Lost in Lisbon

This chapter follows Sofia and Miguel's story as the two work toward making Sofia the new face of Carla's Spa business. After Sofia's public whipping on "The Pillory" Show, we see how she handles her TV interview alongside Miguel. While this chapter has not much sex and is more about previous events in the series, it shows how their relationships changed over time.

And now the second part of "Lost in Lisbon Ch.07: Talk Show"

Please comment rather than just rate. I love to know my readers' opinions.

SOFIA'S POV

As the assistant began the countdown, Tininha and Miguel returned from their break: "3, 2, 1, 0... We're on air!" The stage lights prevented me from seeing the audience--thank goodness for that. What should have been a public relations event had become a second trial. All the images from the car crash and the court proceedings kept playing on loop. I was being whipped on live television once again, but this time the lashes weren't just striking my nude breasts or buttocks, they were hitting me in my very soul. I drew a deep breath; the second part was about to begin.

"Miguel you said not to have planned to have Sofia, yet accepted her as a judicial slave. What is your perspective on this new penal approach?" The question had merit, Tininha hadn't written this herself I thought. Miguel settled down into his chair, thinking about the response. "Before Sofia came into my possesion, I had... doubts. Now?" A charming smile ran on his face. "I've seen the system's true rehabilitative potential." My tities and ass that's what he saw.

"I imagine Sofia's beauty must have contributed to your change of heart?" Tininha's question came with a mischievous, mocking smile.

"I can't deny that Sofia's... beauty was one of the factors that led me to accept becoming her owner, nor can I say the sex isn't excellent," Miguel replied frankly. "But what matters most is that it's a beneficial system for everyone involved." The reference to sex sparked murmurs throughout the studio.

"And Sofia? Does she agree with your view?" Tininha asked him again like I was not right here to answer.

"I believe she does. There are lots of advantages to being a slave rather than a prisoner, and society benefits as well." Tininha fixed her eyes on me, and I knew I was her next target.

"And you, Sofia? What's your opinion, do you agree? Do you like being Miguel's slave?" Her words were a trap.

"Is the sex excellent?" I flashed a cheeky grin at the audience. "Yes, it is!" The audience chuckled, but then I turned serious. "Do I enjoy being a slave? No! I don't believe anyone could enjoy being a slave, but do I agree with him? is it a good system and an appropriate punishment for most crimes? Yes it is. And I do like Miguel, do I think he's an upright and fair man? Yes." I responded assertively.

"The choice to become a slave was yours, do you think it's a lighter punishment than prison? Was that your goal, to escape a harsher sentence?" How to answer this? I wanted to look like a good person to the audience.

"Unfortunately, yes. When I made that choice, I was truly terrified of prison and hadn't really accepted the gravity of what I'd done," I took a deep breath before continuing. "I made the right choice for the wrong reasons." it was not really a choice at the time I recalled.

"'Wrong reasons?' Tininha asked me feeling the scent of blood. "Or perhaps you chose the right owner? Miguel isn't exactly... an unpleasant man." Her accusation wasn't without truth, my lawyer had investigated Miguel through mutual friends, but I continued my response, ignoring her innuendo.

"Is it a lighter form of punishment? I don't think so! It might seem that way, prisoners are treated brutally and sentences are longer, but in prison everyone is equal. As a judicial slave, my punishment is not easier...perhaps it is even more severe in some ways."

"What ways? Does Miguel have peculiar appetites?" She asked maliciously.

"No, Miguel doesn't have peculiar appetites, but if he did, I would have to submit to them." I almost snapped, then... I Continued to answer. "Your question is one example of the other forms of punishment a judicial slave endures. The constant judgment of others the first thing people see in me now isn't my red hair, my smile, my breasts, or my legs. The first thing free citizens see is this," I said, pointing to the metal collar around my neck, every word ringing true. Prison would have been simpler, there I would have been just another criminal, as a slave, every person I meet on the street becomes judge, jury, and executioner.

"The wrong reasons you said. What were those reasons, Sofia, and what changed?" she asked, now in a more neutral tone.

"Miguel took me to the beach," I answered, but before I could continue, she interrupted me.

"To the beach?" Her annoying voice was predatory again. "In a bikini, under the sun, enjoying your owner's... attentions?" The insinuation was unjust and cruel, suggesting I had just traded prison for sexual pleasure.

