; ; The door opened a few moments later.
; ; “Ah, Dr. Grant. I’m so glad you could make it. Do please come ; in.”
; ; Ann greeted her host and looked around the foyer as she entered. The ; room was elegant and richly furnished, almost Victorian in its ; decorative excess, just like its owner. Dr. Carnelian was dressed in ; a smoking jacket and matching slacks, the velvet red contrasting ; sharply with his pale complexion. He held a drink in one hand.
; ; He’d be a handsomer man, Ann thought, if he’d only step out into ; the sun every once and awhile.
; ; “I’m glad to be here, doctor. I’m anxious to see it. I want ; to thank you again for inviting me.”
; ; The physician led her through the house as they spoke. “Think ; nothing of it. You are doing me a favor in examining it. I’m sure ; the cabinet is authentic, but I would naturally welcome a professional ; observation.” The hallways were painted a pale yellow and lined ; with small urns and paintings. They showed landscape scenes mostly, ; though one or two were of beautiful women in poses of artistic ; splendor. “It’s this way.”
; ; Ann found the paintings fascinating. They were all clearly by the ; same hand, but the style was unfamiliar to her. Each was almost of a ; photographic quality.
; ; “These are beautiful paintings. How long have you had them?”
; ; Carnelian paused in the doorway to his study. “Oh, for a long ; time, doctor. I’ve always enjoyed Art.” Ann could hear the ; capital letter in the way he spoke. “The Artificial is such an ; improvement over real life.”
; ; The study was walled with books and scrolled manuscripts, bric-a-brac ; on shelves and along the fireplace mantle. The walls were ; wood-paneled and the chairs soft and plush. A mahogany table with ; ornately carved legs stood off to one side. To Ann, the room seemed ; cluttered and overcrowded with heavy furniture and ugly-looking ; ornaments. It was like stepping back into the 19th Century, she ; thought, and again Ann was reminded of Victorian excesses.
; ; She caught her breath, then looked back at Carnelian as he entered. ; “You don’t like real life?” she asked. “That’s ; surprising, considering all this landscape art.” She gestured.
; ; The doctor smiled. “Nature, to me, has always looked better at a ; distance, ma’am. Art perseveres, but nature has a tendency to rot. ; Would you care for a drink?”
; ; Ann looked around at some of the titles on his bookshelves. He had a ; fine collection. “No thanks. I want to have a level head for the ; cabinet. Do you really think it’s T’ang?”
; ; “I’ll leave that to you to judge.” Carnelian pulled on a rope ; cord in a corner of the room, and almost immediately a uniformed ; butler stepped in. The doctor handed him his glass. “I’ll take ; a sherry, George. We’ll be in the Asia Room.”
; ; The butler nodded his head once and returned to the hall. Carnelian ; crossed over to a door on the other side of the study and opened it.
; ; “After you, Dr. Grant. You won’t be disappointed.”
; ; She stepped through after him and saw it for the first time.
; ; He was right. It was magnificent. ;
; ; The cabinet was large and had basically the same dimensions as a ; modern telephone booth, but it was black and solid too, decorated with ; ornate golden scrollwork. It stood in the middle of a room heavily ; furnished in ornate tapestries, smaller lacquerwork cabinets, and a ; small army of carved jade ornaments on shelves, all Chinese or ; Chinese-influenced. But Ann’s mind wasn’t on any of these ; things. Only the central cabinet held her attention. She approached ; it and put her hand just over its surface, not quite daring to touch ; the ancient lacquer. She slowly circled it, her eyes moving across ; its complex exterior, its patterns of Chinese ideograms, symbols, and ; pictures.
; ; While she examined the cabinet, Carnelian examined her. He stood by ; the still open study door and carefully watched his guest. Yes, he ; thought, she’s just that short of perfect already. She’s an ; excellent choice. Her hair was dark but not too long. She possessed ; a lovely figure, a nice bosom and firm behind, and beautifully ; stockinged legs. The assistant professor was wearing a blue, ; semi-tight skirt and matching white blouse, well-suited to her slim ; figure. Her face was made-up but not overdone, just a light blush ; over naturally clear cheeks. Her petite mouth was just barely touched ; by cosmetics. Dr. Grant appeared younger than her thirty-five years ; and could easily be mistaken for a graduate student still. Even the ; gold-rimmed glasses looked appropriate on her.
