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		DAMSELS UNDER GLASS: THE SERIES
		Jodi's Story: R-E-S-P-E-C-T WITH A CHERRY ON TOP  ———————————————————————— by Van © 2005
		Chapter 10

Ronnie and her escort/captive reached the far side of the bridge and passed under the gaze of the looming, colossal statue.

"Wow!" Ronnie exclaimed, looking up.  "I think I could climb right up inside those nostrils."  She smiled at the diminutive Jamie.  "You definitely could."

Jamie laughed.  "Not recommended.  There's a colony of Vespadelus bats roosting up there."

"Oh," Ronnie said, with a wry smile.  "Nevermind, then.  Wouldn't want to disturb the bats."  She nodded towards the cavern entrance, and they resumed their journey.  Beyond the vine-draped arch of the threshold was a large circular chamber lit by a half-dozen blazing torches spiked into the sand of the cave floor.  By their light, Ronnie could see several sets of footprints leading into and out of a dark, door-sized gap in the far wall.

"This way," Jamie said, and headed for the gap—only to be brought up short by the rope lead in Ronnie's hand.  "Hey!"

Ronnie used the rope to reel in her captive, then lifted the grinning redhead's chin with the tip of her riding crop.  "How do I know I'm not walking into an ambush?" she demanded.

Jamie's grin turned into a coy smile.  "I'd tell ya if ya were?  Ya wouldn't want me to betray the Queen of Opar, would ya?

Ronnie smiled back.  "No, I don't suppose I would."  She gazed into her prisoner's sparkling green eyes, and felt a thrill of affection.  The freckled little Aussie was adorable.  "I respect your loyalty.  It's a pity I don't have time to loosen your tongue."  She leaned even closer, and planted a gentle kiss on Jamie's lips.  "My interrogation methods are very different from Kat's."

Jamie giggled (sending another thrill through her captor).  The red-haired prisoner glanced from side to side, then spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.  "No ambush.  Ya really are an invited guest."

Ronnie nodded.  "Okay, then.  Let's go."  It didn't really matter.  She knew her immediate future would unfold according to Margo's wants and whims, regardless.  "Your defection to my cause will remain our little secret.  Giddyup."

"Defection," Jamie laughed, "yeah, right."  She turned and continued into the cave.

As her captive's tether came taut, Ronnie followed.

The cave narrowed to a dark tunnel, with the stone walls inches from Ronnie's shoulders on either side.  They'd left the torches behind, but looking beyond her confidently-striding captive Ronnie could see dim, glimmering light a few dozen paces ahead.

The tunnel opened on a bizarre, magnificent chamber.  Shafts in the domed ceiling admitted the last, fading light of day.  Centered on the far wall was the colossal stone head of a... monster?  There were also twelve statues of seminude, kneeling women.  Six on either side, they were two or three times life-size, and were apparently of gold!  The monster had huge, red eyes, and was vaguely amphibian.  The women were blindfolded, bound by their elbows to stone pilasters, and were very beautiful.

"Welcome to the Hall of Twelve Maidens," Jamie said, her soprano voice echoing eerily.

"This is a holographic projection," Ronnie observed.

"Yeah," Jamie admitted, "but a good one, ain't it?"

Ronnie (and therefore, her prisoner) paused in the center of the chamber.  "Dynamic rendering?"

Jamie nodded.  "Infrared tracking, so the perspective is continuously corrected, and the rendering cycle is faster than the flicker-fusion rate of the eye."  She nodded towards the nearest maiden.  "The twelve brides of the Unnamed God, the central myth of the Oparian religion.  Those statues are solid gold!"

Ronnie grinned.  "Margo should've used gold leaf.  She would have saved a fortune."  This was a joke, of course.  In the world of computer-generated decoration, windows could be glazed with sheets of diamond set in platinum frames, at no extra charge.

Jamie smiled.  "She's gotta spend all those billions on something."

Ronnie nodded in agreement.  "Which way?"  There were two doorways ahead, one on either side of the Unnamed God.

"The right," Jamie indicated with a nod.  "The left tunnel leads to the Labyrinth of Ridiculously Overcomplicated Deathtraps and/or Horrible Doom."

