Lacie

Chapter 4: Lacie's Evening

Lacie left Callie's room, following Bridget down the hall towards Tara's. Lacie stepped through Tara's doorway, glancing around the room. There was a spare folding chair by the door, and after a short struggle, Lacie managed to juggle the clothes she was carrying and get the chair set up without dropping anything. Looking around, Lacie took a closer look at the asian girl's room. Tara's obvious love of fashion and clothing was apparent on every surface. Everywhere, swatches and bolts of cloth were strewn about, with tables and chairs covered in yard after yard of fabric. Two sewing machines sat along her window, and Tara's bed was currently host to half a dozen giggling and bouncing girls, all excitedly waiting for Lacie's arrival, most carrying a few small accessories and fashion items. Two long tables were covered with sketches and designs, as well as a few half finished articles of clothing. A female mannequin stood in one corner, a male mannequin only feet away from it's counterpart. A smart looking set of matching business suits adorned both mannequins, several pins and thin threads were spread out over the clothes, marking the suits in seemingly random places, but carrying obvious meaning for Tara.

A small platform was set in the center of one wall, a trio of canted mirrors only feet away. Tara's bedroom was also obviously her fitting studio. The mirrors were angled so that anyone on the platform could see the front and sides of their clothing. Tara herself was busy shuffling through the papers on one end of the table, pulling aside some half finished outfits. Picking one up, Tara lifted a web-like set of black leather straps. The outfit was designed to be worn by a naked woman, and Lacie recognized it as the outfit that Lindsey had on during their first meeting at the slave fair. Looking up from the floor in front of the bed where she sat, Lindsey caught Lacie's eye.

"Tara designed that. Master's request. A man in his 'position' should "have custom clothing for his slaves."." Lindsey intoned, puffing out her impressive chest and deepening her voice, obviously doing a weak impersonation of her Master. The fact that the other girls laughed astounded Lacie. Many masters would beat a girl within an inch of their lives for mocking them, yet here, it seemed an accepted, possibly even common, practice.

"After the fair where we met you, I had to take it back to Tara. Apparently these are still getting bigger." Lindsey joked, pointing at her chest.

"You strained the leather in a few other places too. Those cuffs at the small of the back were not supposed to be used yet, I hadn't had time to reinforce them. At that point they were purely decorative. You tore some of the stitching flailing around like you did when Master punished you. Which you deserved, by the way. If not because of what he punished you for, then for almost ruining that suit. Do you know how long it takes to cut and sew leather?" Tara complained, emerging from her closet with a tailor's measuring tape around her neck and a clip board in one hand.

"Sorry. I didn't exactly plan to get spanked." Lindsey flushed and looked at the floor, the hints of a smile at the corners of her mouth giving away the lie. The other girls laughed outright at the obvious fib, making Lacie grin.

"Alright, alright, lets get this going, Lacie, I need you to take off the robe so I can get more accurate measurements." Tara said, looking at the taller girl, waving one hand towards the platform.

Lacie stepped up on the raised flooring, letting the robe slip off her shoulders and fall to the ground. Lacie flushed crimson when she heard Claire wolf whistle from Tara's bed.

"Yeah, baby, take it *oof*!" Claire exclaimed, almost falling off the bed when Heather interrupted her teasing catcalls by hitting Claire squarely in the face with a pillow. Turning back to Lacie with a huge grin, the redheaded beauty waved at Lacie.

"Continue."

Rolling her eyes as Lacie giggled, Tara began the laborious and slightly ticklish process of measuring Lacie for clothes. Finally, Tara was finished and the pretty asian girl moved away, absently telling Lacie she could go ahead and get dressed. Lacie's own excitement surprised her, as she practically dashed to the chair holding her borrowed clothes. Lacie simply picked up the whole chair and carried it next to the platform, setting it to the side as she began to throw on clothes. Lacie tried combination after combination, trying this, then that. Setting aside the few articles that didn't fit well, Lacie soon had several cute outfits that she liked. It didn't take long for the other girls to become involved either, excitedly tossing out suggestions, or dashing from the room only to return with other things for Lacie to try on. Several hours passed as the girls giggled and laughed, simply enjoying being girls for a while.

Eventually, Lacie's stomach began to growl as afternoon passed into evening. The other girls noticed, and with a few disappointed sighs, began to pick up the massive clutter of clothing and accessories that had gotten scattered across Tara's room.

