A Tangled Web Ch. 07

"Don't say a word; do you understand?" Mei-Xing snapped. Vera just nodded in reply. Then, shepherded by Mei-Xing and the serving girl, she was led up out of the cellars to the courtyard where a coach was waiting. After looking around to ensure that they were not being watched, Mei-Xing hustled the group across the cobbles and bundled them into the coach. She then pushed Vera down onto the floor and threw a blanket over her before calling out to the coach driver to lead on.

They had hardly started before they arrived at the gate and Vera heard a guard telling them to stop. She heard the door being pulled open and a rough voice demanding explanations.

"Do you know who I am?" Mei-Xing snapped. "If you don't step back and let us through immediately I'll see to it that you spend the rest of your time here scrubbing latrines."

"One thousand apologies... of course...." The startled guard replied and Vera heard the door of the coach being closed and, moments later, they were on their way.

Vera left it a few minutes until, wishing to relieve the growing cramp in her legs, she started to get up. A hearty kick, she assumed from Mei-Xing, told her that this was not to be permitted so, making herself as comfortable as possible, she settled down for the ride.

The trip seemed to go on forever and, even under the rug, Vera could tell by the rise in temperature that the sun was well up and it was, maybe, mid-morning. Except when she gave any sign of movement she was completely ignored by Mei-Xing so she just lay there, trying to make sense of what was going on. At last the coach lurched as it turned a corner and pulled to a halt. The door opened, Mei-Xing and the serving girl got out and the rug was pulled away exposing Vera and leaving her blinking in the bright sunlight.

"Get out," Mei-Xing ordered as Vera pulled herself to her knees. "Get out and get on the ground where you belong."

Vera stumbled to obey realising that, whist she might have escaped death at the firing squad, she was still far from free and that she had no reason to expect any good to come from her captor. Shaking slightly she knelt down and bowed her head.

"Do you wish to live?" Mei-Xing snarled. "Do you wish to avoid the whippings and beatings it would give me so much pleasure to subject you to?"

"Yes, Mei-Xing," Vera replied in little more than a whisper.

"What's that? I didn't hear you."

"Yes, please don't hurt me any more." Vera said, louder this time.

"Very well. You are to do everything you are told to do, instantly and willingly. Even if the order comes from the lowliest serving girl you are to treat is as if it came from me. You are not to speak unless spoken to and, when you do speak, you will keep you answers short and to the point. If I detect the slightest sign of resistance, if there is even a hint of disobedience, then we will do this the hard way and you will surely suffer. Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

"Yes, Yes, Mei-Xing."

"For a start, from now on, you will address me, and all others, as Mistress or Master, whichever is appropriate. You will not use anyone's name unless directly ordered to do so. Now follow me." Mei-Xing set off towards the house and Vera hurried to her feet to follow. The serving girl brought up the rear. For one fleeting second Vera thought about making a break for it but Mei-Xing's threats had hit home and she knew only too well that they would and could be carried out.

As they approached the door it was opened from within and Mei-Xing was greeted as if royalty. She immediately gave a flurry of orders, making sure that all the staff knew that she was there and ensuring all was just as she wanted it. Finally she went through to a room and, as she followed, Vera knew with a start where she was. This was the house where Xui-Li had taken her, and this was the beautician's parlour. They had hardly been there a moment or two when the beautician arrived with her assistant in tow. They both bowed low to Mei-Xing.

"Tidy this one up," Mei-Xing ordered. "She's to be sold this afternoon and I want her spotless."

Vera gave a little gasp at the word 'sold' but a sharp look from Mei-Xing stopped any further questions.

"Certainly, Mei-Xing," the beautician replied and went over to where Vera stood and removed her cloak. Once she had done so she stood back and gave Vera a thorough appraisal.

"There's been some damage." the beautician commented. "I won't be able to do much about the bruising and swelling but I can at least cover some of it up."

