Chapter 8.

The ballroom was filled with more wealth than Cindy thought possible. There were designer dresses, tuxedos, sparkling jewels, perfect postures, immaculate teeth, and beauty wherever she looked. The acoustics of the ballroom elevated the classical pieces the professional band played and the chatter was lively.

Two of Kourtney’s elegant servers stood to attention on either side of the entryway, appearing smug as they held onto their own small trays of champagne with just one arm. The contrast was obvious as Cindy and Sarah struggled inside, teetering with their heavy loads.

Kourtney had been right to cuff their hands to their trays. Cindy already felt an ache in her skinny arms from the weight. She would surely have been too weak to carry the tray normally. Her basic diet of tasteless food, sleeping on a bathroom floor, and rushing around fulfilling the demands of Eleanor and her daughters, had taken its toll on her. She hoped Sarah would fare better.

They were like prisoners walking to their execution. Their appearance in the ballroom was soon the object of attention from the rich and powerful guest list. It took a moment for the laughter to spread as it took a moment for them to comprehend what they were seeing. Grins became titters became laughter. Manicured nails pointed at them, indicating their arrival to those who had not yet seen them. Even the other servers joined in the laughter, no doubt glad they were not the ones in the costumes and contraptions.

Cindy smiled, hoping self-awareness might make her part of the joke too. It was a defense she had developed in high school that had followed her into adult life like a birthmark.

Sarah was not so apt at hiding her shame. Cindy worried for her. With her red face poking through the wide tray and her frilly French maid outfit, she was like a little peg doll.

Cindy swallowed and moved to the first group of elites she could find, lowering herself in a curtsey to make it easier for them to extract champagne from the tray. There were plenty of amused comments and large, white smiles before they turned their backs to her and continued with their conversation.

Cindy glanced back at Sarah, hoping she had followed her lead. Her eyes widened as she saw Sarah had barely moved from the entranceway before being accosted by Alison and her friends.

Alison wore an asymmetrical sweetheart dream gown with a chic sweetheart neckline, floral embellishments, and a strapless bodice, with pleated waves and jewels. She giggled along with her friends who were likewise dressed in formal gowns embellished by sparkles, gloves, and jewelry. They were an army of princesses, taking their time picking from Sarah’s hors d’ouevers, forcing her to stay squatted in an involuntary curtsey for as long as possible.

Sarah stared at the floor. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes watered. Cindy saw her as she was at school, mocked and teased by prettier girls. Her embarrassment and desperation to not let them see her cry further fueled her tormentors’ cruel jokes. It was too awful. Sarah was her daughter. She could not let this happen. She had to stop being selfish. She had to help her.

Cindy yelped as she felt a pinch on her bottom.

“Hey, freak,” said Jessica.

Cindy turned slowly to see Jessica and Kaylee with large grins on their faces, dressed in their evening wear.

Jessica had opted for a strapless, metallic gold gown with a sweetheart neckline and thigh slit. Her diamond necklace and waterfall earrings twinkled under the chandelier lighting. Kaylee was in an embroidered champagne backless maxi dress with a classical pearl necklace and ear studs which Cindy recognized as part of Jessica’s collection. Their hair was perfectly coiffured and their subtle makeup enhanced their beauty.

“M-Miss Jessica,” gasped Cindy, worried they were somehow aware of her momentary rebellion.

“We’re thirsty, freak, why are you waiting for us to come to you?”

“S-sorry,” she said, curtseying to allow them slightly easier access to the glasses. Jessica took two and passed one to Kaylee.

Kaylee laughed. “Right? You’d better work much harder than this.” She took a sip of the champagne and released an obnoxious exhale of pleasure.

“You look so fucking ridiculous,” said Jessica.

“Right?” said Kaylee. “Who agrees to this? There’s something seriously wrong with you.”

“She enjoys it. Don’t you freak?”

Cindy gulped and nodded sadly, eliciting laughs.

Jessica nodded in the direction of Sarah. Cindy turned to see Alison posing next to her as her friends took their picture like Sarah was some sort of sick selfie prop.

“I can’t believe she’s actually wearing it,” said Jessica. “I was sure she’d have bailed by now. What did you say to her, freak, to make her do this?”

