The new tunic feels like heaven against my skin.
I run my hands down the front of the fabric, smooth and clean, the tan color unmarred by filth. The white trousers fit properly, not too tight, not hanging off me like I’m wearing someone else’s clothes. For the first time since landing in this world, I actually feel like a person instead of a walking disaster.
“This is so much more comfortable than my rags.”
Meira stands by the window, her silver hair catching the afternoon light streaming through the glass. She turns to look at me, and there’s satisfaction in her pale eyes as they travel over my new outfit.
“Once you start making some money, we’ll get you another set.” She pauses, and I watch her mind working behind those eyes. “And then we’ll probably have to get you really nice clothes if we want to convince people you’re a high end stud.”
I adjust the collar of the tunic, trying to ignore the other collar still sitting against my throat. The metal one that vibrates with commands and strips away my ability to speak when they decide I don’t deserve it.
“How nice are we talking?”
“Silks. Embroidery. Maybe some jewelry.” Meira moves away from the window, circling me slowly like she’s appraising livestock. “I assume Women paying premium rates expect their studs to look the part.”
The door opens.
I turn my head toward the sound and watch Tisha walk through, her braid swinging behind her. She’s barely crossed the threshold before Meira is moving, closing the distance between them.
They collide with enough force that I hear the breath leave Tisha’s lungs. Meira’s arms wrap around her wife, pulling her close, and Tisha’s hands find Meira’s waist immediately.
“I missed you, love,” Meira breathes, her voice softer than I’ve heard it all day.
Tisha’s response is cut off by Meira’s mouth on hers. The kiss is deep, urgent, like they’ve been separated for weeks instead of hours. Meira’s fingers tangle in Tisha’s braid.
They stay like that for long enough that I start to wonder if I should be looking away, but there’s nowhere else to focus my attention. The room is small, and they’re right there in front of me.
Eventually Tisha pulls back, grinning wide enough that I can see her teeth. Her green eyes are bright with affection.
“I missed you too,” she says, a little breathless.
Then her gaze finds me.
Her eyes widen slightly, falling down my body and back up again. The grin shifts into approval.
“You look great.”
“Thank you,” I manage.
Meira steps back from Tisha but keeps one hand on her wife’s hip, like she can’t bear to break contact completely. Her attention shifts between us, that calculating look sliding back into place.
“How did it go?” Meira asks.
“Sold everything. Got a decent price too.” Tisha pats the pouch at her belt, and I hear the clink of coins. “Plus I got the information you wanted.”
“And?”
“An unproven stud like Vincent? He can get anywhere from fifty copper to a single silver an hour.”
“Fifty copper would be insulting,” Meira says immediately. “For someone as clean as Vincent?” Her pale eyes find me, traveling over my new clothes with approval. “Gods know he’s good enough to be at least worth five silver a round.”
“He’s new,” Tisha counters. “Untested.”
“Yes.” Meira’s fingers drum against her thigh, that calculating look intensifying. She goes quiet for a moment, her silver eyes distant like she’s working through numbers in her head.
Then her attention locks onto me.
“Vincent, how many hours a day do you think you can have sex for?”
My brain stutters trying to process the question. “Oh boy...” I run a hand through my freshly cut hair. “I guess it depends on what kind of sex.”
Meira’s expression shifts to annoyance. Her head shakes once, sharp and dismissive, before she turns back to Tisha.
“Regardless, with my help stamina won’t be an issue.”
“Yeah.” Tisha’s voice enthusiastic now. “I honestly think if we get him out there and have him act as enthusiastically as he did with us, I’m sure he’ll make a name for himself.”
The words land with weight. I remember this morning, the sounds I couldn’t control, the way my body responded to everything they did.
“We’ll probably have to hold back with him if we want him working a lot,” Meira says, and there’s a clinical quality to her voice now.
“Are you going to work me into the ground?”
“Of course not,” Tisha says quickly.
“You will make us more than we paid for you. That’s what matters, Vincent.” Meira adds.
I nod, the motion automatic. The metal collar shifts slightly against my throat.
“Is freedom in my cards someday in the future?”
“No.” Meira’s answer comes without hesitation. “Perish the thought.”
I sigh, the sound escaping before I can stop it.
Though not much of a consolation, at least I’m going to get to live my life fucking hot women. The thought settles in my chest, neither comforting nor entirely unwelcome. Just reality. This is what I am now. What I’m for.
“So when do we start?” I ask.
Meira and Tisha exchange a look. The kind of silent communication that comes from years together, entire conversations happening in the space between heartbeats.
“Tomorrow.” Meira’s voice cuts through the silence before it can stretch too long. “You and Tisha will go out and try to find someone as your first client.”
Meira’s attention shifts back to Tisha.
“Which won’t be hard.” She pauses, and the corner of her mouth twitches upward. “Vincent tried to convince me to let him court an Oni today.”
Tisha’s head whips toward me so fast her braid swings. “What?”
“Yes.” Meira’s voice carries the kind of exasperation that comes from dealing with someone who keeps making terrible decisions. “He saw one on the street and immediately wanted to approach her.”
“An Oni?” Tisha’s green eyes are wide, locked on my face like she’s trying to figure out if I’m insane or just stupid. “Vincent, they’re...”
“Dangerous, I know.” I hold up both hands defensively. “Meira already explained. Multiple times.”
“She was red,” Meira adds, and there’s dry humor in her tone now. “Apparently that was enough.”
Tisha stares at me for another long moment, then throws her head back and laughs. The sound fills the small room, genuine and loud enough that I worry someone in the next room over will hear.
“Gods,” she manages between laughs. “He really doesn’t know anything, does he?”
“No,” Meira agrees. “He doesn’t.”
The laughter dies down gradually, Tisha wiping at her eyes with one hand. Her grin doesn’t fade though, and when she looks at me again there’s affection mixed with the amusement.
“At least we know you won’t have trouble finding clients you’re attracted to.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” I mutter.
Meira’s expression shifts again, and I watch the warmth drain out like someone pulled a plug. Her jaw tightens, and when she speaks her voice carries an edge sharp enough to cut.
“Also, that disgusting masked human you told me about approached us.”
Tisha goes still. The easy affection vanishes from her face, replaced by immediate alertness. “She did?”
“Yes.” Meira’s fingers drum against her thigh once, sharp and irritated. “She tried to buy Vincent from me.”
“How much?”
“Six gold.”
Tisha’s eyebrows shoot up. “No way she has six gold.” Her voice carries immediate skepticism. “She’s full of shit.”
“She’s a human. All humans lie.”
“That woman was really creepy too...” Tisha trails off, her green eyes going distant for a moment. “I don’t know. There was just an air about her that rubbed me the wrong way.”
“I agree.”
The words sit in my chest for a moment before I can push them out. “You know, not all humans are bad, Meira.”
Her head snaps toward me so fast I think she might have given herself whiplash. The look she gives me could freeze water.
“We’ll see what you say when I’m done with you tonight.”
Her pale silver eyes have gone dark with hunger, and the intensity in her gaze makes heat flood through me immediately. My body responds before my brain catches up, and I feel my cock start to harden in my new trousers.
“I look forward to it.”
Tisha’s head swivels between us, and her grin returns with a vengeance. “Ohhhh, he’s challenging you, Meira.”
“Is he?”