The Academy

The world came back to me as we drove. As it did, my anger built. As my anger built I realised the emotions it was replacing.

Lust. Desire. Satisfaction. Want.

"What the FUCK!" I yelled at David. We were in the car alone, and the guards weren't in the back. I didn't recall seeing them in the garage either. Why hadn't he brought them?

"Yeah, you did get fucked," David spat. "What, think you will convince me you didn't enjoy it? That you didn't want it?"

"I didn't want it!" I hadn't enjoyed it... had I? Or had I been drugged? Again... I didn't want the answer to that question right now. "You knew..." I accused him. "You knew this would happen!"

"Love, I

told

you this would happen, did I not?"

"Well..." He had. Well, he'd said Josh would fuck me. "But you knew... you... I mean..." I was still struggling to collate my thoughts. David seemed to understand though, because he sighed.

"Yes, I did know. Josh told me he wanted to fuck you. I hoped you wouldn't take the bait, but as the evening wore on-- "

"Bait? It was a set-up?" Had Josh and David plotted before the evening had even begun?

"Not so... When we arrived, we were separated. No? Well, during that time Josh came to me and said he wanted to fuck you. I said no."

"Yeah... right--"

"I did. We had a deal, remember?" Well, yes, I did. And I had broken that deal. "Do you remember on the balcony when we were speaking? After I'd found you with Josh? I had a message to my phone."

"Yeah..." he had. "It wasn't until after that message that you made the second deal, about me leaving here a virgin."

"Aye. Well, that message was from Josh. When we'd spoken earlier I'd refused to let him fuck you, and he asked what it would take. He meant how much."

"How much?"

"Money, love. How much money." Money! Josh had offered David money to let him fuck me? "And I said no amount. But he pressed. I explained we had a deal--"

"You told him unless I tried to escape, no one could fuck me?" I asked.

David nodded.

"And so Josh took me out on the balcony and offered to help me."

"Aye. I found you and was rather unimpressed." David chuckled, though I wasn't sure if he was unimpressed with Josh, me or both of us.

"And the message you received was from Josh, telling you that he'd offered to help me?" David had scowled when he received the message.

"He asked me if he could fuck you now."

"And you said yes. You're a piece of shit, you know." He had known I wouldn't leave a virgin. Fucking bastard.

"No, I said no."

"Really?"

"Really. I said until an actual escape had been planned and attempted, no fucking. Like I said, I did hope you wouldn't take the bait." And, he had tried to stop me from going to Josh after that.

"You're still a fucking piece of shit." I spat.

"Aye, well, nobody's perfect. Like you. Playing the good girl... enjoying the gangbang--"

"I didn't!"

"No? I think you did, you just needed a push to get there--"

"No, I said. "This wasn't about me or what you thought I wanted or liked at all. You just wanted to watch me be fucked. This was all about your own perverse desires. Well, did you enjoy your show?"

"No," he said. "I'd rather fuck you myself. But you didn't want that." He sounded disappointed. On the bright side, at least I made some money out of it."

"Money?"

"That." David nodded towards the thick A5 envelope he'd chucked on the dashboard. I grabbed it with my free hand and opened it. Inside were two neat, thick bundles of 50 euro notes.

"How much is here?" I asked.

"Five from each." He said. "Plus an additional two from Josh, for taking your so-called virginity." David smirked.

"Five... you mean five thousand? Each??? That's... how many..." I didn't even know how many men I'd fucked.

"Five men, 27k in total."

"Tewnty-seven thousand pounds!"

"Euros," he corrected. Bit less than that in pounds."

"I don't care! This is mine!" It meant nothing to me in captivity, but the principle! Also, if I ever did escape, it would be useful.

"Oh?"

"I earnt it. It's mine!"

"You slave. You own nothing. Besides, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have earned a thing." If it wasn't for him, I'd be a lot better off. But no point going down that road.

"OK, but I should get a cut. Admit it."

"You slave. Own nothing" He sounded short, but I didn't hear conviction in his words.

"Is that what you really think?" He said nothing here so I prompted him.

"Wouldn't getting a cut at least be an incentive? Or something"

"Yes, but others disagree."

"What others? Isn't this place yours? Aren't you God."

"Woman."

"Women?"

"No, woman. Just one. Her." There was a strained note to his voice.

