48 Hours on Blue Bayou Pt. 40

Pt 40, Julie/Niamh

Authors' Note: Thank you, Dear Readers, for your patience. J Spe, Taliesin1, and Carole99 appreciate your attention to our story. Getting all the characters, each with her own personality, to mesh with the events developing at The Enterprises in Hong Kong has been surprisingly intricate. Now, here's how the Empress reacts to Martin's proposal of a Men's Party in support of the Opera Project suggested by slaves Julie and Niamh.

— J Spe and Taliesin1

Chapter 96: A New Wrinkle, Or, Is It a Kink?

Next morning, the Empress' major domo called and spoke with Edward. "The Empress has had me running all night long," he complained (but softly). "Here's what I've been able to set up so far. The party will be on a yacht of one of our operatic friends. He ran a shipping line for many years and this is one of his local yachts. He says it comes with the usual dining and sleeping quarters, but he's mostly proud of the dungeon he created in the aft below decks. He says it's two decks high so there's plenty of room for suspension or for swinging a whip. A friend, he says, put in all sorts of fancy lighting fixtures, so you can create almost any mood you'd like. He'll set up the Captain and crew for you once we have a date certain."

Edward's enthusiastic response was met by the major domo's caution. "Hold on for a moment. There will be some costs involved. Our friend would like you folks to pick up the crew salaries and utilities costs."

A few moments juggling thoughts of accounts ended with Edward saying, "I'll have to check with Martin, but I suspect that we'll be able to absorb that expense. Do you have some fairly good ideas on what that could come to?"

Well, the major domo didn't, exactly, which made Edward suspect that this was a negotiating ploy. He'd let Martin and the Empress smooth this out.

"Now," Edward continued, "here are some ideas we've worked on for the evening's entertainment." The major domo listened as Edward laid out the two-act program.

Afterward. there were a few moments of silence before the major domo spoke. "Edward, I'd never have come up with that second act idea, the girl-on-girl play. I'm pretty sure the Empress will agree, but she'll tell you herself later. She's been canvassing likely men for the combined party and fundraising event and should have the list later in the day. She's got you on her Call List for 4 PM this afternoon."

The major domo had a few more details to discuss, such as the dinner menu, and ended the call, repeating the appointment for 4 PM.

Julie completed her usual workout with Igor, this time focussing on her lower back muscles. At the end, Igor asked her for her presence that night. She was surprised that a small but definite blush coloured her cheeks as she replied with her usual, "Yes, Sir, for tonight." She was pleased, however, to note the smile that lit up Igor's face as they completed this exchange.

After working through the First Lady's List that afternoon, Martin called her to his office. She scurried in quickly, with Fifteen bringing Niamh immediately after. Martin waved both slaves to kneeling pads and explained that the Empress' staff had notified him that she would call in the next few minutes. Edward, wearing a bit of a ruffled look, hurried in as the telephone rang.

There were a few minutes of greeting and pleasantries before the Empress turned to business. She listed four men who had accepted her invitation. "I think the two-act entertainment plan is quite creative, and should be a help when you get to framing the fundraising proposal. However, I think you're going to need add a third act.

"The last man on the list is about thirty, fairly young as our part of society goes. He's been sent here by his family to develop some banking empire for the People's Republic. So far, I must admit, he hasn't made any significant gaffes, and so I thought he'd be ideal for this party.

"When I called him, he was most polite and quickly agreed to attend the party. From his voice, I'm sure he knows there will be some price to pay, and, from what I've been able to learn, his budget is fairly elastic.

"It was what he said after that that surprised me. He gave me a bit of history, showing that his family had held slaves for a few generations. He described how he'd grown up with slaves as a routine part of the environment. Even now, opening a new base for the family, he has a few slaves that had been bred into his family.

"He said that he'd never thought much about slaves or slavery because they were just so much a part of wherever he was, even at University. Now, here in Hong Kong, the family support is a bit remote. So, he was wondering what it was like to be a slave. He doesn't feel he knows enough men here well enough to just ask any of them, and he stumbled a bit when he was broaching the topic with me, but, of course, you know how easy it is to talk with me."

