Meeting of the Six Kings Ch. 01

Day One.

He eyed the girl's chest as it rhythmically moved up and down. He sat in the back of his company's car, the driver weaving steadily through the traffic, her slow breathing a metronome for his own. He found it calming, the gentle inhale and exhale. The edge of her forehead rested against his shoulder. Her breath felt warm against his forearm.

Of course, she was still unconscious. He really had no idea what he'd encounter when she was finally awake.

He was bemused by the circumstances that had brought her to him; this odd, last minute addition to the list of essentials packed for the conference he was attending. Extra socks...check. Powerpoint...check. Pleasure slave...

For Ryan Pierce, the conference was an opportunity of a lifetime. A small group meeting with the Capital's most powerful and influential leaders. Few outsiders had ever been invited to a meeting of the Six Kings. By handing him the invitation, his boss had entrusted him with locking up the largest agreement the Capital had ever offered to a private company.

He had been studying engineering when the war started ten years ago. By its end, he was part of an industrial super-force that first fed the country's military system and now developed industries to harvest the resources from the vast lands it had conquered. Unlike his peers, he didn't find great happiness in this work. But, through it, he had been given the freedom to continue to explore his own ideas. He accepted the trade-off: corporate service in exchange for the chance to pursue his true passions.

He turned his attention to the tablet on his lap, brushing a figure eight against the numbers to unlock it. He pressed play on the video invitation but lowered the volume so it wouldn't disturb the girl beside him.

A skinny man with a pointed nose and overly rosy cheeks cleared his throat and looked straight into the camera. "Ryan Pierce." he screeched. "You are cordially invited to be our guest at the Fourth Quarter Conference on State Affairs. Detailed agenda to follow. We'll expect you at the Club on 8th Avenue. Thursday, November 15th at 10 am. Plan to stay a few days to take full advantage of all of the Club's deluxe amenities."

He paused for a moment, cracking a smile, and stepping back a bit from the camera. He continued, "We never conduct business without a heathy mix of pleasure." As he said this, he gestured towards a wisp of a girl visible in the corner of the screen. But, before Ryan could get a good look at her, the pointy nose was back in front of the camera.

"So bring along your own source of...amusement." He said the word slowly as if to draw out its full meaning. "We could share ours, but we really don't prefer it." He gives one last small smile before the video closed.

Ryan sighed, thinking about how quickly arrangements had been made and paperwork was passed and processed in the few days since the Six Kings invitation arrived.

Then, just under an hour ago he had pulled up in front of a stark warehouse and quietly flashed his state identification card. Moments later, a man he could have mistaken for a hospital orderly if not for the tattoos covering the huge muscles on his arms, carried this girl outside and asked him matter-of-factly, "Trunk or backseat?"

At first, Ryan didn't even fully process what he'd heard. Then, as the horror of it registered he quickly answered, "Backseat! Backseat please." And, without a moment's pause, the orderly deposited her into the car, closed the door and returned to the building as quickly as he had appeared.

He was about to do business with the most powerful leaders of his country. That part he understood. That was business. The part he couldn't wrap his mind around was that he had basically gone through a drive-up window and bought a girl to accompany him for the duration.

He looked down at her and admonished himself for calling her a girl. She was clearly a woman. A young woman, yes, but definitely a woman. He studied her for a moment, taking in her sleeping form.

She appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Her features were relaxed. Her cheeks were dotted with just a few freckles. She had beautiful creamy skin and lovely chestnut hair that fell is soft waves down her body and over her small breasts. At a glance, she could be just another citizen of the Capital. But with a critical eye he noticed that she was too thin and her dress was too revealing for the more conservative styles worn by free women here.

Other than a single button at the top of her neck, the dress exposed her entire back, gently bunching together again just above her hips. A small skirt flared out a few additional inches below that, covering only the very tops her thighs. Small golden flats, almost slippers really, were tucked around her toes. Turning his eyes back towards her face, he noticed a glimmer from the thin gold band that wrapped snuggly around her neck. A collar of course, he realized. She is property. The thought was unsettling to him.

