Her Master's Courtesan

by Lily White

  He slammed the door and locked it and I felt the trailer shake as he climbed out. Darkness surrounded me when he shut the final door and within minutes the trailer rocked again when we pulled away from Aiden’s house and out onto the highway that would take me far away from where I wanted to be.

  I don’t remember the drive to Duke’s ranch and I barely recall the last two weeks that I’ve spent as his Courtesan. He fucked me several times each day – never giving me time to heal from his violence. I never came and the only moisture that he induced from my body was tears.

  I’d lost weight and my skin was broken and cut - scraped, dirty and bloody. Instead of a bedroom with a soft bed and warm carpet, I was trapped in a dank, wet cell – a prison fashioned out of his basement. It was always cold and I was not permitted to wear clothes.

  There were several cages – large enough to sit or lie down – but you couldn’t stand up or move about. If you had to go to the bathroom, you pissed where you sat. It didn’t matter to him; he’d just spray you down with the ice cold water of a hose.

  The cages were circled around a center area where a wood table was affixed to the floor. The table had different straps and shackles and it allowed him to position you in the manner that he wanted you that particular day. He fucked us in front of each other – and I saw him kill one girl already.

  He had her on her knees on the ground, a metal bucket of water placed in front of her. He would fuck her while holding her face beneath the water – driving her body into a fit of convulsions when she struggled to breath. Lifting her head out, he’d let her take one large breath before shoving her beneath again – thrusting into her and getting off on her muscles tensing as she died. When he finally came inside her, he held her under longer – and when he pulled himself out of her and tucked himself in his pants to walk back out of the room – she was left naked on the ground, her hands motionless on the floor and her face submerged in the bucket.

  Sometimes he would take us upstairs. We were always strapped to walls. He threw darts at some – whipped others. He would always make me participate and I would – just to avoid the pain I knew would come with my refusal. I beat these women without sympathy or remorse, but I never dealt the killing blow. He would fuck me in front of them and I would fake getting off – because if I didn’t, then he would beat me as well. I was afraid – a coward – and I submitted to a disgusting and psychopathic man. When he moved inside me, I would think of Aiden; would imagine his hands on my body, his teeth at my neck. It was never enough to take me completely away from what Duke did to me – but it helped.

  Aiden was still – and would always be – my Master.

  When Duke would return us downstairs, there would always be one less heart beating and one less pair of lungs breathing the fetid stench in the air. He would leave their bodies on the table and he would have sex with them after they’d grown cold. Eventually, he would drag them away, disposing of them in some manner I hadn’t seen. He could have been burying them – but I suspected it was far worse than that.

  Kelsey hadn’t spoken since we arrived. She continued to follow the rules forced in her by Aiden and she would dance when Duke brought her from her cage. She would moan and scream when he fucked her, but when you looked in her eyes – it was obvious that she was no longer there.

  Duke beat the other women worse than us and I cringed each time I saw him pull their weak and emaciated bodies from the cages where he kept them contained. After realizing that he killed the ones he’d had the longest first, I determined that, eventually, it would be Kelsey and I strapped up and beaten – our skin broken by the tip of his whip and our bodies abused by his mouth, his dick and his hands.

  I woke up this morning to discover that only three of us remained, the fourth that had been there when I fell into a fitful sleep was no longer in her cage. Every time the door opened I feared he’d bring fresh victims downstairs, a sign that my time was coming up soon – that I would be the next to parish under the morbid pleasure of a man who got off by killing.

  Be sure to fight, Rebecca …

  Aiden’s words echoed through my thoughts and I recognized that he’d known exactly what type of man to whom he sold me. It made the pain hurt worse to know that Aiden didn’t care whether he would see me alive again. It was about money and nothing more – he hadn’t been lying when he spoke those words so many weeks before.

