Steel World Inc. Chapter Nineteen

 

I found Miss Madison exactly where I had left her – kneeling on the tiled mosaic floor of the sunken sofa area, a short steel chain descending from her collar ring to the iron ring set into that floor. 

 

Nearly an hour had gone by since she had been left here alone, and I was surprised, and a little pleased, to find she seemed a lot calmer now.

 

“Miss Madison,” I said as I entered the large room. I had shown my key pass card to the guard and he had admitted me without comment, just as Magnus had promised.

 

“Simon!” she seemed surprised to see me, and even more surprised to see Miss Esme Hamilton, who walked closely behind me. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the lovely, long-legged Esme. 

Steel World Inc. Chapter Eighteen

 

There was a second level to the basement area, with bare brick walls and a cement floor that could be hosed down, for I saw drainage channels on the sides of the room that flowed into a gutter and steel grille. The first thing I noticed though was the lower temperature. If there was any heating down here, it was minimal. The lighting was harsh strip lighting in the corridors, and bare light bulbs in the concrete and brick kennel pens. This offered a stark contrast between harsh bright light and shadows wherever you stood. 

 

I saw several men who were working in the capacity of guards and handlers. To a man they looked dangerous – the sort of men you avoided speaking to, or coming to the attention of, in back street pubs. The sort of men who would ask you, “are you looking at my bird?” as an invitation to a fight, or perhaps would skip the preliminary threats and simply hit you in the face with a beer glass as they walked by.

 

The man working in the kennel pen had a close shaved head, blue jeans and a dark charcoal jumper with light grey edging on the waist band and the sleeves at the wrist. He seemed to me to be the kind of man who never smiled. 

 

I felt very much out of my depth, and I was glad I was in the company of Karl Magnus, because Karl Magnus didn’t look at all scared by them.

Steel World Inc. Chapter Seventeen

 

“There were tears to begin with, of course. In the first year at least.”

 

I hoped my face showed no expression at all. I didn’t want Mr Frick to suspect what I was now thinking. 

 

“Ashlyn had thought she was going into the clinic for some work on her nose. Well that was certainly true. She came out with a beautiful nose, far better than the one she went in with, but really I’d only paid for the nose job so that the more important operation could be done. I permitted her a few weeks to remonstrate, and then I declared that time was done. Can you believe, in those first few weeks she actually threatened me with divorce? As if I would ever permit a women to divorce me. Now years later she’s very happy and understands it was all for her own good. She regularly wins prizes at baking competitions held by the Free Companions of the senior families. She has a wardrobe of lovely dresses and shoes to wear. She has coffee mornings to go to; hair and nail appointments and beauty treatment spa days with the other ladies. Yes, she is very happy.”

 

I hoped my face showed no expression at all. I really didn’t want Mr Frick to suspect what I was now thinking. 

Steel World Inc. Chapter Sixteen

 

“Lord Jeremy,” said Magnus, pleasantly enough as he gazed at the furious aristocrat. “Thank you for calling round. I hope you enjoyed your time with Judy tonight? Can I offer you a drink?” 

 

“Never mind that, Magnus! I have just found my wife! Have you any idea the state she is in?!”

 

Magnus gently swished the amber whisky round the inside of his cut glass tumbler as he regarded the middle aged aristocrat. 

 

“Unless things have changed significantly, I would say you found her wrists locked in a set of slave bracelets behind her back, and the connecting chain fastened to a bolt in the wall. She would have been gagged, and the lower half of her expensive gown would have been torn away.” He raised the tumbler to his lips and sipped the liquor. “Am I missing any details?”

Steel World Inc. Chapter Fifteen

 

Dad once told me that it is important to read a room when you first enter. A foolish man is the man who acts without understanding the nature of the men he is speaking to. I’ve tried all my life to understand the men and women I speak to, and moderate what I say accordingly. What little success I’ve had I can probably attribute to that. Tell a man what he wants to know, and you’re already halfway there.

 

If I was reading this room right, this was not just a test for me, but also for Miss Madison.

 

The difference between Miss Madison and myself was that she didn’t know this. 

 

“Karl…” her voice sounded small and childlike from where she lingered in the shadows of the alcove archway. “I’m… I’m not comfortable with this.”

Steel World Inc. Chapter Fourteen

 

We walked through the house in silence for a few minutes as Miss Madison led me to a flight of stairs that led into the basement levels of the building. We were venturing into an area that seemed to be out of bounds to the party guests, and I noticed a couple of security guards dressed in smart suits loitering, ever watchful, at the entrances to the basement.

 

We were both stopped short and a hand scanner was passed up and down our bodies to presumably detect for concealed weapons. Neither of us carried anything of the sort, of course, and so we were then swiftly waved through.

 

“Where are we going?” I said as we reached the bottom of the stairs which led into a wide open room that resembled a hallway.

 

“To see Karl Magnus. He asked to speak to you.” Miss Madison turned round to face me. “Let me be absolutely clear, Simon. I am not at all happy with the way you spoke to me earlier.” Her eyes blazed with self-righteous fury. Back at the office, seated across her desk, I would no doubt be scared right now. But here in this place, here where men seemed to be the dominant sex, here where I sensed different rules applied, here I didn’t feel scared, and that surprised me.

Steel World Inc. Chapter Thirteen

 

“Well, don’t you look handsome and dashing tonight, Simon Rogers. It seems clothes really do maketh the man.”

 

Miss Madison approached me as I walked back into the main reception room. It was now gone three in the morning, and my allotted half an ahn in the Pleasure Alcove was over. 

 

And I was still technically a virgin. 

 

Though I had now at least been stimulated to orgasm twice by a woman. 

 

James of course would tell me that a man only lost his virginity when he penetrated a woman and came inside of her.