by Terri Pray
She blinked, looking up at him, confused. He'd been adamant she remain on her hands and knees, and now he was ordering her to stand.
“I said stand.”
Biting back a whimper of pain and fear, she pushed to her feet, keeping her gaze lowered. Her muscles wracked with spasms of pain, cramps from having been kept on her hands and knees, from the beating, the trip, tension and a dozen other sources. Her knees felt weak and her back ached. She didn't want to be standing, but there was no other choice. She'd wanted to stand, to be on her feet to begin with, and now the thought of doing so left her uncertain.
“You're afraid.”
Celeste nodded softly, fighting the urge to return to her hands and knees at his feet.
“Good, so you should be.”
A good beating with a flogger or a belt would have been enough to turn even the strongest of men and women into a nervous wreck.
“Remain on your hands and knees, thighs parted, head up. Do not move until I give you leave to do so.” He watched, closely, as she lifted her head, keeping her gaze lowered, hands loose on her thighs, biting back the urge to scream obscenities at him. “I have some business to conduct.”
Business? What sort of work did a man like him have to deal with?
The door opened, allowing two men to enter, followed by the pale faced Alex who barely looked her way. Good, she didn't want to have to deal with the woman, but if she had to then best that the maid lived in fear of her. She wanted to move, launch herself at the maid, take her eyes out, tear out her throat, but he'd told her to remain in position, and that she would do. If nothing else, the beating had made her fate clear if she disobeyed him again, especially publicly.
“You summoned us, milord?” The older of the two men spoke, ignoring the presence of the kneeling and naked woman. Something his companion was unable to do. A pair of hazel eyes, soft smile and a growing blush led her to conclude he was no more than a year or so her senior.
“Aye, I need to know the state of my hounds.”
“You wish to hunt?”
“Yes, in a day or so.”
“Fox, milord, or deer?”
“I had a two legged prey in mind.” Davien glanced her way for a heart beat only. “I need them prepared for such an event.”
“Aye, milord, it will be done.” The grey haired man nodded, only now casting a single look over the kneeling woman. “Your new pet, milord?”
“That she is, and the possible quarry, if I deem her fit for the task. If not, then I am sure Alex will provide a passable back up.”
A soft gasp of protest came from the woman lingering close to the door.
“You object, Alex?”
“No, milord, it's just that it's been some time since I ran the hunt. I'm not sure I would provide a fitting amount of sport for you and your guests.”
Guests, a hunt, what madness was this? Human beings didn't hunt each other. They didn't snatch women from the side of the road and turn them into pets either, yet there she knelt.
“You will do well, or I'll remind you just what failure can bring your way.”
Celeste barely had a chance to hide the smile that threatened at the look that claimed Alex's face. Alex had paled, her eyes widened with sheer terror, something the two men ignored for the most part, but Celeste enjoyed every moment of the other woman's terrified expression.
“Yes, milord. I know. I'll do my best.” Alex stammered, taking a step back toward the door.
“You will do more than simply your best, girl. You'll provide the entertainment desired or spend the week in the barracks. Do not think because you've been freed, and have been given the chance to earn a living at my discretion, that you no longer answer to me.” Davien's cold words lashed out at the cowering woman. “Now get out of here, your presence isn't required for the rest of this meeting.”
She fled, the door slapping closed behind her, the sound of her footsteps echoing down the hallway as she ran.
“They never forget.” The older man shrugged, looking over the kneeling woman. “And this one?”
“She's new and will do very well here.” Davien shrugged. “A few minor set backs, a show of strength here and there, but she's done reasonably well so far.”
Pride welled within her being, a soft smile curling over her lips. She'd pleased him. Despite the punishment she'd still manage to please him. For some reason that helped, eased the fears that had risen and been beaten into life in her body.
“Good, the last one you had ended up spending more time in the stables and barracks than anywhere else,” Grey hair nodded.
“Milord, may I... I mean I've never seen such skin. So pale, and soft. May I touch her?” The younger man finally spoke, his eyes soft, intense and curious.
“Touch, oh I believe I can let you do a little more than that. Take her with you, or use her here. Her cunt only though, I won't guarantee she will behave if told to service you with her mouth, and I suggest binding her before taking her.” Davien advised, fixing Celeste with a calm gaze. “She would be best to give you some amount of pleasure, however. If she doesn't then the consequences of her actions will make what she went through last night a mild walk through the park compared to what I will treat her to.”
Cold fingers clenched about her stomach, beads of sweat springing to life, coating her form. She knew he'd live by his word if she displeased the smiling young man. With the feeling of the welts still very much in the fore front of her mind she turned her attention to the other man, hoping he would offer some measure of mercy her way.
“I will put her to good use, Milord. If I may borrow a few items here, some restraints perhaps?”
“No, make use of what you have to hand. Show some initiative, but as I said, be aware she may not be as easy to tame as you think. Alex's face is testament to that— and she is to remain in silence. You may have her walk, but she is to refrain from using human speech. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly, Milord.”
