Hunter sat in Royâ€'‬s office and sipped on his bourbon.†‬It was a little early in the day for liquor,†‬but Hunter was still getting back on Nevada time.†‬Roy was in his usual chair behind the desk and swirled the ice and liquor in his glass.†‬He normally did not drink at nine in the morning either,†‬unless it was a mimosa or a nice porter,†‬but was being social with his friend.†‬Hunter was back from catching another runaway slave and was finishing telling Roy the story.
â€"‬The†‬thing is,â€"‬ Hunter declared,†"‬nearly all the slaves who run away just do it for the extra attention.†‬Slaves want to be slaves,†‬they do not want their freedom and would not know what to do with it if they had it.†‬If their owners would just treat their slaves correctly,†‬I wouldnâ€'‬t have to†‬do as much work.â€"
"What do you mean†‬'correctlyâ€'‬?" Roy was young but made it a point of not thinking he knew everything.†‬If Hunter was going to impart another pearl of wisdom,†‬Roy was eager to take it.
â€"‬Every slave is a little different,â€"‬ Hunter explained.†"‬They want different things out of their servitude.†‬Some want more brutality,†‬they want to be beaten and whipped.†‬Some want the sex,†‬and as much sex as possible as often as possible.†‬Others just want the attention,†‬they want to be so desired that nothing will stop their owners from having them.†‬For most slaves,†‬it is some combination of the above.†‬Frankly,†‬if I could figure it out completely I might actually get a slave.†‬I just wish the owners who had slaves would make a little effort to figure out their†‬slaves before they run away and I have to go to South-freaking-Carolina to bring one back.â€"
"Come on Hunter,â€"‬ Roy said with a smile,†"‬you love it.†‬You get to hunt people and fuck beautiful women.†‬You want them to run away just so you can catch them.â€"
Hunter tried to frown,†‬but broke into a smile and laughed.†"‬Youâ€'‬re right,†‬Roy.†‬Chasing bail jumpers is fun,†‬too,†‬but the sex at the end is missing.†‬Catching a cute little slave and fucking the hell out of her is much better than dragging some stinky meth head back to Vegas to stand trial for car theft.â€"
"So how was this one�"‬ Roy asked.
â€"‬You mean the sexâ€?"‬ Hunter smiled.
â€"‬Yeah,†‬you told me about the pursuit,†‬how did the sex goâ€?"
"Nice,†‬very nice,â€"‬ Hunter grinned remembering it.†"‬As a rule,†‬they usually donâ€'‬t run†‬away again.†‬This one might,†‬she really loved it rough.†‬Iâ€'‬m not sure her owner is up to the challenge.†‬He may need to bring in a crew to gang bang her once a week.â€"
"The right owner for the right slave is a challenge,â€"‬ Roy said with a knowing grin.
â€"‬Roy,†‬you either got lucky with Elaine or you did enough research to find the perfect slave for you,â€"‬ Hunter pointed at Roy.†"‬What you want from a slave and what she wants as a slave seem to be in almost perfect harmony.†‬Although,†‬it could just be that she would be a perfect slave for any owner and you just got her first.â€"
"Could be.†‬We may find out soon enough,â€"‬ Roy said ruefully.â€
Hunter turned serious and asked Roy.†"‬How are your problems with the Association�"
"Not good,â€"‬ Roy frowned.†"‬My work taking out Markâ€'‬s operation is going to keep me out of any long term trouble,†‬but there are immediate problems that they may take me to task on.â€"
"Thatâ€'‬s too bad,†‬but you know how they are.†‬They are sticklers for rules and they have lots and lots of rules.†‬Were you even aware of the ones you brokeâ€?"
"Vaguely.†‬The general ones I knew well but figured the penalty was minor.†‬The special addendum was buried in one of their yearly updates.†‬The last update was†‬463†‬pages and itâ€'‬s not like they have a decent index or†‬summary,†‬either.†‬I think that they try to make it obscure and difficult.†‬The fact that Amanda contested it caught me off†‬guardâ€;‬ I thought everything was cool with her.â€"
"Thatâ€'‬s too bad,†‬Roy.†‬Is there anything I can do to helpâ€?"‬ Hunter asked.
