Polarian Multiverse Book 2, Ch. 2 - The Harem
Thea awakens and is prepared for her new role
Darkness, almost absolute, the only light a hint of less darkness to one side. Close space, almost like being in a box, large enough to stretch out comfortably while reclining, but not high enough to sit up. Smooth fabric, like raw silk, underneath me.
As I felt the edges of the box, they seemed to be barred, but the bars were heavily padded with more of the same fabric. Despite the close space, it was not stuffy; there must have been ventilation from somewhere, though I could detect no breeze. As I slid slowly around, as much as I could with hands and feet bound and a gag in my mouth, exploring the limits, I heard soft noise approaching.
Suddenly, light. A curtain was slid aside, and strong hands pulled what was indeed a barred box out of a wall and carried it to a platform/table in a large room. The top of the box was raised, and the sides unhinged from each other, dropping to bang down the sides of the table. The two large men who carried it stepped back, leaving a third standing looking at me closely.
He was wearing what I thought of as desert attire, loose pantaloons and a vest with his chest bare underneath. He was wiry and had dark tan skin, with close-cropped hair and a short beard. As he reached out and ran a hand down my arm, I realized, despite the touch of cloth on my back and around my ankles and wrists, I was naked.
Just as that sank in, he removed my gag and offered me a small glass of liquid. My mouth was dry, and I drank it gratefully, something light and both sweet and tart, wonderful moisture in my mouth. I opened my mouth to thank him, hoping the language here was similar to the rest of Polaris I'd seen, but nothing came out. I tried again, with no more success, when I felt his hand under my chin, closing my mouth. He ran a finger across my closed lips, tapped them, and smiled. I tried to speak again, but his expression changed, becoming serious, and he lightly cuffed the side of my cheek, closing my mouth again, shaking his head.
His hands dropped then, to my shoulders, lying me back and stretching me out. He started examining me thoroughly, running his hands down my arms and legs, and then moving to my breasts. In panic, I tried to twist away, only to be jerked back harshly and feel a stinging slap delivered to my exposed flank. The two assistants returned, one pinning my shoulders flat, the other reaching for my feet. Fear was rising in my throat, and I continued to try to fight, despite the blows that met each twist and turn. My feet were caught, and once held, the bonds were removed and my legs were pulled apart.
I tried to scream, but no sound. My sobs were ragged gasps as burning hands ran over my pinned body. As I submitted to being held down, realizing I could not pull free, I was no longer hit, and as that sank in, I made myself lie still, despite the continued caressing. The feeling indeed got gentler as I relaxed into wariness rather than combat. As hands tested the firmness of my muscles and the tautness of my skin, I saw the men look on appreciatively and speak to one another what sounded like compliments.
The hands holding me loosened, but I lay still, not wanting to be hurt again. The servant at my feet departed, returning soon with a dark wood box. Opening it, he extended it to the vested man, who withdrew a collar of gold filigree. As he lifted my head and hair, I felt it fasten with a small click, a band about my throat about two inches wide that looked like gold lace but of much greater strength. I raised a hand to it tentatively, and felt it; I could find no catch. It was smooth all around except for two small loops standing out.
My hand was removed from my neck, and a similar band was closed about my wrist. Smaller in diameter, it was broader in width, perhaps three inches. Again, once fastened, there was no perceptible clasp, just a single soldered-on loop. The process was repeated three more times, on the other wrist and on each ankle. The metal was cool at first, but slowly warmed to my skin.
The slave master, for so I was starting to think of him already, produced two gold clips, and moving one loop of the neck collar to my nape, fastened my wrist bands there, so my hands were pinned behind my head. The other loop was at my throat, and he fastened a light chain to that - a leash. Steadying me, since I couldn't use my own hands to do so, he guided me off of the table to my feet, then walked off, leading me after him by the leash.
I felt exposed again, unable to hide with my hands raised as they were, lifting my breasts forward. I followed him through an arch in one wall, into a very large room. The walls were of mosaic tiles rather than marble. There were two bubbling pools set in the floor, each about ten feet across, with steps leading into them. Circling those pools was a circular track of water, about as wide as two swimming lanes, with a low arched bridge leading over it to the center pools.