Slave Unbound Ch. 16

Verdant raised an eyebrow, but kept his gaze forward. "And do you enjoy it? Being made to debase yourself this way? Or are you simply trying to escape the Arena?" He smiled at his own clever perceptiveness.

However, his smile faded at the sound of her chuckle. "You seem like a nice man, HouseMaster. The way your own slave looks at you, I can see you are very kind and I know your words meant to be sympathetic." She paused in her rubbing to gently brush the back of a hand along the line of his jaw. "I am not trying to escape anything, HouseMaster. I wish to learn how to seduce so that I may remain in the Arena as a gladiator. If I am not afraid of being pierced by a sword, why should I be afraid of being pierced by you?"

Verdant shifted suddenly, an unbidden reaction in his body making him suddenly very uncomfortable. When the fidget did nothing to sooth that, he abruptly rose from the chair, blushing. Clearing his throat, he forced a shaky smile onto his face. "I...I think...er...thank you for your administrations, Leita. My neck feels much better."

He saw that frustrated look come back across her face, as though disappointed at his reaction. "I am glad I could be of service, HouseMaster." She intoned, giving him a shallow bow. "Is there anything else you would like me to...rub?" Her eyes gave him a look that he felt was meant to be playful, but somehow seemed a little more predatory.

Verdant audibly gulped, much to his own embarrassment, but quickly covered the reaction with an amused chuckle. "I would say that you learn rather quickly, my dear. I will let your Mistress know that you pleased me quite a lot." He could feel the heat radiating from his face. And from his loins.

"Is the HouseMaster sure?" She asked dubiously. She moved from around the chair, her bare breasts suddenly all too naked to him. "He does not seem all that...pleased."

"As I said, I am not...um...currently...interested in...er...'molesting' you." He fumbled. "However, you did an excellent job of making me want to reconsider that." He genuinely smiled and gave her a very deep and reverent bow. "However, I am here on important business and need to remain focused on that."

He looked towards Lanni and Ashton instinctively seeking support, but found both of them staring at him with looks of mixed amusement and their own dubiousness. Turning back to Leita, he plastered as serene a smile on his face as he was able to craft. "However, if you would like to regale me with your own perspective of your last combat in the Arena, I would be keen to hear it."

He gestured to a different chair, intending her to sit and, hopefully, partially conceal herself, but she remained standing, uninhibitedly showcasing her exposed parts as she recounted her encounter with the magic using opponent. Verdant found himself having significant difficulty paying attention and was supremely relieved when Sabrina Marlowe finally swept into the room, Cookie in step behind her, likely to take away Leita.

"Mistress Marlowe." He greeted her graciously. "Thank you for the generous company of your gladiator. She was an absolute joy and I might should like to return for the benefit of her company again." He said quickly, wanting to let Leita hear him keep his promise.

"Truly?" Sabrina asked, looking to Leita with a satisfied expression. "I am glad she managed to get it right, this time." There was a sharpness that briefly came to her gaze, but it was gone instantly when she looked back to Verdant. "I assume, however, that you did not come to visit just for my amenities. Shall we adjourn to my offices, Verdant?"

"Yes, thank you, Sabrina."

As they took their leave, he allowed himself one last glance at Leita, considering her. He suddenly found himself quite regretting that he'd not fought harder to purchase her at the auction. Not that he could have likely topped the ridiculously high bid Sabrina made, but he had to wonder now if there hadn't been something Sabrina knew then that no one else did. This one was definitely far more than she seemed.

Putting that out of his mind, for now, he spent the rest of the walk to Sabrina's offices putting himself in order for what he'd actually came to discuss with her, while fending off the superfluous small-talk she made as they went. By the time he was making himself as comfortable as he could get, surrounded by depictions of Sabrina's naked body everywhere he looked, he thought he was ready to make his case.

"Wine, Verdant?" She asked him sweetly from the liquor cabinet in the room, already pouring herself a glass.