Kaylee took one of the hors d’oeuvres from Cindy’s tray and delicately nibbled, holding the napkin to catch crumbs. “Maybe she enjoys it too, Jess?”

Jessica grinned. “Maybe you’re right, Kaylee. What do you think, freak? Is your daughter as pathetic as you?”

“I don’t know, Miss,” she said, hoping Jessica would not push the point. She did not want to insult her daughter, but she knew full well what Jessica was capable of. Luckily, Jessica seemed in a good mood.

“Maybe we should find out?” she said to Kaylee who smiled evilly.

Cindy glanced back at Sarah to see she had found her way free from the teenagers and was wandering aimlessly across the floor in a daze while the guests tittered at her appearance.

“Oh,” said Jessica, “don’t think we didn’t see what you tried, either.”

Cindy gulped. What did she mean?

“We all got an alert you tried to take off your collar. How did that go for you? Did you honestly think we were bluffing?”

“No, Miss, it was an accident.”

Kaylee snickered. “I knew it! Sarah tried to take it off you, didn’t she?”

“Ohhh,” said Jessica, “she must have had quite the shock.”

“Literally,” laughed Kaylee.

“How did you explain that to her, freak?”

Cindy blushed. “Um, I just said it was my idea, Miss. That I liked it.”

They both laughed hard at this.

“You seriously told your own daughter that you have a dog collar fetish? What’s wrong with you?”

Where would she even start with that?

“Cindy!” came the light-hearted call of Eleanor further into the ballroom.“Service.”

Cindy looked beyond Jessica and Kaylee to see Eleanor in the middle of a group of stunning women. Even amidst such beauty, Eleanor commanded the eye. She wore a black mermaid-style Valentino Garavani dress with a single-shoulder silhouette. It was so perfectly attuned to her curves that it could have been woven directly onto her body. She wore a solid gold armlet in the shape of an Egyptian ankh, gold bracelets, and earrings of imperial topaz surrounded by diamonds. The golden key to Cindy’s chastity still dangled over her bosom. It made Cindy feel warm to think that even as a hostess of a party, Eleanor kept Cindy in her thoughts.

Cindy walked toward her as if in a charm. Eleanor was everything Cindy had dreamed of. She felt a sharp sting against her buttocks as Jessica gave them a firm backhand and heard them laughing behind her.

She glanced around for fear Sarah had seen it. Luckily, Sarah was distracted mid-service by some of Eleanor’s guests who after taking their appetizers and champagne turned their back to her without a word as if she wasn’t even there.

Cindy’s concerns over Sarah were soon dissipated in an aroma of expensive perfume. There was jasmine, jacaranda, sensual vanilla, and musk.

She presented herself with a curtsey to allow Eleanor and her friends to reach for her canopies and champagne. She remembered her orders. She was not to speak until spoken to.

“Everyone,” said Eleanor, “this is Cindy.”

Their grins were as beautiful as they were frightening.

“Cindy,” continued Eleanor, “these are some of my closest friends.” She presented them one at a time with an open palm. “This is Alexa, Carla, Mandy, Jasmine, and my personal lawyer, Gael.”

Cindy hoped she would not be expected to remember all those names. “H-hello,” she said with a nervous smile feeling smaller than ever by how she must have looked to all those successful, intimidating women.

“So, tell us, Cindy,” said Eleanor, “how does it feel to be working side by side with your daughter?”

Mandy, the platinum blond with the ponytail, wearing a smoky blue metallic corset gown, scoffed. “You must be so proud.”

Her joke was met with titters from the group, including Eleanor.

“Awww,” cooed Carla, the one with wavy black hair in a black lace dress with an illusion neckline and trumpet silhouette. “Don’t listen to her, Cindy. I think it’s adorable. A mother, daughter duo. We don’t see that enough.”

“I have to admit,” said Eleanor, “I didn’t really believe you would actually convince Sarah to do this. You’ve done well.”

Cindy blushed and smiled at the compliment. Maybe she really would get unlocked today.

Alexa was in a red mermaid dress with a tulle V-neck and open thigh slit. “Kourtney’s such a bitch,” she said with joking admiration, “how did she get you to agree to wear that awful thing?”

