Prologue
Sophia
(Nineteen years old…)
You become the life you’re given to live.
Your surroundings consume you until it seeps deep into your bones. It’s in the blood pumping through your veins. It’s in the air you breathe.
You can’t long for something you’ve never had. You can’t crave something you know nothing of. They remain just words you’ve heard someone say.
Empty words. Freedom. Hope. Love. Happiness. All empty words with no meaning.
My mother died giving birth to me. I don’t know what she looked like, if I even resemble her in any way. I was raised by the other slaves until I was old enough to start working.
The other slaves will turn on you in a heartbeat. You’re not allowed to talk to any of the staff, or to a Master or Mistress.
I can only whisper to the darkness. It’s the only thing that listens. I’m only seen by the walls around me. It’s the only witness to what happens in this house.
This life is all I know.
This life is the only thing that knows me. Without it, I cease to exist.
People come and go, but life? It’s there every single day. It’s relentless and cruel. Life doesn’t stop when you’re in pain, or pushed to the point of breaking. No, it’s when you’re consumed by fear that life dances to the sound of your pleas. It’s when you’re drowning in despair that life relishes in your fight for one final breath. It’s the only time life has true worth - when you fear you’re going to lose it. Life bears witness to your existence and because of it, life exists. Without life, and without anyone being there to say that you ever existed, there’s only death.
Death. It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. You can’t ignore it if you’re surrounded by it. There’s always someone dying, another slave beaten to death. Every day is a battle between life and death. I just don’t know which is worse. What’s on the other side of this life? Is it the same as here?
There’s no one I can ask.
Standing by a window in one of the many rooms of the mansion, I dust the bars while staring outside. The garden is beautiful. Jack keeps it neat.
He’s the only slave that’s allowed to spend time outside. The rest of us have to stay inside. We’re only allowed to move around the house when we’re cleaning, or being taken to satisfy a Master or Mistress. Otherwise, we’re to stay in the outer building, where we sleep.
The only time we get to be outside is when we’re coming to the house, or returning to our sleeping quarters.
“Sophia!” Rosa suddenly shrieks behind me.
Before I can turn around to see what’s wrong, something smacks hard against the side of my head. The impact of the blow causes me to lose my balance, and I slam into the bars. My chin hits the cold iron, making pain vibrate through my face. The wall stops my fall as my shoulder knocks into it, causing an ache to spread down my arm.
“Grab that one,” Tiffany hisses.
My head snaps up at the sound of her voice. She’s worse than any Master or Mistress I’ve ever had. She’s jealous, and if she feels you’ve cheated her out of a Master or Mistress, then she’ll kill you. I’ve seen it happen before.
She’s the oldest of all the slaves. The only reason she’s still alive, is because she gives the best blowjobs. I’ve heard Master Sven say so.
She towers over me, her face all scrunched up with anger.
“I haven’t done anything,” I plead with her.
I should know by now that pleading with her doesn’t help. She’s vicious.
No one stops her. They say it’s survival of the fittest. If you can survive her, then you’re strong enough to be a slave.
Tiffany leans forward and sneers at me, “You’re such a fucking bitch. Everyone knows that Master David is mine. I hear you were with him last night.”
I frown, not understanding.
“I was taken to him. I was just doing my duties.”
Her face contorts, and her lips pull down. “I won’t let you replace me.”
My whole body goes cold. I haven’t felt this kind of fear in a long while. I used to feel mind-numbing fear right at the beginning, when they started training me. I remember fearing that I wouldn’t be able to satisfy a Master or Mistress, and that I would be disposed of.
After a while, the fear disappeared, and it started to get easier. I had value as long as someone wanted me. I live to make people happy. Being wanted gives me purpose.
But, if I die? What then? What purpose will I have then?
I can’t die until I know what’s waiting on the other side.
Just thinking about what she did to Lydia makes fear claw at my chest. She’ll do the same to me. She’ll kill me.
Quickly, I duck to the side, trying to dart past Tiffany so I can run away. She grabs hold of my hair and yanks me back. There’s a hard blow to my jaw and it makes the world go black for a moment. A sharp ache spreads up the side of my face, until I can hear my heart thumping loudly in my ear.
