48 Hours on Blue Bayou Pt. 40

"You mentioned good news?"

"Yes, there are some Touring companies, in England, anyway, that put on opera in unused spaces, like abandoned factories or sports arenas. They seem to be pretty nimble and at least one or two have done international productions."

"So, you think one of these companies would be our best bet?"

"Probably our only bet."

"OK, Harry, please get me some data or printouts of the most likely companies in the next day or two."

Harry retired, looking quite a lot less self-assured than when he had entered. Now, it was Julie's turn to be amazed. She looked thoughtfully at Niamh, raising an eyebrow.

Niamh giggled. "Harry, first. Yes, we sort of grew up together. He was a neighbour, though my Mam didn't think much of the family. A pack of con artists was her opinion"

Julie agreed, "I already knew he was a con artist, but I would never have guessed he was really Irish, or is that merely a stereotype. He sounds more English to me."

"Harry decided to be multilingual — in English. He was always a good mimic, and could put on any accent you'd name, from bog Irish to House of Lords. New England to Australia."

"Now, what about your collar? I was sure you were bluffing."

"A few days ago, the Master said to me that I didn't need to wear a collar any longer, because I was going to be working with you outside the Headquarters. I guess he meant that he trusted me, the same way he trusts you. Of course, I thanked him, and kneeling down, I told him that I wanted to wear his collar to remind me who of my Owner is. I asked if I could wear this torc, which Master Hari gave me when he took me outside, before he went to Australia. The Master agreed and said he would leave it unlocked."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter 100: Debriefing and Briefing before Visiting the Empress

Charles and Edward took charge of debriefing Julie and Niamh on their return from the Opera. The news about major companies was, as expected, a bit depressing. After a moment gazing into his tea, Charles offered, "Well, you know how there's always 'another hand' working somewhere? I'll bet that some of those smaller companies, ones without regular full-size complements of singers and musicians, have the same idea as we do: how do we make western opera more important, or even just visible, in our locales?

"That similar grand purpose should give us at least some leverage in getting them to come here."

Edward picked up the theme. "And, being smaller, I suspect we could get them for more reasonable salaries and expenses."

Julie followed with: "And, being smaller, we could still use our local musicians to fill out the orchestra and chorus. They wouldn't be sidelined when the visitors come to town."

Niamh had the last word. "And, if they aren't so 'world famous,' there would be less problem integrating them into local classes."

Edward laughed. "Very well, my dears. You'll have to make at least those points to the Empress. She's asked for you to join her for breakfast tomorrow morning. I'm sure this point and the plan for the Young Man are going to be the most important parts of your session."

The next morning, as the Empress' SUV moved away from The Enterprises' forecourt, Niamh turned to Julie. "I'm so nervous about this visit, please tell me more about the Empress."

Julie took her hand. "The Empress is the doyenne of Hong Kong society. She is the ultimate arbiter of who is in and who is out. Our Master has taken on the role of Treasurer for the Opera, which is her favourite hobby. Which means, of course, that we will do the actual work. Being in with the Empress gives Master access to some of the people with really old money, who still wield a lot of influence here."

"Yes, I see, but what is she like?"

"Well, she won't eat you," she giggled, "though you might have to eat her."

Niamh looked puzzled, then blushed as she caught Julie's meaning. "You didn't!"

"Yes, I did! And I quite enjoyed it, too."

Niamh said, "Of course, we were trained to satisfy women, but you are the only one I ever did outside class."

"It's best to just be yourself. I'm sure the Empress will have some tests for you. Don't be evasive or attempt to change the subject. She can see right through any equivocation, and I'm sure she already knows more about you than you might imagine. She gets intelligence from all kinds of sources."

Butterfly welcomed Niamh and Julie at the Empress' headquarters. She took the pair to the mansion's Mess Hall, where Julie had been "introduced" to several of the Empress' projects around Hong Kong, and presented them at the central table, where the Empress was holding court for a visitor. The Empress waved them to seats and introduced them to the visitor.