; ; Yes, Dr. Carnelian thought. She’ll make an excellent subject. He ; would have to remember to thank his patient down at the university for ; recommending her.
; ; Ann failed to notice the butler George come into the room and hand ; Dr. Carnelian his refreshed drink. She didn’t notice how ; mechanical his movements were, how stiff-armed and stiff-legged he ; seemed, how very robotic. She didn’t notice either how he never ; spoke to his master but only responded in gestures from him, ordered ; to stand and wait by one golden tapestry, standing there silently, ; motionlessly. No expression filled his pale features, paler by far ; than Dr. Carnelian’s. The butler’s eyes stared ahead blankly, ; not even a whisper moving his broad, uniformed chest. He stood ; literally as still as a statue, waiting to be commanded. Ann ; didn’t notice any of this. She was completely absorbed in her ; study of the cabinet. She didn’t hear Carnelian step up behind ; her.
; ; “Is it authentic, do you think?” he asked softly.
; ; Ann didn’t look up. “It’s definitely T’ang-influenced, ; and it’s remarkably well-preserved for its age if it is T’ang ; Dynasty. It’s at least a thousand years old, of that much I’m ; sure.”
; ; She stopped and looked at her host, seeing him smiling bemusedly. ; “Where did you find this? It’s museum quality work, but I’ve ; never heard of anything even remotely like it being uncovered.”
; ; Carnelian sipped his sherry. “I obtained it from a private ; collection. The previous owner was unaware of its value or antiquity, ; and he was equally unaware of how it could be used.”
; ; “Used?” Dr. Grant asked.
; ; “Well, doctor, it is a cabinet, after all, and you do put things ; inside of cabinets.” He leaned slightly against it with his ; shoulder, his hand trailing over the scrollwork. “Do you think you ; can open it?”
; ; “Oh, please, don’t do that,” Ann breathed. Carnelian moved ; aside, and she examined where he had touched it for damage. ; “It’s fragile. Have you managed to open it?”
; ; “Yes, certainly. This particular cabinet is the prototypical ; Chinese puzzle-box, doctor.” He laughed softly, then met her gaze ; with his own. Carnelian had the deepest green eyes Ann had ever seen, ; she noticed for the first time. They were like great emerald pools of ; darkness, and she shivered suddenly for no apparent reason. ; “I’ll make you a bargain, Dr. Grant. If you can find the right ; combination to open the cabinet, I’ll let you take it back to the ; university for study. But I warn you, it won’t be easy.”
; ; Ann blinked, surprised at the offer. “Are you serious?”
; ; Carnelian continued to stare directly into her eyes. He told her ; solemnly, “I’m never completely serious, doctor, but I always ; keep my promises. The cabinet is yours, if you can open it ; correctly.”
; ; Ann looked at the Chinese marvel. “What do you mean correctly?” ; she asked.
; ; “You’ll see.” Carnelian stepped back to let her work. ;
; ; Ann found she didn’t like Dr. Carnelian very much. He was a ; prominent physician, she knew, and an extremely urbane and ; sophisticated man, but something about his manners struck her as being ; decadent . . . almost effeminate, really. There was something ; unwholesome about him, something morally ambiguous. And then, of ; course, there was the whole layer of mystery surrounding him. Ann was ; as intrigued by a mystery man as much as the next girl, but Carnelian ; . . . his patients were rumored to be made up exclusively of the elite ; of society, but no one she had met would ever admit he was their ; doctor. He was always invited to the best parties and social ; gatherings, but there was a sinister aspect about him, and few would ; ever dare to approach him.