"That would be lovely, Sabrina. Thank you." He looked to where Lanni was seated in the chair next to the sofa and started to request a glass for her as well, but quickly thought better of it. He already had too much of a reputation for being far too soft and Lanni herself was often advising him that he needed to portray a more typical attitude towards her in public.

"So, what brings you around?" She asked as she filled a second glass. He'd always found it interesting that most HouseMasters tended to pour their own drinks, instead of having a slave attend them like most people. "I assume it is not just a social visit." He'd always wondered if there was a practical reason for it.

"No, actually, though I suppose I should arrange for one." Verdant replied politely, centering his inquisitive mind to the need at hand. "It has been some time since we last shared a meal together just for society's sake."

Sabrina smiled slyly at him as she brought over his wine. "Far too long, Verdant. You are, perhaps, one of the few House owners who seems to understand civility. You are always welcome at my table." She draped herself languidly on the sofa beside him, the supple fabric of her dress outlining her body tantalizingly. It lay so smooth to her curves that he could be certain she wore nothing beneath it. Lanni, he noted, averted her eyes uncomfortably, though Ashton scowled at the display as though she were a venomous snake coiling up next to his charge. Verdant was sure the comparison wasn't entirely wrong.

Sabrina's way of putting most of her peers off balance was to flaunt her uninhibited, almost perverse, nature. He was certain she'd probably taken more than a few of the other HouseMasters to her bed, as she'd once attempted to do the same to him. He'd politely declined her subtle offer, which she'd gracefully enough accepted, but had only become more brazen with her flirtations and behavior. Still, he wanted to believe that his restraint garnered him a bit more respect than she reserved for the other, far more impulsive, HouseMasters.

Perhaps, Leita had represented some new tact to break through his defenses. Using his sympathies to let her get past his guard and make him more primed for Sabrina's own advances. He steeled his resolve not to let him think of Sabrina as anything other than just another House owner, with whom he needed to negotiate.

"I was approached yesterday evening by Ezra Stedmark, the owner of a rather cozy little teahouse in the main borough." Verdant began, once he had taken a sip of the excellent wine. He hoped that launching into the business at hand might help deflect any further progress on whatever game of seduction Sabrina might be attempting. "While his ware is quite exceptional and his establishment very comfortable, he has only recently managed to find a steady enough trade to sustain himself."

Sabrina listened attentively, her expression curious as to why this bit of news had anything to do with her, obviously. She sipped slowly at her own glass, absorbing the details carefully, but also maintaining that same languid attitude of posture meant to invite the male gaze. She absently played her fingers along some of her more alluring curves, making the action seem perfectly unconscious, though Verdant knew better than to believe that.

"He had begged a loan from House Victorious in the early winter, hoping to use the money to improve his shop and increase his patronage. While his business is now, finally, starting to thrive, when the deadline for his repayment of the loan came due, he could not repay even a fraction of it at that time." Verdant took another sip of the wine, marveling at how good it was, before continuing. "House Victorious had the right to take possession of all his assets through the agreement, worth easily ten times what Ezra owed, leaving him with nothing, but Cornelius offered to accept repayment of the debt another way."

He leaned forward a little, for dramatic effect. "Ezra, you see, had a rather beautiful daughter, Maria. You may remember the poor girl that he's taken to using as a bench at auctions? That would be her."

Sabrina smiled in recognition, nodding. "I see. So, Ezra agreed to sell his daughter as a slave, rather than leave the rest of his family staving and impoverished."

"Quite." Verdant confirmed. "An extremely hard decision for Mister Stedmark, as he loves his daughter very much, but as he has four other children and a wife to keep fed, it was the more practical choice." He sighed, leaning back again. "Cornelius, however, seems to have become a bit displeased with the poor girl at late. I suppose she must have embarrassed him or simply failed in her duties as a pleasure slave, but he has handed her over to the Grand Arena as a common lot."

Sabrina regarded him a moment, digesting this. "She ended up as a consigned lot, I am assuming. One of House Firebridge's."

