Dinner, when we all met after our showers – I’d used the main bathroom on the ground floor – was a relatively messy affair.

The pizzas were good, much better than the ‘fast food’ versions that I was used to. My one, heavy on the meat and cheese, had what looked like an inch of delicatessen meats, wile the other was an impressive looking ‘supreme’.

I brought out the vodka and cola again and while I stayed with the soft drink, I made sure that the three slaves were liberally, er, lubricated.

“Some ground rules, I suppose,” I began, as I cut the tip from my first slice of pizza and fed it to the handcuffed Tia. “Are there any health issues I need to know about? Food allergies, whatever?”

“Okay,” I went on at their negative answers. “Ground rules, like I said. Housekeeping is for you to handle. Cooking, cleaning, shopping – I take it you know the local delivery services. Use your judgement. I’m used to pretty simple fare –“I took another bite of pizza, then fed the crust to Tia “- but if you want to train me to something fancier, I probably won’t object.”

Hillary saw Tia looking hungrily at the supreme pizza, so she waved a slice under her nose, pushing it forward just as she snapped at it. Tia got a bigger mouthful than she expected, but a good portion of the remaining topping ended up falling down her front, to everyone else’s amusement.

I checked off my fingers as we continued eating, Hillary and Noreen taking turns to feed – or not - Tia. “Housekeeping, check. I’ll set up an account that you can use. Nudity. I don’t insist on it. Unless I give you other instructions, wear what you like. If I don’t like it, I might say so, or I might just decide to punish. Do you actually have any clothing? What’s the practice about your old things? Noreen.”

“Everything we had became the property of our husbands when they enslaved us,” she said. “You brought us ‘as-is’. Usually, though, there’s not much problem with things like clothing or keepsakes, but you have to ask.”

“And I will. Tomorrow, make up a list of things you’d like me to try and get. That’s another account for clothing and accessories. Check. Entertainment. Permissive. In other words, unless I’ve said otherwise, go for it. I will hold you responsible for breakages, injuries and any other losses, however, so use your heads. Let’s include sex toys, movies, books and outings in that, too.”

Three quarters of the food was gone by now, and no one was looking particularly interested in the last slices. I helped Tia with another sip or two of her drink, followed by a finger full of cold pineapple and cheese from her chest.

“Punishment is different from what I do for my own amusement.” They looked at me intently, Noreen taking a swig of her drink. “This afternoon, with the collars, was for my amusement. This - ,” I went on, getting to my feet to stand behind Hillary. I reached past her for a slice of pizza and rubbed it firmly across her face and chest. “– Is punishment.”

Everyone laughed, even as I picked up the last slice and repeated the treatment for Noreen.

“I’ll always try to let you know the reasons for a punishment, or if I’m just amusing myself.” I shrugged. “You’ll probably find me somewhat capricious and random in what amuses me, but I don’t think that I’m unnecessarily cruel. I’ll probably find some kind of balance eventually. In the meantime, I don’t intend to keep you in cages. I expect we’ll work something out in the end.” I finished with another shrug.

“What do we call you?” Hillary asked.

“I’m not terribly into the whole formal routine, although it worked pretty well in the middle of a scene, didn’t it Tia? As long as you remember your place, we won’t have a problem. Like this is fine, although we might want to put on more of a show in public, or if we have guests. Next question?”

“Are you going to kill us?” Noreen, this time.

“I honestly don’t know. Do I want to snuff a slave? Yes. Frankly, it’s one of the reasons I came to the States. Whether it will be one of you three, I don’t know. Right now, I don’t think so, not in cold blood. I can’t guarantee that I won’t get so caught up in a game that I take it too far.”

That shook them a little. The two unbound ones looked decidedly less sure of their positions. Tia seemed less unhappy, but then I’d already brought her off once, and I suspect that the others were wondering if my doing so gave her some kind of ‘favourite’ advantage. Amusing, considering that Tia was very much a second choice after I decided not to compete for one of the other slaves on offer.

“Can we ask what you do?” Noreen, again.

