Holiday Highlights

As it happened, we didn't have long to wait. A lady officer came in and politely requested Master Paul -- "and your guest" -- to come with her. I made to stand up, too, but my Mistress stopped me with a gesture: "This part is for officers only," she said with a smile, "and I'm only an invited guest. You'll have to stay here and wait until I fetch you, when the other slaves are allowed in." She clipped a chain that was hanging from a hook in the wall, to my wrists and went on, "Make yourself comfortable, but not on the chairs: in this room, those are for Masters and Mistresses only."

I waited there for at least an hour, with no way of escaping -- although I knew the chain on my wrists wasn't locked in any way. My wait was made tolerable, however, when the slave waitress came in to clear the glasses and stayed to chat for quite a while. "There's nothing much to do, anyway," she told me, "with all the officers in the meeting, and no slaves allowed in, even to serve drinks!"

She was a pretty girl and pleasant company, even without the pleasure of feasting my eyes on the curves of her naked figure. I asked her if she knew what was happening in the meeting: she replied, "No, except that Master Paul is being commissioned as an officer". As to what would be happening later, when slaves would be present, "Yes, I've been there," she said, "but I'm not going to tell you anything. Surprises are so much more fun, don't you think?" A lovely smile accompanied this last, and I had to smile in agreement.

At last my Mistress returned, and led me into a large room, where about forty or fifty officers were sitting at small tables arranged around the walls. She sat down at one of these, motioning me to kneel nearby. For several minutes there was a stream of slaves entering through several doors: some took their places, like me, beside certain officers, while others knelt in neat rows in the space between the tables; eventually there must have been at least a hundred of them, and some I was certain I hadn't seen before.

Eventually, Lady Ruthven stood up from a table at one end of the room, mounted a small platform there, and said, "Slaves, welcome to the commissioning of a new officer. I think most of you already know him; however, I now formally present him -- Officer Paul!" From the table she'd just left, Master Paul joined her on the platform, his uniform now carrying the badges denoting his rank and responsiblities.

As he faced the room, Lady Ruthven's hand made a signal. In unison, all the crew slaves chorused, "Welcome aboard, Officer Paul. We are at your service, and we promise to obey your orders."

"A nice welcome from the crew, don't you think?" Lady Ruthven asked Officer Paul. "Would you like to say something in response, to all the crew slaves?"

"Yes, if I may," said Officer Paul. "Thank you, slaves, for your welcome. I'm sure I'll enjoy being an officer on a ship with such a fine crew, and I especially look forward to some... ah... more personal contact with many of you!"

"Well spoken!" was Lady Ruthven's comment. "In fact, you'll have an opportunity (briefly!) for more personal contact with all the crew slaves here this evening -- right now! Stay here on the platform, please, and they will come forward in turn: the first will formally make the crew slaves' promise to you as an officer, but to save time the others will simply kneel to symbolize his or her own making of that promise. However, if you wish any individual slaves to convince you of their sincerity, you may ask them to repeat the promise in full. You may also take immediate advantage of the final part of the promise, but I suggest that there'll be plenty of time for that in the future."

She stepped down from the paltform. This seemed to be a cue for the nearest crew slave to step forward, kneel on the edge of the platform in front of Officer Paul, and say, "I'm crew slave Barbie, Sir. I promise to obey you, as an officer. If I cannot do so, because of any previous order given to me by another officer, which may override yours according to Ship's Regulations, I will respectfully refer you to that officer for confirmation. I am aware that any disobedience of your orders, when the running of the ship or the enjoyment of the passengers is concerned, will be punishable as determined by Ship's Regulations, or by the Captain or First Officer: any other disobedience will be punishable as decided by you. When I am off-duty, my naked body will be freely available to you -- subject to the agreement of my owner, Officer Norman -- for any treatment you may wish, within the limits set down in Slave Regulations or recorded in my Slave file. At all times, with no exception but urgent ship's business, I will submit my naked body for your inspection and handling."

Here Lady Ruthven's voice came in smoothly: "If you wish to avail yourself of this final offer, simply make the 'stand up' gesture; otherwise, or after your inspection, give the signal to dismiss the slave. Each following slave will state his or her name and wait for these signals."

