Reflections

My period of unconsciousness is much shorter than the last. Beeping machines and a smell of disinfectant is the first thing I'm aware of. I assume I'm somewhere in the medical area of the complex, although not a part I've been in before.

I don't hurt anywhere, and I'm hydrated by a drip in my arm, but my mouth still feels dry and there's no water nearby.

The air is deliciously cool, the bed is soft, and the lights are dim, so I let myself doze again.

I'm not sure how much time passes, as the room is windowless. It could be day or night.

"Oh good, you're awake."

A doctor, her speech heavily accented, but perfectly clear. She pours me a water and I drink it greedily.

"Slowly! Your stomach is still going to be tender."

I dip my head in apology and sip instead.

"Any pain?"

"No, Mistress."

Her eyes soften a little.

'Doctor' is fine.'

She places a button next to me,

"If you need anything, use this to call a nurse."

"Yes Doctor, thank you."

I'm left to my own devices for a day or so. Soon I'm able to use the bathroom and take a shower by myself - it feels like too quiet:

I try not to feel angry but the uncertainty is unbearable. My injuries are superficial - bite marks, bruises and scrapes that are healing well..

Beyond knowing I'm relatively unscathed, I'm in the dark. I might not be owed an explanation, but that doesn't stop me wanting one.

So, when someone finally comes for me, our 'yoga' Mistress is not who I expected to see. She only speaks in fluent Arabic, but that doesn't stop her fussing over me and exclaiming at my cuts and bruises. She gives me a light dress and sandals to exchange for my medical gown - the doctor seems frustrated that I'm being removed from her care, but I find the silence of the medical wing oppressive, and I'm relieved to leave the stillness behind.

At the end of a corridor, we descend a couple of flights of stairs, then begin our walk down a seemingly endless passage way. Marble tiles, white walls, but I suspect we're underground - the desert sun makes walking any distance almost impossible..

The only area I know other than the camp is the medical facility we just left behind us. Any visits would involve a short drive there and back in a flatbed with my fellow slaves

When we reach the opposite end of the passage, the stairs are identical to the previous ones. The heavy, windowless door locks behind us. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.

A beautiful atrium, softly lit. with a fountain in the middle. Hallways lead off both sides, and from the first and second storey landings, which are reached by a wide marble staircase on either side of the room. Double doors and high windows open out onto a long terrace, shaded with greenery, and beyond that I can see lush gardens, filled with flowers and trees. An oasis in a sea of sand. It's wonderfully cool, despite the heat outside. The sky outside is streaked with pink and gold - evening, fading into night..

The Mistress leads me to a room on the first floor. The room is lightly furnished, but the bed is large and covered with turquoise silk. A door leads off either side, one to a bathroom with a walk in shower. There's towels, toiletries... even a mirror, that I don't bother to look in.

The other door is closed, and when my Mistress leaves, I have no desire to investigate it further. I'm uneasy about my unfamiliar surroundings, but suddenly lacking the energy to worry about it any further. I fall into bed, but it's still too quiet so I open the small window, and fall asleep to the sound of tinkling fountains and chirping crickets.

-------------------------------------------------

I jump awake to a darkened room, a weight in the bed next to me, and a hand over my mouth.

"Surprise, little slave."

I study his face, shadowed in the dim light but his expression isn't giving anything away. He makes me wait for far too long before breaking into his stupid, smug grin.

"Go ahead, slut. Ask your question."

"Thank you, Master. What did you find when you arrived?"

"The Master of the other camp was deceased, having succumbed to the sting of a venomous scorpion, which I located under his corpse. Some of his men were ready to defile one of our most valuable slaves, although they had little opportunity to cause much harm."

"Yes, Master. Will the men face consequences for their actions?"

"These men were traitors to our Master, so they were dealt with accordingly."

"And the remaining men, Master?"

"The first priority should have been to ensure the slave received proper medical attention, after suffering a sting from the scorpion herself. Had she passed, our Master would have lost a valuable commodity.

Once this was taken care of, I reported my findings to our Master. He was furious, but I was able to pacify him with my own solutions."

"May I know the solutions, Master?"

"So many questions, slut. Even for you. The camp slaves have been moved to a building within the complex and I will be responsible for their training, whether they are domestic or international. Any handlers who were resistant to these changes burned to the ground, along with the camp itself."

He has the answer to my next question before I've even opened my mouth.

"Your flower is fine. She stayed by my side until I was summoned, and then she was left under the care of my men."

I still sense there's more to come, so we wait. I study his face for any hint of what might come next whilst amusement dances in his dark eyes. His arrogance has become less grating with time, but when he plays with me like this I start to hate him all over again.