"Mr Minister, I'd like you to get to know these two. They work for Martin, whom you know from The Enterprises. He's recently taken on the Treasurer position at the Opera and, to give him credit due, he's got some great ideas for increasing the awareness and appreciation of the western opera canon in our Pearl River Region. In many ways, it fits in with some of what you've been describing as your interests and plans."

The Minister turned to focus on the two newcomers. "Yes, I'd very much like to hear about your plans for the Opera. We have so many fine companies producing the various strains of traditional Chinese opera, but western opera has never spread widely here. As China takes its proper role in the modern world, this is another area to develop."

Julie was quick to appreciate this opening. As usual, the Empress had someone with access to major funding ready for her minions to supply with Plans for Action. With a glance at Niamh to show coordination, Julie described the outline of her idea. "The current institution is somewhat limited in how much of the canon can be produced and presented. Our idea is to bring other institutions, of international prominence, here to Hong Kong to supplement the offerings available. In addition, their artists would give Master Classes in the region, something that is not currently available at all."

The Minister considered for a moment. "And, how would you know that your efforts were successful?"

Julie grinned. "Sir, that would be easy. For his opera Rigoletto, Verdi wrote a great aria, La donne è mobile. He was so afraid that it would get out from rehearsals and become known before the opening, that he kept it secret until the very last moment. Still, some thought he had copied it from a well-known street song. When we hear that aria in school playgrounds, we'll know we are a success."

Both the Empress and the Minister laughed. "My dear Julie," the Empress remarked, "you've presented the best test of any project I've heard recently."

Mr Minister nodded agreement. "I must admit that I don't know this work, but your story has me interested enough to look it up." Turning to the Empress, he added, "As your plans develop, please keep me informed, Madame."

The Empress nodded and, amidst a flurry of greetings, the Minister departed.

Butterfly approached the Empress' table, clearly with a purpose, but the Empress rose, signalling Julie and Niamh to follow her as she left the Mess Hall. With Butterfly leading, they quickly made their way to the Empress' office. There, Butterfly passed a note to the Empress which, after a quick skim, caused a slow chuckle from the Mistress of Hong Kong society.

"So, now this one is more excited about the zoo?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Butterfly replied. "It seems he's found a baby elephant up for adoption, which was the big job he was worried about."

"All right, Butterfly, set him up for an interview in the next few days. We'll see if he can do better than just when things are looking smooth." Waving the two Enterprise slaves to kneeling pads, the Empress explained. "He wasn't keen on the job when it looked like there could be some difficult problem. Now that he's got a chance at a solution, suddenly he's more interested. The problem is that there are always problems coming up.

"Now, Julie, please present your sister properly."

Julie had expected this formality and was ready with an enticing introduction. "Please, Mistress, may I present a sister slave from The Enterprises. This is Niamh and The Enterprises is her first Owner. She has passed the Basic Lessons in Positions and Anatomy and is currently in the Advanced Level for Sexual Arts. My Master has enjoyed her and even called her back. Her skill as a sailor rescued my Master when he was thrown overboard in the Harbour. I have worked with Niamh in a few classes and can recommend her responsiveness and taste. In addition, she has some training in Marketing which has been useful in planning this project with the Opera."

Niamh had not heard this summary of her "Highlights" before. She managed to remain in an exemplary Position One during Julie's introduction, but she was amazed, and a little pleased, by the scope and tenor of the presentation. She realized, of course, that Julie had presented her sexual skills primarily; she began preparing for the Empress' use of her body.

The Empress looked the young slave over without giving any indication of interest. "Thank you, Julie, that was a helpful introduction. Now, let's focus on the Opera project. I have one point to check on: have you had any contact with that Harry character, and how did it go?"

Niamh and Julie exchanged a quick look and Niamh answered the Empress. "Please, Mistress, it turns out that Harry Maquire and I grew up in the same neighbourhood. My family had no use for him then and, from what Julie has told me, we won't need him now for anything beyond contracts at the Opera."

If either slave expected the Empress to react to this news, they were disappointed. Later, at their debriefing, Edward suggested that, in all likelihood, the Empress' spies had already informed her of this news. Thus, her question was more to see whether and how Niamh would answer the question.