Eleanor laughed, saving Cindy the embarrassment of having to answer, much to Cindy’s gratitude. “Because Cindy’s a good girl and she does as she’s told. Right, Cindy?”

“Yes, Mrs. Noble,” she said meekly.

“Now, now. These are some very dear friends of mine. You may address me as you normally would.”

Cindy smiled, delighted to use her true title. “Thank you, Goddess.”

This brought renewed chuckles from the women. Cindy did not have to try and pretend to be normal around them. It made her situation feel much better.

“I have an idea,” said Eleanor. “Jasmine, why don’t you share your problem with Cindy? She’ll be more qualified than any of us to offer advice.”

Cindy looked up at the powerful Latina woman with big hair and ample curves. Her bosom spilled from her form-fitting jade silhouette gown with an illusion bodice and exposed boning.

Jasmine grinned. “Sure,” she said with a shrug of her bare, bronzed shoulders. “I have a daughter about Sarah’s age. A little younger. She’s in her senior year of high school. We all know it should be a time to experiment with her newly awakened powers. She should be using, manipulating, and intimidating others to do as she wants. She should be gathering disposable followers she can wring every last drop from before tossing them into the trash before starting college.”

The women all murmured their agreement as though this was obvious.

“But my daughter, Olivia, is a perennial disappointment. She’s everything I always dreaded. She’s a timid little piggy who is mercilessly bullied. She keeps telling me she isn’t, but I’ve seen the bruises over her pudgy stomach. I can recognize the defeat in her eyes. The apologetic gait. The submissive voice. This is not the daughter I wanted. I gave her the best possible start in life and this is what she’s become?”

“Oh Jasmine,” said Eleanor sympathetically, “I’m so sorry. You deserve better than that.”

Jasmine nodded. “Thank you, Eleanor. Your daughters are such a credit to you. So strong and confident. Not like my dumb piggy.”

Eleanor rubbed her friend’s arm for encouragement. “Well, Cindy?’ she said, “what do you think?”

Cindy felt prickles of dread over her skin. Think about what? About Olivia being bullied? Cindy could not believe a mother would talk about her own daughter like that. But then again…look at what she had her daughter doing. She was not in any position to judge Jasmine unfairly.

Eleanor smiled. “I don’t have any experience with this, Cindy. My daughters are the abusers, not the abused. You on the other hand…”

Cindy gulped. “Um-”

“Come on,” said Mandy. “Sarah is just the kind of wimp I’d have spent high school giving wedgies and stuffing in lockers.”

The women snickered at this.

“I think my piggy might be too fat to fit into a locker,” said Jasmine, gaining laughs from her friends.

Cindy stammered, unsure what to say. “I, um, think that comparing O-Olivia? To Miss Jessica and Alison probably isn’t fair. They are special young women. Exceptional.”

Eleanor pouted and sipped her champagne. Amusement sparkled in her beautiful eyes.

Cindy continued. “Maybe you should find the things that Olivia can do well and encourage her to follow those?”

There was silence. Jasmine furrowed her brow. “My piggy is good at eating and getting beaten up. Is that what I should encourage?”

Gael, the dark-haired lawyer with a Mediterranean complexion wearing a shimmering gold mermaid dress with a sleeveless sweep and a brush train, shook her head. “Her psyche is soft. That's the problem. She's spent too long as a victim. She will need extensive psychiatry to turn her submissive mindset into something stronger. I say send her to Stephanie Lexington. If anyone can fix her, she can.”

“Look,” said Eleanor, “as hard as it is to accept, Jasmine. It may just be a tragic accident that despite all your best efforts, your daughter is naturally submissive. We have the resources and connections to try and shape her into something better than she is, but you have to realize you are probably wasting your time.”

Jasmine sighed. “I know. Deep down I know it. But she’s my daughter, Eleanor. I had such high aspirations for her. I didn’t want her to turn out like this one,” she said, flicking her wrist in Cindy’s general direction.

Cindy remained in her squatted, obeisant position. She had no complaint about Jasmine’s observation. Who could possibly want their daughter to be like her? Her sole purpose at the party was to be an object of service and ridicule.

