I tried to press my belly against him. His hands prevented this.
'You belong in a collar,' he said.
'I know! I know!' I whispered.
'You are a superb collar-slut,' he whispered.
'Tupita is your favorite,' I whispered, frightened.
'No,' he said.
'Who then?' I gasped, his grip tight on me, but holding me from him. 'Doreen,' he whispered.
'No!' I whispered.
'Are you afraid of Tupita?' he asked. 'She is only a slave.'
'I, too, am only a slave,' I said, 'and she is first girl!'
'She is losing her grip on the girls,' he said. 'She may not be first girl for long.'
'Oh?' I asked. That interested me, that Tupita might be reduced in rank, to being then only one slut among others, she herself then having to kneel to another girl, be subject to her disciplines, and address her as 'Mistress.' 'Who would be first girl?' I asked.
'It would not be you,' he said. 'You are from Earth.'
'I do not want to be first girl,' I said.
'Too,' he said, 'you are not the sort of woman who should be giving orders, but taking them.'
'I am ready to take your orders now,' I said.
'Are you no longer afraid of Tupita?' he asked.
'I am a slave,' I said, lightly. 'I must obey.'
'I think it would probably be Aynur,' he said, 'Who would be the new first girl.'
'Not Sita?' I asked.
'She has been too closely allied with Tupita,' he said. 'Do you think Aynur would make a good first girl?' he asked.
'I think so,' I said. 'She would be strict, but, I think, she would be fair.'
'That, too, is the estimation of Hendow,' he said.
'I think it is true,' I said.
'You have great respect, it seems,' he said, 'for the judgment of Hendow.' 'He is my master,' I said, guardedly. I did, in fact, have great respect for the judgment and intelligence of Hendow. Gross and loathsome as he might be, I had never, after our first interview, doubted his probity and acumen, nor, more significantly, from my point of view, his insight and native shrewdness. My most secret thoughts seemed to be open to him. He could read me like a book, or a naked, frightened slave.
'And he purchased you,' said Mirus.
'Yes!' I laughed.
I felt his thumbs at the sides of my belly.
'I like these rounded bellies on women,' he said. 'In them a man may lose himself with pleasure. I do not like those firm, flat bellies on women.' I said nothing. I felt his thumbs. They were not hurting me. I was pleased, of course, that Mirus, such a man, and such a master, found my sort of woman, one running more to the statistical norms of the human female, pleasing, as I wanted him to find me pleasing. Firm, flat bellies are less popular in women with Gorean men than among the men of Earth. Perhaps the Goreans find such bellies rather too much like those of boys, or young men. I do not know. Before her sale a girl is sometimes even forced to drink a liter or so of water, to round her belly more. I had had to do this in Market of Semris. Similarly, and perhaps for similar reasons, Gorean men tend, on the whole, it seems, to prefer normal-sized, lovely breasted, sweetly thighed women, with broad love cradles, as opposed to unusually tall, breastless, narrow-thighed women with narrow hips. Accordingly, such women, regarding themselves as unusually desirable by Earth standards, probably have little to fear from the slaver' s noose, unless they can compensate in other ways, as by an unusual beauty of features or an extremely high intelligence. A woman who regards herself as a beauty on Earth might, accordingly, find herself laboring in the public kitchens or laundries on Gor. She would then have to learn, from the beginning, so to speak, and perhaps lengthily and painfully, how to please men as best she can, within her imposed physic limitations. And some of these girls, I understand, eventually, in spite of those limitations, become jewels and treasures to their masters. The most important criteria for slave selection, however, I suspect, are such things as having extremely strong female urges and incredible profound emotional depths.
'Perhaps Master desires to remove the belt from me,' I said. 'As I am bound, I cannot do so.'
'Do you know that you are beautiful?' he asked.
'Some men have been kind enough to tell me so,' I said. 'I do not know, of course, if they are correct or not.'
'They are correct,' he said.
'Thank you, Master,' I said. It pleased me if Mirus should find me beautiful. He was a strong and handsome master. I wanted to serve him.
'Are you familiar with the ratings posted in the baths?' he asked.
'I have heard of such things,' I said, reddening.
'In several of them,' said he, 'you now hold highest ranking in the tavern of Hendow.'
'Higher than Inger?' I asked. 'Then Aynur, than Tupita?'
'Yes,' he said. 'In some of them, at least.'
'I am not better than them, really,' I said. 'I am sure of that.' 'That is for men to decide,' he said.
'Yes, Master,' I said, frightened.
'But,' said he, grinning, 'you are probably right. You are all, doubtless, ultimately, very similar. You are all marvelous slaves. Such ratings are notoriously subjective. Some women will appeal more to one man, and some to another. Too, you are newer, and thus fresher to the tastes, and this perhaps accounts at least in part for your position in the rankings. When your popularity has crested you will perhaps subside to being merely another luscious and marvelous slave.'
I looked at him.
'Too, you are a dancer,' he said, 'and this has undoubtedly improved your position. Many dancers, even plainer ones, hold high rankings.'
'Yes, Master,' I said.
'But one thing is certain,' he said, 'suck rankings, even granting their subjectivity, and their silliness, and all the nonsense and absurdity associated with them, point to something, and that is your beauty and desirability.' I looked at him, frightened.
'You are one of the most beautiful and desirable slaves in Brundisium,' he said. 'I am in your grasp,' I whispered.
I would have pressed my belly against him but I could not do so. He held me from him. I would have reached forth to touch him, but I could not do so. My hands had been bound behind my back, by his will.
'Hendow has received several offers for you,' he said, 'excellent ones, but he has not sold you.'
I was startled. So simply I could change masters!
'Do you wish to know their nature?' he asked.
'Curiosity,' I said, humbly, 'is not becoming in a kajira.'
'Very well,' he said.
'Please! Please!' I begged.
'Two of them were from other tavern owners,' he said. 'But several have been from private individuals.'
I wondered what it would be like to have a private master. I would surely try to serve such a one well. Almost all girls hope, someday, to have a private master. 'What were the amounts?' I asked, eagerly.
'You are a slave, aren' t you?' he asked.
'Yes!' I said.
'One was for seven tarsks,' he said.
'Seven!' I cried. 'I am not worth so much.'
'True,' he said. 'I myself only offered five.'
'Five!' I cried.
'Yes,' he admitted.
