The Honor of Duty

by A. R. Rend

  “You’re both going to lose when Dread steals him away while you bicker with one another,” warned Tonie. “Then she’s going to run off with him to a quiet corner of the world. We’ll all go with of course. Share in the booty with her.”

  Phillip couldn’t help himself and had to choke down a laugh.

  Mim on the other hand didn’t bother and laughed for both of them.

  Lenore sighed then nodded her head, looking annoyed.

  “I do forget how close Milly is. And quiet,” Lenore murmured, glancing back at the large guard who stood just behind Phillip.

  “And alone with him every night,” Frankie said with a chortle.

  “Don’t remind me,” grumbled Mim. “So envious. Does he ride her? Is she loud? I bet she is. I’d be loud. So loud. I’d want everyone to know Phil was having me.”

  “Enough,” Phillip said softly as all four guards started to laugh at that, while Mildred turned a deep scarlet. “We’re almost on the night guard. They don’t need to hear this.”

  The night guard wasn’t a bad group of women, they just weren’t his day guard. He was considerably closer to them.

  Two of them were waiting up ahead at the door to the rented building. Two more were trailing along behind. Their squad leader had been sent to watch over Madeline instead.

  Mildred was leading both squads.

  Not waiting, the two at the door pushed it open and went inside once the main group had gotten close enough.

  Frankie and Vinnie stopped at the doorway as Bobbie and Tonie went inside to join the first two.

  Once the rearward two joined them, Frankie and Vinnie entered the location as well.

  “Clear,” Tonie called from inside.

  Everyone entered now and found themselves in a small home. It wasn’t much more than what would be adequate for a middle-class merchant family.

  The two night guards were standing at the back of the ground floor. His four day guards were occupying the corners of the room. The last two from the night crew were staying near the door.

  Taking Phillip’s arm in his, Lenore claimed ownership of him and guided him over to the sofa. Seating him down without a word against the arm, she took the spot next to him. She did it in a way that all suggested possession but didn’t leave any actual room for it to be inferred. There would be no rumors coming from the guild leader from this meeting.

  “Ah, I wasn’t going to do anything,” Mim complained, taking up a seat near to Phillip’s.

  “Of course you weren’t,” Mildred grumbled, sitting down next to Mim.

  Mildred had come back to a room that reeked of Mim going at herself. It’d only taken the guard two seconds before she had immediately assumed they’d had sex.

  To which Phillip swore her off, and promised that it was just Mim being herself. Mim readily agreed to that and suggested Mildred go give Phillip a lick just to make sure.

  Mildred had settled on believing them, that her trust hadn’t been broken, but she also clearly wasn’t too happy with the idea of Mim playing with herself for him.

  “You would have done the same given the opportunity,” Mim said lightly, then grabbed Mildred’s arm and put it around her own shoulders and leaned into the other woman. “Don’t be mad, I promise to make sure you get some rewards after I become his husband. I promise. Just support me and you and I can both win.”

  “I’d lose if you won,” Mildred said gravely, staring down at the smaller woman. Then she reached up and patted Mim on the head and said something in a whisper with a grin.

  To which Mim gasped and looked up at the other woman.

  “I’m honestly rather shocked,” she said in a surprised tone.

  Laughing, Mildred removed her arm from Mim and made sure she had a clear line to draw her sword if she needed it.

  Madeline had taken up the end of the sofa on the other side of Lenore.

  Fortunately they didn’t have to wait long. The last member of the meeting showed up by herself. It was a woman that looked to be in her late thirties. With dark-brown hair and bright-blue eyes. She radiated an annoyed and troubled aura at the same time.

  She also carried herself in a way that looked akin to someone who owned the space they were in. Her shoulders were spread wide, chin up, and a wide stance to her walk.

  Walking into the room she looked rather surprised at what she’d found at the front door. Then her eyes moved from person to person to person.

  “Not what I suspected, but not unsurprising either,” said the woman with a growl to her voice.

