Later, Zulam took us for a cold shower and gave us a disposable toothbrush and a comb and afterwards we lay alongside each other on the bed. Both of turned our heads away from the sight of Sumala’s back. He still groaned with pain and I wondered if the nurse would give him another injection before we went to sleep. Roger tried to make a whispered conversation but it was all speculation as to what would happen to us and why were we chosen and by whom etc. It wearied me so much that I curtly told him to put his thumb in his mouth and shut up. I had enough fears from my own thoughts without his adding to them. Secretly I began to wonder at the changes in me, and Roger too for that matter. Previously I would never have spoken to anyone like that but now, faced with our situation and with Roger acting in such a feeble way, I was being forced to be in charge. Will they allow me to be in charge of him? Men have priority in this country. Yet Muniba was in charge when Zulam was here and none of the other women seemed completely downtrodden. They weren’t slaves like I had imagined from reading about their lives on the web. Strange.”

Soon after the lights were turned down, I’ve no idea of the time, my watch having been confiscated during the airport search, Roger hesitatingly asked, Do you think we should…we should…do it? Would it be…better to…do it with me than a black man?”

“No, I told him forcefully and then cruelly I added, I’m not a baby snatcher. Immediately I wished I hadn’t said that but it was too late. I didn’t really need to anger the only friend I had in this place. After all the taunts he’d received today about his manhood, he could have done without that. I waited to see how he’d react but he didn’t say anything for a few moments and then came a few choking sobs. Sorry, Roger, I apologised and paused before going on, Like you I’m terribly afraid of what is going to happen and I need you as a friend not a forced lover. It sounds as if I will have plenty of them. I did put my arm around him and at first he turned away, but later he nestled into my breasts again and I felt his prick against my thigh.

For a long while I lay awake arguing with myself. Aren’t you being foolish? He would have done it with care, even love, but you’ve opted to be raped by goodness knows how many black natives. His bringing the condoms must mean he’d thought about fucking me. Why didn’t I let him? You are going to be raped anyway so why bother? They’ll be more experienced. I wonder what it will be like to have sex with a man? To be fucked? How much will it hurt? Especially with their big pricks. Can’t be worse than the strap. Will I become pregnant? Probably. You are in your fertile period and the nurse said that just two pills wouldn’t be enough to prevent it. If the game players wanted a white whore, why did they choose me? And Roger? They could easily have bought a willing woman. What do they want with us? How much did Ted know? Was he the brains behind this? Or did he just connive with the Colonel? Any answers were pure speculation. The pain in my bottom had receded a little to a dull ache unless I sat down hard. Eventually I drifted off to sleep disturbed by involuntary cries from neighbouring cells, exhausted from all that had transpired and from the long journey. Could it be that only the day previously I’d been safe at home?

Next morning when the lights went up we were greeted with further cries of pain from Vilisi and Sumala when they tried to move. Vilisi’s bottom looked awful but she stood and hobbled to her toilet. Sumala yelled in agony as he clung to the bars to help him stand. Gone was his bravado and I felt really sorry for him but I could do nothing and I guessed that even if I spoke it would make him feel worse.

The nurse went to Sumala first and put more cream on his wounds but didn’t give him another injection. I’m keeping you here until tomorrow, she informed him, I don’t like the look of a couple of the welts. They cut you deeper than they should have. He seemed to accept it and didn’t have to be restrained when she tended him.

Before leaving she came to the bars and asked me, Are you still a virgin? I nodded my head, yes, and she gave a little smile. I wondered what that meant.

“You should be alright to go after breakfast, she told Vilisi, There’s no broken skin but it will be painful for a while yet. See Wyche and get some of her painkilling medicine. That will help; I’m not allowed to give you any more. Try not to get sent back here, you know it will be far worse next time.”

A cheerful young girl, who flirted with the warder, brought our breakfast of some sort of meal that looked like dirty porridge. I forced it down and persuaded Roger to do the same. For a while we just sat without talking, each of us thinking of scenarios that might happen. The uncertainly of it all made us snappy and I could tell the rift between us was widening.

About mid morning a new warder unlocked our cell and without commenting took us to the shower and made us wash each other. Roger soon had a hard-on and tried to play with my clit when he washed me but I gave him a nasty look and shut my legs. Had not the warder been there I would have boxed his ears. What has made you so aggressive? You never used to be like that. Is it a reaction to this environment or something deeper? Once again, more thought questions with no answers. We did our teeth, dried ourselves and I took some time combing my hair until the warder snatched the comb away and proceeded to use it to neaten my pubic hair. He was a man of few words but he did say, The Major will want you looking presentable. My further questions were ignored.

