Lacie

Chapter 12: Lacie's Preparation

For the next two weeks, Lacie did her best to cope with handling her tasks around the house. Her ankle was still swollen six days after her injury and bruised for a week beyond that. Heather worked with Lacie every day, restoring flexibility and strength to the damaged ankle, rubbing creams and applying cold and heat packs to reduce the bruising and swelling. A few days after the injury, Lacie was able to stand on it, but moving with any semblance of speed was out of the question.

Since she was completely unable to help in strenuous activity, Lacie did her best to help out Ana and Tara with their tasks around the house, while Lindsey picked up as much slack at the farm and in the greenhouse as she could. Lacie was getting impatient for her ankle to heal, but overall, Lacie felt it was worth the trade. Not only were the other girls safe, but Lacie saw Master more and more frequently. While he never seemed to have the time to pick up where they had left off in the medical suite, he was around enough that Lacie was able to enjoy his company.

Two weeks before the 'big event' as the house had come to call it, Lacie was called in to Tara's room. Limping in, Lacie saw Claire standing off to one side of the room as Tara measured Master for clothes. Hobbling over to Claire, Lacie asked her what was going on.

"Tara is working like a madwoman. Master asked her to make us some new outfits."

"Us?" Lacie asked, confused. "I thought he was taking me and Lindsey."

Claire sighed.

"He was. I asked him if I could go in her place. I want to be there. I want to see those bastards walking around laughing. I want to watch them as their world crumbles around them and they don't even see all their work burning to ash." The cold look of anger in Claire's eyes unsettled Lacie. Putting her arm around her friend, Lacie smiled at her.

"We will watch as it burns." Lacie said, watching as her smile spread to Claire's face.

"Ok, Lacie, come up here please. I need to take a few more measurements for your dress." Lacie hobbled over to the stand that stood in front of Tara's mirrors, but Tara waved her away. "You don't need to stand there. I can do this just as easily with you on the floor and you won't have to strain that ankle getting up there."

Sighing in relief, Lacie stood as still as possible while Tara took a few more measurements. When she finished, Lacie limped back to Claire, though she was disappointed when Tara called out that it was Claire's turn. The disappointment rapidly evaporated when Master took Claire's spot, sitting on the edge of Tara's bed next to Lacie.

"How's your leg?"

"Better. Still not as good as I want it to be, but better."

"Good. Any improvement is good. I'm amazed it wasn't broken." He said, gently running the fingers of one hand absently up and down the ridge of Lacie's spine.

Lacie shivered with pleasure at the gentle contact as she responded.

"I got lucky. It still hurts though."

"I'll believe it. Still, I don't know if we'll be doing much dancing at the big party."

"What kind of party is it? Is it... a.. slave party?" Lacie asked hesitantly.

"No." Master answered quickly. "No, this is going to be an actual party. Food, drinks, music, dancing. A lot of old men in nice suits talking business. That kind of party. Not a slave party."

Lacie breathed a sigh of relief. Slave parties had been a growing fad around when Master had first bought her, and the horrors of the 'parties' made Lacie's skin crawl. They weren't really actual parties, just places where groups of slave owners got together to abuse and violate each other's women. Lacie had only that morning realized that she didn't know what kind of party Master was taking her to. Now that she knew, Lacie found that she held a strange kind of excitement regarding the party. She knew that there were going to be horrible people everywhere, people who made their living off of the pain of women, and that fact put a huge damper on Lacie's excitement. Still, she was going to be getting all dressed up, made as pretty as possible and she'd actually get to leave the grounds, not to mention the thought of dancing with Master.

As much as she loved the mansion, things were getting slightly stale. She had talked to Bridget about it, and the older girl had assured her that the feeling of restlessness would pass. Lacie had actually had a long talk with her friend, going over all the odd facets of life at the mansion that Lacie had never expected could exist. Lacie had even gone into why she had felt alone for a few weeks, talking about how she felt as though she had yet to find a place she truly belonged amongst the others. Bridget had hugged her and told her to "give it time." She had further explained that it was something that every single one of Master's girls had gone through, and all Lacie needed to do was to wait.