"Lilly?"

He nodded.

"Did she sign the divorce paperwork?" I asked. David didn't answer. "Well, she doesn't know that you got the money, or at least how much they paid, right? Give me a cut. She won't notice." As a slave held in captivity, money was pretty meaningless. But, aside from the principle of the matter, I was curious to learn more. If Lilly was against me having a cut, would David defy her? "You've got twenty-seven thousand pounds--"

"Euros."

"Euros... whatever. Well..." Euros. Why was it Euros? It was possible that they'd transported me to a different country back when I'd first arrived. "David, where are we?" I asked

"Want a map with an escape route on it?" he asked.

"No, just what country? Euros, not Pounds?"

"Oh, that. No, usually we use American dollars for business. Universal, see. Everyone operates in American dollars. Except the French, of course, but all through Asia, it's all American dollars."

"I see..." I didn't really. Did he mean business in general, or just his business?

"But, not with the Americans."

"Why on earth not?"

"Well, don't want them getting more big-headed than they are. Obnoxious, they are. Think they are the centre of the world and they have the universal currency. So, when dealing with the Americans I do Euros. Takes them down a peg."

"So... let me get this straight. The American dollar is the universal currency you use, but not with Americans because they think it's the universal currency?"

"Sure!" David chuckled.

"Right... well... anyway..." Country confirmed. What other information could I get out of him?

"It's just, they think they're better than everyone," David clarified. "I don't like that."

"Don't

you

think you're better than everyone?"

"Not everyone. Just most people. Also, it's because I

am

better than most people. But they think they better because they're American, not through their own merit. They racist, see?" The word

racist

reminded me of what Josh had called David.

That Chink.

That made me feel a bit uncomfortable that I'd thought he was good guy.

"When you say 'The Americans,' you mean any American, or just those specific ones?"

"Just those specific ones."

"But you do business with them." I nodded to the money.

"Aye, well, I do business with a lot of people I'd rather not. Business makes bedfellows you might not normally snuggle under the sheets with, no?" Well, that was true. My father had done business dealings with Josh's dad. But that was a little different from David's idea of business.

"You said if I left the party a virgin--"

"Which you did not--"

"Yes, I know. I was there? Remember?" David chuckled and I continued. "You said you'd take me anywhere I wanted, I could leave, if I still wanted, right?"

"But you did not--"

"I know, I just had a question about it!"

"What?" He'd know if he'd just let me speak.

"You said if I still wanted to leave, something might happen before then to make me change my mind about not wanting to be a sex slave for the rest of my life. What was that?"

"Ah. Well... it's complicated."

"We've got the whole drive."

"I..." He trailed off and was silent a moment. "I was going to tell you some things."

"Things you said before it would be too dangerous to tell me?" I prompted.

"Some."

"You could tell me now," I pushed him. "If you think it would have made me stay, then surely you think it would stop me from trying to escape all the time. Wouldn't that be a lot less bother for you?" A smile filtered over his face. "Well?"

"Aye."

"So?"

"Let's get back first."

"Why not now?"

"It's easier... there's some things I want to show you. In my lab."

I tried pushing him for more, and asking other questions, such as why the guards weren't with us, but he wouldn't give up anything further.

The rest of the drive was passed in relative silence. When we'd entered the car, David had pulled my left hand across my body to my right side and zip-tied my left hand to the fabric loop of the seatbelt buckle. It was a simple, but effective hold. I couldn't twist far enough to reach the car door handle with my right hand, and while I could have reached to the right and grabbed the steering wheel, to what end? The roads we were driving on were deserted, I was exhausted and naked, but for the blanket which David had wrapped around me.

Eventually, we arrived back at the academy and David took me to his lab.

"So. Spill," I said, trying to cross my arms and glare at him while still clutching the blanket around my body.

"Ah. Yes. Well, there's a lot. Where to start?" David leaned back against one of the beds. He did

look

unsure, but damn him! He'd had long enough to think about it.

"Where to start?" It was like a floodgate opening. Every question, every random thought I could think of spilt out. Was he actually divorced or not? How much control did Lilly have? What were his plans regarding me... well, there were a lot of questions about his intentions towards me. Why my speaking Russian was a secret from... everybody. "And... and everything! Just nothing makes sense. Crazy stupid little things like... like how Lilly was angry about the healing cream and some plant?" I finished.