  Sparse bits of light penetrated the room, a single flickering bulb hung from the ceiling, casting a dull orange glow about the room. Kelsey was still sleeping in her cell, balled up in a fetal position, her back and shoulders moving slowly with her deep inhalations of breath. The other girl – Amy – was sitting up in a corner of her cage, her arms wrapped around her knees when she rocked back and forth. I could tell her mind had splintered days before – she no longer spoke or argued, no longer fought to hold onto the life Duke was intent on destroying.

  I realized that I would die in this disgusting hole – contained in a box on a ranch, in the middle of fucking nowhere. I thought back on my life quite often, remembering the details – the hopes and dreams, the nightmares and tragedies – the events of a life wasted, always made to submit to some cruel and unforgiving Master – whether it was life itself or the palm of Aiden’s hand.

  Wishing for the same mental absence as Kelsey and Amy, I was jealous of their ignorance, of their ability to free themselves of their bodies – to not experience our living Hell as vividly as me. I laughed to think that I was actually jealous of women who had been broken down completely; who had been stripped of their thoughts, their emotions and opinions – left empty and void in the dark and damp basement of a madman.

  I heard the lock of the thick wood door open and I listened to his boots descend the stairs as he entered the basement. I didn’t look up at him and I balled around myself, hoping he wouldn’t set his vile eyes on me. He stood in the center of the room, surveying us in our cages and when he turned instantly, I heard the lock to Amy’s cage being opened, the hinges of the door squealing loudly when he pulled it.

  She didn’t scream or cry, but simply crawled out when he reached in and grabbed her wrist. Ribs stuck out from beneath her thin skin and she stood up on shaky legs. He threw her on the table, reaching over to turn on a radio so loud, it drowned out her screams. I didn’t look up to see what he did to her. I didn’t want the images stuck in my head, replaying over and over again when I slept.

  And then – there were two.

  He left her body lying across the dark wood – an un-sanded surface that would force splinters in your skin when he fucked you. I opened my eyes and allowed myself to look at the cement floor beneath the table, watched as a crimson puddle spread and grew with each echoed drip from above. Her hand hung down and was within my view and I noticed that the tips of her fingers were ripped and bloody – some fingernails broken and others that were missing altogether.

  Either myself or Kelsey would be next. Considering he liked to use me in her abuse – involve me in his depraved games and assaults – I assumed I’d be the last woman standing. I’ve whipped her. I’ve struck her with my fists. I’ve shoved objects in her body – all while Duke sat back masturbating, amused and excited to see a courtesan that would abuse another.

  And I felt nothing when I did it.

  No compassion or regret …

  I did what I was told in order to keep myself alive. I would continue to be a good girl to a man I wanted dead and rotting in the cold, dark ground.

  Hours passed before he eventually returned, dragging me out of my cage and handing me a mop to erase the evidence of his madness. He took the body upstairs with him, leaving behind a dark stained trail for me to clean. Whenever he removed the dead, I heard animal sounds at night. Dogs growling at each other – other unidentifiable animals fighting over whatever it was they’d found. It made me sick and I threw up wondering what it was he’d fed us on those nights.

  By the time I finished mopping the floor, he returned. His h
and was affixed to his crotch and he licked his full and blistered lips. I cringed, forcing my eyes back to the ground and replacing the mop in the bucket to soak.

  “I have a special game for you two tonight. I would’ve included your friend Amy, but I couldn’t leave the animals starving for their next meal.”

  My face scrunched up in disgust to have him verify what I already knew. We were nothing more than meat – that is how he disposed of the bodies.

  He walked up to me, running his rough palm along my cheek. My eyes wrinkled closed and I fought to keep from getting sick when he stuck his thick fingers in my mouth, smoothing the tips along my tongue.

  “I want your mouth, bitch. On your knees.”

  Falling quickly to the floor, I undid his belt, sucking him off until he shot his release down my throat. I hated every fucking minute of it – but I was alive. I had to stay alive.

  I didn’t understand why I wanted to live. Any person stuck in this horrendous place would wish for death - if for nothing more than an escape. However, deep inside me, in a place I wasn’t sure I could reach except for in those moments when I was pushed to the farthest edge, there was still strength. It was a piece of myself that refused to give up or give in. It wasn’t hope and it wasn’t courage – it was just some primal instinct to stay alive.