I can’t keep my balance and fall flat on my ass. The second I hit the floor, panic surges through me. I try to scramble to my feet but Tiffany’s body slams into mine, pinning me down. I see her arm pull back and it tears a scream from me.
“Fucking slaves!” Master Sven shouts.
He grabs hold of the back of her neck, and yanks her from me, before shoving her down at his feet. She cowers next to his leg, but glares at me, her breaths coming fast.
Quickly, I get to my knees and crawl to the other side of Master Sven, making sure that he’s between Tiffany and me.
I try my best to stop the trembling, and to keep perfectly still.
Master Sven’s fingers dig into my aching jaw and he shoves my head back. His dark eyes are sharp as he inspects my face.
“Fuck, he’s gonna be pissed. You had to go for the face. Stupid bitch.”
He shoves me back and I fight to keep from falling over.
His fingers dig into Tiffany’s hair and he hauls her to her feet.
“What’s going on here?” Master Cameron snaps as he walks into the room.
Oh no! This is bad. This is really bad. Master Cameron will punish us both. He doesn’t tolerate any kind of disobedience from us.
“She bruised Sophia’s face. Master Lowery booked Sophia for the evening. This will upset him.”
A hand rests on my head. “Look at me,” Master Cameron hisses.
I quickly lift my face, but keep my lashes lowered. I don’t dare look him in the eyes. That will displease him.
Softly, his thumb brushes over my tender jaw.
“What a pity. That’s going to leave an ugly bruise.”
Master Cameron comes to stand right next to me and he drags his fingers through my hair.
“What are we going to do with you?”
My heart starts to pound heavily again. If they think I’m too ugly to satisfy Master Lowery, then they’ll kill me. I don’t want to die.
I scoot closer to Master Cameron’s leg, hoping he’ll accept my submission. He keeps brushing his fingers through my hair, and for a moment, the room is quiet.
Suddenly, his fingers tighten in my hair, and he yanks me painfully to my feet. A loud whimper escapes my mouth and I immediately bite down on my bottom lip to keep another from slipping out.
Master Cameron holds me close to him and I can feel his eyes burning over my skin.
“We can’t disappoint a Master,” he says softly.
Quickly, I nod.
“He favors you,” he whispers again.
I know this and it makes the fierce grip of fear loosen a little. Master Lowery is kind and he loves to play games. He always asks for me.
Master Cameron glares darkly at Tiffany, and shaking his head, he holds his hand out to Master Sven.
“Give me the gun.”
My throat dries right up, and a desperate whimper lodges in my throat. My tongue feels thick and my thoughts are all jumbled.
Master Cameron takes the gun from Master Sven. The sight of the heavy weapon makes my breaths explode over my dry lips.
Master Cameron lets go of my hair and takes my right hand. He brings it to the gun, and keeping his hand on mine, he forces my fingers to curl around the cold metal.
“Make her kneel,” he barks at Master Sven.
Master Sven shoves Tiffany to the floor, and Master Cameron yanks me forward, pressing the gun hard against Tiffany’s head.
“Pull the trigger and you will be forgiven for getting your face bruised.”
I take a sharp breath. I don’t want to kill anyone.
Master Cameron moves closer to me until I can feel his hot breath on the side of my head.
“If you don’t kill her, I’ll have her kill you. There’s no place for the weak in this house. You know she will kill you,” he hisses. “Do it!” I jump as his voice suddenly thunders through the room.
I don’t want to die.
I close my eyes, too scared to face what’s happening right now. I turn my face away from Tiffany.
Master Cameron’s hand closes around mine. A loud bang explodes in the room. The gun jerks in my hand, and I shriek with fright.
There’s a hissing sound in my ears.
Snapping my eyes open, I look down at the weapon that’s rattling in my trembling hand. Then I see the red pool at my feet. There’s blood, more blood than I’ve ever seen.
I killed her.
The thought is a whisper in the back of my mind. As the shock of what just happened burns through me, the whispers get louder, until it’s nothing but screams bouncing around in my head.
I killed her. I killed another person.
Someone takes hold of my arm, their fingers digging into my skin. As I’m pulled away from Master Cameron, I glance up and see that it’s Master David. He must have come to see what the problem is.
