the very end… and even a few more hours’ notice would have changed so much. Michael intended to let Ahuron live just long enough to see her sister as his slave before she was executed…
A lesson to those in the know, make sure your agreement with Lord Kane is very carefully worded and don’t sit on important information until the last moment.
The knock on Ahuron’s door came just a few minutes before Rbiah’s door was kicked in. The men who entered her home did so quickly and violently, having repelled down from a stealth helicopter hovering just above the property. The helicopter they arrived in was one of the most advanced examples of Empire technology, invisible to radar and built to minimize sound, to the point where the ambient sounds of the city were enough to cover most of it up. That being said, anyone glancing in the direction of the home would see it right away so the retrieval team moved quickly. They had a picture of their target, anyone else in the home they encountered were quickly silenced, short bursts of gunfire… there would be no witnesses that might identify them as being from the Empire.
Within minutes they had found their target, guns quickly pointed away from her to avoid any mistakes. The leader of the retrieval team, uniform devoid of any insignias, speaking the local tongue though with an unmistakable accent from the capital of the Empire, approached. “Rabiah, we are here on the orders of Lord Kane, you will come with us immediately.” Though his tone was polite, or as polite as could be given the situation, it was also clear that he wasn’t to be questioned and as quickly as they entered they were departing, a four man team with a young woman being pulled back up into the helicopter, gone before the curious locals were able to work up the courage to investigate. Before Michael was even informed of Ahuron’s murder he would be receiving an update from the team leader, his target was had been recovered… he had kept his word.
The fork dropping from Katie’s hand was noted but ignored by Michael, his eyes instead locked on Heather, trying to figure out what the girl was thinking. It was clear that he had slipped up somehow, the girl’s body language tell him that much. Of course there were ways she could be dealt with but he remained patient as Anneli arrived, thinking that perhaps he could use his masterpiece to distract the suspicious girl. Her parents had been ambitious, perhaps some of that had rubbed off on her and he would be able to exploit that.
But her reaction to Anneli arriving and greeting him in a rather subdued fashion, at least by her normal standard of behavior, but somehow eliciting a rather extreme response from Heather. That alone was enough to make his eyes narrow in anger, who was this bitch to question him. He was tempted to throttle her, to wrap the belt from his robe around her throat and pull it tight, fucking her there at the table even as Katie was forced to watch her friend gasp and struggle for breath. The idea excited him, his cock starting to stiffen and his hands unconsciously working the belt of his robe, undoing it as his body readied itself to act upon the impulse of anger.
He didn’t realize what he had done until he started to rise to his feet, the robe now hanging open with fists clutched tight to the belt. Slowly, he took a breath, forcibly calming himself. Killing her would only remove some leverage that he had over Katie, it would be a demonstration of his power but it would also be a waste. Katie was behaving reasonable well… no reason to punish her.
“Flaunting?” He asked, doing his best to keep his annoyance from his voice. “I think you are mistaken, Anneli is my only remaining slave, I dismissed the others when our Grand Duchess chose to reveal herself. It is hardly unusual for a man of my status to keep an entire harem of slaves as well as an official mistress in addition to their wife, if you can name a single Emperor who did not indulge then I will happily give you one of my family estates.” One of the smaller ones, but that did give him an idea, a moment of idle boastful gambling reminded him of her family’s ambitions and that she might be exploited that way.
Moving around the table he approached Heather, keeping half an eye on Katie all the while. A heavy hand on the girl’s shoulder encouraged her to remain in place while he knelt down, using his other hand to shield his lips from view as he whispered. “It isn’t uncommon for an Emperor’s mistress to be a friend of the Empress, a confidant that she can trust… and it also isn’t unheard of for the mistress of an Emperor to later marry a member of the court, arranged by her lover of course to ensure she will be well cared for.” It wasn’t subtle, even if Katie couldn’t hear his words he suspected she might be able to guess his intent and he knew that Anneli would be paying very close attention.
The idea put in Heather’s ear, Michael straightened, stretching a little bit so the robe would fall wider open on his body, toying with his captive guests. “Besides all that, Katie and Anneli have already become intimately acquainted, a relationship that I hope will carry on for years to come… but I am afraid that Katie and I have much to discuss. Perhaps you will be able to find something on the ground to occupy your time, Anneli will be happy to escort you.” And keep a close eye on her but the offer of an escort that wasn’t overly obvious seemed like the best approach.
Rabiah’s house was a narrow three story townhome in the ancient city of Al Fashn, along the banks of the Nile River. Her bedroom was on the third floor, in the back of the house. Right after she hung up with her phone, she switched on the tv to the Voice, leaning against the headboard of her bed. She was still dressed for bed, a pair of soft gray cotton pajama pants in a cute cartoon kitten print, and a thin white camisole. Rabiah never went out these days, so she rarely got completely dressed for the day.
“…yes, there are some of the criminal element in the city claiming that Her Grace is being held captive, but that makes no sense. If it were true, why was her best friend from the time she was a runaway brought to the castle to keep her company? Things are very dangerous for Her Grace right now, we have a lot of threats coming in and until we have things secure and she is confirmed, Lord Kane thinks it is safer for her to remain in the Palace, at least for a couple days. If there were, gods forbid, an assassination right now, it would throw the entire Empire into a turmoil we may well never recover from. It is simply far too great of a risk to parade a vulnerable young woman around just to silence people who are already criminals.”
Rabiah recognized the warm smile and calm voice as belonging to Bai Chen, one of the regular contributors to the Voice.
