The Wildest Woods

by S. K Munt

  ‘True. It cost me two weeks in editing wages too...’ I glanced over at Martya’s powdered wig as the wheels in my head began to turn. It was stunning, but it was going to make Martya blend in more than ever unless there was a lot more to her dress than what I’d already seen. ‘What are you going as?’

  ‘You promise not to laugh?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Funny girl.’ Martya was pouring champagne and she made a big display of extending her middle finger my way. ‘But if you must know, I couldn’t think of anything to go as alone, so I went and asked Lady Lucida for tips because she’s been helping others out, and in the end, she asked me to be the fourth in her quartet, so I’m going as one of four eighteenth century princesses.’

  My eyebrows lifted. ‘Your dates for the ball are three prostitutes?’ And so the sliver of darkness becomes a lunar eclipse!

  ‘Ironic, huh?’ She nodded towards her dress. ‘She has a thing for corsets so she’s gone all out making dresses, and she wanted me on board because with a fourth she could theme every dress to a season. I had my reservations because I assumed she’d make the redhead autumn and I’m sick of always being the token ginger, but when I said so, she said that my hair would be covered so I could choose to be whatever I wanted, and she’d give me first pick because I was taller than her so for once, she’d be able to wear heels without feeling like the token giraffe.’

  I made a face. ‘That’s nice, but that’s not going to help you stand out is it?’

  ‘But going along with the courtesans makes it clear that I’m not the token prude slash bookworm either, so cheers to that!’ Martya tittered and took a sip of her drink ‘And who knows? Maybe a handsome pirate, or a drunken lesbian, will mistake me for a sex worker and take my virginity off my hands for a cash bonus, hmm?’

  I frowned at her. ‘You do not want to lose your virginity to a stranger, Martya, and certainly not for cash.’

  ‘No,’ she agreed, ‘I want to lose it to Sam, but it’s becoming very clear to me that if I keep waiting for him I’m going to be waiting forever, and life’s too short to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else have all the fun while I pine after someone else. If I can’t get under him then I need to get over him, and having a heated encounter with a masked stranger seems like a good way to go about it.’ She looked at me carefully. ‘Sex is fun, isn’t it? That book certainly made it seem that way!’

  I snorted gently. ‘That book is a best case scenario. Not everyone gets that sort of earth-moving connection, hon.’

  ‘But you’ve had it, haven’t you?’ she asked softly. ‘With Kohén?’

  I looked down at my glass and nodded, feeling that pang in my heart again. ‘Yeah. I hated myself for that but it was…’ I blew out my breath, remembering the way Kohén’s touch had electrified me. ‘In my defence though, a woman would quite literally have to be made out of rubber not to be affected by his charge.’

  ‘But you think you’ll enjoy sex with Cairo too… right? Even though he’s just a human?’

  I snorted again and looked up at her, feeling the butterflies in my stomach. ‘Let’s just say that they weren’t lying about the handprints burned into his steering wheel.’

  Martya moaned. ‘See, I want that!’

  I believed her, but I didn’t think she was going to feel it with just anyone, not while she was so hung up on Sam. And if what she was saying about his fixation with me was right then it was pretty clear to me that the only way she was going to get his attention was if I made it my business to disappear. Well, not to disappear, but to blend in for once while forcing her into the limelight instead.

  ‘Fine,’ I said quickly, putting my glass down on the ottoman and moving to unpin my dress. ‘You want Sam’s attention? Then you’re going to get it! But first you need to take that robe off because class is in session and you are improperly attired for it, Miss Rice.’

  ‘What are you on about?’ Martya asked, looking wary as worked my arms out of my sleeves. ‘What class?’

  ‘Companion class, of course.’ I began to wriggle out of my dress, taking care not to stab myself with one of the pins. ‘I’m going to teach you some of the stuff you missed in Eden- like how to be the belle of the ball.’ I got my left arm out of one long sleeve, and then moved on to the right. ‘Years ago I would have thought it doing you a disservice, but now that I see how desperate you are to be seen as a sex object for once, then how can I not do all that I can to help you achieve your goal of seducing Samuel McIntyre?’ I motioned for her to stand. ‘So strip, Rice- the clock is ticking and you’re too smart for this shit, so your lobotomy is going to take a while.’

