“Oh, forgive me—did I startle you?” Lord X smiled unconvincingly—theexpression never reached those strange red-black eyes of his.

“No, we’re fine,” Trin saidquickly. “Good morning.”

“Good morrow,” he repeated inthat odd way of his. “You’re looking very well this morning, may I say.” Takingher hand, he bowed low over it. He was about to kiss it but Thrace grabbed her wrist and jerkedher hand away before he could.

“No one touches my lady but me,”he growled.

“Is that right? A pity—I sowanted to taste her soft skin.” Lord X smiled. “May I at least inquire as tohow you slept last night, my lady?” he asked Trin.

“Oh…well. Very well indeed,” shesaid. She knew she ought to reprove Thrace for yanking her hand awaybut she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was too relieved not to betouching Lord X to summon any rebuke for the big Havoc.

“Really?” He raised one glossyblack eyebrow. “No…bad dreams? No nightmaresat all?”

“Of course no—” Trin started tosay but the words died on her lips. There was a knowing glint in those cold,red-black eyes. Lord X knew about thehorrible dream she’d had last night. But how? Had he been watching them in theprivate viewing room as well as Lady Tam-tam? The very thought made her feelill. Apparently Thracepicked up on the idea as well.

“What do you know about it?” hedemanded, stepping forward so that he was face to face with the other male.“What do you know about my lady’s night terrors last night?”

“Night terrors you say?” Lord Xappeared not the least intimidated. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and madea tsking sound. “My, my—that sounds dreadful. I am so sorry to hear of it,my Lady,” he said to Trin.

“I said, what do you know about it?” Thrace barked.

“Why, nothing but what you’vejust told me.” Lord X raised both hands in a sign of peace. “Forgive me, but Ithink I see Lady Tam-tam motioning to me. Mustn’t keep our lovely hostesswaiting.” With a final knowing smirk, he glided off, his large muscular bodymoving as smoothly as if he was on wheels.

“That bastard,” Thracegrowled, glaring after him. “He knew. Somehowhe knew!”

“But how?” Trin asked. “Do youthink he could have been watching us? Lady Malroth said that Lady Tam-tam neverallows anyone else inside her private viewing room but—”

“Private viewing room?” Thraceinterrupted, his eyebrows raised. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Trin said shortly. “Itshouldn’t be a surprise, we knew she, uh, liked to watch.” She dropped hervoice, making it for his ears only. “Where did you think she was watching from?”

Thrace shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess Ijust didn’t expect her to have a whole room devoted to it.” He sighed. “Allright. Well, then I guess we should go collect your phallus.”

“I guess we should.” Tringrimaced. This was sure to be embarrassing. She just hoped she wouldn’t have towear some huge, ridiculous, golden, engraved rod between her thighs foreveryone to see. But it sounded like the kind of thing Lady Tam-Tam wouldrequire so she’d better get used to the idea.

“Honestly,” she said to Thracein a low tone as they crossed the vast dining area to where the male slave wassitting in a corner behind a long table. “Speaking of the private viewing room,I’m more worried about the other part of Lady Malroth’s demand than the factthat I have to wear a stupid phallus.”

“What did she say? I only caughtthe last part,” he murmured, bending his head so they could talk morediscretely.

“She said that our ‘performance’last night didn’t please Lady Tam-tam.” Trin felt herself blushing again. “Imean…can you imagine? Aftereverything we did she’s still notsatisfied?”

“All I did was suck your nipplesa little and rub your pussy,” Thraceremarked mildly. “Well, and pay obeisance to you with a few kisses. But ifshe’s used to seeing hard core performances from the likes of Lady Needra andYorth, it’s probably not surprising that we didn’t please her.”

“Well what we did felt pretty‘hard core’ to me,” Trin whispered back, her face flushing. “I never dreamedI’d do anything like that with a male. And yet I let you…let you…”

“You let me ease your pain andneed,” Thracereminded her in a soft growl. “Don’t start feeling guilty about it again, Trin.It was necessary.”

“I guess so.” Trin bit her lip.“It’s just…I never expected to do anything like that—you know.”

“I know.” Thrace’s face remained impassive.“Quiet now though—here we are.”

They had arrived in front of thetable where she was to pick up her “uniform” for the evening’s feast. There wasa male slave in Lady Tam-tam’s purple and orange livery sitting at it. Spreadacross the table in orderly rows were little velvet bags in different colors.He seemed to have some kind of system for keeping track of them because he wasentering information on a lighted implant imbedded in his left forearm.

“Good morning,” Thracesaid, addressing the slave who was typing rapidly on his left forearm with hisright hand. “My lady Trin needs…ah equipmentfor tonight’s feast.”

“Forgot your phallus, did you?”The slave looked up from his tapping. “What size do you need?”

“Um…what sizes do you have?”Trin asked. She had a mental image of being forced to walk around with animprobably huge rod strapped to her crotch—probably the bigger it was, thegreater the wearer’s status. How awful! “I mean, most likely the smallest but—”

“All right, my lady. It’s notuncommon for a mistress not to know her size.” The slave nodded at Thrace.“Come on—let’s see what you’ve got.”

“What do you want him to do?”Trin asked blankly. “How can he tell you what I should use?”

“Well he can’t really tell me. But he can show me, if you know what I mean.” The slave winked at her in a waythat made Trin most uncomfortable. “I mean, we all know how mistresses aren’tsupposed to allow their love-slaves to penetrate them. And yet somehow the size of the slave’s cock isalmost always the size phallus she needs. So come on—let’s see it.” He reachedacross the table and twitched the black loin cloth that covered Thrace’sshaft to one side. What he saw made him give a long, low whistle. “Well,extra-extra large it is, then, Mistress.”

“Hey! Hands to yourself, youbastard!” Thracemade a snatch for his wrist but the slave was too quick. He was back across thetable and pulling open a black velvet bag before Thrace could catch him.

“Here we are, my lady. Oneextra-extra large phallus for your pleasure to wear at the Feast of MaleSubmission tonight.”

He drew a shining metalcontraption out of the bag and handed it to her. Trin turned it this way andthat—at first her eyes couldn’t make sense of it. It appeared to be two longshafts attached in the middle with a bumpy gold disk.

“I don’t understand,” she saidexamining the gleaming, curved surfaces. One end was clearly ornamental—it wassmooth and gold with fine markings drawn in red and black on its shiny surface.It was fairly slim and very sleek and stylish—if such an implement could belabeled stylish, that was. The other end, however, looked like it was meant tobe all business. It was thicker than Trin’s wrist and deep scarlet, made ofsome shiny material as dark as blood. “What is this?” Trin asked, frowning asshe examined both ends.

“Oh—the material? The one sideis gold—that’s the end you use on your slave. Well, if you want to, I mean.It’s not required,” the slave explained helpfully. “And the other side iscarved from pure heart’s blood. It’s a very rare stone from Caprax Five—quitevaluable but you may keep it. Lady Tam-tam says to consider it a ‘partyfavor.’” He tittered and winked at her. “It’s both useful and pleasurable—it warms to your body heat and stimulates you as itmoves within you.”

“Within you?” Trin began to get a very bad feelingin the pit of her stomach. “What do you mean within you? Where…where are the straps to hold it on?”