Bridget checked her watch and called out to the scampering girls.

"Ok, ladies. It's 6:00 now. Ana, did Master say when we were going to eat?"

"Eight, I are for thinking."

"Alright, that means we have around two hours to get ready for dinner. I want everyone dressed and ready by seven forty five on the nose. Remember where we are and why we're here. He saved us all. We work hard to keep him healthy and happy, and he keeps us safe." At Bridget's somber words, all the giggling ceased and the every girl in the room glued her eyes on her. The stunning blonde spoke again, smiling as she talked to the other girls "He let us have today off to welcome Lacie, while he kept working for us. He has spent the entire day working hard to make us all dinner. Show him your thanks when you sit down tonight. He gave us a gift today. We show our thanks tonight."

Bridget snagged Lacie and pulled her out of the way as a tide of women swept out of Tara's room.

"You, missy, get to come with me. I imagine you don't have many dressy clothes, but I think I might have just the thing."

"Your clothes won't fit me."

"These aren't my clothes. They're yours. When Master bought you a few days ago he made a special trip. We went by your parents house."

"Wait! He... He met my parents?" Lacie asked, suddenly anxious.

"Well... we did. I went with him. Master is many things, but a good judge of fashion necessities is not one of them. That's one of the reasons he loves having Tara around. While he explained your situation to them, I picked out some clothes and small odds and ends. We couldn't take much without rousing suspicion, but I was able to grab a few of your things. Tara will still have to do her nip, tuck thing with some of the clothing, but I think we can find something that'll work for tonight."

"And my parents? Are they okay? Are they safe? Did they get my... my sale money?" Lacie begged for answers, tugging Bridget to a stop.

"Your parents are fine dear, we couldn't say it outright, but we left enough hints for a smart person to figure out that you'll be treated well. Your parents got the money from your sale, and a bonus from Master. They don't know it yet, but he paid for over half of their mortgage. Your parents aren't going to lose the house."

Lacie's knees felt weak with relief. In that moment Lacie realized just how much she missed her home, her parents, her old life, as bad as some parts had been, like the knowledge that she'd be sold as a slave, she still missed it terribly. Overwhelmed, Lacie felt all the pent up emotions and the stress of everything that had happened to her bubble up and boil over. Sinking to her knees, Lacie began to cry. Bridget wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl, gently rubbing her back as Lacie let it all out. The happiness, the fear, the worry, the terror, the joy, the stress, Lacie had been keeping a huge mass of powerful emotions balled up inside her all day. Now, knowing her parents would be safe and could be happy, those emotions broke free of the crying brunette like a bursting dam.

Lacie just knelt there, comforted by her new friend's arms as her body was wracked by sobs. Eventually, the flow of emotions began to slow to a trickle, allowing Lacie to calm down. Looking up at Bridget, Lacie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled.

"Thanks. For all of this."

"Feeling better?"

*sniff* "Much."

"Good. Come on, lets get up. We have just over an hour and a half before dinner and I want you to be the Belle of the Ball. We have work to do, girl."

Lacie laughed, the blissful feeling of having cried it all out making her feel weightless and buoyant. Grinning like schoolgirls, Lacie and Bridget raced down the hallway before dashing into Bridget's room. As she paused in the doorway, Lacie immediately knew that she could feel at home there. The wooden walls of the room were stained a warm, buttery tan, while the trim around the door and windows had been painted a deep burgundy red. The carpet covering the floor was a few shades darker red than the trim around the walls, giving the room a warm, cozy feeling. A small desk with a closed laptop sat to one side, papers stacked in neat piles beside it. Bridget's dresser was a dark walnut color, the chocolate brown wood helping to ground the room in earthy tones. Her bed was large and wood framed, hand sewn quilts covering the sheets. Light from a fake fireplace set against one wall crackled as it bathed the room in a warm yellow light. The electric fire gave off almost no heat, but it anchored the room, making it feel like Lacie had stepped out of the luxurious mansion and into some fairy tale cottage, deep in the woods.

"Like it? This room is my escape. I come here to be alone, to sit and talk to God."

"God? You're religious?"

