A Gift Ch. 01

Aribella was quite a vision given all the attention they had paid her over the past few hours. Her long, dark, hair cascading down her back with some lose curls set into it at the ends. The tips of her hair didn't quite reach to cover the expanse of her bare back. She was draped in what she could only describe as an large piece of fabric. They kept calling it a dress when they were putting her into it but to her it just looked like a long piece of sapphire blue silk that matched her eyes and looked dazzling against her pale skin. They somehow worked the silk around her to cover what needed to be covered. It was loose and flowing, coming to stop just at the top of her ass and leaving her entire back bare. Then it was brought around to the front and tied around her neck in a halter. The cool fabric felt amazing against her soft skin. The way it rubbed her pink nipples seemed to work at keeping them hard at all times while at the same time cooling off her poor burning pussy. They took all of her body hair from her earlier in the day and they were none too gentle about it, leaving her pink and sore. She was given no under garments, though she tried to ask about it. Her wrists were secured behind her back with yet another piece of silk in the same color.

It didn't hurt as much as annoyed her to be so helpless and her poor arms were already sore. She could only imagine what she must look like in her current position; kneeling on a pillow, arms restrained, head down. Aribella closed her eyes and tried to clam herself down. It wasn't going to do her any good to get worked up when there is nothing she can do about her situation.

Her mind wandered off as she kneeled. She thought back to that day. It was like any other. Sunny and warm. She was with Giselle and Lesya down by the falls. It wasn't a very popular spot and to them just perfect on a lazy summer afternoon. She had the whole afternoon to splash and play with her two best friends when suddenly her entire world was turned upside down. She remembers vividly seeing the men approach them. The largest of them walking to the shore and looking down at them. "Which of you is Aribella Foster?" He was huge. From where she was sunken into the cold water he looked like a mountain. An immovable, unavoidable mountain. All three sets of the girls eyes darted around to seek escape but no one spoke. The man put his hand on his hips and she SWEARS he growled at them. "I will ask only once more before I decide you are all the one I am looking for and be assured...no one wants that. Which of you is Aribella Foster?" She couldn't really be mad at them for stepping back. She would have done the same if some huge man with three others behind him were demanding to know the identity of one of her friends. But the name on his lips was hers. Aribella took a step forward, a very small one, and looked up at the man "I'm Aribella. What do you want? Why are you here? We aren't doing anything wrong." she tried to keep her voice even and not let the fear gripping at her be evident.

The big man smiled in a way that makes your skin crawl. "We have been looking for you all morning. Your brother didn't seem to know where you had run off to." He held up a piece of paper that looked official. A contract of some kind perhaps? "This is the agreement signed by Bram Byron, your brother, giving you to me...or Rather to Lord Abbey.* Her face must have registered shock or confusion because without a word from her he seemed to answer her question. "That is right girl. Your brother sold you. Now come out of the water so we can get going. It is a long drive and I am in no mood to chase after you."

She watched as her friends slowly back away without a word to her and took off for the shore at the other side and the safety of their own homes. Abandoning their dresses just to get away from these men. When his words found her ears the only thought she could process in her head was that it wasn't much her concern that he was in no mood to chase her. She was in the mood to run as fast and as far as she could to get away from him. The slightest shift of his weight in her direction sent her into flight mode. She took off in the same direction her friends had gone. Water splashing behind her as she darted for the shore. She wasn't even to the dirt she was sure would bring her feet the freedom to flee when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her from the water. He was fast! She kicked with all of her might, flailing every part of her body she could to loosen his grip on her. It wasn't working. He hauled her back to where his men waited and dumped her into the grass. All four men surrounding her. Staring down at her like she was just caught stealing a sweet before dinner. "I was hoping you would be more cooperative. It's rather uncomfortable to sit the entire ride with your arms restrained but it seems you sealed your fate. Now stand and clasp your arms behind your back. NOW." His words were heavy on her. Leaving no room for negotiation. This was real. This was really happening to her. She was SOLD by her rat of an older brother.

Aribella started trembling as she looked up at these men. She could feel the sting of tears trying to find their way out but she pushed them back. "Please...please don't do this. Let me go see Bram. I am sure this is all just a misunderstanding." Her eyes were pleading at the big man. To her disappointment the eyes staring back at her were hard as stone and unyielding. She knew then there was no misunderstanding. Bram owed money. His string of bad decisions had not only lead to the loss of their inheritance but now the loss of her freedom.