; ; Some women found that sort of man intriguing, but Ann surely ; didn’t. She couldn’t even tell how old he was by looking at ; him. His face was completely unlined. He could have been anywhere ; from his late twenties to his early fifties. Ann just couldn’t ; tell.
; ; Taking a deep breath to clear him from her mind, Ann turned back to ; the cabinet and resumed her minute examination of it. The blackness ; of its surface was like midnight pearl. Gold scrollwork covered every ; inch of it, twisting in a thousand different designs. She recognized ; many of the ideograms as ancient Chinese, but she could only translate ; a handful of them. The more Ann looked at it, the more certain she ; was of its antiquity. At the same time, though, she wondered if it ; really was from the T’ang Dynasty. The cabinet was sophisticated, ; but it was a little too sophisticated. She hadn’t believed even ; the T’ang could construct something as exquisite as this art piece.
; ; She wondered how old the cabinet really was. When Ann had heard of ; the antique in the first place, from a friend in the department who ; said that a certain Dr. Carnelian owned an ancient T’ang-era ; artifact in mint condition and wanted it appraised, she had jumped at ; the opportunity. Later she had met Carnelian briefly at a charity ; get-together sponsored by the university, and she had spoken to him ; about it.
; ; If she could get the cabinet back to the university where she could ; study it in the close, close detail it deserved, Ann believed it might ; make her career. She had to have it. Her fingers traced lightly over ; the long edges and golden patterns, looking for a seam or hidden ; button.
; ; She glanced back at Carnelian. “How did you manage to open it?” ; she asked.
; ; “With great skill, ma’am.”
; ; Ann snorted derisively and went back to work. There had to be a ; hidden catch somewhere in the frame. There was probably more than ; one, actually, if Dr. Carnelian wasn’t lying about how there was ; more than one way to open it, a right way and at least one wrong way. ; She worked on the puzzle for more than an hour, her small hands ; lovingly caressing the ancient box as she probed for a clue to its ; entry.
; ; The cabinet remained stubbornly solid, though. As solid as a brick, ; apparently, she occasionally thought as Carnelian stood by watching ; her. The butler George also remained in attendance, never moving, ; perhaps not even breathing.
; ; Ann had three of her fingers on one intricate spiral pattern and was ; pressing in with her other hand on a figure of a bowing woman when she ; heard a soft click emerge from inside the box. She felt something jab ; into her finger.
; ; “Oh!” she cried. She looked down at the small dot of blood on ; her left index finger. A small needle must have punctured her.
; ; Ann began to say something to Dr. Carnelian . . . and then she ; stopped. Or, rather, her train of thought stopped. She kept on ; staring at the single drop of blood on her finger, a look less of pain ; on her face than that of mild surprise.
; ; She had to keep looking at her finger, she found. Ann couldn’t ; move. She couldn’t budge an inch. I’m paralyzed, she thought, ; horrified. Help me. I’ve been poisoned. Help me!
; ; None of her racing thoughts showed on her face. Ann’s eyes ; continued to stare down at her hand, her mouth caught slightly open in ; a darling little moue of surprise.
; ; Dr. Carnelian put down his drink and walked over to Ann. He beckoned ; to George, who followed with precise robot-like grace. The butler put ; one hand on Ann’s outstretched palm and another under her chin and ; slowly straightened her out. She moved easily, with someone guiding ; her. Ann still couldn’t move on her own no matter how hard she ; tried, and her eyes remained fixed in a thousand-yard gaze.
; ; Help me, she screamed mentally. Help me!
; ; Carnelian smiled at Ann and made sure he was within her limited line ; of sight. “I’m sorry, Dr. Grant. You found one of the wrong ; ways to open the cabinet, it seems. Don’t let the failure disturb ; you too much, however. After all, you found that needle trap after ; only an hour’s work. I’m sure it would have taken a lesser mind ; hours more to do the same.”