“But we have received a lot of messages from normal citizens who are concerned, especially after rumors there was an attempted coup. Wouldn’t it be prudent to allow Her Grace to be seen in public at least once, to lay to rest the rumors?”
“You know, Selene, I have to say it really is wonderful to see the love and concern shown to this poor young woman by our citizens. Your interview with her yesterday really touched my heart, as I am sure it did everyones. I cannot imagine being separated from my father without a chance to reconcile, and then have the responsibilities of our entire empire dumped on my lap. It is good to see that our citizens are looking out for her as they are. Our new Empress’s situation is especially troubling with the rumors we have been hearing about General Moore possibly trying to physically attack her when she refused to cooperate with him. I can’t say it officially, but I have heard from some people who were there and saw it. It's hard to believe, but sometimes age does something unfortunate to people. As for Her Grace, I am sure she will be seen very soon. Keep in mind that it is still early in the morning, and Her Grace had a traumatic day yesterday. She needs rest. Her security detail needs to be established. Her staff needs to be created and organized. And she will likely have quite a few meetings bringing her up to date on important information about the Empire. No doubt by the end of the week, all of the citizens will be reassured by her regular presence.”
Downstairs the door burst open, but Rabiah heard nothing.
“I was there, but like everyone else there we were asked to remain silent about what we witnessed for a time, to let justice be served and allow other accomplices to be captured.” Selene smiled at the camera. “But having been there, I can assure everyone watching that our future Empress is healthy and safe, and well taken care of.”
A muffled burst of gunfire from downstairs startled Rabiah, and she jerked upright in her bed, frightened black eyes going to her closed door. Had she heard correctly? Gunfire in the streets was no strange thing these days, but surely….
Another rapid burst of gunfire brought her to her feet, standing uncertainly at the door. Then her door burst open, revealing one of her personal guard, Senbeb. Senbeb led a team of 9 men that served as her security detail – every single one of them paid for by her sister in the Empire. The men worked in shifts of three men every 8 hours – a heavy level of security that was needful, considering Rabiah’s home and furnishings marked her as one of the wealthiest women in the crime-infested, poverty stricken city. Every day, people starved to death in the streets. But at least Rabiah was comfortable and well guarded – until now.
“Miss…”
Rabiah screamed as a staccato burst of gunfire barked out, horribly close by. Senbeb flew forward into the room, landing crumpled at her feet. Blood poured out of multiple bullet wounds in his back. Rabiah’s horrified eyes looked from the body to the doorway and she screamed again as men in dark uniforms piled into the room, guns pointing everywhere.
Except at her.
She realized that and stopped screaming just as one of the men stepped forward, identifying himself and insisting she follow.
Excitement burst to life, the dead man at her feet who had given his life for her forgotten as she stepped over him, heading for the closet where her purse and half packed wardrobe waited. Death was an everyday thing in the ancient land of Egypt, and life was one of the cheapest things on the market.
“Let me get my things….”
Two steps was all she was permitted before she was denied access to everything, unceremoniously hauled out of the bedroom and out of the house, the leader of the team strapping a rope line around himself and then lifting her in his arms as he was pulled up to the waiting helicopter. She gave him a coy smile as he deposited her into the helicopter, taking the time to strap her into her seat himself. He was young and handsome and strong – all things she valued in a man and rarely saw. A few members of her security team fit the bill, but as her father used to say, ‘Don’t shit in your own yard.”. Rabiah was no virgin but she certainly felt like it these days, having to hide away in her home all day and night. She frowned as the man she smiled at simply looked away, barking out an order to one of his men a bit slow to strap himself in. Rabiah knew she was a beautiful woman, and was offended that her silent offer was not accepted.
Rabiah did not know it was rejected by a man who valued his life and balls, and knew that Rabiah was marked for Lord Kane.
Heather regretted speaking as soon as the words were out of her mouth. It had been an instinctual defense of Katie, who she knew abhorred the love affairs nobility had while married. It was even worse when those affairs were with slaves, who had no choice in the matter. Perhaps it was a defense of the woman she now thought of as her friend as well, the pretty Anneli.
Once spoken though, she did not apologize. Sitting stiffly at the table, her narrowed eyes watching him. She saw the flash of anger in his eyes, which was to be expected. It wasn’t every day a council lord got reprimanded by an uppity piece of trash from the slums – which even Heather had to admit she was. But Heather was relieved he did not lash out. It was all rather confusing. Maybe she was wrong about Katie being afraid. If this man had that much a temper, wouldn’t he have immediately attacked Heather for speaking out of turn like she had?
Then he stood, and her eyebrows raised in astonishment.
Gods, the man was well built. Her eyes licked up and down his frame as he leisurely strolled around the table, so fascinated by the subtle muscles rippling under his skin she completely missed the growing concern in Katie’s eyes. When his heavy hand dropped on her shoulder, Heather looked up at him curiously. Again, missing the uneasy Katie’s move as she started to rise from her seat. Lord Kane’s eyes speared his young wife to be, and she hesitated and sank back down again, still keeping a wary eye on him.
His plainly spoken offer shocked her, her jaw dropping, eyes widening. She looked up at her friend who looked worriedly back, forcing a smile to reassure her. Heather was being bribed, and it worried her that she was not instantly outraged about it. The temptation was great, but Heather refused to consider the possibility of betraying her friend. But…perhaps she could use this offer to help Katie. She needed to consider.
Anneli spoke up as soon as her Master diplomatically dismissed Heather.
“I would love to show you around if you like, Heather.” She smiled warmly at the girl, who looked a bit bewildered as she stood up from the table.