Instead, the Empress redirected the conversation to the possibility of inviting prominent opera companies to Hong Kong. Julie relayed the preliminary information from Harry, adding her thoughts about getting other companies to come. "What we are trying to do with these invitations is two-fold. We want high-quality companies to show off their productions and we want solid professionals to conduct classes for our younger professionals and students. The aim has been to use high-quality productions to capture the interest of new audiences and to bring professional coaching and instruction to our region. This can still be done, even if our visitors are not in the class with La Scala or The Royal Opera."

The Empress considered this for a moment and then replied. "I had wanted a premiere company, of course, but I see the situation you have described. Let's look at it this way: we want to show more people more opera; our own company can produce only so many performances a year; any other company that comes here and performs will be a great addition. So, let's go get those 'other' companies."

Julie and Niamh checked with a quick glance and broke into smiles. "Please, my Empress," Julie said, "that is the idea we hoped for. We have some research out for the audiences and young musicians, and we'll bring our report and suggestions as soon as possible."

Laughter greeted this. "Oh, no, Julie! You keep your Master front and center for this Project. He'll know when, or if, I need to be consulted.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter 101: The Empress Waves Her Ring, Again

"Now, I'd like you two to join me in my Playroom."

The command was expected. Julie took Niamh's hand and they followed the Empress to her private apartment and to the ornately carved heavy wooden door of her Playroom. The Empress smiled at Julie and asked, "Julie, do you remember this door?"

"Yes, Empress, this slave remembers this door."

"And do you remember the room inside, my dear?"

There was an instant of hesitation before Julie responded. "Please, Empress, this slave is not so sure about the room."

The Empress waved a hand, as if to signify that it was of no matter. Both Julie and Niamh noticed the exotic ring on the Empress' hand: it seemed to bear an elephant, its trunk upraised in triumph. They followed the Empress into her "Correction Room" noticing its décor only in passing. "Slaves, I would like you both to strip for me. You will make yourselves naked for me, won't you?"

Silently, the slaves made themselves naked, garnering a satisfied smile from the Empress. She continued, "Julie, you will assume Position One at the foot of the bed. Do you understand?"

Julie answered at once. "Yes, Empress, Position One at the foot of the bed. Thank you, Ma'am."

With slow, graceful steps, Julie moved to the bed and glided into Position One. She knew the Empress needed to focus on her sister slave and she realized that this position was the best one for a slave waiting to serve.

The Empress led Niamh to a wide counter prepared with several sizes of leather wristlets and anklets. Together, slave and Mistress selected and applied leather to the slave's wrists and ankles. Niamh thought the Empress was paying her quite a compliment by having her participate in selecting and applying these nice leather decorations. She allowed herself to be directed to a square wooden post standing near the center of the room. Curious about some metal fixtures fairly high on the post, she lifted her arms to see if she could reach them.

"Thank you, my dear. That is very helpful," cooed the Empress. "I'll just hook the rings in your wristlets to these fixtures; it will help you maintain proper posture."

Now, that was something Niamh understood! Her trainers had stressed proper posture for every position they had taught her. She was pleased to have the Empress' help for this position.

The Empress selected a spreader bar from the counter and hooked Niamh's anklets to its ends. Spreading her legs, naturally, lowered the slave's body a bit, stretching the slave just enough to emphasize the lift of her breasts. Niamh was aware of this stretch and delighted in how this made her muscles feel. She began a slow, sinuous writhing to show off the long muscles of her torso and extremities.

Using soft, furry gloves, the Empress stroked these muscles as Niamh moved. As the slave enjoyed this foreplay, her face took on a dreamy smile and she let soft moans escape. Eventually, the Empress moved to her slave's widespread legs, stroking from the ankles upward. Niamh responded by changing from the long, writhing torso movements to shorter, pelvic rocking motions, trying to get those hands in closer contact with her pussy. At the same time, she began rising on the rainbow of arousal.

From her vantage point, Julie saw the play between the Empress and Niamh. She could see the excitement in Niamh's expression. Without any jealousy, she wondered if the Empress would extend such care to her; she felt that the Empress was being a very good Mistress!