He shoves down to the floor by his feet and says, “I’ll take care of this one.”
Still stunned at what happened, I let habit take over. I scoot closer to his feet, knowing how much he loves it when we beg at his feet.
It feels as if a cloud of darkness is weighing down on me. I’ve seen people die, lots of times, but never by my hand. I’ve never taken part in the beating of another slave.
“She has a guest to see to at seven. Don’t let her be late,” Master Cameron snaps. “And for God’s sake, stop walking around where he can see you.”
Master Cameron turns around and stalks from the room, as if nothing happened. It feels like I’ve been shaken to my very core, as if I’ve crossed a line I won’t be able to come back from.
“Clean this mess and burn the body,” Master Sven barks at Rosa and Claire. They both jump with fright, scrambling over to where Tiffany is lying.
I’m yanked up again, and Master David pulls me from the room. I can’t help but glance over my shoulder to where Tiffany is. Her face is pale with blood splattered everywhere.
Where did she go when she died? Will she wait there for me so she can make me pay for what I did?
***
As we walk down the passage, my eyes burn. There’s no place for tears around here, and it’s not like I cared about Tiffany. I feel a weird sense of loss.
We take the stairs to the third floor. I’m only allowed up here when I come to please Master David. It’s quiet up here. I can hear our muted steps on the soft carpet.
When we walk into Master David’s room, he lets go of my arm. He closes the door and turns towards me.
Keeping my face lowered, I can feel his eyes on me.
He takes a step closer to me, lifting his hand to my face. He cups my cheek, his thumb lightly brushing over the tender spot.
“Tsk … tsk … tsk.” His touch turns harsh as his fingers dig into my skin. He tilts my face to the side. “You let her mark my property,” he hisses. His voice is dripping with disappointment and it makes me feel uneasy.
I clear my dry throat and whisper remorsefully, “I’m sorry, Master.”
He shoves me back and I don’t try to stop myself from falling. He wants me on the ground. If I do anything that he doesn’t want, then I’ll only be in more trouble.
He towers over me, shaking his head. A tendril of fear creeps through me. Why is he shaking his head? What did I say wrong?
“Not Master, little whore. To you, I am a god.” I almost frown but stop just in time. I don’t understand what he’s saying. “Do you know why I am a god?”
He crouches down in front of me. Reaching out to me, he brushes my hair from my face.
“I’m a god to you because your life belongs to me. If I want you dead, you’ll be dead. If I want you alive, then you’ll live.”
It’s as if he read my mind. I don’t want to die. I’ll do anything to please him if he’ll keep me.
He moves closer to me, and with his knee, he pushes my legs open.
“Do you understand?” he asks as he crawls over my body. I lie back, giving him access to all of me.
I nod, but again he grabs my face and he stops me from moving.
“You will not allow a filthy whore to touch my property,” he suddenly shouts.
My eyes start to burn again and it makes me blink fast.
His touch softens and he presses a kiss to my bruised jaw.
“Do you have any questions, my little whore? I’d hate for a misunderstanding to end what we have. You know you’re special to me, that no other whore can satisfy me like you do.”
I clear my throat and my lips part. Do I dare ask him? Will he be angry?
“Go ahead, ask,” he encourages me.
“Master,” I start softly, not wanting to anger him, “what happens if I die?”
I pinch my eyes shut, scared that I might have angered him with my question.
I feel his breath on my cheek and then it’s hot on my ear.
“When you die you become nothing but your worst fear. The thing you’re most scared of will torture you forever. What is your worst fear?”
Cold chills spread over my skin, and I can’t stop from trembling. My worst fear?
“Master,” I whisper, with a quivering voice, “I fear not pleasing you.”
He chuckles darkly. “Good little whore. Now beg me to spare your life and I’ll forgive you for today.”
“Please, spare my life,” I beg just like he asked.
A smile forms around his lips. Master David is young. I think he’s as old as I am. He’s very attractive and I know a lot of the girls are happy when he calls for them. He hasn’t been my master for long, so I’m still learning how to please him.
“Show me how thankful you are, little whore. Suck my cock,” Master David commands.
I scramble to my knees and make quick work of loosening his belt. I’m relieved to find his cock hard and take him into my mouth.