Heather wanted to ask Katie outright if she was ok, but she didn’t. If Katie wasn’t ok, would she admit it? And if she was, would Lord Kane be offended? Probably so. It didn’t quite seem worth it. So she went to Katie, hugging her tight.
“I hope I get to see you soon, Katie.”
Katie smiled wanly, her eyes flickering over to Lord Kane before she responded.
“I hope so too, Heather. Hopefully today. It’s just there is so much to do….”
Maybe that was it. Poor Katie, not frightened, just overwhelmed. Maybe there really WAS a good reason Gage was in prison, and Katie knew about it but was naturally devastated. Maybe Heather was just reading too much into things.
But the dress….
She followed Anneli out of the royal suite, eyeing the silent guards warily as they passed. Leaving behind a plate still half full of food.
Katie waited silently, rigidly for both Anneli and Heather to be out of earshot before cutting her eyes to Lord Kane.
"What did you tell her?" Katie's voice was harsh with loathing.
“What would you like to see first?” Anneli chirped. “The gardens, the library, the music room, the…”
“Actually, I am still pretty hungry.”
Anneli laughed, hooking her arm into Heather’s.
“So am I. Let’s go down and get something to eat without all the pressures of dealing with duchesses and lords.”
This was her chance, Anneli determined. Let Master break his new bitch in. This girl would be Anneli’s project. Master had all but said so when he offered her services as an escort to the girl. While she did not have access to a file on the girl or her family, she had seen the excitement and awe in her face as they had walked through the palace this morning on the way to breakfast. She recognized greed and envy. Two primal weakness in humanity. Heather had good taste in her clothing, but Anneli knew what she was wearing was not designer. That meant near-poverty. Especially combined with the district she must have been living in to be a friend of the Duchess.
Her mind unknowingly went along the same paths as her Master. Seduce the girl to their side using her greed and naivety. Sliding her free hand down into her pocket, she turned on the recorder on her phone – a flick of a switch on the side – a special addon insisted on by her Master – he liked to know what things were said to her when he was not around.
“He WAS rather intimidating”, laughed Katie.
Anneli giggled back. “Oh, he can be. Very much so. He has to be, you know. You can’t be a council lord and not be very good at scaring people. I remember when he first bought me I was absolutely terrified.”
Heather’s eyes turned sympathetic, and Anneli smiled.
“But I promise you, and as his slave I more than anyone knows, he is the kindest man I have ever known. The best man. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather have my life and happiness depend on.”
You couldn’t fake the sincerity in Anneli’s voice. The way her eyes softened when she spoke of her Master, the yearning for him in her smile. Those things could not be faked, and Heather recognized that instantly.
She hesitated a long moment, not certain if she could trust Anneli. But who could resist the warm friendliness of the girl?
“Please don’t say anything….”
They turned down a long hallway, empty of any guards or workers.
“I promise. I don’t mean to be creepy or anything, but I knew you and I were going to be friends the second I saw you this morning. And I value my friends.” Anneli smiled sweetly, and Heather nodded in vigorous agreement.
“I agree, and I really appreciate this. It’s just….I am so worried about Katie. She seemed…scared. And I thought she was maybe scared of Lord Kane. She wasn’t acting herself at all.”
Anneli sighed, her expression turning sorrowful.
“I know, I feel so bad for her. She IS scared, and rightfully so. I’m not supposed to say, but General Moore attacked her last night when she refused to cooperate with his demands. The security he hired defended her, and one of them died before Lord Kane could rescue her. I didn’t see it myself, but I heard of it and it sounded just awful. She is getting so many threats, has so many responsibilities now and no information on how to handle them, and doesn’t know who to trust. You don’t know how glad I am that Lord Kane is in the position he is to help her. I think if not for him, she would probably already be dead.”
Heather gasped in horror. “I can’t believe it….I mean Katie and I knew he was manipulating her to get power, but we never imagined it would go that far…what was he wanting her to do?”
Anneli shook her head sadly. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there, it wasn’t the proper place for a slave, you know. And Lord Kane wants it kept quiet around Her Grace, he doesn’t want her to constantly be confronted with a horrible thing like that. He was very firm about that.”
Heather nodded in eager agreement. “I am so glad, I agree that would be awful to deal with if she was always having to answer questions. I feel bad about asking about it earlier. No wonder she was so quiet….poor Katie….I am GLAD Lord Kane is shielding her from it.”
Anneli smiled, giving Heather a comforting hug. “It was awful, but at least she has Lord Kane to protect her now, and you as well.”
Heather was silent for a long moment, her eyes thoughtful. Anneli did not press, knowing she would speak when she was done processing what she had just heard. Anneli stopped in a service room, entering in an order for food to be delivered to Heather’s rooms.
“Do you want anything special?”, she asked. “Anything at all. This is the palace after all.”
“Toast with smoked salmon and a poached egg.” Heather responded back promptly and shamelessly. Salmon was ridiculously expensive, even the nobility served it sparingly. Anneli laughed again, inputting an order for not one, not two, but FOUR toast with smoked salmon and poached egg, offering a conspiratorial grin. “That sounds delicious. And no one is going to argue with orders placed for the best friend of the future empress.”
Heather giggled in delight as Heather added onto the order. Fruit, orange juice, water, coffee, and tea. Then they headed to Heather’s suite, only a couple minutes walk away. They sat in the little sitting room at a small table, Anneli sitting sideways in the chair, crossing her long legs and leaning back against the wall behind her, smiling over at Heather.
“So go ahead and ask.”
Heather blinked back. “Ask what?”
“Whatever question you have been thinking about for the last few minutes.”
Heather flushed, then laughed. “Well, I actually have been thinking about a couple.”
