by D L Goddard
Lord Savage looked speculatively at Anya who was steadily becoming more and more frightened. He had wanted to keep her away from the beast, but he really wanted to enjoy her himself a bit longer as well. The trouble was if he went into the cell with Anya’s scent all over him, he was pretty sure the beast would be very uncooperative. The creature had begun to think the woman was his. It just wouldn’t do. But … if he sold her to the twins, not only would he strengthen a very important connection and make very special friends, but he would gain more than she was worth.
Making up his mind, he pulled her forward.
Take your hair down Anya; I want them to see how lovely you really are.”
Anya stood frozen in shock. Slowly her mind was registering she was being sold as a plaything for not one master, but two. They were as different as night is from day, but somehow she was being sold to pleasure them both. ‘What was she going to do … they were taking her away from her Beast … how was she going to help him if she wasn’t here?’ She could have wept if she could feel anything.
Adam began removing her clothes so that the two men could have a really good look at what they were paying for. After all … when she stood on the dock at barely twelve years of age, she … like all the others … was stark naked. The twins asked Adam to stop when she was wearing her thin camisole, they could see all they wanted to and they wanted to unwrap the rest in their own time. Her creamy skin could be seen through the camisole and the slight bump could be seen by the twins as well.
Mir moved so fast that suddenly he was directly up against her. Adam couldn’t see anything of Anya but he could see Mir stroking her breasts and rubbing his hips against hers. Val came behind her and fondled her hips and backside. She fitted between them perfectly.
“She is perfect … how much will you take for her?’
Adam had been watching the twins sharing Anya and asked a question that had just occurred to him.
“Do you require another woman as well, after all there are two of you and she is only one woman, and not a very experienced young woman at that.”
The twins were still standing in front and behind Anya, still caressing her body, enjoying the feel of her soft skin. Mir looked up from gently kissing her soft lips.
“That won’t be necessary …” He looked up at Val and they shared a secretive smile. “We share everything and we do everything together … we are identical twins after all. It increases our pleasure that way. We like to share a lovely woman we both find ourselves interested in and we will be more than happy to teach her what she does not yet know.”
Adam nodded, thinking he might like to try that, not with another man, but maybe two of his maid servants might be fun. He had paid three gold coins for Anya; the bidding had been quite active as many buyers were interested in the pretty young girl. The block seller had gotten far more than he expected and gave two gold coins to the very pleased Uncle who walked away without so much as a second glance in her direction and kept one for his fee. But Adam wanted much more than what he had paid for her, she was worth far more than that to him and he set an exorbitant price. He almost wished the twins backed down and she remained his in spite of the problems he could have. Adam had really enjoyed hurting her and he had been so excited that he longed to try her again. But because he had said she was for sale, he would sell her to these men; he wanted to be on their list of friends above all else; even above the delicious Anya.
“I want five thousand gold crowns for her; she is worth every penny.”
Anya gasped; never had she heard such a ridiculous price for a servant. She was never worth so much to anyone. But, to her surprise, the twins never hesitated.
“You are charging so little for her?” The question was mild surprise from Val. He disappeared from the room.
“Where is he going?” Adam was stunned at the speed with which events were unfolding.
“He is going to our coach. He will return momentarily. But before the sale is made, I want to see her papers and have them signed over to us while you are waiting. Also, I want my servants to think she is my guest … for a while at least. I want three fine gowns for her, plus one she will wear immediately. We will take her with us when we leave tonight. For this …” Mir paused one moment, hearing his brother returning. Val came in and handed a jewel box to Mir with a short nod. “… For this …” he continued “… I will give you the entire contents of this box with our thanks … And of course an invitation to come to dine with us at the Sol Leil tomorrow night at eight … A thank you gift for your wonderful good will.”
Adam was stunned; no one was seen at the very rich Sol Leil with the twins. They always dined alone. To be seen in such an exclusive place with the handsome pair would increase his status in society immeasurably. Apart from everything else it was said to have the finest food on the continent and even a Lord such as himself, without a recommendation from one of their exclusive clients would have to wait a very long time for a reservation at the restaurant.
Mir stood and placed the beautifully jeweled box into Adam’s open hands. He carefully opened the lid; inside were the most glorious cut gems Lord Savage had ever seen. He gasped at the value he held; there had to be over twenty thousand crowns worth in the small box at the very least. Anya couldn’t believe it either … ‘Why would anyone pay so much for her?’ She was shaking inside, terrified at what they expected from her. ‘Just what was she going to have to do for these men to earn such a high price?’
Events seemed to happen so swiftly after that. Her master signed her over to Mir and Val giving them complete control over her, body, soul and service. She had never had any say in her life anyway, but now she had to answer to not one, but two masters who seemed to expect rather a lot from her. She had wondered why they hadn’t told Lord Savage she was expecting a child, and when she was being stripped down, they left her the camisole. It was as if they were keeping her pregnancy to themselves.
But then she had been squashed between the pair and stroked and caressed as they touched her everywhere, kissing every bit of naked skin while Adam had watched. Never had she felt so worthless. Anya didn’t know what to think. They had frightened her terribly and her skin had crawled in fear.
