John looked down at Nora, surprised and shocked by what he had just done. He had always been so used to getting whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it, and this included women. He had slept with many women over the years, but never had he forced a single one. They had always come to him, eager and willing. John was a rich, powerful, handsome man, and women had always been drawn to him.
When John saw Nora standing before his table at the saloon when she came to fetch her master, he knew he had to have her. He had never raped, let alone slept with any of his previous slaves. However, when he saw Nora, he felt something stirring within himself and couldn't resist the urge to have her. Everyone in the town was aware of James Thompson's gambling problem, and immediately John decided he would use it to his advantage.
At first John was very enticed by the idea of having such power over Nora and being her master. The thought of her staying just doors down from his bedroom, wearing the clothes he bought for her and serving him in any way imaginable caused an overwhelming desire within him. But now, staring at her, lying down on the bed with tears falling down her delicate face made him realize what a monster he had been that day.
"Nora...Nora, are you alright?" He placed his hand on her cheek, gently stroking it.
She shook her head slightly and tears continued to roll down her cheeks. John realized that she was still naked and had begun to shiver. Determined to make her more comfortable he gently lifted her up and pulled the covers from beneath her body. He laid her back down and covered her up, hoping she may not feel so self-conscious in front of him.
"Nora, I'm so sorry. What I did to you was wrong. I...I just completely lost control." Nora didn't answer, but instead rolled on her side facing away from him.
John realized it was not going to be so easy of a situation where she would just forgive and forget. Reluctantly he stood up from the bed and left the room.
Nora let out a small sigh of relief, thinking he had left her for good. She tried to go to sleep and forget about what happened that night, but the memory would not escape her. About a half an hour later she was interrupted from her thoughts by a soft tap on the door. She quickly sat up to see who it was. Slowly the door opened and Margaret walked in.
"Hello dear," the older woman said as she walked in the room. She went directly towards the closet and pulled out a long blue wrap. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but Master Harris has instructed me to run a bath for you. It is ready now." She walked up to the bed and held the wrap out for Nora. "Come along now." Nora took the wrap from her and sat up to put it around herself. She slowly pulled herself out of the bed and followed Margaret out of the room. It still hurt between her legs and she had to walk carefully. She didn't have far to go though for Margaret directed her to the room next to hers, which was the washroom. There was a large porcelain tub in the center of the floor, filled with steaming hot water and foaming bubbles.
Nora took off the wrap and dropped it on the floor. She noticed Margaret look between her thighs with a surprised look at the mixture of blood and semen. She assisted the young woman into the tub and then began to wash her hair.
"The master laid down with you, didn't he Nora," she said, more as a statement than a question.
"Yes, yes he did. I didn't want to Margaret. Well...at first I did, but then I didn't," she looked down at the water, feeling ashamed.
"Nora, I want you to know something. Master Harris is actually a good man. I know he must seem like such a horrible person for what he did to you. But I want you to know that he has never done this to any of the slaves before."
"How are you so sure?" Nora closed her eyes and relaxed as the woman's hands messaged her aching skull.
"Because Nora, we all talk. We all know the Master's business and each other's business. If he ever did this to someone, we would all know. You are the only one that he has ever had stay so close to his bedroom. Master Harris is different than other slave owners though. Never has he taken a whip or so much raised his hand to any of us. He acquired us all from other masters. Masters he knew wouldn't have taken care of their slaves so well as he would. Being a slave in the first place as you know Nora is a horrible existence. But at least he gave us something better than we had before."
"Did he put you up to this?" Nora sat up and turned around to face Margaret, wanting to see the look in her eyes. "Did he tell you to say all this?"
"No Nora. But when he came to fetch me to run a bath for you, I could see the look of sadness and regret in his eyes. He truly is sorry for what he's done. He thinks you are beautiful Nora, but unfortunately he let his desires come before thinking of the consequences."
