It turned out that the ‘not long’ Mhairi had told me about was still over two hours, a lotion needed to soak through the body paint and stop it adhering to the skin. It then had to be carefully covered in a sort of plastic substance and the whole lot peeled slowly off. When Mhairi was done there were over ten pieces of plastic, each labelled for the body part they related to, and I stood as naked and vulnerable as I'd begun the day.I let out yet another big yawn, more than ready to sleep, the day's ups and downs almost a hazy memory.“Remember to put the chair back once I'm gone,” Mhairi said, going to the door.“Do you really think they'll try again tonight?”“Oh, no, they'll have gone back to Belle. The other courtesans won't be happy, though.”“Right,” I said, wondering just how many threats a person could keep safe against.“They don't like the special treatment you're getting. Or that I'm the one Daniel asked to help you.”“Jealousy and insecurity. An ugly combination,” I replied
I tried my best to relax as I sat near Tomichii in his relaxation room. Nearby, I could hear the moans of another courtesan as she lay backwards over a table, a man burying himself over and over again inside her.We'd been here since lunchtime, Yaru not wasting any time in reminding me Tomichii was still the most overtly interested person to come to my unveiling. Besides the other resurrected, anyway. Yaru hadn't brought him up again so neither had I.“Tired?” Tomichii asked when I failed to stifle a yawn. I saw Yaru's eyebrows raise. Apparently appearing tired was a big no-no, something he'd mentioned on the drive over when I'd told him of my night full of adventures.“A little,” I replied, doing my best to look sheepish and apologetic. “I confess I didn't sleep very well last night. I was too excited.”“Oh, really? And what could have caused that?”“I was thinking about coming back here. You have a wonderful building here, especially the garden. And...” I pretended to be embarrassed,
The thought of dinner continued to be a pleasant one, until I walked into the room. Normally being on Tomichii's arm was a delight, but then I spotted Bernice. Her eyes were already on me as she sat between two men. Her grin said everything. A cat with all the cream.And there was one more surprise. Kioshi.The surly businessman sat near one end of the table, a drink in one hand, listening to the person next to him, another serious-looking Asian man in a well-tailored suit. It was towards this end of the table that Tomichii led me first.I was introduced to the guests, one by one, each of them bowing as they heard my name. I returned the gesture on hearing theirs and gave a slight bow whenever any of them complimented the painted design I wore. I knew Mhairi should have been getting the credit, but the conversations never allowed me to sing her praises.It was quickly clear that I was mostly there to listen and look pretty. Eventually, Tomichii had engaged everyone in conversation exce
“Thank you, Courtesan,” Kioshi said when I'd answered every question of his. Before I could respond, he got to his feet.“I must go now, but I hope someday we can repeat this.”“I'd love that,” I said, both disappointed he was leaving and pleased he wanted to speak to me again.I voiced neither as he walked away, merely sighing and letting my eyes wander back to the scenery around me. For almost an hour I'd forgotten where I was, focused solely on him.Not long after he left I got up and wandered out into the garden further. It was beautiful, and the wind blowing gently in the trees was calming. Once again I marvelled at how little I was feeling the cold. The paint must somehow act like a layer of clothing.“Well, I knew you'd charm Tomichii,” Yaru said, appearing at my side. “But even I didn't expect you to get Kioshi talking.”“He wanted me to help him perfect his technology.”“Oh, I think he was considering more than that,” Yaru replied, his eyes lighting up.“You saw everything the
For the second morning in a row, I woke before Mhairi, my body unable to completely relax. Someone had only tried to get into the room twice during the night, and I'd managed to sneak to and from Daniel's office without anyone else seeing me. I hadn't noted the time, but I'd been back far earlier than most of his courtesans.Before either of us could get out of bed, there was a knock at the door.It stirred Mhairi, bringing her quickly into a sitting position.“Who is it?” I yelled, grabbing a dressing gown as I headed to remove the chair.“A friendly mentor, looking to get on with his day,” Yaru's voice sounded, its usual clipped self. I grinned, picturing the slightly sardonic look he'd have had on his face as he spoke.As soon as I opened the door, he strode inside. A fraction of a second later he spotted Mhairi still sat in the bed, her hair tousled enough to look like someone else might have caused it. He turned to me and raised his eyebrows, his mouth open. Mock surprise more tha
“Auralia, what a pleasing surprise,” I heard a familiar voice say. My eyes found Keaton as he strode closer, his eyes on my body. He reached for my waist as he came near, eyes still not on my face. “Damn, you look hot. I'd bend you over and fuck you senseless if you weren't veiled still.”“Would you now? You seem pretty sure I'd let you,” I replied, stepping a little closer to him anyway, letting his fingers settle just above my hips. Finally he drew his gaze up to my face. He had a smug grin.“Courtesans quickly learn not to say no to me.”“Oh, I bet they do. I look forward to the lesson.”“Not as much as I do, Courtesan. Not as much as I do.”Yaru coughed from nearby, making it obvious he was still there. Keaton glanced his way, a frown appearing.“Why don't you go have a drink at the bar?” Keaton said, his eyes back on me. “I'll keep Auralia company for a while.”Yaru looked to Edward.“If Auralia has no objection. But Edward will be nearby to ensure Auralia's honour remains intact.