Martin and Edward looked like they were about to fall off their chairs at this last remark. Julie was impressed that her Master was able to control his voice enough to offer a sympathetic and agreeable remark at the Empress' sally.

The Empress continued, "So, this is a bit of a challenge. Do you think your four females could put this young man through perhaps an hour of slavery, and we're talking realistic slavery? He's familiar with the general rules, of course, so he'll know if you're just putting him on."

Martin looked at Edward, but not at his two slaves. There was some "intelligence" that seemed to flow between the two, and Martin turned to the speakerphone.

"Madame, I am completely certain that my slaves can introduce this young man to the kind of slavery that The Enterprises practices. Obviously, there will be some emotional moments, some strain, perhaps even a bit of humiliation, but my slaves will not need to resort to obvious physical tortures, no actual whipping. I suspect that this man has discovered some submissive tendencies in his makeup. We'll exercise those, but, at the end, he'll have no doubt that his role in our society is to continue as the Dominant."

The Empress' voice sounded a bit sceptical. "Martin, I should have added that he was particular about the 'realistic' part. He told me straight out that, if we think that experiencing the whip is necessary, then he's going to 'grit his teeth and take it.' I'm going to leave this in your hands. But, as for how you leave this man, that will have to be up to him, don't you think? We do have several men in our society who are clearly bosses in their businesses but who are just as clearly the subs after work hours."

Edward nodded vigorously and Martin made some supportive noises, but the Empress seemed ready to go to another point.

"This young man represents only one side of the coin," she added. "What effect will playing the Mistress have on your slaves, Martin? Four slaves represent a significant asset and I don't want to see any asset impaired."

Julie and Niamh took this in, of course, but it was Julie who saw this as an insult. She held her tongue until the telephone call was ended but her hand shot up as soon as the speakerphone was quiet.

Martin and Edward exchanged glances and Martin asked Julie if she had an impression of the Empress' news about an Act Three.

It was only her Inner Goddess' poke in her ribs that controlled Julie's outburst. "Please, Master, the Empress was saying that your slaves could turn rebellious from a little exercise in being a Mistress. But, Master, does the Empress know your slaves so well?"

A warning wave from Edward got Julie to quiet down. Everyone looked around the office, trying not to look at anyone else. Martin was quiet for a moment and then, looking directly at Julie, asked the central question. "All right, Julie, you've just unloaded quite a lot on the Empress. Now, let's get down to a few details.

"First, do you think you could act as a Mistress for this young man for an hour or so? Can you see how to lead him, or force him, to submit, to give up control — or, better, can you take control away from him, reduce him to what we call 'a unit of merchandise,' but not damage him for the morning after, when he has to run his family's business as usual? And second, do you think you will be happy to return to your room, or Igor's apartment, in Transport Mode, again without control of your body or mind?"

Julie felt as if her Owner had delivered a One-Two punch. The Empress had merely sketched the problem; her Owner had filled in the details, "items" she had not considered. She backtracked as fast as possible.

"Please, Master, this slave spoke too soon, and without thinking through the problem." She bent her head in submission, waiting for her Master to outline her "correction."

Martin gave a short chuckle. "Aha! I see my slave's eyes are opening to some deeper level of slavery. That was a nice apology, my dear Julie, but you do owe a correction, do you see?"

Her answer was written long ago. "Yes, Master. This slave will bear her correction."

"And what would be a symmetrical and appropriate correction?" asked her Owner.

It was easy to see Julie's hesitation. What slave wants to prescribe how many lashes or omitted meals or any of the other punishments The Enterprises could provide?

Edward came to her rescue. "Julie, your failure here is in understanding slavery. So, a symmetrical correction will be some instruction. This lesson doesn't come at the end of a whip."

It was as if clouds had parted to let sunshine in, Julie felt. Her Master and trainers at The Enterprises knew her so well! And, they knew their kind of slavery so well! She managed to get her apologies out before her tears came. Niamh thought she understood what the Empress had said, what had affected Julie so much, but she didn't understand this complete reversal in just a few moments. She embraced her fellow slave, offering the support she could. She did gain an insight to how caring and powerful her Owner was.