* * * *
He'd not said a word to her since he'd pulled her up by agrip on her hair and forced her out of the room. Shaking, and half looking for a way to break free, Celeste stumbled down the hallway. Davien should have protected her from this. Instead, he'd tossed her to one side, told her to serve the strange young man who now forced her down a flight of stairs with a grip that offered no mercy.
She bit back a whimper, refusing to let him hear just how afraid she was. Davien she had begun to understand Davien to some degree. This one, new, uncertain and seeking pleasure from her body, he offered her only the fear of being found lacking. If she failed to please him, not only would she be punished by the unknown man, but by Davien, as well.
“You best do everything you can to please me, slut. I may not be the lord of the manor, but for this time you will obey me as if I was.” His fingers tightened into the back of her neck, forcing her down another flight of steps. “A little whore like you must learn to be pleasing to whatever man chooses to spend time with her.”
Her stomach tightened into a mass of writhing snakes, cold sweat coating her hands, her back and ass. She tried to remember the route, take in every twist and turn of the quickly marched trip through the home. It was larger than she had imagined. A manor? What was that? A huge house, land, power and wealth. She'd been right about that.
The riches of the house faded away, replaced by servants quarters, a passage to the stables. A rich smell of hay, horses, dogs. A wooden door pushed open into a room not much bigger than the one she had used in the farm. A bed, a candle or two, a chest in one corner, basic furnishings for a simple life.
“Get in there, onto your belly in the center of the room. Do not move until I give you permission.” Her teeth caught into her bottom lip as she lay on her belly on the cold stone and dust covered floor.
Not even a fire burned in the room, unlike the others she had seen in the manor house. Too much of a risk. Candles were kept trimmed behind bulbs of glass, offering some level of protection from
a breeze that might otherwise bring life to a dangerous fire.
A risk too great to chance near the stables. And they were near them. She not only smelled them but heard the sound of horses’ hoofs on wood and stone. The soft yap of a single dog made her wonder at the chance to escape?
Foolish idea. He'd not let her out of his sight— that much she knew only too well. He'd not risk angering Davien, or losing his position here.
“Stuck up slut. Don't think I didn't see how you looked at Alex. You think you're above the rest of the servants here, don't you?” He snarled, locking the door behind him. “We'll soon help you learn your place in life, or your life here.”
What had she done wrong?
“Up on your hands and knees, show me that little ass of yours.”
She tensed, muscles knotting, though she didn't dare disobey him. In silence she pushed up onto her hands and knees, head lowering, her ass high in the air.
“Nice welts. If there is one thing His Lordship knows how to do, it's mark a woman.” He walked around her slowly, his gaze moving in open admiration across her form. A look within his hazel eyes spoke of a hunger she had come to know in her short time with Davien. Were all men alike? Wanting a woman only for the pleasure she offered them between her thighs?
Who was he?
“Lord Davien Blood's property, yet here you kneel, a beast on her hands and knees waiting for my order. Michael Baker, a stable hand— nothing more than a boy from the village, but you'll obey me just as you would him, or I'll see him strip the flesh from your back.”
She believed him.
“Head to the floor, hands crossed in the small of your back.” The order snapped through the air. Without hesitation she obeyed, pressing her head to the floor, her slender wrists crossed in the small of her back, naked breasts caressing the stone. Nipples crinkled, hardening into stiff peaks, her sex rippling, tightening on the air. She craved to be filled, to feel the release of the pleasure Davien had touched her with the night before.
Rope fastened about her wrists, securing them tight. A grip on her hair, yanking her back up to her feet, twisting hard until she cried out in pain, forced onto her toes for the handful of stumbling steps to the small bed.
“I should take you on the floor as the little whore you are, but I seek my own comfort as well. The bed will work better for my pleasure.” He all but threw her onto the thin mattress, forcing her onto her belly, her ass raised high in the air. “He made it clear how little he trusted you to serve with your mouth, but your cunt has already been nicely broken in.”
His hand slapped against her upturned ass, sending fresh waves of pain through the welts. Lines of fire burned despite the coating of salve that had treated the welts earlier. A few more blows, were all it would have taken to make her scream. She didn't want to scream, not for him. With a low whimper she raised her hips, parting her thighs further.
“You want me,” Michael said as he leaned forward, sliding his fingers between her thighs. “Is it because you desire to please me, or simply save yourself from punishment? Who can tell with a woman such as you? A mere beast trained for sex, pain, pleasure and display.”
Is that what she was to become? Her stomach tightened, threatening to rid her of the bile that curdled within it.
“I've been told about his tastes. Mine are so much simpler, just a willing cunt, a writhing body beneath mine. What more could a man desire?” His lips brushed over her ass, tongue tracing the welts, licking them. The salve had left no taste behind, or so it seemed, or he would have made some form of protest.
One finger, then two, parted the lips of her sex, tracing between them, tickling at her damp core. Lips nibbled over her ass, down one slender thigh, teeth grazing tender flesh in a flurry of light bites that forced her to cry out and arch back against his touch. She craved him, needed him, needed someone.
What would it be like to be held by a man who loved her, wanted her for more than a body, a target, a receptacle for their abuse? One day she'd know, she'd bend beneath one she loved, give everything she laid claim to with the full willingness of her body, mind and soul.
