Enslaved Read online

  “Well, here we are—the Grand Reception Hall,” she said. “Everyone will already be waiting for us. I’ll go first, of course and then you’ll be announced and you can follow. Just come right up to the head table—I have the seat beside me reserved just for the two of you.”

  “Thank you, Lady Tam-tam,” Trin said respectfully. “That’s very kind of you.”

  “Oh, and one more thing my dear—there is a male here tonight from the Degas system who’s not a slave. I know—I know—it’s shocking.” Lady Tam-tam’s eyes danced. “But I don’t believe they all have to be slaves—actually, he’s royalty, if you can believe that. And I like being a little shocking and naughty sometimes—I’m an old lady. It’s one of the few pleasures I have left.”

  Trin smiled. “Of course I’ll treat him with respect as he is your guest.”

  “I knew I could depend on you, Lady Trin. Just lead the way and all the rest of the mistresses will follow. Well…” Lady Tam-tam straightened her flowing mu-mu and rapped sharply on the vine and flower-covered doors. “It’s time to put on a show.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The doors swung open, revealing a vast room filled with well dressed mistresses and their body-slaves. Flanking the doorway were two muscular male guards in brilliant purple and orange uniforms that matched Lady Tam-tam’s mu-mu.

  “The Lady Tam-tam, mistress of Dreaming Hills and of all our hearts. And your hostess here tonight,” one of the guards proclaimed. The entire room erupted in applause—apparently Lady Tam-tam was well liked. Or at least her guests knew they’d better pretend they liked her.

  Trin wondered which it was—not that she really cared. All she wanted to do was get through this reception and make the deal with Lady Malroth. After that, she was leaving Dreaming Hills, hopefully forever.

  Lady Tam-tam stood framed in the doorway with her chin lifted and surveyed the crowd as the applause swelled dramatically. Then she inclined her head majestically and swept into the room like a queen approaching her throne.

  After such an entrance, all eyes were on Lady Tam-tam. Seeing an opportunity, Trin slipped quietly past the door guards and along the perimeter of the room rather that waiting to be announced.

  “What are you doing?” Thrace growled softly from behind her as he followed. “You’re supposed to wait to be announced—you just broke a major rule of etiquette.”

  “It’ll be fine.” Trin tried to make her voice light. “No one even noticed.”

  “You’d better hope not,” he remarked grimly. “Or you’re going to be in a galaxy of trouble.”

  Trin felt a stab of apprehension but she refused to show it.

  “Stop worrying so much—we’re fine.”

  “As long as nobody calls you on it.” He touched her arm lightly, turning her to face him. “Were you that afraid to let me kiss your panties, Mistress?”

  Trin bristled. “Of course not—don’t be silly.” Although she had to admit that the idea of letting the big Havoc press his face to the place between her thighs did make her stomach feel tight and her palms damp. “I just…wanted to avoid a scene,” she said.

  Thrace snorted. “Right.”

  “Don’t make me wish you still had the pain collar on,” Trin snapped. “Now come on—let’s mingle. Look, I think I see Lady Malroth over there.”

  The brightly dressed mistresses—all wearing the same revealing fashions that Trin herself had on, were mingling and talking, their high, light voices filling the air. The lower tones of their body-slaves were less frequent but they were joining in the conversation at times, Trin saw.

  It seemed evident that some of the mistresses and body-slaves truly cared for each other. There were hands being held and shy but loving glances being exchanged by many couples. Possibly this was the first public gathering they’d ever attended where they felt free to show their true feelings.

  It was sweet, Trin thought. Even though she’d been raised to think of males as savages and animals, she knew differently now. She risked a glance at Thrace who was still frowning. If she’d been born someplace where males were considered equals would she have formed a relationship with one of them? A romantic relationship? Even…a sexual one?

  Don’t be crude, whispered a little voice in her head which sounded disturbingly like her mother. You know that having sexual relations with a male is no better than having sexual relations with an animal. Only a female with no self respect or dignity would even consider such a thing. You were raised better than that!

  Trin sighed. She wished she didn’t have to keep having this conversation with herself. Honestly, she’d never given any male a second thought before she met Thrace. Now, everything seemed so upside down and backwards somehow.

  It’s just until after you do the deal, she told herself comfortingly. Then you’ll go your separate ways and you won’t have to think of it ever again. For now, just find Lady Malroth and get it done.

  Almost as soon as she thought it, she saw the very woman she was looking for. Lady Malroth appeared to belong to a second set of mistresses—the ones who were standing a little apart from their body-slaves with bored or irritated looks on their faces. Clearly they were here for business or social networking reasons—not because they had secretly fallen in love with their slaves.

  Lady Malroth was standing at the far edge of the crowd, sipping a glass of deep blue wine and looking with complete disinterest at her own body-slave. He was standing beside her but it was clear he had no interest in her either, other than guarding her as part of his job. In fact, the look on his face was so expressionless Trin had no idea what he was thinking—or if he was thinking at all.

  “Oh, Lady Trin,” she said icily when Trin and Thrace walked up. “How good of you to finally join the rest of us commoners. But I can see why you were late—you were in exalted company.”

  “I was late because I woke up with a horrible headache and Thrace had to fetch me some mint oil,” Trin said. “We just happened to meet Lady Tam-tam on the way.”

  “Of course you did.” It was clear Lady Malroth didn’t believe a word of her story.

  Trin decided to try a different approach.

  “I’m really sorry we…intruded earlier when we first met Lady Tam-tam,” she said. “I never meant for that to happen or for her to give us your room.”

  “Are you joking? Not sleeping in the dreaming suite is a relief.” Lady Malroth laughed nastily. “Let someone else perform for her for a change.”

  “Perform for her?” Trin exchanged glances with Thrace. “What do you mean?”

  “What do you think I mean?” Lady Malroth snapped. “The viewscreen across from the bed—it records images.”

  “It does?” Trin exclaimed. So Thrace had been right about Lady Tam-tam wanting to watch, even if he’d been wrong about where the images were being captured. What were the black dots on the bedposts then?

  Lady Malroth took another big sip of wine and nodded.

  “The 3-D viewer in the fresher does as well. So be sure you put on a good show tonight—I guarantee Lady Tam-tam will be watching.” She sneered. “That shouldn’t be too hard—seeing as how you and your pet male are so in love.”

  Trin ignored the jab.

  “What? What if I don’t want to put on a show?”

  Lady Malroth shrugged.

  “Then we have no deal, my dear Lady Trin. I am your sponsor here so what you do reflects on me. Please lady Tam-tam and it looks good for me, as I brought you here. Displease her and it will tarnish my reputation—not good at all either for my social life or my business as most of the mistresses gathered here tonight are my trade partners.”

  “So you’re saying we need to do what Lady Tam-tam wants in order to make you look good. Otherwise, no deal,” Thrace growled.

  Lady Malroth glowered at him and then turned to Trin.

  “Kindly tell your slave not to speak to me as if he were my equal. I know we’re here at Dreaming Hills where free love between mistresses and slaves is the o