Eleanor gave Cindy an amused pout. “It’s hard for us to imagine,” she said, “but some people are just born inferior and no amount of training or psychoanalysis can fix that. They gain fulfillment in life by making their superiors happy. Look at Cindy here, she’s happier than she’s ever been serving me. Aren’t you?”

Cindy saw the distaste and ridicule on the faces of the women. She nodded. Eleanor had given her life purpose. She had taken away all her decisions and agency. She was free.

Eleanor caressed Cindy’s cheek with the back of her hand. Cindy nestled against it like a cat. The weight of the tray, her self-consciousness, and her worries for Sarah all vanished with the joy of Eleanor’s touch.

Eleanor smiled at her. “Could you imagine your life without me?”

“N-no, Goddess.”

“Do you love me?”

“Yes,” said Cindy.

“How much?”

“More than anything.”

Eleanor’s eyes gleamed. “More than anything? More than your daughter?”

Cindy whimpered. Her stomach wrenched. She looked up into Eleanor’s beautiful face and nodded.

“Say it.”

She said it quietly for fear Sarah might hear. “I…love you more than my daughter.”

Terrifyingly, it was no lie. She stared at her feet in shame. Eleanor’s friends chuckled at her.

“You see?” said Eleanor, turning back to Jasmine. “This is the kind of psychology we are dealing with here. I don’t want to be the arbiter of bad news. But your piggy is no different from little Cindy here. She will always follow the path of self-destruction because it gives her pleasure. You must stop thinking you can change her. I know you love your daughter and want what is best for her, but to keep pushing her will only cause her more distress and trauma. Embrace what she is, not what you want her to be.”

Jasmine nodded. “I know you’re right, Eleanor. It’s just…”

Eleanor gave her a hug. “I know. It’s hard. But it will be for the best.”

“Thank you, Eleanor.”

“Of course, Jasmine. Anything for a sister.”

There was a clash and clatter that immediately disturbed the conversations in the ballroom. Even the band ceased playing to observe the commotion.

Cindy gulped and her skin prickled. She knew what had happened before she even turned to see.

Sarah was on the floor surrounded by smashed glass. The carefully prepared hors d’ouevers were ruined and champagne spread over the floor, desecrating the marble. Sarah was red-faced with scared eyes that appeared ready to cry. The tray around her neck and shoulders had broken her fall and her hands were still manacled to the bottom.

There were murmurs of disapproval from the guests. Cindy caught sight of Jessica and Kaylee backing away and hiding their grins behind their hands. Cindy wanted to rush over and help but she was restricted by her own bonds. She could not have moved quickly without risking the contents of her own tray. She heard Eleanor inhale air through her nose. She immediately cringed.

Eleanor stepped forward to take command of the situation. “Follow,” she said to Cindy and Cindy shuffled behind her, aware of the attention of the ballroom. There were slow head shakes, frowns, and disdain as if wondering how she could have raised such an oafish daughter.

Eleanor towered over Sarah with her hands on her full hips, looking down from below her bosom. “You’ve got some explaining to do, young lady.”

Sarah sniffled.

Cindy tried to make herself visible to show Sarah she was not alone. She was unsure if Sarah noticed her or not.

Jessica stepped forward alongside Kaylee and the two of them crouched down to help Sarah to her feet.

“It’s okay, Mom,” said Jessica, wrapping her arm in Sarah’s and lifting her to her feet. Cindy saw Jessica’s fingers pressing into Sarah’s weak biceps. Sarah looked hopelessly at the two blonds who held her trapped in their clutches. “She wasn’t looking and tripped. No big deal. Right, Sarah?”

Sarah nodded. There was a mixture of fear and gratitude on her face.

“We’ll help clean her up,” said Kaylee sweetly, “don’t worry about it, Sarah. Accidents happen.”

Jessica nodded. “Yep. We’ll take care of you.”

Sarah was not given much of a choice as the two stronger women turned and practically dragged her away. She looked around anxiously catching sight of her mother and pleaded for rescue with her eyes.

Cindy felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. She could not abandon her to whatever malevolent intentions Jessica and Kaylee had for her. She had to do something. She had to-

“Cindy!” commanded Eleanor, snapping Cindy from her thoughts. “This is your mess too. Hurry and clean this up.”