He knew slavery was an increasingly big industry in his country, but he had never really encountered it this closely before. Certainly nothing so personal as this. He set the tablet in his briefcase next to his feet, sat up again, and ran his hand through his hair, wondering just how much longer it would be until she awakened.

——-

The fog of the drug lifted slowly as Catrine's consciousness began filtering and piecing together bits of information about her surroundings. She had learned how to awaken her senses without moving her limbs, giving her an initial chance to size up her situation before letting on that she was alert.

It always played out the same: An assignment. The drugs. The disorientation. Waking up at the mercy of a new master. That first moment was still the most frightening to her; having no idea where she was or what she'd need to endure.

After nearly two years at the mercy of her captors, she was still surprised by the cruelties she suffered under their care. In their minds, she was simply collateral. The bounty collected by the winning side of a brutal war between two countries. After a decade of fighting, her country of birth was finally decimated by an unstoppable force. By the time the conquerors were finished, virtually everything was burned, destroyed or seized and sent back to the Capital to repay the cost of war.

By her nineteenth birthday, Catrine had lost everything she'd ever known: her family, her home, her culture. In its wake, she experienced the systematic loss of her freedoms and her indoctrination into the world of slavery. She knew she should consider herself lucky for her designation as a pleasure slave. It was far worse to be sent to the factories or the mines. But, most days, it still didn't feel much like luck to her.

The Vultures who tracked and captured her ran a cut-throat slave-for-hire empire. For the right price, anyone could procure the much coveted paperwork in order to, at least temporarily, own a rare and exotic pleasure slave. While permanent placement of slaves was reserved for only the most wealthy and powerful lords of the Capital, Catrine's master's empire allowed virtually anyone to feel the exhilarating power of being Master, if only for a short time. With ownership came impunity; The power to act out the darkest parts of one's imagination without threat of law or consequence. Catrine experienced cruelties that she had never conceived of in her former life.

Still, in her darkest moments, she felt a tiny spark of life that refused to be extinguished. She had seen the slaves who had already given up. She looked into their hollow eyes and saw only emptiness in their depths. In the moments that she was ready to tip herself over and give in to her own despair, there was always some small bit of color in her world - new spring blossoms, an elderly Master who just wanted her to read aloud, a bite of mango whose flavors burst in her mouth.

Instead of giving in, she had trained her mind furiously to adapt. She quickly understood the basics of what was expected of her in this life. She allowed herself to accept that her life was entirely outside of her control. Without freedom or a sense of her future, she furiously and studiously tended to her own well-being. By following directions, she could safely tuck away her true self and shelter it somewhat from her circumstance. Through this, she found that submission came fairly easily. Physically, of course, it was very demanding. But, she had successfully separated body from spirit and it allowed her, at least for now, to carry on.

She inhaled deeply to steady her resolve and she took-in the first moment that she was fully awake.

She was moving. In a car, she speculated. Yes definitely, and in a seat thankfully. She tentatively flexed her arms and her ankles and realized she hadn't been restrained at all, which was novel. She tried to shift her head and a sudden, searing pain seized her, making her queasy.

"Agh" she groaned before she could stop herself. The damn drug always left her with a blinding headache.

Two hands grasped her shoulders firmly and she knew the moment was upon her to face her newest Master. After a moment, she opened her eyes and slowly raised her head. She blinked twice to chase off the last traces of the drug and focused her stare on the most incredible pale blue eyes that she had ever seen. The owner of those eyes stared at her with intensity, his expression laced with concern.

"Do you need some water?" He asked her.

She nodded. She didn't trust her voice yet. Everything about their first interaction had been unusual. It threw her off balance.

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes once more. He reached forward into the compartment in front of his seat, extracting a small plastic water bottle. He cracked it open and then, taking her palm within his, he gently pressed the bottle into her hand.

