"But you will not even begin to know what true passion is, ignorant girl," I said, "until you have been longer a slave."

"Yes, Master," she whispered.

"You may begin again to respond now, Slave," I told her.

"Yes, Master," she said. Then she began again to move and, soon, was crying out, softly.

"I think she will be a hot slave," I said to Sasi.

"Yes," said Sasi, "I think so, Master."

"Please do not use those words of me," she begged.

"Say," I told her, " 'I am proud to be a hot slave. "

"I am proud to be a hot slave," she cried out, miserably.

"And you are proud of it, you know," I told her.

She clutched me, startled. Her lip trembled. "Yes," she said, suddenly, "it is true. How incredible! I am proud! I am proud to be a hot slave!"

"Of course," I told her, "Slave."

"No, no!" she said. "I am ashamed to be a hot slave!"

"Whether you are proud or ashamed," I told her, "in any event, you are a hot slave."

"Yes, Master," she said. That could not be denied.

"I come from a far world," she said. "The girl from that world is ashamed. The girl on this world, the slave, is not ashamed. She is proud." She put her head to the side. "How shamelessly proud she is," she said.

"The girl from the far world," I told her, "no longer exists. What exists now, in her place, is herself transformed, herself become a beautiful slave at the mercy of a master."

"Yes, Master," she said.

"What is the name of your former world?" I asked.

"It is called Earth," she said. "Have you heard of it, Master?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "Her women are not unknown in our markets."

"Oh," she said.

"They make excellent slaves," I said.

She said nothing.

"Do you find that hard to believe?" I asked.

"No, Master," she said. Then she lifted her lips, and kissed me. "Master," she said.

"Yes," I said.

"You took my virginity," she said. "Now, I beg you, consummate your will upon me."

"Do you beg as a slave?" I asked.

"Yes, Master," she said. "I beg as a slave."

"Beg," I told her.

"Take me," she begged. "Make me yours. Have me, as your slave."

"Do you yield," I asked her, "fully and completely, and as a slave?"

"Yes, Master," she whispered. "I yield, fully and completely, and as a slave."

I then took her.

"I thought it might be you, Master," she said, lifting her lips from my feet.

I had removed her blindfold.

It was now the sixteenth Ahn, several Ahn after I had taken the slave's virginity.

"From the first instant I saw you," she said, "I dreamed of being your slave. Now it is true."

"Help Sasi clean the dishes," I told her.

"Yes, Master," she said.

She put her fingers to her ears, and turned her head, from side to side, looking at the rings in her ears.

"They are very beautiful," she said, regarding herself in the mirror.

They were of gold, about an inch in diameter. I had pierced her ears, and put her in them.

"How glorious it is to again see," she said. The blindfold lay discarded, to one side. She was no longer shackled to the slave ring.

Seeing my eyes upon her, she knelt. "Am I beautiful, Master?" she asked.

"Almost," I told her.

She looked, kneeling, in the mirror. "I do not wish to sound vain," she said, "but I think that I must be as beautiful as almost any woman upon Earth."

"You doubtless are," I said. "But are you as beautiful as a Gorean slave girl?"

"Surely, Master," she said, "that would depend on the Gorean slave girl."

"Do you think you are as beautiful as the general run of Gorean slave girls?" I asked.

She put down her head. "No, Master," she said, "I do not. I did not know such women could exist, until I saw several in Cos, when I was free, and some on the wharves of Port Kar and Schendi, after I myself, sold in a market, became a slave." She looked at me. "Sometimes," she said, "it seems almost wrong that a woman should be so beautiful and desirable."

"Why?" I asked.

"I do not know," she smiled. "Perhaps it is because I am not so beautiful and desirable. Perhaps it is because men are so fond of them. Perhaps I am jealous of their beauty and desirability, and am envious because they, and not I, are found so attractive by men."

"It is natural for the ugly to find an error in beauty," I said.

"I am not ugly, am I?" she asked.

"No," I said, "you are not. Indeed, you are almost beautiful."

"I wonder if Gorean men, such as yourself," she said, "understand how fortunate they are, that there should be such women on their world."

"Are their not plenitudes of such women on your world," I asked, "beautiful and desirable who, loving and helpless, beg to serve and please?"

"How you Gorean beasts," she said, "take naively for granted the glorious riches at your disposal."

I shrugged.

She looked at me. "How ir it," she asked, "that on your world things are not as on my world?"

"Gorean men are not weaklings and fools," I said.

She looked at me.

"They have not chosen to surrender the dominance which is the blood and backbone of their nature."

She swallowed hard.

"They keep it," I told her.

"Yes," she said.

"Yes, what?" I asked.

"Yes, Master," she said.

"What of me?" asked Sasi. "Am I not beautiful? Are not my earrings lovely?"

"Yes," I said, "you are beautiful, and your earrings, you little she-sleen, are marvelous upon you." Sasi's earrings, too, of gold, were the same as those of the blond-haired barbarian.

"Thank you, Master," she said. Sasi was in a good mood. After I had had the blond this morning, early, upon returning from the tavern of Pembe, I had slept for several hours. But when I had awakened I had contented her slave appetites. We had then eaten, from foods which she had, during my rest, I having given her a few coins, purchased in Schendi. Some of this food I gave to the blond who, at that time, was still blindfolded. I thrust it, some bread and fruit, in her mouth, while she had knelt in the position of the pleasure slave. This is something done with a girl in her first feeding, or feedings, and may, upon occasion, be repeated. She is fed as an animal, and from the hand of the master, and while in the position of the pleasure slave. This helps to reinforce the centrality of her condition upon her. This helps her to understand what she is.

"At least," smiled the blond, "I am almost beautiful."

"Perhaps," I said, "You will someday become beautiful."

She looked at me.

"Women grow in beauty, and slavery," I told her.

She looked in the mirror. "Beautiful even for a Gorean slave girl?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, "I think that someday you may find that you have become beautiful even for a Gorean slave girl."

Her eyes were startled.

"Yes," I said, "I think that possibly one day you will find that you have become exquisitely beautiful and desirable, and that your least movement, that of even a wrist or hand, or smallest expression, will be tormentingly attractive to a man. You may then tremble in terror, for you will have become a beautiful Gorean slave girl."

"I am afraid," she said.

"Of course," I said.

"I am afraid to be beautiful," she said.

"Naturally," I said. "But I am afraid you will not be able to help yourself."

"But as I become more beautiful, and desirable," she said, "I would become more helpless, more a slave, more than ever at the mercy of these mighty men of Gor."

"Yes, I said, "of course. You would be then only their helpless, beautiful slave."

"How fearful," she said.

I said nothing.

"Do you truly think I might become beautiful?" she asked. She lifted her hair over her head, straightening her body, and regarded herself in the mirror.

"Yes," I said.