It was no surprise, since this was the very first slave, to see Officer Paul give the 'stand up' gesture: instantly, the slave -- a very shapely black-haired girl -- stood up, spread her legs a little and clasped her hands behind her neck in the so-familiar pose. Officer Paul spent ten or fifteen seconds cupping his hands possessively over her large breasts and rolling their nipples in his fingers; then he gave the dismissal signal and she went back to her place, only to have her place in front of him taken by the next slave.

Officer Paul obviously enjoyed himself enormously, having so many naked slaves in turn kneeling at his feet to signify their submission and their implied promise of obedience, then -- if he wished -- displaying themselves and accepting the inspection of his eyes or the touch of his hands. He didn't waste time -- there were a lot of slaves to get through -- but occasionally he made a slave repeat the formal promise, word for word, or fondled a female slave's tits or pussy or a male slave's cock or balls.

His audience of officers and slaves enjoyed watching this 'ceremony' too, while chatting softly to each other and sipping drinks served by slaves not waiting their turn to kneel and submit to him. I must say I enjoyed it, and not only what my eyes saw: part of my enjoyment came from the excitement of imagining myself as one of the slaves making this promise of obedience. Somehow, my Mistress seemed to read my thoughts, because she asked me if I was feeling left out: I replied, "Yes, Mistress, in a way; but at the moment I'm quite happy to remain your slave alone"... which I think pleased her a little!

When the last slave had performed in this ritual, Lord Ruthven stood up and said cheerfully, "Well, Officer Paul, now that you've met all the crew slaves that are here at the moment, you may like to rejoin your fellow-officers and your guest. But before you go, I should mention that we have a small tradition to make new officers feel welcome: you are free to choose any slave that takes your fancy, to spend the night with tonight -- with their owner's agreement, of course, but we tend to frown on that being witheld. Take your time to decide, of course, and just let me know if you'd like to have another look at one or two who interest you."

My Mistress greeted Officer Paul with a smile as he returned to her table and sat down. "It must feel good," she said, "to have all these slaves promising their obedience -- and their bodies -- to you. And your choice of wenches for the night, too! Any idea which you'll choose?" Their light-hearted banter went on, but over my head, because I'd just realized that Helen wasn't with Officer Paul: I wondered where she could be, but I very soon found out.

After a short delay, Lord Ruthven stood up to make another announcement: "Now we come to the next part of tonight's ceremonies, no less important than the one just completed and in some ways even more fun. Today we are accepting two new slaves for our crew..." And from behind a curtain beside the platform, two officers led out, by means of leashes and collars, two figures, one male and one female.

I recognized Helen, despite the large blindfold covering much of her face. The male was also blindfolded, and they both had their arms held stiffly behind their backs, with their wrists and elbows strapped tightly and with chains leading from their wrists to short hobbles and ankle cuffs. I was a little surprised to see them both dressed -- Helen in a simple white gown covering her from neck almost to ankles, the male in plain white t-shirt and trousers -- but I guessed they wouldn't be staying that way for long!

Nor was I mistaken. Helen and her companion were made to face the audience, now quiet and watching with intent interest, and Lord Ruthven spoke to them in his cultured voice. "I am speaking to two candidates who are standing blindfolded in front of me; I say this so that you can have no doubt that what I say refers to you. You don't know exactly what is about to happen to you, but you should have a pretty good idea: if so, and if you are willing to submit to it, I want you to say, 'Yes, sir'."

Immediately, and almost as if they had rehearsed it, Helen and her companion gave the requested reply. "Good," said Lord Ruthven approvingly, "now...", and he nodded to the officers who accompanied each 'candidate'. The officers produced large wicked-looking knives and, grasping their charges' clothing at the neck, gently touched the points of their knives to the skin of their charges' throats; then, in what seemed like a single stroke of the obviously very sharp knives, they skilfully slit their clothing down the front from top to bottom.

The male's t-shirt was pulled open first, revealing just his chest; but then Helen's dress was pulled aside to show the whole of her gorgeous body, with the minimal coverings of bra and brief panties. Quickly, the officers slit the sleeves of her dress and his shirt to remove them completely, then went on, in Helen's case, to insert the knife between her tits and remove her bra with one sharp tug, and in the male's case, to slit his trousers open down both legs and the front, rendering him naked except for brief underpants. With a fine sense for the theatrical, the other officer had waited, so that they both 'attacked' one last item of clothing at the same time.