"Here, take this." He said quietly.

She took a long drink from the bottle. It felt cool and refreshing as it traveled through her body. It was restorative.

"Thank you," she said with a sincerity that startled him.

"It's nothing," he said dismissively. "Just a drink of water," he added almost confused.

She looked down to her hands and then glanced back at his face again. "I'm not often shown compassion," she answered simply.

Her honesty surprised him. But more than that, her beauty surprised him. Now that she was fully awake, he took in her soft features and her large brown eyes. Her long lashes fluttered with each of her glances. He watched her as her fingertips gently brushed a few excess drips of water of her soft pink lips. He found her totally enchanting.

The fact was, since he had picked her up, he had been totally distracted by her, despite being just minutes away from walking into an intense and extremely important meeting. He needed to regain his focus.

"Go ahead and take another minute to get yourself together. We should be there soon." He said and with deliberate action, he began double checking his notes and repacking his briefcase.

She watched him intently. She tried to reconcile the details of her briefing with the person before her who was now her Master. She knew she was assigned to someone attending a meeting of the Six Kings. It was an important assignment and the threat of punishment against her if she didn't meet expectations was severe.

But the Six Kings were all senior members of the Capital, extremely powerful and also quite...old. Her past Masters at these kinds of functions had always been at least twice her age if not older.

He person next to her couldn't have been more than thirty. But he certainly looked the part of a distinguished businessman. He wore a finely tailored button down shirt and a beautiful bright blue tie. She realized with a small rueful smile that she had been dressed in peacock blue to match him. Their attention to detail is always impeccable. She thought with a hint of regret.

What drew her attention next was the strong line of his jaw covered subtly by his five o'clock shadow. Just enough to look rugged or slightly dangerous, but not so much that it conflicted with the impression made by his tailored suit. His beard had copper highlights, just like his well groomed, but still slightly unkempt hair. His brows were knit together as he concentrated on the last bits of information he was reviewing. But, as if sensing her eyes on him, he glanced up his blue eyes meeting hers again. Then he flashed her a bright, reassuring smile, revealing perfect white teeth behind finely sculptured lips.

His smile faded quickly as he looked past her and out the window. The car pulled to the curb in front of the club.

"We're here," he said, his expression serious. Her heart plummeted in her chest. She had only had a few experiences with members of the Capital and none were good.

He climbed out of his seat and quickly came around to open her car door. She took his hand and stood before him brushing a wrinkle out of her dress and gently pulling her long hair over one of her shoulders. She looked toward the hulking building with its post-modern architecture and cold steel and granite facade. It was intimidating.

She did her best to conceal her emotions but her body betrayed her and she trembled slightly from cold, anticipation, and fear.

"Nervous?" He asked, taking her other hand in his.

She nodded.

"Me too." He said and showed her that smile again. He paused then as if realizing something that was suddenly important. He lifted his hand and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face tucking it gently behind her ear. His fingertips lingered on her cheek and he looked at her intently.

"What's your name?" He asked simply.

She had been holding her breath. The gentleness of his gestures were so foreign to her.

"Catrine," she quietly answered. How could such a small word take so much effort to speak?

Then he pulled her gently towards him and placed one hand on the small of her exposed back. "I am Ryan," he whispered into her ear. "But, I'd imagine that inside those walls you'll need to refer to me properly."

She nodded in understanding and then swallowed hard. The warmth of his hand against her skin radiated through her body and she relaxed slightly. They turned and walked together into the foreboding building.

—

"Ah, Mr. Pierce!" exclaimed a man as soon as they made their way inside the entryway of the building. He was almost too much to take in. His suit was a riot of colored silks stretched ridiculously tight across his large belly. A court-jester disguised as a butler. "We've been expecting you! The members arrived this morning for the pre-session of course, but if you're ready, I'll be most pleased to escort you to the main chamber."