“Then ask them. You are my job this morning, and my pleasure and honor. As close as you are to Her Grace, any information I have is yours. I promise to hold nothing back.”
Heather smiled, considering for another moment before asking her first question.
“Did they think I was involved? They were so cruel in the place they took me too. But now I wonder…did they think I was trying to hurt Katie too?”
Anneli straightened off the wall, then laid a comforting hand over Heather’s on the table.
“Maybe so, I honestly don’t know. Things were crazy then, Master kept his cool as he always did, but I could tell he was very tense. And when I got here the palace was just….guards were everywhere. It’s a strong possibility they thought you were involved, it probably took a bit to get things sorted out. I am sorry you were mistreated, and Master must be as well. He doesn’t apologize often. I know Master would never willingly harm an innocent person, but there was definitely a possibility he was lacking needful information at the time. Does that make sense?”
Heather nodded. “It does. It makes sense…I think if I thought someone was trying to hurt Katie I would be cruel too. Though he did say they overstepped what they were supposed to do.”
Anneli smiled and nodded. “Good. She deserves protectors, though she has the best she possibly could in Lord Kane. Now….your other questions?”
“Well, it’s a bit more personal…”
Anneli giggled. “Are you going to ask how I like being a slave?”
Heather flushed and smiled weakly, but nodded.
Anneli sobered. “Well, I was not raised in slavery. My father was a drunk and careless with his funds, and then sold me to pay his debts. At first, I was shocked. Terrified. Hurt, betrayed…all these horrible emotions. And when Master bought me I was so scared….but…..well I will tell you a secret. Last night, the duchess was disturbed by my being a slave as well. So to show her how it really is between us, he gave me his gun and promised me freedom, protection and even reward if I killed him.”
Heather gasped. Anneli just smiled, her eyes going faroff.
“Oh, Heather, I couldn’t bear to even think of it. Master is so good to me. He has taught me so much, spent hours teaching and training me…He is more of a father to me than my own father was.”
“Training you to please him.” Heather snapped.
Anneli just giggled and nodded. “Yes…and do you think I don’t get pleasure in return? I do…pleasure you cannot even dream of. I am safe, protected, indulged with material things many nobles cannot even afford. There is nothing I would not do for him, Heather. Absolutely nothing. I am not only happy in my slavery, I am grateful for it. I cannot imagine my life without it, it would be so empty. And it all has to do with the man who is my Master. I firmly believe there is no finer man in the entire world.”
A soft knock came at the door, and Anneli got up and retrieved a cart holding their food, setting it all out on the table before sitting down to eat as well. There were a few moments of silence broken by moans of pleasure as the girls took their first bites.
“And what about Katie? How does she and her marriage fit in with you and your Master?”
“She will be my Mistress.” Anneli calmly responded. “I will serve her as I do my Master. Their’s is not a love match, though I hope it will be soon. Master is a man easy to love. And worthy of it. I am not wife material for Master, and never could be. I am honored that Her Grace will be able to call on me for comfort, help, and yes…even pleasure if she desires it. But there is no cause for jealousy between us – I am a servant and slave, not competition.”
Heather nodded slowly. “We don’t really approve of slavery, you know. But as long as you are happy in it….”
“Not just happy.” Anneli responded firmly. “I need it. If I was not Master’s slave, life would not be worth living.”
Silence fell for a long moment, then Heather half whispered,
“He wants to make me his mistress…”
Anneli’s eyes widened, though she had half suspected it. Women were easy prey for Master, especially a woman like this.
“Congratulations then. That is very fortunate for you.” Anneli sounded as delighted as she was.
“But Katie…”
“Oh, I see. It is not betraying your friend, though. I understand your confusion, I was a member of the ‘common’ class too.” Anneli laughed as she drew air quotes as she spoke of the common class, and Heather giggled with her. “Marriage is different there. There is no money involved, no politics, no contracts, nothing of the sort. Don’t get me wrong. I can tell Master loves Her Grace, and I've heard others talk about how devastated he was when she ran away. Sometimes from things I hear it seems he has always loved her. But…it is hard to explain. It is just different. He can love and protect and care for her – and will. But he can also love others. He loves me, and obviously he finds you attractive and has some affection for you, or he would not offer you the position of his mistress…..though…” She let her voice fade for a moment, watching as Heather’s interest sharpened. “Maybe….I cannot speak for him, of course. But maybe he wants you as his Mistress to keep you close to his wife. The affection between you is very strong, and you are obviously very loyal to her. Perhaps this is Master’s way of taking care of her and you at the same time.”
She set down her fork, clapping her hands excitedly. “That would be so lovely, wouldn’t it! You would be living here, either in the Palace or close by. I know Master would see you taken care of financially, you would want for nothing. You would have so much fun, going to the balls and banquets, sitting near Her Grace at the coronation….and I won’t lie, the sex is amazing…”
They both laughed then, Heather flushing and Anneli grinning. “And everyone working together to make sure Her Grace is protected and taken care of in every way possible.”
The prospect of it took Heather’s breath away. Anneli saw victory in the other girl’s shining, dreamy eyes.
“So now Heather, you must tell me…since you are going to be spending so much time in the palace, what places do you want to see?”
They passed the rest of Heather’s delightful second breakfast in happy chatter. A few minutes after the conversation changed to more trivial subjects Anneli deftly switched off the recording on her phone. For the next several hours Anneli showed Heather around the permitted areas of the palace, carefully avoiding going near the Duchess’s rooms. Sometimes screams carried far, whether screams of pleasure or pain. They both seemed to enjoy themselves very much, giggling and happily chattering as they wandered in, Heather oohing and aahing over every pretty new thing she saw.
