Author's note: I hope you enjoy this chapter or at least find it intriguing. If you are new to this story I suggest reading part 1 and 2 first. Thanks for reading.
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Looking at the captive girl lying on the floor, her wrists tied together and her feet bound, a hundred thoughts went through my mind. The one that finally surfaced was that she looked so young, just a child. Ignoring the 10 minute no talking rule I brought my gaze to Xavier's face and quietly asked, "Xavier, did you buy a child?"
"Laura, we don't deal in children. You should know that. She is eighteen. Her nineteenth birthday is in two months. I insisted on seeing all her documentation before completing the purchase. She is legal."
I snorted at that. Yeah, legal to be captured and sold into slavery. The next thought was much more personal and not so noble. Was he becoming bored of me and this was his answer. Was I being replaced? A conflict erupted in my mind, that I should be happy if he took his sexual pleasure out on someone else and left me alone. But another part of my mind was shaken by that. I knew I wouldn't be released but I had come to enjoy the sex with my owner, or at least saw it as a diversion from the expanding but still limited world that I lived in.
I had to ask, "Is she your new sex toy? Am I not enough?"
He shot me a stern look. I knew I was pushing it but the circumstances had moved me off my base and I was still reeling. He looked at me directly and said in a low monotone, "I am giving you a lot of slack Laura, but you know the limits and the rules. For now I will tell you that I didn't buy her for sex. I will provide more detail later. For now I would like you to take Arie and get her cleaned up and into bed. Until we can do some rearranging in the house and probably some renovations she will stay in your room and you will sleep in mine."
I decided to back off and replied subserviently, "Thank you sir for the information. Could I ask about her bindings. Will you take them off or should I to allow her to shower?"
Instead of answering he turned to the girl on the floor who had been silently eyeing us while listening to the exchange between Xavier and myself. He then spoke to her, "Arie, Laura will help you settle in. I will remove your cuffs and leg bindings if you promise that you won't do anything stupid. Please know that there is nowhere on the Ranch that you can run to. Do you understand what I am saying?"
She sat up and looked at him steadily. She didn't answer his question but instead held out her hands. Xavier studied her for a minute and then said in a low but determined voice, "Arie I expect you to answer my questions promptly and civilly."
"Why? I have no idea who you are and I don't really care. Untie me and let me out of here."
I shuddered at what she had just said. If that had been me mouthing off to him I would get the belt until my ass bled. Surprisingly Xavier just walked around her and looked out the window for a few minutes and then turned to her and said calmly, "Arie, I realize that this is difficult for you to comprehend but you are now my property. I bought you and paid a lot of money for the privilege of having a snarky girl who has no appreciation for what I saved her from. You may not care much about me but let me tell you, if one of the other two men who were bidding for you had succeeded in your purchase you would be in a very much worse place than you are here. I didn't really want another girl but I was unwilling to see one of those men have you."
She seemed to consider this for a moment and then said in a mock contrite tone, "Thank you sir for saving me from those even worse bastards, now can you untie me and drop me off in the nearest town." And then she added as an afterthought, "Please and thank you."
Xavier turned to me and said shortly, "Laura, I will unlock her hands but not her feet. Take her upstairs and out of my sight. I expect her cleaned and in your room in 45 minutes. I will have Mrs. Lawrence bring up some dinner for her. You will dine with me later." With that he pulled her hands up and unlocked the cuffs. He turned and left the room in the direction of the kitchen without saying another word.
Watching the door close I warily moved over and offered my hand to help her up. "Arie, lets go upstairs and get you a shower. You'll feel better."
"Fuck you too! All I want is to go home. Can you at least help me get out of here?"
In a flash I saw myself five years ago. The reality of having been abducted, caged and then sold to the highest bidder was beyond what my mind could comprehend at the time. At first it had seemed like a bad dream that I would awaken from and I would be back at my residence in college. I had no immediate family, with deceased parents and no siblings but I was sure the college would search for me and it would be just a matter of time before I was free from the thugs. It didn't happen. I was sure there was some alarm raised by the school, but with no parents I don't think the search would have lasted long. I believe the traffickers looked for girls and some boys who were like me, almost alone in the world. I wondered if Arie fit this description.
"Arie, will there be anyone looking for you?" I asked tentatively.
"Of course, my girlfriends will be searching."
"How about parents or brothers or sisters?"
"Nope, my dad split from my mom and I years ago and mom kicked me out of her house several months ago. My brother took after his dad. I have no idea where he is." This confirmed my thoughts, that the traffickers profiled girls who could disappear without a whole lot of scrutiny.
"Okay, so lets hope they find you soon. How about cleaning up and getting some dinner while you wait." I didn't want to create false hope but I didn't know how else to approach this. I reached down again and grabbed a hand and helped her up. With the ankle cuffs and a foot and a half of chain she could only hobble up the stairs.
As I led her to the bathroom she asked, "So, are you his wife or girlfriend?"