"Impertinent is what I would call it." she said with a chill in her voice that would have frozen a polar bear.

She was dark haired, thin but muscular, and wore a business suit.

"Charles, this is Ms. Clair", Katy said quickly.

Ms Clair thrust the briefcase in her hand to me and ordered me to store it carefully.

"I expect you will curb your tongue when in my presence. I expect you to respond quickly to my orders and keep your mouth shut otherwise." she snapped.

I nodded quickly.

A young blond woman introduced herself to Katy as Amanda Gayle.

"This is my first time here. I read the ads and had to see for myself." she said.

"I hope you enjoy yourself. We have many activities for your enjoyment. Horseback riding, swimming, a full gym and spa." Katy said warmly

Amanda looked at me and smiled at Katy.

"I'm sure I will. Would you get my bags please Charles?" she asked.

I picked them up and almost fell over from the weight.

It took two hands to get them up and I almost pulled my shoulder out placing them in the van.

"Excuse me Miss Amanda. Do you mind telling me what you have in your bags?" I asked.

"Books. I'm an author and a reviewer. I need some time away from my office to catch up, so I brought them with me." she said.

Our last passenger was a young oriental woman who introduced herself as Judy Chen.

"My company thought I needed a rest, so they sent me here." she said shaking hands with Katy." I think they need a rest from me."

I liked her easy way of talking. She wore glasses and had a cheerful expression.

With everything loaded in the van I drove us back to the spa and unloaded everything as Katy helped the ladies register.

Mr. Terwilliger came out a few moments later and directed me to take the bags to their rooms.

This time I had the sense to get a cart to move Miss Amanda's books to her room.

Ms. Clair accepted the briefcase from me and directed me to place her other bags in the closet then get out.

I did so gratefully.

Miss Janice patted me on the ass as I unpacked her things as she directed.

"Nice ass." she said.

"Thank you. I like it." I said with a smile.

"I like an honest slave."

I feigned confusion at her words.

"Slave? I'm sorry I don't understand."

She grinned at me and from between her breasts removed a medal identical to mine.

"Of course you don't"

I knelt before her without comment.

"You are a good slave. How long have you been here?"

"A short time. Mistress Minx sent me here for training."

Miss or I guess it would be Mistress Janice, looked impressed.

"You are a slave to Mistress Minx?"

"Yes Mistress."

"Then you are very special indeed. You may go now." she directed.

Miss Judy just had me place the bags inside the room and leave.

I reported back to Mr. Terwilliger for another assignment and was told to report to the kitchen.

"Miss Katy is interested in seeing what kind of a waiter you'll make. Myself, I'm interested in seeing what sort of a mess you'll make." he said.

"Your confidence is overwhelming." I said.

"Young man, you remind me of my students. A miserable bunch."

"Students? What did you teach?" I asked.

"Piano. The little wretches simply would not practice as I directed. I finally had enough and retired from teaching."

"Well, if you showed the same amount of confidence in them as you do me, I understand the problem."

He glared at me as I left for the kitchen, and I didn't care.



The headwaiter gave me a quick rundown on my duties and then sent me to work.

Everything was just fine until Ms. Clair came in for lunch.

Nothing was right for her. The soup was too cold, the salad was wilted, and the steak was undercooked. With each new complaint my sense of humor shrank as well as that of the chef.

He finally managed to prepare it just the way SHE wanted it.

Of course the urge to add a little rat poison was there too.

The rest of the day went along with a minimum of errors. Not that I didn't make a few, but the people involved understood it was my first day as a waiter.

By the time I got off work and headed to my room to change for my fencing lesson I was ready to kill something.

Mrs. Hoffmann noted my aggression.

"Your thrusts are very powerful tonight Charles, but your focus is elsewhere." she said after a few minutes of practice." Would you like to skip the lesson this evening?"

I apologized for my lack of focus, but that didn't satisfy her.

"If you are angry and upset, it would be useless to practice. Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"No Ma'am. One of the new guests is a bit difficult. And she and I don't seem to get along very well."

"Would I be in error if I suggested that the party in question is Ms. Clair?" she said hanging her fencing foil on a hook.

"No you would not." I said removing my fencing mask.

"She isn't an easy person to get along with. Especially if you are male. She'd rather see you shot after being castrated."

Sounded like a friend of Lydia for sure.

"Well, I'll try and avoid her then. Thanks for the warning." I said.

"Of course. Why don't you go over to the sauna for awhile? I'll send Katy over there and tell her your lesson was canceled." she suggested.

I thought about it for a moment and then agreed.



The sauna area was empty, but I didn't want to take any chances so I made sure I posted the OCCUPIED sign on the room I was in.

I stretched out in the hot room and tried to relax.

My mind kept going back to the Mother of Many's warning as she placed the medallion around my neck.

"To those who know, this medallion indicates you are owned and part of Ay'esha. Until now, no member would harm you while you wore this. With Lydia's departure from our ranks, I would caution you to be wary of those you do not know be they male or female."

I fell asleep finally and woke up a short time later sweating profusely.

I rolled off the bench and opened the door. Or I should say tried to open the door.

It wouldn't move. I thought it might have swollen shut, so I pushed a little harder. Nothing.