"Not really religious. More spiritual." Bridget pointed to an obviously well read Bible sitting on her nightstand. "The book is just that. A book. It's not a deity speaking to me, it's just ink and wood pulp." she joked. "It is filled with stories, examples, guidelines. The book is there to help you learn to be a better person, religion aside. The Ten Commandments? Are there any rules there that a good person shouldn't follow, regardless of religion? Even the 'false Gods before me' one. People 'worship' all sorts of things, from gambling, to money, to sex, to alcohol and drugs. Are those any less false gods than some gilded idol? Not to me. If you truly believe in any God, then you talk can to him on a personal level and find out what he wants from you. He tells people what he wants every day when they connect with their conscience. That little voice in your head that tells you that something hard has to be done, because it's the right thing to do? That is God to me. Not some old story telling me how to live my life out of a thousand year old piece of paper."

Lacie was struck by Bridget's passion, and more than a little persuaded by her convictions. Lacie hadn't given much thought to religion, her parents having seen it as a "crock". Something about Bridget's certainty of faith made Lacie a little jealous of that confidence. Before Lacie could delve into matters of spirituality, Bridget strode into her closet, pulling out a lidded cardboard box.

"We're not here to talk God, we're here to make you even prettier. A tough job in my estimation, there's not much one can do to improve perfection." Bridget joked, gently bumping her hip into Lacie. Lacie opened the lid of the box, and dove inside. Some of her favorite clothes were in there, her nicest, prettiest dress and her mother's favorite necklace, the thin gold chain had been a gift to Lacie from her mother on Lacie's seventeenth birthday. A few old books were stacked inside as well, next to a stuffed rabbit doll her father had given her when she was three. Lacie stopped for a moment when she saw the doll. She had slept with that stuffed toy every night till the day she was sold. It was one of her most precious possessions.

"Your mother wouldn't let us leave without that." Bridget spoke, watching Lacie as the younger girl simply held the doll.

"She knows what it's worth to me."

"I'll say she does. She threw a fit when Master said we couldn't take it."

The image of her tiny, gentle, soft spoken mother screaming at a man as imposing as Lacie remembered 'Master' being was ludicrous, but somehow, Lacie knew it was exactly what her mom would have done if Master had decided not to bring the stuffed animal back to Lacie. That brought a smile to Lacie's face as she stroked the patchy, worn fur of the old doll. She hugged the rabbit to her chest and squeezed. It was almost as good as a real hug from her mother. Almost.

Setting the doll down, Lacie reached in and pulled out a long plastic bag, the hanger poking out of the top giving the garment bag's purpose away. Lacie slowly unzipped the bag, gasping as her mother's favorite dress spilled out into Lacie's suddenly trembling hands. The dress was beautiful, elegant in it's simplicity. The white satin dress ended mid calf, hanging loose at the hem. One shoulder was left bare as the fabric swept up and across the bust, allowing a small display of cleavage to tease the eye. Hanging off the left shoulder, the sleeveless dress hugged a woman's curves gracefully, meeting itself again a few inches under the right arm. A four inch wide dark blue satin sash wound around the waist, cinching the fabric together, helping to emphasize the shape of it's wearer. Lacie and her mother had teased her father mercilessly for years, often trading clothes just to watch him do double takes, especially since the two of them were practically mirror images of each other, something her father took great pride in. This was the one dress that Lacie had never worn, for fear of ruining it.

"She made us take that too. Literally begged Master to let you have it and wear it at least once. They really do still love you, you know."

Lacie hugged the dress to her chest as she nodded, too overcome to trust her voice.

"Well then, I'm gonna take a quick shower. Care to join me?"

Surprised by the offer, Lacie turned, a look of confusion on her face. Seeing her expression, Bridget rolled her eyes.

"Not all of us have doors that swing both ways, honey. I'm as straight as an arrow. For sake of convenience, we have communal showers down by the gym. The regular bathrooms are down one floor, but there's only three shower stalls in there. Come on. I'll take you."

Hurrying due to their press for time, the two girls rushed through the mansion, eventually stopping on the first floor, just outside an acid etched thermal glass door, sounds of running water coming from within. Pulling the door open, Bridget strode through. Lacie swiftly followed, surprised to find herself in a small locker room. There was only one bench and a few metal cubbies for their clothes. The floors and walls were tiled, and Lacie could hear muffled voices within the nearby showers as steam billowed back out into the locker room.

