Back to Chapter 12
Chapter 13 � Dinner with the Prime Minister
The
following day was Wednesday of Maria Elena�s third week in Danubia. She
woke up and gently kissed Victor. She had spent yet another night in his
bed, but still was too sore to have sex with him. She hoped that by that
evening she would be recovered enough to resume that portion of her
life. She got up and looked at herself in a full-length mirror. Her
welts were still dark and painful, but she noticed that they had just
started to fade. Excellent. Another day gardening in the sun would help,
and hopefully by the beginning of the following week her skin would be
completely healed.
She helped Cecilia with breakfast. They chatted about the upcoming fall
semester and a likely change in Maria Elena�s work schedule. Because the
norteamericanos would be enrolled in normal classes with Danubian
university students, the language training would end and Maria Elena
would have to work longer hours in the garden. The Ministry would pay
the university for a tutor, but only for two hours a day. Also, because
she no longer would be part of the exchange group, Maria Elena would not
have to attend physical fitness training.
�I guess the point is you�ve gotten to know my students, but after next
week you guys won�t be together in class anymore. They�ll all be in
different classes taking different subjects. That�s when things are
gonna change in the exchange program and people will start going their
separate ways. It's like that every year, the summer group splits up
once they start normal classes. The way things normally work is that
several cliques will form; you�ll have groups that end up not having
much to do with each other. I wouldn�t be surprised if the collared
group forms its own clique at the beginning, but once their collars come
off, I bet they�ll split up. Anyhow, whether or not you hang out with
any of my students is up to you, but you�ll have to remember they�re
free and you�re not, so they�ll always have more spare time than you.�
Once she had cleaned up from breakfast, Maria Elena went to the
university and reported for work. Her boss decided that she was healthy
enough to rake leaves, so he handed her a rake. He then departed,
leaving the criminal alone to reflect on her own situation. She realized
that, as much as she idealized her classmates, it was true they would
move on with their lives as soon as the semester started. She felt she
was close enough to Carmen that their friendship would continue, but she
did not feel she knew any of the others well enough to predict what
would happen. One big problem was the reality that most of them spoke no
Spanish and she did not speak English, so they would only be able to
communicate in Danubian.
As she raked, Maria Elena realized something else that troubled her. She
did not much care for Cecilia. The Dominican�s abrasive and bossy
personality grated on her, so she hoped to be around her as little as
possible in the future. The sooner she did not have to rely on that
irritating woman, the better. Cecilia had been extremely helpful and
never did anything to offend her, so outwardly she would have to remain
cordial. However, over time she hoped to build a life that would allow
her to distance herself from her housemate. Being friends with Carmen
offered one opportunity to not have to deal so much with Cecilia.
Another opportunity she had was to finish taking over the
responsibilities of the house, which would free Cecilia to spend more
time away with Jason or with her students.
Maria Elena had lunch with Carmen and the norteamericano who had
translated for the group when they were at the Cathedral getting ready
to demonstrate. It was strange to see them sitting in the nude at the
university cafe. However, it seemed that Carmen was more at ease with
being naked than she had been the day before. The guy still seemed a bit
uneasy. From the cafe the three went to class.
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Maria Elena's love-making sessions with Victor resumed Thursday, three
nights after her switching. Her body was still somewhat sore, but she
was determined to put the punishment behind her and make her life as
normal as possible. She got on her hands and knees so his weight would
not press on her welts. She placed her body on display for her lover,
showing him her markings as she assumed a submissive position and spread
for him. To see her punished body presented for sex was a strange and
sinister sight for Victor, because he never had made love to a woman who
had been punished. Like everything else with the Colombian, it was a new
experience for him, one that he found intensely erotic.
The criminal's summer routine lasted one more week. In the morning she
got up and prepared the kitchen for Cecilia to cook before helping
Victor get dressed. She quit going to the university with her housemate,
because Carmen started passing by to pick her up in the morning. Carmen
admitted that she was still embarrassed walking around naked on campus
by herself and liked having Maria Elena go with her for company. Every
morning there was gardening and every afternoon there was lunch, class,
and exercise. Carmen often went home with Maria Elena and chatted with
her while she was setting up for dinner. She started staying for dinner
and studied with her Colombian classmate in the evenings.
