wailed.
“But you can. You think I easily took my place at Caius’ feet? He is a romantic about these things. He doesn’t remember how I fought the training. He didn’t have me until there was only the polish remaining before I’d be ready. Before that, I spent one long year in another man’s dungeon having my haughtiness beat out of me. Thankfully, I left that obstinate woman behind and found my better self. You have to leave the shrew. You’ll need to beg him and be sincere about your desires. Mountbane will read right through any deceit. He is more a master than my Caius is. There is no one better in these rituals than he. You wonder that he’s had nothing but a string of useless lovers. There have been none to match him. You must be better than all of them. You have to be better than me. He is the Lord ruler of our province. He will accept nothing less than a matchless prize.” Loria looked down on her with an intensity rare in this meek woman. “Why do you think he chose you?” she asked.
“I have no idea?” She was on her knees, looking up, too overcome to know anything, Loria’s wit so astounded her.
“There is no triumph for a man to take a naturally born slave and make her his chattel. But you, coming out of hatred, carving in yourself a place of service and surrender… to take what you loathe and have that loathing lost… so that you will beg as you’ve already begun to beg. That is his victory. And you will give him that.”
Charlotte’s rage seemed to breed on these thoughts. But Loria quickly saw that rage, and speaking softly now, said, “Don’t allow yourself the luxury of your anger. Let it be defeated. It serves you no purpose. I know that you returned here simply to have that device ripped from your crotch. You started this because you cannot submerge your sexual need. Mountbane gave you that savage cunt, and then he tore it away. What a cunning punishment! Like hell would be, I suppose…” her voice drifted wistfully as the bronze beauty gazed toward the center of the room, to a dais where she’d given herself to Caius the night before. Charlotte had watched their copulation and cried as each lunge of the master’s great cock pierced his slave’s womb. Oh! How she’d seemed to weep with a sexual joy Charlotte could not guess at!
“I will try again,” Charlotte disclosed.
“Yes, you will,” Loria agreed with a firm and final sound in her voice.
d
That night in another part of the castle, the Lord of them all lay on a pile of pillows enjoying the attentions of three beauties his men had captured beyond the border of his province. One was fair, but brash. Mountbane had her tied to a post where she was whipped about the buttocks soundly. The second, a dark-haired lovely, liked sucking cock, which she was adequately doing whenever the master allowed her to. The third, he liked the best—a comely waifish sort of whore who loved being ridden in the ass. Seemed he could have all he wanted in feminine flesh, but he, like the noblewoman in the bowels of his castle, was restless. He paced the floor more than he played, finally provoking Sir Tristan to suggest, “You look as though you have a hornet up your ass.”
He turned to the man. “Do I now? Wonder why?”
“I could speculate more,” Tristan offered.
“And what, pray tell, is the cause of my consternation?” He looked sincerely baffled, unless it was such a good mockery that no one could see the sneer behind his perplexed guise.
“A woman,” Tristan said plainly.
“You mean a slave?”
“I beg to differ, Mountbane, I mean a woman. The one ensconced in your dungeon. What has it been?” he had wily grin on his face. “Three months since you ordered her back to Caius’ lair. Perhaps, it’s time she resurfaced—before you turn into a madman.”
“I am not mad,” he took offense.
“I guess I am contrary today, sir.”
“But you’re usually wise,” the Lord considered thoughtfully. “I hear
Nancy Tesler
Mary Stewart
Chris Millis
Alice Walker
K. Harris
Laura Demare
Debra Kayn
Temple Hogan
Jo Baker
Forrest Carter