Twenty-One

by D. Victoria BonAnno

  “On your feet,” said Gabe, opening the water bottle. “Come get your drink and let’s get going.”

  The sight of the water bottle made Chloe’s throat go dry, as if her body had only just remembered how thirsty she was. She rose to her feet and Gabe took her by the shoulders to feed her the bottle. The sudden contact startled her. She jumped. Gabe’s firm grip kept her in place.

  “Easy, easy,” Gabe coaxed her lips open with the bottle. “A little wound up, aren’t you? That’s okay, sweetie. All of you are in the beginning.”

  Chloe only gulped down a few sips before Gabe pulled away. Chloe moaned before she could stop herself.

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry, but we’ve got to get going. I’ve got someone watching Seventeen for me.”

  He pulled a leather leash from his pocket and hooked it onto Chloe’s collar. The feeling made Chloe’s stomach knot, but she was stunned by Gabe’s words. I’m sorry. It was the kindest thing anyone had said to her in weeks.

  “We’re going downstairs now,” said Gabe. He patted her hair softly. “You gonna behave for me? Your little escape attempt has made you infamous.”

  Chloe’s face flushed. Infamous. Was it wrong to feel shame for having tried to escape her prison? In this moment, she was too exhausted to condemn herself for it.

  “Are you going to behave?” he repeated.

  Chloe nodded. “Yes, Master.”

  Gabe’s face split into a smile.

  “I’m your attendant, sweetie, not your Master,” he said with a laugh. “Demetrius is your Master until someone buys you. Call everyone else here Sir.”

  Chloe’s cheeks burned, “Yes, Sir.”

  Gabe grinned and tugged on her leash, “There you go. Let’s get a move on.”

  Chloe followed Gabe out of the room, trying to temper her growing anxiety. The spiral staircase clanked under his heavy boots. Chloe kept her eyes down through the strange office and pillared room, taking deep breaths. She didn’t want to see these rooms again, to remember her bungled escape attempt, or hurting Three. It seemed like it had happened so long ago. How long had it been? A week? Two weeks? Time was lost to her in that windowless bedroom, where the lights never shut off.

  Gabe pulled open the French doors and led her outside. The autumn air was colder without the adrenaline that had aided her the last time she was out there. In the bitter grey morning, she walked down the same dewy path she had run before. The Saint Andrew’s crosses in the yard were empty, but Chloe could still see the dark haired slave she had tried to free, her head down, muttering the mantra that Chloe had found so eerie then. It was the same mantra Demetrius had coaxed her through the night before. The thought made her shiver more than the bitter breeze tickling her skin.

  She and Gabe approached the mysterious stone building. Her heart thudded her in her throat as Gabe punched in a code and swung the door open.

  Steamy heat coaxed Chloe out of the cold. She stood in a huge room with over a dozen shower stalls lined along its edges and three inground pools that resembled hot tubs in the center. Six or seven women stood in the shower stalls or sat in the pools, getting washed, kneaded, and stroked by men in uniform black, like Gabe. The women were slaves, like Chloe, most wearing leather collars around their necks, but Chloe caught sight of glass and metal as well. The slaves were nearly limp in their attendant’s arms, listless and apathetic. Chloe stared at a sea of blank faces and dull eyes, as if the steam were an opiate seeping into naked skin and lulling the women into a warm, soft stupor.

  Gabe shuffled her past the pools and into a shower stall with a little cart beside it. It was doorless with shallow walls and a small drain between her feet. The walls gave no feeling of privacy. Chloe need only tilt her head to see other slaves in their stalls. The slave in the stall next to her was on her knees. Her attendant unzipped his fly. Chloe began to tremble immediately. No. No, no. She wasn’t ready for that. Demetrius had just taken her and she still reeled from the aftermath. She had to comply to survive, but the way her body came alive under his touch, the way he seemed to draw her to him, the way she ached when he was near…that wasn’t simply compliance. Chloe tried to quiet her mind. If she thought too long on that, she would go insane. Right now, she had a new danger to address. She looked at Gabe as he busied himself with the little cart of soap and toiletries behind her, and she finally realized why he was so familiar to her. He had been the man who had nearly discovered her on the way to the bathroom the day she tried to run away. He had been the man who had tied the beautiful black-haired slave outside in the yard.