That Saturday Cecilia and Maria Elena planned an interesting surprise
for Carmen and the other protesters. They invited the 13 collared
students to go with them to the Socrates Club. Cecilia realized that one
way to reward the group that had shown solidarity with her housemate was
to show them a place that none of her other students had ever seen
first-hand. Yes they were foreigners with a sketchy command of the
Danubian language, but their collars made them welcome among the city�s
criminals. Jason accompanied his fianc�, of course. For the couple it
was a typical night, socializing and dancing periodically interrupted
when Cecilia took Jason to an intimacy room to spank him and make love
to him.
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The next two weeks passed uneventfully as Maria Elena pursued her
expanded work schedule and her reduced hours of language studies. She
spent her free time with Carmen and her nights with Victor.
There was one indication that Maria Elena�s life would have to change at
least somewhat by the end of September. The days were getting shorter
and the early mornings were beginning to get chilly. Often the prisoner
shivered during the first part of the morning while she was gardening,
which forced Cecilia to change her class schedule. She had to be tutored
in the morning so she could be indoors when it was still cold and
started working at 10:00, when the temperature outside was more
comfortable.
Summer was drawing to a close, but in Europe the richest weather often
immediately precedes the cold rains of autumn. The warm late summer
sunshine and cool breezes caressed Maria Elena�s bare body as she
worked, making her feel sensuous. She knew that the final weeks of
sunshine were something to enjoy, because soon enough it would be cold
and rainy. Undoubtedly she would spend the rest of the year indoors
stuck behind a customer service counter or serving food, so she knew
that she had to appreciate the final days of her gardening position and
the chance to be outside.
There was nothing to indicate anything other than she would lead an
ordinary existence as a criminal� or so everyone thought.
----------
The first Saturday of September was unseasonably cold and misty. That
afternoon, Cecilia handed Victor a message from his brother Vladim. The
Prime Minister had invited Victor�s household to a formal dinner at his
official residence. Cecilia explained in Spanish that meant he and his
sons and their wives were invited, along with Cecilia, Jason, Pedro, and
Maria Elena. The criminal wanted to make sure she understood correctly:
�Vladim Dukov� isn�t he� this country�s president?�
�No, not the president� the Prime Minister��
�But he�s their leader, right?�
�Yes.�
�And� I�m supposed to go to his place?�
�Yes, along with the rest of us.�
�But��
�You�re part of Victor�s household, just like me and Pedro. He�s
invited, so we�re invited.�
�But�I can�t go see the Prime Minister. I�m not wearing anything��
�Maria Elena, you�re collared, so guess what? You�re naked. It�s what�s
expected of you, and just because you�re naked doesn�t mean that your
life or responsibilities have stopped. Jason won�t be wearing anything
either, nor Tiffany. And if Cynthia and her husband show up, they�ll be
naked too.�
Maria Elena shuddered at the thought of being naked in front of the
nation�s Prime Minister, but decided it was best not to argue further.
Cecilia continued:
�Now, obviously you need to show proper protocol when we get there. Just
follow what Jason and Tiffany are doing. The Prime Minister will expect
you to follow protocol, but he also knows you�re new at this and if he
needs to, he�ll tell you what to do. Basic rule is: if he speaks to you,
kneel before you open your mouth. Second rule is: don�t speak unless
you�re spoken to. Anyhow, I�ll have to translate, so I�ll tell you
what�s going on.�
Victor re-appeared dressed in traditional attire; loose pants, boots, a
linen shirt, and a gray tunic. Cecilia had to excuse herself to change
into a long white linen dress and make sure Pedro was properly outfitted
with a boy�s linen shirt and linen pants. Maria Elena took a shower, but
there was nothing else she needed to do to get ready. She simply dried
off and nervously waited for the rest of the household.