Cindy curtsied, averting her eyes from the guests. Their scorn and derision were wholly deserved.

*

Kourtney was livid. Cindy could not maintain eye contact and instead stared down at Kourtney’s expensive heels, feeling her mediocre stature shrink even lower.

“And don’t think for one second you’re going to get away with this,” continued Kourtney, pointing her manicured nail at Cindy’s apologetic face. “Someone’s paying for all those broken glasses and you can bet your life it isn’t going to be me.”

“Yes, Miss Kourtney,” she said, hoping that if she just agreed with whatever Kourtney said, she could get away fast enough to find Sarah before something happened. She shuddered at the thought of Sarah becoming the object of Jessica and Kaylee’s sadism.

Sarah was not like Cindy. Sarah would gain no sexual pleasure from the abuse. It would be Cindy’s fault if Sarah suffered. She could not waste time trying to argue with Kourtney only to be overpowered anyway. Kourtney did not need to know Cindy had no money to pay for anything. Perhaps once her rage passed, she could come to some sort of arrangement with her?

“And where is that clumsy idiot now?”

Cindy winced. She could have tried to explain that Sarah had been shoved by Jessica. That it wasn’t Sarah’s fault. She had been sabotaged. But what was the point? Nobody was going to take Sarah’s side over Jessica’s. It was easier to just accept it. The last thing she needed was an argument.

“I don’t know, Miss.”

“Then you’d better hope she shows up, or else you’re doing the work of two. Got that?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“And I’m only letting you out of the contraption so you can clean up. You’re going straight back once you’re done. Got that?”

“Yes, Miss,” she said, “thank you.”

Kourtney watched disgustedly as her servers unlocked Cindy from her restraints. Cindy felt immediately lighter as they lifted the tray from her shoulders. She smiled gratefully, rubbing down her aching arms.

“Don’t just stand there,” said Kourtney, “get going.”

Cindy jumped from her moment of rest. Amused servers shoved cleaning supplies at her and she bundled them inelegantly in her arms. There were titters as she struggled to carry them from the pavilion.

She was glad she had gotten away so lightly. Her passivity had gained her a little extra time in which she could search the mansion for Sarah. Although, what she would do if she found her, she hadn’t decided yet. Could she really see herself standing up to Jessica and Kaylee? She could only hope it wouldn’t come to that.

*

The ballroom noise faded behind her as she tip-toed through the corridors. She had abandoned the cleaning supplies behind a spiral staircase. It made her skulking much easier. She would return to them before anybody thought to come searching for her.

The darkness and the shadows made her feel uncomfortable. She was trespassing. Nobody had given her permission for this. She imagined Eleanor, impatiently tapping her foot, sighing, checking the time on her yellow gold and diamond Rolex.

Cindy’s heart thudded inside her chest. The farther from the party she got, the more she knew she should turn back. Deep down, she hoped she wouldn’t find Sarah. That way, she could lie to herself that she had tried her best while avoiding the prospect of actually confronting Jessica and Kaylee, the same young women who had flogged her buttocks only a week prior. How would she explain that to Sarah?

She was ready to scamper back to the ballroom and clean when she heard the faint sound of running water like somebody was taking a shower. Could Sarah be washing the champagne from herself? It seemed unlikely, but she could not just ignore it.

She knocked lightly on the door and it opened. Whoever was showering, had not bothered to lock the door.

“Sarah?” she whispered into the bathroom.

The ceiling lights were dim and there was a pleasant aroma of lavender and lemon from an oil diffuser. She stepped over the hardwood, beyond the double sinks to a large free-standing Silestone shower. There was a dark shape behind the blurry glass panels and a faint whimpering from within.

“S-Sarah?” she said, panicked, “Is that you?”

There was no response.

“Honey, I’m coming in,” she said, slowly sliding the shower door open.

She stared in shock to see it was not Sarah, but Emily, naked, with her wrists tied to the running showerhead by duct tape.

Emily shivered under the deluge of freezing water. Her nipples were erect on her tiny breasts. Her skinny thighs were covered in suds. A dissolving bar of soap was lodged inside her pussy and she bit down on another to keep it inside her mouth.

“Oh my god. Emily? W-what…what have they done to you? Let me help you,” she said, reaching to turn off the valve.