; ; He turned to George. “You may begin removing her clothing,” he ; instructed. ;
; ; Remove my clothing! Ann struggled to break out of her frozen state, ; but her body refused to obey. She still had all of her normal ; sensations, though. She could feel and experience everything. She ; was not numb at all; she just couldn’t move. Carnelian’s butler ; began unbuttoning her blouse first, undoing each button one at a time. ; There was no expression on his face. He might as well have been ; wearing a mask for all the apparent humanity in his features. It was ; only now while forced to look at the man so closely that Ann realized ; how robotic he seemed. George undid her skirt, pulled her blouse up a ; bit, and then raised Ann’s arms and slid the garment off.
; ; The butler began with her skirt next, soon leaving Ann clad only in ; her bra and pantyhose, her shoes still on her feet, glasses still over ; her eyes. As she was stripped, off to one side where she couldn’t ; see him, Ann heard Carnelian speaking.
; ; “I learned a long time ago, doctor . . . or may I call you Ann, ; now? Yes, I think that’s more appropriate to your station now. I ; learned a long time ago, Ann, that to indulge one’s fantasies is ; the highest and most rewarding form of Art there is. I consider ; myself living testimony to the value such indulgence can bring.”
; ; George began undoing Ann’s bra. Her breasts, small and lovely, ; were slowly uncovered. The nipples were perky, a symptom of how ; physically aroused Ann was becoming even in spite of her great fear. ; They’ve turned me into a mannequin, she thought. The butler’s ; hands were touching her all over, and there was nothing she could do ; about it,
; ; Uncontrollably, Ann began feeling a little damp in her innermost sex. ; The butler pulled off the bra and then her glasses.
; ; “I read about the Hei-pi Cabinet some years ago,” Carnelian ; continued. “It fell within the purview of my interests ; . . . dolls, statuary, the occult. And Art, of course.” He moved a ; bit closer to Ann, but she still couldn’t move her eyes in his ; direction. George carefully began removing her shoes.
; ; “Early on the Chinese developed a most admirable fascination with ; automata. The court machinists designed artificial birds that could ; actually sing and hop from branch to branch in their little artificial ; trees. It was marvelous. They designed robots that could serve meals ; or perform intricate dances at their owners’ behest, play musical ; instruments and even carry on complex conversations with their ; masters. They came up with all sorts of wonders. And, naturally, not ; to be outdone, the Emperors’ magicians also began building their ; own clockwork pieces. The best of their work were so very much alive ; in appearance one would have to wonder whether they actually were ; alive.”
; ; George rolled Ann’s hose and panties down her legs. She was wet, ; she hated to admit to herself. At some level in her mind she was ; definitely being stimulated by the touch of the butler’s hands on ; her immobile form, her nude body open to inspection.
; ; “I’ve managed to collect many of these Asian curiosities over ; the years, Eastern counterparts to my own small efforts in the field. ; The Hei-pi, however, is the centerpiece of my collection.” He ; sounded right next to Ann now. “The Emperor Lao Tsung had an ; assembly of the loveliest and most happily obedient concubines ever ; assembled in China prior to his reign. The advantage he held over his ; predecessors was his ownership of this cabinet, built for him by an ; obscure alchemist-craftsman whose name history has failed to record. ; Pity, that.”
; ; Ann was completely naked. George neatly folded her clothes and place ; them next to her, glasses and shoes resting on top. The butler then ; unfolded Ann’s arms and arranged them at her sides, straightening ; her legs, and facing her head up and forward. He did this all in such ; complete and utter silence, his movements so much like the automata ; Carnelian had been describing, that Ann began to harbor a dreadful ; suspicion.
; ; What is he going to do to me? she thought desperately. She stood as ; if at military attention, helpless yet strangely enraptured by her ; trapped state. Carnelian moved in front of her again, nodding with ; approval with what he saw.
; ; He turned to the butler. “I believe it’s time, George. Put her ; in the cabinet.”
; ; As the robotic servant moved to obey, Carnelian smiled at Ann. It was ; a warm and pleasant smile, not at all sinister or threatening. This ; made it all the more terrifying.