  “Alrighty,” he said, taking a step toward her. “Do you know any poses yet? Can you stand in Display for me?”

  Chloe trembled. She had to comply to survive, she repeated to herself. Comply to survive. But fear left her frozen.

  Gabe raised his dark eyebrows. “Come on, I still have another slave to take care of.”

  Chloe’s lips quivered. She found herself staring at Gabe’s hands, large and limp and hanging at his sides. So far he had been gentle handling her, but she knew he had tied up that slave in the backyard. He was just as capable of violence as anyone else in this place. She felt weak suddenly, as if her malnourishment had only just caught up with her.

  “Display...” Chloe didn’t understand. “I-I’m sorry, Sir, but I d-don’t...”

  Gabe reached up and patted her head. Chloe nearly balked, but her limbs felt too heavy to move. What was happening? Had she reached a point where her body could no longer handle fear? Did such a point even exist?

  “All right, all right, hush, calm down. You don’t know anything yet, do you?”

  Chloe lowered her chin and shook her head. Gabe flashed her a surprisingly warm smile. He seemed to sense her distress and moved slowly and deliberately around her as he turned on the shower and rolled up his sleeves. Warm water ran down Chloe’s face. She lowered her head.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” said Gabe, coating his hands in soap. “You’ve got the easiest attendant here. I’m the teddy bear.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and waited until she had relaxed a little to start massaging. “And I’ve been told not to touch you except to process you, so don’t worry about what’s going on in the other stall for now, okay?”

  Chloe was so relieved that she uttered a small sob. Once she began, she couldn’t stop; tears burst over her cheeks and she cried as if it were her first night all over again. She could not pinpoint an exact reason for her tears. The memory of Demetrius’ body pressed against her invaded her brain, so vivid that she could almost smell his sharp, smoky skin, could almost feel him move inside of her. Her heart jolted but she could not identify how she felt. Fear, horror, shame, desire, all were meaningless words to describe some depth of feeling that was beyond her, somewhere beyond the dark, hollow pit into which she had been thrown.

  Chloe barely registered Gabe’s touch as he kneaded her back in small, hard circles. She allowed it. She had learned her lesson about resisting. Demetrius had even known when she resisted in mind only. There was no escaping, even within herself. Slowly her sobs faded into the sound of running water and the soft moans of the attendant in the other stall. Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, but there was no escaping the sound. Chloe’s only comfort was that she would not be subjected to the same treatment…for now. But was this the daily life of the poor girl on her knees next door? Why did Chloe deserve special treatment, even “for now,” when twenty other women suffered around her?

  Chloe couldn’t continue the thought. She was tired. So tired. She let her mind drift away into the strokes and circles Gabe kneaded into her back. He rubbed her scalp with sweet-smelling shampoo, the same as the shampoo in the suite bathroom. She remembered the day the twins had taken her into that bathroom, when Rodney had hosed her down like a horse. Here in the baths, the water was warm, and Gabe’s touch was gentle. She was in an open stall in view of strangers, yet she felt safer. Gabe shut off the water and toweled her off. It was the first time she had been allowed a to
wel since her arrival.

  “Good girl,” said Gabe, patting her buttocks and holding up his water bottle. Chloe’s throat dried despite her damp skin. She took the bottle between her lips and suckled like a baby calf, swallowing gulp after gulp as quickly as she could before Gabe could pull it away and slip it back into his pocket.

  “I know, sweetie, I know,” he smoothed her wet hair. “It almost makes things worse, doesn’t it? But you look good. I’ve seen worse for sure. I’m just going to examine you now and you’ll be done for the day, all right?”

  Chloe swallowed. Her throat was drier than it had been before the water. “Yes, Sir.”

  Gabe laid a hand on the back of her neck. His grip was gentle but firm, “I’m going to put you in the Inspection position now. You’re new so it might be uncomfortable.”

