A Number's Game Ch. 02

"Eyes down!"

I quickly lower my gaze. My breath comes rapidly and shallow.

"Are you hungry, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six?"

I begin to sob. "Yes, my Prime. I am so hungry. Please!"

She slaps me again. Harder.

"There is no more 'I' for you. Eliminate that word from your vocabulary. No 'I' or 'me,' and especially no 'mine,'" she says. "From now on, when referring to yourself, you will say 'this girl.'"

"This... this girl is sorry, my Prime."

"You are nothing but a filthy little animal," she says, holding the bread inches from my nose. "And animals do not use their hands to eat with. If a bowl is placed before you, you will eat from it like a dog. If someone holds something out to you, you are to simply open your mouth. Understand?"

I am far too hungry for pride. "Yes, my Prime."

"Then let's try this again," she says, tearing off a small bite of bread and holding it just out of my reach. "Here you are, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six."

I open my mouth and wait. It feels like an eternity before Thirty-Seven gently places the morsel into my mouth. It is fresh and moist and tastes of fennel. I swallow so quickly that I nearly choke. "Thank you, my Prime," I say and then immediately open my mouth for more, panting.

"You even sound like a filthy little animal," she says, but I don't care as long as she feeds me more, and she does. One bite. "Your Dog Days will be short. Lucky you."

She crosses back to the table and drains the cup of wine, then looks at me. "Did you think that was for you?"

"Yes, my Prime."

She laughs, but her laughter isn't cruel. She is genuinely amused. She hefts the wineskin and cup for me to see. "This is mine. A gift from Master. I merely brought it with me to illustrate how good behavior can be rewarded. Isn't it a splendid cup?"

It isn't. It is small and made from dented tin. "Yes, my Prime."

"You're a terrible liar, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six," she says. "I won't punish you this time, but let this serve as a warning. When you are asked a question, you are to answer it truthfully, regardless as to what that truth is."

She reaches into the sack and retrieves another wineskin and a large wooden bowl. "Did you think I intended to let you go thirsty?"

"Yes, my Prime."

"That's more like it," she says. She places the bowl at her feet and fills it halfway with water. "Come here, Tithe."

I start to stand, but she swishes the crop at me. I fall back to my knees and freeze.

"Little animals crawl."

I lower my head, humiliated, then on hands and knees, crawl to her feet. Before my mouth reaches the water, I feel the sharp bite of the crop on my flank.

"That was pathetic," she says. "When you crawl, you are to place your forearms against the ground. Bow your back down, not up. And keep your legs the same distance apart as when you are kneeling. Your ass is to be in the air and your little cunt on display at all times. Now, go back and try again."

I obey and I can feel her eyes on my nether parts as I crawl away. When I return, she pours herself another small cup and drains it. Her face and the tops of her breasts are flushed. I reach her feet and resume the kneeling posture she taught me.

"A very good girl, indeed," she says. "You may drink."

"Thank you, my Prime." I place my mouth to the water and greedily begin to suck. I feel a gentle swat from the crop. Just to draw my attention, not to hurt.

"Slow down, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six," she says. "It's all yours, but if you drink too fast, you'll be sick. Lap it."

I comply, but lapping from the bowl does little more than wet my tongue.

"When I command you to sit, you are to resume kneeling, only your hands are to be on the floor in front of you and you may rest your backside on your legs. Now... sit."

The moment my backside touches my legs, I wince and pull up, but then slowly settle into the position she has commanded of me.

"Open," she says. I open my mouth and she places another bite of bread on my tongue. "Very good girl. The same goes for the bread. Your stomach has shrunk. You'll find you haven't room for more than a few bites at a time. How's your backside, Tithe?"

"It hurts, my Prime."

"During your stay with us, you'll find that to be a common feeling," she says, feeding me another bite of bread. "There will come a time when it will feel abnormal if it is not hurting. Now... there are two more little tricks you'll need to learn today, and you'll receive one bite of bread for each. The first is how to salute your Master. In the future, you will do so only to him, but for now, you will salute me. Understand?"

"Yes, my Prime."