We stopped at our cell only long enough to put on our shoes and then were taken to the sergeant’s desk. Take them to Major Entembe’s office, he said to a burly looking, hugely pregnant woman in uniform Use the strap if they cause you any trouble. It looks as if yesterday’s are fading. Fading they might have been, but our bottoms were still colourful and mine was particularly tender and I hadn’t wanted to sit on the loo when I got up. Roger made a great fuss over his but his stripes were losing their colour.

“I sure will sergeant, the woman grinned. She made Roger hold my hand and we set off in hot sunshine at a fairly slow pace because of her size. Rather insanely I wondered what we would do if her water broke while we were en-route but we arrived without incident and without having received any punishment. It wasn’t far and I had time to try and evaluate the knowledge I’d gained to date. Major Entembe I knew was third in command in Tumali. General Cumu was the head man and overall dictator, Colonel Nubaro his deputy and the Major was under him. We were being taken to someone high up in the chain of command and I wondered, Will he have the authority to release us? Or is he in on our abduction too? That is how I thought of the events that led us to being there. We had agreed to come but the conditions were not as they had been explained to us.

A pleasant young girl showed us into the Major’s office. By now I had become inured to seeing girl’s breasts but they still caught my partner’s attention and noticing this, she even flaunted them in front of his face. The Major was younger than I expected, mid-thirties I guessed but I had little experience in judging the ages of African men and he smiled when we entered. I noticed his eyes swept up and down my body until he politely requested we be seated. At first he only seemed to talk to Roger, mainly it was small talk, going over our personal details and ignoring our treatment here. Roger was slumped in his chair and stuttered a few answers. His attitude and subservience to the major disgusted me. I wanted to know what was going on and when we would be sent home. I decided to take the initiative.

“Are you one of the players in this game Sir, or just one of the pieces?”

For a moment or two he looked puzzled and for once gave me his attention. Game?”

“Elaine…don’t…anger

“Oh do shut up Roger. We’ve been sent here for a reason and I need to know why. I turned back to Major Entembe who looked very surprised at my outburst and Roger’s reaction to it. Yes Sir, the game that is being played with us as pawns. The board was set out in England and now the moves are being made. Are you one of those pushing the pieces or are you on the board with us? I knew I had shaken him with my forthrightness and I half dreaded that he might take offence and send us to the whipping post or whatever but he seemed a cultured man that might appreciate my analogy. I relaxed a little when he sat back in his chair and his face lit up with a huge smile.

“Very good Miss Eves. The reports said you were good journalists and it seems there was some truth in them. To answer your question. Yes, I suppose I am player but a player who is bound by the rules of the game; rules made by others. He stopped and I was about to ask a further question when he went on, However, from the little time we’ve played I can see I will have to upgrade you from a pawn to a queen and downgrade your partner to being a knight.”

“A knight should be there to protect his queen. I was beginning to enjoy this sparring match.

“You think we should take him off the board altogether? That floored me for a moment. Did that mean they would kill him or send him home? In either case I would lose a companion that I could talk and discus things with.

“Pawns have their uses, I answered.

“Would you object to Miss Eves, Elaine, being in charge of you Mr. Hart?”

I thought Roger might object but he dumbly shook his head and quietly said, No.”

“An unexpected move, Elaine, one that requires a slight change of strategy but not to the overall game plan.”

“And what is that Major?”

He laughed. Patience Elaine, enjoy the game. There is no fun if you know the outcome before you start and you may also be able to influence the result. First though, we have to recognise your new status. I didn’t want to be part of any game but neither did I wish to annoy him and destroy our fragile rapport. He buzzed his secretary, Shelumba, get supplies to send a bluestone here immediately and find a key for the cuffs on this pair. Security should have one. I expect that it is standard issue And see if you can make a pot of tea for our English visitors.”

I must have smiled at that because he looked questioningly at me. Are all your English visitors kept naked and chained? I asked.

“It’s the best way when they are young and attractive but perhaps not too willing. He smiled broadly, But that will come later, he added and I blushed a deep red when I not only realised his meaning but that he thought I was attractive. I’d better explain the meaning of my instructions to Shelumba. Have you met any women wearing a necklet with a bluestone broach?”

“On the plane.”

“Ah, yes the women delivering the babies. Women who wear them are women who have risen above the rest and are given positions of authority. They are able to make decisions and order things from men that ordinary women can’t. They still have to make their bodies available for fucking but otherwise they can act in much the same way as women in your country. The exception is your partner; your pawn. While he is linked to you he cannot demand anything from anyone. You can ask for his opinion but it will be you that decides on the action to take. You can order him to fuck if you want but he cannot demand your services. Again I felt myself blushing at the coarse language and the implications of it. That brings me to the next point. As you are now the dominant one, you will stand on his right side, therefore we need to change the cuffs around. For the time being, we or rather I, as I haven’t been able to consult those higher up as yet, will keep you linked together. That is mainly for our amusement although it may add it a little more difficulty to what you’ll have to do as part of the game. Again the winning smile. Ah the tea has arrived and the key too.”

