The Gilded Cage Ch 05 1

Harry felt ill. He had been unable to block out Jess's screams of pain all afternoon and was desperate to go to her. He'd been uncomfortable with his boss's plan all along but Alex was a powerful man who always got what he wanted one way or another. Harry had supervised the building of the cage, ordered the bondage gear and dealt with some unsavory characters in order to get everything ready for the girl Alex chose. Alex was going to buy a slave from a dealer. The girls would be pre-trained and (most importantly) willing. Harry had been disgusted when Alex had returned from a business trip with the details of an orphaned young woman he wanted to steal. He'd tried to talk Alex out of it but once his boss's mind was made up, there was no stopping him.

Alex was determined to abduct her himself as he didn't want any other man to 'touch his property' but he had insisted that Harry accompany him in order to drive the van, deal with customs etc. Alex involved Harry in a lot of illegal activity which made it impossible to turn Alex over to the authorities without implicating himself. Alex could buy himself out of trouble in any case.

Harry carried another meal onto the balcony overlooking the cage and placed it on the table in front of Alex. The sun was starting to set and a red glow glinted off the birdcage swaying slowly below them. Alex hadn't taken his eyes of the naked girl slumped inside and the expression on his face was pure desire.

"Thanks Harry." said Alex realizing how hungry he was. "Isn't she delicious?"

"Yes Sir. I'm not sure she enjoyed her afternoon as much as you did though."

Alex chuckled. He could always count on Harry to speak his mind. Harry was a wiry man in looks and personality. He was quick, clever and ruthless. He could talk his way out of almost anything and was a very handy person to have around when you run both legitimate and illegitimate businesses around the globe. Harry trusted him as much as he'd ever trusted anyone in his life (which wasn't much) but he knew that Harry was in it up to his neck and if Alex went down, so would he. The difference was that Alex had the funds to get himself out again.

"You'd be surprised Harry." he called after his departing employee.

The two hours had passed very slowly for Jess. The burning in her labia had eased eventually and her thoughts kept flitting back to what he had said – 'his favourite part of her body'. She thought he had been focusing on them because he disliked them as much as she did. She'd even thought at one stage that he was going to cut them off. That thought had hastily been packed away and she'd concentrated on reciting each of her rules until she was sure she'd never forget them.

She shivered as a cool night breeze blew through the bars of the birdcage. The lights in the 2 halves of the dome had flickered on about an hour ago and the pool had lit up with tiny underwater bulbs. Jess had seen Alex on the balcony and felt oddly safe because he was there watching over her. She saw him get up from the table and stretch lazily before striding through the french doors into his bedroom. Her heart skipped a few beats at the thought that he had forgotten her and she'd be left there all night but her worries were abandoned when she saw the door swish open in her bedroom. Alex strolled across the bridge and up to the traffic light buttons. He pushed the red one and Jess jumped at the loud noise of the crank lowering the birdcage to the floor. Alex crouched down and looked at her.

"Have you learnt your lesson Slave?"

"Yes Master. I'll never fight you again and I'll follow the rules. I'm sorry. Please don't punish me any more." Jess said in barely more than a whisper. Alex felt his heart melt.

"Alright. Let's get you out of here and settled down for the night." Alex pressed his thumb to the black screen and the door sprang open. Jess ached all over as she tried to get out. None of her muscles were working properly and all energy had been beaten out of her. Alex lifted her into his arms like a child and carried her into the night air. Jess enjoyed the moment of closeness and looked up at the bright stars so clear in the tropical sky. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and a contented sigh escaped her lips before her eyes closed.

Alex carefully lowered her onto the bed. She called out and struggled when her bottom hit the sheets and he quickly turned her onto her stomach. Her backside looked so painful and he wondered if he had gone too far. He reached for the moisturizer he'd used earlier that day and gently applied it. Jess tensed up and stifled a scream at his touch so he gave up trying to rub it in, leaving a thin layer of it over her bruised rear.

"Sleep well Slave. Tomorrow will be better." whispered Alex as he kissed her shoulder. Once out of the door, he used the control panel to shut off all the lights except the ones in the pool and the bathroom before closing the glass doors to both rooms. Rubbing the back of his neck tiredly he stomped off to his bedroom for a well deserved nights rest.

Later that night Harry stole into Jess's room. He crossed the wooden floors silently and crouched down by her sleeping form. As he scanned her body his gaze lingered on her punished bottom. Every woman needs a slap now and then but this was above and beyond. He felt sick at what Alex had done to her and wished he could whisk her away then and there but preparations had to be made. He itched to run his fingers along her soft skin. He would make her scream with passion instead of pain and he looked forward to that day. There was no doubt in his mind that she would fall gratefully into his bed once he had rescued her from Alex's twisted grasp.

