Part 13 (1/2)
”Charging?” Lady Ponce'beast raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow at her. ”I am afraid I don't understand. The collar has to charge up before you can use it?”
”It's...a new kind,” Maggie said. ”I can't help noticing that your slave has a lovely collar,” she went on, hoping to change the subject.
”It's adequate. I'm still looking for something with a little more power.” Lady Ponce'beast turned to her slave. ”Another,” she snapped motioning to the small gold plate filled with delicacies which he held before her. ”And make sure it's ripe this time.”
”Yes, Mistress,” the miserable looking slave murmured dully. Plucking a tiny bright orange berry from the center of the plate, he slipped it into her mouth.
”Mmm.” Lady Ponce'beast chewed the berry, rolling it round in her mouth and smacking her thick lips before nodding approvingly. ”Better-you continue to improve. If you do half as well during the Pleasuring you may even earn your dinner back.” She turned back to Maggie. ”He gave me an unripe bitter-berry last night-just imagine! I told him he wasn't to eat or drink a thing until tonight to make sure he learned a lesson.”
”Shocking,” Maggie agreed but inside she was thinking what a horrible woman Lady Ponce'beast was. No wonder her slave looked listless and dull-the poor thing was probably starving. I don't feel nearly as bad for pulling off her wig now, she thought. Why, she- Then the full impact of what Lady Ponce'beast had said sunk in.
”Excuse me,” she said. ”But this is my first time here. Did you say 'the Pleasuring?'”
”Of course.” Lady Ponce'beast smiled. ”It's just a little tradition we have here at the spa. You know, the Sensorians feed on emotions and since they provide such lovely banquets for us each night, we try to return the favor.”
Maggie's throat felt dry. ”But what exactly...uh, is involved?”
”Well, just what you'd imagine. You let your slave pleasure you. It does feel rather naughty to be doing it all out in the open with so many strangers around.” Lady Ponce'beast gave a surprisingly girlish giggle. ”But you know, it's tradition here at the Lo'thian spa so...”
”Um, yes.” Maggie cleared her throat. ”I can see how letting your slave, uh, pleasure you would be an, um, important tradition.”
Lady Ponce'beast frowned at her. ”Speaking of the pleasuring, are you certain you're dressed for it? Your dress covers much too much-your slave needs to have access to bare flesh in order to pleasure you properly.”
”No, he doesn't,” Maggie blurted. ”I mean, he does?”
Lady Ponce'beast gave her a superior smile. ”Yes, my dear, unless he's perfected some new technique that can make you come without touching your bare skin directly.” She giggled again. ”In which case, send him my way and let him teach my slave a thing or two. He's hopeless. I swear I have to activate his pain collar every other time he tries to pleasure me.”
”Oh, uh...” Maggie didn't know what to say about that. Fortunately, just at that moment, Kor slipped another square red fruit into her mouth.
”Don't worry about it,” he murmured as her mouth filled with the sweet, b.u.t.tery juice.
Maggie looked at him with wide eyes. How could she not worry about it? Was she really expected to take off her clothes and let Kor do whatever he could to give her an o.r.g.a.s.m right here in this huge public banquet hall? And even if they weren't in public, she couldn't let him. True, she'd told herself she would do whatever she had to in order to get out of here. But there was no way that Donald would buy it. Maggie could just see herself trying to explain...
”I didn't really cheat on you honey. I had to let the huge, super hot alien guy I happened to rescue touch me all over and make me come because everyone else was doing it with their slaves.”
Right. That would go over like a lead balloon. So then what- ”Don't worry about the Pleasuring,” the lady to Maggie's other side said. ”Oh, I'm Misla Gin'gin,” she went on, introducing herself. She appeared to be closer to Maggie's age with a slim, girlish figure and brown hair with light blue streaks. Her dress was powder blue and made of some soft, feathery stuff that barely covered her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and left her mostly bare from the waist down. The slave standing by her side appeared to be considerably happier than Lady Ponce'beast's downtrodden companion.
”Nola Pope'nose,” Maggie said automatically. At least she was remembering her fake name all right.
”Nice to meet you.” Lady Gin'gin smiled. ”As I was saying, don't worry about the Pleasuring.”
”Why?” Maggie asked. ”Don't I, uh, have to partic.i.p.ate if I don't want to?”
”What? Oh, no! No, you have to partic.i.p.ate.” Lady Gin'gin looked a little shocked at the idea of nonpartic.i.p.ation. ”I just meant don't worry about the huge emphasis they place on your slave actually making you come.”
”They do?” Maggie was feeling worse rather than better.
”Uh-huh.” The other lady nodded. ”But the Sensorians understand it's not always possible. I mean, sometimes you're just not in the mood-right? Or your slave's technique just isn't up to par.” She shrugged. ”So it's enough for them if your slave puts on a good show. I'll tell you my secret...” She leaned forward on her lounge and whispered to Maggie. ”Make sure your slave licks you for a nice long time-they always get good emotions from that. And then, even if you don't come, they won't mind.”