"So impatient, when I was just saving the best for last. You are to graduate, along with your flower and some others, to your next stage of training. You are worthy enough of further investment."

I knew that this day would come but I'm not ready. I say nothing, my eyes burning into his.

"Why so quiet, slut? This is a good thing. You will remain here, with plenty of comforts, and more training until you are ready for auction."

I still say nothing, dropping my eyes to stare at my hands. I usually give in by now, and I can tell he's becoming irritated. He's here for one thing, but he's never had to take it before - I always give in to him. He grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"You think you are that different to the other slaves? That I would buy you myself? That you were going to share my bed forever? I only chose you as I knew you would submit. I groomed you. I used you. You are just a slave. A loyal and useful slave, yes, but that is where it ends."

His expression and tone are angry, his grip on my chin hard, but I'm still not convinced so I stare him down. Eventually, his expression relaxes and he snorts in exasperation.

"What? You cannot have thought this was love? Whatever you feel is not love for me, slave. How you feel about your little flower, that might be love. But not this."

He isn't wrong. The way I feel about Ume is completely different. Suddenly he's grinning, loss of control forgotten, back to feeling like he has the upper hand.

"Oh, you are such a

needy

slave. Did you really think I'd forgotten to reward you? Surely by now you must know i am a man of my word."

He pulls me closer and shifts my weight until I'm straddling his hips, with my hands pressed against his broad chest. His wicked grin makes me burn with irritation and an entirely different kind of heat.

"You think I didn't know what you were imagining that first time? You are a

predictable,

needy-"

His words are cut off by a sharp intake of breath as I bear down on his cock and take his full length inside me. I don't want to take it slow - I'm burning with frustration and desperate for release.

He lets me set our pace, and I keep one hand on his chest whilst pressing down on his neck with the other. It barely makes it half way around his neck, but the switch of power is heady for both of us, and we're suddenly gasping for breath and his hands are on my hips, driving himself deeper into me.

I'm overcome with the urge to dig my nails into him, bite him, leave something of myself that'll keep him thinking about me for days to come, but I know my place.

He senses my hesitation, and stills me to a second. His eyes burn into mine as we try to catch our breath.

"Stop holding back, slut."

I don't need to be told twice. I dig my nails deep into his neck and chest as I grind myself into him harder and faster. I feel the tension building in both of us, and when I begin to moan too loudly his fingers find my mouth so I can bite and suck on them.

"Such a good girl... just like that..."

And then we can hold on no longer, and he yanks my head down to kiss me, hard and desperate, and I bite and suck his bottom lip, over and over, even once I taste blood.

My body has barely stilled when he pulls his lips from mine and meets my eyes, trying to regain his composure. His grin is smug, arrogant, and

infuriating

, as he motions for me to sit up again. Then he slides down the bed, until I'm straddling his face with his tongue teasing my clit. My legs are already trembling as I grind myself into his mouth so he steadies me with one hand and slips two fingers inside me with the other. I grab fistfuls of his hair, dig my nails into his scalp, and gasp when he tenses his fingers and matches my pace with his tongue..

Thinking about his submission, how he must taste himself between my legs as he worships me with his tongue has me drunk with power. Maybe I will never get the chance to take the lead again, but getting him to submit to me like this is something that no Master can ever take from me. For a moment I understand the other side, why a Master loves to take control, whatever the cost.

And then the clarity is lost as waves of pleasure rip through my body, and I'm moaning In delight and soaking his lips, face and fingers. His hum of pleasure whilst his tongue is still pressed up to my clit has me squirming, and he tightens his grip on me so he can take his time licking clean.

Then he's out from underneath me, behind me, forcing my face into the bed and his cock inside me, reminding me who I belong to. There is not a hint of gentleness left as he drives into me, digging his fingers into my hips harder with each thrust.

He's hurting me, but the pain feels good and I relax in the peace of submission as he uses my body how he wants. He's silent until he finishes, his strangled moan stifled as he collapses on top of me. Then he rolls onto his side and pulls me close, still inside me and I mould myself to his body before I fall into a deep sleep.

When I awake, no trace of him is left except a sweet, sharp pain deep inside me whenever I move. Sunlight streams through a gap in the curtains and I stretch out in bed - anxiousness and anticipation mixing with the glow from the night before.

Out of nowhere a door opens, and suddenly Ume is in my bed, holding me tight, showering me with kisses and chattering in Japanese. When we get up to shower, I peek through the doorway and realise she's sleeping in the room right next to me, just like before. Hands really did take care of us.

As I relax from the heat of the water and her sweet hands and mouth, I feel only relief. I trust that my Master knows what's best for me, and I have Ume at my side. I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else.

Fin....for now