Thought fled, her body tightened and rocked back against his touch. Fingers slid into her core, pressing deep, taking no more than a few moments of sweet caress to urge her body into life. Slick heat, a light coating born from a need she would have denied given the chance. He wanted her though, for a moment at least she would be granted some pleasure, perhaps without the pain Davien desired from her.
His fingers curled into her hips, raising them upward, settling her ready to be taken, used. The slick head of his cock pressed between her thighs, against full and heated lips. Without a word, her hands bound behind her back, her head pressed into the pillows, he rocked into her.
“Move for me, slut.” He growled, his cock spreading her walls, pushing them wide. He didn't care for her or her pleasure, only his. Not even the tap against her core that Davien granted her. Pain or not, he had at least introduced her to some measure of delight.
Not with this one. Michael snarled, her body alive, needing to find it's own pleasure. That, not his order, forced her hips to rock, thrust back against him, rolling to meet each deep plunge into her clenching core.
“More, give it to me, little whore.” His fingers pressed into the bruises Davien had left on her hips, forcing her to rise back against him. Her walls tightened on his throbbing cock, balls slapping hard with each fast rock into her being.
Her throat tightened, and her body shook, while her toes curled into the bedding seeking a way to steady herself. He gave her no time, nor thought, but used her body as a release, just as he would have done one of the local whores.
Shame burned through her being, claiming her fully, yet still she pressed against him. Arching to his body, seeking to give him the pleasure he had demanded from her.
Nipples pressed into the bedding, the feel of straw beneath the covering of the mattress as it scraped her body. Sweat, beer, the stale scent of a man filled her nostrils. His teeth sank into her back, offering fresh pain, yet still she tried to move beneath him, lifting her ass higher, offering herself to him, while her thighs tightened with the drive to try to please him.
“Good, good. I'm going to fuck you so hard and deep, you'll come back to me as often as you can,” he groaned. His cock throbbed between her thighs, plunging her depths. One hand smacked lightly against her ass, each shock rippling a tight grasp through her core. A handful of thrusts more and it was over, his seed filling her sex, balls slapping against her cunt. Sweat dripped from his face onto her back, leaving her aching for something more than he was willing to offer her.
She missed Davien's skill.
What had been the point of bringing her down here if all he wanted was a quick fuck? Unless he was trying to hide the lack of ability from his lord? She bit her lip, stifling a laugh at the thought. It would have made sense, but she knew better than to let him know of her amusement.
“Bet you've never felt like that from his hands.” He slapped against her ass, the pride in his voice clear. He really had no idea how little his skills had impressed her. She tried to hide the frown, the quirk of a smile that tried to claim her lips by pressing her face into the pillow, offering him a low whimper. At least Davien's rules meant she couldn't speak— something that now played heavily in her favor.
“A few hours and we could go again.” He grunted, sliding free from her tight walls. “Pretty filly like you needs a stallion to mate with, not an old man like His Lordship. If you behave with him I might be able to persuade him to let me use you on a regular basis. Might even earn enough money to buy you from him. He doesn't keep women long, a year at most, then I can look at owning you. You'd like that, wouldn't you?”
She'd heard of men like this, ones that bragged about their skill but had been mocked behind their backs. Mystic had enjoyed retelling such events to anyone who would listen, as long as they weren't about to go tattling on her. Celeste had been a frequent target for
such tales. There would be no one she could share her tales with, but they would, perhaps, give her moments of merriment to hold her through the darker days.
Celeste didn't move, not even when Michael settled himself on the edge of the bed, tracing slender fingers over her thighs before he unbound her wrists. His touch left her cold, empty and wanting the caress of another. “Pretty slut, but you need to be cleaned up.”
Davien, her thoughts returned to him time and again. At least he left her sated, unless she was being disciplined. Or so he had so far. A few touches and she craved more, her body ached in desire for more. Not this man, this stable hand. His attempts had been, to say the least, lacking.
“Up,” he rolled from the bed, reaching for her bound wrists. “You can clean up once you're back with Davien. I think I will enjoy him seeing how well you have been put through your paces, little miss. I know what women want, what they need, as you now know for yourself.”
The mention of his name sent a deep clench through her core.
A lightness claimed her steps, his touch urging her from the poor chamber and back toward the one who owned her.
Owned. That word took on new meaning. If it meant he would finally grant her some release after the frustration she had been left, with then she could gladly call him Master for a time. But only for a time.
With soft and eager steps she hurried ahead of the striding, overly proud stable hand. He thought himself the greatest of studs, but she'd never known such a poorly educated man in the manner of love, or sex at least. Just going by the stories she had been told he would have been better spending some time in a tavern, taking lessons from a wench or two there before seeking to proclaim himself a man who understood women at all.
“Happy to be returning to him are you?” His words stopped her in her tracks.
She nodded softly, trying to hide the merriment that touched her lowered gaze.
“And why is that... ah yes you cannot reply. One day you will answer my questions, little slut.” He slapped her ass with a hard blow, his hand half cupped to force her into motion once more. Silence was at least a welcome blessing this time. He wanted information, but she was reluctant to lie, even to save the young man's pride. “He will be waiting for you.”