She was taken to a wing of the mansion she had never been before. Val and Mir followed Adam into the most amazing women’s dressing rooms. Women’s gowns were hung up from every imaginable corner possible. Colors and designs attacked her senses and she wanted to run her fingers through the delicate fabrics and stroke the glorious textures. Adam left her with the twins and bade them choose what they would; he went to organize Anya’s personal possessions.
Anya felt like a child in a sweet shop. Never had she owned anything pretty before and with a stroke of a pen, she was allowed to choose not one but four beautiful gowns. Suddenly she looked around, the two men were smiling at her joy and once more she was confused. Anya didn’t have a clue where to start looking.”
“Where on earth do I start? I have never seen so many beautiful things.”
The twins looked around at the unbelievable wardrobe surrounding them.
“I really think it is a bit much … don’t you?” Mir looked at his twin who was also frowning at the excessive nature of the woman who had owned all this. The brothers were unimpressed at her overindulgence. Val smiled at Anya. “Come … we will help you.”
The twins flipped through the gowns with a speed she would never have believed possible. When they stopped; they held in their arms two gowns each. Mir came up to her with the most glorious green dress imaginable. He held it against her skin and it seemed that her green eyes were greener than ever; her skin glowed and her lips seemed to have been made from dark rubies. Stripping her down to her camisole once more, he quickly and efficiently laced and fitted the gown to her body. It could have been made especially for her. Val let her hair fall loose behind her back and slipped the matching shoes on her small feet.
They took a hand each and led her to the full length mir
ror. Anya just stared at the beautiful woman reflected back at her. She twirled and spun, amazed that she was the woman in the mirror, smiling and happy. The two men watched her lovely face, seeing it transform from one of an indentured servant to one of a free woman. She truly looked exquisite and they were delighted in her joy. They had selected the gowns with surprising care knowing instinctively what would look right on her.
While she played in front of the looking glass, they found a trunk and packed the lovely gowns carefully into it. Val and Mir smiled as an idea hit them both at the same time.
“But what is a gown without the shoes, or the petticoats and camisole, and of course the lacy under things women love.”
Val rummaged through the vast cupboards in his search.
“And what is a gown without adornment … a hat or gloves … a reticule and jewelry and even the silk stockings and lace garters to hold them up.”
Mir was digging out all manner of lovely sheer garments and folding them carefully in the trunk.
“But my dear brother … shall she wear a gown fit for a princess during the day and a sack to bed? Lingerie my dear twin; pretty lacy silken garments to wear to bed and pretty slippers for her dainty feet and she must have robes to keep her warm and all manner of night things.”
Mir was laughing at this stage, finding the most exquisite night wear … he knew they would make the young woman glow with joy.
“Finally … late but not last; the cold weather requires a cape, a coat, warm muffs for her hands and warm hats and scarves as well. Have we forgotten anything? Is there aught else we need for our lovely guest?”
Mir and Val had filled the trunk until it couldn’t possibly contain anything more. It was a treasure trove of the prettiest garments the men could find, hoping to make Anya happier still. They handed Anya a lovely warm fur lined cloak and muff to keep away the chill. Then, they both kissed her full on the mouth reminding her of why they had bought her in the first place. Some of the joy went from Anya’s heart, but still … hope remained that these men would be kind to her in a way that her old master had never been.
Anya’s possessions had been packed into a large case; Adam had given her the clothes that were made for her to work in until the twins had new ones made. He supposed she would need something practical to do regular housework in once they quit role playing. The full trunk was loaded onto the coach and Lord Savage walked to the front door to bid his guests farewell. He took one look at Anya unable to believe his eyes. Shaking hands with Val and Mir he felt Anya’s loss already even though he knew the twins had been astonishingly generous … They must have wanted Anya more than he’d realized. No one paid such a princely sum for one pretty servant. But they had given him the gems as if they were nothing. Maybe the rumors were true, and the twins really were as rich as everyone hinted at.
He had driven past the estate they had bought. They owned it only a year keeping it full of loyal staff who never whispered a word about what went on inside, even though everyone was dying to know. Very few nobles had been inside the mansion, and those that had raved about its beauty and opulence. Everyone was trying to win the favor of the young men, but they were very careful in their selection of friends, and now … Adam was counted among them.
The clothes were nothing to him, there were too many to count. His wife of two years died in childbirth and she had come from an impossibly wealthy family who had spoiled their only daughter rotten. Her elder brother now ran the estate and would have nothing to do with Adam taking an instant dislike to the young Lord on their first meeting. But his pretty little sister had fallen madly in love with the dashingly handsome young Lord and her parents once more let her have her way.
The woman was small and petite much like Anya and loved clothes more than anything else. Truth be told, she was obsessed with them. The family had even built a separate wing on Adam’s home with his consent, to house the beautiful young woman’s wardrobe and all her belongings. Adam had never known one woman could have so many possessions. The entire wing was full and it became a gigantic wardrobe that continued to grow in the short time he had known her. Adam was disgusted with his wife’s obsession and he even had to enlarge the wing to allow for the clothing she had bought while she had been married to Lord Savage. Her excuse was that a Lady had to look her best at all times.