”Have...have him lick...?” Maggie's stomach was doing a slow forward roll. ”I don't think...”
”Oh look, it's almost time now!” Lady Gin'gin gestured to the center of the banquet hall where a tall, pale Sensorian was standing and raising his arms for silence. All around the room the gathered groups fell quiet.
”Ladies and Mistresses,” the Sensorian intoned in his high, bird-like voice. ”It is our pleasure and privilege to have you all here tonight at our Grand Banquet. As the Master of the Lo'thian spa, I sincerely hope you are enjoying all our facilities including the Dreaming Wood and our famous Remembrance Pool.”
There was a smattering of polite applause and several of the ladies called encouragement.
”Thank you. Thank you.” The Master of the spa bowed several times in all directions. ”And now we would like to invite you to partic.i.p.ate in our Pleasuring time. As you do, my fellow Sensorians will be pa.s.sing among you. Please pay them no heed-unless, of course, you or your slave needs something to make your Pleasuring more complete, in which case please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you and that is all.”
He bowed once more and stepped away from the middle of the floor.
”All right. Here we go.” Lady Ponce'beast, on her right, was shucking off the top of her bright purple gown to reveal improbably large b.r.e.a.s.t.s and nipples almost the same color as her dress. ”Well,” she said to her slave. ”What are you waiting for? Get to it!”
”Oh dear, it's always so embarra.s.sing.” Lady Gin'gin was giggling as she slipped the pale blue feathery dress down. ”Go on, Dawson,” she murmured to her slave. ”Do your best.”
Looking around, Maggie saw similar performances being enacted around the room. Everywhere half naked mistresses were writhing on their chaise lounges while their slaves touched, stroked and yes, licked them. At the same time, scores of the pale Sensorians were wandering around the room. Maggie noticed that when one of them found what he or she considered to be a particularly pleasing couple, they stopped and stood nearby, their skin slowly turning darker and darker pink as they absorbed the pleasurable emotions.
”Mistress?” Suddenly Kor was by her side. ”I think we'd better-”
”Go. We have to go,” Maggie hissed at him. ”I can't do this! Can't let you do this to me! I mean, what will I tell Donald? What-?”
”Is there a problem?” Suddenly the master of the spa himself was standing over them, glaring down at Maggie. ”Do you not enjoy the services we provide here at the Lo'thian spa, mistress?” he questioned her. ”Do you not believe we deserve your pleasure in return?”
”Oh...I...” Maggie felt frozen. More than anything else, this reminded her of the time Donald had taken her to a very expensive French restaurant, Le Peep, for their fourth anniversary. In fact, it was much more expensive than he'd thought when he booked the reservation and he had decided not to leave a tip. Maggie had argued with him but he was adamant and he didn't want to let her leave one either. Before they could go, though, the maitre d had cornered them and asked if the food or service was inadequate in some way.
When Donald had gone into a cost a.n.a.lysis of how much the meal should have been priced at based on the quality of the ingredients and the number of kitchen and serving staff, Maggie had been mortified. Over Donald's objections, she had quickly promised to pay the tip herself just to get out of there and had never darkened the doorways of Le Peep again.
But I can't offer to pay up now, she thought wildly. I mean, what am I supposed to do? Pull off my dress, flop over like a fish and order Kor to service me like Lady Ponce'Beast over there?
Apparently that was exactly what she was supposed to do. But as the master of the spa glared at her, Maggie still found herself completely frozen.
”I...I'm sorry,” she finally managed to say. ”But I can't...I've never...”
”What my lady is saying is that she has never been to your fine establishment before,” Kor cut in smoothly, speaking to the angry Sensorian. ”She is a little shy about making public displays, that's all.”
”But she must.” The master of the spa frowned. ”It is an insult to all of us here who work so hard to refuse to take part in the Pleasuring.”
”My lady simply needs a little coaxing,” Kor said. ”Never fear, Master-I will pleasure her well and properly before the allotted time is up.”
The master of the spa looked somewhat mollified. ”See that you do. I will go and inspect some of the other rondulas. When I return-”
”You will find my lady experiencing pleasure such as she never has before,” Kor promised. ”I am well trained in every techinque.”
”Very well.” The master nodded and stepped away, leaving them alone-or as alone as they could be in the middle of what was rapidly becoming an orgy as far as Maggie could see.
”Kor,” she whispered, shaking her head. ”Kor, I can't...can't take off my clothes and let you...I mean it was one thing when you kissed my...kissed me there.” She nodded between her tightly shut legs. ”But this is different. I mean, if I take off my clothes and let you...let you...that's cheating. There's no other way to think of it.”
”So that's the main problem-you don't want to be bare?” he murmured, tracing the scalloped edge of the white lace dress as it ran along her collarbone.
”Exactly.” Maggie nodded. ”I mean I just can't-”