24.   Quid Pro Quo

Bill picked me up at my apartment the morning after my court appearance and soon his limo had brought us to Masterson’s office building.  I had no idea what was to be the subject of this unexpected meeting.  The elevator whisked us up to the 82nd floor and we stepped into a very tasteful reception area with original oil paintings on the walls.   A conservatively dressed receptionist was evidently expecting us.  She informed us in a refined British accent that it would be just a few minutes until Mr. Masterson finished his long distance call and inquired if we would like coffees.  While we sipped them I noticed a finely detailed statue of a nude ballerina executing a graceful leap.  I thought at once of my dancer friend Jennifer Maisten who, as far as I knew, was still a slave at Masterson Automotive.  I thought also of my friend Rebecca Sanchez who was indentured at his company and, like myself, had been treated like a slave.  Suddenly I was startled from my daydreaming.

“Stephanie Glenn?”  I looked up to see a tall and very energetic looking man smiling in my direction.   “Greg Masterson.  I am so glad to meet you at last!  I am glad you and Bill could join me today.”

He led us into his inner sanctum and we were comfortably seated.

“You are, to say the least, an intriguing lady, Miss Glenn.  About two months ago I offered to release you from your indenture to my company on condition you not pursue criminal charges against my employees.  You turned me down and won your freedom anyway.  You have fire and spirit young lady!  I admire that!”

“You take no credit for your own role in that sir” I responded.  “Bill has informed me that I not so much won my freedom in court as I received it as a surprise gift from you sir!  Is it true that you gave the order to drop your company’s legal opposition to my bid for freedom?” 

“It is true I gave that order.  But freedom would have been yours in any case.  It was just a matter of time.  Your cause was just and I saw no point protracting the litigation.  If life has taught me anything it is to bow out gracefully when a graceful exit is still possible.”

“We are somewhat puzzled as to the purpose of this meeting” Bill interjected.

“I am getting around to that” the man behind the hand carved walnut desk responded.  “I noticed in yesterday’s news that three of my top former employees were convicted of felonies that could put them away for life.  While I am sure you will understand that I have mixed feelings about that, I must nevertheless congratulate you, Miss Glenn, on your courage and tenacity in pursuing what you thought was a just cause of action.”

“Do you not think these men got what they deserved?” I asked.  Bill was gripping my arm trying to get me to cool it.  No doubt he thought it best not to aggravate the old man who must be suffering enough already.

“Certainly I do” Masterson replied, “though it makes me uncomfortable to think that I hired Zigler and put him in charge.  That reflects on my judgment and it will be a long time before I can forgive myself for that one.  Duncan I barely knew.  He was someone Zigler hired in my absence.”

“But I also had hired Tom Jenkins over 20 years ago when I was just starting my business.  He had been with me a long time and knows my business inside out.  I am sad to see him come to such an end.  I never knew about his sexual problem until it came out in this court case.  I want to get back to Jenkins a bit later but first I have something else I want to present to you.”

I watched the old man get up from his desk and pace over near the window that commanded a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline.

“I have studied the records of your service with my company Miss Glenn.  I reviewed the work you did under Tom Jenkins when you were a free employee and also the work you did on the apprenticeship project when you were with us as a slave.  The quality of your work was outstanding!  I am going to propose something to you and I fear your first reaction will be to say no.  But I urge you to at least consider it for a day or two and then give me your decision.”

“I want you back working for us again, Miss Glenn.  Only this time it can be entirely on your terms.  I have already hired a new manager for the accounting department to replace Tom Jenkins and she is a woman I think you would have no problem getting along with.  It may not be easy for you to make the transition back into being a free employee and a citizen again.  But I can make that transition easier for you.  I am offering you a job, Miss Glenn, at a very handsome salary!”

The old man went back behind his desk and waited for my reaction.

“Mr. Masterson, I don’t think “ I started to say.

“Please call me Greg.”

“Well Greg, I do appreciate your kind offer, but I could never feel comfortable going back to work in that place again after the humiliations I suffered there!”

I struggled not to cry as I said this.  Bill put his arm on my shoulder to steady me.

