Nerves tore at my insides, threatening to bring up my breakfast. I was already painted up, wearing the cherry blossom design, with a few slight modifications. The paint was now all gone, but I looked the best I possibly could.“Good luck,” Mhairi whispered as Edward escorted me out to Yaru's car. I didn't reply, unable to. I was going to need more than luck.Yaru sat waiting, his eyes meeting mine.“Take me to Kioshi,” I said before he could ask and I could change my mind.“Kioshi? Are you sure?”“Yes,” I replied, not sure at all. But it was the best plan I could think of. And I'd been up most of the night going over alternatives and possible ways it could go wrong. It was my best shot.“He's going to be the hardest to convince of your innocence in all this,” Yaru replied.“I know. And so does everyone else.”“Big gamble. Do you think you can lie that well?”“I did last night, didn't I?”“Yes, my dear. Far better than I'd have ever expected, I must confess.”I didn't reply, agreeing wi
“Speak, Courtesan. Say what it is you've come to say so I may go back to my work. But do not expect me to believe your honeyed lies.”I exhaled, unable to look at him.“I was awake all night, planning, repeating what I wanted, what I needed to say. All the other courtesans, Daniel, the guards, staff, even Yaru, depend on me somehow fixing all this. The debt on my head is so large that if I don't, they'll all be sold, laid off or tainted.”I glanced up at him, but his face hadn't changed.“Knowing they all need me, I thought I was prepared to say whatever would fix this. To utter whatever lies were required.”He folded his arms, letting out an almost satisfied hmmph at my admission.“But I cannot lie to you. In truth, I never intended to claim virginity when I was resurrected. The initial decision was taken out of my hands. But this one has not been. The claim I had a husband is true. And we were intimate.” I paused as I felt the first tear fall, fighting to keep my voice steady while I
My feet ached as I slumped down in Daniel's office. For three days straight I'd done nothing but sit in each of the three major locations I'd been regularly visiting and retell my story again, and again. Many had come to talk over how I could have had a husband yet not consummated my marriage. Time and time again I told a tragic tale, Yaru helping me stay just consistent enough to keep it believable, while not telling it perfectly the same every time.Daniel had barely spoken to me since hearing my confession, but he sat opposite me now, studying me.“You're exhausted. But Yaru tells me you've done a good job at undoing the damage.”“I've quelled the rumours. They won't go any further, but not everyone's opinion is restored. And some are still avoiding me.”“You'll have to keep trying, then. You'll need six at your unveiling.”“I know.”Silence fell between us.“How are the others faring? Has their average pay been hit hard by all this?”“They're struggling, but only outside of the Jap
Groaning, I pushed the bed covers back. Mhairi stood nearby, having just given me a shake.“Time to get up,” she said, not looking much happier to be awake. I fought back my true reaction as I spotted Yaru near the door. If he was here we must have both slept later than we ought.By the time I was on my feet and Mhairi and I were selecting our outfits for the day, he had come all the way into the room. Missing nothing, he took in the present from James.“Oh, this is a useful gift, considering the circumstances,” Yaru said, holding up the chains and cuffs. “Bring them, but don't put them on yet.”“So, neon design today then,” I replied, knowing the bondage wear would look very out of place with the Japanese design.Yaru nodded as he handed me the gift. We both ignored the fact he'd seen and read the card. No part of me felt like I needed to point out that another resurrected had proven useful as an ally. My mentor didn't miss this sort of thing. He'd have realised.I was inside the car
Yaru politely coughed before stepping forward.“I know you're very good at what you do, and I hate to rush an expert, but Auralia has other engagements to get to as soon as possible. Perhaps we should move on to somewhere where you can begin?”Rick didn't reply, merely looking at Yaru as if he was a fly on his dessert.“I don't think we should rush, Yaru,” I replied. “I'm sure the colonel won't take longer than necessary.”I tried to give him a small smile, to show I was going to defer to his judgement. Anything that might get him to relax. The corners of his mouth twitched up, but he still didn't move.“My dojo is this way. You may come with me and try to learn something. Yaru, I must insist you wait here.”“But—” Yaru moved forward again, but Rick quickly raised an arm, cutting my mentor off.“Edward will accompany her if you must have someone as her chaperone, but otherwise I will have no one else in my dojo while I train the courtesan.”Yaru bowed his assent to the demands, but I c
I tried not to lose the delicious dinner I'd eaten as Yaru handed me the small neon collar and the chains that attached it to two cuffs.“My contact informs me Keaton is there currently. If you stand any chance of winning him back, we'll need to seize the moment.” Yaru hadn't said anything new or unreasonable. It was true, I needed to pick my moments carefully. But I still didn't like the idea of putting on the bondage wear.Pushing my fear aside, I lifted the collar into place. Yaru clipped it shut before I could change my mind. It could feel it all the way around my neck, but James had picked a good size and it wasn't too tight. Not long later I was wearing the cuffs as well, the tinkling of chains evident every time I moved. Yaru gave me the key to unlock them, which I tucked inside my clutch bag, zipping it up safely.You've just got to get his attention. Show him you're submissive, but confident. He liked that before. The pep talk helped calm my nerves and reduce the shaking as I
I reluctantly got out of bed to face another day. The ups and downs of the last week or so were finally getting to me, along with the worry that I wouldn't have enough people at my unveiling. So far I had four who'd said they'd come. Tomichii, James, Keaton and Aiden. Of course, I still had to officially invite them, but it was only four. Yaru had made it clear I needed six.And I wasn't the only one who was showing signs of tiredness. Mhairi was slower than before, yawning more than once while we got ready together. We spoke little, barely dressed by the time Yaru and Edward came to fetch me.“Where are we going today?” I asked. Yaru held up several plain white envelopes.“It's time to begin giving these out.” He handed them to Mhairi, who tucked them in a case and clutched it to herself. I raised my eyebrows.“A courtesan doesn't do the inviting herself, but has a second. It's considered an honour to be a veiled's second. She represents the courtesan's desires and is meant to help gu
My next destination was the club, but I sat in Yaru's car on the way as he presented me with a box.“Put this on,” he said. “And hurry. You've not got long.”I opened it up to discover a new outfit, a dress that hugged the figure and covered up a significant portion of my painted body. At first I wondered if it would look wrong with the design I was wearing, the blossom not my usual attire for the club, but the dress was almost pure white, almost accentuating the paint that could still be seen. I didn't doubt that the lights of the club would show it up all the more on me. It was designed for me to stand out. I also wondered if the colour was symbolic in another way. After all, I was inviting people to my unveiling. I was meant to be considered pure.Mhairi helped me into it, something not easy while the car moved and whizzed along with all the other traffic. I had barely recovered and sat back down when we arrived. It was time to find Keaton.I strode out ever so slightly ahead of my
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