by Robin Roseau
"Ten dollars for a massage?" Christianna asked. "Is it a good massage?"
"I wouldn't know," Cecilia said. She leaned against Sartine. "I get mine for free."
That resulted in chuckles.
"I cannot compare these massages to those you may get elsewhere, but I think they are very good. What would a massage on Centos Four cost?"
"Much more than ten dollars," Christianna said. "Unless it is only a few minutes."
"Well, if we're not in a hurry, I am getting a massage," I declared. "And I will buy one for Delilah. But you owe the girl two dollars for the bath." I pulled out twenty-two dollars and slid them to her. She gave me a basket with my marker and two tokens for the massages.
Soon, everyone had her basket. They didn't have markers for Cecilia's family, although they did have one for Cecilia. I hadn't known that. But they had extra markers in different colors, and she said, "Remember your colors."
I couldn't have told you what they thought about our bath. It was clear they didn't know what to expect, and it was easier to let them experience than try to explain. Cecilia led the way and acted like she always did, and while there was some hesitation, it wasn't that long before we were all washed and soaking in the tub.
"All right," Savannah said. "I'm not sure how I feel about the bath part, but I could get into the after-bath soak. Oh, this feels good."
They talked lightly. I leaned back, shoulder to shoulder with Delilah. Under the water, her fingers were trying to be naughty, but I fended her off, and when I took her hand and held it, she calmed down and closed her eyes.
There were two bath girls washing hair. Cecilia told Naltamarn, "This is my mother. Please treat her especially well."
Naltamarn looked at her. "Um. Begging your pardon, but this is not your mother. Perhaps you mean sister?"
"No," Savannah said. "I'm her sister. This is our mother."
"Oh, you speak Talmonese, too! But are you sure you know this word? She is not old enough to be even my mother. By mother you mean the woman who carried you in her tummy." She patted her own stomach to highlight her words.
"Naltamarn," I said. "Christianna is, indeed, the Governor's mother. She is older than anyone living on Talmon. The Governor is over a hundred, and her mother, of course, is even older than that."
"No," said Naltamarn. "The Governor is a young woman." She leaned closer. "She is only twenty-two or twenty-three."
"It is Imperial magic," I said. I gestured to Delilah. "This is Suzannah's granddaughter."
Naltamarn wasn't quite ready to call me a liar, but I could tell she was having a hard time believing it. I didn't blame her.
"This woman is really your mother?" she asked Cecilia.
"She really is."
"Then I will take very good care of her."
And judging by the sounds Christianna made while her hair was being washed -- a process that took far longer than any of the rest of us -- I decided she did, indeed, take good care.
"I am not sure I want my massage," Savannah said a while later. "I don't want to crawl out of this warm tub."
"You don't have to," Cecilia said. "It is done here, in the water."
The baths at Indartha didn't have this, and the other baths in Sudden didn't, either, but this is why I preferred these baths. There were four places for giving massages. The person receiving the massage turned around, facing the wall of the tub. She face the seatback and leaned into it. There was room to either side for her legs, and more room behind her for the girl to sit or kneel. You could lay your head down, if you wanted, using a towel for comfort, while remaining in the water up to your neck. The girl would then work slowly, easing your aches away.
When Naltamarn saw how many of us had tokens for massages, she excused herself. "I will bring help." When she returned, she had her older sister, Valindain, with her. "Aunt Astarine is coming with Falarain. Who is first?"
"Astarine is coming?" I said, and Naltamarn nodded. "Governor, have you received a massage from Astarine?"
"No, I haven't."
"She is amazing," I said. "When Mother comes, she schedules ahead and pays extra for her."
"My Aunt Astarine taught me," Naltamarn said. "She taught all of us. But we will never be as good as she is."
"Well, Mother," Cecilia said. "Did you want to claim one of these girls or wait for the best?"
"You are Governor here," Christianna said. "And so you take the first choice."
"You are my mother," she replied.
They went back and forth several times. Finally Sartine shook her head. "I am the Indartha Vendart, and if neither of you decide, I will take my massage from Naltamarn." Then she didn't wait but moved into position muttering something about people who can't make a simple decision. "Do I have to make every decision for you, Cecilia?"
"Yes," Cecilia said.
"Fine. Valindain will see to you, Astarine will see to Christianna, and Falarain will see to Savannah. Someone else can decide for round two."
There were chuckles, but everyone did what she was ordered, and as soon as Astarine and Falarain appeared, climbing into the pool with us, there were four women, eyes closed, moaning in pleasure.
"It is so good?" Delilah asked.
"We are Talmonese," I said. "You may be disappointed, but it would be rude and an insult not to express pleasure. Your grandmother and great-grandmother seem to understand this. Or perhaps a Talmonese massage is just that good." I grinned.
"I would rather receive my massage from you."
"And I would rather we receive ours side by side, holding hands under the water."
"Oh," she said. "I guess I like that, too. But I shall be thinking of your hands and your lips."