Jason
showed up at the door, his skin wet from the cold mist and his uncovered
body covered with goose-bumps. Upon seeing Victor he knelt. Maria Elena
followed suit and knelt next to him. She was grateful to have another
collared person with her, to not feel so alone and freakish.
A short while later Victor and his companions got off the trolley that
took them from the university to a park outside the Old City Wall. The
Prime Minister�s residence was just on the other side of the park. It
looked somewhat like some of the nicer 18th-Century houses that Maria
Elena had seen in historical districts in Colombia. It was not large,
but the house and its architecture were attractive.
According to Danubian custom, the Prime Minister�s son was responsible
for greeting other members of the family and ushering them into the
residence. Upon seeing Vladik in his police uniform, Jason immediately
dropped to his knees and put his forehead to the ground. Maria Elena
followed his lead. As she knelt and bent forward, she felt the cold air
blowing against her exposed bottom-hole and vagina. She realized that
she was lewdly displayed, and also that Victor was standing immediately
behind her and could see everything. She blushed, but she knew that, as
a prisoner, modesty was a privilege she no longer had.
Vladik saluted Victor, Cecilia, and Pedro before granting permission to
Jason and Maria Elena to stand up. Vladik then led his guests into the
residence and into the main reception area. Victor�s sons already were
present with their wives, as were Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna and her husband,
and Kim�s sister with her husband. Also present was Criminal # 98946.
Besides Pedro, there were several other children and babies in the
house.
Cecilia told Jason and Maria Elena to join Cynthia, her husband, and
Tiffany in the center of the room. As dictated by protocol, the five
collared people knelt together and placed their foreheads on the ground.
The Prime Minister and his wife entered the reception area in formal
attire. The couple greeted everyone standing; then told the five
collared guests to kneel upright. One by one Vladim Dukov greeted them.
He warmly took both Cynthia�s hand and Tiffany�s hand as he asked them
to rise. When Jason stood up, the Prime Minister shook his hand and
patted his arm. Maria Elena later would find out that he loved Cynthia
and Jason as much as if they belonged to his own family and felt uneasy
making them kneel. However, protocol was protocol. As long as they were
collared, it was the Path in Life for the two Americans to kneel,
regardless of whatever personal feelings the Prime Minister had towards
them.
Cecilia instructed Maria Elena to stand up when the Prime Minister
greeted her. Blushing furiously, the Colombian complied while struggling
not to cover herself or look away. She looked Vladim Dukov in the face.
He looked much like his younger brother, but his hair was much shorter
and his expression was different. Unlike Victor, who always wore an
unpleasant expression, Vladim�s face was more tranquil and kinder, but
also more reflective. Maria Elena could tell that, of the two brothers,
Vladim was by far the more intellectual.
The Prime Minister greeted Maria Elena, verifying that she was from
Colombia and asking how she was doing in Victor�s house. Her heart
pounding, the prisoner answered while Cecilia translated. It was a
totally bizarre experience, to stand naked in front of a Prime Minister
at a formal family dinner, an invited guest, even though she was a
collared criminal. She has been arrested, publicly convicted, sentenced,
and whipped, but for the moment she was a guest of the nation�s leader
and would eat dinner with his family.
The experience was about to become much stranger. Two naked collared
young women entered through the front door, both holding bouquets. They
knelt on opposite sides of the entrance. Two other naked young women
then came in, carrying small trumpets. They blew a loud high pitched
note before kneeling next to the women carrying the bouquets. A fifth
naked young woman entered the room and announced:
�Honored guests of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Danubia! The
Grand Duchess of Danubia wishes to join the Honorable Prime Minister and
his family for dinner!�
Vladim Dukov responded: �We would be honored to have Grand Duchess Anyia
sit at our table. Please tell my daughter I wish to have her join us.�
The entire room came to attention, except for the five collared guests,
who immediately dropped to their knees. Maria Elena was totally
perplexed� had she understood right? Did Vladim Dukov say �my daughter�?
