Decision Time: Master or Slave?

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"Would you like to meet the actors again and see if they'll have a slave play with them now and then? Remember that your duties to me take precedence, but the occasional play wouldn't displease me. In fact, I would be proud of you," I announced.

"So, once again, you're the daughter brought to the stage, but this time, to play there."

 

[celestialdragon]

She squealed in delight and clapped her hands. "Yes, Daddy! Thank you!"

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"Well, love, nothing for it, let's go inside," I directed you, proud of how you didn't seem to even think about the slimy spunk oozing down your legs.

I took your leash and led you, walking briskly toward the entrance.

 

[celestialdragon]

She followed behind, almost bouncing eagerly.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

Getting to the door, we are greeted by a security guard who is obviously a slave, his uniform painted on his body while he wears a slave collar and a belt with a Tazer...it's not rocket science why he has no gun.....even without regular gun control laws, slaves were banned from carrying lethal weapons of any kind anyway, in case they had second thoughts and decided to rebel. In fact, regular gun laws have been relaxed for Masters, but not for those citizens who haven't decided yet or slaves.

The sign on the door reads.....

MASTERS, CONTROL YOUR SLAVES. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE UNDER BRITISH LAW FOR THEIR ACTIONS. THIS FACILITY IS PROUDLY STAFFED BY SLAVE LABOUR. SLAVE LABOUR GIVES NEW STARTS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO THE UNDERCLASS.

"Come in, m'lord. And your slave is?" he asked me.

"This is the slave named Scarlet Masterson, formerly Dria Collins. She has experience on stage. I'm taking her here to audition for parts. She's Irish. Lovely lass, isn't she? Don't worry. She's well behaved and I have taken on the role of Daddy to her. Is that clear?" I instruct him.

"Yes, of course.....so she's basically your adopted daughter as well as your slave, m'lord," the man asked.

"Certainly. And I expect you to treat her as that, even though she is also my slave," I explained.

"As you wish, m'lord," the man smiled as he ogled your body and let us inside the theatre.

 

[celestialdragon]

She beamed as Daddy introduced her, and nuzzled the hand holding her leash affectionately, eager to perform again. She smiled politely at the security guard as they entered.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

Nearly every head as the fine Irish slave entered the theatre in the nude, the collar and leash making a pretty clear statement about her status, while her naked, pale freckled body with brilliant crimson hair and her eyes screamed...."rare Celtic beauty."

More than a few men and women alike eyed you, clearly desiring to shag you. The manager, assistant manager, director, actors, etc. all stared at you, their eyes growing and their mouths wide open, jaws nearly dropping to the floor.

"Good day to you....m'lord....miss... is that proper etiquette for addressing a slave?" the director of the troupe finally stammered, clearly affected by seeing such a lovely slave in front of them and wondering what you'd want from them.

"Miss Scarlet, in fact. Or Miss Masterson. She's not just my slave. She's also my adopted daughter. Lovely, isn't she? Well, she's talented, too. She's worked in the stage.....," I started to say when one of the female cast turned white as a ghost and ran toward you to embrace you.

"Dria....Dria Collins! It's me, Michelle! I haven't seen you in ages, darling....but, by Jove, here you turn up in your birthday suit, and hardly alone....is this fine chap really your Master?" the saucy blonde expressed some surprise, her curls tangling in her fingers, but it was hard for me to know if it was you or I that she desired.

Nevertheless, the lust in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Her name's Scarlet now, Michelle. And yes, I own her, but as I said, I've adopted her as my daughter...though we are lovers, too, of course," I asserted, "not that we practice monogamy or anything like that. We shag who I say that we shag."

 

[celestialdragon]

She squealed and hugged Michelle. "Michelle and I went to school together, and she's starred in several of my plays," she beamed. "You're looking well!" she added, turning back to Michelle as Daddy explained. Michelle and I had experimented together back in secondary, but never took anything further than a few passionate kisses. "Isn't Daddy amazing?" she beamed.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"Well, m'lord.....you know, I still haven't made my choice, as is true of many others. I'm really glad to see Dria...er, I mean, Scarlet again. I've been leaning toward slavery, but I've had nagging doubts. I'm glad to see that it has worked for you, loves. Both of you. I'm a working-class girl, much like Scarlet here. You seem quite the Tory gent, if I dare say. One-Nation type, probably. Though that's the past, I dare say.