  Walking toward the table, she put her boot up on the edge of it and looked to Phillip, Lenore, and Madeline.

  “Well, you did what I told you and brought everyone in. So here I am,” said the woman, sticking her thumbs into the tops of her pants. “And did you bring me a sample I can take back?”

  Phillip felt like she was being overly confident. Almost to the point of contempt.

  When he considered she didn’t ask for names or introductions it only added to that. She’d just jumped straight into a conversation.

  It meant she wasn’t actually interested in who was here. That it was more a power struggle for her to get them here, than wanting to see them.

  “No. We didn’t. That wouldn’t happen until we reach an agreement. Rather than selling my product to individuals I’d like to do something different,” Madeline said, getting the woman’s attention. “I’d rather have them all sold through the guild. Obviously a small amount of coin would be added to the purchase as a tax or tariff to the guild but-”

  “No,” said the woman with a shake of her head. “You can give me a percentage of all your profits or you won’t sell them at all.”

  “Guild mistress Fend,” Lenore said with a polite smile. “That isn’t something we’re willing to do. While we’re more than willing to pay a tax to sell the product through you, we don’t actually need to do so. In fact, we can just sell it to whoever wishes to buy it.”

  The woman, apparently named Fend, looked to Lenore and held her gaze.

  “You can stare as long as you like, it won’t change anything,” Lenore offered with the same polite smile. “And my name is Lenore Rias, by the way. This is Phillip Curis Rias. Across from me is Sophia Lane and Mildred Aims.”

  There was a flicker of recognition in Fend’s eyes. Her lips pressed together and her cheeks flexed.

  Pulling her boot from the table, she spread her feet apart and then put her hands on her hips.

  “I couldn’t care less. You can give me my percent, or you don’t get to sell it and I’ll just boot Madeline from the guild,” Fend said, throwing a thumb over at Madeline.

  “I see. As you like then,” Lenore said and then nodded her head. “I suppose our business is at an end then. Thank you for your time.”

  “That it? You gonna run home and cry?” Fend asked with a laugh. “Maybe cry to your sister or your mother?”

  Raising her eyebrows, Lenore looked rather amused.

  “What I do is of no matter to you as our business is concluded,” Lenore said, voicing the same sentiment once again. “Have a good day, guild mistress Fend.”

  “Ha, whatever. When you realize your error, you can send me the boy to warm my bed as an apology,” Fend said, making a hand flick motion at Phillip. Turning, the woman marched away, not bothering to wait or say anything further.

  Mildred however, didn’t seem to take kindly to that. She stood up and began to stomp after the woman.

  Turning her head, guild mistress Fend’s eyes rounded out as Mildred closed the distance on her.

  Snatching up the older woman by her shoulder, Mildred slammed her into a wall, her hand closing down on her throat.

  “You don’t know who I work for I’m pro-”

  Leaning in close to the woman, Mildred stared into her eyes as her hand continued to tighten, silencing the woman before she could finish talking.

  “I will end you,” Mildred promised. “I don’t care who backs you. Who pays
you. Who buys your meals. I will… end you. Then I’ll call on the Queen and General Curis to have my crime waived through re-enlistment.

  “And let’s be certain here, I plan on penning a nice letter to the lady of the Curis household about you. About your backers. The weavers guild. Just to make sure they’re aware of you and what you just threatened. Because you may have those who back you, but I have those who back me. Do you understand me?”

  Guild mistress Fend was as bright as a tomato now and was rapidly nodding her head.

  “Good. You will leave now. You will go home. And you will not interfere in our business going forward. If anything occurs or happens, I will come looking for you,” promised the large ex-soldier.

  Using her hold on the guild mistress, Mildred tossed her toward the door.

  Glaring at Mildred, Fend looked like she wanted to say something, thought better of it, then fled entirely. The door slammed behind her as it closed.

  “I had no idea dealing with the guild was so dangerous,” Madeline said. “I mean, I heard that some guilds were run by organized crime but… I guess the weavers guild is one such.”