  ‘Wh-what?’ Martya asked, hazel eyes wide. ‘Why should I strip?’

  ‘So you can try this on, of course. Pulling focus at a major event starts with having the dress that everyone talks about- trust me.’ I snorted. ‘Kelia got so mad at me out of jealousy of a dress that Lindy made for me once that she stabbed my soccer ball to death.’

  ‘She didn’t!’

  ‘She did and believe me when I say that was a kiss on the cheek compared to what she got up to later in life…’ I batted my eyelashes. ‘But that didn’t stop me from getting the prettiest dresses or the princes eating out of the palm of my hand, so get up, Martya- every ball needs a Cinderella and tonight, that’s going to be you.’

  Martya watched my movements, a horrified expression on her face. ‘You can’t let me try that on, Riesling will kill you!’

  ‘Not if it looks as good on you as I suspect it will. It’s a little long for me, and the colours not doing my blonde hair or purplish eyes any favours anyway. But on a girl with fall colouring…?’ I slipped the dress down over my hips and winked at her. ‘I have a feeling it’s going to look amazing. And if it fits, Riesling won’t even have to take it up again so it’s a win for her too.’

  Martya was watching every move I made as though transfixed by the sight of the dress, but she was still shaking her head. ‘Larkin, no-’

  ‘Consider it a royal order, my faithful little subject,’ I said, scooping the gown up off the floor and thrusting it into her hands as I took her glass. ‘It’s your dress now so get it on already, won’t you? Time’s wasting!’

  ‘Shit. Okay! But only because it’s an order!’ Martya stretched out the dress so it wouldn’t get screwed up and made to dash off to the bathroom, but I grabbed her wrist and held her firmly to the spot. ‘Hey-’

  ‘Not in the bathroom. Get changed in front of me here. Stand tall and do not be shy about it.’

  Her face scrunched up. ‘Why do I have to-’

  ‘Because Sam goes for confident woman and that’s you in every area of your life except for where your sexuality is concerned, and that’s stupid because you have a fantastic figure.’ I drained my glass and moved over to refill both of ours, certain that getting Martya a little bit tipsy would help with the whole lobotomy thing. ‘So get dressed in front of me without blushing or trying to hide yourself, and you’ll stand taller in front of Sam when you’re clothed later on, I know it.’

  Martya cursed as she tried to get her feet into the gown. ‘But if I wear this, what are you going to wear?’

  ‘Your dress, of course, or Lady Lucida will be the one flipping out,’ I said as I poured myself a fresh glass of champagne and then moved to top up hers. My palms were sweating at the very idea of dressing up to match other Companions- again- but Martya was so shocked by the announcement that she forgot to be shy and turned around as she dressed, gaping at me. I was right- every muscle in her body was defined, and flexed prettily as she wriggled into the tight-fitting gown. If Sam saw her like that in her pale blue strapless bra and matching thong it would get his blood pumping to all the right places, I was certain of it!

  ‘You can’t dress like a prostitute!’ she protested, looking stricken. ‘That goes against every fibre of your magdalene being!’

  ‘It’s a masquerade- we’re supposed to put on a mask, right?’ I shrugged as I walked ba
ck to her, handing her her own flute back and she took it and drank greedily. ‘Besides, maybe it’ll be good for me, yeah? I can own my upbringing the way you need to own your sexuality- without being ashamed of it because I know that it doesn’t define me anymore.’ I clinked my glass against hers as she rolled her eyes. ‘While we’re back on that topic, there’s other things that have to happen. For starters, I’m going to enter before you and blend in with the others, and I’m going to get you to announce Cairo when he makes his grand entrance, because that means you’ll get to make one too. Also, though I want you wearing your amber for the start of the evening in order to generate some mystery, I want you to take it off at some point so you can try your hand at generating a bit of heat.’

  ‘Should I be writing this down?’ she joked, but I knew it was only a joke because Martya never forgot anything.