Carefully, and with dramatic slowness, each knife was inserted down the front of each pair of briefs, until its full length was between each set of private parts and their last coverings: in Helen's case, I could clearly see, it was easy simply to slide the blunt side of the knife right down the slit of her pussy until its tip actually pierced the briefs well between her legs; but the other officer had to be careful to avoid the bulge of her subject's cock, now starting to swell, and his balls! Both officers paused when they were ready; then a sharp yank slit both briefs wide open, followed by two more very skillful moves to cut the leg bands, and the briefs simply fell off.

Both 'candidates' were now totally naked, but the officers weren't finished yet: inserting the knives between Helen's and her companion's legs, they used the flat sides to tap gently but insistently on the insides of their knees, until both had spread their legs as far apart as their hobbles allowed. The effect was dramatic, because the chains from their wrists to their hobbles were short enough to make them both arch their shoulders back and their hips forward. The officers stood aside, and the naked bodies of the two candidates' were displayed for all to feast their eyes on.

As always, Helen's body was a feast for my eyes, but now it seemed to look even better: it had clearly been bathed, powdered and even 'made up' to accentuate her sexy curves, her pussy hair had been trimmed to a neat shape, and her nipples were tinted a deep glossy red. She looked magnificent! At the sight of her, my cock started to get hard -- and I strongly suspect that many other cocks in the room did too, owners' and slaves' alike. Being heterosexual, I wasn't affected at all by the naked male body beside Helen, but I did happen to notice my Mistress' eyes dwelling intently on it, and I guess I could understand why: he was well-built and well-muscled but lean at the same time, with a deep even tan with no pale patches at all; interestingly, his pubic hair was completely shaved, making his fairly large cock appear even bigger as his erection lifted its head to point over the heads of the audience.

Lord Ruthven waited for a minute or so to let everyone look their fill, then he spoke again. "Well, candidates, your outward appearance is not at all bad! Now I'll speak to you individually; when you are touched, you will answer the questions put to you and obey my instructions exactly." Stepping in front of Helen, he put one hand on one of her breasts, cupped her pussy with the other, and began a series of questions.

"Who are you?" was the first.

"Slave Helen, sir," was the slightly quavery reply.

"Who owns you, slave?"

"Master Paul, sir."

"He has another title now -- try again."

"Er... Officer Paul, sir?"

"Right. Now, why are you here?"

"My Master... er... my owner wants me to become a crew slave."

"Are you here only because your owner wishes it?"

"No, sir. I want it too."

"Good. Now, before we can accept you as a crew mamber: have you read and understood the rules for crew slavery?"

"Yes, sir."

"And have you signed, without coercion and of your own free will, a legal agreement, defining the term, conditions and limitations of your slavery?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you prepared to stand by that agreement, and accept all its conditions without any complaint until its term is over?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. You will now kneel in front of me and say, loudly and clearly, the formal submission to slavery and your promise of total obedience, in the words you have memorized. You will say them to me, as the major shareholder in the Company that owns the ship you will serve on, and therefore as its most senior officer, if not on active duty: but remember, by saying them to me, your submission and your promise will apply to all officers, from the Captain down. Begin." While he spoke, the officer beside Helen helped her gently to drop to her knees.

Helen's voice was much firmer now, and it carried clearly to the furthest corners of the room. "I, slave Helen," she said, "hereby offer myself for slavery, as the property of the Company and to serve on the crew, as defined in the agreement I have signed. I promise to obey your orders, and those of all officers of the Company, unless I have been given other orders overriding them, according to Ship's Regulations. I understand that any misbehaviour or disobedience on my part will incur punishment, which I will accept as I deserve. When off-duty, my naked body will be the property of the Company's officers, collectively and singly, and therefore will be available for any treatment an officer may choose to give me, subject to the agreement of my owner, Officer Paul, and to the limits recorded in my Slave file. At all times, off-duty or on, where it does not affect the running of the ship, my naked body will be available for inspection and handling by any Company officer who wishes it."

At the end of this little speech, so well spoken, Lord Ruthven paused for what seemed like ages bafore he replied. "Good," he said, and his rich voice was warm with approval. "I now formally accept you, crew slave Helen, as a slave member of this Company. My first order is: stand and offer your lovely naked baody for my inspection and enjoyment."

With the help of the officer beside her, Helen regained her feet and, without any prompting, again spread her legs as widely as she could. Lord Ruthven took several minutes to thoroughly 'inspect' her slightly arched nakedness, running his hands over her full firm tits, her belly, hips, bum and thighs, and finally using the fingers of one hand to roll her nipples and of the other to explore her pussy and clit.