A young woman, who could not have been any more than about 22 years old,
entered the room followed by six naked attendants. She was dressed in
elegant linen and wore a purple tunic with a gold griffin engraved on
her chest. On her head she wore a small fancy crown covered with
diamonds and sapphires. Maria Elena looked at her: daughter�yes�the
woman looked like both Vladim and his wife Maritza. Anyia�yes�now she
remembered that both Victor and Cecilia had mentioned that the Prime
Minister had a daughter called Anyia, although no one had said anything
about her being the Grand Duchess of Danubia.
Anyia took the two bouquets from her kneeling attendants and continued
towards her parents. The two women who had given her the flowers stood
up to follow her, while the trumpeters stood guard at the entrance. The
Grand Duchess approached the elder Dukovs and handed each a bouquet.
Then, with a dismissive royal tone of voice, she addressed the five
naked persons kneeling in the center of the room:
�Collared guests of my father: I grant you permission to rise and to sit
at his table.�
Maria Elena�s companions responded in unison: �Thank you, Grand Duchess
Anyia.�
Anyia�s attendants took up positions around the table, with the Grand
Duchess sitting at one end and her father sitting at the other.
Ceremonially they were the most important people in the room; Vladim as
the leader of the nation, and Anyia as the Grand Duchess, the wife of
the country�s Grand Duke and representative of the Danubian Royal
Family. They were seated first, although Vladim waited for his wife to
join him before he sat down. After Anyia and her parents were seated,
her attendants quickly took positions behind the other chairs to seat
the remaining guests.
When everyone was sitting, Anyia tapped a spoon on her wine glass to
call her servants to attention. The young women immediately departed to
the kitchen and reappeared with four bottles of fine wine and
appetizers. One of the attendants presented a bottle to the Grand
Duchess, who sniffed the cork and tasted a small portion. With a
dismissive flick of her wrist she granted permission for it to be
served. The servants filled everyone�s glasses, with the exception of
Maria Elena and Tiffany. As collared criminals, they were not allowed to
drink alcohol.
As she ate the meal�s first course, Maria Elena noted that it was
obvious the Royal House servants were extremely disciplined and highly
trained. They moved silently and quickly, knowing their duties without
the Grand Duchess or anyone else having to tell them what to do.
Whenever they weren�t attending to someone�s needs, they immediately
went to their knees and kept their eyes facing forward. Their faces were
expressionless and their bodies immobile while waiting to serve or
attend to the desires of their mistress. All of the women were
attractive and in good health, but two of them had welts from a switch
criss-crossing their bottoms and shoulders.
Another interesting detail was that most of Anyia�s servants did not
appear to be Danubian. There were two blond women in the group, one of
whom was tall and had a tattoo on her ankle. There was a short woman
with olive skin and thick black hair who was from Sicily. There were a
couple of others that had mixed ancestry: two who appeared to be part
Asian, and another who was part black. Maria Elena did not know it at
the time, but the Grand Duchess was fascinated with having foreigners as
her servants and liked to �collect� them. She noticed Anyia looking at
her intently, but assumed that was due to simple curiosity. Maybe she
never had seen a Colombian before�
Maria Elena noted that the collars of Anyia�s servants were different
from those issued by either the Danubian Ministry of Justice or the
Danubian Church. They were much more elegantly crafted, inlaid with
silver trim, and marked with the seal of the Royal House.
As the meal progressed, it was obvious that the Grand Duchess was
enjoying herself and the fact that her position allowed her to act so
imperiously. The Prime Minister and his wife looked ill at ease with all
the formality, precisely because it entailed their daughter. Everyone
else sitting at the table also seemed unhappy with what was going on.
Anyia�s older brother Vladik exchanged glances with his father and
tightened his lips. Maria Elena noticed Kim and Cecilia exchanging
nervous glances, Jason staring sullenly into his plate, and Cynthia with
a hurt expression on her face. Anyia�s cousins and in-laws didn�t seem
pleased either. However, the young woman was so full of herself that she
was oblivious to the discomfort she was causing for the rest of her
family.