When our turns came, I could tell Delilah was determined to downplay it. But about five minutes in, with Valindain pressing deeply into the muscles of her lower back, a moan escape. "Oh yes. Oh there," she muttered. And perhaps Valindain didn't know those words, but from the sounds Delilah continued to make, I thought perhaps she understood well enough.
* * * *
That evening, she came to me again. The door was barely closed when she pressed against me, pulling my head down to her neck. "Do I smell like a horse?"
"No," I said. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, inhaling deeply. "Oh, Del..."
She stroked my head, murmuring, and I continued to inhale. "Yes," she encouraged me. "I smell good, don't I?"
"Yes..."
"My Talmonese lover," she said. "Take me to bed. Taste of me. Drink of me. Fill me with pleasure."
And I did, all of it, anything she asked, I gave her. I gave her everything she wanted.
Trouble In Paradise
A month passed. We remained as a large group for the first three weeks, but then we broke into smaller groups based on individual desires. Father found guides for Shawn and his partner, a man and woman team. They would spend the next six weeks living on their own, making their way to the mountains near Indartha; I arranged supplies for them, and once they were close, Sartine had another pair to bring them deeper into the mountains.
Cecilia and Sartine stayed with her parents. They chartered a small ship and took a trip on the ocean, heading south along the coast. Savannah joined them. We didn't see them for two weeks.
Other groups did other things. Some of them wished to hunt; they had never been hunting before. They were surprised to find we had no firearms; we hunted with bow. None of them could shoot, but Father arranged a week-long trip anyway. They came back with venison and boar, but only because the guides shot them. However, they were pleased to have gone.
The groups with young children remained at the resort, enjoying the amenities available while taking day trips afield. Cecilia asked me to remain with this group, as these required the most organization. Delilah wanted to go sailing and tried to convince me, but she relented when I assured her how sick I'd get. She talked about doing something else just for the two of us, but eventually went sailing without me.
In a
way, I was relieved. I could use some time away from her.
Oh, she remained deeply intoxicating, and when she was around, I couldn't think straight most of the time. It was much easier to keep my head firmly engaged without her beside me. But more importantly, I was growing troubled.
It was nearly impossible for me to say 'no' to her if she decided to overwhelm me. Sometimes she would accept my denials, but if she really wanted something, I found myself giving it to her, whatever it was.
Including things I had never done before.
It started small, little things. She might ask for a foot massage while we were all together in the evening, lifting her feet to my lap. I didn't mind, although she told me I wasn't very good.
But it grew. Lovemaking began to feel far less like love and far more like worship. And it became less and less mutual. She pulled my face against her -- and it wasn't like I would resist -- and then make me breath deeply, or even taste. Then she would draw me to bed, pulling our clothes off on the way, and spread herself for me, pulling my head down to her center. As her taste filled my mouth, it became impossible to say 'no', absolutely impossible.
She never abused me. She didn't hurt me. She didn't do things to me I didn't like. But she grew less and less likely to do things I did like, too. It became about her pleasure. But with her scent and her taste filling me, I couldn't say 'no'.
Then she began asking for things I didn't care to do. Then more, and more.
And I couldn't say 'no'.
But that wasn't all. She also didn't like Talmon. Nothing was good enough, and she found fault with nearly everything. She was rude to the people who served us at the inns, and while she frequently paid the bill, she didn't leave money for the service, and I was left sneaking extra coins into the pile -- or sometimes returning the next day. I had to do the same thing every time she bought something, as she was never, and I mean never willing to pay a fair price.
She took delight bargaining to prices that gave nothing for the work that went into what she bought.
If she knew I was supplementing her purchases, she gave no indication.
She made no effort to learn a word of Talmonese. "There is no need? I have you."
And have me, she did.
But it never occurred to me to tell her I didn't want to continue the relationship. It didn't occur to me because I never went long enough without her scent in my nose.
But she was sailing for a week, and my head cleared.
And I vowed to terminate the relationship when she returned.
* * * *
Their ship returned late in the afternoon, but they all went to dinner with my parents. I remained at the resort, hiding in my bungalow, worried.
And so it was late when my doorbell rang. I had myself entirely worked up, not quite sure what I was going to say. I'd run so many conversations through my head. And so I opened my door, and she stood there, smiling at me.
Then her smile faded.
"Come in," I said.
She brushed past me, her scent wafting about me, but I shook my head and strengthened my resolve. As soon as the door was closed, she tried to close the distance, but I held a hand out.
"I've been thinking about our relationship," I told her. "I want to talk to you."
"I-" she started to say. "I have, too." She smiled. "We're both adults. We can talk rationally. Let's go sit down."
She took my hand, still pressed against her chest, and she kissed my fingers before tucking it into her arm and turning further into my house. Without a word, I let her draw me to my sofa. We sat, me on one end of the sofa, her in the middle.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she said, "I find you fascinating, Chaladine."
"You do?"
"Everything here is so different from what I know. You're different. You have nothing. Well, not nothing, but nothing I'm used to. You haven't had even your first rejuvenation therapy, and you're beautiful. Everyone in The Empire is beautiful, but yours is natural. Do you know how special that makes you?"