  “Matters not,” Lenore said with a sigh. “They don’t actually want to get in a war with anyone. They just want to run their businesses. Least of which involves actually doing what that idiot said.”

  “I’ll talk to my mother about she thinks. She’s dealt with a lot of people just like this. That or… we talk to Allie. Allie… honestly Allie usually deals with the criminal elements on any deals I work,” Mim admitted. “She’s just better at it. Far more ruthless than I am and people don’t cross her.”

  No one in the room, including Mim, looked like they really wanted to talk to Alice. Most of the women here were in a battle with the woman in regards to Phillip.

  Going to her for help in this situation would likely be galling.

  Damn their pride.

  “I’ll speak with her,” Phillip offered congenially. “I don’t mind. I’ll make sure to address it with her tonight and see what she thinks.”

  Everyone in the room looked instantly relieved.

  They wouldn’t have to go to Alice with their hand out.

  As soon as that thought cleared their minds though, Lenore, Mildred, and Mim all looked annoyed. Likely at the fact that Phillip would indeed go talk to Alice about it with his hand out.

  He didn’t doubt that each one of them knew he was sleeping with her. And that he likely would talk to her about what was going on, after he’d finished up the evening with her.

  “Ugh,” Mim grumbled. “Let’s go back to the warehouse and drink. I want to drink.”

  “Yes, please,” Lenore said rather quietly. “I think I would like that very much.”

  “I’ll remain so-”

  “Drunk,” interjected Vinnie. “Very drunk, Dread. So drunk you don’t know your ass from your head. We’ll keep an eye on Phil. Both eyes… in my case.”

  Mildred let out a short breath. Then nodded her head once.

  “Drunk it is,” agreed the guard.

  They didn’t want to talk to Alice because of their pride, now they’re upset because I’m talking to her.

  Because of… their pride?

  Phillip wanted to roll his eyes, but he managed to keep it in check.

  He couldn’t actually imagine what they were going through. In fact, he realized in that moment he didn’t have the mental fortitude that they did to handle this.

  If it were him, he would have backed out of the entire situation and ran away quite quickly, he imagined.

  Phillip wasn’t going to pretend he was as brave as Lenore, Mim, Mildred, or Alice.

  Because he wasn’t.

  ***

  Letting out a low and deep moan, Alice’s hands held to Phillip’s shoulders, gripping him tightly as his climax fell away to nothing.

  Panting softly, Alice moved a hand to his jaw and caressed his face.

  “I swear, Phil, you get better at this every time,” Alice said in a soft voice, her fingers moving up and down against his skin.

  Chuckling at that, he slid off, and out of Alice. He settled down next to her in her bed. Sliding an arm around his shoulders, she drew him up against her side, guiding his head down to rest on her.

  “I wish I could tell you-what was wrong with me-for not wanting this every night- before this-but I can’t even begin to consider it,” Alice said between pants. “Stupid, foolish, and ignorant is what I was.”

  Unable to help it, Phillip felt deeply grateful for her compliments.

  Maybe he wasn’t as self-assured as he thought. Being complimented on his prowess in bed was certainly feeding his ego in a big way.

  Letting out a soft huff, Alice leaned her head down and kissed him. Her right hand cupping his jaw as she did so.

  Settling back into the bed, she let the kiss end.

  Feeling somewhat guilty for Mim, Lenore, and Mildred, Phillip didn’t know how to respond. He was rapidly finding himself being pulled back toward Alice with her constant treatment of him.

  She greeted him, went out of her way to see him, spent every possible moment with him, and generally just fed his need for attention.

  “Stay in my bed tonight? Don’t leave?” Alice asked in a pleading voice. “It’s your bed, too.”

  She’d asked him to stay every night. To not go back to his own bed.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t feel comfortable with that. Not till we’re… we’re solidified. Then I will,” Phillip promised, patting Alice gently on her stomach. He was more than willing to perform his husbandly duties. Those were hers by right.