"You'll need to do better than that. You have until sundown, if she's not in a saleable condition by then..." Mei-Xing left the threat hanging. "Here, you'll need these." Mei-Xing passed the keys to Vera's cuffs before turning to the door and leaving them to it.

The beautician looked annoyed at Mei-Xing's bossy behaviour but, like so many, she had no option but to get on with things Whilst the assistant made the bathing pool ready the beautician made a more thorough examination, going over every inch of Vera's battered flesh. All the while Vera was wondering what Mei-Xing had meant by 'sold'; surely they didn't have slavery locally? Whilst she was, at least, still alive, her prospects didn't sound particularly appealing. A wave of emotion overcame her; she felt so lost and alone, she desperately needed someone to cuddle up to, someone to tell her it was all going to be all right. A memory of being curled up in Xui-Li's arms came to her and unbidden tears rolled down her cheeks. For all that their time together had been brief, for all that it had been based on a lie, Vera would give anything, anything at all if they could just be together again. But that was wishing for the stars, even if Xui-Li had not been condemned to be shot that very morning their relationship was far from certain and as for Vera's prospects.... At that moment the beautician told her to stand with her legs apart and Vera pulled herself together and co-operated.

Being bathed was pure bliss. The water was warm and welcoming and, in the first instance, the beautician's assistant was gentle and tender as she bathed away some of the worst of the dirt Vera had accumulated. Even so, as she bathed Vera's nether regions, it stung like crazy and Vera wondered if she would ever recover from the guard's brutalities. Similarly her torso was a mass of bruising and even the softest sponge made her wince.

At a command from the beautician, Vera was taken out of the pool and placed in the same chair as before. Again straps were fastened round her to hold her tight. The chair was swivelled backwards allowing the beautician and her assistant easy access. Once she had been settled, the beautician and her assistant set to with lotions, soothing them over the worst of the bruising. Despite the occasional twinges of pain, Vera was able to relax and, for a moment, forget about all her troubles. Whilst she had grave doubts about the purpose of all this pampering, there was no doubt that it made a pleasant contrast to her recent treatment.

Whilst the lotions were left to work, the beautician and her assistant set to with teasers seeking out stray hairs and removing them. Whilst they were not brutal, this was inevitably uncomfortable, especially when stray pubic hairs were removed from her nether regions. Vera had done the best she could with a razor but, inevitably, she had left quite a few and now each one of those was being painfully extracted. Her armpits got similar treatment and, by the time they had finished, Vera was completely hairless below the neck.

When the beautician was satisfied that the lotions had had as long as possible to do their work, Vera was unstrapped from the chair and led back into the bathing pool. Here, once again, the assistant washed her down thoroughly, making sure that all traces of any medication were removed. This done, Vera was taken from the pool, dried and returned to the chair. This time, however, they concentrated on beauty rather than health. Vera was given a complete make-over from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Only when the beautician was completely satisfied did she return the chair to its upright position and release Vera from the straps.

Once Vera was out of the chair and standing, the beautician went over to a cupboard and returned carrying a collection of silk kimonos. These she held against Vera, one by one, until she chose a delicate shade of pink. As she put the others back in the cupboard, she fetched out a pair of the wooden sandals that the local girls used and, returning, passed them to her assistant to put on Vera's feet. Vera was finally taken to a mirror where she could see what had been done to her.

It was quite a shock to see herself. She had to admit the beautician had a good eye; the kimono was perfect for her colouring. But, more startling than that, was the heavy makeup that had been applied. Her face was caked white in the traditional Chinese fashion and her lips and eyebrows contrasted strongly. She looked, and felt, like a porcelain doll. The beautician showed her how to stand, each hand grasping the opposite elbow inside the deep sleeves of the kimono, and, after a number of admonishments to stand up straight, she was left to wait, and wait, and wait.

Finally a maid was sent to fetch her and she was led through the house to the large room where she had served Xui-Li all those days ago. Today however, it was Mei-Xing who was sat waiting for her and, next to her on the sofa, was another woman, older, coarser, and somehow lascivious.