"Jessica, Jessica wake up" Harry whispered. Jess stirred in her sleep. She didn't recognize this voice and a small amount of panic crept through her exhausted brain.

"Wha... who are y..."

"Ssshhhh! Jessica it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. You have to stay quiet." Harry had put his hand over Jess's mouth. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to have frozen in place. Harry was thankful for that and wondered if she was a naturally still and silent woman – the way he liked them.

"I'm Harry. I work for Alex but I don't like what he's doing to you. I want you to know that I'm working out a way to get you out of here. I don't know how long it'll take me but don't give up hope Jessica – I'll take you away from him. Sleep now – I'll see you again soon." Harry removed his hand from her mouth and scurried to the door. As it swished shut behind him, Jess was feeling far from hopeful. In fact the emotion she felt the most was despair.

The thought of leaving this place, of leaving Alex was suddenly unbearable. No one had ever made her feel so wanted and loved. He cared for her, told her how beautiful she was and accepted every flaw. Even when he was punishing her she felt protected by him – like he was doing it for her own good. How could she go back into a world where no-one knew she existed? Back to crying into her pillow at night and finding nothing to distract her from the loss of her family? The daunting task of building a new life that she had faced just days ago, now seemed unobtainable and pointless.

But here was a man who was willing to risk everything to set her free. Why would he do that? – Because it wasn't normal for her to feel this way. Because he was a good person who couldn't bear to see another human being suffer. Because slavery is fundamentally wrong. She should go with him even though her heart would break.

Jess wondered how she would ever manage to keep this a secret from Alex. As sleep overcame her again, she pushed the incident into the dream world and tried very hard to leave it there.

Jess mumbled in her sleep as the door swished open. Alex stepped into the room and saw that Jess hadn't moved from her stomach all night. Her bottom looked less angry now but she would be bruised for days to come. The glass doors had slid open about an hour ago and the room felt cool despite the blazing sun. Alex walked over to Jess and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Slave, time to get up Slave." he whispered gently. Jess gave a sleepy sigh and stretched her arms above her head before her eyes fluttered open. As soon as Alex came into focus, Jess rocketed out of bed and down to his feet. She hastily parted her knees and rested her forehead on the floor before stretching her arms out in front of her.

"I'm sorry Master, I didn't hear you come in." she whimpered.

"It's ok Slave." Alex laughed "I don't expect you to read my mind – I just want you to present when you know I'm there. You did very well. Up Slave." Jess sat back on her heels and looked up at him. Relief flooded her face when she realized he wasn't angry – she'd thought she was in for another spanking.

"I want you to go and use the bathroom. Have a shower or a bath and wash your hair. Take as long as you need and then come and present in front of me. I'll have some breakfast sent down – you must be hungry?"

"Yes Master."

"Off you go then Slave. Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Alex smiled as his little slave scampered into the bathroom. When he heard the toilet flush and the shower start up, he went out to the control panel and asked Harry to bring down 2 large breakfasts when he was ready. Then Alex went out into the sun and sat at the wooden table under the parasol. He watched the parrots teasing each other in the trees and gazed out at the sea. This lonely island was a true paradise now that Jess had made it complete.

Quicker than he thought possible, Jess reappeared looking for him. She ran across the bridge and presented herself at his feet in his preferred submissive pose. Alex reached down and ran his fingers through her wet hair. The sun would have it dry in a few minutes.

"Up Slave. Good girl. That was very quick – I'm afraid your breakfast hasn't arrived yet. While we wait I want you to go and get the bottle of moisturizer. It's by your bed." Jess hurried to retrieve it.

"Good. Now bend over my knee." A look of pure fear crossed Jess's face but she knew better than to hesitate. Alex helped her into place until her feet were off the floor and her hands just reached the smooth wooden decking. Jess drew shaking breaths as she waited for his hand to come crashing down.

"Relax Slave – you've been a good girl, I'm not going to spank you. I'm just going to rub some of this cream into your bruises." Alex ran his hands over her bottom mapping out the sorest areas and soothing her with his soft caress. Jess relaxed under his hand and Alex sensed she was enjoying the attention.

They both heard the metallic beep and the swish of the door. Alex felt Jess tense up and as Harry came into view, she started to wriggle down from his lap. Alex swatted her lightly.

"I didn't tell you to move Slave." he chided and she lay still.

Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. Surely he wasn't hurting her again so soon? Anyone could see she was too injured to take any more today but there she was over his knee like a child while he slapped more bruises into her already purple backside. Harry set his jaw and dumped the tray of food on the table. He turned on his heel without a word to his boss and stormed out. Alex knew Harry disapproved of keeping Jess against her will but he was just going to have to get used to it. Once Harry had gone, Alex reached for the bottle and poured the cooling cream onto Jess's bottom before lovingly massaging it in.