  But he genuinely cared for others and more so than he did for Alice.

  “I understand. I wish you’d stay, but I understand,” Alice said, her hands sliding up and down Phillip’s shoulders and back. “I… know the answer is no. But I feel like I have to ask. Just to hear the answer.

  “Are you sleeping with Mim or Lenore? Or Milly? I wouldn’t be upset if you were. I really wouldn’t. I swear it. I know I lost a lot of what was mine and… and I wouldn’t-”

  “No, I’m not,” Phillip said with some amusement. There was an ugly part of him that was gratified that she was nervous about him sleeping with others.

  He wasn’t insulted by her question at all.

  “Though I’ve kissed or been kissed by them,” Phillip admitted, being completely honest with her. He still felt somewhat unnerved by the fact that all four women seemed willing to participate in this weird contest for him.

  “Oh. That’s… that’s it? Oh! Alright. I… I seriously thought I was… much further behind. I’m-I’m actually-okay,” Alice said, sounding incredibly relieved. “Thank you, Phil. You’re a good man that I don’t deserve. And I’m sorry, I… kind of jumped you as soon as you came in. I’m not sorry for it because it was so good, but I do want to talk to you about your day. If you don’t mind. I’d offer to discuss mine but I literally spent the entirety of it listening to Mother drone on and on.”

  “Actually, I did have something I wanted to ask you about, if you don’t mind. I didn’t want to talk about it before I performed my duties,” said Phillip. “I didn’t wish for you to think that I was withholding what was rightfully yours.”

  “Well, thank you for the consideration. What is it you wanted to talk about?” Alice asked, tilting her head to the side to look at Phillip.

  “We’re dealing with the guild master of the weavers. A guild mistress Fend,” said Phillip, reaching up with his left hand to tap Alice’s chin with a fingertip. “She made some rather presumptuous demands of us. Demands that we really would never agree to. No one would agree to if they considered what they were. We’re not sure if we need to be concerned since we rejected her offer.

  “And beyond that, she insinuated I’d have to sleep with her if we wanted to conduct our business at all with anyone from the weavers guild.”

  Snorting, Alice nuzzled the crown of Phillip’s head and kissed it several times.

 
“She’s a blow hard. She does have some backing from a couple merchants who are less than… stand-up people. Nothing to be concerned for. Now if you were dealing with the baker’s guild, that’d be different. Though I take offense at her propositioning my husband. I may send her a note just to remind her of her place,” murmured Alice. Her tone was chill and held some of the faint aloofness he’d known her for. As if she were two separate people. Business Alice, and personal Alice. Where Phillip was only dealing with personal Alice anymore. “You don’t have to worry about her doing anything violent or stupid, though you will have to be concerned about her trying to ruin your business with the weavers. Considering what you told me of the product though and what I saw… it’s a moot point. You can sell those to whoever and there’s not much the guild mistress can do about it. Those who have it will simply do better and sell more. Those who don’t, won’t. Sounds like she’s trying to flex her muscles for some reason.”

  “Maybe… because I’m your husband?” Phillip asked.

  “That’s… I mean, it’s a possibility,” admitted Alice. “Unlikely, but a possibility. Just do what you’re doing. You shouldn’t have to worry about it too much. Though I wouldn’t put your guard down either.”

  Phillip nodded his head, feeling considerably better about the situation.

  Unfortunately he wasn’t sure if it was the safe feeling of Alice’s arms around him, or her words that had settled his troubled thoughts.

  I’m a weak little cad without any bravery.

  Letting out a soft breath, Alice got comfortable in her bed, not letting go of him. She wasn’t holding him in place, but she was clearly not trying to get him out of her bed.

  Not really wanting to, Phillip disentangled himself from Alice.

  Who didn’t try to keep him in her bed, though she did give him a sad smile and her hands roamed his body even as he got up.

  “You can always rejoin me, husband. I’m all yours,” Alice promised.

  Nodding his head, Phillip left, clothes under his arm.

  Twenty