The detail of Crows assigned to retrieve Rabiah were all specialists in the art of retrieving an asset from a potentially hostile location. The Empire had many assets in different nations around the world, many of them in places that were far from friendly due to internal strife or ongoing political disputes with the Empire itself. These people were often rather valuable, they couldn’t simply be discarded at a moment’s notice. The Imperial Army and Imperial Navy would assist in these retrievals, in this particular case they provided transportation. Even as Rabiah’s attempt to entice the team leader were being ignored the helicopter was leaving the city, flying swiftly to a location far from prying eyes. Though it was quite advanced the machine couldn’t fly back to the Empire all on its own and a short time after departing the home it had landed.
The rotors were quickly folded back along the body of the helicopter and soon the helicopter was loaded into the cargo hold of a massive, unmarked military air craft, the crows and their retrieved asset allowed to step out only as the plane was readying for takeoff. The team leader directed Rabiah to a cot set into the side of the plane, simple canvass stretched over a frame with a blanket and something resembling a pillow for comfort. “Get some rest.” He instructed her, having been told to limit his interactions as much as was possible. “We have a long flight ahead of us and Lord Kane will want you well rested when you arrive.”
He wasn’t sure but he could probably guess why that was the case, a single look at her would give that impression, and he was well trained enough not to question or even object to such things.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
From the moment Heather and Anneli left the rooms of the Grand Duchess they were being watched, followed at a distance by Crows who knew that any possible threat had to be observed. Though they had not been given explicit instructions on the matter they did know that their Lord’s slave was very valuable to him. A direct strike against Lord Kane would prove difficult and costly but an attempt to abduct or assassinate his favorite slave, his most precious plaything, it would unlikely be enough to influence him or cause him to bow to any demands… but it might make him hesitate and in games of Imperial politics a slight hesitation might be enough.
So they were watched, they were listened in on, and their words were carefully listened to for any hint of disloyalty, for while Lord Kane trusted his slave, there were those who served him who did not. When Michael later reviewed the conversation, only able to skim it as events were unfolding quickly, it would bring a rare genuine smile to his face. He knew of Anneli’s devotion, he knew that even when alone with her thoughts the slave lived for him, but to have confirmation was always a bright spot in his moment.
He hadn’t grown up in an environment where affection was frequently offered, to know that someone cared for him in such a way, even his slave… though it was a weakness it was something that he was unable to avoid indulging in.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
After Heather and Anneli left and Katie asked her question Michal didn’t answer right away, instead moving back to the seat beside Katie and returning to his meal as though he hadn’t heard the question at all. She would be an Empress in the near future but the girl had to learn that she had no right to demand anything of him, she was in no position to question him or anything that he chose to do. Several times he took a bit, chewed, and swallowed, washing down each bite with a sip of the coffee, acting as though he hadn’t heard her until he was satisfied, oh he could have eaten more but he figured that it was enough, both enough eaten and enough time for Katie to spent waiting.
Reaching out he swept an arm across the table, scattering the food and drink without a concern for Katie having had enough to eat after the stress of the previous day. His movement was not hurried, he took his time with the clearing of the table so she would understand exactly what was happening, so she would understand this was a deliberate action and not just an angry outburst.
“I had hoped that the lessons of last night would have taught you some caution.” He said, his tone mild and conversation once the table was cleared, the only thing he hadn’t swept away was the ring which sat where he had placed it, still shining in the morning light, a reminder of what he had in mind for her if she played along. “Your actions and your words have consequences, if you continue to push me then I will be forced to provide another demonstration.”
Turning, his chair scraping along the ground as he did so, Michael faced Katie directly, eyes moving over her, appreciating the dress that had been picked out. Clearly Anneli had decided the girl deserved some mercy, having picked out something light and comfortable, and while that knowledge made Michael smile he intended to punish his slave for that later, if only to keep her from being too complacent. “Before you open your mouth without thinking and get yourself in trouble Grand Duchess I want you to hear what I have in mind for you today.” He was smiling, his body at ease, a predator in repose, a great cat happy to simply bask in the sun but still capable of rising up and lashing out with little earning.
“You and I will review the state of the Empire and my vision for the future, any ideas you have can wait until a later date so I suggest simply listening. We will also be preparing for some public appearances that you will need to make before long, at my side of course and wearing your engagement ring.” Reaching out he laid a hand on her thigh, fingers massaging her skin through the dress, clearly more on his mind then just matters of state. “Oh, and we will also continue with what happened last night.”
At those words the slight smile grew into an aggressive grin, his eyes locked on hers and the facade starting to crack a little bit. “Now, I intend to take you back into your bedroom, peel you out of that dress, and fuck you until you can’t think straight… but if you insist on misbehaving then I will throat fuck you until you pass out and then make use of your unconscious form to satisfy myself. You can choose Katie, do I fuck you like a woman or do I simply use your body like a slave?” The hand on her thigh was gripping tighter, no doubt painful as the thought of raping her prone and unconscious body excited him.
Then a deep breath, the mask put back in place, the hand on her thigh no longer gripping so harshly. “Oh, and if you want to know what it was that I said to Heather, you can ask her yourself.” No, simply telling Katie wouldn’t do, it would be far more fun and effective to let her worry about it and then hear the truth that he suspected Anneli would make sound especially appealing.