Martin began slowly. "My dears, how is it different if I address you as 'Ladies' rather than as 'Slaves?' Does one title fill you with excitement while the other fills you with fear and dread? My point is that slavery is very much an emotional state. Some people must feel they are in control of their lives, even if they do nothing with them. Others can be content to follow hints or suggestions, not to mention orders and commands. These people achieve a sense of satisfaction, of accomplishment, when they complete a task, regardless of where the initiative came from.

"Now, the reason The Enterprises keeps slaves is that we enjoy being in control of you, directing your efforts, requiring you to perform as we wish, when we wish. We have learned how to take control of your lives and provide opportunities for you to earn the feeling of achievement that keeps you responding to our commands. The Empress was right to point out that, as a slave, you should see this assignment to take control of a young man as a service to your Owner and the Empress, not as a chance to regain control of your lives.

"This is a bit of a long way of asking how you see this assignment, along with some correction of your understanding of slavery. Now, Julie, do you see your correction? Can you give your Owner an answer to the question?"

Niamh could feel strength flowing back into Julie's body. "Please, Master, thank you for this correction. Your slave understands her slavery much more clearly now. And, it is true: the hardest thing to accept was also the first thing I had to accept: the complete loss of control. I remember how, a few hours after you took me aboard your yacht, you took me to the head, undressed me so I could pee, and then cleaned me. It was as if I were a simple doll."

Julie could remember many more of those early events where she had chafed under the loss of control. Mostly, they were the simple things, like eating a meal or going to the bathroom or deciding where to sit or ... Well, there were a lot of those events. She had chosen to accept them, mostly because the alternative was a whipping, or an uncomfortable bondage, or loss of meals. And then, her Master and trainers had promised her a sense of achievement when she performed as commanded, and they had delivered on that promise! No wonder she was proud to be considered for becoming her Owner's First Slave.

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Chapter 97: Some background for Sally

Later that day, Martin told Sally she would be part of the Men's Party. She asked, "Do you think I should play and sing my old Piaf songs, Master?"

"Sally, that sounds like a brilliant idea. It should make a great introduction to your Girl-on-Girl show. Niamh and Dagmar can start with some dancing, then you and Julie can join in."

She went to prepare a bracket of Edith Piaf songs, designed to create a steamy atmosphere for the Men's Party. She was pleased that her piano accordion playing had not gone rusty. Indeed, the other slaves she sometimes played for enjoyed the music, along with the memories it recalled.

Sally had been a slave almost as long as she could remember, before she even realised that she was a slave. Her gran'mère had been Tahitian and her gran'père a French sailor, stationed in Tahiti, during the H bomb tests at Mururoa atoll. She had followed Pierre to France, but it hadn't worked out well. Her mother had grown up wild; pregnant at nineteen, she struggled with alcohol, drugs, and a great variety of men.

When she died of an overdose, Sally was left with her mother's current boyfriend, a small-time crook and drug dealer. Before long she had been sold to a brothel. At first, she was just a servant doing laundry and running errands, but, after her teen years, she became one of the regular girls.

Her talent for singing, her ability to mimic the gravelly voice of Edith Piaf, meant she was chiefly called for as a chanteuse rather than a poule. One of the clients, an English writer, had fallen for her and bought her out. This was the time when she perfected her English. But her lover was a committed gambler, which means a losing gambler, so she was soon on the auction block for the first of several times.

This latest time, her fortune changed: she was purchased by Martin. He had in mind a French-speaking slave as liaison for his many interests in the Francophone world. That had been her job for the last seven years: translating, interpreting and, of course, entertaining the executives, both men and women. After a particularly profitable coup, Master Martin would take her to the best French restaurant in Hong Kong. Her service afterwards usually earned her a full night's stay, during which the Master would give her a thorough workout.

These occasional bouts with her Owner, and her other escapades with those business contacts — the recent "circus" for the Russians in Macau, for example — were sufficient to satisfy her sexual needs. On the whole, she was content with her lot: she had interesting work, was well-kept, well-fed and well-clothed and, if some of her duties involved a little rough sex, well, that was part of the job.