  He zipped up his pants and ordered me to my feet. “Stay the fuck there while I get your friend.”

  I stayed – like a trained dog – I stayed. I now obeyed so well that he could throw a fucking ball and I’d chase it to catch it with my teeth. Kelsey crawled from her cage without complaint and he let the door slam back loudly against the frame. Her body jumped from the sound.

  He led us up the stairs, through the dusty and filthy hallway and out into the large, dimly lit room where he tortured us – where he raped us – and sometimes, where he killed us.

  Chained shackles hung from the ceiling in the center of the room and he strung Kelsey up almost as soon as we stepped inside. She hung there, pushing up on her toes so her feet wouldn’t drag across the floor where she swung. He turned on more music and from the loud screaming guitars and pounding drums – the sickening screams of what was supposed to be the singer – I knew that this was going to be painful for the girl who was bound helplessly in front of me.

  Handing me a whip, he nodded his head in her direction, sneering down at me, revealing the disgusting yellow of his teeth. His breath was grotesque and when he leaned down to kiss me, I pulled away – ultimately being knocked to the floor by the back of his hand.

  In the entire time he’s had me, I’ve never let him kiss me.

  Aiden’s words always rang in my head. “You can’t have her mouth. For now at least, I am her Master and that is the one part of her that is mine.”

  Aiden was still my Master; Duke just didn’t know it.

  “Get your ass up and whip your fucking friend, slut. Get her nice and wet for my dick.”

  When I stood up, he ran his grubby hand over my breast. “Don’t worry, beautiful, I’ll make sure I stay hard enough to take you when I’m done with the other bitch.”

  Moving behind Kelsey, I let the whip fall loose – the tip slapping against the ground. I brought my arm back – swung forward – and listened to the scream that resulted from the skin split across her back.

  Once I’d hit her 5 times, I stopped and stepped back to allow him room to rape her. The chains rattled above her head and she cried – loud and hard when he forced himself inside her.

  When he was done, he pulled out – tucking himself away before turning her to face me.

  “Your turn again, Rebecca.”

  I nodded solemnly, not able to stomach the amount of torture he inflicted on another human being. I stepped to stand behind her again, and he grabbed me, shaking his head ‘no’ before advising, “Whip her in the front this time; the tits, the legs, the stomach and face. She’s going to die tonight, beautiful, and I’m going to let you be the one to finish her off.

  My eyes peeked up at her face, to look at the empty eyes that stared back out at me. A tear ran down her dirty cheek and I couldn’t do it. I don’t know what happened or why my brain suddenly rejected the idea of lifting my hand to hurt her again – but it did, and I shook my head, refusing to whip her again.

  Suddenly, when my mind was finally pushed to the precipice between sanity and madness, an idea came to me.

  I grinned and let my anger bloom inside.

  It was that place again where there was no hope left – so I did what I wanted to do.

  I raised my arm, pulling it behind me and flicking the tip of the whip into place. Swinging forward, I threw every bit of strength I had into the strike. When it caught Duke in the eye and when I heard him scream and saw blood pour from his face – I laughed. I brought my arm up again, but he rushed forward. The weight of his body slammed me back against a wall, crashing through a table and the glass bowls and cups that had been stacked on top. Before I could recover, he was on top of me again – throwing me in the opposite direction, my body slamming against Kelsey’s as I passed. I heard a crunch when I hit the floor and pain shot through my arm.

  He stood over me pounding me with his fists repeatedly. My ribs, my face and my legs – nothing was safe beneath the hard strength of his hands. I coughed up blood when he punched me in the stomach and realized that if I didn’t do something, I would die right here on the dirty wood floor.

  Reaching out, I wrapped my hands around the handle of the whip that was just in reach. Swinging it quickly, it wrapped around his legs just long enough for me to kick outwards and knock him off balance. He hit the ground hard and I pushed up on my feet and ran for my fucking life.