Ronnie suppressed a laugh.  "Of course it does.  To the right, then."

Captive and captor, guide and guest, the pair continued their journey.

They passed through another long, dark, connecting tunnel, and entered another large, circular cavern.  It had walls of gray stone, and while its decor was less opulent than the Hall of Twelve Maidens, it was still quite remarkable.  Ancient stone columns and vaguely art deco monumental sculptures of eagles were grouped around the periphery.

Suddenly, Ronnie froze in her steps, mesmerized by the spectacle in the center of the chamber.

They had entered the presence of Margo Wells.  Dressed as a fantasy queen, the TESSERACT CEO was seated on one of several cushions surrounding a low, rectangular table.  Her costume was vaguely Hindu in style, or perhaps Persian: sheer, peacock silk and cloth of gold, richly embroidered with a wealth of precious stones.  Jeweled necklaces and bangles graced her neck, arms, wrists, and ankles.  A simple, tiara-like crown of gold encircled her brow.

Kat was standing on Margo's right.  Her costume, what there was of it, was martial in theme.  Ronnie really couldn't call it armor, as there was too little of it to do the wearer much good in combat.  The steel bra cups, lap-jointed shoulder plates, and minimal steel belt supporting a black silk loincloth were more fashion statement than protection.  That statement was: "I'm a gorgeous amazon warrior", and Kat was carrying it off... in spades.

Her Majesty smiled in welcome.  "Here at last."  She gestured to cushions on her left.  "Please, join us."

Ronnie remained frozen, her eyes fixed on the table and a third member of the tableau: a tall, very attractive, very naked blonde.  The reason for Ronnie's fascination—the blonde was lying on her back and was bound to the table by broad, thick, black leather cuffs tightly buckled around her ankles, wrists, and throat!  Legs apart and arms at her sides, she was surrounded by platters of food.  She looked up at Ronnie with mild embarrassment.

"Ronnie?" Margo called.  "Ms. Allbriton?"

Jamie laughed.  "No worries.  She's just in shock."  The captive redhead stepped forward, to the limit of her tether, knelt at the table, and nodded towards the now grinning blonde.  "I suppose introductions are in order.  Ronnie Allbriton... Penelope Brightman.  Penelope Brightman... Ronnie Allbriton."

"Penny to my friends," the blonde said.  "Pleased to meet you."

"Uh, y-yes, likewise," Ronnie stammered.

"Sorry I can't offer my hand..."  Penny's head swiveled to glare at Margo, then turned back, and smiled.  "...but you see how it is."

Ronnie wasn't entirely recovered.  "Uh..."

Jamie giggled, leaned forward, and kissed Penny on the lips.  Ronnie, Margo, and Kat watched as the kiss continued... and continued... and the captives' tongues rolled and lips smacked.

Margo finally interrupted.  "Ahem."

Jamie and Penny reluctantly broke contact, and smiled at Ronnie.

"We're something of an item," Jamie explained.

"Very much so, actually," Penny added.

Ronnie blushed, and smiled back.  "I see..."  Suddenly, her eyes widened in recognition.  "Trustee slut-slaves!" she blurted.

Penny reacted with proper English outrage.  "I beg your pardon!"

Jamie simply giggled.  "Busted!"

"In that slave brothel in ancient Kul'Dakar!" Ronnie explained.  "When I was trapped in VR.  You were the trustee slaves that prepared me for that night with Fio—I mean with Teela!"

"Guilty as charged," Penny admitted.  She exchanged a warm smile with Jamie, then the pair beamed at Ronnie.

"Slut-slaves," Kat mumbled.  "Talk about your typecasting."

Ronnie focused on Margo and Kat.  "You, I recognized immediately after I came out of the 'game', of course... the queen and her champion!"

Kat gazed down at her employer.  "Then, now, and always," she said in a husky whisper.

Margo actually blushed (to her Sisters' surprise and delight), then reached up, pulled her bodyguard close, and planted a kiss on her lips.  "My Perfect Panther," she whispered, loud enough for all to hear.