"I thought the same thing," I replied to her calmly. "A murderer wasn't supposed to be there on a deserted beach, enjoying the sun and sea, and my owner's 'attentions' weren't unpleasant. I didn't desire them at the time, but sex was part of my sentence." I took a deep breath, remembering that day.

"And what apart from Miguel's afeccion, happened of so dramatic at this beach?" Tininha pursued, her eyes gleaming with anticipation of some scandalous revelation.

"Miguel had sex with me in the ocean. Despite my initial reluctance, I found myself enjoying it. Afterwards, we applied sunscreen to each other," I took a breath before continuing.

"Sex on the ocean, sexy massages..." she let the words hang. I heard the titters from the audience. Another humiliation.

"Miguel took a camera, and... and he... Started taking photos of me, nude." the image she had painted of me, a drunk, that chose slavery over the prison, having sex and taking naughty pictures.

"These photos?" The beach images appeared on the gigantic screens. In some, my fanny and titties were visible. One, the last one showed my face contorted with rage, screaming at Miguel while trying to cover my body.

"Yes, that photo. Now everyone has seen my naked body, but at the time, the idea that nude photos of me might be shared on the net was terrifying."

"And why?" her voice carried a false empathy.

"I'm a teacher, it's always been my dream. Miguel had promised I could continue working, but those photos..." my voice broke. "They would destroy everything. Each click felt like he was erasing who I was. I felt betrayed, destroyed. I tried to strike at Miguel." The mention of my attempted assault stirred murmurs in the audience.

"But aren't slaves supposed to be unable to attack anyone?" Tininha feigned surprise.

"And we can't." I touched my collar, the memory of pain still fresh. "The collar stopped my blow. I received a... shock so strong that it made me lose consciousness for several minutes." The shock had also made me pee on my legs, but I left that part out.

"And that shock? Was that what changed your perspective?" Her tone now softened, almost empathetic.

"No, the shock just made me aware. Miguel was the one that changed me. Instead of punishing me, he explained that those photos wouldn't change anything, that I could still continue being a teacher."

"And then?" Tininha asked, she wanted more and more juicier details.

"He gripped my body in his arms, kissed my tears, and told me to go wash myself in the ocean." I took a deep breath before continuing. "That's when I went into the sea and swam. That's when I understood what it felt like to lose everything, to lose something more precious than life itself. I wanted to escape. When I realized it, I was 200 meters from the beach."

Tears started falling as I continued. "I wanted to return, but I was already tired. I felt I had gone too far, that I might not make it. I swam with all my strength, but swallowed water as I tried to breathe. I was still 50 meters out. I swam harder but choked again. I felt I might not come back, but something brought me back to the surface, gave me strength to swim those last meters, as if a voice told me to swim something forced me to continue, despite my exhausted muscles. Finally, Miguel noticed and helped me, warmed me with his body." I couldn't hold back my tears.

"Something helped you survive," Tininha's voice had a serious tone. "This... mysterious person that saved you from drowning, who exactly was it?"

"I don't think it was someone, but something," I answered slowly, choosing my words, so I didn't look like a crazy person. "Something that gave me strength, that showed me I couldn't keep running away, that I had to face the actions I had committed and make amends for it."

"Sofia, you killed a man, a young man." Tininha let the words hang in the air for a moment. "How can you make amends for that?"

"I can't," my voice trembled but remained steady. "Even if I offered my own life, it wouldn't bring Luís back. But I can share the pain I caused his family, especially his mother." Miguel had placed his hand on mine and offered me a tissue to wipe my tears.

"Miguel, what was your reaction to Sofia's change? When did you notice it?" I was glad the focus was now on Miguel, as it gave me time to breathe from the intense moment.

"I only realized it a day or two later, when I had to present proof to the court that I had the proper means to carry out the sentence of 500 lashes. I had postponed this duty because I feared it would be a moment of conflict, with screaming and begging." As he spoke, I remembered that day, how he had avoided having sex with me and only allowed me to give him his usual wakeup blowjob. At the time, I was hurt that he hadn't told me what was going to happen, but now I understand his attitude.

"And what happened that day, when you had to use the whip on Sofia to carry out the court-imposed sentence?" Tininha went on. "The whip is very unusual too, but tell us Miguel what happened," I remembered well what had occurred. Miguel took a deep breath before answering.