Katie was not used to being ignored. She did not like it at all. Her scowl darkened, her rage building with each calm mouthful of food he ate. She didn’t even look at her food again, too angry to care about food. Her mouth opened to make a snide comment, only to squeak in shock and jump in her chair as he suddenly exploded. Costly fine porcelain plates shattering on the floor. Food splattering across the marble floor. Almost immediately she realized he had not “exploded”. This was no temper tantrum of an angry three year old. No, this was a cold and concise show of force. Physical force. It was a threat. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the only thing on the table, the ring he had given her. She hated it, gleaming there on the table, exquisite, innocently ignorant of the pain it caused her.
Gage.
She ached to throw it on the ground with the rest of the trash. Wanted to ram it down his throat and watch him choke on it. Instead she sat, focused on her breathing for a half second as he spoke, rambling on about HIS plans and HIS dreams. She could not win the game of physical force. It was quite simply impossible. She could not win the game of powerful allies, as far as she was aware she had none left. The only game she could possibly win was that of the mind. She had to start thinking instead of reacting. Had to start thinking long term. Because in this short term game, she had no chance at all. She closed her eyes, focusing herself. Looking at the crude options he placed before her, allowing her one moment of white hot rage, then setting it aside. His fingers digging into her thigh, betraying his excitement.
She took another few seconds to examine that. What was it that excited him? Was it the cruelty? Was it her? Was it both?
Breath in. Breathe out. What was most important right now? Her own safety, Gage’s safety, and Heather’s safety. All of that, Lord Kane had placed in her hands.
Instead of answering him, instead of giving in to him, she simply stood, trying not to flinch as the movement sent a twinge of pain through her ass. Taking in another deep breath and reaching up, pulling first one strap, then the other down over her shoulders. Letting her arms hang down, the dress sliding down her bruised body and puddling at her feet. Cool brown eyes looking down over the defiantly upward curve of her breasts, genuinely curious as she asked him,
Michael didn’t expect his bride to be to behave the way that she did upon responding to his ultimatum, he had expected anger or threats, or perhaps just quiet and broken acceptance of what would happen. Instead she gave him calm, controlled, and perhaps even curious of what would be happening next. Her stripping was met with a raised eyebrow, curious and certainly unexpected. Right away he was suspicious, what might she be up to, could there be a trap here?
The Empress was young and naive but she wasn’t foolish, her education might have been superior to his own and her breeding was top notch and while Michael wanted nothing more than to simply embrace the girl… he took a moment to watch her closely, looking for some sign of deceit or trickery.
But after a few moments, not seeing signs of a knife that she had palmed or any broken porcelain in her hand, he rose to his feet, smiling as he looked over her body with undisguised lust. “You want the truth?” He asked with a slight smile on his face, shrugging the robe from his shoulders and letting it fall to the ground, there was already quite the mess so a little more hardly mattered.
Stepping in, the aggression he displayed earlier gone, he kept his eyes locked on hers. “I can have any woman I want within the Empire brought to me. If I want to fuck a supermodel then I simply send a car to her home and have someone explain that I am requesting the pleasure of her company… if I want to have someone who will struggle and cry as I abuse their body I can find that anywhere.” Reaching up he ran his hand through her hair, as gentle as if he were an inexperienced virgin with a nervous prom date. On the second run through he cupped the back of her head, not just grabbing the hair and forcing her to move but instead trying to gentle coax her.
His head dipped in, lips crashing against hers in a passionate kiss, the hand not on the back of her head moving to the small of her back and pulling her naked body against his own nearly nude form, letting her feel the desire for her, savoring the warmth. The kiss did not last for very long, Michael was impatient, wanted her to understand. “I would prefer you willing Katie.” He explained, voice barely above a whisper the moment the kiss broke. “You are more than some young woman on the street who caught my eye for a moment, you are the Grand Duchess, soon to be crowned Empress and soon to be my wife. Things will be better for both of us if you embrace the role that you were born to play.” There was a hint of desperation in his voice, a subtle thing, but in Katie he saw someone that might be able to actually understand him, someone who could be akin to an equal…
And he would do anything to have that.
Sure, he knew she might resent the expectations, but surely that couldn’t last once she was on the throne, sitting beside her husband, ruling over a resurgent empire…
And she might resent him, but that wouldn’t last. Arrogance was running strong within him, Michael was convinced that if she just went with him willingly she would come to love him the same way that Anneli did…
Katie was quietly pleased to see that she had caught him off guard. His eyes narrowing in suspicion, flickering around as if looking for the trap, the enemy crouched ready to spring from the shadows. It was the briefest headiest sense of power – she had taken him aback, surprised him. She reminded herself firmly that while he had won every battle so far, it was the long war that mattered. She gave no sign of her pleasure in her secret tiny victory as he stood, dropping his robe as she had dropped her dress. A casual disrobing. Two naked enemies eyeing each other, looking for the smallest thing that would give them an edge. The fine hairs on the back of her neck raised and shivered in acknowledgement of his hungry eyes on her.
Long war, she reminded herself. He was going to rape her if she denied him. He had proven that last night, much to her horror, shame, and agony. At the very least, she could make it less painful, less….horrible. Contempt stirred in her heart as he recited how easy it would be to use any woman he wished. Of course it was easy. He had power and abused it. Just like her father had done. Anger flashed in her eyes, and at the same time he reached for her. She couldn’t help flinching, her body alarmed at the thought of punishment for her thoughts. But no punishment came. Instead his touch was gentle. Almost timid. It was so opposite of what she expected it startled her, and she blinked in confusion. But then he was back in control again. His fingers tightening – still gentle, but establishing control. She sucked in a nervous breath, naked breasts rising on her chest as she allowed him to pull her to him. Unwilling to tumble against him, her small bare feet stepping forward, her toes touching his.