“I,” I started as I puffed out my chest ridiculously “am a Gentleman of Leisure. No, seriously, I won a big lottery back home, something like, oh, sixteen million US. It should keep us pretty well, even without effort. If any of you know anything about investment? No? Oh well, I might have to buy an investment broker, or something.”

“And what -" Hillary bit her lip and looked at Tia, “What about our children?”

“No problem. They can visit, so long as you’re not, ah, otherwise occupied. If they’re old enough, they can –“

Tia’s face more or less caved in and she started to sob and the vibrator she’d been so diligently holding fell to the floor. Hillary was beside her immediately, wrapping her in her arms. “I’m sorry, honey, but I had to ask. My own –" she looked up at me “Master, please untie her.”

I did so quickly, as the Hispanic woman cried into the shoulder of her friend. “She was _mine_,” I heard her say. “I was keeping her safe.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked Noreen as I stepped back to give the others some space.

“Tia converted her daughter, Sandra, after she found drug paraphernalia in her car. Roach clips or something, I think. Did it personally, so as not to tempt her husband, I think.”

“Will he sell the girl?”

“I don’t know. This whole conversion-and-auction thing came out of the blue, so I don’t know.”

“Okay. How about you? And Hillary?”

“I’m fine. One boy, age fifteen. Little shit was starting to bitch bout how all his friends had their own slaves, and why didn’t he? Hillary’s got two girls and a boy. Claire, eighteen years old and is an educational asset with a local accounting firm. Charlie’s a twenty-percenter and Heather, the youngest, is thirteen. Three years grace, but she and Hillary are close.”

“Twenty-percenter? No, the details can wait.”

I took a deep breath and went over the Tia and Hillary. Gently motioning the older woman aside, I squatted down in front of her and lifted her chin. “Tia, mia, should I try to bring her here? Would you like that?”

“Patron?” her accent had deepened again, as she focussed intently on the hope I was holding out.

“She was yours, yes? I told you earlier that I would try and get your things from your husbands, didn’t I? Do you want me to try and get her and bring her here?”

“Si, Yes master, I would like that.”

“What were you keeping her safe from?”

“I didn’t want her to be enslaved and killed, Master, or eaten. I was keeping her in school, and making sure she didn’t act like a puta, a whore.”

“Would your husband sell her to me?”

I could see the thought chasing itself around her mind. She’d never consider selling her daughter, but she hadn’t expected her husband to sell _her_, so…

“I do not know. Tim sold me, but she’s his daughter.”

“If I buy her, she will be here, just the same as you, you understand? I’ll keep her in school, but I will punish her and play with her just like I do with you. I will whip her and I will fuck her in every hole and I will make her eat out Noreen and Hillary, and maybe even you.” I held her chin firmly as my harsh description sunk through.

“But I will not eat her, I will not kill her and I will not let her be a whore for anyone but me. Do you understand?”

“Wh- Why would you do this?”

“A teenage slavegirl who is undoubtedly as beautiful as her mother? How can I resist? And it will make you happy, which will make you a better slave for me.” I released her jaw and stroked gently up the side of her face.

It would also give me another control over you, one as good, or better, than the shock collar. But you don’t need me to be saying that out loud, I thought.

“Think about it, Tia mia. I must reassure Hillary about her own children, and Noreen.”

I stood up and offered a hand to Hillary. “Noreen told me about your three,” I said to her. “You’re most concerned about your Heather?”

“Yes. Listen, you wouldn’t really – “

“Tia’s daughter? Yes, I would. She’s a slave and if I buy her, I deserve to get something for it. Your daughter is different, because of her age. Even when she is old enough, only her father can enslave her. I can’t unless I sleep with her, so she’s safe from me. If you want them to visit, come and talk to me. The same goes for you, Noreen. Just keep in mind that if they come here, they’ll be exposed to whatever’s going on here. Understood?” They both nodded.

I went back to Tia. “Have you thought it over, Tia mia? Knowing what will happen if she comes here, do you want me to talk to your husband, do you want me to buy Sandra and bring her here?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Please speak to my husband. I do not know what he will do with her. I do not like all you have said, but I feel that you will keep your word and she will be safe.”

I leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. “Then I will do so.”