He had been madly in love with her at the time, but was amazed by her extravagance. He had been twenty four at the time of her death and Anya had only heard about the beautiful woman. But after being in her dressing room, Anya could well believe the stories about her incredible roomful of clothes after having seen it for herself.
“Farewell my friends … I can’t help thinking you have taken me for a ride after seeing my Anya dressed like that. I will miss her and her beautiful body. I hope you enjoy her. I will meet you tomorrow night at eight.”
Then Anya sat between two handsome men who told her everything would be alright as she began to nod off feeling the rumble of coach wheels and new hope in her heart. She had no idea where she was going and she had no idea what would happen to her … and truth be told, she had no real reason for the optimism she felt. But Anya leaned against Mir’s deep chest as he held her steady against the rough roads and slept.
**********
Chapter Four
Anya woke from a terrible dream … a feeling of impending doom weighed her down and she couldn’t seem to shake it even when she was fully awake. She found herself in the loveliest most spacious room she had ever seen. Luxury and opulence were everywhere she looked. She was laying in a gorgeous king size bed with four carved posters. A lacy cover draped from the top of the posts trimmed with lace, while sheer hand worked lace drapes fell from the covered top. It was so lovely she blinked unable to understand how she came to be where she was.
Not only that, but she was wearing the most exquisite sheer night gown she had ever seen that looked and felt like ivory silk. Anya had never seen such a garment and she was speechless that someone had obviously dressed her. She had literally nothing on underneath. Reaching for the garment draped over the bed, she realized it was a matching dressing gown that looked if possible even more beautiful than what she was wearing. A lovely smile sat on her lips until the door she thought opened into a bathing room, allowed Mir entry.
“Good morning Anya … I trust you slept well. You look ravishing this morning, much better than I hoped. I took the liberty of bathing and changing you, it would have been rather difficult to explain your scars to the dressing maid. By the way, you have an exquisite body and your skin is absolutely flawlessly enchanting. You are very lovely and I did really enjoy my task.”
He tipped his mug to her in salute. A cheeky smile touched his lips. And at that moment, Val entered the conversation.
“Ahhh … the delightfully delicious Anya; good morning my sleeping beauty; it is wonderful to see you looking so rested. I trust you slept well? The clothes look simply scrumptious and fit you perfectly. Do you like them?”
Anya nodded nervously.
The twins came and sat on either side of her. They placed an arm around her small waist and hugged her trying to ease her worries; mostly they wanted her to rest. They were hoping the young woman slept some more to allow the babe in her womb real rest. The unborn infant had endured so many traumas recently that they wanted sleep to do the rest … having known what Anya had endured at Savage’s hands, they were astonished she was still pregnant. Anya couldn’t understand what was happening, but tiredness pulled at her and made thought difficult. Once more, she found a hard chest for her head and before she could worry much more; she was asleep.
The twins looked at each other and grinned. Then they carefully picked Anya up in their arms, placing her back in the bed. Tucking her carefully in, they kissed her gently on her sweet mouth and left her to her dreams.
**********
When Anya woke the next time it was to the sound of water running in the room off the side. Grabbing her robe, she followed
the sound and saw steam coming from a doorway. As she entered the room her eyes widened in amazement; there was a huge sunken bathtub in the floor. Three wide marble steps flattened out into a platform that surrounded a huge bathtub around six feet in diameter. Golden swan taps curved over a pristine white bath and hot steaming water was flowing into it. Fragrant soapy bubbles floated on the top concealing whatever lay beneath.
Anya was flabbergasted; never had she seen running water before. Most rich homes she had heard of still had baths filled by pumps, then bucket. But to see water from the taps themselves was utterly miraculous. She stood mesmerized as the water continued to fill. It was the most incredible thing she’d ever seen. She played in the lovely warm water, hoping it was being run for her. Anya wanted to soak her body in the wonderful scented bathtub.
Hearing footsteps behind her she turned to see the twins in shirtsleeves and the same type of straight cut pants loaded down with towels and smiles on their cheery faces.
“Good evening lovely Anya, are you ready for a bath? Once you feel clean and refreshed, we thought it would be nice for all of us to share a light meal since it has been nearly two days since you have eaten.”
“Two days?” Anya was stunned. “Have I slept that long?”
The twins nodded. “You needed rest … your poor body needed rest after all that it had been through and the unborn child needed to recover or we feared you might miscarry. Did we presume correctly … the child … is wanted … is he not?”
Anya nodded.
“Does the father know of the baby’s existence?”
Once more, Anya nodded. .
“Does the father want the child as well?”
“Yes … very much so.”
Anya remembered the joy on her Beast’s face when he discovered she carried his child. He had told her how he had always longed to be a father but no maiden could look past his bestial face.
The twins smiled at each other, then laid out the towels and soaps near the bath.