Bridget's convictions had lifted Lacie's spirits and, armed with new confidence, Lacie had set out to learn anything she could about what was expected of her during the final stages of Master's plan. Surprisingly, Lacie's role was actually a very small one, but it had massive implications. Now that Lacie had a moment to discuss things one on one with Master, she grabbed the opportunity to ask what effect, if any, Claire's presence would have on the plan.

"Actually," Master answered as Lacie leaned her head on his shoulder, "I wanted to ask her to come with us, but I didn't know if she could handle it. Her presence will throw them even more off balance. As far as I know, most of the executives believe she's dead. Her previous owners certainly do. The board of directors are asking me to try again with their business deal. They asked me to say a few words after their fancy dinner. They think I'll be graciously announcing my support and how I look forward to a lucrative future together as their new financial backer. I have another speech I want to give in mind. Having Claire by my side as I give it will make the moment all the more perfect. Especially since, by then, Bridget and Callie will have sent out the falsified data package that will spell doom for their company. Once I'm done speaking we leave and never go back. Honestly, the hard parts are already taken care of, we just need to be there to distract them and throw them off balance long enough for the data to get out to enough people. If we can manage that, by the time I get up to give my speech, the data will be too widespread for them to stop, and they'll find themselves under electronic and financial siege by the time we walk out the door."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Otherwise, it's just a regular party. Relax, have a few drinks, enjoy your food. Do some dancing. Find some other cute guy to make out with." Looking down at her, Master laughed the expression on Lacie's face. At the mention of another man, Lacie screwed up her face, scrunching up her features as if she'd just bitten into a sour lemon.

"Other guy? What will you be doing?" Lacie asked, playfully smacking him on the shoulder.

"Hopefully paying attention to what he needs to be doing and not getting too drunk." Tara mumbled around the tape measure she had folded between her teeth as she measured Claire.

"Oh, come on. You know I never drink off the grounds." Master nudged Lacie with an elbow. "Makes me too susceptible to the considerable charms of the pretty young ladies I'm with."

Lacie rolled her eyes, but was secretly pleased by the compliment. She had to fight to keep her smile off her face. Tara finished measuring Claire and banished the three guests from her room, stating her need to get back to her 'mountain' of work. Master headed back to his offices at the north end of the mansion while Claire and Lacie decided to pop down to the kitchens and help Ana finish prepping lunch. Walking to the staircase, they actually caught Ana just as she was coming up the steps, a big plate and a bottle of cola in her hands. Explaining that the food was so that Tara could 'keep at the workings', Ana asked them to wait just a minute while she dropped off the asian girl's lunch.

Once done with her quick task, Ana skipped back to the waiting pair, and the three headed back to the dining hall. Lacie appreciated their company, as both girls slowed their pace so that Lacie and her injured leg could keep up. They fell into easy conversation about the upcoming coup, and both Lacie and Claire admitted to a growing nervousness. They knew it was to be expected, but that didn't change the fact that they knew they were walking into a very dangerous place, with very dangerous people.

They knew their reasons were sound, and the plan was good, but it didn't mean it wasn't without risk, however small. Still, as the trio walked into the dining hall and saw the rest of the household there, minus Tara and Master, their nervousness was quelled for awhile. The camaraderie of the house and the slowly changing seasons were the primary topics of the smoothly flowing conversation, and for the time being, Lacie was able to forget her worries over upcoming events.

The next few days passed quickly, her bruises fading to almost nothing while Lacie was able to move on her ankle better every day. After Tara had done some work on Lacie's outfit, she called Lacie up to her room every other day or so to check the fit and length. Despite having been at Master and Claire's first fitting, Lacie never actually saw their outfits, which left her with a strange sense of excitement and expectation.

Finally, it was only a week to the big event, and Lacie's tension was starting to creep back up. Master and Marie took Lacie aside every day to give her a few lessons in ballroom dancing, just in case someone asked her out onto the floor. It wasn't likely, with someone as imposing as Master lurking nearby (and he had promised Lacie he'd never be far away) but Lacie was adamant in wanting to help as much as possible.

