The Courier
Copyright 2008 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/

(warnings: erotic discipline, sex between adults, medical fetish, 
forced public nudity, harsh police interrogation)


Chapter 9 – Dinner with the Prime Minister

The next morning Maria Elena was awake early to set up the 
kitchen, in spite of having had only a few hours of sleep.  
Cecilia was up as well, fixing breakfast for her nephew, who was 
still in bed sick.  The Dominican clearly was exhausted from 
having spent the entire night with Jason, but she also felt 
guilty from having dumped caring for Pedro on Victor while she 
spent Saturday out of the house.  She’d have to make it up to 
both of them on Sunday, although it was obvious the only thing 
she wanted was to go to sleep.

Cecilia took her nephew’s breakfast to his room while Maria Elena 
awaited Victor.  Because it was Sunday, Victor had no reason to 
dress in a suit; instead he put on a prayer robe to go to a 
nearby church for early services.  As dictated by custom, he wore 
nothing underneath the robe and was barefoot.  Apart from putting 
on a single piece of clothing; there was nothing he needed to do 
to prepare for worship.

Maria Elena wanted to accompany him, partly out of curiosity and 
partly out of wanting to be with him.  However, the thought of 
going outside in the nude on a cold drizzly morning did not 
appeal to her, and she was intimidated at the prospect of being 
naked at a Temple service without understanding anything that was 
going on.  Victor did not give her any indication he wanted her 
to go, so she held back and quietly watched him as he went out 
the door.  He joined a group of neighbors in the street, all of 
whom wore black robes.  Victor and his companions knelt in a 
circle, stood up, and solemnly marched out of sight.

Cecilia had crawled into her nephew’s bed to read to him, but 
promptly fell asleep.  Pedro was asleep as well, so Maria Elena 
was left alone.  She cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, but those 
tasks were completed within 30 minutes.  Out of boredom she 
turned on the TV, but all the channels were playing the same 
public service message, a still picture of an old temple with 
scrolling text.  Maria Elena later would learn that the message 
was a request in archaic Danubian for the viewer to leave home 
and attend services at the Temple.  On Sunday mornings there were 
only two socially acceptable activities in Danubia: resting or 
attending worship services.  

The prisoner’s melancholy mood from the night before returned, as 
did her desire to step out into the chilly misty weather.  
Although it already was mid-morning, the only sounds she heard 
were drops falling off the trees and the ringing of Temple bells.  
The bells had a somewhat different sound than what she was used 
to hearing in Colombia, which she found sinister and spooky when 
combined with quiet dripping of water and rustling of tree 
leaves.

Maria Elena looked at her ruined fingernails, which still had 
traces of fingernail polish.  That polish was the final reminder 
that, just a few days before, her life had been totally different 
from what it was now.  Her nail polish, just like all of the 
other items she had brought with her from Panama, was gone, 
seized by the Danubian police.  She took a deep breath, because 
she realized that her only material possessions were a toothbrush 
and a comb, both of which had been given to her by Cecilia.  That 
was it, just two insignificant personal hygiene items that she 
could call her own.  She was stripped…totally stripped, 
completely cut off, not only from her former life, but also from 
the world of material possessions.

----------

Two hours after they left, Victor and the others returned.  It 
was clear that their religious obligations had ended, because 
instead of marching in silence they were chatting casually.  The 
neighbors disappeared into their respective houses while Victor 
noticed that his house guest was standing alone in the street.  
The poor girl was soaked and shivering…why was she standing in 
the rain instead of staying inside where she could be warm and 
dry?

Before he could say anything, Maria Elena went to her knees and 
touched her forehead to the ground.  She was immensely glad to 
see her host and enormously relieved he had returned.  He 
wondered what was going on with her, but his first concern was 
getting her back inside before she got sick.  He tapped her on 
the shoulder:

“Doshéschkt dék holódnikt.  Pogánakt dék nad tebe…pogánakt dék 
nad tebe.”

She knew the words “holódnikt”, which meant “cold”, and 
“pogánakt” which meant “bad”.  She correctly guessed that he had 
said “This rain is cold.  It’s not good for you.”

She responded:

“Ya pogánakt.  Ya negát harásh...ya…”

Victor whistled to show his disapproval of her last comment.  She 
had told him in Danubian that she was no good, but with a long 
low whistle he disagreed.  There was nothing wrong with her, she 
was a nice girl…but he didn’t know how to tell her that in 
Spanish.  With a quick short whistle he ordered her to stand up 
and follow him into the house.

As soon as they got inside, Cecilia handed Victor a message from 
his brother Vladim.  The Prime Minister had invited Victor’s 
household to Sunday 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 prisoner 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 expects 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 linen boy’s 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 very 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 very large, but the house and its 
architecture were very 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 very 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 intelligent.  

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 criminal facing trial.  
Within a few days she would be 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 white tunic with a 
gold griffin engraved on her chest.  On her head she wore a small 
crown.  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.  Once 
Anyia and her parents were seated, her attendants quickly took 
positions behind the other chairs to seat the remaining guests.

Once 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.  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 quite attractive and in very 
good health, but two of them had welts from a switch criss-
crossing their bottoms.

Another interesting detail was that several of Anyia’s servants 
did not appear to be Danubian.  There were two blond women in the 
group, one of whom was very 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 did notice Anyia 
looking at her intently, but assumed that was due to simple 
curiosity.  Maybe she never had seen a Colombian before…

Maria Elena noticed 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.  However, like the Ministry of Justice collars, the 
servants’ collars included a sturdy ring that could be attached 
to a chain.