It was common for a father to be forced to sell one of his children into slavery. Times were tough and only getting worse. The battles between the kingdoms were fought so often now that it was just one long, unending, war that left those who needed their leaders focus most with nothing. The only business that seemed to be flourishing was the salve trade. There seemed to be an unending line of men who had become so desperate that to save a family they would sell a daughter. Women were worth more. Men and boys were a commodity for labor but a girl, especially a pretty girl, could bring in enough to get a whole family through a year being sold into the pleasure slave trade.

Slowly and unsteady she rose to her feet. The tears that were threatening managed to find their way to her cheeks as she reaches behind her and clasped her arms behind her back. She felt the lead man slip something onto her wrist and then the sharp click of them being locked together. The sound of the click was like a dagger in her heart. It was the sound of everything being taken from her. Her freedom...gone.

The lead man put a surprisingly gently hand on her back and nudged her forward. The other man feel in line behind them as he guided her back up the path towards town. Her cheeks turned bright red as he lead her through the middle of town to the waiting car for her. She'd seen it once before when she was in town shopping for groceries. A woman being lead to a car, arms bound behind her, trying to hide her face behind her hair. At the time she assumed the woman must have done something to deserve it. Everyone knew what seeing a woman like that meant. She was sold. Being taken to her new masters home to be put to work as his sex slave. There was a decent amount of pity for whatever girl it was being taken off but at the same time there was a lot of whispering about how she must have deserved it. Her family was not capable to caring for her and she was expendable. Was that what she was? Expendable? She knew the answer before the question was finished in her head. Of course she was. Her brother had no real use for her. She was simply something to use to keep his home clean ever since their father passed a year ago.

She was shook from her thoughts as they stopped at the side of a big black suv. The man came to stand in front of her, looking down at her. She looks down at the ground immediately. "You cannot get into the car dripping wet. I am going to unlock your cuffs. You are going to take your slip, panties, and bra off and put this on." He holds out a plain looking dress out to her.

Again she couldn't help herself but look around to find a way out of this and again she found nothing, no one that was going to help. She felt him release the cuffs and her arms were free. She looks down and saw the soft leather around her wrists. The clasp of them dangling from them. At least it wasn't metal and cutting into her, something she could be grateful for. Hesitantly she pulls her slip over her head and let it fall to the ground with a plop. At least she was swimming without her dress on. The humiliation of having to remove that as well might have just been too much. Before she let herself think about it she reaches behind her and unhooked her bra letting it join the wet slip. Her arm coming up automatically to cover her uncovered breasts. The panties however were a different story. She couldn't. She just couldn't take them off in front of these men. No one had ever seen her without her panties. She tried, honestly she did. But she just couldn't seem to hook her fingers into them and pull them down.

"I can't." Her voice was shaking. "Please let me keep them on. They won't soak through the dress" She reached for the dress from him. Desperate to put it on. Desperate to cover up in front of these men. Just as he head reached out the dress was snatched from her reach and the man was speaking sternly. "You have no need for panties anymore salve. Remove them or I will have one of my men do it." He leaned in close to her face "and I won't stop them from touching what they want while doing it."

That got her moving! She reached with her free hand and yanked her panties to her knees and let gravity do the rest. Her hand reaching to cover up with little of her body she could from the greedy eyes looking at her. He held the dress to her and she tugged it on like if it took a second more she would catch on fire. The man nodded to her hands and she knew what he wanted. She placed them behind her back again and the cuffs were secured as the car door was opened.

Aribella shook her head trying to remove the thoughts from it. She could hear the voices from the other room coming closer. Her knees began to quiver on the pillow under them as the door opened and light flooded into the room. She looked up just in time to see a gray haired man standing among some others that she assumed were servants. The large man who captured her at his side. The gray haired man walked closer to her and smiled, clasping his hands together. "Oh Brice you did wonderfully. Isn't she stunning!" The big man who was her captor smiled brightly and nodded. "There were a few offers but this one caught my attention. I was sure she would be what you were looking for. Her name is Aribella, she is only just eighteen years old, and her brother assured me she was a virgin." A smiling gray-haired man took a step closer to her and reached down, placing his hand gently around her chin and tilting her head to look at him. He examined Aribella's face. Smiling like it was Christmas day. She wanted to cringe. Was this the man she was going to be raped by over and over until she was too old to be pleasurable to him and tossed out to manual labor?

The gray haired man seemed satisfied and stepped back. Handing the man who she now knew was named Brice a wad of cash. "There is a generous tip in there for you. She is perfect." The gray haired man looked to her again. "She is going to make a wonderful birthday gift for Kade."