Free On the Auction Block by Ashley Zacharias

learn to cook.”
    He raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Mrs. Dodge
can teach you. She’s a good cook.”
    “I don’t feel that it’s right for a slave to
impose upon her.”
    He laughed and pulled a twenty-plaq note from
his wallet. “There’s a bookstore on Walkoon Street. You can go
there tomorrow when I’m at work. Bring back the change and the
receipt.” He unfastened a disk from his keychain. “Carry this with
you and you’ll be able to get through the back gate.”
    “Thank you, sir.” She knew the bookstore; she
had shopped there when she was a lady. It would be a long walk down
Norbit Hill and longer walk back up. She hoped that it wouldn’t be
raining; she had no coat.
    When Dodge left, he didn’t lock her cell
door, nor did her lock the door to the kennel. She would be free to
come and go tomorrow. But she would have to be careful not to abuse
the privilege. The gate was operated by an automatic mechanism.
Undoubtedly it would keep a record of the time of her comings and
goings for Dodge to review.
    The day had been exhausting and she slept
soundly.
    Barry, the kennelman, woke her at seven, as
before.
    While she was showering, she wondered if she
would be required to service him orally again. She wouldn’t
volunteer, not today, but if he asked, she would do it without
complaint.
    He didn’t ask. Instead, he had a gift for
her.
    She examined the heavy piece of molded black
rubber. It was six inches long and an inch and a half in diameter.
One end formed a blunt point and the other flared out into a wide
oval.
    “Mr. Dodge may not be interested in your
asshole,” Barry said, “but he’s going to expect you to entertain at
parties and some of his guests are sure to want to use you that
way. If you’re not prepared, you will find it an unpleasant
experience. It will be painful at the least and, at the worst, may
cause serious damage. I’ve seen some slaves whose assholes were
torn up pretty badly. It’s an awkward place to get stitches. You’ll
always have lube in your supplies. That’s standard. I recommend
that you lube the plug, insert it up your asshole, and wear it
there for at least an hour a day to keep yourself stretched. I also
recommend that you pack your asshole with plenty of lube before you
are taken to entertain guests. You won’t be given an opportunity to
lube up after the action starts. It’s better to be prepared than to
be injured.”
    The idea appalled her but Barry was trying to
protect her. It was his way of returning the favor that she had
done for him yesterday and she appreciated it.
    She never would have thought to prepare
herself to be raped anally. Never.
    The slaver woman was right. It paid for a
slave to be on good terms with her kennelman.
    “I can’t pay you for it. Not with money,” she
said.
    He waved the thought away. “It will be
charged to your owner’s account. It’s a legitimate expense.”
    She looked at him shyly. “After I’ve had a
few days to prepare myself, maybe you can give me some practical
experience that way, too. If that would please you.”
    Barry flushed and his eyes flashed. “Don’t
you ever say that again. Ever. A kennelman who is found to have
penetrated a slave below her waist is automatically castrated.
Automatically. And after they do that, the authorities decide on a
suitable punishment. Something worse than the castration.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll never let you
penetrate me below the waist. Not even if you beg me. I’ll fight
you off with all my strength.”
    “Don’t even joke about it. Mistakes have been
made in the past.”
    The math was pretty simple. It would cost a
hundred thousand plaqs to replace her. It would cost nothing to
replace the kennelman. He would be vulnerable to a false
accusation.
    She put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t
worry. I’ll never cause a problem for you. That’s a promise.”
    He nodded. “I’ve been here too long. I have
to get going.”
    After he left, she