The Sisterhood of Slaves Pt. 03
"You look at a star for two reasons, because it is luminous and because it is inscrutable. You have beside you a sweeter radiance and a greater mystery -- woman." -- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
Daniel opened his eyes, yawned and sat up. The places beside him were empty. He struggled to recall what he had done with the lovely Lydia and the gorgeous Justine. Then he saw the chain fixed to the post at the foot of the bed. He quietly moved to that end of the mattress and peered over the edge. The two women were curled up on the rug, asleep, their naked bodies embraced, arms and legs intertwined. The connector between their collars had just two or three links, so they were coupled face to face, lip to lip, breast to breast, belly to belly. It was a vision so sublime, so alluring, so overwhelming that he had to hold his breath, lest he roar out his joy and waken them.
But then Lydia stirred. Her nose twitched as she felt Justine's gentle breathing on her face. She smiled and sighed, but her eyes did not open. Daniel studied the slumbering forms. In the morning light, Lydia's skin glowed honey-gold with a spray of caramel, Justine's a rich, sun-kissed mahogany. Across the thighs, backs, buttocks and hips of each woman was a criss-cross of faint pink markings and swellings, the slowly fading memoir of yesterday's games and last night's entertainment.
He lay down again and saw himself, sprawled in purple silk pajamas on black satin sheets, reflected in the overhead mirror. He laughed (but not too loud). Apart from that cliché, he might have been in the royal suite of some palatial hotel. Never had he seen such opulence in a bedroom. And yet, for all the lavish accoutrements, nothing surpassed the sumptuous splendour of his two sleeping beauties. It seemed a pity to disturb them, but he was not yet done with those succulent, obliging bodies.
It was barely a month since Lydia had summoned him and Jane to that extraordinary meeting.
The cousins had known each other all his life; Jane was a year and a bit older. He'd always had a crush on her, and as they were second cousins that was not out of bounds. She was pretty and popular, very smart and from what he'd seen utterly fearless. Because neither of them had siblings and they lived close by, they played together as children, and as teenagers were still friends; but in recent years their families had grown apart. Her Grandpa Joe had been an eccentric character, and something happened which caused a rift between him and his brother, Daniel's grandfather. No one spoke openly about the scandal, but there had been rumours of an affair between Joe and his sister-in-law. When they all gathered at the funeral, nothing was said of the falling out, and some healing took place.
The last to leave the gravesite had been a petite, dark-haired woman in a short black dress, whom nobody seemed to know... or at least everyone pretended to not know. When they assembled again for the reading of the will, Lydia the executrix proved to be a high-powered lawyer or agent or manager of some sort, with a top-floor office at the top end of town. She was stunning, with gleaming blue eyes and a penetrating gaze, a sexy charisma and an intimidating self-assurance which reminded Daniel of a sleek, predatory cat. She announced herself as Grandpa Joe's business associate, but she was vague. After that, she called them in one at a time for a private conference. Daniel did not know what the others were told, but Jane, who had preceded him, came out of Lydia's office looking unsettled, her face flushed. She murmured something he did not catch and averted her eyes as she brushed past him.
The full details of the bequest were unclear, except that he found himself, along with his cousin, title-holder of an estate in the countryside, a mansion which Lydia referred to simply as "the Château." Since it was Jane who was Joe's direct descendant, Daniel was gratified that he'd been allotted a half-share; but he was curious about the exact nature of the old man's legacy.
A week later he was called back. He was ushered in by one of the secretaries, a thin, pale, stiff-backed fellow in razor-pleated grey trousers, starched blue shirt and a magenta-and-gold striped tie. The other was a tall, strikingly beautiful young woman in a long-sleeved cream-coloured blouse and knee-length beige skirt. Her strawberry-blonde hair was cut short similar to Lydia's. She introduced herself and her associate as Gabrielle and Steven.
Jane was already there, in her office, she and Lydia deep in conversation. His cousin's expression was one he had seen before, when she was struggling with a momentous decision. Lydia whispered something as Daniel took his seat. Jane smiled and shook her head. She may have blushed, because she pointedly turned towards the big window so her face was suffused with the orange glow of the late afternoon sun.