Sally put aside her accordion, and returned to writing the report she was preparing for her Master. She smiled to herself, thinking how she and her sisters were about to shake down some of the richest men in Hong Kong for their Master. There had been plenty of others who had thought of her as just a sexy body, to their financial misfortune. On the other hand, her Master had always appreciated her brains as well as her looks. He had taught her so much about business and had encouraged her to study economics by correspondence. Now she was his most trusted advisor on the Francophone business world, but she still enjoyed seducing the many foolish men who thought they could outwit Martin.

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Chapter 98: Explaining to Dagmar

Julie returned to the Intake Unit Slave Corridor just before the Food Cart would be due for Evening Nourishments. She knew Dagmar had heard about The Enterprises' plan to use her at the Men's Party, suspected that the new slave would not be pleased with the assignment, and was not sure that she could obtain her agreement to serve as her new Owner required. The appearance of the Food Cart would put an end to any "extended discussion," Julie hoped.

As the chime announced her entry to the Corridor, Julie first presented herself to the Guard at the Security Station. Her reception was proper, with no hint whether the Guard was pleased to have this interruption in his schedule. But, he didn't add any extra formality to my visit, she thought.

The Guard escorted Julie to Dagmar's cell, opened it for her, and locked it after she entered. Dagmar had gone to Position One, the position that served many purposes for a slave, as soon as she recognized the new person in the Corridor. Now, she was clearly alert, paying close attention as Julie was ushered into her cell. Still, Dagmar waited until Julie had waved a greeting to Claire, a few cells away, but then greeted her before Julie started to speak.

The words came rushing out. "What the Hell is this party that I'm going to serve in? You can't just whore me out!"

Julie was not surprised by this onslaught. In fact, she was impressed that the new slave was delivering the vituperation in a low voice, with no screaming or physical attack.

Nevertheless, the slave had spoken without being asked a question, a small crime. Julie's grimace and short, chopping motion stopped the onrush. There was a moment of silence before Julie spoke.

"Dagmar, please remember the Rules of Slavery that you have been taught. A slave does not speak unless she has been asked a question or has been given permission to speak. Your speech was unacceptable. Please understand that it was unacceptable not only because of what you said, but just because you said it without permission. You owe a correction; the Guard will tell you about it after I leave, but The Enterprises try to make the correction symmetric with the crime, so it will probably be something to do with your mouth. Do you understand?"

There were a few moments of silence as Dagmar thought the matter through. Julie knew what thoughts and emotions were churning through Dagmar's mind; they had gone through her own mind just several months earlier. Igor, Anne, and Pat had talked her through the emotions; she wondered if she would have the words to talk Dagmar through the emotions this evening.

To Dagmar, Julie's words and the standard slave question were not what she wanted to hear. As a matter of fact, she thought, I don't want to hear anything but You're Going Home. Julie could see the flight of emotions cross Dagmar's face, so she waited until they subsided. Then, Dagmar spoke. "OK, Julie, I'm sorry for the outburst. I can see that there will be some penalty; do you know what it will be?"

Julie turned to the Guard, who had been observing from the Station. He came to the cell door and gave the slaves some information. "You used your mouth. You have been told that you do not own any part of yourself; all of you is owned by The Enterprises, your Owner. Your unauthorized use of your Owner's property is recognized as, partly, a function of your quite new status, so the correction will be quite direct. I will check with my Chief, but the usual correction is silencing your mouth with a gag. Most times, we use a ball gag, but occasionally it is a penis gag. We don't tell the slave how long the gag will be in; not knowing is part of the correction."

"One thing," Julie added, "is that having a gag in place can lead to some side effects. So, one of the Guards will be checking on you all the time.

"Now, let me get down to what I came for. You heard most of it when we were in the Positions Class, but here are the details. This goes along with the Rule of Slavery that says Nobody Tells a Slave Anything Until They Need to Know It. The Enterprises has a project to make western Opera more significant in China, at least in this region. We're going to have a party for four men who will be asked to donate substantial funds to make this go. There will be four slaves to service the men, and you have been selected to be one of those slaves. After the men are serviced, we are planning a Girl-on-Girl orgy. It should be exciting for the men, and our Owner has ruled that each slave should have a nice orgasm.