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 very 
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 
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 very 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.

----------

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 quite 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 very 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 Crowned Prince of Danubia, the son of the 
nation’s Grand Duke.  The Crowned 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 fiancé, figured out why 
he was not happy, and presented herself as an alternative.  

Although she was not from the nobility, the Crowned 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 
Crowned Prince broke off the relationship with his long-term 
fiancé 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 Crowned 
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 Crowned 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 his son married, the old 
Grand Duke made a state visit on a humanitarian mission to Africa 
and was assassinated by drug traffickers.  

The murder of the Danubian Grand Duke 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 Crowned 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…

----------

The gathering lasted until almost midnight, which was very 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 
she 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 very tired 
and his aunt occupied herself putting him to bed.

Victor and Maria Elena were alone in the living room.  She was 
trembling badly from being cold: her skin was covered with goose-
bumps and her teeth were chattering.  Unfortunately, she was 
prohibited from covering herself.  Her only option would have 
been to take a hot bath.

Victor felt immensely sorry for the poor girl.  Maybe he couldn’t 
give her a blanket to warm up in, but he wanted to stop that 
shivering and try to cheer her up.  She looked at him with very 
sad eyes…her expression clearly stating: can’t you at least hold 
me, Victor?

Shyly, Victor stuck out his hand.  She immediately took it and 
snuggled up to him, trying to warm herself against his body.  She 
put her arms around him and started crying.  He wrapped one arm 
around her waist and with his free hand gently pressed her head 
against his shoulder.  To be held…after all this time…to be held…  

Long buried emotions and passions welled up inside Victor, the 
thrill of a new love, a new beginning.  After a while Maria Elena 
quit shivering and quit crying.  She was content to just stay 
standing close to him, to feel the warmth and comfort of his body 
against hers.  The emotion continued to build inside him.  
Without thinking about what he was doing, he gently touched the 
prisoner’s chin to turn her face towards his.  He looked at her 
eyes…yes…she wanted him to kiss her.  Their lips met, shyly at 
first, then much more passionately…

So…it was done.  Victor and Maria Elena were in each other’s arms 
and had exchanged their first kiss…two broken, lonely souls that 
had found each other.  They were separated by language, by age, 
and by social status…but none of that mattered.  Each desperately 
needed the other.

----------

Cecilia put her nephew to bed and fretted about some mud stains 
on her fancy dress.  Then, she realized the house was totally 
silent.  She checked both Victor’s room and Maria Elena’s room.  
Both were empty.  Cecilia had an unpleasant feeling.  Hmm…better 
check downstairs to see what’s going on…

She descended a few steps and peeked into the living room.  
Victor and Maria Elena were passionately kissing each other…

Cecilia flinched.  SHIT!!!!   Shit…shit…shit!!!!  I should’ve 
kept a better eye on those two!  This is my fault!  Kim’s gonna 
kill me!

She thought about continuing downstairs and interrupting, but 
hesitated.  She knew there was no point in doing that; they’d 
only wait until she was asleep and continue.  No, there was no 
way she was gonna keep those two apart and she should have 
realized it from the beginning…no point at all.  The matter was 
out of her hands.

Cecilia managed to calm down.  She still was angry at herself, 
but that anger was subsiding.  Well, at least she no longer had 
to lose any sleep worrying about keeping her host and her 
housemate apart: she had failed and the issue was settled.  She 
also realized that, if Maria Elena was occupied with Victor, 
chances were that she no longer would try anything with Jason.  
That had worried her from the outset, because it was clear that 
Jason had noticed the prisoner and enjoyed looking at her.  At 
least that was one concern she no longer had.

Cecilia took off her clothes and went to bed.  She shut her door, 
no longer worried about standing watch over Maria Elena.  There 
was nothing more that she could do.  

Only the Creator knew what Path in Life was in store for Victor 
Dukov and Prisoner # 101025.  

----------

Victor took Maria Elena’s hand and led her upstairs.  Outside her 
room they kissed again, but they were not sure what to do next.  
They still couldn’t communicate with words; everything between 
them had to be via expressions and gestures.  Maria Elena looked 
towards his room and back into his eyes…yes, she was ready.  To 
make absolutely sure, Victor ran his hands down her back and 
caressed her bare bottom.  Her hungry expression did not change.  
With that he led her to the master bedroom.

Maria Elena sat on his bed and undressed him: pulling off his 
tunic and shirt, then untying the strings on his boots.  Once 
those were off, the only item left was the linen pants.  Like 
most men in Danubia, Victor did not use underwear.

In bed they took their time.  Maria Elena was content to feel the 
gentle caresses on her body from the hands of a man who was much 
more patient than either of her two previous lovers.  His passion 
was different from what she was used to, because he was older.  
For a long time she simply relaxed, but finally she began to 
caress his penis and massage his thighs and stomach.  She 
reflected that three sons had come from him: but maybe he wasn’t 
done yet.  Perhaps more children were destined to come from his 
body, children that she would carry for him.

When Victor was ready, Maria Elena lay on her back, eager to 
surrender herself.  For the first time in nearly a year, Victor 
Dukov made love to a woman.  He was much gentler than she was 
used to, but at the moment that was what she wanted: a slow 
gentle experience.

Maria Elena did not return to her own room that night.  She 
stayed with her lover, violating her status as a criminal by 
sleeping under a warm blanket in the arms of the man she hoped to 
love. 