"Anyway, love, are you here to audition?" Michelle asked, curiously, "is that permitted by you, m'lord?"

"Yes and yes. She is here to audition, but if you don't believe her, she can answer about that. I am glad that she has a good friend that is eager to see her and doesn't judge her for her decision. Or think less of her for being a slave. My brother is a slave, too. Peter Masterson, former Member of Parliament. Now a slave. Any questions or perhaps you'd like to join us for supper to ask them?" I asked her.

 

[celestialdragon]

Scarlet giggled and hugged her friend tighter. "Oh, please say you'll join us for sup, Mich!" she begged playfully. "Please? And of course Daddy's letting me audition, he loves the fact that I live for the stage!"

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"Well, if that's an invitation, I shall be delighted to join you both for supper. It would give me a better idea of what to expect as a slave, if I opt for that. More importantly, it would let me catch up with you about our lives of late. And let me get to know your handsome....Daddy, as you call him, better. Thank you for that invitation, m'lord...and for not depriving the arts of such a fine thespian," Michelle said, kissing you on both cheeks and even me the same way, much to our surprise.

"Oh, I am in earnest, Michelle. A friend of my dear Scarlet is a friend of mine, at least now that only her true friends remain to her. She's lost a few fairweather types already, sad to say, I believe," I noted, "In the meantime, I take that Scarlet has excellent chances with her auditions?"

"M'lord, to be perfectly blunt, the stage can ill afford to turn down such an offer, not with the creditors breathing down our necks, individually and collectively. And even more candidly, Scarlet is already a famous actress....she doesn't really have to audition, I suspect. The moment that everyone knows who she is, they'll demand to see her on stage," Michelle assured them, "her reputation from Suffolk has preceded her."

 

[celestialdragon]

She blushed underneath Michelle's praises. "Who's the director here, do you know?" she asked her. "What's the upcoming production?"

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"That would be Cecil over there. Cecil, don't just stand there gawking. You've seen slaves before. This is my good friend, Dria....sorry, Scarlet. She is the lass who saved the Suffolk Theatre, you know," Michelle introduced us, "and this is her new....Daddy/Master, Mr.....?"

"Simon Masterson, Governor. Please to make your acquaintance. I've given Scarlet my surname, too. She's Scarlet Masterson now. I consider her my adopted daughter as much as my slave. Though we are lovers, too," I clarified.

"Yes, and we're producing a new play, in fact. The Merry Slaves of Windsor, a sort of dark comedy about the new conditions and what it must be like to serve the royal family as slaves. Massoud over there is our lead actor," Cecil introduced a very tall Pakistani dressed in the best outfit.

"No offense to you Masters. In fact, we're more or less dealing with the comedy, not any kind of anti-slavery rhetoric, I assure you," Massoud assured me.

"I'm not worried about that. I know where my sweet Scarlet stands politically. And what's life without some humour?" I answered with a light comment, "perhaps once auditions are handled, we can have you all over for supper. In honour of the stage and such."

 

[celestialdragon]

Her eyes were wide and beaming, and she nuzzled into her Daddy's side affectionately. "Do you have a copy of the script, Cecil?" she asked.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"Right here, darling," Michelle snatched the copy from Cecil, who blushed a little, but nodded.

"Sorry, Michelle is in haste, I see," he apologized.

"Yes, sorry. I just badly wanted Scarlet to see your work, love. If things were different, I would seriously favour the idea of being your slave, Cecil. As it is, maybe we'll have the same Master or Mistress, and that would be enough for me," she laughed as she lit a fag.

"Yes, I think that there would be....complications to owning you," Cecil blushed.

"What does that mean, precisely?" I asked them.

"He means that he is already in serious debt, and unless his fortunes are retrieved and soon, he is more likely to become a slave than to own one," Massoud explained, "however, all is not lost. There is a decent chance of pulling this coup, with your assistance, and if he fails, I've already made plans to purchase Cecil myself under Article V of the Decisions Act."

"Well, besides, what would a bugger know about possessing a woman?" Cecil chuckled, "aside from a personal shopper or something like that?"

"Yes, Cecil is a bit of a notorious sodomite," Michelle snickered.

"I see.....," I left it at that, "I'm bisexual myself, so I don't think that a necessarily bad thing."