I know I blushed deeply when I stood up and accidentally knocked my tits and made them wobble in front of the Major but by then I was getting half used to being naked in front of others. We changed chairs and I gave Roger a quick reassuring hug before we sat down again to drink our tea and made small talk about our jobs in England and what led to my reasoning as to why I’d suspected that we were set up. He seemed to appreciate the way I’d made my deductions. Much as I wanted to ask about our future there, I sensed that it would be wrong to do so. In any case the man in front of us fascinated me; the man I knew would fuck me sooner or later. At last he came to the point.

“You already know that tomorrow you will have to appear before the court for bringing illegal materials into the country. I’m sorry but I cannot do anything to stop the proceedings but I will use my influence to try and get a lenient sentence. Both of you will have to do your parts by pleading ignorance and showing remorse and repentance for your actions. Fighting it and demanding rights that you would have in England will most likely result in a whipping. In all probability you will only be sentenced to a few strokes of the cane.”

“Oh no! I cried, thinking of Vilisi, Please not that, the strap was bad enough.”

“Sorry, I will do what I can but it mustn’t been seen that I have influenced a court decision. Too many already know what happened at the airport to hide it under the carpet and the local paper has it as a front page story. I will ensure that you get the best after treatment. As a queen Elaine, you will just have to be brave.”

“I have no wish to be a queen sir, or be brave, I just want to be sent home and get on with my life again. How long will be kept here Major? Tears filled my eyes when I asked.

“As long as it takes to complete the game. The wide smile appeared across his face again. God, I wished I hadn’t thought of that analogy but he went on. You are reporters and your boss sent you here, particularly you Elaine, to find out what really happens to women in this country and what they feel like, to use his words, being used as baby machines’. You already know that, what you weren’t told is that he has sent you here for an indefinite period to find out first hand what it is like. When you don’t return on your scheduled flight or maybe a few days later, he will contact the British government to see what they can find out but the wheels of government are slow and we do not have diplomatic relations with them so negotiations will be via North Korea because Malawi officially doesn’t recognise us either although we of course, have a lot of contact with them, so I expect it will be several months before you’re returned.”

I wept when I heard that but the Major looked unconcerned. Dry your eyes Elaine and stop blubbering, it’s not all bad news. He handed me a tissue and I did indeed try to stem the tears. Roger for once wasn’t crying so I braced myself and looked at the Major again. As you know the main income for this country is from the sale of babies for adoption. Black babies command a good price but lighter coloured ones are at a premium and we’d like to encourage more white girls to come here to be part of our breeding programme.”

“You’re going to breed me? I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes and no. Like every other woman here you will be fucked, usually several times a day. In the beginning we will do all we can to ensure that you conceive. Only your cunt will be fucked and the men’s sperm will be deposited as deeply as possible within you. I just sat wide-eyed at the statement. I knew that is what happened there but until that moment, had hoped and believed that it couldn’t or wouldn’t happen to me. After we’ve determined that you are pregnant, you will be fucked just for our pleasure and that can be in any of your holes. Again I already knew that happened to the native girls. I have no doubt you will be returned to England, before you are due to give birth so your baby won’t be sold and in any case all women have the option of keeping their first baby. Probably it will be too late by that time for you to have an abortion so you will either have to keep it or have it adopted in England. It took a few minutes for me to assimilate this. I was going to be an unmarried mother with a black baby. Oh the shame of it. Then I told myself that I would have nine months to think about what to do and the present was more important. Extrapolating from the Major’s words I knew he expected me or us to be in Tumali for at least five months and less than nine. At least it seems that we will be allowed home eventually, I tried to calm myself.

“What about Roger? What’s his part in all this?”

“To be truthful, we didn’t want him along but your boss told us you would never have agreed to come alone. We may let him breed some local girls and he can help you with your work.”

“Which is?”

“To write the story of your life and the lives of the women that live here. You will write in a very sexually explicit way, highlighting the good points as well as the bad. Each week, before the Today’s World deadline date, you will send a copy to Ted Sullivan. Your first one will reassure him of your safety and will no doubt delay any government action. No doubt he’ll fuck his wife with greater enthusiasm after he has read of your experiences. Later a more explicit version will be posted on our web site and no doubt Ted will also publish an unexpurgated version on DVD. Of course, we will proof read your articles before they are sent, not only for their accuracy but also that they are completely open about the fucking and other sexual things that happen to you and the punishments you receive. No mention must be made of the collusion between your magazine and us though, but your first article can relate of your experiences so far; your experience at the airport and in the prison. Write fully and in explicit detail.”

“And I’m supposed to do this in a prison cell with a stick of charcoal with a sore bottom and a sore vagina? Perhaps my sarcasm was lost on him or he ignored it. Either way he gave me another of his big smiles.