; ; “You, my dear Ann,” he said, stressing the word ‘my,’ ; “are about to receive the benefits provided by the Hei-pi. You ; will remain young and beautiful forever, and you will make me the ; perfect maid. My congratulations.”
; ; No, no, she screamed inside, helpless to prevent George from putting ; his hands on her bottom and thighs and lifting her up. He turned ; around slightly, and Ann could see the cabinet again. The side by ; Carnelian was open now, two narrow and expertly crafted doors folded ; back on hidden hinges. He must have opened it when I couldn’t see ; him, Ann realized. She could that the edges of the doors were jagged, ; shaped like giant jigsaw pieces that would close seamlessly upon one ; another, their openings camouflaged by the golden scrollwork. The ; interior of the cabinet was featureless save for a row of small round ; holes lining the bottom. Ann really couldn’t see too much, though, ; because she still couldn’t move her eyes from her mannequinesque ; stare.
; ; George carefully tilted Ann’s legs in first, then straightened her ; out vertically inside. He positioned her so that she could see ; forward again out the open doors.
; ; The butler moved out of sigh, prompted by a gesture from his master. ; Carnelian came to stand in front of Ann, one folded door in each hand. ; “Don’t be frightened or worried, Ann. All your fears and ; worries are about to go away forever. I promise, your new life will ; be a much simpler one. And I always keep my promises.”
; ; The last thing Ann saw was Carnelian’s good-humored features. Then ; the doors closed and everything went pitch black.
; ; Oh my god, ohmigod, ohmigod, she cried silently in the dark.
; ; Carnelian stood there a moment considering, then he walked over and ; behind the cabinet, reached around its sides and lightly touched two ; different yet easily unnoticed ideograms. One was an ancient symbol ; meaning ‘white’; the other was an equally obscure character for ; ‘soul.’ He depressed both keys at once and was rewarded with a ; brief yet clearly audible click. Carnelian moved away then, asked ; George to remove Ann’s clothes, and went off to make a few phone ; calls.
; ; The “changing” process, he knew, would take some time, and ; meanwhile there were a thousand details to take care of. ; Dr. Grant’s car would have to be removed - he would get Michael to ; do that, he was an inventive lad - and then the professor’s ; associate at the university would have to be rewarded, then ; . . . well, it wouldn’t take too much time or effort for a man of ; his resources to make a beautiful young woman disappear without a ; trace. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done it before, after all. ;
; ; Inside the box, Ann waited in silence.
; ; She had heard the click, some mechanism inside the ancient cabinet ; being activated, but what that meant she didn’t know. What’s ; going to happen . . . . Ann’s thoughts trailed out again as she ; realized she could see the box’s interior again. A soft glow, a ; bluish light, was beginning to build. The interior walls were shining ; and getting brighter, and within minutes Ann felt like she was trapped ; in some weird fantasy version of a tanning booth. The light didn’t ; hurt her eyes, but it did cause them to blur slightly.
; ; She was unaware, at least at first, of how the rays of light were ; affecting her body. Had she been able to see, she might have liked ; what she saw. All of the slight imperfections in her skin were fading ; away . . . all of the freckles, moles, and birthmarks any natural ; woman was heir to. They each slowly disappeared without trace, ; leaving skin totally blemishless and perfect in their absence. Even ; the scar left over from having her appendix out a few years ago ; disappeared.
; ; What’s happening? she thought. What now?
; ; A tingling sensation had started in her skin, like a lover’s caress ; that managed to touch everywhere at once. It started at the bottom of ; her feet, then Ann felt it in her face and breasts, and then it was ; truly everywhere, steadily getting stronger.
; ; The sensation was not unpleasant, Ann reflected. It was, in fact, ; quite pleasing.
; ; That feels so good, she realized. I can’t believe how horny its ; making me. It feels sooo good. But I can’t, I can’t let him ; win . . . it’s doing something to me, and I want it, no, no . . . I ; have to fight it. Ann struggled inside. It’s wrong . . . I’m ; nobody’s maid . . . but it feels so good! The stimulation steadily ; worked its way into her body, into her mind. It focused on her sex, ; the pressure and the power forced there more than she could stand. ; The power touched her almost physically in her clitoris, penetrating ; deeply into her vagina. The first orgasm shook every fiber of ; Ann’s being, rocking her to the very soul.