  He pushed Chloe’s neck down until she bent at the hip at nearly a ninety degree angle. Immediately her frail sense of security evaporated. Her legs were spread, her sex and buttocks utterly exposed. She moved to cover her breasts.

  “No,” said Gabe, as if correcting a dog. “Hands at your neck and arch your back.”

  Chloe struggled to obey, her face flushed. The pose was both humiliating and uncomfortable. Her back protested and her legs strained to keep balance with her weight thrust out in front of them. Gabe slid a hand just above her breasts to steady her.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “In a month, you’ll be able to stand in this position for hours.” His free hand slid to the base of her neck. “Now, don’t spook on me or I’ll have to punish you. You won’t make me do that, will you?”

  Chloe’s skin prickled with fear. “No, Sir.”

  “Keep balanced,” said Gabe, removing his hand from her chest. “This’ll be quick and painless. I promise.”

  Gabe stepped out of sight and she felt his presence behind her. She forced herself to breathe deeply. Gabe cupped her sex and she jumped as if he had struck her.

  “Easy, easy,” he muttered. “It’s okay, sweetie. You’re okay.”

  Chloe gritted her teeth against her shuddering jaw. I’m okay, she mentally chanted. I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay. She clamped down on the shameful tears that threatened to swell. There was no point in shame, no point in bemoaning the great injustice of what was happening to her. It wouldn’t stop anything. Gabe slipped a finger inside of her and she dug her nails into her neck, continuing her mental chant. Her sex ached with the unwanted intrusion. She squeezed her eyes more tightly shut and, remembering her promise to herself, sang her family’s song in her mind.

  “Quand il me prend dans ses bras, il me parle tout bas, je vois la vie en rose.”

  “Everything looks good,” said Gabe. “The boss was gentle with you.” He stroked her buttocks absently. “I don’t even see any marks, other than on your chest.”

  Chloe tried to keep her mind blank. She didn’t want to worry about what Gabe meant, or what marks he might have expected to find on her body. She had no idea what the future would bring. The present was all she had to get through, one moment at a time.

  “You can relax now,” said Gabe, taking a step back.

  Chloe released her arms and stood upright. Her back ached. Gabe reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag of ripe green grapes. The sight of the fruit weakened Chloe’s knees. More than water, she craved food in this place. The daily broth was so bland that the fruit became the most delicious thing she could ever hope to taste.

  “I know I’m not supposed to feed you,” said Gabe, “but you’ve been very good for a new girl.” He pressed a grape to her lips. “You won’t tell on me, will you?”

  The grape slid along her mouth as she spoke. “No, Sir.”

  Gabe slid the grape into her mouth and Chloe moaned as firm ripe fruit burst between her teeth. She devoured two more. Nothing in the world tasted so sweet.

  Gabe wiped her tears from her face and smoothed her hair with the flat of his palm. His touch was detached, as if she weren’t a thinking, feeling person, but some sort of domesticated animal he was in charge of. Chloe was surprised to find his detachment soothing. He was quite the opposite of Demetrius, who ripped from her soul every thought, every idea, every secret.

  “Thank you, Sir,” she whispered, the taste of the grapes lingering on her tongue. There was a warmth in his brown eyes, a simple, kind warmth devoid of any entitlement or obligation.

  “Keep your eyes down,” he said with a smile. “If you want to thank me, you can kneel and kiss my boot.”

  Chloe hesitated a moment before dropping to her knees, fearing that once she got there she would be too weak to stand again. She pressed her lips to the rough black leather of Gabe’s studded boots. He chuckled softly.

  “All right, sweetie, get up. Let’s get you dolled up and back upstairs.”

  Chloe had just climbed to her feet when a sharp cry broke through the casual chatter echoing through the baths, a cry immediately followed by men shouting. Gabe took Chloe by the back of the neck.

  “Back on your knees,” he ordered, the cheer gone from his voice. “Put your forehead to the floor. Hands behind your back. Good.”

  Chloe fell back to her shaking knees and pressed her forehead against the tile floor. Her head stuck out from the stall. She heard movement around her, but didn’t dare turn her head to look around.

  “Gabe.”

  Chloe’s stomach twisted. She recognized Rodney like a voice from her nightmares. She saw his black boots out of the corner of her eye.