“Not quite. First though, you will use the proper terms in your reports and in speaking to us. You have and arse, a cunt and a pair of tits. You will not be having sex, or be intimate with a man, you will be fucked. Understood? I nodded. Since being here and hearing the terms used by others, my mind was using them even if my mouth didn’t. You will be given a room just along the corridor from here and your laptop will be returned but you will not be allowed an Internet connection other than when in the IT room and your report has been approved. You will also be sent out to live with other sections of the community where conditions can be more primitive.”

“Will we be given our clothes back? Roger butted in and speaking the first time in ages.

“Yes, I said not wishing Roger to regain the initiative, Our bodies could get severely sunburned if our skin is not covered.”

“You will be given native clothing after any sentence the court imposes has been completed. That reminded me again of the caning or whipping we were likely to get and I just prayed that the Major did indeed use his influence to get our sentence reduced or better still, squashed. I guessed that I would have to be nice to the Major in order to keep our punishment to the minimum.

A tap on the door interrupted my thoughts and Shelumba entered bringing the bluestone broach. Major Entembe put it around my neck and gave me a light kiss and then held my head and gave a more forceful, longer one. At first I tried to pull away but then remembered that this man held the key to our punishment and in any case I would be having sex no be fucked by him before too long. I let him do as he wished. I felt his prick hard against me and over his shoulder I saw Shelumba grin.

“It’s time, the major said and carried me into another room where there was a small divan. Roger, perforce had to trail behind. Are you ready to become a woman and perhaps a mother? he asked.

“I don’t know Major, I really don’t know. I was again shaking with trepidation and fear. Or was it anticipation? I’d often dreamed about have a man in bed and making love to me but not this way.

“You can call me Tzarma when we’re alone like this. Major is a bit formal when I’m about to fuck you.”

Roger was ordered to kneel by the side of he divan when the Major gently lowered me on the soft mattress and I watched with apprehension as he lowered his shorts and his black prick sprang into view. It was almost equal in size to Sumala’s and was already rock hard. I shuddered at the sight of it and wondered at the pain it would cause when he forced it in to my vagina my cunt. I needn’t have worried. Major Entembe was careful and considerate. Gently he rubbed my clit and then tongued my cunt until my juices flowed freely. Only then did he put his prick inside my entrance and slowly make his way in. He paused, I’ll bet you didn’t expect to lose your precious virginity like this. There was that big smile on his face again as he thrust deeply into me, bursting my hymen and tightly filling me with his manhood. I felt the pain as he broke through but there was also a pleasurable feeling that I couldn’t define, a feeling that grew more intense when he began to fuck. The strokes were slow at first but then as my cunt adjusted they became faster and harder. My own sensations increased too and I knew I was building up to my own climax. I tossed my head from side to side and thrust at him but when I was nearly there he stopped and I knew he was erupting and filling me with his sperm. I felt cheated but Tzarma didn’t withdraw and when he’d finished impregnating me, continued to fuck me gently until I climaxed. Even then he left it in until it was completely soft before he pulled out.

Gradually I opened my eyes only to find Roger staring pop-eyed but there were tears running down his cheeks as well. Rightly I guessed he wished to be the one that had taken me; wished he’d had the courage to take charge and forced me to fuck him the previous night. Tzarma took a tissue and wiped the blood from my thighs and his prick. Next time you have to clean it, he informed quietly as he rolled on to my right side. Was it like you expected?”

“No, nothing like, I admitted, I expected my husband to do it on our wedding night. I expected it to be with someone I wanted to willingly give myself to.”

“But I think you enjoyed it towards the end. I could only nod, yes. Did you imagine Roger as your husband?”

That was a question I didn’t want to answer, certainly not with Roger listening. After a long pause I replied, Sometimes him, sometimes other men on the staff, sometimes a film star. I’ve never been close enough to anyone to think of marrying them.”

We lay for a little while until Tzarma announced that we ought to get some lunch before the canteen closed. He dressed and Roger and I went with him to a cafeteria. You can use this anytime you’re nearby. They will be told to charge whatever you have to the admin account. And you won’t be fucked in here either. Its not allowed in food halls. Luckily the place was fairly empty and we were able to get a fairly normal meal of meat and salad stuff not all of which I recognised. Still it tasted fine although spicier than I was used to. At least it was far better than the food we’d had so far in prison. A few people spoke to the Major but not to us and they seemed to ignore our state of nudity; my blonde hair and the bluestone broach attracted their attention more.

We returned to the little bedroom and Tzarma told us to rest there until he was ready to fuck me again. Roger was warned, on pain of castration, not to fuck me until I received another full load of the Major’s sperm and then only if I gave him permission. No doubt he wanted to ensure, my future baby was his.