  ‘Nope, just listen and learn. First, you’re going to ignore Sam, okay? You’re going to talk to every man in the room, dance with whoever asked and make it clear that you’re having a wonderful time.’ She nodded and so I continued on. ‘Then, just when he starts to notice how much attention he’s suddenly not getting from you, I want you to approach him and think something that is downright salacious, got it? The filthier the better- you need to make it clear that you want him to take you to bed and that you don’t care if it only happens once so long as he makes it worth it. Not only will that communicate that you’re all right with a fling, but it slips in a little bit of a challenge there and men love a challenge.’

  Martya’s face was bright red as she nodded again, but the dress was rolling over her long silhouette exactly as I’d hoped it would- like a second skin and already I knew that my crash course in seduction was working because she was practically vibrating with excited energy. ‘Like what?! You have to tell me something that I can remember or I’ll choke like I always do!’

  ‘Hmm…’ I moved behind her and moved to the clasp of her necklace, undoing it so that I could make it longer while I thought that over. When I came around her front again, the amber lavaliere was sitting snugly between her breasts- guaranteeing that any man that looked at her jewellery would get an eyeful of her assets. They weren’t anywhere near as full as mine, but her shoulders were broader so they were keeping the dress up, and her breasts were squished up by the binding fabric so they looked ripe; feminine and appealing compared to mine, which had looked over-abundant and fleshy by comparison. ‘Okay, but are you sure you can handle this?’

  She nodded so hard her hair bounced. ‘Yes! I’ll say anything!’

  I smiled, pleased that she was this worked up because I hadn’t loved the idea of dragging her downstairs while she protested because that wouldn’t have been sexy at all. ‘Okay, fine, here’s what you’re going to do: think of some excuse to lean over and kiss his cheek, all right? Doing it while dancing together would be ideal, but any chance you get do it, and when you do, think to yourself: ‘Fuck, he smells so good...if I got on my hands and knees and begged, would he let me see if his cock tastes as good as I think it will?’

  Martya sucked in a breath, eyes popping out in shock. ‘I can’t think that!’

  I cocked my head, slitting my eyes. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because I might scare him off!’

  But I laughed. ‘I doubt that. Odds are that he’ll get hard straight away. However, there’s a chance that he’ll be too thrown to know how to respond, so the moment you say it I want you to walk away- slowly. Think: ‘You heard me,’ and then go out to one of the balconies alone, but imagine giving him head the whole time. If he doesn’t follow you…’ but I stopped and chuckled. ‘Forget that- he’ll follow you, I’m sure of it, and if he passes me on the way I’ll bet he won’t see me at all.’

  ‘But what if he doesn’t?’ she demanded. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and once again, they were the perfect length for her. ‘The rejection will be too much to take!’

  ‘If he doesn’t take you home tonight, he’ll be taking you home in his fantasies, trust me,’ I adjusted her shoulder, making sure that everything was where it ought to be, ‘and that would be something right?’

  ‘It would be- thank you!’ Martya crushed me against her. ‘Not just for the advice, but for letting me wear your dress! You’re such a good friend!’

  I couldn’t help but think that if I was such a good friend I would have noticed Sam’s feelings for me and her morose feelings concerning them for me earlier, or that I’d be trying to talk her out of having casual sex with a man that didn’t have a soul... but I didn’t want to say anything that would bring her down so I just responded: ‘Look at yourself Martya and tell me that it wasn’t your dress all along, hmm?’ I released her and turned her to face the mirror, and no sound in the world had ever delighted me so much as her gasp did then.

  ‘Oh!’ She held out her arms and twisted her hip, looking at herself from the side on and grinned. ‘Look at it! I look so tall!’

  ‘It’s a perfect fit,’ I agreed, stepping away so that her reflection was the only one that she’d see while glancing out my window, wondering if that was Inoborna that I could hear howling. ‘The mask and wings are hanging up on the hook on the bedroom door- let’s get them on you before we work out what to do with your make-up and hair, okay?’

