10 Days Ago

The auburn haired woman came up behind Bernard Broono with the silent grace of her training as a pleasure slave. She lowered herself to her knees and looked out into the same night sky that Bernard seemed to be peering into. The only sound around them was the crashing of the ocean waves nearby their balcony overlooking the see.

The slave turned her head slightly to look at the man, her Master, standing beside her. He seemed an imposing figure in his suit and hat. He also seemed troubled to her.

"What troubles you Master?"

He continued looking out into the night sky. His eyes intently watching something nobody else could see. It was almost as though he did not know the beautiful slave was kneeling beside him.

"I received a message today Kwai."

"What sort of message Master?"

He took a cigar out of his coat pocket, carefully trimmed it and then contemplated it as though there was a message hidden within it.

"She is being put up for auction."

The slave, Kwai, felt an almost electric sensation in his voice. There was a tension to what he was saying and she could feel he was coming to some sort of decision. She then watched as he lit the cigar he was holding and he put it to his mouth. The glowing tip of it cast a gleam over his face as he puffed on it.

"What are you going to do Master?"

He exhaled a cloud of white smoke and said nothing. His eyes seemed lost for a moment as they continued their vigil of the night skies. The slave turned to look down at her hands resting on her knees; she bit her lip slightly.

"Buy her Master."

Bernard broke his stare from the sky and turned to look at the kneeling slave. The hint of a smile broke across his face. He reached out and gently touched the top of her head.

"Very bold of you slave, telling your Master what he should do."

She turned her head to look up into his eyes. In the star light he observed that a small tear had formed in the corner of one of her eyes. He could see a quiver in her lips.

"You have lost so much recently Master; first your wife and then Aprilla. It does not seem fair to me. I am here for you and love you but also know that you are a man of insatiable appetite. I only wish Master to be happy."

He turned back toward the rumbling sea. His eyes again cast themselves out to the night sky. They seemed lost for a moment in the stars above. He then looked at the glow of the cigar in his hand, contemplating the heat of it.

"I'll buy her. If it is the last thing I ever do, I'll have her in my arms. I don't care about the cost. I'll make her mine."

Bernard turned away from the sight of the crashing waves and walked into his house. The slave sat alone in the dark for a moment and felt some quiet satisfaction in helping Master make his decision. She knew him very well.

He would have Ivana.