Nikki has been a voluntary slave to Austin Trask for nearly three years. But the end of her contract is drawing near. He has reduced her to a subhuman existence. And, he has promised to lend her to various groups of people to be used and abused however they like. Can Nikki find her way back to a normal existence in which she is allowed to speak freely, wear clothing, and go wherever she pleases? How will she handle being loaned to Trask's friends, especially so near the end of her contract? And, after having this beautiful woman as his slave for so long, will Austin Trask really set her free? And, what will Nikki do if and when she is set free as a wealthy woman?
This is the 3rd book of the 4 part Story of Nikki. While it is part of a series,it is a freestanding novel. Readers should be at least 18 years old, as this is a work contains scenes of erotica as well as some violence. Adult material.
I liked the book and am looking forward to the next sequel. This book is again a reasonable length (257 pages), although it felt shorter to me. I will give it four and a half stars. I will give it four stars here and five stars on Amazon. Here I can explain this in more detail.
So, why only four and a half stars? I was expecting her time in Trask's underground facility to be detailed. In that respect, I'm probably a little disappointed.
There is only sporadic reference to the past two years that Nikki spent in the secret prison.
The blurb says that although it is part of a series, it is a freestanding novel. We find out in a short flashback (Lana) what happened to Nikki so far. I would say that you have to at least read the last chapters of Book 2 to understand what she's gotten herself into.
The action begins two years after the end of Book 2 and mainly describes the last six months of the contract period. Austin Trask and his people have turned Nikkis into a perfect sex slave. His expectations for this project were met. He can now present his prototype to a select audience of experts. Trask: “I’ve spent a ridiculous amount on money on personel and infrastructure to train Nikki.”
But above all, and this is probably much more valuable for him, he needed time. Trask: “I retain a team of psychologists to assess her quarterly.” The time he needed for this transformation is longer than the time he has left to enjoy the final product. I would have only projected about a year for this part. In fact, it probably took twice as long. Trask seems to be a follower of a “The journey is the destination” philosophy. He strikes me as someone who spends ages building a boat and then, when it's finally finished, barely sails it on the water.
Hilltop island home: Trask takes Nikki on a working vacation. There he enjoys his personal slave. Nikki gets a fresh look at Austin's character.
Back at the mansion: We learn how Trask enjoys Nikki for a while, but then soon organizes “dismantling measures” to ensure her reintegration after the end of the contract period. Miss Stanford: “What we‘re doing, Nikki, is teaching you to speak normally again.”
She is also loaned twice for a while. These loans are described in great detail and also contain intense moments. However, they contribute nothing to Nikki's development. The borrowers are mostly unsympathetic.
Camping Trip: cabin in the mountains Trask rents her out for a month! Here, too, I once again wonder how the contact with Austin Trask came about? What connects the two hypocritical couples (and the one sadistic jerk) to him? Ted: “Whoever had the idea to borrow a slave…” Strangely enough, no detailed reporting this time, just a cursory inspection.
Company retreat Mister Alpha: “He has lent you to me to provide entertainment for myself, my son and my guests.” During the scene where Nez stands on the stepladder and tries to take Nikki off the cross, a statistic about the causes of household accidents came to mind.
Release from captivity Eventually the contract expires, Nikki is released and can dispose of the agreed upon $3 million. Nikki:“Mister Trask wants me to take a year on my own before he’ll sign me up again.”
After seven months of freedom, Nikki agrees to a new (unwritten) contract. She knew that her perverse cravings, and the way she had indulged them, made her unsuitable for a decent man.
The ending of this book was less unexpected. There were already hints in this direction in Book 1. After everything she had experienced so far, it was clear that Nikki would not lead a normal life again. The terms of the new contract seem more tolerable to me.
A few notes about some characters:
Nikki Nikki has changed. “I’ve had to learn that I’m a masochist, which is why I was persuaded to Mister Trask’s slavery in the first place.” Trask has reduced her to a subhuman existence. A thing to be tortured and humiliated and locked in a box. Trask: “The ultimate tool for animalizing my slave is not allow her to speak.” Only permitted to non-language signals. She was frustrated that she could only the “ooh-ahh” sound in response.
… Mister Trask had set her up with a hypnotist to reinforce some feelings and behaviors and suppress others. She suspected that her tendency to become extremely sexually aroused at the slightest provocation might be an effect of hypnosis, as well as her extraordinary obedience to her owner’s commands. She could only speculate, she couldn’t remember the sessions. Well, now you can at least blame all of Nikki's incomprehensible actions on this brainwashing. Incidentally, these measures will not be reversed upon her release.
She scarcely listened, as nothing free people talked about was any of her business. Nikki has a higher pain tolerance and maybe a lower instinct for self-preservation. It made her feel good to know that she was owned and that her owner’s control of her was implacable.
