6 – Paydirt

She spent the next fifteen days there. For most of that time she lay chained to the bed, staring at the ceiling waiting, while David went about his business elsewhere. But every evening he would come back, unlock her chains, feed her and make her exercise. Then, on the sixteenth day, he told her he would be bringing a buyer back to see her and she lay waiting, anticipating an end to her present existence. She didn’t have to wait long, about noon the door opened and David showed the buyer in.
The buyer came slowly into the room, sniffed the air and stopped in the centre, slowly turned completely around and finally fixed his attention on the girl chained to the bed. He took the two steps to the edge of the bed and looked down at her.
She turned her head away and stared at the wall.
The buyer smiled at this. He reached down and took hold of the top of the blanket covering the girl.
She tenced as she felt him pull it away.
Slowly he uncovered the naked form of the girl on the bed. Her arms chained above her head to the top of the bedstead and her feet chained to the bottom. He stared at her for a long moment. At her perfect white skin lying on the dirty brown blanket. He drank in the sight of her perfect, unflawed body, as one would a work of art. Then he slowly reached out and touched his fingers to one perfect breast.
She jerked at the leather touch of his gloved hand.
His smile widened a little and he spread his fingers across her breast, noting with satisfaction that he could just grasp her full breast in his hand. He pressed down. Then he squeezed.
She gasped and turned her head to look up at him.
His smile widened and he gripped harder.
Her chains went taught as she tenced under his grip.
He squeezed a moment longer and let go.
She remained tense looking him in th eye.
He smiled at her and looked down at her body. At the red mark of his hand on her white skin. He savoured the sight a moment.
Then he looked around to David. “I’ll buy her.” He said.
David smiled slightly, “Good ,” he said. “And the figure we discussed.”
The buyer gestured at the girl, “Get rid of the chains.”
“But she’ll run away,” David almost wailed.
“No she won’t,” the buyer was slow and calm. “So open the chains .
“O.K.” David came around to the bed, unlocked the chains from her feet and waited for her to do something.
But she just lay passively on the bed, looking at him.
He looked uncertainly at the buyer then walked to the head of the bed. “All the chains ?” he asked.
“All the chains ,” the buyer replied.
David reached over and unlocked her left hand.
Slowly she brought her hand down by her side.
David paused another moment, then unlocked the chains on her other hand.
The girl slowly folded her arms, then lay still on the bed.
“Here,” the buyer took his bag from his shoulder and dropped it on to the girl. “There’s some clothes in there. Put them on.”
The girl stiffly sat up on the bed, opened the bag and took out a red cotton dress, a pair of red shoes and a pair of black tights. She looked up at the buyer inquireingly.
“Its O.K. dear,” he said. “You won’t be needing anything else for a now.”
The two men stood watching as she dressed.
Slowly she rolled up one leg of the tights, then pushed it over her foot and smoothly up along her leg. Then she did the other leg, stood up and pulled the tights up around her waist. She put the shoes on the ground and stepped into them. Picking the dress up from the bed, she held it before her and stepped, first her right then her left leg, into it and pulled it up, pushing her left then her right arm into the sleeves. She reached stiffly behind her to fasten it and stopped.
Turning her back to the buyer she asked in a soft sweet voice, “Could you do it up, please ?”
The buyer smiled and zipped up the back of her dress, fastened the back of the neck and tidied her hair about her shoulders.
David cleared his throat, “Err, I have the clothes she was wearing here, if you want them.”
The buyer shuck his head still watching the girl. “No thank you, you can keep them,” he said.
“Thank you,” the girl turned to face the buyer, smoothing the front of her dress down. “This is very nice. But,” she looked up at the buyer’s face. “Could I please take the leather jacket I was wearing when I came here with me.”
The buyer looked down into her face and she smiled back up at him. “O.K. ” he said.
She looked inquireingly at David, who waved at the pile of clothes still in the corner where he had thrown them when he had stripped the girl.
She walked stiffly, but still with a certain flow, to the pile and extracted the leather jacket. Standing she put it on and turned to face the two men staring at her.
“Come on,” the buyer spoke softly and gestured to the door.
David turned to him and opened his mouth to speak, but the buyer held up his hand to stop him. Reaching into his pocket he took out a well filled envelope and handed it to the man.
David grabed it with both hands and sat down. Ripping open the envelope he spilled the money onto the table.
The buyer smiled openly at David’s need. Then he opened the door, turning to leave.
“Hey ! Hold it !” David threw the half of the money he had counted back onto the table. “This isn’t what I need.” He pointed at the girl and looked at the buyer. “This isn’t the price we agreed.”
The buyer half turned to face the man, “Its all you are getting from me.” He spread his hands, “A fair price for the goods on sale.”
David stood ,”But I …”
The buyer turned and took a step towards him. “Its all the money that she is worth. Now don’t push it.”
“But I …” David clenched his hands.
“Sit down and shutup,” the buyer pointed at David and looked him straight in the eye.
David suddenly knew in his heart of hearts that he was dead if he tried to squeeze this man. He looked away and sat down.
The buyer stood looking at him for a moment as the tension dissappeared. Then turned back to the girl.
She was looking passively at the David.
The buyer waved her through the door in front of him, smiled at David. “Goodbye,” he said. “Nice doing business with you.” He followed the girl out and closed the door behind him.
David half rose from the table and threw his glass at the door. “You fucking black bastard,” he shouted.
But there was no response.
He sat down again. And looked at the open envelope with the inadequat amount of money inside, at the bottle of vodka and around at the suddenly empty room.

Chapter 7 – Freefalling