Chapter four: Job Orientation
Mr. V set the electronic leash for five feet and set out at a brisk pace. Only a past determination to stay fit in a normally sedentary job allowed me to keep up. A we walked, he kept a running commentary of what we were doing. "We are outbound tomorrow morning, so I need to get everything you will need this evening. Have you eaten at all today?"
"Master, the shop owner gave me a drink in the morning and I have felt no hunger since then. I assume there was an appetite suppressant in the drink."
"If it is the one they normally use, your system will be unable to digest food until the drug wears off, between 24 and 36 hours after it was ingested. We'll skip dinner then. First is to get you clothes for when I need you dressed."
The first shop we stopped at was not an ordinary clothing shop. The sign said "Gravonic's Slave Wear." Inside was unlike anything I had seen before. The expectation one has from a non-slavery culture is that female slaves are for sex. But Blanchet has slaves from both genders. Furthermore, I was discovering, not all female slaves are intended for sex, though that was frequently a part of their duties. The shop had more styles of clothing than I had ever seen before. Many of them were for some purpose that I could not fathom. Apparently, most locals did not shop for their slave's clothing this late at night.
"Good evening sir. How can I help you." An attendant asked, ignoring me as if I was not there.
"I have just acquired a new slave and I will be needing a varied selection of attire for her. I want her to have a dozen provocative garments for when I have her entertaining, about half as many sets of modest attire for those planets with nudity taboos for even slaves, 2 sets of cold weather clothes, and a set of protective garments for use in Kroklin."
My God! Just what was he intending to use me for? I could understand sensuous clothing and cold weather gear. But hard labor? And what, pray tell was Kroklin?
The attendant answered, "Very good sir. Do you have any style preference?
"Only that there be no duplication in styles. I have some other purchases to make elsewhere. Can I leave her here and have her fitted?"
"Of course sir. Your list will take about two hours to fill. Is the slave allowed any input in the selection?"
"Within the parameters, yes. Be sure that the provocative wear leaves her all but naked. Oh, and arrange for these items to be packaged as well. She has no say in them." He instructed, handing her a piece of paper.
"Very good sir," she replied as he walked away. Turning to me, she ordered, "Come slave. We have much to do in the next couple of hours."
Except for the fact that the clerk was in charge instead of myself, this was much like shopping before I was enslaved. I must have tried on dozens of clothes of various types. I was given pretty much free reign in choosing the modest clothing. It seems that the attendant was not used to coordinating clothing that covered most of the body (I learned that she was actually a slave herself, a Class One, with two years left on her contract).
I however, learned much about dressing to provoke arousal in both men and women. Nudity, it turns out, is frequently less erotic than slim coverings in just the right places. As I tried on numerous items that I would hardly thought appropriate for swimming or sleeping in, I found the sight of my own barely covered body arousing in ways that my nakedness had not been. Some of the outfits she selected for me covered without actually concealing. Others concealed, but their touch on me sent shivers of arousal through me. I actually was enjoying myself when Mr. Valenshenko returned.
"Has the shopping been completed?"
"Just about sir. There was some time spent instructing your slave in the proper wearing and use of some of the garment. The special items should be here shortly. We did not carry some of them and sent out to a partner shop for them. All we have left is the protective gear."
"Very good. Let me see what you have."
She led us to a corner of the shop with an unusual selection of clothing. It reminded me of pieces of hardened leather armor that I had seen on some of the more primitive worlds. They had me try on several pieces. While the looked like hardened leather, they were actually a semi-pliable plastic or resin material. In spite of their hardness, they transmitted sensation very well, sort of like a low tech version of exo-skin. When all the pieces were picked out, I had enough to cover me from head to toe in the stuff. I could not imagine what I would need this for and why they were made with such realistic body surfaces. The breast piece had nipples on it, The part that covered my waist and privates had exaggerated pussy lips and clit. Why would you want to armor yourself in a Barbie doll skin? If it had been exo-skin, it would have made more sense, since exo-skin magnifies strength while providing tactile feed back for controlling the enhanced strength. This stuff enhanced nothing, it just transmitted sensation with great efficiency.
By the time we were done, the package he wanted had showed up. It was about 70 cubic inches in size and weighed a mere two pounds or so (he had me carry it like it was some sort of joke). As we moved out of the shop, he addressed me again.