"Is this her?" the woman asked as Vera approached. "Is this the girl you've fetched me over to see?"

"I just felt we could do a little business together, Madam Yang. After all, our needs coincide. I need this girl to... disappear. You always need fresh blood for your stable, so to speak, and think what your customers will pay for a round eye," Mei-Xing replied.

"She's certainly pretty, I'll give you that. Come here, girl." At Madam Yang's order Vera went over and stood before her. "Yes, very pretty, but she's certainly no geisha, look at the sloppy way she's standing."

"I admit she'll need a little training but you'll find she's very compliant. A touch or two of the rod will keep her in line."

"It looks like she's had a touch or two of the rod already." Whilst Mei-Xing had been talking Madam Yang had undone Vera's kimono and was inspecting her closely. "I would guess that she was severely beaten within the last day or so."

"There were some aspects of her capture that were... unfortunate," Mei-Xing replied. "However, she's fit and young and will soon recover."

"She's not intact, though." Madam Yang's hand was probing at Vera's labia and she had noted the damage done by yesterday's rape. "She's been badly used as well as beaten. That drops the price. Turn round, girl, turn round and bend over."

Vera did as she was told and, as she bent over, she felt the kimono being pulled to one side. A push from Madam Yang's hand told her to move her legs apart.

"Do you see?" Madam Yang continued as Vera felt fingers probing her anus. "She's been raped here as well."

Then Vera was told to stand up and Madam Yang got up off the couch and continued her inspection. Vera was getting increasingly horrified as it became more and more clear that Madam Yang was here to purchase her for a brothel, that she would be reduced to life as a whore, that, from the way that Mei-Xing was talking, her main selling point was to be as some sort of sex slave to rich Chinese who enjoyed making 'round eye' girls suffer. There was certainly no compassion, no humanity, in the way she was being treated and, as Madam Yang was feeling her breasts as if she were checking a dairy cow for possible milk yield, Vera's temper suddenly burst.

"I won't do it, I won't, I won't. I'd rather die!" She shouted as she pulled herself away. To her dismay neither Mei-Xing nor Madam Yang seemed in anyway perturbed by this, even laughing together as if she were a petulant child.

"What a fiery little temper!" Madam Yang commented. "Has she not been told of her new position?"

"She was told but I don't think it's quite sunk in yet," Mei-Xing replied. "Maybe you would like to explain."

Madam Yang went over and came and stood in front of Vera looking her up and down.

"You have much to learn, starting with some basic obedience," she finally said. "What you will or won't do is not up to you anymore. You'll do what you're told to do and you'll learn not to answer back, the rod and the whip will make sure of that. And, as for the 'I'd rather die' bit, I'd be careful what you say because, if you really want to die then that can be arranged. Some of my clients have somewhat sophisticated tastes and will pay heavily for the right sort of girl. It's a one time payment, of course, and not as lucrative in the long run, but it's a profitable way of disposing of those for whom I have no further use. I don't enquire too closely but I understand that there's quite a thrill for some in seeing just how much they can make a girl suffer before she finally dies. Are you sure you want to find out?"

Vera stared on in horror. The calm way in which Madam Yang had described her options left no doubt as to how seriously she meant them. Fighting back a wave of nausea she was overcome by her emotions and sank to her knees.

"Please... please... I've suffered so much..." she sobbed. "Please don't hurt me any more."

"Do you see?" Mei-Xing commented. "I told you she was a natural submissive. You'll have no trouble training her."

"She's quite pretty when she breaks," Madam Yang responded. "I think I will take her. Now, as for price..."

Vera continued to kneel on the floor as Mei-Xing and Madam Yang haggled over the price she was to sell for. She had no strength left within her to fight any more. In the last twenty four hours she had been kidnapped, tortured, raped, condemned to death and now sold into sexual slavery. She had had little sleep and no food and this was beginning to catch up with her. The room swam before her eyes, the words that Mei-Xing and Madam Yang spoke no longer made any sense, and, as darkness finally overcame her, she slumped to the floor in a faint.