“I am truly sorry for those humiliations, Stephanie.  I never authorized practices such as you experienced.  You came to my company as an indentured servant and I am afraid my people treated you as they would treat a penal slave.  For that I deeply apologize.  I am offering you the job, however, not as an apology for what you suffered, but as recognition of the fine abilities you demonstrated.  Please at least consider it.”

“My answer must be no, Mr. Masterson.”

“Very well.  I was afraid that might be your response.  In that case I will try to help you get re-established in another way.”

With that he wrote some lines on a piece of paper and tore it off the pad and handed it to me.

“This is the name of my accountant.  He owns a large auditing firm on the other side of town.  I discussed your situation with him at lunch yesterday.  He said he could use a bright ambitious young accountant like you.  Please call his cell number on the slip and let him know that we spoke.  I am sure he would like to interview you for a possible position with his firm.”

I was having difficulty believing my good fortune.  I was already going to be in a good financial position after I realized the proceeds from selling off Zigler, Duncan, Jenkins, Cheryl Clifford and the two boys.  But getting re-established in my profession as an accountant and getting my career back on track had seemed to me quite a challenge.  Now Masterson was dropping the solution right into my lap!  Why had he extended himself so far to help me?

“Is there any quid pro quo for all this help, Greg?”  Bill interjected, anticipating my own question.

“Not really.  But there is something I would like to propose to Miss Glenn which would help me very much if she would consider it.”

“Stephanie, if I may call you that, I want you to understand that I had fired Zigler and Duncan two months ago when Bill told me what they had done in my absence.  But I also want you to understand that the situation with regard to Tom Jenkins is a bit more complicated.  You see, he was my first employee ever when I started Masterson Automotive.  He helped me get the company off the ground.  He was a man of exceptional business ability.  Of course I knew nothing over the years about his sexual problem – his need to sexually dominate and even rape women – which was what drove him to do what he did to you.  I cannot condone what he did to you.  In fact I would even agree that he deserves to be enslaved for a long time for what he did to you.”

“So what are you asking of me?”  I was quite confused about where he was going with all this.

“My problem is that I still need this man to help me run this business.  He knows the ins and outs of every department and division of this vast international enterprise.  He knows so many things that I feel helpless without him.  I think there might be a way for him to receive the punishment he deserves and yet let me still have the benefit of his services.  What I am asking of you, Stephanie, is that when he becomes your property, that you consider selling him to me.  The price I would pay to own that man would be much higher than you could obtain by selling him at an open public auction.  He would then work here at my company as a management consultant, not as a department head, and he would work here as a slave.”

“I think that such a life would be too good for that bastard!” I cried out.

“But Steph”, Bill interjected, “when you specify his punitive sentence that will become part of the court record and will be binding on Greg, or any future owner, as well. So what is the problem?  If you order that he be whipped once a week for the next 20 years then Masterson Automotive will be under legal obligation to see that is done even though you no longer own him.” 

I realized that Bill was talking sense but I wasn’t emotionally ready for this yet.  I had just gained control of this villain and was feeling a desire to keep him under my own power – at least for now.

“Mr. Masterson, I will agree to think about what you have proposed,” I said.  “I will give you my answer next week after I have had the pleasure of seeing him and the others publicly humiliated.”

“Ah, Miss Glenn, that brings up another, well, rather sensitive issue.  I hope I may speak plainly.  The Court has, as you know, sentenced Tom Jenkins to be castrated at the end of the third day of his preliminary public punishment.  If that happens I am not sure he would be of any further value to me.  I know Tom.  I know that would destroy his will to live and he would no longer be motivated to help me run my business.”

“But I don’t see that I have anything to say about this.  The judge said this punishment was mandated by law and not part of the punishment that I control.”

“That is not entirely true, Miss Glenn.  You could instruct your lawyer to petition the Court to spare Mr. Jenkins this punishment.  You could ask it, not on grounds of mercy, but as a plea to preserve his resale value.  You could inform the Court that you have had a very generous offer for Mr. Jenkins that is only valid if his testicles are intact.  Since you are the sole victim of record, such a petition from you would carry much weight and perhaps cause the judge to reconsider.”

“But if I agree to do what I can to spare Jenkins this sexual form of punishment, how do I know he won’t be driven to commit other sexual crimes against other women?”

“You would be right to think that he should be sexually punished for what he did, but I think we could come up with an alternative that would satisfy you.”