"You have me in an unusual position. Your reliance on a virtual room has me at odds. Virtual rooms are practically unheard of these days. Where am I going to find a virtual room? You need to explain why you are opposed to netwear."
"It's a little hard to explain. Let me start by pointing out where we can find a virtual room. Collin, my enslaver, had all my belongings given to charity. Whichever charity got my own virtual room would probably still have it, unable to sell it, since I know of no one else who uses one. That would also have the advantage of already being programmed for me personally."
"Excellent! I was afraid I would have to make a side trip to a world with an antique shop on it. Do you know which charity?"
"No Master, I do not. I was a slave by then and was not informed or consulted. The concierge arranged it and probably knows which charity, or can find out."
"Very well. Our shopping is done except for that item."
He led us off to the hotel I had been staying at when I was free. The concierge was easy to find. When he saw us, he smiled broadly greeting Mr. V., "Greetings gentle sir. How may I be of assistance?"
"Several days ago, my slave was enslaved in your hotel. Her original owner instructed that her former belongings be given to charity. I need to acquire one of those items. Would you be so kind as to tell me which charity they were given to?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot sir. They were never given away. The owners instituted a policy in preparation for the planet's full membership. All property of those enslaved within the hotel becomes property of the hotel itself. If you wish to acquire any of the items, you will have to speak to the manager."
"Very, well. May I speak with the manager then?"
"I will check to see if he is available. May I say sir, that I expect that you will pleased with your slave. I was fortunate enough to see her shortly after her enslavement. She was quite a catch. It was obvious that she is a very responsive slave and truly a Class Three."
It is not easy or pleasant to hear a perfect stranger talk so openly about ones sexuality. But that pales in comparison to realize that you are responding sexually to those comments. Being naked, it was of course obvious that I was becoming aroused. I blushed furiously as the concierge continued, "See what I mean, you have only to talk about her and she becomes ready to serve."
I could not understand what was happening. This is not how I normally react. Such openly sexual talk is something I find insulting and revolting. I would never had allowed such talk about myself or anyone else in my presence. Now I was unable to stop it and was responding to it in ways that disgusted me.
"Yes she is," my master answered. "I look forward to getting maximum value out of her. We'll be in the lounge when the manager is able to see us."
The concierge went into a back area while we went to the lounge. "Kneel here." He said as he sat at a table.
A waitress came over and took his order. He ordered a Vegan nova for himself and nothing for me. I seemed to have become the center of attention. Looking around. I saw that, while there were a few other slaves in the lounge, I was the only human one (there are some things it does not pay to be first at). Humans are one of the few races that show their early stages of arousal visibly (other races display to other senses, such as smell). I seemed to be in some weird kind of feedback loop. The more that people stared at me, the more aroused I became. The more aroused I became, the more that people stared. Why was I responding this way? I have never been an exhibitionist and do not enjoy showing myself in public. What has happened to me?
The lack of touch limited my excitement somewhat. Mr. V. seemed to not notice what was happening, but I suspected that he was not as oblivious to his surroundings as he let on. Blessedly, the looks eventually stopped, probably because nothing was happening. After an hour, the waitress informed us that the manager would see us now.
We were led to an office in the back part of the hotel. Inside was a human woman. She was shorter than me, dressed in a professional business suit. She stood and shook Mr. V.'s hand. "I'm Cally Halreck. How can I help you today?"
"My slave was taken in your hotel. Understand that her former belongings became the property of the hotel itself."
"Yes. We foresaw the potential ramifications of Blanchet's full membership and instituted policies to make such 'transitions' orderly and not a financial burden on the hotel. You can understand, having a guest enslaved before they pay their bill could result in a significant loss."
"I understand. Your company's foresight is commendable. There is one item from her belongings that I would like to obtain. I would, of course, be willing to pay for it. The item is a virtual room. Would it be possible to purchase the device?"
"Unfortunately, the items have not been properly inventoried as of yet. It will take several days to finish the process."
"I have to leave in the morning and virtual rooms are extremely hard to find these days. Is there any way to 'speed up the process? I would be willing to pay extra to reimburse the hotel for the extra man hours needed to expedite the process."