His hands fist in my hair, and he starts to force my head up and down. He slams into the back of my throat, making me gag. When he hears me choking on his cock, he groans with satisfaction and starts to thrust even harder against my face.
Every blow to my nose stabs into the back of my skull. Every thrust into my mouth feels like he’s trying to cut through my throat.
Through the tears and pain, I keep my focus on pleasing him. If I can’t please my master then I am not worth anything.
I’ll be nothing.
***
Sophia~
(Twenty two years old …)
After I killed Tiffany, Master Sven moved me from the sleeping quarters I shared with all the girls, to the house. I got my own room. I’m not sure why, but I’m thankful for it. I was also placed in charge of the other slaves. They didn’t like it at first, but no one dared to argue.
Years have passed since that day, but I still see her bloody face, like it happened just a second ago.
There’s a party tonight and the guests have slowly been arriving. There’s never been a party here before. Since I can remember, there have only been private sessions. Not knowing what will be expected of me tonight makes me feel anxious.
I walk to the room where I told the other slaves to wait for me. Master Sven said he will come tell us when the guests are ready for us. When I enter the room, I quickly glance over the faces, making sure everyone is here. Everyone but Jack. He doesn’t fall under me, for which I’m thankful. I would never be able to control him. He’s not like the girls. He’s wild and it’s only a matter of time before he fights back, and then they’ll kill him.
None of the girls talk to each other. They just stare blankly at the floor. They’re all wearing the same metal collars. At least I don’t have to wear a metal one anymore. I now get to wear a leather one that doesn’t chafe my skin until it’s raw.
Suddenly, the door is slammed open. I notice how some of the new girls flinch with fright.
“Get your asses in there and form a circle around the stage in the middle of the room,” Master Sven barks.
I wait until every girl has filed out of the room, before following them into the entertainment area.
I dare a quick glance up, just to make sure the girls are doing as they’re told. I notice a stage in the middle of the room, with men seated in front of the stage. I’m surprised to see that there are only five men and one woman. For some reason, I thought there would be more people.
On the stage is some sort of contraption in the shape of a upside down number seven. I haven’t seen it before. Jack’s tied to it, being forced to kneel as his legs and arms are tied to the poles. His body is stretched out and on full display to everyone.
The girls form a circle and I take the last spot, which places me right in front of Jack.
Movement to my right catches my eye. One of the girls is trying to cover herself. She starts to sob out loud. I don’t know what her name is. She hasn’t been here long, only a few days.
Master Sven growls as he races past me and when he reaches the crying girl, he punches her so hard, she falls backwards, and onto the stage.
Master Eduardo joins Master Sven and they start to kick the girl. I try to force my eyes down, but I can’t. The same uneasy feeling wells up inside of me that I had the day Tiffany died.
Master Sven’s boot hits the side of her head, and blood sprays over the stage. My eyes meet hers, and it takes me a few seconds to realize her stare is blank. When they realize she’s dead, they leave her right there and start to hook chains to every girl’s collar.
I can hear the guests whispering amongst themselves. They sound happy with the punishment the girl got.
When Master Sven gets to me, he barks, “Get on stage and go stand next to the male.”
I do as I’m told and quickly climb on the stage. I go to where Jack is and wait for further instructions to come.
The dead girl is on his other side. I can’t keep my eyes from going to her every few seconds.
Two girls are taken to the other side of the room, and it’s only then that I see the two tables. One girl is tied down to a round table and the other to a square table. Where the girl on the round table is just strapped down, the other girl’s legs are forced wide open, and her legs strapped to the legs of the table. Her arms are left untied and she lets them rest at her sides.
I’m still not sure what I have to do. An uneasy feeling crawls down my back.
“Dump the body in the corner. We don’t want to see shit like that,” Master Eduardo barks at the girls to my right.
They rush to pick up the girl, and then carry her to the far corner where they leave her.
There’s an uncertain feeling in the air, as if no one really knows what they’re doing. Even the guards and guests seem to look out of place.
The main door swings open, and Master Cameron comes in.
“Gentlemen and Lady,” he addresses the guests, not looking at us at all. “Thank you for agreeing to attend my first party. If tonight is successful then we’ll be able to have the parties on a monthly basis. We just need to fine tune everything tonight. See what works and what doesn’t. Feel free to give your opinions and to test your ideas.”