“Please explain.”  I was becoming intrigued and also somewhat giddy about my own power to dispose of Jenkins future.

“I have had a talk with Paul Gregory, our company psychologist” Masterson continued.

“Yes, I know the man and trust him very much” I replied.

“Paul is also one of my earliest hires and has known Tom since the first year I was in business.  Paul thinks if Tom was here as a slave we could design a compulsory sex treatment program that would straighten him out so that he could have normal relationships with women!”

“Wouldn’t that be sort of like rewarding him for what he did to me?” I asked.

“I would hardly call it that.  Tom isn’t going to like the treatment program one bit.  It would be very punitive and very coercive I can assure you.  Tom would be strapped down to a table much of the time during the early stages with sensitive instruments hooked up to his penis to measure his sexual response to a whole range of stimuli.  Paul tells me that if we can measure his sexual responses we can begin to control them.  Tom will also be made to endure sexual experiences with other people he will not enjoy.  Perhaps I shouldn’t get too graphic – I don’t want to offend your sensibilities Miss Glenn.”

“You needn’t worry about being too graphic”, I responded.  “I can handle whatever you want to tell me.  Is there anything else I should know about this treatment program?”

“Well, Paul did mention he wants to use a sex surrogate in Tom’s treatment.”

“You mean a prostitute?” I exclaimed, astonished.

“Not exactly.  He has in mind a young schoolteacher, a Sherri Wilson, who has recently completed her certification as a sex surrogate to work under the supervision of licensed sex therapists.  Paul is certified as a sex therapist.

I was certainly intrigued now, but even less inclined to give up my ownership of Jenkins.

“You have caught my interest, Mr. Masterson.  You needn’t worry about being too graphic.  I may consider your proposal – but I would want it to be on the basis that I lease Mr. Jenkins to your company rather than sell him outright.  If we are going to do this sex therapy thing I want to stay involved and be in a position to monitor his progress and make changes to the treatment program if I feel the program is becoming too pleasant for him.”

“Fair enough Miss Glenn.  I will have my attorneys draw up a lease agreement for Tom for your review after you have witnessed his public humiliation.  Will that be satisfactory?”

“I can’t promise I will sign it, but I will seriously consider it.  In view of what we are probably going to do with Tom I will have my attorney, Mr. Green, draw up a petition to see if we can save his, um, well his balls, dammit!”

“I appreciate that Miss Glenn!”

“Now there is another matter”, he continued, “that I want to bring to your attention.  When a slave is freed at the end of his or her service, or by a court order as in your case, there is a financial obligation on the part of the former master to pay for therapy for the former slave in case of post-traumatic-stress-disorder or PTSD.  This is not always called for, but in your case, since you were raped repeatedly during your indenture, it would seem more likely than not that you might require such assistance.  I do not mean to get personal with you, Ms. Glenn, but this is a resource that is available to you should you need it.  In addition to paying for this service, I am also willing to provide you with names of agencies that can provide such therapy.”

“Thanks for the heads up”, I replied.  “I may look into this in due course.  Now there is a favor I would like to request from you sir.  When I was a slave I was a close friend with Jennifer Maisten, a dancer, and with Rebecca Sanchez who supervises your clean room.  I care about these two people.  Jennifer committed grand larceny and was enslaved for it for five years.  I don’t question the justice of her sentence nor do I ask that she be freed.  But I do ask you to look into her situation and see if there is any way she could receive more lenient treatment while she remains your slave.”  

“The situation with Rebecca is quite different”, I continued.  “Rebecca’s only ‘crime’ is defaulting on a mortgage.  Normally this would have resulted in at most an indenture, not full enslavement.  But because of some strange clause in the mortgage they were able to enslave her for five years.  I think they tricked her.  I would ask that you look into her situation and see if you couldn’t find it in your heart to convert her enslavement to a simple indenture so that she would be bound to you only during working hours and could be with her family again when off duty.”

“And what if, after looking into these two situations, I decide I don’t want to change the situations of these two friends of yours?”

“Then I am afraid that I will not be able to lease Mr. Jenkins to your firm, or put him into a treatment program.  And, under these circumstances, I would not be willing to save his testicles!”

“You drive a hard bargain, Stephanie.  I like your chutzpah!”

With that the meeting was concluded.

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