"Ain't that sweet?" Jamie laughed, at once impudent and sincere, then her eyes focused on Penny's crotch, and she gasped.  "She's been shaved!"  She directed an angry glare at Kat.  "You did it!  You mowed her slick!"

Kat was neither intimidated nor apologetic.  "Who wants hair in their food?  Besides, I didn't hear her complaining after I defoliated you."

"It's all right, darling," Penny said.  "It will grow back.  Yours did."

Jamie nodded towards the end of the yellow, cylindrical object protruding from between Penny's labia.  "And I suppose that's some sort of super vibrator, or one of the Bug's diabolical, hi-tech TIKLER devices, or some such?"

Kat smiled.  "Sometimes a banana... is just a banana."

Jamie stared at Kat for several seconds, struggling not to laugh.  Finally losing the battle, she chuckled and shook her head.  "Good one," she conceded, leaned close, and kissed Penny once again.
 
Ronnie was having a hard time taking all this in.  Clearly, Jamie and Penny (and Margo and Kat, of course), had a lot of history.  It was a bit much to simply walk into all this... intimacy.  She noticed Margo gesturing again to the cushions at her side, so she sighed, dropped the end of Jamie's tether, walked around the table, and sat.

Margo gave her a quick kiss on the lips in welcome, then favored Jamie with a grim stare.  "I send you to escort my guest," she said, "and you return her prisoner?"

Jamie broke contact with Penny and sat erect, then giggled and squirmed in her tight ropes.  "Funny, ain't it?"

"Downright hilarious," Kat muttered, walked around the table, knelt behind Jamie, and began untying her bonds.

"Thanks," Jamie said, then gasped as Kat seized her ankles and used the rope to bind them tightly together.  "What are ya doin'?" she demanded.

"I think that's rather obvious," Kat purred.  She bound the pouting redhead's knees, then lashed her thighs to her ankles, cinching the bands until they dimpled the skin of Jamie's strong, freckled legs.

Jamie offered no resistance, even though her hands were free.  She watched (as did the others), as Kat's expert fingers tied the final knot.  The scantily-clad amazon then produced a thin, black cord from under her loincloth.  Jamie sighed, and crossed her hands at the small of her back.

Still kneeling, Kat shuffled around to Jamie's front, and pulled her hands from behind.  "If I tie them back there," she explained, "you can't feed yourself, or your fellow slut-slave."  She crossed Jamie's wrists and set to work.

Kat finished the task of binding Jamie's wrists, then gracefully regained her feet.  Jamie looked up at her captor, batting her gorgeous green eyes.  "Thank you," she whispered, "for letting me, for letting us, I mean, take part in the feast.  For bein'... nice."

Kat smiled down at the prisoner.  "You're welcome, Freckle Fox, now stop being such a drama queen."  She planted a kiss on the top of Jamie's head, which elicited a quiet giggle and a charming blush from the red-haired captive.

Ronnie watched with interest.  Clearly, this pair had history as well.

Jamie examined her new wrist bonds.  "What is this stuff?" she demanded, and gave the neat black bands a delicate sniff.  "It smells like dermafoam."

"Fusion cord," Kat explained as she resumed her post at Margo's side.  "And it is like dermafoam.  Once it cures, the braided sheathes fuse together, knots included, of course."  She gracefully sat on a cushion, reached out to the table, and popped an olive in her mouth.  "And don't bother trying to gnaw your way free," she mumbled as she chewed, then swallowed and favored Jamie with a gloating smile.  "The fibers of the inner core are strong as ten-gauge wire."

"And speaking of gnawing," Margo said, lifted a small pitcher from a bed of ice, and poured a large dollop of a thick red sauce on Penny's right breast.

Penny flinched and bit her lower lip.  The thick, cold sauce caused her nipple to pop erect.

Margo selected a peeled, cooked shrimp from a platter, used it to swipe the sauce from Penny's nipple, and popped the succulent morsel (meaning the shrimp, of course) into her mouth.  "Everyone, eat!"