Quickly stripping down, Lacie grabbed a thick fluffy white towel from the stacked piles of them that waited along one wall. Wrapping it around herself, Lacie slipped down the open hall and into the showers, hanging her towel on an empty hook set nearby on the wall. Bridget stood a few feet ahead of her, the blonde woman testing her chosen shower's water before stepping under the spray. Lacie saw Heather, Tara and Callie in the showers as well, the girls giggling and joking as they splashed in the steamy water. Lacie reached out and started one of the shower heads attached to the wall, testing the water till it was warm enough.

Stepping under the warm spray, Lacie gave a throaty moan of pure bliss as she felt the sweat and grime coating her body begin to sluice away. Letting the heavy spray pound down on her from behind, Lacie let the hot water massage the muscles of her tired back, prompting another quiet moan from the soaked brunette. Her head snapped back up and her eyes opened when she heard someone calling her name. Looking around, Lacie saw Callie looking at her, a green plastic bottle in her hand. Tipping her chin up, Callie asked her a wordless question. Lacie answered in kind, holding her hands up to show her readiness.

With a quick grin, Callie gently lobbed the bottle across the tiled room. The green plastic's graceful arc plopped it perfectly into Lacie's outstretched hands. Flashing a smile of thanks to the blonde, Lacie began to pour the greenish shampoo/conditioner into her hands, before scrubbing the soapy mix into her hair. Holding her head back and keeping her eyes closed, Lacie worked the shampoo into her hair, making sure she got a good lather throughout. Lacie looked over when she felt a gentle nudge on one shoulder, seeing Bridget reach over to her with an ivory bar of soap, one of the older girl's eyes closed due to a trickle of soapy water. Nodding her thanks, Lacie took it and began to scrub her body down. Moving quickly but carefully, Lacie scrubbed herself clean, aware of the time crunch she was under.

Rinsing her body off, Lacie hesitated a few more moments under the blissfully relaxing spray, but the rumbling coming from her stomach prompted her to start moving again. Stepping out of the showers, Lacie quickly toweled off. She was joined moments later by Tara as the asian girl strode past, still dripping. Tossing her hair forward, Tara wrapped a towel around the dripping raven locks, before straightening and wiping herself down with another towel.

"Know the way back up?" Tara's question caught Lacie daydreaming and she only heard the last two words.

"Sorry?"

"Do you remember how to get back up to our rooms?"

"Oh, uh, not really." Lacie stammered weakly.

"Don't worry, it was the better part of a week before I learned how to completely navigate this house. Come with me. Bridget usually takes a bit longer in the showers. I'll take you back up."

Reaching out, the brown skinned girl grabbed a pair of folded robes off a metal rack, tossing one to Lacie. Lacie slipped into the warm fabric, snuggling deeper into it as she felt the surprisingly warm cloth rub against her skin. She turned a questioning look to Tara.

"The metal rack. It has a small heating coil in it. It warms up when someone turns on the lights in here. Makes the robes and towels nice and toasty. Come on, we have just over an hour left. I dunno about you, but I need every last second I can get." Tara headed out the door, still scrubbing one ear with the corner of her towel as she dashed off through the mansion. Lacie followed the tiny girl up and around, finally recognizing where she was just a few seconds before climbing the last staircase to the top floor where the bedrooms were.

Thanking Tara with a quick hug, Lacie moved to Bridget's room, stepping in before shutting the door and turning back to her mother's dress. Scrubbing her hair furiously, Lacie dried it as best she could, before pulling her towels and robe off. Looking at her pile of borrowed clothes, Lacie decided that she wanted something to match her dress. Unfortunately, she lacked any strapless bras, so the brunette girl would be forced to go without one. Rummaging through the pile, Lacie soon found what she was looking for. A lacy, sheer pair of hip hugging boy shorts perfectly matched the slightly off-white color of her dress. The small, pretty bow in the center of the elastic at the top of the panties was even a dark colored blue. It was almost as if the panties had been designed for that dress.

Slipping the thin garment up her legs, Lacie shimmied her hips into the tight lace, reveling in the comforting feeling of cleanliness and warmth she felt in that moment. Lacie heard a gentle knocking at the door. Swiftly bending down and grabbing her towel to cover herself with, Lacie called out. Moments later, Bridget's towel-turbaned head poked through the door.