Maria Elena then observed the Prime Minister as he quietly took control
of the table and put everyone at ease without overtly offending his
daughter. He had a reputation as a skilled negotiator who could talk his
way out of any difficult situation, a talent which saved the night for
his guests. As much as Anyia wanted to be the star of the evening, her
father undercut her without her even realizing it. He engaged everyone
at the table in conversation, including the newest member of Victor�s
household, but in a way that Anyia did not feel slighted. Still,
everyone at the gathering knew that, without the skill of her father to
keep her under control, Anyia quickly would have ruined the meal.
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Once
the final course had ended, two minivans boasting the Royal House emblem
arrived to pick up the Grand Duchess and her naked entourage. Anyia said
goodbye to her parents by formally kissing each on the hand while her
servants knelt with their foreheads pressed to the floor. As soon as
Anyia was ready to step outside, the four tallest women of her group
held a large canvas cover over her to protect her from the rain. The two
trumpeters stepped outside as well, to blow their horns and announce the
exit of the Grand Duchess.
As Anyia�s servants boarded the minivans, Maria Elena noticed the Prime
Minister tightening his lips and exchanging a disgusted look with his
wife. Vladim Dukov was an unassuming person who treated everyone with
respect and courtesy, while his daughter, because of the nobility she
had married into, was totally the opposite. Presumably he should have
been proud to see her in such an exalted position, but in truth he was
profoundly disappointed and embarrassed every time she was in his
presence.
----------
The departure of Grand Duchess Anyia and her entourage lightened the
mood in the Prime Minister�s Mansion considerably. The Prime Minister
passed out drinks to his brother and nephews, while Jason conversed with
the husbands of the Lee sisters. Most of the women gathered around
Maritza Dukov while she described a trip she recently had taken to
Vienna. The children ran around the dining room table in circles and
ducked under the chairs.
Kim tapped Cecilia on the shoulder, letting her know that her
translating services would be needed. She realized that Maria Elena was
totally bewildered by the bizarre spectacle from the Grand Duchess that
she had just witnessed, and felt that she owed her client an
explanation. Kim explained that actually she knew Anyia well, having
lived with her during her sentence as a collared criminal. Vladim Dukov
had been Kim�s Spokesman and, because she had nowhere else to live, she
stayed with the Dukov family.
When Kimberly Lee first met Anyia eight years before, the girl was 14
years old. For a Danubian teenager she was somewhat rebellious, but
otherwise was ordinary, with a typical circle of friends from her
school. As a young teen, she had never really been pleasant company
because of her ill temper and moodiness, but she was approachable and
did enjoy having fun. Kim and Anyia spent a lot of time together doing
mundane tasks such as grocery shopping. Anyia taught Kim many things she
needed to know about her new life in Danubia, such as how to braid her
hair and a multitude of slang expressions and popular phrases. Towards
the end of Kim�s stay with the Dukovs, Anyia began to mature. That was
to be expected, but no one, certainly not Kim, could have foreseen the
Path in Life that the Creator had in store for her.
Anyia�s personality and interests changed completely when her father was
elected Prime Minister. As soon as he took over as the leader of
Danubia, Anyia started hanging out with the sons of various leaders from
his political party. As a teenager she dated several influential young
men, coldly calculating which one could offer her the most in life. She
built upon her experiences and set her ambitions higher as she completed
her final year in high school. On the night of her school�s graduation
ball, she met and danced with the Crown Prince of Danubia, the son of
the nation�s Grand Duke. The Crown Prince already was nearly 30 and she
was just 18, but she carefully assessed what she needed to do to win
him. Within a few minutes of conversation she discovered that he was not
happy with his fianc�, figured out why he was not happy, and presented
herself as an alternative.
Although she was not from the nobility, the Crown Prince was attracted
to Anyia from the moment he met her. She was a commoner, but she also
was the daughter of the nation�s Prime Minister, which would make her a
respectable partner. She was attractive, her background set her apart
from the other women he had known, and he found her to be a nice change
in a life of Royal monotony. Within a month a scandal erupted when the
Crown Prince broke off the relationship with his long-term fianc� and
started dating Vladim Dukov�s daughter. However, the girl used her
father�s popularity and some excellent acting to get the public to
accept her as the partner of the Crown Prince. She had decided that her
Path in Life would be as the wife of the Royal heir and the nation�s
future Grand Duchess.