"That is what I've been informed, yes." Verdant replied with a slow nod. Many lots were simply nothing that a House would be actively interested in taking on, there being no real glory in having one's gladiators fighting some completely helpless foe. The crowds cheered regardless, but it added little to the reputation of the House. So, those lots were distributed among the Houses after all formal selections had been made.

Maria Stedmark was about as helpless as one could get, so she'd likely have little ability to defend herself. While such fights didn't typically end in the death of the lot, blood and suffering brought more cheers than just a quick disarming and forced surrender. The crowds wanted to see pain. If he could convince her to just show the poor girl mercy and not add more suffering to her or leave her potentially maimed and disfigured, he could then easily purchase her at auction and work out a kind deal with Ezra to return her back to her family as a free woman again.

"Say no more, Verdant." Sabrina said with a wave of her hand. "I quite understand and agree."

"Do you?" He asked, a little surprised at her so instantly arriving at where he was hoping to bring her. "The Stedmark's have already suffered so much and Maria was never more than some unfortunate victim of circumstance. I am willing to--"

"Please, Verdant, you need not belabor this any further." Sabrina assured him with a smile. "I agree that she has been through enough already. I've seen how Cornelius has treated her myself. Better that he has washed his hands of her, really. I will see to it that her lot is handled with compassion, Verdant."

He peered at her a moment, unsure of her motives. He'd expected to have to negotiate with her to have whatever gladiator she gave the lot to show mercy. She didn't seem any more concerned with the welfare of slaves than any other HouseMaster he'd met, but then, she was a woman and more likely to have a degree of sympathy that her male contemporaries lacked. Perhaps, she had no more love for seeing some innocent girl being butchered in the arena than he did.

Regardless, he'd expected her to, at the very least, try to angle for some kind of gain from it. Likely, she intended to merely hold it over his head later, a favor to be cashed in at an opportune time. While Verdant knew he could occasionally be a touch naïve, being a man of academics and unused to dealing with manipulative people, he had managed to learn a bit of savvy and ability to recognize some of how these games were played.

"Well then, Sabrina, you have my gratitude." He finally said, smiling and lifting his glass to her. "I am glad you agree with my thoughts on this. Lucky that she was assigned to you and not some heartless thug like Bellock or Angor. I suppose I..." He sighed, resigned to his assessment of what was really going on here. "I owe you the favor."

Sabrina smiled impishly at him as she took a long and slow sip of her wine, crystalline eyes twinkling. It was about as much confirmation of his assumption as he needed. Draining the last of his own wine, he looked to Ashton, signaling him of his intent to leave, and rose. "Well then, Sabrina, I shall leave you to your evening plans."

"Actually, Verdant, I have no particular plans, should you care to stay and make good on your offer of sharing a meal, for 'society's sake'." She replied, stirring her form in just the right way to make her gown some to flow about her body suggestively.

"I fear that, er, I have other plans for this evening." Verdant muttered, suddenly wanting to escape this place as quickly as he could. "Another time, most certainly, but for now, I think it best I take my leave." He drew Lanni a little closer to him, unconsciously, and stepped closer to Ashton, as if nervous that the venomous viper on the sofa might strike.

"A pity, but I understand." Sabrina said, remaining in her reclined posture. "Please have an attendant see Master Crahka to his carriage." She instructed one of the guards in the room sweetly, before looking back to Verdant. "I look forward to hearing from you, Verdant. It has been too long since we had a proper social engagement together."

Verdant cleared his throat. "Quite." And with that, he made his escape as quickly as he could without seeming impolite. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that she'd agreed a little too easily. Regardless, he'd managed to achieve what he'd set out to do and that was the important part. With some luck, Maria Stedmark would be in his care by next week and he was quite willing to return her to her family for little more than an excellent meal.

However, as he emerged from the estate house, his personal carriage waiting, he paused a moment to look back over his shoulder, mind going to the blonde gladiator, Leita. He decided that he would indeed make arrangement soon to request her company. Not for any intentions of lewd behavior, but simply because he found himself fascinated to know this girl better.

Perhaps, there was another girl here that he needed to find a way to save.