At first the lessons went slowly, seeing as Lacie was still having movement issues. But as the final week passed, Lacie grew more and more confident, though she still blushed furiously anytime she took to the floor with Master. The lessons ended up taking more and more time out of her day, and Lacie was astounded to find that she seemed to have natural skill. Master was happily surprised, teaching her more and more complex dances, even going so far as to practice a few fast paced tangos and some salsa dancing.

The last few days passed in a blur as Lacie spent almost all of her waking hours in fittings, working, in dance lessons or working with Heather. Finally, it was the day before the event, and Master pulled Claire and Lacie aside.

"Look, I want to thank you both again for doing this. I know you're not happy about it, nor comfortable with it. So take the day, do something fun. Relax, sleep, eat something." He said jokingly, poking both women in the belly. Lacie and Claire both glared halfheartedly at him. Heather's exercise regimens had quickly rid all of the girls in the house of any excess weight, leaving all the girls incredibly trim and sleek. Wrapping his arms around them, he pulled the two women close, kissing them both atop the head as he simply held them.

Neither girl could resist his tender embrace, and leaning into his chest, returned the gentle hug. Lacie closed her eyes and simply breathed, luxuriating in the feel of his arms around her. Inhaling deeply, Lacie could smell his soap and skin, the musky but clean aroma made her belly flutter and tremble with a twinge of desire. Long before she wanted him to, Master relaxed his arms and stepped back. Placing one hand on each girl's shoulder, Master gave a gentle squeeze before heading up for his final fitting.

Lacie sighed and sat down in a nearby chair, feigning disinterest in doing anything else to cover the fact that her knees refused to support her weight. Across the hall from her, Claire did the same.

"Any ideas?" Lacie asked wistfully.

"On what to do?" Claire asked.

"Yeah."

"A few. None that you've been interested in before though." Claire answered impishly, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Ha, Ha." Lacie rolled her eyes. "You know I don't swing that way." It had become surprisingly easy to talk about her sexuality around the other girls.

"Still, you've been here several months without so much as a heavy petting session. Isn't that getting to you?"

"First off, I've gone eighteen years without one, so a few months isn't a problem. Second, it's none of your business what I do, or with whom I do it." Lacie said, turning her head to the side and tilting her chin up imperiously.

"Or with whom you're not doing it." Claire stage whispered, grinning at Lacie. Lacie tried to maintain her aloof mask, but Claire's joke and her absurdly large grin broke through Lacie's defenses. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth before her resistance crumbled entirely. Covering her smile with one hand, Lacie swiped at Claire as if to smack her, though the other girl was several feet beyond her reach.

"Gotcha!" Claire crowed triumphantly.

"Shut up." Lacie muttered, still smiling. "Help me get up. Let's go see what Callie's up to. I haven't seen her much lately."

Claire stood and helped Lacie to her feet. Lacie started to head towards the motor pool, but Claire gently snagged her sleeve.

"Hold up." Claire said, looking at the clock on a nearby wall. "I think she's just finishing up with Heather. She'll probably head to the atrium."

"I could use a soak. Lets go." Lacie said enthusiastically.

It was a bit of a walk, but Lacie's ankle barely twinged as she and Claire made their way to the north end of the mansion. Slipping into the small locker room, Lacie pulled the swimsuit that Tara had made her out of one of the lockers. (she had decided it was easier to keep it there than having to trek all the way up to her room every time she wanted to swim.) Lacie and Claire both stripped down quickly, Lacie studiously avoiding looking at Claire and her scars, despite knowing that the bisexual girl was eyeing her body up thoroughly.

Slipping into the atrium, Lacie walked around to the hot tub waterfall, peeking around the trees to see Callie sitting in the steaming water, her eyes closed as she soaked. Lacie knocked on the bole of a palm tree and called out.

"Mind if we join you?"

Lacie and Claire shared giggles as Callie squeaked in surprise and spun rapidly, scrabbling behind her for something. Lacie flushed crimson when she realized that Callie was reaching for her bikini top. Looking over at Claire, she rolled her eyes when she saw her companion was practically drooling. They gave Callie a few moments to make herself presentable.

