you, I was hesitant no longer. Too, to be sure, I was stung by the laughter from the buyers, the onlookers, and such.”
“Who were the auctioneers, the brokers?”
“On Damascus, zards, of course,” she said.
“But they would presumably have, as it seems you have earlier suggested, little or no interest in your movements, your posings, and such—such things I presume being expected of you on the block—”
“Yes,” she said. “As contract women we were well put through our paces.”
Brenner looked at her.
“There were men of our own species in the house, of course,” she said, “buyers, and assistants to buyers, and such, who would help to appraise us.”
“I see,” said Brenner.
“It seems you find the vending of my contract of interest,” she said, shyly.
“Were you appraised highly?”
“I think so,” she said. “But I am not even sure of the value of the units involved, their relationship to the Commonworld credit, and such.”
Brenner nodded.
“I did not bring as high a price as she whom your friend now doubtless has well at his pleasure,” she said.
“The blonde woman?” said Brenner.
“Girl,” she said.
“Your contracts were vended in the same sale?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Was she struck?”
“Three times,” she said.
“It seems she was less quick than you, to grasp what was required of her.”
“Perhaps,” she said.
“Perhaps she is less intelligent than you,” said Brenner.
“Perhaps,” she said. “I do not know. But in the end she obeyed as quickly and perfectly as the rest of us.”
“The rest of you?”
“Yes,” she said, “all of us who were being exhibited, whose contracts were being sold.”
“I see,” said Brenner.
“Perhaps you would have enjoyed seeing her perform—naked,” she said.
“Perhaps,” said Brenner.
“As she doubtless is for your friend now,” she said.
“Perhaps,” said Brenner.
“Perhaps you would have found it amusing,” she said.
“Perhaps,” he said. To be sure, he would have been, he did not doubt, much more interested in seeing the brunette perform. He looked at her. She put down her head, and blushed, beautifully, all of her body that was not covered with the silk.
“I think that on many worlds your contract might have fetched a higher price than hers,” said Brenner.
“On the worlds of which I suspect you speak,” she laughed, “I gather that it would be we, indeed, ourselves, and not our contracts, which would be vended.”
“Perhaps,” said Brenner.
She smiled.
“On such worlds, as I understand it,” he said, “they buy the female, and that is what they are really interested in, the female, and the female female, so to speak, she who is most female, biologically, hormonally, emotionally, and such. That is what they are out to acquire, what they are bidding for, what they covet and desire, what they truly want, the real female, the female female, so to speak.”
She smiled.
“How truly frightful, how truly dreadful—for that sort of woman, the true female, for the female female, so to speak,” said Brenner.
She put down her head. “Perhaps not,” she said.
“You were exhibited—on a block,” he said.
“Yes,” she said. “On Damascus.”
He regarded her. He found her face very beautiful, so softly rounded, with the dark eyes, looking up at him, questioningly, and the dark hair, so soft and glossy, framing the exquisite features, and the whiteness of her throat and shoulders, and arms, the sweetness of her breasts within the silk, the bared midriff, the rounded latitudes of her belly, the silk low on it, the hips flaring before being captured by the silk, her left thigh bared, the right under the spread silk, and, behind her, her calves, the ankles, the chain and disk on the left, her small, white feet.
“Do you wish to see what they made me do, how they made me stand and pose?” she asked.
“No!” he said. Then he said, “How?”
“Like this!” she said, delightedly, leaping to her feet. “The bed shall be the surface of the block!” she said. “It is soft, and will not give me the best of footing, but it will provide the required elevation. You will get the general idea of matters.”
“I am sure of it,” said Brenner. How could he have asked ‘How?’ he asked himself. But how could he not have asked ‘How?’ he asked himself. “Retain your silk!”
“Do you think such things are permitted to us on the block?”
“Retain it,” said Brenner.
“I shall do so,” she laughed. She seized up the sheet from the floor, and hurried to the other side of the bed.
“There are many ways in which these things may be done,” she said. “In our case, we were chained together by the neck in the