"Yes," he said finally, approval and anjoyment in every tone, "you are indeed a valuable addition to the ranks of our crew slaves. Now, my next order is: you will be led to stand in front of each officer present tonight, where you will kneel and say simply that you, slave Helen, offer your total obedience to his or her orders as an officer, and your body for his or her enjoyment."

Helen was breathing quite quickly after the attentions of his clever hands, but she replied humbly, "Yes, sir," before following the tug on her leash, to step down from the platform and begin her tour of the room. Each officer, male and female alike, had her lovely body placed before him or her, on her knees to say the words she'd been told; and very few could resist the second offer, when she stood up again to arch that glorious body of hers.

Meanwhile, Lady Ruthven was seeing to the male 'candidate'. Taking a firm grip of his cock, she asked essentially the same questions as Lord Ruthven had asked Helen: his answers were almost identical (he gave his name as Ernie) but he said that he had no owner and wished to join the Company as an unattached slave. When the questions finished, he knelt to make the same submission and promises as Helen had (but leaving out the bit about the owner's agreement!), then submitted to a similarly skilled fondling by Lady Ruthven. By the time his tour of the room began, his cock was bigger and harder than ever -- but it seemed that all the officers were clever enough not to let him come as, interspersed with his kneeling 'offers', they practically 'handed' him from one to the next by his cock!

With both Helen and Ernie, though, they constantly varied their 'treatment', so that the two blindfolded new crew slaves never knew whether their nipples would be pinched, their bums caressed or perhaps slapped, or (in Ernie's case) his cock stroked or his balls fondled or even squeezed, or (in Helen's case) the shape of her large tits explored or her pussy hair ruffled or her clit tickled with a fingertip or even one or more fingers thrust deep into her cunt! Sometimes -- but not often! -- they weren't touched at all: not, I was certain, because the officer concerned wasn't interested, but rather just to play the game of keeping the slaves guessing. After all, they all knew there would be no lack of opportunities in the future to play with these new additions to the ranks of naked playthings!

Officer Paul, too, joined in this spirit. When Helen, clearly unaware that she'd just knelt before her own Master and offered her obedience and so on, stood up again, he merely flicked one finger lightly on a nipple and then nodded to the officer to move Helen on. With Ernie, on the other hand, he took great pleasure in sampling the unusual sensations of his totally hairless crotch and cock and balls.

The officers, who were leading the two new crew slaves around the room, recognized my Mistress -- no doubt by her lack of a uniform -- as a guest, and therefore bypassed her, with apologetic smiles. She understood the reason for this, naturally; and she compensated for having no chance to get her hands on Helen's and Ernie's naked bodies, by fondling me constantly, intimately and thoroughly -- but, of course, never letting me come!

Finally, the rounds of the room were completed: the new crew slaves were led back to the platform, where they were made to kneel one last time to make the same promise and offer to the two officers who'd been 'escorting' them. And this time, when they stood again to present themselves for 'inspection and enjoyment', the offer was taken up with much more thoroughness and persistence.

The audience watched avidly as the officer's hands steadily aroused them. A soft and rythmic clapping began, which grew slowly louder as the two slaves approached their inevitable climaxes, and an enthusiastic cheer erupted when first Helen cried out and arched back even further in ecstasy, then Ernie echoed her cry as his cock shot its load of white fluid. It wasn't hard to see the message being driven home: if you keep your promise to obey, and freely offer your naked bodies for officers' enjoyment, you will also have your reward.

Before either of the slaves had time to 'come down', their shackles were quickly exchanged for a different kind of bondage: first, their ankle hobbles were released, but their legs were spread much more widely and fastened to rings in the platform; next, their arms were unbound and massaged for a while, before being tied to a rail at the back of the platform, loosely enough to allow them to hold on to it and stand in relative comfort and stability. Finally, Lord and Lady Ruthven again stood in front of Helen and Ernie respectively, and their blindfolds were removed.

"Welcome!" said Lady Ruthven to them both, and her cultured voice was rich with real warmth. "Welcome to your new lives as crew slaves in our Company. We say 'our Company' deliberately, because my husband and I are by far its largest shareholders: you haven't met us before, so we'll now introduce ourselves. Our names are Lord and Lady Ruthven: the title is genuine, and we therefore like to be addressed as 'Lord' and 'Lady' -- in fact, from crew slaves we demand the respect of always being addressed in this way!"

