I already had sensed that such things might be possible. But my body, too, had assured me that not all passion sluts would be in the taverns or brothels. Surely often enough, at night, I had lain uneasily in my chains.
What would it be to be in the arms of a master, my own master?
I would strive desperately to be pleasing to him.
It was not so much that I feared being beaten, should I be found wanting in some respect. Rather it was because I sensed myself a slave, and wanted his touch.
“We are not thinking about the taverns or brothels,” said Astrinax.
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“Perhaps later,” said Astrinax.
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“Knees,” said Menon, gently.
Quickly I widened my knees again.
I gathered Astrinax was not thinking in terms of tower slaves. Tower slaves do not kneel so. Another sort of slave kneels so, a familiar form of Gorean slave, the pleasure slave.
This was, of course, the sort of slavery for which, on the whole, I had been trained.
I supposed the same would be so of my sisters, from the sorority, from the college, doubtless brought to collars on Gor as well as I. I recalled Eve and Jane, from the party, in their improvised camisks. Surely I had seen the eyes of the boys on them, as well as on myself. They were young and beautiful. I did not doubt but what masters would find them pleasing. Too, Nora, and her friends, doubtless, would no longer be so resplendent in those ample, abundant, lovely garments worn at the party, put together to suggest the robes of Gorean free women. Perhaps here, on this world, they would be fortunate enough to be granted a tunic. I suspected that Nora would go for a high price.
I was pleased to think of her as collared, and owned.
So, if Astrinax was not thinking in terms of the towers, and was not thinking, at least at present, in terms of the taverns or brothels, in what terms might he be thinking?
“You are a barbarian are you not?” asked Astrinax.
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“Barbarians,” said Astrinax, “have inferior moral characters.”
“Surely not,” I said.
“When you thought yourself free, on your former world, prior to your rightful collaring,” said Astrinax, “for you are obviously a slave, you had some sort of relationship with the men of your world, did you not?”
“I was brought to Gor as white-silk,” I said. “I was red-silked in the house of Tenalion, Tenalion of Ar.”
“I know the house,” said Astrinax. “What I have in mind is the nature of your social, economic, and political relationships to men.”
“I am not sure I understand,” I said. “I think that certain relationships, involving certain intentions, prospects, efforts, plans, ambitions, and such, would have been typical for a young woman of my background, position, wealth, and class.”
“But perhaps not for others?” said Astrinax.
“Probably not for all others,” I said.
“Tell me something of it,” said Astrinax.
“I was of the upper classes on my world,” I said.
“You look well in your collar,” said Astrinax.
“Thank you, Master,” I said. “I belonged to a group of young women chosen, among other things, for their beauty.”
“Slaves?” said Astrinax.
“Perhaps,” I said. “We were privileged. We were to be sought by men, and would make judicious choices amongst them, seeking thereby our advantage, bartering our beauty for advancement, for greater wealth, more secure position, more power, such things.”
“You were calculating in such matters,” said Astrinax. “You were selling yourself for profit, for gain.”
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“In Gorean we have a word for that,” said Astrinax.
“Master?” I said.
“‘Free woman’,” he said.
“Men must try to please us, must pay for our meals, our entertainments, and such,” I said.
“There is a politics involved in such things,” said Astrinax.
“Yes,” I said.
“And to achieve your ends,” said Astrinax, “you would do what seemed useful, flatter, pretend, flirt, intrigue, invite, and such.”
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“Good,” he said. “And lie?”
“I am no longer permitted to lie, Master,” I said, frightened.
“But then,” he said.
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“You are not unattractive,” said Astrinax.
“Thank you, Master,” I said.
“And the men whom you knew had little or no experience with female slaves,” said Astrinax.
“No, Master,” I said.
“Accordingly then,” said Astrinax, “you must have been extremely attractive to them.”
“I think so, Master,” I said.
“They knew no better,” said Astrinax.
“No, Master,” I said. Tears came to eyes.
“Do not be upset,” said Astrinax. “You now have promise, even as a slave.”
“You are much more beautiful than when I bought you,” said Menon. “You are becoming slave-beautiful, slave-exciting. Those young men who found you beautiful then, as you were then, on your own world, would scream with pleasure if they could see you now, as you are, as a slave. Slavery much enhances the beauty of a woman. Now, sweet Allison, those young men would sweat, and cry out, and bid recklessly for you, in the hope of bringing you into their collar.”
I put down my head.
“I gather you were a true ‘free woman’ on your world,” said Astrinax, “with all her vanities, pettinesses, impostures, ambitions, plans, manipulations, machinations, pretensions, schemes, deceits, and lies.”
“Perhaps, Master,” I said.
“But now,” he said, “you are no longer on your own world.”
“No, Master,” I said.
“It is common for free women on your world to misuse their power,” said Astrinax.
“Perhaps, Master,” I said, frightened. I trusted I would not be punished on this world for faults which might have been mine on a former world. But, still, one does not know how men will see things, and they are the masters.
“Free women on Gor,” said Astrinax, “misuse their power.”
I thought of the free woman at the tables, who had caused me such discomfiture.
“I dare not speculate, Master,” I said. “They are free, and I am a slave.”
“But stripped and collared, and thrown to a man’s feet,” said Astrinax, “they are not so different from you.”
“I dare not speculate, Master,” I said. “They are free, and I am a slave.”
“You are all women,” said Astrinax. “Nothing more.”
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“Allison,” said Astrinax, “suppose that one of your sister slaves, in the kitchen, had been given a candy, perhaps as a tip from a customer, from waiting on the tables.”
“Yes, Master?” I said.