  “It’s Seventeen.”

  “Shit.” Gabe shuffled into motion. “Keep an eye on this one for me.”

  Gabe’s footsteps faded. Rodney approached her, reached down, and patted her buttocks. Chloe gritted her teeth. Rodney’s touch wasn’t like Gabe’s. It lingered in a way that made her skin crawl.

  “Let’s go, baby,” he ordered. “Get up.”

  Chloe rose again, feeling Rodney’s gaze on her body. He led her with the D ring of her collar, his elbow bent, forcing her to keep so close to him that her bare breasts brushed his arm.

  Chloe looked up as much as she dared. Every slave was on their knees with their foreheads to the floor, their attendants standing behind them. All eyes were on Gabe, who had emerged from a shower stall, bear-hugging a thrashing slave, the very slave Chloe had seen tied to the X in the yard. An attendant was on his knees near them, cursing and clutching the side of his face. Chloe caught a glimpse of blood seeping from between the attendant’s fingers just before Rodney startled her with a hand in her hair. He turned to face her, a sly smile on his lips, so close that Chloe’s nipples brushed his black shirt.

  “On your knees,” he said. Chloe sank down immediately, trying not to brush into him further. He stopped her, pulling back on her hair, when her face was in line with his groin. Chloe stumbled, anger swelling in her chest like a flash fire. He tugged on her hair again, forcing her to tilt her head up. She caught his gaze before remembering to lower her eyes. His smile had become a wicked grin. He released her hair, satisfied with his game, and allowed her to fall into position.

  Chloe felt her face turning pink, tingling with anger she struggled to suppress. In a moment, Rodney had humiliated her more than Gabe’s entire examination had. She turned her head, tilting it just barely to the side, and saw Three lying beside her, close enough to touch. Chloe hadn’t seen her since her punishment, and her chest stung at the sight of the girl. Three’s head was tilted the other way, watching Gabe struggle with the slave in his arms in front of the pools. Chloe followed suit. Gabe had taken the flailing slave by the hair, his other arm around her slender waist, pinning her arms to her sides. She screamed, kicking and trying to scratch at Gabe’s arm. Her brown eyes were wild and slivers of her long hair clung to her face. Her mouth was smeared with blood.

  “Fucking cunt!” the attendant on the floor screamed. “Rip those teeth outta her fucking head!”

  Gabe hauled the woman over his hip like a well-trained bouncer dragging a drunk from a bar.
He jumped into one of the pools and Chloe’s heart nearly stopped. The slave kicked her legs and howled with abandon. She was beautiful, even with Gabe’s thick arms wrapped around her lithe body. Chloe remembered her tied to the X, almost in a trance, muttering her mantra over and over again. It felt like Chloe was staring at a completely different woman now. She mesmerized Chloe; her chaotic eyes, the violent grace in her struggle.

  “Why?” Gabe barked at the slave. “Do you want to die? Is that what you want?”

  Gabe yanked the slave’s head back and dunked her into the water, holding her under as the woman bucked and flailed. Three flinched beside her. The scene was identical to what Chloe had to watch the young girl go through. This time, Chloe could not tear herself away from the sight. Gabe jerked the slave’s face out of the water, giving her just enough time to breathe before plunging her beneath the surface again. The crowd of attendants and slaves watched Gabe repeat the process three, four, five times, bringing the slave up for air and holding her under again, until like Three, her arms and legs began to weaken. Gabe brought her up for air one last time. She gasped, coughing and sputtering, and to Chloe’s surprise, the wild slave raised her arms to encircle Gabe’s neck and pulled her body close to his. Gabe scooped her up and crawled out of the pool. The slave, so fierce only moments ago, clung to Gabe’s neck, her head limp against his shoulder, wet and shivering.

  The sound of whimpering brought Chloe back from the spectacle. Three trembled beside her, crying so softly that Chloe could hardly hear it. If Rodney heard her as well, he gave no indication. Chloe felt tears in her own eyes. Without thinking she reached for the girl, squeezing her small hand, before sneaking back into position. Three’s whimpers softened.