Vera joined us at the table after
the auction. The attendant walked her
down from the stage to William and handed him the leash.
“Sit,” William said, his voice soft
but firm. Vera looked at the chair where
she spent the first part of the evening.
She looked at the man who brought her to the ball, who sold her to
William. I watched the look of
helplessness and shame overcome her, but she fought off the tears and kneeled
at William’s feet, then slowly sat on the heels of her pumps. She was still naked except for the shoes and
the collar.
“Good girl.” William smiled at her and stroked her
hair. She leaned toward him at his
gesture and I knew she was about to break down.
Before the first sob escaped her throat, William grabbed a handful of
her hair and pulled her head back and away from him. His smile vanished. Vera stifled her sob. A few heads from the surrounding tables
turned at the sound of Vera fighting to maintain control, but they only saw a
man and his woman, leashed and obedient.
The auctions proceeded.
Vera was not the only woman William
bid on that night, but she was the only woman he actually purchased. As the evening ended and we made our way to
the waiting limo, I didn’t know what to make of my position. I walked out of the ballroom a woman
transformed. When we arrived, I was on
William’s arm, his date for the evening, his plaything, to show off to other
men like himself – a white woman with a black man. Now I was the woman he didn’t own (I had no
collar) in the company of a man with the woman he did own. The woman he bought. The beautiful, humiliated, naked woman he led
to his limo by a dog leash. What he had
planned for her, what he had planned for me, I was left to wonder in
silence. I felt every pair of eyes in
the ballroom on us as we exited ahead of the crowd.
I remained silent as we approached
the limo. The driver opened the door for
us and William led Vera as you would a greyhound to enter ahead of us. William motioned the driver to hold the leash
as he helped me into the limo. Vera sat
with her back to the driver’s seat, facing me as I took my seat and waited for
William to join us. The driver stood at
the open door holding the leash as William circled behind the limo and entered
from the other side. Once he settled
next to me the driver handed him the leash.
It was an obvious display that I was not to touch the leash, nor was it
ever to be left unattended.
We rode in silence for several
minutes. Tears welled up in my eyes but
I refused to let them fall down my cheeks.
Vera remained calm for the duration of the ride, her hands folded in her
lap and her eyes cast down.
“Vera, I understand you have
children,” William said without looking at her as we arrived at the gate to
William’s compound.
“I have two girls,” Vera said.
“Are they well cared for?”
“My husband takes care of them when
I am away.”
“When was the last time you saw
them?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“I will allow you to see them for a
few days next week, but it will be months before you see them after that. You have much to learn.”
A tear rolled down Vera’s
cheek. She had not looked William in the
eyes since the auction.
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