Mark Townsend - Slavetrader's captive

Standing in the doorway was a man in a flowing robe she had never seen before. He was smiling at her in a relaxed familiar manner, and for a moment she wondered if she should know him. Had she had too much to drink and somehow allowed herself to go off with a perfect stranger? She stared in fascinated horror at his unusually handsome face, taking in his deep-set dark eyes, full sensual-looking lips trimmed with a thin mustache, and noticing the single gold tooth flashing in his mouth. No, she was certain, she had never to her knowledge seen him before this moment.

"W-who are you," she stammered, her voice trembling as he gazed knowingly down at her as though she had belonged to him forever.

"Nisli Bey," he answered, bowing slightly. "Your new master."

The abducted bride's mouth gaped open at his words. It had to be some kind of weird joke – she had never heard of such a thing in her life.

"You seem a little taken aback, my dear," Nisli said in a tone of superiority. "You mean to tell me your husband Robert said nothing at all to you about our arrangement?" He watched her face with an inner chuckle as her mouth fell open in undisguised fear, eyes widening in disbelief at his meaning.

"B-but he couldn't do such a thing!" she sputtered. "It-it's illegal! And besides, Robert loves me," she added as an after thought. Immediately after her words had left her lips, she wondered if it were not possible after all. This part of the world might have totally different laws from other countries for all she knew, or this could be happening without the knowledge of the authorities. And there was no doubt that Robert had been highly displeased with her when he had left the hotel.

"Are you sure?" Nisli goaded her teasingly. "He certainly seemed happy enough to accept my offer, and the price was not too steep, either." He was enjoying playing with the confused young woman like a cat with a mouse. He knew how proud and independent these American women were, and nothing pleased him more than to make them feel like helpless slaves who could be bought and sold on a mere whim. They usually changed their attitudes once they understood that they would be treated with the respect that normally fell only to royal concubines. All they had to do was admit that they were at the mercy of his will, and life could be extremely good for them – at least as long as he wasn't bored.

Penny stared at his grinning face for a long time, shaken by his calm, secure manner. Finally she had had enough.

"Please leave the room," she said curtly. "I'm getting dressed and I'm leaving." She jerked her head around and stared blankly at the tiles on the wall, waiting for him to obey her command. But he only laughed softly and remained standing in the doorway.

"I'm afraid you'll have to change your attitude, my dear," he said after a long pause. "You don't seem to understand. You are now completely at my mercy, and you will have to do as you're told. Never again will you be able to order anyone around – except the handmaidens who will take good care of you for me. Even they will listen to me first if there is any doubt about what to do." With that he snapped his fingers once, and she heard the shuffle of feet behind him.

Two young girls dressed in loosely fitted white robes appeared with thick towels draped over their arms and a bundle of clothing clearly intended for Penny. Nisli rasped a few brief words to them in Turkish, and they crossed to the tub where Penny was still trying to hide her body from his view.

"These women will assist in preparing you to come to me," he told her coldly. "Do not give them any difficulty. My man Mahmet is waiting outside, and he's very anxious to begin teaching you proper respect. He believes that women are like animals – both need a little training before they behave the way they should." Then he was gone.

The first woman unfolded a huge towel and held it out for the completely astounded young blonde. Penny hesitated a moment and then decided that she would have to dry off and dress before she could do anything about her situation. She rose up from the water, slightly embarrassed at exposing herself to these total strangers.

They seemed not to pay the slightest attention to her nakedness, rubbing her tender skin dry with great care and skillfully plying her body with sweet-smelling oil as she stood between them like a lovely princess of old. In spite of her fear and confusion, their hands felt good on her soft skin and soothed her nerves. When they were finished they stood on either side of her and began to drape her almost reverently with a beautiful embroidered gown of green and gold. Penny happened to glance in the full-length mirror at the far end of the room and saw herself as her shimmering nakedness slowly disappeared beneath its caressing folds. Her tall lithe body was softly glistening in the muted light, her breasts gleaming like twin white moons, and her full flaring hips and tapering thighs had never looked so appealing. Even the golden triangle of pubic hair up between her legs shone from the oil, matching the loosely falling locks making a blonde parenthesis around her face. She watched in wonder as the two women cinched in the waist of the robe to cover her body, finishing their work by slipping her feet into thin gold sandals and then bedecking her with large, circular gold earrings and numerous matching bracelets.

The young wife couldn't help admiring herself in the mirror, and she had to grin at the childish way the girls stood back and waited for her to compliment their skill. She felt lake Cleopatra, quickly flashing a smile at them before she strode regally out of the room.

The man who called himself Nisli was nowhere to be seen, and Penny curiously explored the first room she entered. It seemed to be a kind of dressing-sitting room, with ornamental mirrors and vanity tables, many overstuffed chairs and lounges, and rows and rows of bottled perfumes and powders. She opened a wide closet and found it filled with all styles of dresses – a wardrobe such as she had never seen except in movies and magazines. They all seemed to be about her size, and she was secretly envious of whoever owned them all.

Penny walked into the next room and found in the middle against one wall the largest bed she had ever seen. It was covered by a red velvet canopy hanging from four carved posts at the corners. Stepping closer, she realized that the bed was surrounded by mirrors made to look like room dividers, with a circular mirror mounted in the canopy over the bed. She knew that there could be only one purpose for them. Anyone on the bed would be able to see himself from whatever position he was in.

This man Nisli liked to see himself making love to women. She had heard of such things in naughty whispered conversations, but never had she dreamed that they actually existed. She must have been brought to a virtual den of iniquity – and she had to find a way out before it was too late.

She rushed over to the window and looked into a huge high-walled garden. It would be easy enough to slip out the window and try to find a way over the wall, she was thinking, but then she saw the dogs and her heart seemed to leap up into her throat.

They were almost as tall as her waist, with long pointed snouts and sharp teeth. Obviously, this avenue of escape had been tried before, and Nisli wasn't taking any chances. She wouldn't last five minutes outside with those hungry-looking beasts roaming restlessly under the window.

Then she tried what she hoped would be a door leading to the hallway, only to find that it was locked. She was trapped in these rooms, and she began to wonder if she would ever get out. Suddenly the door she had just tried opened and Nisli came in. Penny caught a glimpse of a giant man standing guard outside the door and fought down her impulse to make a run for it. That was probably the Mahmet he had mentioned before, and he looked like he could snap her in two if he wanted. She drew in a deep breath and straightened herself into a stern pose of indignation.