Lord Ruthven chimed in smoothly, saying, "You have both made promises of total obedience to every officer in this room, individually: there are, of course, a few other officers not present here, but we assume you understand that, having earlier recited your promise in full to us, the most senior officers of all, you have in effect made the same promise to all officers, including those not here." He didn't ask, or even wait for, any acknowlegement from Helen and Ernie, but went on: "Naturally, we expect you to keep your promises until the term of slavery you agreed to is over, when you may be given a chance to re-negotiate a new term and perhaps some new conditions."

"Now," Lady Ruthven continued, "it's time for your fellow-slaves to give you their own welcome into their ranks. Like the officers, not all of them are here tonight, but most are, and they will make you really feel one of them. Take over, please, Petty Officers."

The 'escorting' officers stepped forward again. First, Officer Paul was invited to change tables with Lord and Lady Ruthven, so that he could be close to the platform: he in turn invited my Mistress to join him, and so of course I went too. In her inimitable fashion, Helen gave us all a brilliant smile as we took our places near her. Now Officer Paul was told that, when the crew slave introduced themselves to Helen, he -- as her owner -- might order them to caress, eat or even torment her for a moment or two.

The first slave came forward at the 'escorting' officer's signal, stood in front of Helen and said simply, "I'm slave So-and-so." Then he waited for a word or signal from Officer Paul. "Give her a big welcome kiss," said Officer Paul, and the slave obeyed with unconcealed enthusiasm: when the order to stop was given, he moved across to give his name to Ernie and another slave took his place in front of Helen.

It was great fun, at these close quarters, to watch the procession of crew slaves 'welcoming' Helen and Ernie! Most of them were allowed to touch the naked bodies of their new fellow-slaves in some way, but for a few seconds only: and all of them, even the one or two who were told to pinch a nipple or give a sharp slap, successfully conveyed a message of real warmth -- especially those who had to kneel and give one or other of the new slaves a very brief moment of oral stimulation!

Meanwhile, some of the slaves left the room and returned to serve a light supper to the officers. In some ways, it was very like many other social gatherings, with food and drink, light conversation and a little entertainment to watch: in other ways, however, it was very different indeed -- the complete nakedness of the many slaves moving about, serving the food and drink and waiting quietly in the queue for their turn to introduce themselves to Helen and Ernie, the nakedness and bondage of the lovely woman and good-looking man at the centre of attention, not to speak of the blatantly erotic things done to them to provide the 'entertainment'!

At the end of the crew slaves' self-introductions, Lady Ruthven came forward again and said, "We have just one more small formality before the close of this evening's ceremonies. The Company likes to have its property marked as such, and all its slaves may be considered its property, at least for the term of slavery they have agreed to. Obviously, such a mark must be semi-permanent, and impossible for the slave to remove.

"For you, slave Ernie, the mark will be a small tattoo high on the inside of your right thigh. For you, slave Helen, there is a choice -- but not for you to make!" She turned to Officer Paul and went on, "Since your slave indicated in the conditions of her slavery that she is willing to have her skin pierced if you wish it, you may select which mark she will wear: a similar tattoo, or a small gold ring in one nipple, or her navel, or in the lips of her pussy. Which would you prefer?"

I happened to be looking right at Helen as Lady Ruthven spoke, and I saw the expression of stunned disbelief that spread over her face. I could understand her surprise because, although I'd seen some crew slaves with rings in their nipples or other places, and had even seen a few tattoos where Lady Ruthven had indicated, I'd thought these were merely individual adornments -- and quite voluntary. As these thoughts flashed through my mind, Helen looked at Officer Paul and opened her mouth as if about to protest... but she closed it at the almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Her eyes stayed on him, though, and she seemed to be holding her breath, as he considered his choice. "Ah yes... well, let me see," he mused. "Yes, I think a ring might be nice..." A pause, then, "Yes, definitely, a ring in her... left nipple!" Helen drew a deep breath, closing her eyes, and seemed to hold it for ages: then she let it out again, opened her eyes and gave Officer Paul a smile, nervous, more than a little tentative, but nonetheless full of love.

Officer Paul, who must have been holding his breath too, let out big sigh, as if of relief, and said to my Mistress, "Isn't she wonderful? We'd hardly ever discussed the idea of piercing, before the question had to be answered for the conditions of her slavery: she said yes, but I'm sure she expected to be able to talk it over with me before it really happened. Now she's submitted to it without a murmur, even though she's had no say at all!"