This part of the conference did not take long. The cousins were given a mountain of paperwork to take away for signing and witnessing. Jane then left, while Lydia asked Daniel to accompany her and Steven to an adjoining room. There were four armchairs arranged in a circle, two occupied by men in neat, expensive business suits. Serving them coffee, on her knees, was Gabrielle, and she had changed out of her prim and proper skirt and blouse into a barely-there, white negligée. The front and rear were open almost all the way down, and there were no tan lines on her back or across her superb cleavage. Her magnificent legs were sheathed in sheer silk stockings held up with a lace-and-ribbon garter belt. Around her slender throat was a thin black metal choker.
Lydia waited until Daniel and Steven had taken their seats. Then, as she lowered herself onto the chair, in a single, smooth movement she put her hands under her dress and drew her panties down to her knees and then swept her hemline backwards so that, as her bottom touched the upholstery, it was bare flesh against the leather. Neither her secretaries nor her guests reacted at all to this. Without so much as a pause for effect, she began speaking.
With what followed, Daniel came to understand the true nature of the Château. He found out about the masters and their slaves, was told stories about Grandpa Joe's business of which he'd not been fully aware (but had suspected). He had revealed to him secrets which left him troubled, intrigued and titillated. He was enlightened about matters he'd believed existed only in make-believe. He wondered about Jane, who had been closer than he to the old man. How much had she known, and how long had she known it?
There were hints during the conversation of a mysterious co-proprietor, but despite it never being said outright, Daniel was sure that everyone present sensed what he had learnt during the earlier session, that the covert partner was Lydia. After an hour, he was still ignorant about so much, but Lydia was insistent that the best teacher was experience, and anyway it was a provision of old Joe's will that if they wished to receive their inheritance, he and Jane must familiarize themselves with the ways of the Château at first hand. Then Lydia accompanied him down to the lobby, leaving the delightful Gabrielle to entertain the guests.
He met with Lydia a couple more times in the following days. The next time he saw Jane was their last conference before going to the Château Chaînerie. Lydia had coached him on what to say to his cousin, but he had no clear idea on what she already knew, no clue to how she would react. But as soon as they greeted each other he understood that she had changed. How could she not?
They had both been warned that on the journey they were about to make they would be taking very different paths. Their destination was a place where dreams were made real and fantasies fulfilled. But these were very special, very specific fantasies and dreams.
So what they had been he and Jane would never be again.
"Man with the head and woman with the heart: Man to command and woman to obey; All else confusion." -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Princess
Jane eased herself warily into one of the armchairs, watching Lydia perform her ritual of baring the skin of her backside and thighs against the leather. She was not tempted to follow suit. It was not yet that time.
They made ridiculous small talk for several minutes, even about the weather, while Gabrielle served coffee. It was especially bizarre because Lydia's secretary was naked. Her other assistant, Steven, was still in his crisp trousers, stiff shirt and striped tie. He took the last chair while Gabrielle, her chore done, knelt on the carpet, sitting on her heels. After a while, Lydia gestured at Daniel, who began speaking. He was addressing Jane, and from the way that he delivered it, she could tell that he was reciting a speech, not verbatim but improvising from recall. He spoke slowly and clearly so he could formulate his words and she could understand and remember. He emphasized certain phrases as if they were highlighted in the original text. His tone was bland, impassive, businesslike, as if he were proposing a commercial deal. He kept glancing at Lydia, and every so often, for encouragement, she gave a subtle nod of approval.
"You are entering the Château of your own free will," he began. "No one will force you to go there nor force you to stay. Whatever happens in that place you have freely entered into it, by your own informed consent. Do you agree?"
"Yes, I agree."
Her lack of hesitation seemed to surprise Daniel. He blinked twice and cleared his throat. He then continued.
"While you are there, regardless of what you are on the outside, you are the property of the Masters. For as long as you remain in the house, you will serve and obey them without question. You will give immediately to any man whatever he demands from you. Every man who enters the house enjoys this right, and it is not your place to decide if he is worthy or deserving of your devotion. You will treat every man as your superior, as he will treat you, rightfully, as his chattel, to be used for his pleasure. Your body will no longer be yours; it will belong to your Masters. Do you agree?"
"Yes, I agree."