Master Cameron snaps his fingers and the doors open again. This time two guards enter, carrying whips, paddles, and floggers. They leave the room only to come back with more stuff. Large bottles of water are placed near the stage.
Master Sven and Master Eduardo climb onto the stage. I’m not sure if I should remain standing or kneel, so I freeze and wait for their instruction.
Master Eduardo pins Jack’s head down and Master Sven shoves something in his mouth. Jack growls and spits a pill out. It lands by my feet and I fight the urge to step away from it.
“Bring it here!” Master Sven snaps.
Quickly, I pick up the pill and take it to him. Master Sven doesn’t take it from me.
“Take the fucking pill or he dies. I swear I’ll slit his throat,” Master Sven hisses at Jack.
I don’t know who the he is, but the threat instantly calms Jack down. His face goes blank and he parts his lips. I drop the pill into his mouth and step back.
“You will do whatever our guests ask of you. Disobey and join the trash in the corner,” Master Sven warns.
The guests start to move between the girls, giving them instructions. Some are told to flog each other, where others are being fondled and inspected by two of the guests.
One guest walks over to the two girls that are tied to the tables. I watch the man as he slowly moves around each of the tables, clearly deep in thought.
He stops by the girl that’s tied down to the square table. His hand trembles as he reaches out to her, brushing the back of his knuckles over her stomach. Her muscles clench under his touch and it makes him smile for some reason.
I’m so fixated on the man that everything else around me fades to background noise.
I’m surprised when he moves over to the round table. He seemed to show more interest in the other girl. I’m even more surprised when he unties the girl from the round table. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but the girl quickly gets off and goes to stand by the head of the other girl.
The man removes his belt and ties it around the neck of the girl that’s still tied down. He gives the other girl an instruction. She listens and takes hold of the belt.
The man returns to the other side, removes his cock from his pants and thrusts into the girl. I can see the muscles in her legs tensing from the force he’s using.
He pumps into her a couple of times and then barks something at the girl who’s holding the belt. When she tightens the belt around the other girl’s neck, I realize what he’s doing. He’s having the girl suffocated while he’s fucking her.
I’ve only heard of it being done. Many slaves die that way, but I’ve never seen it happen before.
“Mistress Westbrook,” Master Sven says next to me, yanking my attention back to the rest of the room. “The slave is hard and ready for you.”
I didn’t even notice when the two chairs were placed on the other side of Jack. A man and woman sit down, facing us.
“Cameron says she’s the most skilled slave he has. I’d like to see just how skilled she is,” Mistress Westbrook says to the man next to her.
“Fuck him, slave. If you’re so good then make him come.”
I go to stand at Jack’s side and glance at his face. His features are tight with anger. He growls at me, and I quickly look back to his cock.
With his body at this angle the only way I can fuck Jack is by dropping to my knees, with my ass facing him. I shuffle back until I feel his cock pressing against my pussy, and then I push back, taking him inside me.
I move slowly at first, waiting to see if I’ll receive further instructions.
“This is so fucking boring!” Mistress Westbrook snaps. She gets up and walks to somewhere behind us. “Let her suck you,” she says to someone.
I’m not sure what’s happening behind me, so I dare a quick glance over my shoulder.
My lips part on a harsh breath when I see Mistress Westbrook holding a belt. She walks toward me and I quickly look back down. She wraps the belt around my neck just as the man comes to stand in front of me.
“Suck,” the man barks, shoving his cock in my face.
I quickly take him into my mouth and try to suck him while fucking Jack. My knees start to ache, but I quickly forget about that when the man takes hold of the belt, tightening it some more.
I start to feel the pressure on my neck, and try to breathe faster through my nose.
When the man tightens the belt even more, I start to gag and it seems to turn him on. I can’t breathe fast enough through my nose anymore. Fear and panic start to ripple through me as the man yanks at the belt.
He shoves harder into my mouth. The belt tightens again, and it makes my vision go black.
I try to force myself to move so I can obey them, but the darkness becomes thicker as my air becomes less.
As the man starts to come, my arms and legs give way under me.
I try to gasp for air but it’s too late as everything fades to nothing.