â€"‬In the big pictureâ€? ‬No,â€"‬ Roy answered with an exasperated sigh.†"‬Iâ€'‬ve got Greg looking it all over as a lawyer but the big problem is that I am guilty of everything of which they are accusing me.â€"
"How about offering to take down the Canadian end of Markâ€'‬s operationsâ€?"‬ Hunter asked.†"‬Iâ€'‬d love to get in on that.â€"‬ What Hunter knew of the fate of some of the slaves Mark had sold sickened him and he was not a squeamish man.
â€"‬Maybe,â€"‬ Roy shrugged.†"‬That could keep me in good standing and get a reward later,†‬but Elaine is the sticking point right now and they usually toe the line on rules for individual claims on slaves.†‬The whole Association is built upon secure property rights and all the rules that go with that.â€"
"Well,†‬you know youâ€'‬ve got me and the team if you†‬head north,â€"‬ Hunter said.â€
"Thanks,†‬Hunter,â€"‬ Roy answered sincerely,†"‬I appreciate that.â€"
"As long as it goes better than our last trip to Canada,â€"‬ Hunter said with a wink and they both laughed.
â€"‬Greg and I are meeting with the Association people handling this case tonight,â€"‬ Roy said.†"‬We are doing it here and I would like to have Elaine out of their immediate grasp.†‬Donâ€'‬t let anyone take her until you hear from me first.†‬Do you have everything lined up for tonightâ€?"
Roy and Hunter had been meaning to reward some of the men who had helped them by letting them have Elaine for a night.†‬It had been hard to get anyone scheduled,†‬everyone seemed to have something else going on,†‬but suddenly a bunch became available on the same night.†‬Roy would have preferred†‬to spread them out over a few days or weeks,†‬but time was growing short and this was one of the few nights where any were going to†‬be†‬around.†‬He wanted to reward them and also to build up some goodwill for when he needed them later.†‬Elaine would do as she†‬was†‬toldâ€;‬ Roy was confident about that and even more confident about Hunter getting her to obey.†‬Maybe he should have warned Elaine about what he had in store for her,†‬but he liked surprising his slave sometimes.
â€"‬No worries about bringing her back,â€"‬ Hunter said with a laugh.†"‬I always return what I borrow.†‬After weâ€'‬re done with her she definitely wonâ€'‬t be running.†‬Iâ€'‬ve got Bruce and Bligh and a couple of others lined up for tonight.â€"
"Thatâ€'‬s fine,â€"‬ Roy said.†"‬They need a little reward for their work with Mark.†‬Do as you wish with her.†‬Let me wake her up and have her get ready.†‬I was pretty rough with her last night,†‬she might be a little sore and tired,†‬but donâ€'‬t worry about that.†‬You can take her when you go.â€"‬ He pushed the button on the intercom that rang Elaineâ€'‬s room.
Roy pushed the button again and a sleepy voice answered†"‬yes,†‬Master�"
"Slave,†‬get cleaned up and dressed,â€"‬ Roy ordered.†"‬Shorts,†‬blouse and sandals.†‬Be in the kitchen in†‬20†‬minutes.†‬You can have coffee then.â€"
"Yes,†‬Master,â€"‬ Elaine answered.
Roy turned the intercom off and stood up.†"‬Letâ€'‬s start some coffee.†‬I do enjoy that woman and I hope I donâ€'‬t have to give her up.â€"
"Does Elaine know anything about all of this�"‬ Hunter asked and finished his drink.
â€"‬Not yet,â€"‬ Roy answered.†"‬I wanted to have something more substantial to tell her.†‬After tonight Iâ€'‬ll tell her what she needs to know.†‬Sheâ€'‬s a slave,†‬sheâ€'‬ll do as sheâ€'‬s told.â€"
They walked into the kitchen and started some coffee.
â€"‬Is Amanda going to be here tonightâ€?"‬ Hunter asked and poured himself another bourbon to tide him over until the coffee was ready.
â€"‬No,â€"‬ Roy frowned.†"‬She really hasnâ€'‬t been seen during all of this.†‬Sheâ€'‬s got a representative and she signs all the relevant papers,†‬but I havenâ€'‬t seen her.†‬I donâ€'‬t know what the hell her problem is.†‬I thought we had all of this worked out.†‬Iâ€'‬d like to be able to sit down with her and see if we could find a solution,†‬but sheâ€'‬s hiding behind her lawyer.â€"