The second his lips touched hers, she forgot about her toes. Forgot about her nakedness. Forgot about Heather and her rage and fear and shame. She even forgot about Gage. There in the morning sunlight without the blind terror of the last night, she experienced her first real kiss from a man, not a boy. A seductive, experienced man with a man’s passion and control and lust. She felt it all the way down to those little bare toes that arched in surprise against his. Sheer passionate energy pouring out of his mouth into hers. There was no thought in her mind as her tongue curled instinctively around his, timid and uncertain, fluttering in that age-old dance of lust. And just as soon as it had happened, he broke the kiss. Leaving her gasping and disoriented, blinking up at him with glittering wet lips and dazed eyes.
First there was shame. A hot wave of shame enveloping her body, leaving her cold, feeling her nakedness. She had enjoyed kissing her rapist. Enjoyed kissing the man who had threatened Heather, Gage, everyone she loves. Enjoyed kissing a man who kept slaves, who brutalized others. She had enjoyed kissing her enemy. Even now, knowing her shame, she knew his kiss was so much better than Gage’s, though she refused to acknowledge it to herself.
Then there was anger. Anger roaring up in her breast, flickering in her eyes before she swiftly shuttered them. Hiding that raging hatred of him. How dare he kiss her. How dare he seduce her. She hated him. She would kill him one day, or see him die at her command. And it was this anger that heard the urgency in his voice, locking onto the first sign of weakness. He wanted HER. Not her body. HER. She was not foolish enough to believe he was in love with her, but it was clear from his tone he was desperate for her to be something he wanted.
Sex was a weapon among the powerful, and Katie decided it was the best weapon she had. So she lowered her eyelids, gave him a tight smile – no point in going too far with her sudden agreeableness, he was no fool.
“I never play.”
And with that parting shot, she turned and walked away. Chin held high, shoulders squared. Every inch of her soft naked skin gleaming with defiance and pride. Walking straight to the bedroom with a natural, un-enhanced roll of her hips, her long rust colored hair swinging with each step, skimming the upcurve of her asscheeks.
Any thought that this might be some kind of ploy on the part of the would be Empress vanished the moment she began to respond to the kiss. There was hesitancy on her part but there was also passion that just couldn’t be faked, Michael had plenty of experience with slaves who tried to pretend to have that passion as a way to earn his favor...
This was genuine, Michael wasn’t ignorant enough to believe she didn’t despise him, but she had also lost herself in the kiss of only for a few moments. It wasn’t much of an opening but it was an opening and he was going to enjoy exploiting it. What had started as just a few moments of lapsed judgment would grow, if a kiss had gotten through to her then Michael was certain that his experience would be more then enough to really weaken her resolve.
Her words though, her explanation that she didn’t play, it caused a flash of rage to burn through his body, instantly on edge and ready to lash out before he forced himself to relax, letting her pull away. He was used to getting his way, to be denied on even something so small as semantics was almost unheard of, but even as it enraged him... it excited him.
With a slave or even any citizen of the Empire, he could easily lash out at them any way he wanted, he could leave their lives in ruins or simply have them disappear. Katie was different though, he might have power over her in that moment but she was his equal in intellect and theoretically his superior in social status.
Letting her lead the way, enjoying the novelty of it, Michael followed her closely, unable to take his eyes off her ass, fighting back the urge to just violate her there on the floor... it would be interesting to see what she was up too.
“You don’t have much choice.” He reminded her, a soft laugh in his voice. “But we can dwell on that later.” Let the pleasure he would help her experience soften her to the reality she would need to embrace...
She gritted her teeth at his mocking laughter. But he was wrong. She DID have a choice. He had taught her that very well last night. Sex between them was the weapon of choice, and he probably thought that as a virgin she was considerably disarmed. She certainly had been the night before, when she had no idea of how the war was going to be fought. But now she did. He had chosen the battleground – their minds and hearts. Her submission vs his destruction. He had chosen the weapons of choice – their bodies, their allies, their enemies. All this he had taught her in one brutal and bloody night. And in the warm light of the next morning she was ready to ready to enjoin the battle again, determined to give him the fight of his life.
Literally.
She mentally built a wall as she walked to the bedroom. The kiss had warned her – he had control of her body in ways she hated to think about. She had to keep her wits about her, and even if he forced her body to enjoy, she could not let him worm his way into her mind and heart. She fought back against the shame rising in her when she stepped into the bedroom, saw the flecks of blood and crusted sex juices from the night before still on the sheet. Later, when the cleaning servants were permitted entry, this would all be cleaned up. But right now it was a reminder of her defeat last night.
Standing by the side of the bed, she turned to him. Not missing the small significance of the prey leading the predator. But also now uncertain as to what to do next. Eyeing him warily, her naked body soft and sensual in the morning sunlight streaming in from the windows. Bits of sunlight glittering in her hair like sparks of fire. Studying him as he entered the bedroom, her stomach twisting. The sex meant nothing, she told herself. It was only a tool, like a gun or knife. If he believed it as such, then she had to as well. Putting significance on something only made it more valuable to him, and more of a danger to her.
So she offered him a cool smile, forcing her voice not to quiver as she matter of factly informed him,
“I hope this won’t take long. As you mentioned there is a lot I need to learn about the Empire, and I would like to meet with Heather this afternoon.”
The uncertainty was obvious, the girl could get by on her natural beauty and his desire for her, but as he entered the room she didn’t do anything beyond talking. Perhaps she was trying to stall or perhaps she was trying to goad him into anger, the specific words she used led him to suspect it was the latter option but Michael wouldn’t be made to act rashly with so little effort. “Don’t worry, we can call Heather back over any time you like, I wouldn’t mind having her around.” IF she were trying to provoke him he could do the very same with her, rather than lashing out physically he could torment her in other ways, undermine her confidence, make her worry that he intended to take advantage of her friend.