Kat and Jamie followed her advice, sampling the various plates, platters, and bowls.  Jamie fed herself and Penny.  Ronnie watched the others feast, but did not take part.  "We need to talk," she told Margo.

"Rather than eat?" Margo asked with a wry smile.  She dipped another shrimp in the sauce dripping down Penny's breast, and popped it in Ronnie's mouth.  "Let's do both."

Everything on the table, with the exception of Penny, was what you'd call finger-food, and with reasonable care one could dine without making a mess.  Penny, on the other hand, could neither feed herself nor prevent her friends from actively making her a mess.  Cocktail sauce was joined by several other condiments, and soon the long-suffering blonde's body was dripping with sticky wet sauces, relishes, chutneys, and dressings.

Ronnie did her share of nibbling.  She was hungry, the food was delicious, and she didn't want to be impolite.  (It was also deliciously naughty to participate in this sensuous banquet.)  She accepted a golden goblet of wine from her hostess, took a sip, then cleared her throat.  "So..."

Margo smiled, coyly.  "Yes?"

"Why, exactly," Ronnie continued, "was I brought here... wherever here is."

Margo chewed and swallowed a stuffed mushroom cap, deliberately letting Ronnie stew.  "You're on Gondaloo Island," she said, finally, "on the Great Barrier Reef."

"Australia?" Ronnie gasped.

Margo nodded.  "And as to why you're here, I have a close group of very special friends.  We call ourselves the 'Inner Circle', and we—"

"Engage in wanton debauchery," Jamie interrupted.

"Bacchanalias," Penny added.

"Not to mention our quest for world dominance," Kat purred.

"Zip it!" Margo barked, suppressing a smile.  "Now, where was I?"

"You call yourselves the Inner Circle," Ronnie prompted.

Margo nodded again.  "Exactly.  Think of us as an exclusive girl's club.  We have fun together."

"Visiting museums and aquariums," Jamie said.

"Reading and discussing important books," Penny chimed in.

Kat pantomined sewing motions.  "Needlepoint, quilts, we're very crafty."

Margo favored her companions with a warning stare, and they quickly resumed eating.  Margo turned back to Ronnie, and her smile returned.  "It's all about friendship, and fun, and I'd like to invite you to join."

"But why me?" Ronnie asked.

"Look in the mirror lately?" Kat asked, then devoured a tiny slice of pesto-smeared bread.

Margo sighed and rolled her eyes.  "I assure you," she continued, "the Inner Circle is very exclusive.  You've already been carefully screened and vetted—"

"Fondled," Jamie said, perfectly deadpan.

"Licked," Penny agreed.

"Diddled," Kat added, "several times."

"All right already!" Margo barked.  "Is this Interrupt Margo Night?  If you comedians don't stifle yourselves, the next course will be locking ball-gags!"

"Oh lighten up, Your Majesty," Jamie urged her benefactor and friend.

"It's not like she's going to say no," Penny added.

All eyes focused on Ronnie, who basked in the attention, a ghost of a smile curling her lips as she consumed a seafood croquette in careful, delicate bites.  She took a sip of wine, set down the goblet, cleared her throat, and smiled at Margo.  "No."

Jamie, Penny, and even Kat gasped in surprise.

"No?" Margo demanded, still smiling.

"No," Ronnie confirmed.

Margo took a slow, careful sip of wine.  She seemed surprised, but not particularly upset.  "Hmm... playing hard to get.  Would you mind telling me why you're turning down my offer?"

"I'm in a relationship," Ronnie explained.  She nibbled on a sliver of melon.  All eyes were on her (and she was enjoying it).

"I see," Margo responded.  "Your sexy librarian friend.  What's her name?"

"Fiona!" all present answered, including Ronnie.

"Ah yes, Fiona," Margo sighed, and sampled a plate of stuffed dates.  "You're afraid that membership in the Inner Circle will somehow... interfere?"

Ronnie nodded.  "I won't cheat on her," she mumbled.   So... everyone knows about Fiona...  Then a smile curled her lips.  "Of course, if the invitation was made to the pair of us..."

"Assuming, of course," Margo purred, "that Fiona was interested.  You know how librarians can be—repressed, obsessively virginal."