I didn't have an answer for that. She threw me for a loop. She paused only a moment before she went on. And she didn't stop talking.
Slowly she moved closer.
And I don't know how it happened, a little at a time, but then she was straddling me, surrounding me, filling me with her scent, coating me in it.
And I breathed deeply, then buried my face in her neck.
"There you go," she said, stroking my head. "There you go."
I tried pushing away, but she held me tightly, and slowly my resistance faded.
"I've been thinking about you," she whispered into my ear. "I've been thinking of how good you feel. I want you so much. I love you, Chaladine."
I shuddered with the words. She loved me. And at least for a moment, I believed her.
And then we were kissing, and any thoughts of ending the relationship fled my mind. She kissed me, and she kissed me, and she removed all my clothing, and all of hers. She reached between her legs, coating her fingers, and then she slipped her fingers into my mouth after brushing some of it under my nose.
I was filled with her.
"Let's go to bed. There's something new I want you to do with your lovely tongue."
"Okay...." I said.
But somewhere deep in the back of my mind, I knew she didn't love me, and I was whimpering.
* * * *
More time past, and more, and I wandered through my duties, spending far more of my time seeing to Delilah's desires than anything else. Cecilia didn't say anything, and I don't know what she thought about it all.
Twice more I started conversations with the intention of terminating the relationship, both times after Delilah and I had been apart for a few hours. Neither of them lasted more than a few minutes long before she filled me with her, and all thoughts of ending things faded away.
But then, two months into the visit, while we were all in Indartha, Cecilia summoned me to her office. I didn't have my tablet with me, and she'd had to send Hilopid to find me with Delilah.
"I need you to return to Sudden," she said. "There's some sort of mixup about the festival next week. I want you to go take care of it."
"What mixup?"
"I'm not sure. Go find out and take care of it, then run through everything. I want this to be perfect."
"Of course, Cecilia. I'll go pack and tell Delilah. She might want to come."
"I'll go with you," she said.
Delilah was waiting at the house, and as soon as we arrived, she tried to take possession of me again, but Cecilia said, "She has to hurry. I'm sending her to Sudden for a few days to resolve an issue."
"I'll go with," Delilah said. "I can help."
"You'll stay here," Cecilia said.
"I want to go with."
"And I want her to go alone."
"But-"
"Delilah, you're a lovely woman, but you know you'll just distract her. I need her head working."
"But... I'd behave."
"Frankly, I don't believe you."
"That's not fair!" she said. "And you might be Governor, but that doesn't give you the right to boss me around."
"No, it doesn't," she said. "Fine, if you want to go to Sudden, feel free. I'll even loan you a horse."
"A horse! I'm not taking a horse."
"You aren't riding in one of my jumpers."
"Then neither is Chaladine," Delilah said, tugging on my arm. "She is mine."
"Please don't fight," I said. They ignored me.
"Delilah, it's a few days. It's about time you spent some of it with your grandmother and great grandmother again." Cecilia turned me towards her. "Chaladine. Go upstairs. Pack for a few days. Remember your tablet."
Delilah turned me to her. "You're staying here. With me."
"I-"
"Delilah," Cecilia said firmly. "You might have your hooks in her, but they aren't buried as deeply as you think they are. Do you really want a battle with me?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Chaladin
e, go pack. Remember your tablet."
"Yes, Cecilia," I said. They both let me go, and I made it to my room.
* * * *
The problem in Sudden was almost nothing. It took me about ten minutes to deal with it. When I reported to Cecilia she said, "Sometimes problems do that. Everyone else can be at a loss, but you step in and it just melts away. Well, I want you to stay down there, in case more things need melting."
"Of course, Cecilia. Are you worried about anything in particular?"
"Nope. Just do your normal good job."
And so, over the next week, a few minor problems popped up, easily squashed.
And then the day arrived for everyone to return from Indartha. I was filled with dread.
Explanations
"Governor," I said into my tablet. "I need to speak with you privately."
"Of course, Chaladine," she said. "Did you want to come to my bungalow? Or perhaps yours?"
"I'm not in mine," I said. "I'm in fifty-four."
"Fifty-four?"
"There was something I needed to check. Could you meet me here?"
"Of course," she said. "We're twenty minutes away. Will you still be there?"
"I'll wait for you."
"Perfect."
I then spent twenty minutes pacing.
Cecilia didn't knock. She didn't have to. She palmed the lock and entered, finding me still pacing in the living room. We hugged, and she asked me what was wrong. "Did something happen?"
"No."
"Are you about to quit your job?"
"No!"
"All right. Calm down. What's wrong?"
"I-" I pulled away from her. "Could you sit please?" I pointed to a chair. "Do you need anything."
"Not just yet," she said. But she took the seat and waited. I paced around a few more times before turning to face her.
"Governor, have you selected the person who will take me in our galatzi trade?"
"I am not answering that."
I stared. "I need to know."
"No, you don't. You agreed you would accept my judgment. You will find out when I give you to her. That may not even be the night we take you, as she may not come to Talmon for you but instead expect me to send you to her."