I tried not to yawn as I walked into Daniel's office again. Yaru had left me at the door to the building once more, Edward only coming in a few metres with me, before one of the other guards asked for his help with something.The guards had become the least of my worries over the course of the evening as several different men had joined me and Yaru in our booth at the club. Keaton had come back, twice, each time Yaru stepping away to let the playboy do what he wanted to me unsupervised. I'd orgasmed more times than I could count, but I'd paid for each one in some way.Now I was exhausted, and I still needed to report to Daniel, and make it back to my room.When I arrived Daniel was alone, sitting at his desk, most of the boxes on the screen now empty. Only a few were green, most yellow or red.“You're back late,” he said, not looking up. “Was it a productive evening?”“Yaru took me to a club.”“I heard. And Keaton paid you a visit.”“Several.”“Good. That's very good.” Daniel put down
I yawned, movement from Mhairi waking me up. She was sat beside me on the bed, smiling. I grinned back before I noticed that the sun was far higher in the sky.“Shit,” I said. “We're going to be late.”“Nope,” she replied, chuckling. “Today is our day off. Well, for the most part. Rules state we're not allowed to be forced into working today. Although we can opt in to go away with companions for mini breaks and holidays or things like that if we want.”“Right,” I said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. It was my sixth day since becoming a courtesan and I had no desire to object to having a break.The last two days had been particularly intense, Yaru taking me to both Tomichii and Kioshi's office, the club and the diner each day. My feet were killing me by the time I got back to the court, and Daniel never let me leave his office without using me in some way on top.I grinned at Mhairi once we were both dressed. Her in an outfit I'd seen her wear out before, covering almost all
Walking along in the garden almost at the top of Tomichii and Kioshi’s building, I sighed. I was done with my regular appointments for the day, and Edward had indulged me in a moment to walk among the plants and stars. I tried to calm myself. It had been a full-on day, and I’d just said goodbye to a man called Ferg, a businessman who was a good friend of Tomichii’s and now one of my regulars.Deciding to accept his request had been a hard thing to do. I didn’t doubt that Tomichii would realize I was sleeping with them both. And I knew it would hurt him a little, something I didn’t want to cause at all. Of all my companions, he was one of my favorites. But I’d not been able to afford to say no.I had several regular companions now. My schedule was almost full each day, especially on Thursdays and Fridays. The most frustrating thing, however, was how little financial progress I was making. Despite Daniel’s attempt to introduce me to wealthier men, and Mhairi’s help at her club, I had nee
The waiter pointed out the guests we wanted on one side of the room, standing in a circle by what looked like a fireplace except for the lack of heat one so large would create. Keaton then led me up to them.Heads turned as I noticed an interesting mix of people. Some of the women in the room were dressed more normally, almost conservatively, including two we were heading towards. But just over half of the women were clearly courtesans, although again, they were wearing more clothing and were more restrained. No one was having sex out in the open, or being anywhere near as lewd.I, on the other hand, was wearing nothing but paint. For a moment I wanted to run from the room and cover myself up, but then I reminded myself that Keaton had chosen me for this task. He wasn’t a fool. If I should have been dressed differently he’d have had me put something else on while in the car on the way here instead of screwing me as swiftly as possible.As we reached the circle of people, it opened natu
The following day seemed to arrive quickly, even Daniel wishing me luck as I headed to the club to join Keaton. Mhairi had helped me put on the design he’d requested, touching it up where it had stretched, chipped, or faded a bit, and then I’d grabbed breakfast on the way, too late to eat it before I left the court.I felt a little nervous as I went into the club and hurried across the dance floor. Giving out invitations seemed to be an important task and I wanted to get it right.“Don’t fret,” Edward said as he pulled the door to the stairs open for me. “He’ll make it clear how formal he wants you to be. And everyone loves you.”I sighed and tried to smile, but I don’t think I was very convincing, as Edward opened the final door for me too.“You’ll be perfect,” he whispered.“There you are,” Keaton said a fraction of a second later, drawing everyone’s attention to me.“Sorry I kept you waiting,” I replied, although I knew I wasn’t late. I thought I saw Erin smirk, however, as I came c
“Finally, the leash,” Dante said, pulling it out of his pocket and handing it to Keaton. As Keaton looked up, Dante stopped staring at me.I exhaled, trying not to show my instant fear at the idea of being on a leash of some kind. Was I truly going to be subjected to that? It was clear the answer was yes, as Keaton didn’t even hesitate to clip it to the ring on the back of my neck. He gave it a little tug, the movement tugging on my throat. I swallowed, feeling the tightness on my neck as I did.“There,” he said, stepping back but holding the loop on the other end of the leash in his hand. “Perfect.”Trying not to let any other emotion show, I smiled and waited for everyone to finish admiring me. While Eric and Trey wandered over to also get a closer look, all four men now ogling, I tried to remind myself that I was naked all the time. That these men had seen and touched it all before. Still, I felt self-conscious.“What do you think?” I asked as I slowly turned on the spot, genuinely