"sure... Sure! Come on in!" Callie called, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. Both of the newcomers stifled giggles as Callie surreptitiously adjusted her top under the water. Sliding into the hot water across from Callie, Lacie hissed at the near scalding temperature. Claire simply sat at the edge, near the wall, dipping her feet into the bubbling water, lifting her arm to let her fingers dance in the smoothly arcing waterfall.

It wasn't long before the trio were deep in conversation, mostly concerning the events of the next day. Callie expressed her optimism and concern, before gently changing the course of the conversation, sensing the other girls were already nervous about it. Claire brought up Callie's workout with Heather, which naturally, led to some good natured grumbling from Callie. Claire, never one to miss an opportunity, began massaging Callie's shoulders. Apparently Heather had decided Callie's upper body strength was below where she wanted it to be, and had been particularly ruthless to the bubbly mechanic. Lacie studiously avoided noticing what her companions were up to. It wasn't long before she had to excuse herself however, since Claire had slipped into the water directly behind Callie, and had most definitely given up the pretense of a relaxing massage. Lacie could hear giggles and soft moans coming from behind the trees as she headed back for the locker rooms.

Despite herself, Lacie felt a twinge of jealousy at how easily most of the girls around the mansion seemed to be able to simply go with whatever felt natural. Shaking her head, Lacie slipped her swimsuit off and began to shower the chlorine off her body. As much as she wanted to deny it, Claire's earlier comments had struck a nerve. Lacie was lonely. She still had yet to find a place she belonged, (which bothered her more than she wanted to admit) and still hadn't worked up the courage to ask anyone in the mansion to stay in her bed with her. Lacie held no illusions that she eventually would, but it was far too frightening for her. Lacie had yet to be with anyone, and the horror stories of the pain and brutality she had heard of her school friend's first times had absolutely terrified the brunette. Lacie knew that Master would never intentionally hurt her, but Lacie didn't know what it would be like, and that ignorance frightened her.

Without even realizing she was doing it, Lacie began to think about Master and those weeks ago that she had seen him shirtless by the pool, when his gentle hands had lifted her, so easily, and how his warm body had been so close to hers. Before she realized what was happening, Lacie felt her body responding to her memories. Clenching her fists, Lacie snapped her back straight as a rod, trying to clear her head of the images, though she could still feel a growing warmth, a soft trembling in the pit of her stomach. Spinning in a circle, careful to avoid hurting her ankle, Lacie snapped the handle on the hot water all the way off, leaving the cold at full blast. A few seconds later, Lacie was deluged with a frigid spray of water.

"AAH!!" Lacie yelled, hopping sideways to escape the icy water. Reaching out, she turned the warm water back on, testing the spray before stepping back under, chasing the chill away. "Okay, bad idea." Lacie said to no one in particular. Rinsing herself off one final time, Lacie slipped out of the showers and redressed, after drying herself off with one of the ever present white towels.

Deciding to do something to keep her mind off the upcoming events, Lacie slipped into the library and picked up a new book. Flopping down into her favorite chair, Lacie began to read. It only seemed like a few minutes before Lacie realized how late it was. She had almost missed dinner. Dashing downstairs, Lacie caught up with the other girls outside the dining hall. Puffing her apologies, Lacie walked in with the rest of them. Dinner was a tense affair, conversation being short, undercurrents of expectation and nervousness permeating the air as they ate. Finally, dinner was over and Lacie decided to head upstairs to bed.

Making her way upstairs, Lacie unexpectedly found herself following Master. Immediately, Lacie felt a sensation of heat wash over her body, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she watched him slowly move towards his room. A warm feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach, making Lacie twist her fingers with indecision. Lacie bit her lip as she raised one hand towards him, fighting her own feelings as Lacie battled the frightening sensations within her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out of her suddenly tight throat.

Silently frozen in the middle of the hall, Lacie watched Master's retreating back till he vanished behind his huge door. Finally, Lacie's body seemed to thaw, and her shoulders slumped as she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Lacie bit her lip as she ducked her head into her bouncing tresses, her heart hammering in her chest as she pushed the door to her room open. Lacie's knees shook as she pulled in shuddering breath after shuddering breath. Her legs too weak to support her, Lacie leaned against the back of her door, nearly hyperventilating as she thought about what had just happened.