Read Online The Slave by Laura Antoniou - Free Book Online Page B

body clothed in
jeans and a T-shirt. Robin caught a better look at him while she
poured coffee. He was stocky in build, heavy-shouldered and
short-waisted. She imagined him fighting a lot in his youth; short
boys get picked on as a matter of course. So, he probably bulked up
his body with weight lifting, to put some muscle power in his
reactions to their taunts and provocations. She wondered if his
height cost him any dates in the gay community, or whether the
shoulders and the jacket made up for a lack of inches.
    I wonder if he even
cares , she
thought, hesitating before pouring herself a cup. She glanced over
to him.
    “ Yes, you may,” he said, not looking
at her. “Normally, you should assume that you take your meals or
drinks in the kitchen, before or after your owner. You may or may
not be used for domestic services; my assumption is that most
slaves are. In the case of a single owner, you may have to snatch
something to eat while they do; your attentions may also be needed
immediately before and after a meal. Individual owners will, of
course, have their own tastes. Some may treat you like a member of
the family; I understand it’s all the rage in
California.”
    Robin grinned and casually took a seat on
the floor, leaning against the wall. Cushions scattered around the
apartment took on new meaning. “And you don’t approve, sir?”
    “ No, I don’t. And neither do you.” He
sipped and nodded his approval. “If you did, you’d be looking for a
position as a domestic, not a slave. You really shouldn’t try to be
too clever, Robin. I don’t appreciate it unless it’s excellently
judged and timed, and others might take it for
impertinence.”
    “ Yes, sir,” Robin murmured. She buried
her concentration in the coffee for a while, to cover her
embarrassment.
    “ You will have a total of three days
to complete your business in the outer world,” Chris announced
suddenly. “Wednesday of this week, next Sunday, and the following
Monday. You will live here, except for next Sunday night, which you
may spend anywhere you like. Consider it your last night in freedom
for quite some time.”
    “ It sounds like you have a lot of
confidence in me,” Robin said, trying not to appear too
eager.
    “ I do. But I must admit that I also
have a great deal of confidence that your shortcomings can be
mastered in a relatively short amount of time due to my training.
You’re hardly the first applicant I’ve handled, you
know.”
    “ Ken Mandarin said that you’ve trained
hundreds.”
    “ Mandarin exaggerates. I have
participated in the training of over one hundred slaves, yes.
Personally, I believe my standing is twenty-six to the block, four
back to their owners. That’s not an extraordinary number for a
trainer who has been doing this work as long as I have. Some of my
methods have achieved some minor professional notice; perhaps Ken
was merely trying to express that my influence has been felt to
that extent.”
    Robin cocked one eyebrow, masking the move
as soon as she felt it. Chris Parker wasn’t exactly lying, but what
he was saying seemed in direct opposition to what Mandarin had told
her. In fact, Ken seemed to be excited by the discovery that Chris
was “in town.” And there was absolutely no reason to doubt
Mandarin―in fact, Ken seemed supremely confident that Robin could
be in luck if she could only get Parker to see her. So was everyone
else they had spoken to while they looked for a potential
trainer.
    But there was no reason for
Chris to pretend that he wasn’t as successful and respected as
these people seemed to think he was. And you can’t reach that kind of level in
your field without knowing your relative value , Robin noted. So what reason
could he have to be so self-effacing with me? You’d think he would
inflate his experience for my sake, to make me feel more in awe of
him.
    “ We begin your training
today,” Chris said, bringi ng her attention back to the real present.
“You should