  ‘Okay!’ Martya exclaimed, practically bounding across the room and I had to giggle because with every loping step she took, her tail lifted and fell, thumping the ground. ‘I’m so excited! I just pray that Riesling doesn’t lose it when she sees that her costume is going on a botanist instead of a queen!’

  And her prayers must have gone to the right person because minutes later when Riesling and Quilline returned to make sure we hadn’t killed one another, all they could do was exclaim over how good Martya looked in the dress. In fact, they were so excited to help her finish getting ready that they seemed to forget that I was there at all, and that was heavenly. Not only because I’d made my best friend happy, but because I was starting to think that finding time to slip off with Cairo alone was going to be a lot easier while I was in the shadows, and Martya was basking in the limelight that she so deserved.

  34.

  Libertie City, Raphael

  Larkin Aztaroth

  Martya’s dress was too big on me, but luckily the corset made it easy to cinch it in, and the sleeves had been designed to sit low on the shoulders anyway so you couldn’t really tell that it had been made for someone taller. At first it bugged me that you could see my Companion brand, (the dragon dress was off the shoulder too but not as low so the golden symbol had been tucked away) but I breathed through my initial panic and reminded myself that I was trying to be okay with myself and my past, so that meant making my peace with the brand’s visibility too and leaving the cuff off. Besides, I wouldn’t be the only ‘bigwig’ with one in my little group, because both Lady Lucida and Claress had been Companions in Calliel before they’d decided to become courtesans in Raphael, and would be displaying their brands with pride as they always did. Jessamyn, on the other hand, was a new recruit. Like with the other two, she didn’t have a brand, and so I forced her to continue her studies every day too, to make sure that she knew she had options. But that was all I could do for her without flexing my strength over her free will, and day after day, she showed up to ‘work’ at Lady Lucida’s Inn, free will in hand and a smile on her pretty face.

  I heard Inoborna begin to carry on again while Quilline was painting my face, and when I asked if anyone knew what was wrong with him, my stylist just laughed.

  ‘It’s all the costumes, I think,’ she said, smearing so much gloss on my lips that I felt like a glazed pastry. ‘Everyone’s getting around in these wigs and masks out there as they rush from house to house borrowing stuff, and I think it’s scaring him a little.’

  ‘I hope he doesn’t bite anyone,’ I fretted, vowing to whistle for him as soon as she was done- not that that had ever worked before.

  ‘I doubt it- people keep throwing him tre
ats to shut him up so soon enough he’ll be too heavy to move.’

  I chuckled, lifting up the overskirt on my dress. ‘I know the feeling.’

  The dress itself wasn’t anywhere near as original as Lindy and Riesling’s designs were, but it was pretty in its own heavy, Rococo way and sort of reminded me of the gowns that Constance and my mother had always favoured- which were simpler versions of this period’s over-constructed style. It had a corseted bodice made of pale pink silk that had been embroidered with soft lilac flowers and curl details, matching sleeves that fit snugly to my elbows but were capped with flared, frivolous frills and a full skirt that went all the way to the floor. The overskirt was split down the middle and allowed the ruffled, white linen underskirt to peek through and though it was a little too long for me, Riesling ran her scissors around ruffled lacy hem and took a few inches off so that I wouldn’t step on it.

  I look like Marie Antoinette! I thought, stepping up to the mirror as I added a simple string of pearls to my ensemble and thanked Satan that I didn’t have to wear a hoop under it. Let’s just hope that heavy wig doesn’t make my neck snap like hers did!

  I did have one moment of vain panic when I realised that the new dress was hiding my figure as much as the old one had amplified it, (I wanted Martya to have her moment, but I didn’t want her to steal Cairo’s attention too!) but as soon as I had the wig on, I felt a lot better. I didn’t look as sexy as I had before, but I still felt pretty, and the tinted lavender hair brought my eyes out more than ever. They weren’t violet like Iana’s had been, thank God, but they were a bright periwinkle and swirling brightly, and I knew that Cairo loved my eyes when they did that.

  ‘So… this worked out well, hey?’ Riesling asked, looking from Martya to me with a bright smile. ‘You ladies look extraordinary- our work here is done!’