But then the Empress stopped. She brought an ear to Niamh's chest and listened to her heartbeat. "My dear Niamh," she intoned, "I believe your heart is going faster than usual. Is there something exciting you?"

Niamh gasped an answer. "Please, Empress, your hands. I need your touch on my pussy. Please, Empress, even on my nubbin."

The Empress removed the furry mittens and, with a soft smile, lightly tapped Niamh's clitoris. "Like this, my dear?"

The reaction was a sharp squeal and a spasm of pelvic motion. "Yes, Empress. Thank you, Empress. Please, again, Empress."

Her smile widened and Empress tapped Naimh's clit again, a bit more sharply. She was rewarded by a sharp cry from the tethered slave. The Empress parked one hand over her slave's mons and labia, moving her fingers just a little to maintain the foreplay. The other hand stroked Niamh's back. Soon, Niamh's moans began to sound like the purring of a contented cat, and she risked a direct gaze at the woman in control of her, saying, "Thank you, my Empress, thank you so much."

The Empress responded with a short bark of laughter. "My dear, as you learn more about your slavery, you will realize that a slave usually does not thank her Mistress or her Owner. A slave's purpose is to serve, to be of service, to be used, all for the pleasure of her Mistress or her Owner. Your body has just served for my pleasure, so your purpose for this morning has been fulfilled. Now, I am going to use your body in a different way, so you will continue to fulfil your purpose."

The Empress called Julie to Niamh's side and ordered her to free her sister slave from the spreader, the post, and the leather wraps. While Julie managed this, the Empress disrobed and reclined on the bed. When Niamh was free, the Empress beckoned the two slaves into her bed, one on each side.

"Now, slaves, I'd like to see just how exciting you can be for this Act Two entertainment you are planning. I understand your Owner has decided that each of you is permitted a nice orgasm during this Act. Show me what 'nice' means."

Niamh and Julie giggled just a bit. The four slaves selected for the Party had been talking about this at every opportunity. Niamh had taken a great chance by asking the trainer in her Sexual Arts class for a suggestion. It was only the unusual nature of the problem, and the interest it piqued throughout The Enterprises' headquarters, that shielded Niamh from a correction.

There was one point of general agreement: the girls should not work simply one-on-one. The contacts should be many-on-many. So, both Julie and Niamh set to on the Empress with great gusto, Julie on the Empress' breasts and Niamh at the Empress' pussy. Fingers stroked, pinched, and twisted. Lips and teeth nuzzled, nipped, and (gently) bit. Nipples and breasts sped bursts of electricity to the Empress' center. Labia and clit sent their sensations to join those, driving the Empress rapidly up the erotic ladder.

But then, the two slaves changed tactics. Rather than stimulating their target together, they began to "take turns," first one, then the other, leading the play. The Empress, not usually slow to arousal, fairly rocketed to her climax.

The three women lay, intertwined, on the king-sized bed as calmness returned. Niamh thought they had done "a good job." Julie thought along those lines, but she waited to learn what the Empress would rule. With a long stretch and a wide smile, the Empress managed to untangle herself and sit up in the center of the bed.

"My dears, you will, no doubt, have observed that I enjoyed that orgasm quite nicely. So, if that's what your Owner wants for you, I'm certainly going to approve. However, I noticed that neither of you came to orgasm. How do you explain that defect?"

Niamh was shocked. As a slave, she thought, wasn't she expected to serve her Mistress, to produce the orgasm her Mistress desired, with no thought for herself?

Julie saw the problem differently. What the Empress had pointed out was that three women had produced only one orgasm. With those statistics, Act Two would be a complete bust in the eyes of the target audience.

"Please, Empress, let me explain," she offered. The Empress nodded and Julie picked up. "We have been talking about this Act Two and we think it will be the best show if we work several girls on one, rather than working one-on-one. That leads to central points that move from one girl to another. We think we can keep these moving, and so attracting attention from the men, until each girl has gone so far up her arousal that she explodes into that 'nice' orgasm. With just two of us, that doesn't exactly work out, but we hope you see the general plan."

The Empress shook her head. "Right now, my dears, I'm not too clear on the maneuvers you are planning. I would have thought more of a 'daisy chain' strategy would be your plan."