"Well, the last one is most easily explained, but perhaps a bit strange. Look." David crossed the room to a cupboard, rummaging in it before pulling out a large, tattered book. He dumped it on one of the beds and beckoned me over. I walked over to it, and he flipped open the pages. The book was somewhat like a scrapbook, full of handwritten pages, in various languages, pictures and sheets of writing glued on other pages. He stopped on a poem, printed on aged paper and glued onto the two-page spread. I leaned forward and read it.

In a cavern's heart hidden so deep,

A sentient vine, its secrets keep,

Where moonlight casts an eerie glow,

Vine's wicked allure begins to flow.

With tendrils of silver, it weaves its spell,

A dance of enchantment, a promise to tell,

Of wonders within, mysteries untold,

But beware the vine's grip, its truth is cold.

In moonlit mists, it softly sighs,

Its whispers like honey, its gaze beguiles.

Calling lost souls from shadows afar,

To enter its lair, guided by its star.

"Come hither, dear mortal, taste secrets I hold,

In this haven of marvels, stories unfold,

A glimpse of the forbidden, a touch of the wild,

Just step into darkness, in my grip be beguiled."

And as they approach, its voice is sweet,

The music luring them, like a dance with deceit.

"See the treasures I've gathered, the dreams I bestow,

Just a step closer, and all you will know."

Closer and closer the lost ones do come,

Stronger and stronger the vine's music does thrum.

Sooner and sooner 'til they meet their fate,

There's no turning back, it's now far too late.

"Come closer, dear mortal, to secrets concealed,

In my cavern of wonders, your fate is revealed.

Knowledge of the unknown, a taste of desire,

Just step into darkness, your soul I require."

And as they come nearer, its voice does sing,

A melody weaving a perilous ring.

"See the treasures I offer, the dreams I provide,

Take a step closer, with me, forever abide."

Once lured within, the vine takes hold,

Its thorns like needles, its heart ice-cold.

"Stay a while," it entices, its hold firm and tight,

"Experience my wonders, embrace endless night."

Some souls return, forever scarred,

Silent witnesses to horrors marred.

"Go forth," it whispers, a breeze soft and light,

"But remember my power, and the shrouded night."

A glimpse of a nightmare, a haunting dream,

A realm of terrors, where nothing's as it seems.

But lips remain sealed, no words are spilled,

For fear of the vine, its power instilled.

Others are lost, forever unknown,

Their fate intertwined with the cave's twisted throne.

Into the shadows, they quietly slip,

Ensnared by the vine's insidious grip.

So beware the vine's seductive wiles,

Its traps and deceptions, its treacherous smiles.

"Stay with me," it murmurs, its hold growing strong,

"Forever entwined in my world of wrong."

For in the cave's depths, a darkness resides,

Where the sentient vine weaves its web of lies,

Its whispers like silk, its promises grand,

It's music alluring, it's secrets profound,

It's tendrils like silver which can hold you tight bound,

So heed the warning of those who withstand.

"A sentient vine which captures people? Is this a euphemism for something?" I asked

"No, it is true."

"You believe there is really an actual vine out there that is sentient and captures people?"

"Is," he said. "I've seen it." He really believed this?

"You believe in an actual living plant?"

"All plants are alive, this one just more so. But we're business partners?"

"Who, you and the plant?" I joked.

"Aye."

"Uh... right..." God, he was actually serious? "A dangerous plant that lures humans and--"

"Breeds them."

"Breeds them?"

"If they're suitable. It's a complex organism. But its powers are astonishing. Telepathic, for one. That I'd love to learn more about, but haven't been successful. But it's sap, that I can learn about. For example, it can secret a sap that can increase the sensation of touch, or heal a wound."

"Your concoctions you make? Are they made with the sap?" The whole telepathic sentient plant business was very far-fetched, but a plant which he harvested for making his ointments was more plausible. Perhaps it was a dangerous plant. Poisonous, or with hallucinogenic properties?

"Exactly!" He sounded a bit brighter now.

"And Lilly doesn't like you doing this?"

"No, she's worried the vine will get me, and she doesn't see the benefits. You see, this was hers."

"What was hers?" The book? The vine?

