I stepped to the end of the main counter to take a number and gestured the others towards the waiting area. Turning, I watched Lenore sit with the group of men and women talking. Some had slaves still with them but several did not. The three slaves we brought found seats to one side close enough to listen to the conversation.
"We were told to wait until after everybody checked in their slaves." one man offered as explanation when I joined the group. "They have something 'special' for us. Probably another way for the parish to get more money out of us." He smiled. "I wouldn't mind doling out some extra cash if they spent it fixing the damn roads." That was a common theme state-wide. A running joke as everyone knew roadways were one of the last parts of the infrastructure to get attention yet the main talking point for a candidate seeking election. When a road development project did begin, it would linger for years before completion.
One slave sat with her head down, sniffling. Her owner nodded toward her blonde head and grinned as she said, "My other slave came home last week and scared her with horror stories of what happens here at slave camp. I warned her to keep her shit straight or she'd spend a weekend here, too. I thought that would be enough to straighten out her behavior but I underestimated her stupidity. It's her own fault she's here today. She showed a little too much attitude and here she is. If she doesn't learn from this lesson, I'll sell the bitch and she can be somebody else's problem. Hopefully she'll go to somebody with a strong arm and a mean whip. I don't think she respects my paddle."
"Please, ma'am. I respect you and your paddle. I tried to behave. Jennifer goaded me into that fight. She wouldn't leave me alone. She pushed me until I reacted. Then she flopped on the ground and screamed like I was the one attacking her. She totally set me up." the muscular blonde slave whimpered. "I'll be good. Please just take me home."
"No way. You need the training. A little slave camp indoctrination will do you good. It didn't cure Jen but it seemed to help her attitude apart from your infighting. And you know what I promised if you mess up and I get a single bad report from the staff here." the woman said.
"Please, Gretchen." the woman's sniffling increased. "I'll do my best. But please, don't do that to me."
I looked at the slave. She was very cute with shoulder length, highlighted hair. She wore a light jacket and loose sweat pants so I could not tell her shape but she appeared thin with broad shoulders. Her hunched over posture concealed the rest.
Lenore asked how long she had the slave. The blonde turned to look sharply at Lenore when she spoke. Did I see a flash of recognition in the upset slave's face?
"Just shy of a month. Both the girls I have are stupid bitches. Not unintelligent, just no impulse control. They fly off the handle at the slightest thing. They were single women from a nearby apartment complex who I had seen around and said hello to a few times. I was hosting a backyard party for several of my friends. Both girls are pretty hot so I invited them. I didn't know there was a standing conflict between them. They once got into an argument over a man they both knew and it turned physical. That shows you how dumb they are."
"Instead of staying away from each other at the barbecue, they started arguing. Next thing you know, the grill is knocked over on my wood patio deck which caught fire and they are throwing shit at each other. Some of the stuff they threw were bottles of liquor. That really got the blaze going. By the time the rest of us got them separated, restrained and the fire under control, the deck had been badly burned and the back of my house scorched. They got four years each for negligent damage over twenty thousand dollars. The damage was accidental but the fight was not. That made it criminal according to the parish. They'd have got off with a fine if they hadn't run their mouths in the court room. And despite having good jobs, neither had any money to pay damages so I got their butts as restitution." The woman grinned. "To tell the truth, I came out ahead on the deal. I own their asses for the next four years. I kept their clothes so I didn't have to buy new stuff and I get to put them to work and collect their paychecks."
The slave glared at her owner sourly at the last comment despite her obvious fear of the woman. "I don't blame either one for being totally pissed she got enslaved. They got a raw deal." the woman continued. "But their anger should not be directed at me. I did not engineer their fight nor push for enslavement. But when a house burns, somebody wants restitution. I could have let the insurance company take them which is what the company really wanted. The insurance lawyer actually asked for them. As hot as they are, both girls would have wound up over in Texas at one of the big slave markets, strutting her stuff like a whore to be sold as a sex toy. I sucked up some of the repair costs and got them instead. They should be grateful. Instead I get drama and attitude. They apparently don't like my lifestyle, not that I really care. I guess they'd rather be sucking cock than licking pussy." The other free people chuckled. I personally wondered how fair the arrangement really was. I started to say something about a look between Lenore and the blonde. Lenore caught my eye and shook her head. She whispered she would explain later.
A few of the other slave owners said they bought their girls at a slave sale or from an individual online. Only a couple got theirs as restitution. "I thought owning a slave would be fun." one man groused. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties. I recognized a geek when I saw one. I could identify. "You know, a girl at home ready to service you whenever you want with whatever you want, sex, food or just taking care of the cleaning. But it is a pain in the ass! One of my friends told me I have to make sure I feed her and all that. Take care of her. This is an adult woman right? She should know to fix food if she gets hungry and I am not home! ""
"I work a lot. I come home late three or four nights a week. She calls me to make sure she knows when I'll be there so she can fix dinner for us. "The other night, I tell her to just cook whatever we had and she grills a couple fifteen dollar a pound steaks I had in the freezer. Forty bucks worth of meat, she cooks. It's cold by the time I get home. The salad is warm and wilted. The potatoes, inedible. She says she just did what I said. That was the only food left because I was too busy to buy groceries. I'm hoping I can get her to understand her role by bringing her here or something!" I looked at the woman seated demurely next to him with her face down. A slight smile flashed before she hid it. I glanced at my own girls. They were all working hard to conceal their smirks.
"How did you come to own her?" Lenore asked.
"I wanted a slave. You know, a pretty female. I live by myself and don't have a girlfriend. So I went to the auction and bought one." the guy said. Lenore asked what the girl did to get enslaved. The man looked at Lenore blankly like he did not understand the question. Then he said he never thought to ask. He turned red as he said, "I just wanted to own a pretty girl."
"My supposed best friend, my roommate, was screwing my boyfriend when I was at work." the slave offered quietly. "I poured some gas into her car and torched it. When she came running out half naked, I started beating the shit out of her. I got charged with destruction of property over twenty thousand dollars, plus assault with intent to do bodily harm." The slave giggled, "It should have read facial not bodily harm. I pounded the bitch's face as hard as I could. I didn't do that much damage since she was still able to walk when they pulled me off her but she is gonna have to find a good surgeon to put her nose together. At least to get her nose sort of in the right place. I was sentenced to twenty years. At first it looked like they were going to give me to her as restitution but when she announced loudly she was gonna fuck up my face as much or more as I did hers, the parish sold me at auction instead. My main regret? If I'd been smart and not blew my top as soon as I caught them, I could have done it carefully and beat the shit out of the bitch without witnesses. I might not have been caught and convicted." She pointed at her owner. "I told him I would do my best to be a good slave, but I can't just sit on my ass at home waiting for him to come home to fuck me on occasion. He barely pays me any attention. I need more. I'm not allowed out of the apartment so I have to wait for him to even buy groceries. He is just too busy at work, 'working on his career'. He has no concept how to treat a girl, slave or otherwise." Her owner blushed scarlet. A few of the other observers bit their lips to avoid making comments about her taking him to task but they were obviously amused at the exchange..
"Wait a minute." Lenore said. "You said you bought your slave through the auction." Rick, the young man nodded. "Didn't you read about what slave camp is supposed to teach a slave?"
Rick looked at Lenore like she was stupid. "Yeah, it's supposed to teach a new slave how to be a better slave. Teach them the rules and how to be better and more obedient."