Helen probably heard nothing of this compliment, thanks to the flurry of activity on the platform. Slaves were called forward with various items of equipment, including a bench, on which Ernie was securely bound with his left leg drawn down and his right held up high: its inner thigh was thus easily accessible to the tattooist, a slave who took but a few minutes to place a small symbol there, then drew back to display it, to a smattering of applause.

Meanwhile another slave had used a spray can on Helen's left nipple, and by now the intended numbing had taken effect -- as demonstrated by an officer giving her a very hard pinch with the points of her fingernails, with no reaction at all from Helen. The piercing itself happened very quickly: a slave grasped Helen's nipple in a pair of special forceps, and the officer pushed a very sharp needle right through it! Now Officer Paul was invited to come up and actually insert the ring itself, and to fasten its ends with tiny nuts carefully tightened with a special spanner: this done, he stood back with a hand cupped under Helen's breast, for the audience to see.

The ring was quite small and might hardly have been noticed normally: but now it stood out sparkling gold against the deep red of Helen's painted aureole. The audience applauded again, and I could tell that the applause was not so much for the workmanship, as for the submission shown by these new slaves in accepting these signs of the Company's ownership. Helen, I think, realized this too: she blushed prettily and smiled, but her eyes were on Officer Paul alone!

For my part, the scene was erotic in the extreme: my cock stood up as hard as a rock and my breathing quickened almost to a pant. Naturally, my Mistress noticed, leaned down to give a quick firm squeeze to my cock's head, and murmured with a conspiratorial smile, "What a lovely idea! If it turns you on so much, we'll have to consider doing the same to you, won't we?"

Her question was rhetorical, I suspected: but any answer I may have been tempted to make was cut short by Lord Ruthven's announcement: "That, ladies and gentlemen -- and slaves -- concludes this evening's ceremonies. I trust you've enjoyed them as much as I have, and are looking forward to working with our new fellow-officer... as well as perhaps working on our two new crew slaves! I can assure you Lady Ruthven and I are looking forward to that! Good night to you all."

There was a chorus of "Good night"s, polite from the officers and distinctly respectful from the slaves, and the gathering began to disperse. Lord and Lady Ruthven came up to the front of the room and asked Officer Paul if he would mind leaving Helen on the platform for a moment, as they had a small matter to discuss with him. He obliged, they all sat down at the table with my Mistress, and Lord Ruthven spoke in a voice that Helen would not be able to hear.

"We have a tradition," he said, "of observing a quaint little medieval custom, a sort of 'droit de signeur' -- with newly accepted crew slaves rather than wives, of course! Naturally, this depends on the agreement of the slave's owner, but..." Officer Paul started to say something like "Of course, Lord...", but Lord Ruthven stopped him with, "No, no, what I was about to say was: since you've invited your guest and her slave here to share the pleasure of the ceremonies, perhaps you'd like to spend the rest of the evening with them and your lovely slave. "No, I insist," he went on as Officer Paul tried again to speak. "If I may just have your assurance that you won't object to my exercising that privilege of my... ah, shall we say?... rank: perhaps tomorrow sometime? Good, I need hardly say how keen my anticipation will be by then!" He allowed his gaze to linger, clearly with great pleasure, on Helen's lovely nakedness.

"It's very kind of you, my dear," murmured Lady Ruthven, "to defer your 'droit de signeur' like this. I, on the other hand," she went on with a smile of pure anticipation, "do not intend to defer my 'droit de signora'! The slave overseer had my instructions in advance," she explained to my Mistress and Officer Paul, "and by the time I reach my room, I expect to find slave Ernie waiting for me in a most appropriate way!"

During this conversation, Helen's fellow new slave had been released from his bondage and been led out -- I had simply assumed he was being taken to the slave quarters -- leaving Helen alone on the platform. Lord and Lady Ruthven smilingly bid goodnight to my Mistress and Officer Paul, and the latter now returned to Helen.

My Mistress and I watched in fascination as, without a word, he released her wrists and, holding her at arm's length, looked deeply into her eyes. Then he drew her closer and put his arms around her, and her arms came up and around his neck as their lips met in a long deep kiss that obviously expressed a great deal of love. Helen arched her gorgeous naked body against his crisp new uniform, and his hands roamed over her back and in her hair, cupping the cheeks of her bottom to pull her hips even harder against his. It seemed an age before their lips finally parted, and he knelt to release her still widely spread ankles, she holding his head to keep her balance.