; ; And then it came again . . . and Ann came again.
; ; Only this time, the orgasm was so great it made even that first ; titanic event seem small.
; ; And then there was a third, dwarfing in intensity the second. And ; then a fourth . . . and a fifth . . . and . . . I can’t believe it, ; I can’t believe it!
; ; It feels so good!
; ; Waves of excruciating pleasure coursed through Ann’s body. They ; took their time with her, stretching out longer and longer, leaving ; her all the more helplessly needy for the next one. Her body remained ; perfectly motionless; her eyes remained absolutely blank and staring. ; Not a quiver emerged to give hint of the struggle going on within her. ; Each wave would build, crest, then tease mercilessly, holding on ; without giving Ann the satisfaction she increasingly needed and ; craved. And then the wave would break, pouring pleasure through every ; square inch of her rapidly transforming body.
; ; I can’t. I can’t. I have to fight this. If I give in . . .oh ; god, that’s good, that’s a good one . . . no! If I give in, if ; I give in . . . oh, ahhh . . . I am Ann Grant, assistant professor of ; Asian Studies at . . . at . .oh, oh my, oh my . . . it’s coming, I ; can’t take, I have to take . . . yes, no, yes, yes, yessss. Ohhhh! ; Ohhhhhhh! The power crested and broke, and Ann broke with it. And ; then it started again, and again, each wave lasting longer and longer, ; the resulting ecstasy greater and greater.
; ; Ann’s surrender was complete and absolute.
; ; As Ann’s mind began to melt under the constant ecstatic barrage, ; her body continued to change. Lines of force lanced out from the ; cabinet’s interior walls, from the floor and ceiling, the beams ; passing through her motionless, nude form and dividing her in an ; intricate gridwork. Her unmarked skin began to shine with its own ; inner light. She glowed blue, and the very texture of her skin slowly ; altered. It softened, yet at the same time hardened into a ; plastic-like surface. Doll-like she became, soft in all the right ; places, hard as stone everywhere else. Ann’s eyes and open mouth ; shone out with their own radiance; it was as if the inside of her was ; on fire, with her luminescently blue skin forming only a thin shell ; over a raging inferno inside. Her hair, both on her head and at her ; sex, grew deeper in color, blackening till it reached the same exact ; shade as that of the black lacquer surface of the cabinet’s ; exterior. Everywhere else, especially along her arms, Ann’s hair ; burned and faded away. She was left smooth and very, very artificial.
; ; Outside, the cabinet stood perfectly still. Not a sound could be ; heard from within. It looked much the same as when Ann first saw it.
; ; Carnelian came back into the Asia Room after about two hours. ; Everything had been arranged. He consulted a silver pocket watch and ; estimated it was about time. He walked over to the cabinet and waited ; for a moment. There was a loud click from inside.
; ; He reached out with both hands past a corner on the cabinet’s front ; left side, depressing three different hidden catches simultaneously. ; Pressing any one these keys alone, or pressing them in any other ; combination, would activate a needle trap. The same was true of the ; hundred or so other hidden catches along the box’s lacquered ; surface. There were a hundred different ways to end one’s ; existence as a mobile human being in the Hei-pi, but only one way to ; open it safely.
; ; The two hinged doors in front softly clicked open.
; ; Carnelian slowly reached out in a high overhand gesture, and a soft, ; graceful arm from within greeted his palm “Come out, my dear, and ; let us have a look at you.” ;
; ; Ann stepped out of the Hei-pi Cabinet. There was no expression in her ; face, no sign of self-awareness at all. She retained the same ; mannequin-like gaze from before, but now her eyes tracked, and they ; followed Carnelian as he led her out and into the room. She didn’t ; blink. She moved, not jerkily like some crude mechanism, but not ; entirely smoothly either; her arms and legs were stiff in their ; gestures, engineered in perfection.