"The whip was sent to me by Luís's mother," his voice was calm but intense. "It has the words 'Mother's Love' engraved on the handle and it's unusual because it is made of hippopotamus leather, but also because of its short length. This first whipping session was meant to demonstrate to the court that this whip could inflict an appropriate level of pain without causing any bleeding or permanent damage."

"Didn't you think it was cruel?" Tininha asked with pure venom. "That knowing you would use that whip on her later, you still allowed her to... wake you in the usual way?"

"I wanted everything to seem as normal as possible, uncomfortable, bthat morning blowjob felt uncomfortable, but was not cruel. Fortunately, she was also anxious about returning to teaching after her sentencing, and didn't ask me to return the pleasure." Tininha's eyes lit up at this detail - now I couldn't be portrayed as the poor chaste slave merely submitting to her owner's appetites.

"She used to ask you for sex? I thought sex was something you forced Sofia to do. Sofia, all my sources describe you as frigid and averse to carnal pleasures?" I felt my face flush. It was true 'The red Nun,' they called me behind my back in school, I had never known pleasure before Miguel.

"You see, Tininha, I established from the beginning that I would use her for sex, and Sofia, although uncomfortable at first, always fulfilled her duties with extreme dedication, including sex," Miguel came to my rescue once again.

"If I may, Sir..." I interrupted him, "sex was part of my daily chores, an activity I performed with the same diligence and pride as cooking or cleaning the house, I wouldn't have been fulfilling the oath I took when I became Miguel's slave if I performed as a passive or reluctant sex partner."

"And did that oath include accepting 500 lashes too? How was facing that first session?"

"No!" I responded firmly. "The lashes were imposed by the court. They were separate from my oath to Miguel."

I paused, gathering my thoughts. "What I chose was to understand and accept that these lashes were a just punishment... an opportunity to atone for all the pain I had caused. And Miguel... I deeply admire him for taking on the responsibility of being my executioner. It wasn't part of our original arrangement, and I know it's become increasingly difficult for him." My words were met with a hand squeeze from Miguel

Tininha then asked him. "If it's so difficult for you, Miguel, why did you choose to administer the lashes yourself? Wouldn't it have been easier to ask the court to appoint a corrections officer? Especially now that you've developed a more... intimate relationship with your Sofia." Miguel paused, his hand again finding mine in a gesture of support. "As I said before, Tininha, I support the current legal system and consider Sofia's punishment just. Inflicting pain on another human being is a distressing task for anyone who isn't a psychopathic sadist." His voice grew firmer. "But when I accepted Sofia as my judicial slave, I also accepted the responsibility of carrying out her sentence, of 500 lashes, in the manner and time I deem appropriate. Sofia wants me to do it as soon as possible, but I think I have 7 years to do it."

Tininha then played the video Miguel had sent to the court, along with my statement and apology to Luís's mother on the giant screen. The studio went silent.

"This moment is remarkable," Tininha noted softly. "Was this the moment when you noticed the change in Sofia?"

"Yes," Miguel answered, his gaze meeting mine. "The way she faced the lashes, in silence, unrestrained, completely changed my perspective of her."

"Was that the moment you fell in love with your slave?" Tininha asked him, with a sweet voice, intended to capture the fantasies of the audience.

"No, Tininha, it wasn't," Miguel replied. "That was the moment I realized Sofia was truly human, that she could control her instincts, that she chose dignity."

"And Sofia, did you notice the change in how Miguel viewed you? What changed?"

"The change was mine, an inner transformation. I stopped seeing myself as a victim of an unjust system and became someone who had to face and correct my mistakes. My perspective of Miguel changed too, he was no longer just my owner who liked to fu... " I corrected the word, but it was true; I had only made love with Miguel once, all other times my owner had fucked me. "...have sex with me, or display me half-naked in public. I began to see him as someone who also cared for and protected me."

"How did he protect you?"

"After whipping me, he applied cream and ice to my welts, but more importantly, later he made sure I could continue being a teacher and maintain my position as Vice Principal. He fought for me and kept his word from the beach." I didn't mention that keeping my job meant stripping in front of my principal daily, but I had managed to keep my position despite many people's opposition.

"Did your students accept your new situation? And the parents?" She asked, this time she sounded like an old friend. Tininha was not the dumb blonde bimbo everyone saw, she mastered the art of manipulation.

