Although I’d been on a small tour of the building the first time I’d met Tomichii, I’d never been to his office, and was surprised to find it furnished in a very traditional Japanese style, the room sparse but ornate in the carved woodwork, cherry blossom painted screens and cushioned areas around low tables.On one of these tables sat a tablet-style device similar to my own, but the rest of the table was also acting as a display. This was clearly where he worked. Another table near it held a tea set and other tools, including a neat stack of paper and a pen.The room smelled of incense and spices, but we didn’t do more than move through it, towards a shut door on the far side. Tomichii ran his wrist over a small scanner set by the door and then pushed it open, as if he’d just unlocked it. I waited patiently beside him as he did so, and then let him lead me inside. As the interior was revealed, I tried not to gape, but it was hard.The light had come on as soon as we’d walked inside, b
Back in the car, I could finally think straight.“What now?” Edward asked. “Have you earned enough to return to the court without Daniel going nuts?”I shook my head. I needed another eighty-five unless I used my tips. And that would only be enough to break even. It wouldn’t help repay any of the massive amount of debt I had.“Go to the restaurant. I’ll see if I can find James, or some of those other men that sometimes hang around.” Although I said the last part, I didn’t entirely mean it. I didn’t want to find anyone else. Just James. He understood so much more. And maybe he’d have a few credits to spend and get me over the amount I needed. I didn’t need a lot more.I knew I couldn’t go back to Daniel making a loss, though. I just couldn’t. But the thought of having to keep going made my stomach turn. I wanted to go home, such as it was. I didn’t want to be out late desperately looking for someone else to have sex with so I didn’t have to face the wrath of my creditor. And it felt awf
As the man came back down, he stayed where he was for a moment, eyes closed, regaining his breath. I stilled over him, almost grateful I hadn’t enjoyed it enough to lose control or my possession of thought.Eventually he opened his eyes again and looked at me, still straddling his lap. I didn’t move as he reached for my breasts again, watching them as he rubbed a thumb over each nipple.“You were perfect,” he said. “Exactly what I needed. If you’re not otherwise engaged in three nights’ time, I’m here on business again then for another five nights. I’d love to end each day with you.”“Of course,” I said, not sure what else to say. I had no other late-night engagements and I wasn’t going to complain about someone handing me a quick, easy way to earn some money, especially when I had to do little more than take him inside and set a pace. He clearly didn’t want anything else from me.Getting off him, and letting him clean himself up, I reached for my purse once more. But that was where th
Only feeling a little better for having slept, I strode towards the court door, looking for Edward. Mhairi was right. Despite all the pressure, even if it was only my second day, it felt easier. I felt like I knew what to expect, and I’d woken up with a little bit more confidence. I still had a lot to achieve, and it was still strange, this new life of mine, but it was getting less strange.As soon as I approached the front door, Edward appeared, coming from one of the side doors, stuffing something in his pocket as he did.“Come on, princess. First stop at the club today, right?”I nodded as he opened the door for me. Stepping out, I lifted my head high and strode to the car, hearing him on the steps behind me. He opened the door for me, offering me a hand to help me up and into the bubble-like contraption. I settled onto a seat near the middle as he followed me and plugged an address in.No sooner had we begun to move than he was by my side.“We’ve got a little longer than normal, so
Keaton helped me back to my feet, finally taking in my appearance and helping me straighten myself out.“And I mean it. I won’t forget your obedience, Courtesan. You’re different to the others.”“Thank you,” I replied, not sure what else to say, glad that no one was really looking on. As Keaton reached for my purse and retrieved my tablet, I almost panicked, aware Daniel had commanded I try and get more money out of Keaton.He pulled up my schedule and the four hours he had blocked off, the amount there from the day before. Before he could scan his chip and agree to pay the sum, I held out my hand and stopped him.“I know it’s still very early in my career, but...” I trailed off, the words failing me.“But you want me to pay you more already?” he asked, his disdain for the idea clear. I looked at him and gulped.“I struggled to make enough yesterday,” I said, searching his face for even a little understanding or pity, but there wasn’t any.“Did you make a loss?” he asked. I shook my he
It felt a little strange riding the elevator up to Rick’s dojo. He was the last of my regular companions to see me since the unveiling. I also wasn’t sure if I was coming to see him to be trained further or for something more intimate, now that he had become much better acquainted with me.As the doors opened, I was met with the scene of two men sparring, both of them clearly brilliant at the martial art they used. For a moment I stood mesmerized as they danced back and forth, neither landing a punch or kick, but blocking, dodging and weaving.A cough from Edward drew the attention of the men, but not before Rick managed to grab the wrist of his opponent and, with a twist and a flick, propelled his opponent onto his back in a heap.“Well done,” Rick said, helping the slightly smaller man back up again. I looked down as both glanced at me, giving them a moment to finish up.“Liebling, come. Meet my good friend, Colton.” I hesitated just a moment before coming forward, not sure I wanted
“You know, I’ve never seen Rick look at anyone the way he looks at you,” Edward said as we descended through the tall building. “Be careful with his heart for me, okay?”“I’ll do my best,” I replied, not sure what else to say. Edward had seemed to be enamored with me himself, and no doubt he’d seen the way some of the others had looked at me. What was so special about Rick? I didn’t voice the question, but my glances his way must have made Edward realize he’d given me food for thought.“I’m no fool, princess. I know that despite calling us a pairing and making sure none of the other guards touch you, we’re not that special. You don’t love me. And I don’t love you. But I’m willing to stick with you while we’re both around and take care of you the best I can, like any man would do for the woman he did love. It’s going to take someone truly special to hold your heart for good, though, and I don’t think it will be Rick, or me, or any of the men currently paying to screw you.”I frowned, no
By the time no more men entered the booth I sat in I was exhausted and about ready to cry. I’d lost count of the number of men, but a collection of names had been added to my database and beside my purse sat a small pile of tokens.Every man had tipped me, and some of them had tipped me well. It was one of the few things I could be truly grateful for.For a moment I sat on the edge of the cushioned table, sore, achy, and so tired my limbs felt impossibly heavy. I didn’t want to move, but a small amount of curiosity got me to do so. I reached for the device in my purse and checked my earnings. Five men had paid me almost seven hundred credits. I had made the money I needed and some. If I wanted I could go home.But I still hadn’t seen Tomichii. Or Kioshi.After checking my appearance and tucking the hundred credits I also had in tokens away, I got to my feet and pulled back the curtain. The room was busier than I’d expected, the night feeling later than it clearly was. Edward appeared b
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