"Yes, but, I have no interest in the lassies, only in the lads," Cecil confessed.

 

[landiek]

Victoria nibbled on another biscuit after the last call.

"About eleven would be good but I'd like a response. You may wait for it unless he doesn't return by five. I want you here for dinner." Victoria added. "Do impart if he asks its not a formal dinner and limit is mentioned in the invitation."

Greeting from the house of Ambrose Kent
You and two personals are cordially invited
To dine in my home at seven thirty p.m.
This coming Thursday the thirteenth.
Kindly rsvp at your convenience or with
the bearer of the invitation.
Truly, Lady Via Kent.

Victoria laid out the dress slacks and shirt for him to wear. "I shall be attending business affairs in the study.. I expect you to come there upon your convenience return."

She looked over the menu and pondered if lamb or shellfish would be better as the main course. "Or there is that pheasant recipe I've been dieing to try..."

Victoria left her room with some papers and was talking to another maid. "Change the sheets and put the cream ones on. Also air out my room a bit after eleven. I have my tea in the study."

This gave Peter time to dress in private. A luxury she often craved when her husband was sauced.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Peter Masterson

"Oh, if I know my brother, he should be back well before five. Unless work or something drastic is detaining him. Simon always had that thing about keeping an eye on his things, if You recall. He was always....very possessive, something that I can be guilty of at times myself, but only in my own way and tempered with my surrender to my Lady, to You.

"There is something that You should know....I do not wish to keep secrets from You. Simon and I....we once....fooled around, he and I. Incestuously....him inside me, on top of me," Peter informed his Mistress, taking the invitation from her with a slight bow and kissing her hand in the process, "I hope that You are not angry with me over this."

He was extremely nervous and worried about how she might take that.

 

[celestialdragon]

Scarlet was humming happily as she scanned the script, her face lighting up in a way that very few things can. She giggled at the comedy of the play and enjoyed the play. "Very Shakespearan, I feel bad almost plagerizing the Bard," she giggled. "Who wrote the script?"

 

[landiek]

Victoria said nothing to Peter's confession. In fact it horrified her to learn that. Now she worried about Peter going to his old home. What If Simon wanted.

Victoria shook her head blocking images in her mind. Not that..not taking such brutality. Finally she willed herself to trust Simon's willpower to keep his standards.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Simon Masterson

"That would be Rani Kaur over there. A saucy Sikh girl. She loves the Bard, don't get her wrong. She just likes a little fun with him," Michelle laughed and pointed to the rather shy Punjabi girl standing with a rather worried, obviously Sikh man in a turban, "that's Rani's father, Najir Singh. He doesn't much like this life for her, but he worries that she might opt for something worse, so he has been eying her like a hawk. He spoils her atrociously, too, in spite of his misgivings. Ever since her mother died, he has been very protective of her."

"What sort of worse life for her?" I asked, curiously.

"Slavery, of course. He is very worried that she might opt to be a slave and get abused by a man. In the Sikh religion, women are princesses, that's what Kaur suggests, though not technically means. Not superior to men, of course, but equal and entitled to live free of abuse," Massoud clarified.

"I see. Well, under this law, he has cause to be worried for sure, but not all masters are cruel, you know," I observed, smiling at Rani in a deliberately friendly and warm manner.

Her father was still a bit worried, to put it mildly.

"What do you think, love?" I turned to you, while Cecil began biting his fingernails to the quick, fidgeting as he noticed the way that Massoud looked at him....as if he were a prized pet in an animal shelter.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Peter Masterson

Now it was Peter's turn to worry...."Mistress, is something wrong? You know that I love You. And if it's about Simon, I don't want that from him. Once was enough, thank You very much. I have worried about it a little, but I keep telling myself that it was a fluke and that Simon prefers the lasses. Also that he wouldn't force himself upon me. I shall go if You wish or stay if You prefer. I trust, however, that Simon would behave in a civilized manner. He can be dominant and aggressive, but he'd never harm his own brother...or his brother's Mistress, I trust."

He watched for his Mistress's reaction.

 

[landiek]

Victoria took a breath. Carefully choosing her words before spilling childish babble. "I know Simon can be a man of honor as he chooses. I shall remain firm on my decision. However Derrik can drive you over. He is part of the staff that I can trust with my first."

The grandfather clock began to chime the nine o'clock hour. "I leave you to your dressing and remind you. Past this door I change as well."