"All the students supported me, and most parents did too. In fact, the head of the parents' association was very pleased that I continued teaching." That fact alone was enough reason to be immensely grateful to Miguel.

"Miguel," Tininha's tone now turned accusatory, "what made a man who claims to care for his slave enter her in a show like 'The Pillory'? It doesn't seem like the action of someone who cares for her."

And it wasn't. He looked at me, but before he could answer, I spoke up.

"It doesn't seem like it because it wasn't Miguel's idea. The decision to participate in 'The Pillory' was mine." I noticed the audience fall silent. "In fact, I had to convince him to let me do what he called, a bloody madness."

"And why did you want to do... this madness?" Now she sounded perplexed.

"Because, as I said, the pain I caused can never be erased, but if my own pain can help ease that feeling... And I decided it should be public, just as my crime was public." It was true that I needed to expiate my guilt, but the public exposure was also a pretext to make me acceptable as a model, something I didn't want to be either, but which Miguel and Carla had imposed on me, but now I was on board so...

"Miguel, you eventually agreed to participate with Sofia. Do you agree with her view that the punishment should be public?" Miguel smiled at Tininha.

"I completely understand Sofia's need to atone for her guilt... And her wish to do it publicly, but I think she went beyond what the court had imposed," he paused, and took a deep breath. "If Major Bodorova hadn't been freed mid-show by the SIS agents, Sofia might have received 100 or more lashes. I don't know if I would have been capable of inflicting such punishment all at once."

I wondered if the Russian spy's liberation had been a good thing or not. On one hand, I could have fulfilled a more substantial part of my sentence, be it in short sessions of 10 or 100 my body will have to feel all those 500 lashes. On the other hand, the drama of her unexpected release had brought higher ratings to the show, which perfectly served our purposes with Carla. The public loved a good dose of drama, especially when it involved naked women, Russian spies, and whipping.

"Sofia," Tininha's voice had a predatory interest. "Miguel keeps telling us how much emotional suffering it causes him to be responsible for executing your sentence. Yet with the Russian spy, he showed no... reluctance, in fact, he volunteered for the task. What do you think about this... double standard from your owner?"

I didn't know how to answer, no I didn't want to answer. "I think that's a question better answered by Miguel," I said, then added, "I believe he's a man who doesn't shirk from duty, whether it's pleasant or painful."

"Miguel is that true, what Sofia said about your dedication to duty? Or, as the footage suggests, did you take great pleasure in whipping Major Bodorova?" I didn't understand this fixation on the Russian woman, but Miguel smiled and answered.

"I wouldn't say I took pleasure in whipping the Russian, but I did greatly enjoy serving my country, especially after Russian intelligence had just poisoned the officer responsible for carrying out their agent's punishment." His response was politically correct, but I had noticed how he had deliberately targeted her nipples while he had spared that sensitive area on my breasts. The pain level was the same, but the method wasn't. Despite his denial, this duality in Miguel's nature was evident, tender with me, precise, and almost surgical in his cruelty to Marina. The monitors showed both whippings side by side, and while I couldn't acknowledge it openly, I saw the difference.

On giant screens, the footage from "The Pillory" kept playing in a loop. Side by side, the same whip, two different women. The impact on my skin was hypnotic, each stroke deforming my breasts in slow motion, the flesh quivering under the leather, the whipp moving in ss like a snake, red marks appearing instantly on my white skin. On the other screen beside it, Marina Bodorova, her smaller breasts with larger pink nipples, mine, now tinted brown by Miguel to enhance the contrast with my pale skin. But the real difference lay in the screams, my painful silence against Marina Bodorova's animalistic shrieks with each kiss of "mother love."

"Miguel, we can all see that the lashes both women are receiving on their breasts are of similar intensity. How do you explain Sofia's silence?"

"The pain was equal for both, we can see that in the monitors, but I think the big difference is that Sofia behaved like a human, She accepted that the punishment and associated pain were part of her growth process, acknowledging that there are no escapes or shortcuts. Meanwhile, Marina behaved like a wild animal that only wanted to escape the pain and punishment. Unfortunately, she succeeded." The tone of admiration he showed when speaking about me made me momentarily forget the shame of seeing my naked breasts repeatedly whipped on the giant screen.