Emily whimpered and backed away, shaking her head ferociously.

Cindy hesitated. “But you could get hyperthermia. This is dangerous. How long have they left you here?”

Emily continued to shake her head, pleading with her eyes to be left alone.

Cindy slowly nodded her head. She understood. Emily wanted this. If the situation was reversed, had Eleanor been the one to inflict this on Cindy, she would not have wanted Emily to interfere.

“Are you sure?”

Emily relaxed and nodded. There was pleasure as well as torment on her face. Cindy nodded and slowly closed the shower door. She just hoped Alison had a set a timer. Emily could get seriously sick if she was left like that for too long.

She left the bathroom with the intention of returning to the ballroom. She had been away too long. Somebody would come looking for her soon. She told herself she was not abandoning Sarah. Clean first, then take another look. She was just being tactical, not cowardly.

She froze in fear as Eleanor’s stern voice confronted her as soon as she stepped outside. “And where do you think you’re going?”

Cindy’s heart sank as if she were a child caught skipping class. “G-Goddess, I…uh…”

Eleanor grabbed Cindy’s ear, pinching it between her finger and thumbnail, and twisted. Cindy yelped and hopped on the spot. Tears formed in her eyes. Eleanor pulled her by her ear, forcing Cindy to shuffle behind her. She brought her to the spiral staircase where Cindy had thought to dump her cleaning supplies and pointed.

“Is my home a trashcan to you?”

“N-no, Goddess. Your home is a palace. A-a cathedral. A-”

“Explain yourself. And this had better be good.”

“I was looking for...for S-Sarah. Just to make sure she was okay. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

“Oh, you will be.”

Cindy began to cry as Eleanor dragged her back through the corridor and into the living room.

Eleanor slotted her round buttocks neatly on her comfortable couch and tugged Cindy by her ear over her lap, keeping hold as she threw Cindy’s skirt over her back and yanked her panties below her thighs. Cindy continued to apologize through her tears, hyperventilating.

Eleanor raised her hand high above her head, inhaling air to inflate her chest, and smacked her palm down hard on Cindy’s exposed buttocks. Cindy howled and blubbered, trying to remain as still as possible to give Eleanor as easy a target as possible, knowing this was deserved.

Eleanor pummeled her ass numerous times, slapping harder and harder, leaving Cindy a blubbering, snotty, quivering mess on her lap.

“Shhh,” she said after she had finished, caressing Cindy’s burning ass cheeks with her fingernails.

“Th-thank…you…G-Goddess,” she said between sobs.

Eleanor smiled, still twisting Cindy’s ear. “You’re right, my home is a cathedral. It’s a temple, and it is your duty to take care of it.”

Cindy sniffled. “L-like an acolyte?”

Eleanor chuckled. “Sure. If you like.”

Cindy smiled weakly.

“I’m your goddess. I’m your religion.”

“Y-yes. You are.”

“Am I? Because you seem to care more about your daughter than serving me.”

“I’m…uh…”

“Sarah is of no concern to you. Your duty is to me and only to me. Fuck Sarah.”

Cindy gulped.

Eleanor twisted Cindy’s ear even further and pulled. “Say it.”

Cindy whimpered at the pain. It felt like her ear was being ripped from her head. She couldn’t stand it. “F-fuck Sarah,” she said in her panic.

“Who is more important?”

“You-you are.”

“Who do you love more?”

“You, Goddess. It’s always been you. You’re my life. You’re my everything. I love you. I love you so much. I always have.”

Eleanor smiled and released her grip. Cindy gasped and breathed.

“Good girl. Now, don’t you worry about Sarah. Jessica and Kaylee will take good care of her.”

“Y-yes, Goddess,” she said, not daring to share that was exactly what she was afraid of. Her goddess had spoken and it was not Cindy’s place to refute her wisdom.

“You’re going to have to double your efforts now since you’re working for two.”

“Yes, Goddess.”

“But there might still be a special reward for you at the end of the night if you do a good job.”

Cindy felt the excitement in her stomach and pussy. “R-really?”

“Maybe,” said Eleanor, pouting down at her with amusement. “Although, my guests will be the ones to make the decision. We shall see if they think you deserve a reward…or punishment.”