Supporting her gently so that the stiffness of her legs would not betray her, he brought her down to join my Mistress and me: he was about to say something when Lord Ruthven appeared in a nearby doorway and coughed politely to attract his attention. Leaving Helen with us, he went across and they spoke briefly before he returned to invite my Mistress to join them. Left alone with my 'beloved' Helen, I felt strangely awkward and could think of nothing to say.

Not so Helen. "I'm so glad you could be here, Peter!" she said with shining eyes. "Would you believe it was my idea to invite Mistress Tina and you? Master Paul -- oops, he's Officer Paul now, isn't he? -- didn't let me tell you about it, insisted it should be a surprise: was it a good one? It was a bit of a surprise for me too, because he never told me whether Mistress Tina had accepted or not... but I thought she might!

"Amn't I lucky?" she went on, the words seeming to fall over each other, I'm a crew slave now! D'you like my ring?" She fingered it for a moment. "It feels a bit strange, being numb right now: I wonder how much it'll hurt while it's healing... and what it'll feel like afterwards.... Pity your hands aren't free to play with it..."

Later, I had my chance to explore her new adornment with my fingers... and with my lips and tongue as well! (The latter turned out not such a good idea, as I discovered when my mouth started to feel numb; so I followed a suggestion to use it elsewhere on her body!) The four of us were together in my Mistress' room, which was just a little crowded but we didn't mind -- especially not Helen and I....

As part of our celebration of Officer Paul's and Helen's new status, neither Helen or I were shackled as we were allowed -- no, ordered! -- to hug and kiss and cuddle to our hearts' content. Our owners sipped brandy and chatted about the day's events, watching indulgently as our hands roved all over each other's bodies, as Helen's luscious tits pressed against my chest, as my cock grew hard between our bellies or insinuated itself between Helen's thighs.

At one point Officer Paul ordered Helen to pose without moving, and gave me a free hand to caress and kiss and lick her all over. I enjoyed this immensely, and so did Helen as my hands and lips and tongue titillated and aroused her -- not that she needed much arousing, she seemed to be on a sort of 'high'! -- but Officer Paul stopped me before she came, leaving her flushed and panting brethlessly. Next it was my turn, posing the same way while Helen's hands and lips and tongue roamed freely over my naked body, finally concentrating on my cock: to my surprise, she wasn't told to stop and -- far sooner that I would have wished -- I found myself moaning and arching my back as my cock twitched and spasmed in her mouth.

I was coming down to earth when I heard my Mistress, in an exaggeratedly casual tone, say to Officer Paul: "In the ceremony tonight, slave Helen -- no, crew slave Helen! -- promised her obedience to you as an officer, and offered her body to you for your pleasure: since I'm not an officer, she didn't do that for me. However, I understand that the rules of her slavery make her available to paying passengers when her crew duties permit: but what about guests? and is she free of crew duties now?"

Officer Paul's grin was as wide as my Mistress' seriousness was a mockery. "Of course!" he said. "She's all yours... for a while! Later, she has very important duties to perform for a new officer!"

Flashing him a grin of thanks, my Mistress crooked her finger at Helen and made her stand close in front of her chair, with her legs widely spread astride my Mistress' knees and her hands clasped behind her neck. With slow thoroughness and an air of complacent possessiveness, she proceeded to fondle the lovely naked body, so obediently placed at her disposal, in ways so intimate that I even found myself blushing for Helen -- despite the fact that I should have been well used to this by now. The intensity of her concentration belied the great enjoyment I could tell she was having, but her quickening breaths soon started to give her away.

For her part, Helen seemed to be enjoying this almost as much as my Mistress! I soon became convinced that she truly meant to live up to the promise she'd made earlier -- of total obedience to the Company's officers -- especially when that obedience included the other part of her formally recited submission into crew slavery: namely, that her naked body was from now on utterly available for the enjoyment of the officers, paying passengers... and, of course, an officer's guest! She made not the slightest murmur of protest as my Mistress' clever fingers explored her most private parts: on the other hand, before long she was making murmurs of another kind, as those same fingers aroused her towards an orgasm!