Victoria opened the door and left her room. She headed to the library to look for a book. However business at hand pulled her from her desire. Answering her phone and walking down to the second floor also eased her into the Mistress image the staff expected.

Once in the study Victoria turned on the laptop and began to read the list of names of her employees that choose slavery and their owners information.. Victoria wondered if she would have to redo contracts with owners in attempts to keep her businesses in production.

A tap at the door brought her out of her employees stress and dealing with a closer issue. The bill for her house staff that Ambrose purchased. It took moments to authorize the payment from the estate account

Then it occurred to her that Ambrose had several lawyers indebted to him. She needed a reliable banker to oversee her interests. Checking the banking sites she typed. Simon Masterson, banking.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Peter Masterson

Peter smiled at his Mistress and answered, "Yes, of course, Mistress. I understand and thank You for caring."

He dressed up as soon as he got the chance, getting everything together as if he were still a member of Parliament instead of a willing slave of his family's former maidservant. It was quite the social comedown, yes, and his friends and family probably thought that he'd lost his marbles, but Peter wouldn't do anything differently....he had found love and happiness for which he would trade his freedom any day....only the danger of having to share his Lady marred his joy at all.....to be with his Mistress was worth any price that he had to pay....and he knew that she cared about him after all.

He still shivered when he recalled that he was nearly bought by his trainer instead.

He went out to meet Derrik and get in the car, unsure of what the chauffeur thought of him, but unconcerned as well....he had a task and he would do it for his Mistress, even though it still troubled him.....he thought as he clutched the invitation envelope in his right hand.

As for Via, she would have found that Simon Masterson worked for no private bank, but the Bank of England, the national bank itself. He was now a member of the Board of Directors and a regional manager for the entire Suffolk area. He owned one slave registered to him already, one listed officially as Dria Collins, formerly of Belfast, Northern Ireland, a former stage actress. He had never married.

 

[landiek]

Victoria blinked a few moments. Hell Simon might know how many accounts she inherited from her late husband that hadn't surfaced yet. Still there was so many new surprises from being a widow and learning your value in paper is twenty times more then one could imagine.

Victoria opened the top drawer and looked at the will. Thirty investments that paid thousands quarterly, nine businesses she knew little about or existed, names of people indebted to her estate and four other houses scattered across England she had yet to oversee and access their worth.

Now her head began to throb as the overwhelming truth unfolds. Victoria had to become the image of Kent Holdings. It was easy taking over a family business but what she was now would be gigantic in comparison.

Jacob brought her the documents from the celler about the wines. Who honestly needed twenty cases of wine. Victoria was still naive about the ages of the bottles stored in the wine "closet".

"So yer glow." Jacob observed.

"And your hedging." Victoria replied. "Who needs three hundred bottles of French wine? And what is a Merlo? "

"Yer celler does when racks are empty an yer tu entertain yer visters." Jacob chuckled.

Derrik glances at the dressed man. A shiver runs down his spine as he pulls away from Kent Manor. "Yer relly ah slave?"

Derrik knew of Peter's Parliament career based on the new law but seeing the man as plain as day was rather scary to the young man. It was hard not to be curious but Derrik wasn't going to pry or badger the passenger.

It didn't take long to reach Peter's destination and pulling up to the main door left Derrik in awe of the size and wealth it represented. "I be 'ere awaitin."

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Peter Masterson

"Yes, friend, I am. I had....personal reasons for opting for slavery. How about you?" he was curious.

They didn't take long to reach the Masterson house, a fabulous Georgian-style mansion with the full 18th century glory thereof, beckoning back to the glory days of British might and Enlightenment philosophy, the days when the Empire triumphed over everyone except a ragtag rebel army in thirteen colonies in the New World. The zenith of the British Empire, the halcyon days of redcoats, men-of-war, bayonet charges, and the British East India Company, the company that had given the first Mastersons their wealth and prestige as they served in its private army under Robert Clive. It had also given the first Masterson syphilis, but nothing was perfect.

Peter knocked on the door and waited on the front porch steps a bit, wondering if perhaps this once, his brother would make a liar out of him.

If Via called Simon's office, his secretary would have answered and told her, "Sorry, m'lady, but Mr. Masterson is on holiday, a well-deserved one, having done his civic duty and purchased a new slave. He is breaking her in, so to speak."