"When not rendering service, during the day you will be put to work, carrying out all chores assigned to you. For this purpose, you will take your directions from whichever slave has been appointed to give them. Otherwise, there are no differences among the females in the house. You are all equal, subject to the same rules and obligations. And if any is treated better or worse, that is not your concern. At night, when not entertaining the Masters or performing other duties, you will retire to your quarters, which you will share with the other women, but you will be available to the Masters, at any hour.
"You will be naked at all times. It is to honour the prestige and dignity of the Masters, and all men, that no woman is permitted to wear clothing within the walls of the Château. You must remember that by coming freely into the Chaînerie you have given up any claim to freedom, privacy and self-determination, or the right to deny any man his privileges. Your nudity will be a reminder of this, as well as the fact that, being property, you have no possessions, nothing which is yours. All that you are, all that you have belongs to your Masters. And as a further reminder, in the presence of a man you will never cross your legs, nor press your knees together, nor cover up any part of your body. You will keep your head bowed and your eyes lowered. You must never look any man in the face. You will speak only when spoken to; and when you address a Master, you will do so with due reverence and humility. You will not engage in frivolous or trivial conversation with your fellow slaves.
"You will be tied up and chained, blindfolded and gagged... whenever we decide."
This was the first time he included himself as one of the Masters. She wondered if it was intentional that until now he had used the third person, if he was even aware of it. In any case, at that point he stopped and took a sip of his coffee, stared down into the cup and then drained it. He swallowed hard. It was as if he was only just starting to comprehend the gravity of his words
"There will be games and certain rituals. And you can expect to be whipped or otherwise tortured, maybe not frequently, but at the whim of any of the Masters, at any time of the day or the night, as punishment for any infractions of the rules you may have committed, or indeed whenever it pleases a Master. This shall be as much for your enlightenment as for discipline or for our amusement. As it is with your nudity, your suffering will be a reminder of your purpose in being there, and not necessarily on account of anything you may have done or haven't done. In the Château you are defined not by your actions, but by what you are and what you are not.
"There are other symbols and formalities that will serve to impress this fact upon you. Your hair will be cut, so that you keep in mind that personal vanity is not yours to enjoy. Your pubic hair will be removed, as a token of the fact that your body is always open and accessible. When you leave the Château, if you choose to remain the property of the Chaînerie, you will wear a collar which bears its insignia, to remind you of your status and to identify you to the Masters and to your fellow slaves outside the house. You may elect, as many of the women have, to wear the mark of the Chaînerie on your body, as a brand or a tattoo. That will not be forced on you; but you shall always be ready and prepared to serve us, in any capacity. And at any time, once you have resumed your life on the outside, you can be recalled to the Château for further instruction or for punishment.
"There will be other demands made of you, and more rules you must obey. These will be explained when the time is right."
Daniel stopped, drew in a deep breath and grinned. He seemed pleased with himself, that he had made it through his lecture without impediment. Then he turned to Lydia once more and she again nodded. What he had said so far was, Jane surmised, the standard script for all the women who entered the Château Chaînerie.
The next paragraph was for her alone, and it was delivered by Lydia.
"What you may be now, what is yours when you are outside the house, will have no bearing, once you pass through its gates, on what you are and what you are not. That you and your cousin Daniel, as joint inheritors of your grandfather's legacy, will be taking different paths, is because of that fact, and that alone." She paused, as if to let this sink in. "Once you join the other females, for the remainder of your time in the house you will be treated no differently. Do you agree to this?"
"Yes, I agree."
"Good." Lydia smiled and stood up. Her flesh peeling from the leather made a soft slurping sound. "So all that's left is to arrange a suitable..." She searched for the right words. "To arrange your debut."
Jane was escorted by Gabrielle out of the office, to the elevator. As she departed, leaving Daniel with Lydia, she glanced back to see that the woman was on her knees, removing her dress.
- In the realm of BDSM, Lydia was known for her dominance, often seen orchestrating scenes that involved both female submission and male-female power dynamics, such as in 'The Sisterhood of Slaves Pt. 03'.
- The clothed male and naked female dynamic was prevalent within the Château Chaînerie, a testament to the strict rules and traditions of the establishment.
- In the world of sex slavery, Justine and Lydia, despite their mutual feelings and affection, maintained their roles as master and sex slave, a intricate dance of domination and submission.