Which of course he did, but until she had confirmation the suspicion could just eat away at her.
Stepping into the room he approached her, his confidence entirely genuine rather than the well preformed bravado that she put up out. IN a few quick steps he had crossed the rooms, his hands gripping her hips and pulling her onto his lap as he turned, sitting on the bed and forcing her to straddle him, her naked body against his nearly naked body. “But we will be taking our time Katie, we shouldn’t rush this.” Let her be impatient, let her try and rush things along, patience would be his own weapon in this little duel of hers.
She was looking at a long term strategy, trying to win the larger conflict between them. For Michael the long term was no less important but you couldn’t win a war if you didn’t take each and every conflict seriously. The occasional tactical retreat might be prudent but if you weren’t able to win a single battle then you couldn’t possibly win the war.
This wasn’t going to be a simple battle of wills, being stubborn wouldn’t be enough for Katie.
His hands moved from her hips, one sliding down and around to her ass, cupping gently and with subtle motions encouraging her to grind against the prominent bulge in the briefs he wore, the other hand teasing up her spine and lightly holding her by the back of the neck, pulling her into a relatively chaste kiss. That was how the kiss started at least, the lightest brushing of his lips against her, moving softly to encourage her to respond. Slowly, by slight degrees, the kiss deepened, his lips pressing against her own more urgently, his tongue delving into her mouth and exploring with increasing passion. He was fighting his own desires at that point, wanting nothing more than to roll so she would be pinned on the bed and press into her…
But this was about fighting her with a tool she couldn’t be prepared for, pleasure rather than pain, and as the kiss deepened his hand on her ass slid, fingers teasing over the lips of her pussy, carefully exploring as they moved towards her clit, letting the heat build…
She might hate him, but Michael intended to make her beg.
She narrowed her eyes at him, entirely unfooled by his oh so casual mention of wanting Heather around. It had been a mistake, bringing Heather’s name up around him. The sooner he forgot about her friend, the better.
Another mistake was thinking she had any chance of disciplining her body against him. She realized that as soon as his strong hands lifted her, settling her into his lap as if she were a child. But there was nothing childlike about how her naked form straddled his thighs, the soft warm core of her settling against the bulge in his crotch. That alone sent an irresistible surge of warmth pooling in her belly, and when he guided her hips into rolling against him, her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes closed in mute denial of thrill that sizzled through her blood, tingling and bringing every cell in her alive. She braced her hands on his shoulders, as if preparing to push him away.
And then he kissed her.
Katie was a young, healthy woman. She had no defenses for this. No way to shield herself from the exquisite touch of his lips on hers. She heard herself whimper and blushed, a diminishing part of her mind scolding herself for sounding like a bitch in heat, hating herself for falling so easily into this trap. But then his tongue was filling her mouth and she didn’t care. Losing herself in him so easily it was laughable. Her tongue hesitant at first, tentatively touching his. There was the savory taste of bacon, the sweetness of fruit, and overwhelming it all was a strong taste of HIM – a taste she could not define but instinctively liked. Her tongue grew bolder, experimentally curling against his. A mewling sound escaping into his mouth, a shiver rippling through her body as her skin prickled in delight. Her arms curled around his powerful shoulders – for once relishing his strength instead of hating him for it.
Then he upped the ante. She gasped into his mouth when his fingers slid down from her ass, slipping between her thighs, stroked her flushed damp flesh. She trembled, arching her back as she pushed her hips down, pressing her eager little virgin pussy down onto his fingers. No longer hesitant and exploring, her kiss turned hotter. Hips wiggling as her tongue danced with his, her fingers threading in his hair. Instinctively trying to set her own pace, finding satisfaction for the growing demands of her own body.
Katie was in over her head, much further then she could possibly know. Her view of Michael would be a skewed one, built on what the tabloids were likely to report and her own view of men like him. He was a sadist, he was a rapist, and he was a man who would happily break a woman until she was worshiping at his feet and content in her slavery... but he was also a skilled lover who enjoyed bringing a woman to the heights of pleasure and making their body shake in pleasure while they screamed themselves hoarse. For every slave he enjoyed there was a woman who willingly went into his bed, perhaps motivated by his power or his wealth, but there of their own free will...
Katie might be telling herself a thousand different things, Michael had no way to possibly know what excuses she was making, but he also knew that she was there willingly and he could take advantage of that.
He let her respond to the kiss, not wanting to push her too far too quickly, not wanting her exploration to be interrupted for a single moment. His own teasing of her flesh slowed, his fingers slowing until they were nearly still so she could grind herself against him. The kiss did have to end though, breaking off the kiss he was breathing heavily, eyes locked on hers and burning with an intense passion. He needed her as much as she needed him in that moment.
“This is how it should have been from the start.” He whispered to her, kissing just below her ear, his teeth catching her neck and teasing gently, the brutality from the night before set aside for restrained desire. As he spoke his fingers shifted, searching out her clit and teasing carefully, looking to draw more of a response from her rather than just get her off. “I'm not your enemy Katie, there is no reason to fight me.” Oh he wanted her to fight, he wanted to hurt her, he wanted to break her down, but in that moment he wasn't trying to push her to the breaking point...
Because at the end of the day Katie wasn't a slave who could be discarded if he pushed to hard and shattered her beyond repair, she would be sitting at his side and things would run far more smoothly if she embraced the role.
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