As I hurried out to my car, still munching on a piece of toast, Edward appeared.“Another day on the job, princess,” he replied, taking a bite out of the toast I still held. I frowned at him, trying to look annoyed, but I knew Edward would never let me go really hungry and would willingly return the favor later if he had something I was hungry for.“Yup, another day, another four hours with Keaton,” I replied. I tried to stifle a yawn. Two weeks had passed since I’d had an introduction meeting with many men at a racetrack and Mhairi had made me realize I wasn’t seeing all my messages. Now I spent a good chunk of my journey times, and a little more time in the evenings and on my day off, replying to messages.Lord Logan had finally sent me a message. He’d given me a set of shares in some kind of horse racing company. There had been some kind of dig at how I’d lost money to almost every horse, but Daniel had seemed pleased with it. I’d thanked the wealthy aristocrat but had no other mess
By the time I was let up off the floor and sofas, several hours had passed, some of the men had even left, and there was a large pile of credit tokens in my purse. I was a little sore, but I’d had a few orgasms of my own to take the edge off, some of the men genuinely enjoying giving me a little pleasure too. As I got up I noticed Lord Logan still staring, and I suspected he had been sitting alone at the bar by himself the whole time.Hoping I was doing the right thing, I walked slowly up to him, our gazes locked.“You’ve been very quiet and distant. Do you not want to come join in?” I asked.“I’m not particularly interested in exhibiting myself to a room full of men I only half like,” he replied, his accent Eastern European. I tried not to show my surprise, but came a little closer, to see if his body language would change.“Would you like to find somewhere quieter?”He chuckled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Have one of the richest men in the city become a regular schmuck, paying t
“I hope we haven’t kept you gentlemen waiting long,” I said when it was clear no one else was going to say anything and Daniel was already looking to me.“Only long enough for Quentin here to bore us with his opinions on the next thoroughbred I should buy,” the duke replied.“I’m afraid I know very little about horses,” I said. “Do you own many?”Lord Logan laughed but didn’t give me an answer.“He owns about twenty horses,” Sir McKythe said, his Scottish accent only faint; clearly not a place he spent much time. “And three racetracks. He also employs numerous jockeys.”“And I own three, and they do very badly, but I adore them and shan’t be buying any more,” the duke declared, lifting his glass.“To sentimental purchasing,” Sir McKythe declared, also lifting his drink. I raised mine as well, more than happy to bring sentimentality into it. It might just find me a regular.It was already clear Lord Logan wasn’t very impressed. As the duke congratulated me on my recent record-breaking u
I tried to take several deep breaths to keep calm as Daniel looked me over. On his instruction I was wearing my most elegant painted outfit, complete with an accessory he’d loaned me, a gorgeous necklace, anklet and bracelet set with gemstones that matched the color of the design so perfectly I was almost ready to ask if they’d been made for me.“There,” he said. “You look almost perfect. Now, come,” he said, taking my arm and placing it through his before he rested my lower arm on top and clasped my hand gently.It was purely for aesthetics, but he also seemed delighted to have me on his arm. Daniel himself was looking smarter than I’d ever seen him in a suit, the cut tailored to his body with perfection. My jaw had dropped when I’d seen him, but he’d ignored my reaction.“Where are we going?” I asked as he led me through the court’s corridors and down the front stairs. He grinned, but didn’t answer.We’d only reached the bottom when I saw a couple of other courtesans waiting there, a
Everything I tried showed this area of the city marked as separate for some reason or denied me the names and addresses of people nearby so I couldn’t even trick it into taking me somewhere only a few meters away.As the bubble car floated into an area that wasn’t separated out and was only a few blocks from Tomichii and Kioshi’s office, the options all appeared again. My fingers hovered over the stop button, but as I looked over the map to see if I could work out where to go back to help, I realized I’d been so focused on how I could stop the car to help that I’d neglected to pay attention to anything else.Feeling like I’d somehow entirely failed at a test in life to see what kind of person I was, but aware I had no idea what else I could have done, I sat where I was and let the car take me the rest of my journey. The last thing I’d seen filled my head, a frightened young woman accosted by two men.It only took a few more minutes and then I was standing in the elevator of Tomichii an