Murder in the Forest, Chapter 38
Mason got his groceries and then thought of the FBI agents in town. He still felt that Bamka was being unnecessarily paranoid, but now that he thought about it, a chill ran down his spine. He ran by his home and loaded his bailout kit in his van, with enough survival supplies, ammunition, food, water, and money for him to cope for at least a couple of weeks in case he had to leave town suddenly and hide out until an initial search cooled off. He added some clothes suitable for both town wear and more rugged garb for the forest, in case he had to evade the law there. Feeling uneasy, he made a trip by an ATM for more cash, hoping that his precautions were unwarranted. But it was better to be safe than sorry.
He then drove up to the lodge where the girls were held, checking for any tails in his rearview mirror. Once well out of town, he cut off his lights and swerved suddenly into a small gravel road, where he would be concealed by trees. He waited there for ten full minutes, seeing no cars come rushing by, looking for him. Unless he was being tracked by a drone, he felt secure.
At the lodge, he fed both girls, who were actually glad to see him. They admitted that they were afraid that they'd been abandoned, left to starve while chained in their cells.
"Sorry, ladies," Mason apologized, if not too sincerely. "But my pal and I have other commitments besides you whores. Still, we like you, and you're both cheap dates. Don't have to blow money on dinner and a movie and just hope we might get laid, huh? You broads are sure things. Or, you'd better be, if you know what's good for you. Tell me that you're a sure thing, Courtney. Tell me that you beg to do whatever I want tonight. I mean it, dolly: tell me that now, and beg to please me."
Blushing furiously and trying to seem submissive instead of angry, Courtney Cassidy pleaded to be fed the rest of her meal, swearing that she would please Mason however he wished. "I'm a sure thing, sir. Melissa and I beg to be your playthings. We'll make it worth your while to keep us alive. You'll never have another pair of girls who will make you as glad to do them. Right, Melissa?
The other girl nodded vigorously. She looked terrified and swore that she'd be fully compliant with whatever Mason wanted of her.
After haranguing them for a few minutes more, Mason finished feeding them, rice with broccoli and canned tuna. The men had limited the captives' protein intake, to diminish their spirits and to cause their thinking to be slower and fuzzier than a proper diet would have allowed. Bamka had read somewhere that this would have an effect on captives and had been used by sophisticated kidnappers and by those trying to break the spirits of spies and others held by intelligence agencies. They had thought of making the girls eat pet food, to humiliate them and to make them think less of themselves. They planned to start that the next week, but hadn't done it yet. They weren't sure if it might harm the women. And if a girl tried hard to please, she got chocolate squares or fresh fruit.
Leaving Melissa in her cell, he took Courtney upstairs and locked one of her ankles to a ring in the floor with two feet of chain. He then unlocked her handcuffs, put on rock and roll music, and had her dance nude for him. She was sure to give a good show, afraid that he would punish her if unsatisfied.
After a few minutes, he locked her hands behind her again and had her kneel and give him oral service. She did exceptionally well, he thought, and she was rewarded with a whole chocolate bar and a soft drink.
"Pretty good, Baby," he conceded. "I'll take you to the shower after I do you and then I'll let you get to bed. I'll save Melissa until tomorrow. "
"I'm surprised that you brought me up here first," admitted Courtney. "I think you like her better. But I promise you, I'm going to try to outdo her whenever you want me. Just please don't hurt us. We're going to be the best thing you ever had, even in your hottest fantasies. But can I ask a question? Why don't you like me better? I know that I dance better than she does, and I have slightly bigger boobs and I think I'm probably prettier. What does she do that I don't? Tell me, and I'll make your wet dreams come true. I want to be the one left if you get rid of one of us. But she's sweet and I like her. Please keep both of us. You'll be glad that you did. Does the other man like me better than you do? He sort of seems to. But I want you to be totally pleased by me, too."
Mason considered telling her to shut up, but was flattered by the question and by her desire to please.