Trask owner He sometimes seems a little megalomaniacal. People who know him respect him and know that it's better not to upset him. “...Nikki belongs to me and when someone hurts her, I will hurt him. Regardless of the cost.” He is willing to have people eliminated who violate his personal rules. Mister Alpha:“People who cross him… well, let’s just say things don’t work out well for them.” Word has now spread in his circles that he is keeping a slave. Winona: "Is this your legendary sex slave, Austin?” I wouldn't be surprised if he already has a follow-up project underway. Mister Moore: “And, once he had an infrastructure, why not use it to enslave more girls?”
Lana cellmate Lana shared a cell with Nikki for about two months.
Miss Stanford maid “I’m on the books as a maid, but as you probably guessed, I’m more like a personal assistant to Mister Trask.”
Robert Moreno aka Mister Moore, new owner “You’ll be in chains or caged almost constantly.”
Mister deAngelo keeper "Well, if it arouses you, get on knees and elbows and I’ll give you a good, hard, painful beating”
Ted nature photographer He is like the fifth wheel in the group, the only one who uses Nikki sexually. Ted is also the only one who tortures Nikki. “I want to beat you tomorrow.” He doesn't realize how dangerously close he came to breaking Trask's rules. Trask: “Can somebody tell me why my slave has welts all over her back?” His stupid actions are also to the detriment of the group. The others had actually just borrowed Nikki so that she could do slave work for them. The result of Ted’s actions was that Nikki was freed of the obligation to do slave labor around the house.
Mike Mister Alpha’s caddy In Nikki’s internal parlance, he was a chad: Athletic, affluent, and physically attractive. Doable. It was nice to be spending time with a man, who was young, intelligent, clean cut and had no wish to harm or humiliate her. Nikki: “That was the hottest fuck I’ve had in years.”
A few things I particularly liked: Lana timer-locked cages Mister Alpha specially fitted cuffs arm binder & harness punishment cage Robert Moreno
Some things I was missing: Nikki used to be a curious, attentive person. Much of what we know about Trask and its facilities was picked up or pieced together by Nikki at some point. Trask probably drove this interest out of her. I missed these snippets of information.
There is only sporadic reference to the past two years that Nikki spent in the secret prison. We learn that it wasn't just Nikki who was re-educated there, but nothing more.
Almost nothing new is learned about the Nevada Project.
Trask: “...it narrows her dating options to men with the initials AT.” Nikki: “I took off Mister Trask’s initials.” Just like that?
Some things which I didn't like as much: The borrowers: Why should you design a racing car with a team of experts and then rent it out to people who can't use gears, who sometimes enjoy scratching the paint and actually just want to drive to the supermarket?
Ted, sadistic jerk
The crucifixion
Nez aka Junior, years later still a spoiled and reckless boy
Favourite quotes:
Trask: “Economies of scale might bring the per unit cost down, but owning a sex slave will always be expensive.”
Trask: “Nikki is the ultimate luxury good.”
Nikki: “This place is a mindfuck...”
Trask: “I’m not going to turn you over to a pack of sadistic lesbians.”
Trask: “... my whim today is to feed you well and to be nice to you.”
Nikki: “I wouldn’t volunteer to be raped regularly by someone I hate.”
Trask: “You know, we made up all these petty rules to give us an excuse to whip you.”
Mister Alpha: “I want a girl, not a robot!”
Nikki: “All the slaves in the porn novels get their labia pierced.”
Trask: “There’s no sweet little girl inside that sexy slave body?”
Moore: “You wouldn’t respect a man who was nice to you all the time.”
Finished another wonderful book by Dallas. Here's my Amazon review:
The first two books of the Nikki series work extremely well in showing how our main character Nikki becomes more and more enamored with the idea of becoming a submissive and, in fact a slave to the man she feels could truly dominate her. Book three in the series takes that even further, becoming a compelling account of a woman driven by the need to fully submit.
As a work of dark erotica we are taken along for the ride as more and more extreme things happen to her and she is forced to discover her limits of tolerance. The author does a really good job of making sure that Nikki truly does consent to what she's enduring, even as her treatment becomes more extreme.
In the end, this is a great psychological exploration of the mind of a true submissive and the behavioral patterns of master and slave. But more than that, it's good fun erotica if you're into heavy bondage and punishment, without it getting truly disturbing. Because, underlying it is actual caring and, dare I say it, love.
The balance makes this a great read, more than other books that just portray one depraved punishment after another. The Story of Nikki series does not do that. It underpins everything with a framework and characters that make the whole worth reading.
Treat yourself! Buy this and the prior books of the series to immerse yourself in something deep and just as dark as you know you want.