I doubt she was surprised, however, when my Mistress stopped and said, in a dry if slightly breathless voice, "That should have warmed you up pretty well for what I suspect might be your 'duties' later! I'm getting a little warm myself: perhaps I better see that I don't overheat. Kneel down, slave-girl, and you, slave-boy, you can help me undress!"

Standing up, she allowed my only-too-willing hands to obey, and soon her lovely body was as naked as Helen's. Her lightly tanned skin and slimmer but beautifully proportioned figure made a sexy contrast with Helen's fairness and voluptuousness, but there was a more subtle and equally sexy contrast, too: despite both women's complete nakedness, a strange aura of 'Mistressness' seemed almost to clothe her and render Helen's nudity even more naked and vulnerable, as she knelt submissively with her face only inches from the body being bared in front of her.

A moment later the contrast was made even more emphatic, as my Mistress sat down again, spread her legs wide and again crooked her finger at Helen with a smile of anticipation. Earlier, she had sat in comfort while Helen had stood stiff and spread-legged; she'd used her hands on Helen as she pleased, and Helen was expected to accept her attentions without complaint or control. Now, she still sat comfortably but with her legs spread, while Helen crawled between them on her knees; Helen was expected to use her tongue and lips where my Mistress had used her hands, and it was clear -- if unspoken -- that my Mistress was in complete control of the pleasure Helen was about to give her.

These thoughts, added to the erotic sight of Helen's blond head working hard between my Mistress' thighs, had the inevitable effect on my cock. Just as inevitably, Officer Paul noticed and, with a broad grin, motioned me to come kneel beside him. Although I'd made no promises like those Helen had, I knew only too well that my Mistress would want me to obey, wondering whether he intended to use my mouth the way Helen's was being used.

Instead, he simply wanted to fondle my cock and balls, and run his hands over other parts of my nakedness, while he watched his slave's mouth busy in the lush dark thatch of my Mistress' pussy. The huge bulge in the front of his trousers showed that the sight was exciting him as much as it was me, but not once did he even touch it. Somehow, I almost had the feeling that he was using my cock as a kind of substitute for his own, to save himself for the 'very important duties' he was planning with Helen.

(Perhaps this last thought should have disgusted me, but to my surprise it did no such thing: although it did bring home a new kind of humiliation I'd not experienced before, my slave's nature even found that exciting; besides, I also felt that I might be making a small contribution to what I was sure promised to be a wonderful night for Helen -- the way I knew she felt about her Master, his pleasure would give her pleasure redoubled.)

In the event, I think he proved me right. No sooner had my Mistress reached her climax -- moaning loudly in ecstasy as she clutched Helen's head with her thighs and arched to thrust her clit forward as if asking Helen to bite it -- and at last pushed Helen away, than he tied his slave's hands behind her, bidding my Mistress a polite goodnight as he did so. Taking a firm grip on Helen's right nipple with a thumb and finger, he led her out the door.

When my Mistress recovered her breath, she smiled at me contentedly and said, "Well, it's been a fun evening, hasn't it? I've just had a lovely climax, and you obviously enjoyed yours earlier. Now I think it's time for some sleep... and I just can't resist the idea of using that nice little cell to keep you out of mischief. The only question is: whether I can depend on you not wasting good sleeping time by playing with yourself!"

This wasn't a direct question, so I knew I was expected not to answer: but she must have seen some disappointment on my face, because she went on, "No, I don't think I can -- hands behind your back, please!" Her accompanying grin was friendly but firm, so I grinned wryly in return and turned to allow my wrists to be joined with a short chain between cuffs. Obediently, I went into the cell and my Mistress fastened one of my ankles with a cuff and chain attached to a strong ring, before closing and locking the barred door.

I was very effectively imprisoned for the night, with no less than three solid padlocks -- the one on the cell door would have sufficed, but I was quite accustomed to my Mistress' liking for extra "security" (as she called it) to emphasize my captivity even more. Sitting down, I leaned against the back wall of the cell and tried to come down from the day's excitement before settling to sleep. This wasn't very successful, I found, because I could clearly see my Mistress moving around and preparing for bed.

She pretended not to notice me watching, but the slight smile on her lips showed that she was deliberately teasing me, by wandering around the room for a short while, her lovely naked body clearly visible -- but so very unattainable! -- to her captive in the barred cell. Finally she lay down and turned out the light: I lay down, too, somewhat cramped but not too uncomfortable, and tried to sleep, but the echoes of the day's excitement kept me awake for quite a time.