"That would be excellent," Ryan replied.

Without delay, they followed the butler into a huge cathedral style room with several hulking tables that made a circular formation at its center. The ceiling must have been more than five stories tall with panes of stained glass that stretched from top to bottom. It was modern and stark, but the design echoed that of the ancient church buildings from long ago conquered lands.

He led them to one of the desks at the center of the room. "This will be yours for the conference. I expect the others to enter at any moment."

Catrine noticed that beside each desk was a large silk floor pillow. She immediately knew her place. Before Ryan could make any additional comment, she had lowered herself gently onto the soft silks, tucking her feet beneath her, folding her hands across her lap.

Ryan stilled as he took her in from behind. The sunlight above cast colorful beams of soft light through the stained glass, creating dancing prisms across her bare back and her soft hair. She was a goddess before him. So still, he almost wouldn't have believed she was real if she hadn't been standing next to him just moments before.

He walked around to face her and kneeled down to be closer to her face. He peered deeply into her eyes and considered his question. "Are you okay like that?" he asked. But, behind his words he was trying to grasp at something larger. Something that could help to explain the circumstances underlying this whole, strange situation. Will you do this for me?

She gave him a small nod and began to speak. But, she was cut short as double doors at the back of the chamber were thrown open and a gaggle of people came rushing into the room.

Before he stood to greet them, he leaned over her pressing his face close to hers. She felt his stubble brush her cheek and it tickled her as he spoke. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest.

"I've never done this before...been someone's master," he implored. "You need to tell me if you need anything. I need to know that you will guide me these next few days."

She nodded again as their eyes made contact one last time, pale blue gazing into deep brown. Then, he stood and readied himself for the crush of people crossing the room to greet him.

—-

Catrine sat quietly but listened intently as the discussions played out through the morning hours. Her new master stood at the center of the room making a detailed presentation about the ways his company could develop resources in an area to the south of the Capital. He spoke of water pipelines, sustainable energy, and long term policies that could benefit the entire region. She now understood why he had been invited: The Kings must be eager to begin development of their newly acquired territory.

With everyone's attention turned to him, Catrine took some time to study the others in the room.

Each of the Six Kings, as they were called, sat arrogantly in his own throne at the center of the room. Individually, they were Sirs Arick, Roberts, Dutton, Preston, Hall, and Edwards.

These oligarchs had formed an unlikely alliance at the beginning of the war, pooling their resources in a way that made defeating them impossible. Each King owned their own piece of the vast Kingdom they'd built together, which they ruled freely and exploited readily. Together, they managed all aspects of defense, energy, agriculture, and commerce.

Looking at them now, with their furs, their fancily groomed mustaches, and their outrageous jewels, they seemed more like caricatures than actual wielders of immense power. But, she knew better. She stole glances at the slaves seated next to each of them whose fancily colored faces and shining adornments could not hide the sadness in their expressions. There was one pleasure slave seated next to each King, with the exception of King Roberts who had brought along a pair of identical twins. Like her, they remained nearly invisible unless called upon to fill a specific need.

—

She was startled from her thoughts as side doors opened into the room and a team of waiters buzzed about beginning the lunch service. She realized that Master Ryan had returned to his seat. She chanced a look in his direction. He appeared much more relaxed than when they had arrived that morning. He caught her looking and smiled again at her broadly, clearly more at ease now.

"Do you want to stretch your legs?" He asked her and she gratefully nodded her head. He reached down and pulled her slowly to standing making sure she stood on her own before relaxing his arms. "Go take a break with the others and by the time you're back, lunch will be served."

Catrine followed the other women who were slipping through a door at the opposite end of the chamber. No one talked and they hardly glanced at one another. She could feel the nervous energy among them.

She enjoyed a short moment of privacy in the restroom and paused to stretch her arms fully, first towards the ceiling and then down to her toes. She took a deep breath and turned to walk back to the meeting room.