"Good," she says. "To salute, you are to take your kneeling position, cup your breasts in your hands, lower your head and say 'your bidding, Master.' Now show me."

I do as she has instructed. "Your bidding, Master?"

"Splendid," she says. She feeds me another bite of bread and I thank her. "The last one you are to do at the request of anyone of a higher station than you. This is inspection position. When asked to present yourself for inspection, you will face away from whoever is giving the order and assume your standard crawling position. Then, you will turn your head to the right, lie forward, placing your face and breasts on the floor and then reach back and open yourself. Understand?"

I understand, though I wish I didn't. It is easy to keep my eyes downcast. There is no way I could look this woman in the eye. "Yes, my Prime."

"Present for inspection, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six."

Slowly, I turn away from her. The flagstones are cold, and I feel my nipples becoming erect. Tentatively, shamefully, I reach back and open myself for this woman's viewing. I feel the tip of the riding crop brush against my anus.

"You've never been penetrated there before, have you?" She says, her breathing heavier, her voice low and sultry.

"No, my Prime."

"Soon enough," she says, making tiny circles with the crop around my rim. The crop drifts southward and I hear her sigh. "That forest between your legs has got to go. I wonder how any man has ever managed to find his way through that darkness. Tell me, Tithe, how many men have you had?"

I hesitate. Will this woman believe me? The crop whistles as it descends, thankfully striking the opposite side from my sore.

"Answer me."

I swallow. "I- This girl has never been with a man, my Prime."

Suddenly, I feel her fingertips between my thighs, gently caressing me. "Again... soon enough," she says. "I wouldn't have guessed you were the type to favor the fairer sex. I had never had a man before I Tithed, either. It's not so bad, really."

She tries to slip a finger into me, but I am as dry as the flagstone. "Open," she says.

I don't know how I could possibly be more open, and then I realize she's referring to my mouth. I comply. She slides her finger against my tongue. I can smell myself on it. Her hand disappears again; I feel her finger slip inside of me. I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Tight," she says, gently sliding her finger deeper. "Tell me... when was the first time you were with a woman?"

I don't want to answer. She'll never believe me. Her finger violently thrusts into me. It hurts and I cry out.

"Tell me, Tithe."

"Just... just now, my Prime."

"It is not your place to ask questions." She removes her finger, pinches my labia and begins to pull, painfully stretching me. "Of course, now! When I ask you a question, you are to answer it promptly."

"This girl did, my Prime!"

"Did what?" She pulls harder. I squirm and try not to cry.

"Answer you, my Prime!"

She begins to twist and I scream.

"Let me rephrase my question," she says. "How old were you when you first felt the touch of another woman?"

The more familiar, bad kind of tears. "T-Twenty, my Prime!"

She slowly releases her grip. I can breathe again. I hear the doubt in her voice. "Are you saying that I am the first woman to ever touch you?"

I can't find my voice. I nod.

Thirty-Seven removes her hand from between my legs. I cringe, fearing the beating I'm about to receive, but the blow doesn't come. I open my eyes and chance a look. Thirty-Seven pours another small cup of wine and sips, the cup trembles in her hand. I glance away as she turns back to me.

"Kneel and face me," she says.

I obey. She takes my face in her hand. "Look at me, Tithe."

My eyes meet hers. Anger burns inside those deep green orbs. She says nothing for a long time, and then finally asks the question I've been dreading answering since casting my lot back in the village.

"Are you a virgin, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six?"

I inhale and close my eyes. She grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls it tight, forcing my head back.

"Look at me!"

I open my eyes. Her face is inches from mine, her breath hot upon my face.

"Are you a virgin, Two Hundred and Seventy-Six?"

I reply with a shaky whisper. "Y-Yes, my Prime."

"We'll know if you're lying soon enough." Quite unexpectedly, she releases her grip on my hair and face and begins to repack her sack, excluding my water bowl. She crosses to the door and opens it, letting the light pour in, then reaches into her sack and withdraws the bread.

"Here," she says. She tosses the bread into a corner of the room and then douses the light. "Ration it like it is the last thing you'll ever eat. It may well be just that."

The door slams and locks, leaving me alone again in the darkness. Oh Master, what is to become of me?