Ronnie had been in the process of taking another sip of wine, and nearly choked.  Fiona, 'repressed'?  She coughed, set down her goblet, and cleared her throat.  "Assuming," she responded.

"I'm afraid our little sorority is exclusive," Margo explained, "like I said."

"Oh," said Ronnie, hiding her disappointment.

"You aren't that hard to get," Kat purred.  "We could just take you, Brown Eyes."

Ronnie directed a defiant glare at the smiling bodyguard.  "You could try!"  Kat's smile turned feral, and Ronnie sighed.  "Okay, you've kidnapped me once already, and I suppose I couldn't stop you from doing it again..."  Her gaze fixed on Margo.  "...but that's not what you're about, is it?"

Margo smiled.  "I'm glad you appreciate the difference between an invitation to a party in the form of a playful kidnapping—and enslavement."  She glanced at Kat.  "I assure you, Katherine knows the difference as well."

Kat actually blushed, and sampled a plate of roasted vegetables.  "That's not what we're about," she confirmed.

"Well, let's not let this spoil our evening," Margo suggested, then clapped her hands.  "Music!"

An unseen drum began a steady beat, and slowly increased in volume.  It was joined by others, and soon a complex, primal rhythm filled the chamber.  Next came melodic chimes, followed by exotic flutes, woodwinds, and stringed instruments, all weaving a plaintive, elaborate melody in a minor key.  Middle Eastern?  Balinese?  Classical Chinese?  It was beautiful, and like nothing Ronnie had ever heard before, but her mind was on Margo's offer.

Ronnie sighed.  Was she doing the right thing?  What would Fiona say when she told her about all this?  You're a fraking idiot?  Probably.

Something moved across the chamber.  Ronnie turned, and beheld a female dancer emerging from a side-passage.  Her lithe, athletic body was loosely shrouded in flapping sheets of sheer silk.  She whirled and spun, in time to the music.  One by one the bronze, gold, and rust panels were released, and fluttered to the floor.  More and more of her pale, perfect body was revealed.  She was clothed in gossamer-thin pantaloons and a skimpy top, and was bound by manacles and shackles joined by iron chains.  Her bare feet slapped the hard, stony floor, and her chains added a tinkling, clattering counterpoint to the music as they swung.  More silk was discarded, and her hair was revealed to be long, copper-red, and straight.  The dancer was skilled and her dance sensuous... primitive... arousing.  She was very beautiful, very sexy.  She was...

Ronnie gasped!—"Fiona!!"

The music continued, and Ronnie couldn't take her eyes from her dancing lover.  Fiona had never been more beautiful, or more desirable.  Her gaze locked with Ronnie's.  She spun.  Their eyes locked again.  Again she spun, and again their eyes locked.  And again.  And again.

The music stopped, and Fiona was posing in her chains; her firm, silk-shrouded breasts heaving; her ivory skin glistening with sweat; the ghost of a seductive smile on her full, flushed lips.

"Hey there, soldier," she whispered.

"Hey there," Ronnie whispered back.  She was standing very close to the smiling, panting dancer (and couldn't even remember climbing to her feet).  "C'mere," she ordered, and pulled Fiona into a tight embrace.  Their lips met in a savage kiss.

Time stood still.  Fiona's scent was intoxicating, her pale, perfect skin smooth and firm.

"Ahem."

Her slightly damp hair smelled of exotic Oriental spices.  Her lips were soft; her tongue wet and warm and—

"Ahem!"

The lovers broke their kiss, and turned to find Margo favoring them with an indulgent smile.  Kat's expression was carefully neutral, but Jamie and Penny were absolutely beaming.  "Speaking now as the Queen of Opar," Margo purred, "I take it you found my slavegirl's dance to be pleasing?"

Ronnie gazed into the infinite depths of her lover's dark eyes.  "Her dance... and everything about her."

"Well then, Squadron Leader," Margo continued, "you may keep her for the evening."

"And all evenings to come," Fiona added, and the lovers kissed.

"Awww!" Jamie and Penny sighed in unison.