; ; “Stand here and do not move,” her new master commanded, and the ; robot girl obeyed, not breathing, her eyes frozen ahead of her. She ; stopped in mid-stride with her right arm still held out and her left ; arm swinging back, her legs slightly parted. Carnelian released her ; hand and slowly circled around his new maid. Her hair was darker, and ; her skin was alabaster, almost marble-white in its perfection and ; smooth loveliness.
; ; “Assume your position of attention from before,” Carnelian ; ordered.
; ; Ann, like a clockwork figure, straightened into a rigid pole, her arms ; and legs straight and at their sides. Carnelian moved close to his ; creation, pausing within inches of her immobile face. He caressed her ; thighs, not salaciously but professionally, admiring how firm they ; were, how hard and yet how strangely soft. The doctor experienced no ; desire while performing his inspection. He had long since given up ; the desires of the flesh.
; ; He touched Ann’s bottom and allowed his hands to rest on her ; breasts, feeling how firm and uplifted they too felt. Her skin felt ; like vinyl. He motioned with his lips, a turn of his head, and Ann ; automatically moved to comply. She put her arms around her ; master’s shoulders, enfolded her legs between his, and upturned her ; mouth to meet his implied kiss. Her lips were warm and yielding, yet ; they retained the same inner hardness he had felt elsewhere in her new ; body. After a moment, Carnelian passionlessly broke their embrace and ; moved back. Ann returned to her position of attention.
; ; The doctor was once again filled with admiration for the Hei-pi’s ; unknown crafter and regretted never having met him. His own efforts ; in the creation of living dolls seemed crude and uninspired in the ; comparison.
; ; “Yes, you are much improved, my dear Ann,” he remarked finally. ; “And you will be happier now, or at the very least not so concerned ; with everyday life. Your only obligation now is to continue pleasing ; me.” He walked over to his study and pulled the rope-chime for his ; servants.
; ; “I would like you meet your colleagues, Ann,” Carnelian said as ; his two other servants entered the room. “You’ve already met ; George. George was the Hei-pi’s most recent owner, the one I told ; you who had no real grasp of its intricacies. Now he does.”
; ; Carnelian beckoned the other servant to come nearer, and he took her ; hand in his. “And this is Lin Yua, whom I found inside the cabinet ; when I first opened it. I gather she had been inside it for at least ; thirteen or fourteen hundred years.”
; ; Lin Yua was an incredibly beautiful young Asian girl with the most ; darling of dimples in her face, her skin an unnatural yellowish-beige ; color, like the skin of a lovedoll. She was dressed in a red and ; green cheong-sam, the slits on its side reaching well to the tops of ; her thighs. Her legs were perfectly clad in nylons.
; ; “Lin Yua will show you what your duties will now entail,” ; Carnelian said, addressing Ann. “You will find a uniform in one of ; the upstairs closets.” He lifted Ann’s chin, tilting her head to ; left and right. The living automata no longer wore makeup, but it was ; no longer really necessary. Her lips were already a light shade of ; red, and they would remain so now always. Her cheekbones were strong ; yet graceful, and her pale, pale coloring served to highlight them ; better than any possible store-bought commodity might. The only thing ; the doctor thought he would change was her hair. It would need to be ; cut slightly to match her maid’s uniform, styled to fit her tiny ; bonnet. He gave Lin Yua the appropriate directions.
; ; Sometime later that evening Ann came downstairs again for inspection. ; She was clad simply in a short and skimpy French maid’s uniform, ; black and white, with a small bonnet topping her new page-style cut. ; Her legs were nicely shown off by the fishnet stockings and garters ; traditional to the outfit. The uniform’s skirt was so short ; Carnelian could see where they reached nearly to the edge of Ann’s ; ruffled panties.
; ; “Lovely,” Carnelian said, approving of his latest acquisition. ; Ann was glad the master was pleased. A wave of pleasure crested and ; broke behind her mannequin eyes.
; ; Life was simpler now. ; ;