"You're doing okay, Baby," he conceded. "I think you're totally hot, and I know that you're trying. But something about Melissa, maybe her seeming especially submissive and seductive gets to me. And her looks just grab me slightly more than yours do. You're both beautiful. Something about her just rings my chimes more. She has kind of a baby-faced blonde look, a little innocent, but is really slutty and hot when she wants. I can get a bunch of money for each of you if we eventually sell you, but I hate to do that. You're both so much fun that we want to hang onto you longer than we meant to. Keep doing your best, and I may take one of you with me as my slave when I leave Elk Pass. My partner thinks we ought to kill you and keep a low profile, or ransom you after the FBI leaves town. We know that collecting that ransom money is going to be risky. The cops will be watching for us to pick it up, and the bank may plant a paint bomb in it to stain the money and us when the bag is opened. But I'll promise you this, Courtney, and you can tell Melissa, too. If you broads are really good slaves and try your best to be entertaining, I'll think of some way to release you alive in a year or two, money or not. I may take Melissa with me if I leave the country, if I think I can control her and keep her as my slave. She'll be really well trained by then, and I think she may grow to depend on me, even to love me. We'll see. You can tell her. I plan to tomorrow, anyway. But keep this between us. My pal is going to be reluctant to let you go. I may have to be harsh with him. He's mean to the core, I think, and if he thinks either of you recognize us, you're probably dead. So, be glad we wear these masks when you aren't blindfolded, okay? Now, let me blindfold you and help you over to kneel on the bed there. I'm going to do you doggy style, then you can shower and I'll put you away for the night. I may prefer Melissa a little, but I definitely like doing you, too, honey. Both of you are seriously hot babes. I was just more in the mood for you tonight, partly because you dance better. Not that Melissa doesn't move and shake better than 90% of the chicks in clubs do. I'll enjoy her tomorrow and for the remainder of my stay. I think my partner will relieve me for a couple of days then, so we can both attend to our regular lives. But Courtney, when I'm not here, you and Melissa had better do your best to make him want you and to please him. Your lives depend on that. Got the message?"
Courtney knelt in front of Mason and said, "Yes, Master. Just tell me exactly what you want of me tonight and correct me if I don't get it just right. I want you to be so totally satisfied with me that you'll really hate to be away from me. By the way, does this metal collar on my neck make me look hot? Melissa said that she feels totally slutty and like a slave in her collar. I even like the way we look in these collars in the mirror. It turns me on when you leash me with the ring on the collar and take me for walks. Can I go out later today, if I please you enough? "
Mason thought and decided to give the girls a treat. "Okay, Baby. If you do well enough, I'll leash you and Melissa and take you outside. But if we go beyond the back yard here, you'll wear blindfolds. I'll lead you carefully so that you don't trip, and then leash you with a chain on your collar to that ring in the yard so you can stay out an hour or so. Now, close your eyes. I'm going to blindfold you before I unchain that ankle and lead you over to the bed and take you on your knees. Squirm right, girl, and I'll pamper you. Just don't tell my pal that I'm soft on you. He thinks I'm too easy on you girls."
Courtney, still kneeling, nodded. "Yes, Master. It'll be our secret. But I'll tell Melissa, and you are going to feel like a sultan with the two hottest slave girls in history trying to satisfy you. We girls know what's best for us, and keeping you guys happy is our best hope. But we'll try especially hard to please you when the other guy is gone. Melissa and I will rack our blonde brains and come up with something to make you feel really happy with us. By the way, she admitted to me that you have some sort of hold on her. She looks forward to you doing her and telling her what to do. She said it just feels sort of natural for her to kneel before you and be told what you want from her. You won't find many girls who'll get turned on that way. I've even seen her looking in the mirror and playing with her collar and practicing her kneels. No way do you want your pal to hurt her. She's becoming just what you want, I think, and I won't be far behind. "
Mason ruffled her hair and told her not to worry, as long as the girls were submissive and obedient, especially if they seemed eager to serve. "I'll take care of you," he promised. "I'll try not to let the other guy be alone with you too much if I sense he's getting antsy. Now, let me blindfold you and take you to the bed and you can show me just how well you can squirm to make my night."
In time, she was allowed to wash before being handcuffed again and taken to her cell for the night. Mason uncuffed her there and locked her hands in front after chaining her ankles to the floor ring. He caressed her, and slapped her cheerfully on the butt before locking the door.
He noticed that Melissa had come forward and was looking at him from the front of her cell. He stared at her and she blushed and knelt, casting her eyes down and then glancing up quickly at him.
"Are you going to use me tonight, Master?" she asked. "I bet I can earn a piece or two of chocolate if you let me try. I'll make it worth your while if you want me." She colored pink all over as she spoke, but her eyes were bright, and Mason liked the way she licked her lips, hoping that he might desire her. It filled him with a suffusion of lust, but he was tired and told her that she'd have to wait until the next day.
"But I brought you this on account, Baby," he teased, and handed her a chocolate. "You can earn that and more tomorrow. I'll miss you tonight, but you're going to get a workout in a few hours. "
He handed each girl a fresh bottle of water through the fencing and paused at the base of the stairs. He looked back at Melissa and said, "You look really hot in that collar, and naked otherwise, Melissa, except for those cute gold earrings. Count on me appreciating you at length tomorrow, doll. "
She blushed and replied, "You're so going to be satisfied with me, Master! If I do well, will you leash me and take me for a walk? I really want to get some sun. Oh: thanks for the candy. I'll think of some way to make you glad that you gave it to me."
He nodded, waved goodbye, and ascended the stairs and locked the door, leaving just one ceiling light on to let them see as they needed, but in reduced light.
As soon as they heard the door lock, Melissa hurried over to the fence separating the girls and asked Courtney, "So, how did it go? And did he mention me? Does he like me?"
Courtney smiled and told her what had happened, glad of the other girl's companionship and a little amused at her hoping that Mason had asked about her. Courtney wondered if Melissa might bear watching, though. What if she really was falling for her tall captor?
She looked at the ringed stainless steel collar on Melissa's neck and hoped that she wouldn't be drawn to either man as Melissa seemingly was. She needed to stay focused on ways to free herself. Courtney didn't really believe that the men would release them alive, although she felt they could buy time by submitting to the men's' desires.
She began filling in Melissa on what had happened while she was upstairs, and realized with a shock that she was fingering her own collar and looking at herself in the big mirror just outside the cells. It looked good on her and she felt sexy and owned and a little like she was where she belonged. That scared her and she determined not to lose sense of who she really was. But what if she was a natural female slave, having been shown that side of herself? She shuddered, causing Melissa to ask if she was cold.
Upstairs, Mason checked the locks on all doors and settled into his bed for the night. He was troubled by the presence of the FBI and the other cops and he was troubled by the way he was afraid that Bamka might be thinking. He was pretty sure that they could brass this out if Bamka didn't panic, and then he found himself resolving to protect Melissa, whatever happened. The little bitch was getting to him, but only because he sensed that she was actually becoming fond of him and wanted to impress him. Something about the way she had sunk to her knees before him tonight and the shine in her eyes as she looked at him had seemed so genuine. He decided to have lots of fun with her and to take her for a nice long walk and talk to her more. If she was faking, he'd know, he thought. But he was almost certain that the young blonde was coming around.
With luck, she would soon call him Master because she accepted him in that role, and not just to avoid being punished. And she had been really grateful to get that chocolate…He almost got up and went after Melissa, but was tired and contented himself by masturbating as he thought of what he'd do to her in a few hours.
Finally, he slept, glad that he'd come here tonight.
But he'd have been less secure had he known what Hotchner was going to announce to his team at breakfast later that morning. A judge in Seattle had finally issued a warrant based on the evidence of the distinctive lingerie, and Mason's life was about to be put in jeopardy as a new phase of the investigation began.