The Golden Tether

Chapter 17: Jealousy

It was the next day when Becky found herself on her knees in the middle of Faye's office, Freen standing to her one side with a leash tightly gripped in her hand. Once word had reached management that Becky had been found, the council decided to meet up and assess the situation. Behind a large table sat several women, watching them closely. Becky recognised a few of them, including Faye, Lux and Engfa, plus another two women that Becky had not met before. The one had long brown hair and pointed features, the other one modelesque with her long legs and sly smile.

"You brought the whole establishment to a standstill, little girl." Faye uttered lowly, her piercing gaze settling on Becky. Becky didn't dare look up at the boss. "I had to stop all trade and utilise all man power just to find you. And then to find out you helped a slave escape! This sort of behaviour is unacceptable."

Freen flinched at Faye's harsh tone, feeling guilty and responsible for Becky and Irin slipping away in the first place. She feared what Faye might decide to do with Becky as the younger woman was still very much Faye's property. "It won't happen again." Freen spoke in a low voice, but loud enough to be heard.

"And what sort of guarantee do I have of that, Freen? Are you losing your touch? You've never had a trainee escape before. And god knows that I taught you better than that." Faye wasted no time in mincing words, firing off at Freen.

Freen froze at the last sentence, her heart skipping a beat at the implication of what Faye had said. Most people present in the room knew about Faye and Freen's past, but never really dared voice it other than behind closed doors. Becky, however, was caught off guard suddenly, her head shooting up to look at Freen, but Freen quickly gave her a stern warning look to turn her face down again. So she did, wrestling with Faye's words echoing in her mind.

"You did. It was my mistake. I'll double down on her training and she will work off her debt to Lux for losing her slave." Freen tried to reflect a level of confidence that she did not feel in the moment, but had to push through. She could not afford to come across as weak and incapable.

"No. Since Lux is partly to blame, there will be no debt. However, for tapping my establishment's resources through a full scale search, she will have to pay her dues by working for us for a bit. Anda here will take her in and have her work a shift in escorting. I don't want her ruined by placing her on a pleasure shift. I'll leave that to you." Every word Faye uttered was planted with absolute certainty, her tone leaving no chance for protest.

"She just ran away from me! How is Anda going to control her?" Freen's voice climbed an octave higher, not wanting Becky to change hands. The unsettling sense of possessiveness exploded in Freen's chest.

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Anda barked at Freen, not appreciating the unnecessary knock.

Freen gave her an apologetic look before speaking again. "It's not you, it's her. She's got a strong will and right now she needs to go back to being grounded." She argued as best she could, her heart beating faster at the thought of other people ogling Becky, or putting their hands on her. Freen felt a wave of irrational jealousy come over her.

"I've already decided, Freen. It's not up for discussion. Follow them around all you want, but she'll do what is expected of her." Faye canted her head and stared at Becky. Becky could feel the heat of Faye's gaze on her but did not dare to meet her eyes. Next to her, Freen swallowed as if she had something stuck in her throat. She hated the hurricane being let loose inside her stomach.

"Sorry Freen. I better get her dressed properly. You need to remove her collar so that I can fit her with a house collar." Anda spoke as she moved from her seat and stepped closer to the pair in the middle of the room. Anda was in charge of all house slaves and took care of them, while ensuring their services are delivered to customer satisfaction. She did this with the help of her pet, Lookkaew, whom she allowed all the freedom she had wanted. Lookkaew had belonged to Anda before the woman allowed her to work at the Tether, and so their dynamic worked on both a private and professional level. While Anda oversaw the house slaves, Lookkaew was the one who worked more closely with them, taking care of them like a mother hen.