  Aiden

  The house was dark and the property spread out before me wide and empty – acre upon acre of flat earth, with small shacks and barns dotted across it. I didn’t want to know what the smaller buildings were for, but I had to check each one to find out if she survived his form of cruelty.

  I never intended to hand Rebecca over completely. It was a gamble I took to finally break her of her rebellious spirit. As long as she was still in a situation she could accept, she would never let go of that small bit of control. I knew there was the slight chance that I could lose her by sending her away, and for the amount of money I made off of her, it was a chance worth taking. I hoped Duke would keep her alive long enough to break her without destroying her completely – or at least until it was time for me to finish out my plan.

  Music filtered out over the windy night and I followed it, crouching in the darkness, staying low enough that the faint moonlight didn’t touch my skin. The scant amount of shrubs blew in time with the harder gusts and I would stop and wait, listening intently, trying to determine where the sound came from. I turned back towards the house and realized the sound was below me.

  I snuck around the back of the house, searching for base windows where I could see down to the source of the music. I looked in and was relieved at what I found.

  Kelsey was strung up in the center of the large room, her bare skin smeared with dirt and grime. Standing to the side of her were Rebecca and Duke. I smiled to see that Rebecca was still alive and seemingly in one piece. She was naked, her hair was dirty and matted and she looked like she hadn’t been bathed for a week. But she was alive – and that was all that mattered.

  Duke attempted to kiss Rebecca and she turned her head away from him. I groaned to see that she still had not learned to submit completely. He backhanded for the mistake and she crawled off the floor slowly taking a bullwhip from his hands.

  I watched Rebecca repeatedly strike Kelsey with the whip and then I watched Duke fuck Kelsey while she was still chained. Sadly, nothing about this scene came as a surprise to me. Rebecca stood back, her face ashen - pale and without emotion - waiting quietly for Duke to finish. When he did, I watched him turn Kelsey’s body towards Rebecca and scream out an order.

  And that’s when the shit hit the fan.

 
You can imagine that I was surprised to see the bullwhip slap Duke in the face next, blood pouring from the wound and skin hanging off when he turned to throw Rebecca across the room. Rage bloomed through my body and I looked around seeking an entrance to the basement.

  I found a set of access doors and I pulled my gun from the holster at my back, shooting the lock until is burst apart and fell free of the chain. By the time I was able to pull the old door open, a small woman ran from the side of the house, her arm cradled to her chest, her blonde, matted hair flying out behind her. She ran out towards the open fields, limping heavily on her left leg and not moving very fast at all. It was Rebecca and I turned to chase after her, but quickly stopped, deciding to take care of Duke first. She wouldn’t get far in her condition and would be easy to find.

  I went down into the basement to finish what she started. Breaking my way through another old door, splinters of wood scratched the exposed skin on my face. Slowly, I moved in, searching the dimly lit room and locating a set of stairs leading up to a second lower level. I let my eyes looked over the cells and cages – disgust from the fetid stench forcing bile up my throat.

  Taking the stairs quickly, I pushed open the door, which led into the larger room where Kelsey still remained chained. There was no sign of Duke except for a bloody trail that disappeared behind another door. Kelsey moaned in pain, her body trembling from blood loss. I took pity on her instantly. Rather than leaving her to die slowly, I walked in front of her to allow her to see me.

  She smiled and the green of her eyes peeked out from beneath swollen eyelids.

  “Master.” Her word was breathy and wet and she coughed up blood after speaking. The chains above her head rattled and I stepped away from her. She smiled again, but when I lifted my arm – when the barrel of my gun was pointed dead center to her face – her expression fell.

  Pulling the trigger, I ended the life of a woman I’d only used to teach Rebecca a lesson. It was sad that her life had to end this way, but I wasn’t concerned. Stepping around the growing puddle beneath her, I opened the door where Duke’s blood trail led and I ran up a second set of stairs praying that I would find him before he reached Rebecca.