"Oh please," Kat muttered.  "Get a room."  She retrieved something from under her cushion, climbed to her feet with feline grace, and sauntered towards the lip-locked pair.

Ronnie broke her kiss again as she felt Kat place something in her hand.  It was a thin chain, and Kat was already locking the choker-like collar at the other end around Fiona's neck.  "Hey!"

"So she won't run away," Kat explained, then winked.  "Local custom.  Just go along."  She produced a key from under her left bra cup, and stepped behind Fiona.

"I suppose I should be struggling or objecting or something," Fiona said, "but seeing as how I'm supposedly already an Oparian slavegirl and all...  Hey!"

Kat had unlocked Fiona's manacles and pulled her wrists behind her back.  She continued fussing with the chains, and soon Fiona's manacles were closely linked together.   The chain formerly linking the manacles was discarded, and the center of the chain linking her shackles was joined to the connecting ring, preventing the steel links from dragging on the floor.  "There," Kat said, smiling with satisfaction.  "If she gives you any trouble," she told Ronnie, "or fails to please, just ring for the Slave Mistress and tell her you want to swap."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ronnie laughed, then tugged on Fiona's new leash and pulled her close.  "Hungry?" she asked.

"Starving," Fiona confirmed.

The pair turned and walked to the table.

"You're welcome," Kat muttered, and followed.

Ronnie helped Fiona sit, then nodded towards Margo.  "You already know Her Majesty, I presume."  She next indicated Jamie.  "And this is—"

"Jamie Seaton," Fiona interrupted, "Penny Brightman, and Kat Mayfair.  We've met, when I joined the Inner Circle.

Ronnie was aghast.  "And when was that?"

"A couple of hours ago," Fiona answered, smiling sweetly.  "We're Sisters!"

"Not yet you aren't," Kat purred.  "Soldier-girl, here, turned down the offer."

Fiona gasped, and turned her face to Ronnie.  "Are you a fraking idiot??" she demanded.

Ronnie blushed and laughed, smiling sheepishly.  "I knew you'd say that."

Fiona rounded on Margo.  "You said it was a done deal!"

Margo simply smiled and shrugged.

"She turned Margo down so she could stay with you," Jamie explained to Fiona.

"Because she didn't yet know that you had already joined," Penny added.

"Ain't it romantic?" Jamie sighed, and Penny nodded in agreement.

Fiona's eyes welled with tears.  "For me?" she whispered.  Ronnie nodded, and the lovers kissed again.  All present (even Kat) watched with warm smiles.  Fiona tried to break contact, but Ronnie held the closely chained redhead close, and the kiss continued.

Finally, Ronnie came up for air and Fiona managed to lean towards Margo.  "Ask her again!" she pleaded.

"Ask her what?" Margo asked with an innocent smile.

"Ask her to join the Inner Circle!" Fiona said, with a cajoling pout.

Margo paused to consume another mushroom cap.  "Oh... I don't know.  She had her chance, and—"

"Ask her!!" Jamie, Penny, Fiona, and Kat demanded in unison.

Margo smiled at Ronnie.  "Consider yourself asked."

Ronnie locked eyes with Fiona.  Now both the lovers were fighting tears.  "Yes," Ronnie whispered and kissed Fiona yet again.

"Ahhh!" Jamie and Penny sighed.

Margo glanced at Kat, caught her wiping a tear from her left eye, and leaned close.  "Softy," she accused in a quiet whisper.

"Shuddup!" Kat whispered back.

Margo chuckled, then tapped Ronnie on the shoulder.  "You'll have plenty of time for that later.  Fiona's starving, remember?"

"I am hungry," Fiona mumbled around Ronnie's tongue.

Ronnie broke contact, selected a lobster canapé from a tray, and popped it in the smiling mouth of her slavegirl-for-the-night.  "Okay.  I'm still a little hungry myself."

"Eat," Margo urged her friends, "but pay attention... especially you new Sisters.  The Inner Circle has formal disciplinary business to conduct."

Ronnie and Fiona paused to gaze at Margo with questioning eyes.

The Queen of Opar clapped her hands and shouted into the darkness—"Send in the prisoner!"