"This." David swept his arm vaguely. "The academy. She was its founder. Before we met."

"She founded this place? She ran it?" I remembered something David had said about the cameras. "She put in the cameras?"

David chuckled, "Yes, all of that. When we met she wanted a partner. I had qualities she liked. I've told you I'm a genius, No? Well, that. And I had connections that were, well desirable for her." He smirked. "But I was a little lost in life when we met. You know how it is. Started off with difficulties in school--"

"You didn't do well in school?"

"No."

"Well, I'm told some geniuses don't"

"Aye. Well, I struggled at first because of the language differences."

"What language is school in Singapore?" I knew there were several official languages, but I'd never thought about how that worked. I remembered how David had spoken with Mark, what sounded like broken English but with other languages thrown in.

"Two. English, and Mother Tongue. I spoke neither at home."

"You didn't speak your mother tongue? Like, you mean your own language?" Was I just really tired, or did that not make sense?

"No. Mother Tongue is based on your race. If you are Indian you're assigned Tamil. Even if you speak another Indian language at home. If you're Chinese, you're assigned Chinese, that is Mandarin. Didn't matter if your family spoke Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese... The government wanted to do away with all those dialects! SMC and all. And it worked, mostly. But I soon caught up. I

am

a genius after all." He flashed me a grin. I didn't know who or what SMC was, but I wanted to get him back on topic.

"And then?"

"And then it got easy. And then I got bored. School didn't suit me. Hung with the wrong crowd. Got in trouble. With school, and with parents who were pushing all of us to do well. They had aspirations for us. And then I got in trouble with the police. Could have done anything, but doors were closing for doing things on the right side of the law. She offered an escape. A way out. A business, a romantic partner, a very beautiful one, I might add, and a shitload of money." I'd learnt more about David's past in those few sentences than I had in the entire time of knowing him. Earlier this evening he'd said he was only 18 when they met, and she ten years older. I could imagine it, being a young man and suddenly having a world of sexual debauchery and power opened to you. No wonder he took it.

"And how did the academy come to you? Or is it still both of yours?" I asked.

"Oh, it is mine. She sold it to me. We worked well in the early days, you see. She wanted to focus on... other work. Higher-up work, according to her. That's why she thinks she's my boss. But she just doesn't see the potential I do. Imagine!" he bounded over to a cupboard and began pulling out some jars and vials.

"We spoke of the potential of the healing cream in the medical field," I reminded him. "You said you'd want to manufacture it yourself."

"Yes, once she's gone, but more than that. Lie down on the bed."

"I don't think so!" He wasn't going to seduce me with one little sob story of his past.

"Touching only, for demonstrative purposes. I'll keep my pants on. Promise!"

"Like I trust you."

"I keep my promises. No? I promise to keep my pants on... unless you beg." I rolled my eyes at that. But, keeping him talking was good, I was learning a lot. So I obliged. Also, I was a little curious about what he had to show me. I sat on the bed, leaning back on my hands, not quite committing to fully lying down. He put two jars and a pack of condoms on the bed.

"So what are they for?" I eyed the condoms suspiciously.

"Finger protection." He shrugged his jacket off and tossed it on the other bed. It fell with a bit of a heavy thud and he paused a moment, walked over and rummaged in the jacket. Pulling out the thick envelope of cash he looked back at me, "Here." he held it out to me. "You still want this?" His tone was rather flippant, like he'd found a half-full yoghurt in the back of the fridge that was three days past his date and he was just checking before he tossed it.

"Yes!" I took the envelope from him and, for lack of a better place to put it, placed it near the top of the bed. I didn't spend much time thinking about why the sudden change in mind, because I was watching what he was up to.

He opened a condom and put it on his right index finger. He opened one of the jars and dipped the condom-covered finger into it. "Spread your legs, just a little," He ordered. I was still rather sceptical of his motives, but my legs were already slightly spread and he didn't wait for me to comply with his instruction before pushing his hand between them and the ointment-covered finger into my pussy.

"Ohhh!" It was cold but quickly became warm. He moved his finger in and out of me. It didn't feel like he was specifically trying to arouse me, he wasn't touching anywhere else and he was just moving the finger slowly. But it did feel good. Was this the cream that enhanced the sensitivity? It didn't quite feel like it. As he continued I noticed another change.