Anyia was only 20 when she married the heir to the Danubian throne in a
lavish ceremony. Perhaps she would have been alright had she and the
Crown Prince had enough time to develop their relationship, have
children, and prepare themselves for their ceremonial roles as the Royal
representatives of the Danubian people. However, just a year after their
oldest son married, the old Grand Duke and Duchess were assassinated by
drug traffickers when conducting a state visit during a humanitarian
mission to Africa.
The murder of the Danubian Royal Couple caused several important changes
in the Republic. Vladim Dukov�s government became even more intolerant
of drug trafficking, passing several harsh new laws to augment the
nation�s already draconian anti-drug efforts. Following the Grand Duke�s
funeral, the Prime Minister went to the U.N. and gave a defiant speech
that excoriated the failure of other governments to do anything about
organized crime. As for the Royal Family, the old Grand Duke became a
national martyr, even though in life he was a tepid person who had
accomplished nothing apart from living off his ancestry. There was an
outpouring of support for the Crown Prince and his young bride, both of
whom were coroneted in a lavish ceremony.
The early coronation, the tragic circumstances that brought it about,
and the show of public support for the new Royal Couple had an
unfortunate psychological impact on Grand Duchess Anyia. Already her ego
was badly inflated because she was the daughter of the Prime Minister
and the wife of Royalty, but now, at age 21, she also wore a crown and
had become the country�s equivalent of a queen. Her circumstances had
not given her the time she needed to mature and put herself and her
relationship with the Danubian public in perspective. As she saw it, she
was the most important woman in Danubia and embodied the soul of the
nation. As such, she felt that the world owed her adoration. She was
genuinely taken aback and offended when someone dared to not give her
what she was due.
Anyia�s relationship with the rest of her family had deteriorated over
the past year. She knew that she could not view herself as superior to
her father: after all he was the Prime Minister and the nation�s elected
leader. However, the treatment of her mother, who was an academic
researcher; her brother, who was a cop; and her uncle, who was a private
businessman; reflected total contempt for their positions as commoners.
Grand Duchess Anyia was so much above them�
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The gathering lasted until almost midnight, which was late by Danubian
standards. The Prime Minister and his wife wanted to make sure that the
evening ended well for everyone by ensuring that his family could go
home with other memories besides Anyia�s oppressive spectacle. He passed
out yet more wine and called his butler and cook to join the rest of the
group. Vladim and Victor led the others in a round of singing, which was
a favorite late-night activity of Danubians at parties. There were
plenty of jokes that the two brothers should never audition for Kim�s
band, since their performance was not stellar. But everyone in the room
knew that their singing was genuine, serving no other purpose other than
to have fun.
Victor led his household home on the last trolley of the evening. Jason
tagged along as well, because it was his duty to see that Cecilia was
safely home before going home himself. As always, he knelt to say
goodbye to Victor before kissing Cecilia and disappearing down the quiet
misty street. Pedro was tired and his aunt occupied herself putting him
to bed. When she returned to the kitchen, Maria Elena was still cleaning
up. As she helped her finish, Cecilia commented:
�Be real glad we don�t have to go to that very often. Having dinner with
the Royals might sound exciting, but once you�ve done it a couple of
times, it�s something you try to get out of if you can. I don�t mind the
Grand Duke. He�s actually fun to talk to. But the Grand Duchess is
someone you want to avoid like the plague. That�s especially true if you
have to go to the Royal Residence. You do not want to be around Anyia
when she�s at home bossing everyone around.�
�She�s really that bad?�
�Well, you saw her. What�d you think of her?�
�I guess you�re right. I didn�t like her. She sort of scared me, to be
honest.�
�I can tell you something else, I feel sorry for her parents. They�re
both decent people, and to have that person as their daughter must
really suck.�
