Business and pleasure, Chapter 4, part 1.

Even in a city dominated by towers, Bel'Anaroth's Spire stood out. A world away from the elegant structures that dominated the city's skyline or the maze of residential blocks that had sprung up in the centuries since the city was re-inhabited, it looked like nothing less than a giant termite mound; a pale, lumpen mass of white stone, studded with tumourlike growths where its original owners had simply grown new rooms to suit their whims. It was by far the largest building in Swyndel, and had quickly become a sort of neutral ground for the feuding merchant families that ruled the city. Everyone who was anyone had a hand in its upkeep and maintenance, and in exchange, they used it to conduct business meetings or throw extravagant parties without the risk of inviting a potential enemy into their own estates.

Aside from the semi-permanent staff of cooks and cleaners required to keep the building ready for use whenever its benefactors wished, mere common mortals like myself were almost never allowed inside without a written invitation.

Or, in my case, you don't get in even if you do have one.

"Look." I snapped, jabbing at the letter in my hand. "Ireela Dratslava. That's me. Me."

The Guard's eyes slid down to my letter, lingered there for a moment, then slid back up to me. The expression of faintly amused boredom didn't leave his face for a moment.

"No, that's who the letter is addressed to." He said, slowly, as if trying to wring as much entertainment out of the situation as possible. "How do I know that's you, huh? Maybe you just stole this girl's letter. Maybe you're part of some big conspiracy to murder this..." He squinted at the letter again. "Baron Cathwar. More'n my job's worth to let you in."

I could have strangled him.

"So, what? Do you want me to go round up a bunch of people to vouch for me or something?" I jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "I'll miss my appointment, and you'll get the blame. Is *that* more than your job's worth?"

"Maybe." He spat a wad of tobacco onto the ground. I guess he'd had his fun, because he put his finger against a small crystal set against his throat and turned away from me.

"Boss? Yea, there's some Tief chick out here." He muttered. I could see the crystal light up and pulse for a few seconds. Magic, probably. Swyndel had been full of old magical gizmos left behind by the Elves, most of which the human settlers had co-opted for their own use. "Got a letter saying the Baron wants her for some party or something...no, I don't know, no-one tells me shit. Alright."

The last word was addressed to me. The heavy gates, made of the same pale stone as the rest of the tower but wrought with gold and lapis lazuli, began to grind open. Warm light and music shone out from within, and I shot the guard an imperious look as I strode on through.

Now, I'm a farmgirl. Said as much before. My room at the Second Circle was pretty much the height of luxury to me, and even that wasn't much fancier than some old velvet furnishings, a four-poster bed that'd seen better days and running water that sometimes came through hot. I'd seen pictures, and heard stories, of how society's upper classes lived, but part of me always assumed they were overblown - or maybe it was just a bit of schadenfreude, imagining our lords and masters shivering in musty old castles, just as miserable as the peasants that labored for them.

I was, as you might imagine, mistaken.

Here and there, you could still see signs of the spartan aesthetic the old Elves had cultivated, but the Spire's current rulers had obviously been hard at work layering their own works on top of it. The walls had been paneled over with dark, varnished wood, and the stone floor - the same as the walls, and up close, I could see it was some kind of marble - had been almost hidden beneath a thick red carpet that ran the length of the hall. Trophies of bears, wolves, and other less easily identifiable creatures hung here and there, punctuated with more crystals, like the one the Guard had used but larger - these ones gave off a constant light, and had been rammed into iron brackets to illuminate the area.

And there I was, standing in a cheap, plain black dress that I'd had to cut some extra slits in to let my tail move (and before you say, yes, also to show off my legs better), with a few bits of mismatched jewelery I'd either bought or scavenged out of the caves Krisoff and myself had looted thrown on to try and look classy. People bustled back and forth, fetching and carrying or running messages, shooting me questioning looks as they vanished down the side-corridors branching off the main hall. I took a few steps forwards, my cocky stride now reduced to an anxious shuffle, and realized that I didn't know where I was going or who I was looking for. A glance down at the letter clutched in my hands didn't help much.

Dear Ms Dratlsava, it said.

My name is Baron Darrin Cathwar. It has come to my attention that you are a woman of particular skill and enthusiasm in the trade of affections, and I have decided to make a purchase of your services. In three days hence, a number of my peers will be hosting an event at Bel'Anaroth's Spire, and I find myself without a partner. In exchange for your services as an escort for the evening, you will be paid thirty gold crowns, non-negotiable. Additional rewards may be available depending upon your level of service and initiative. Bring this letter to the Spire's north entrance no later than mid-day and present it to the guards to be admitted.

I look forward to seeing you in person.

The baron's neat signature capped the letter off. I'd been almost bouncing off the walls with excitement ever since the courier delivered it, but now, I just felt...insignificant and cheap, almost. Like I didn't belong. I looked down at the letter again, more so I didn't have to see the faint sneers on the faces of the staff as they went about their duties than because I thought it would help, and my tail writhed unhappily on the ground behind me.

"Ms Dratslava?"

The call jolted me out of my moping. I jerked my head up, and caught sight of a pair of figures emerge from one of the corridors. A neatly-kept man, his remaining hair stubbornly scraped over his balding palette, dressed in the familiar black and white of butlers everywhere was heading towards me, leading a skinny, eager-looking blonde girl behind him. I blinked for a moment in confusion, then raised and hand and waved, as if the bright red skin and horns weren't enough of a clue.

"Yeah, uh, yeah! Here, I'm over here!"

I quickly hurried up to meet them. "Terribly sorry about the delay," the man said. His voice was short and clipped, and the stress sounded in his voice. "My name is Theldon Ladsley. I'm Baron Cathwar's aide, and I'll be your guide for today. Follow me, please."

And then he was off, scurrying away down another corridor before I could get a word in. I quickly scampered after him, the girl falling into step alongside me.

"The baron will explain the terms of your...employment when you see him." Ladsley called back. It didn't sound like he approved. "He has prepared an outfit that should be suitable for someone of your profession. Caelia here will ready and dress you."

The girl shot me a thin smile. "Don't mind him." He whispered. "Making sure everything's ready for tonight is putting him under a lot of stress."

I felt better as we hurried through the corridors. There was still the distinct feeling that I didn't belong here, something only reinforced by my rather drab clothing, and I still attracted more than a few scornful looks. But I didn't feel quite so lost or confused any more - I had some direction, at least, some idea of where I was going and what I'd be doing. We paused now and then so Ladsley could bawl instructions at the nearest underling whenever he found something dusty or out of place, but presently he lead myself and Caelia to a nondescript door.

"In here." He said, then addressed the other woman. "Everything you'll need has been prepared. I shall return in an hour to see her to the baron."

And then he was gone. I could hear his voice echoing down the corridor, yelling about uneven paintings. "Stress? Really?" I said, giving Caelia a look.

"Well, he is a bit of a perfectionist." She said, then shyly added. "And a bit of, an, uhm, an arse."

"Right." I pushed the door open. It looked like someone had crossed a public bathhouse with a high-class tailors; one side of the room was dominated by a deep, ceramic bathtub, big enough to hold two or three people, and the other was taken up by an arrangement of three mirrors. Cupboards and wardrobes studded the walls, and as soon as Caelia had entered and locked the door, she quickly hurried over and began selecting a number of bottles. I wandered over to the mirrors, wriggling out of my dress and hanging it on a clothes rail that had been set up next to them. They were arranged at angles, so that when I stood in front of the middle one, I could see my sides in the other two; or if I turned to the side, I could see myself from behind over my shoulder.

"When you're ready, just go ahead and get undressed. Don't be shy, we're both girls. I'm sure you don't have anything I've not -" Caelia stopped mid-sentence as she turned towards me. I stopped admiring myself in the mirror and looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, oh, uh. Sorry. You, uh, you already have." She stammered.

"Well, like you said." I grinned, showing off my fangs. "Nothing you've not seen before, right?" She goggled at me for a moment, and I guessed that without Ladsley frogmarching us through the building, this was probably the first time she'd been able to really look at me. Now, I'm used to people staring at me for a variety of reasons, and I recognised the way her eyes were flickering back and forth over me; torn between wanting to study my horns, my tail or my other oddities and not wanting to offend by being too obvious about it. I suppose my nudity didn't help matters either. She eventually caught my eyes and collapsed into another rambling apology.

"Caelia." I said. "I have sex with people for money. I'm not gonna get offended if you look at my horns."

That didn't seem to help much. She went red and stared resolutely at the ground, but at least it got her moving. She hurried over, still clutching her bottles, as I turned back to face the mirror. The girl dithered around me for a while, muttering to herself, occasionally darting back to replace some of the lotions or ointments she had selected. I noticed one of them - Thantos sulfur-ant paste, used to burn away body hair - I'd used earlier before heading out, and guessed that either Ladsley or the Baron had expected me to be a lot less neat and clean in-person. Eventually, she popped open the last, and squirted a generous dollop of clear liquid into her hand.

"I always liked this one." She said to herself, and began to spread the lotion across my back, filling the room with the scent of crushed lavender. Her hands worked across my skin, rubbing it into my muscles. Then she moved down, her slick fingers caressing my ribs as she worked her way towards my belly. I closed my eyes and sighed, losing myself in the luxurious scent and the feeling of her fingers massaging my body.

"So, what's it like?" Caelia said, breaking the silence. "Being an, uh. You know."

"A what?" I replied. "A prostitute?"

"Yea." Her fingers ghosted up my flank, brushing the swell of my breasts.

I shrugged. "It's just a hobby, really. I can pick and choose my clients, so I'm getting paid to do something I enjoy. Not sure I'd want to rely on it, though."

Caelia's fingers slid over my curves again, cupping my breasts for a heartbeat before flitting shyly away. I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of her face over my shoulder. She was chewing her lip, and staring quite blatantly at my ass. Out of curiosity, I spread my legs a little and lifted my tail a fraction. Sure enough, her shaking fingers worked their way down, over my ass, caressing my inner thighs and the thick muscle of my tail. A little smile crossed my face.

"But I'll tell you what. When a guy looks at you, and you see how much he wants you...and you can dangle yourself over him like a prize, just out of reach, when you know you can name your price and he'll fall over himself to meet it..."

One of her fingers brushed against my heat, drawing a quiet sigh from my lips.

"...that's the best feeling in the world."

"Okay!" Caelia squeaked, standing and capping the bottle. Her face was flushed with arousal, and I batted my eyelashes at her. "We-we're done with that. Let me go get your, uh...clothes."

Something about the way she said 'clothes' made me think it wasn't just going to be a dress. As she bustled around behind me, I took another look at myself in the mirror. My skin glistened faintly where the lotion had been rubbed into it, leaving behind a thin sheen reminiscent of gold dust along with the scent of flowers. Caelia reappeared, placed a box down behind me and went to work.

First, she wound several long, fine chains of gold around my horns. They started at caps on the tips and spiraled down the bony lengths, terminating in a soft purple gem that rested against my forehead. Next, she began to fit me with a large, skeletal shoulderpiece. Like the chains around my horns, it had been wrought from gold, but worked out of perhaps half a dozen metal bands which knotted and overlapped one another like the branches of a tree.

"Is there supposed to be something under this?" I asked, shifting my shoulders around. It was surprisingly comfortable, light and with every edge rounded off so it wouldn't cut into my skin. An upside-down triangle of metal ran down my breastbone, drawing the eye towards my chest. It looked like a decorative fitting that should be worn over a robe. As it was, it hid very little of the crimson skin beneath.

"If there is, they didn't give it to me." Caelia replied. Similar pieces of branching gold, these ones flush against my skin, were fitted to my forearms. Next, in the reflection of the mirror, I saw her pull out a pair of small golden disks and a multitude of chains. Well, I'm certainly not the smartest person around, but even that was enough of a hint as to just how exposed the outfit was going to leave me.

The golden disks were fitted over my nipples and held in place with the chains. They ran down from the shoulderpiece, over the small swell of my bust, with another that linked between the two. Caelia fitted another set, that came from the back of the shoulderpiece, round my ribs, crossing my chest just under my breasts and joining onto the nipple-disk on the opposite side. The girl didn't even try to hide the way she explored my body as she did it, tracing the curve of my body as she wrapped me in fine lines of gold. I purred in the back of my throat and pushed my chest out for her, thrilling at the delicate touch of her fingers and the cool kiss of the metal against my skin.

And that was that for everything above the waist.

Two more pieces of woven gold were lifted from the box, each one trailing a length of purple silk, the same colour as the gem now resting against my forehead. Caelia knelt down behind me, and just for a second, I felt the heat of her lips as she placed a single kiss upon my buttock.

"Tail." She said, and I lifted it obediently, teasing her with a glimpse of the wetness tingling between my legs as she locked the next piece of my outfit into position. I twisted and peered back over my shoulder, raising my eyebrows as I saw how it had been designed. A normal loincloth wouldn't have worked - my tail would either have tangled up in it or pushed it out of the way. But the length of metal it hung from dipped sharply, running under the point where my tail met my spine, so it could lie on top of the silk without getting in the way. It also showed off the generous portion of the line between my buttocks every time my tail swished back and forth, but that was probably intentional. I took a moment to get used to it, then wriggled it down my hips another half-inch.

Caelia gave me a funny look. "Are, uh, are you trying to let everyone see your..." she trailed off and flapped a hand towards my crotch. Sure enough, the top of the gentle V leading down towards my mound was clearly visible.

"There's a little spot at the base of my tail." I said. "It's like...well, you know what it's like when you rub your clit, yea?"

She nodded. "It's kinda like that. If I go around with this thing any higher on my hips, I'm gonna spend the evening dripping like a tap.

"Besides." I added, turning this way and that, admiring my gold-wrought body in the mirror. "It's not like this was built for modesty, was it?"

"I suppose not." The other girl grinned. "Okay, this is the last of it."

She motioned for me to stand up on my tiptoes, then slipped something under my feet. I rolled my weight back and found myself balanced atop a pair of heels, which Caelia quickly linked to a final set of golden branches, like the ones on my forearms. These ones were tied to my shins with strips of purple silk, like boots stripped down to their barest skeleton - heels, laces, and a network of twisting metal to support my ankle and make walking comfortable. I tested my weight, and after a few experimental steps, found my balance.

I took a breath, stepped back, and admired myself. Now, I've never been shy about nudity. The funny thing about being naked is that a lot of people tend to look away if they see you - they assume they're intruding, or something's wrong, and try to spare your dignity. But the outfit I'd been given skirted the very edges of nudity. It hid almost nothing other than my most intimate areas, and subtly accentuated everything else with lines of flowing gold. The heels raised me up a few inches and held my posture straight, and after a moment's inspection, I found that the silken loincloths were very slightly transparent. I normally keep myself completely shaved, but on a whim, I'd kept a small, dark strip of trimmed pubic hair, which was faintly visible beneath the fabric. And if I was lit from behind, the silhouette of my inner thighs would be clear to all.

It was an outfit that demanded attention. It demanded that people looked at me and admired my body, whilst hiding the parts of me that my client had hired the use of for the evening.

"Wow." I murmured, glancing into the mirror to my left, and grinned at how the outfit left almost every inch of my sides bare. "This is..."

"It's really something." Caelia added. She had flushed so red she could have put me to shame, and was playing with the handle of a hairbrush in her hand. "She swallowed hard. "Uh, can I ask...do you, uh..."

I turned and sashayed towards her. "Mmm?"

"...do, uh, other girls..." She squeaked.

I grinned, letting the forked tip of my tongue flicker over my lips for her. "For the right price. I work out of the Second Circle. Come down there some time and we'll make this happen."

You could have cut the sexual tension in the room with a knife. I prefer sleeping with guys - sex with women lacks something, it just feels like it's all foreplay - but I'm certainly not going to turn down another pretty girl if she's willing to pay me for my time. The other woman's touches had already fired me up, and I was half-tempted to put my tongue to work on her in revenge, when Ladsley knocked at the door.

"Are you two finished in there?" He drawled. Caelia cleared her throat anxiously.

"You, uh, go on ahead." She said, glancing down at the hairbrush in her hands. "I've got to, you know. Clean up in here. And someone needs to look after your clothes."

"Uh-huh." I grinned, giving her a knowing look as I walked past. "Remember to clean  yourself up when you're done."

I breezed through the door, and nodded my head as I heard the click of it locking again behind me. Well, hopefully a little time alone with her hairbrush would give the girl a chance to cool off, and I wondered if I'd see her at the Circle some time. Getting paid to break in the shy and innocent is always a bit of fun, regardless of gender. Ladsley stared down his nose at me - without once taking a look at my nearly-nude body, which I was slightly put out by - and began to lead me off through the maze of corridors again.

As we walked, I found that my earlier anxiety had completely evaporated. I no longer felt uncomfortable or out of place; I strutted along behind the butler, the chains wrapping my perfumed body jingling softly in time with my long strides, heels clicking against stone as we passed through a hall that had been left relatively untouched. In fact, the more I saw of the Spire, the more patchwork its decorations seemed to be; some, like the entry halls and the dressing room, wouldn't have looked out of place in a normal human mansion, while others had been decorated very obviously by non-human hands or their owners had gone to lengths to try and preserve the original elven aesthetic.

We wound our way up the Spire, passing something which - by the gang of Orcs that hooted eagerly at the sight of me - I assumed was their embassy, until we re-entered an obviously human-owned area. Ladsley drew to a halt outside a large double door with a little metal plaque bolted above the handle.

Baron D. Cathwar, it said. Ladsley knocked politely, and was replied with a return call of "Enter!"

He opened the door and gave me an insistent push forwards. I sneered at him, gathered up my silks, and stepped in.

It looked like a drawing room of some kind, and had been decorated much like the other areas of the Spire under human control; all dark wood, thick carpets, and warm colours. There were no trophies on the walls, but several large bookshelves had been set up, along with an ornate writing table half-buried in paper beneath one of the light-crystals. The Baron himself sat in a thickly padded chair next to a roaring fire, an open book in his hand. His clothes were surprisingly plain, just a simple pair of trousers and a dark jerkin. He rose to meet me, a smile creasing his shrewd, hawkish face.

"Ah, there you are!" He said, beckoning me to come closer. "Come here. Let me take a look at you."

He was older than I thought he'd be, and looked like he'd just fallen short of the second flush of attractiveness some men enter in their later years. The baron wasn't ugly, far from it, but there was no hiding the lines around his eyes, or on his forehead - he looked a little worn, a little tired. Which, in retrospect, I suppose wasn't really that surprising. You get older guys coming into the Second Circle all the time, looking to recapture a spark of their youth by playing around with some bright young thing for a bit. But while he might have been getting on, his eyes were still lively, and he watched me attentively as I walked up to him, my hips and tail swaying with each step. The heat from the fire washed over every inch of my bare skin, and I luxuriated in it just as I did the way his eyes eagerly drank in my barely-clad form.

"Well, my retainers certainly weren't lying when they told me about you, were they?" He said, snapping his book closed and placing it to one side. He began to circle around me, examining the outfit as much as he examined me. "What do you think of the clothes? I drew a great deal of inspiration from the southern caliphates, though some modifications were necessary to suit your physique."

He waved a hand towards my tail.

"You made this yourself?" I asked, shifting my posture slightly, setting up another rustle of silk and chain. He ran a hand through his silver hair and laughed richly.

"Made it? No, no, never. I'm a designer. It's how I earned my place here." He said, taking my hand and leading me over to the desk. Brushing through the paper scattering the surface, I saw how each one depicted an illustration of my outfit, or something very much like it. One was mostly comprised of overlapping veils, with notes showing how they could be removed, one at a time, to tease an audience. Another was mostly chain, wrapping up the arms and legs of the figure, like some sort of faux-bondage outfit. I sifted through the paper and wondered how long he'd been working on this - and perhaps more worryingly, how long he'd been watching me to get my sizes right - when I felt his hand cupping the tight mound of one exposed buttock.

"As you can see, I've always found my hands to be suited for tasks beyond mere artifice." He whispered. I could feel him brushing against my bare back, the warmth of his breath against my ear. He squeezed my ass tighter, digging his fingers firmly into the flesh, before letting his fingers creep, slowly but tantalizingly, towards my slit...

And then he was gone, striding purposefully across the room, leaving me breathless and painfully aware of the single wet bead making its way down my thick. I quickly fell into step behind him as he led me back to the fireplace.

"So!" He clapped his hands together. "To business. You read my letter, yes?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. Thirty gold, non-negotiable. Plus perks." I ran a hand over one of my breasts, teasingly slipping my fingers under the chain holding the golden nipple-cap in place, giving him just a flash of my dark bud before hiding it again. "Am I to assume this dress is one of them?"

It took him a moment to reply, and I felt a little smug that my teasing had left him as flustered as his left me.

"Assuming you live up to your reputation, yes." He said. "You'll also be introduced to a number of the city's most influential people, which I believe might be of use to your side work."

Well. I like to think of myself as an adventurer who dabbles in prostitution, not a prostitute who sometimes takes on mercenary work, but I decided not to correct him.

"That would be quite acceptable, sir." I said, bowing my head to him. "But I need to know what you have planned for this evening. Do you need me simply as an escort, or will you be employing my more..." I gave him a coy look. "Intimate services?"

He laughed at that. "Both, I hope! You'll be employed as an escort to begin with. It's a...a game, I suppose, that we like to play at these events. We all compete to bring the most attractive, or exotic, or just the strangest partner we can find."

A small smile played across my face. I wasn't sure about 'strange', but 'beautiful' and 'exotic'? Sure, I'll take that compliment.

"You won't have to do much beyond hang off my arm and make conversation." The Baron added. He paused, considering his words before speaking again, as if being careful not to offend. "To which end, how well educated are you?"

I shifted uncomfortably in front of him. Growing up in the middle of good-as-nowhere hadn't exactly given me a classical education. "Not, uh, not very, I'm afraid. We didn't have a school where I grew up. Mother taught me things - I mean, I can read and write - and I've picked up other bits since then, but..."

I trailed off with a helpless shrug. The baron frowned, then placed a reassuring hand on my shoulderpiece. "Well, you seem smart enough, despite your upbringing. I'm sure you'll do fine." He said. "And as for your more, what was the term you used? Intimate services? Well...I'm sure you'll put them to use at some point tonight."

There was a strange twinkle in his eye that told me he knew more than he was letting on, which should have worried me a little. The thought 'I don't like surprises' passed through my head, but was banished by a much more seductive one; the memory of being tied to a bed, blindfolded and helpless as my client worked my body with a buzzing, golden toy...

Well, that whole night had been one hell of a surprise, and certainly an enjoyable one.

I looked down at the beautiful outfit that had been crafted for me. The coin I was going to be earning was damn good for a night's work, but really, it was the outfit that had really caught my interest.

Damnit. First, I sell myself for a nicer room to stay in. Now, I'm selling myself for some pretty clothes.

I always was a greedy bitch.

"In which case, sir." I said. "We have a deal."

"Wonderful. Just wonderful." He ran a hand through my thick, black hair, then checked the little brass time-piece strapped to his wrist. "Hrm. There's a couple of hours before the party begins..."

Without really thinking about it, I stepped forwards, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and cupping his groin with my other hand. He groaned, and I could feel his cock stirring to life within his trousers. The baron might have been getting on a bit, but apparently he'd lost none of his youthful vigor, which brought a smile to my face. I ran my palm up and down the growing bulge, pressing my barely-clad chest against him until he let out another groan and gently pushed me away.

"No, that will have to...ah, that will have to wait." He gasped. I could see how hungry he was for me; trying to remain decent and polite, trying to look me in the eye, but helpless to stop his eyes from wandering and drinking in the sight of the flesh that he has bought. I ran a hand down the length of my body, rustling my chains and squeezing one of my breasts, grinning at the needful look on his face. "I need to, ah, I need to get ready." He said. "I have a library. Why not avail yourself of it, while you have the chance?"

Wow. Decent pay, sexy outfit, a chance to make some connections within the city, *and* a bit of an education? I really hit the jackpot with this one. I nodded and scampered off, leaving the baron to his preparations.

---

A few hours later, Ladsley was sent to collect me. I put back the books I had been studying - history and politics, mostly, trying to get a handle on how Swyndel had come to be the city it was today, and cultivate some general understanding of the big movers and shakers within the merchant-noble circles - and was led back through the now-empty drawing room and into the maze of twisting corridors. The Spire was even busier now, and at times we had to rely on Ladsley's apparently terrifying authority over the lesser flunkies to make our way through in good time. Now and then, I'd spot someone who stood out from the bustling crowds; a dark-skinned woman with a scaly creature curled up in her arms, a short, dumpy man wearing a cloak that glimmered like liquid gold, and even, on one occasion, a pair of long, tapered horns being carefully lowered so that their unseen bearer could step through a doorway. My heart quickened at that. Another Tiefling? I looked down at myself and, for a moment, felt my discomfort start to return. It was like...if I was going to meet another one of my people, I wanted to be seen as someone respectable, not as...

The thought didn't finish before being shaken away. I *was* respectable. There was nothing illegal or immoral about selling sex. If I ran into another Tief and  they looked down on me for it, then that was their problem, not mine.

I was also aware of how many people were staring at me as I walked past. Now, like I said, I'm used to curious looks; even in Swyndel, which is a complete racial melting pot, Tieflings are pretty rare. Being stared at doesn't bother me, because it's better than them throwing stones, which happened all too often growing up in the backwoods. But dressed as I was, with almost every inch of my skin on display...I found that I genuinely wanted them to look, to admire me, to drink in the sight of the gorgeous red-and-gold being that walked amongst them. My narrow hips swung seductively as I walked, with my tail flicking back and forth behind me. I felt...objectified, almost, but not insulted or devalued; like a living work of art, a beautiful nude statue to be bought and sold by the highest bidder.

Which got me thinking. There would be plenty of rich men and women at the festivities. I wondered, idly, if the baron wouldn't mind be doing a little side-work if I got the offer. The thought blossomed, and for a moment, I saw myself bent over one of the tables, loincloth pulled aside, a small queue of men lining up to drop some money into bowl and take their turn...

Of course, it wouldn't come to that. The baron had paid his money, and I was his for the night. But still...I could feel a comfortable heat building inside me, and new traces of wetness gathering within my folds at the idea. I caught one of the servants staring, goggle-eyed at me, and gave him a devilish grin as we made eye contact. Holding him in place with my gaze, I slipped a finger behind the dangling silk that covered my groin, ran it through my wetness, and brought it back out for him to see. And then, without taking my eyes away from him for a moment, I sucked the finger into my mouth, lapping it clean before his astonished gaze.

I laughed wildly and leaped away, catching Ladsley - who gave me a disgusted look - before I lost him in the growing crowds. We turned a corner and entered what looked like a waiting room - this one largely devoid of ornamentation, aside from the carpet, light-crystals and a number of seats and divans set up around the edges. A large ornamental clock hung upon one wall, where anyone in the room could easily see it, and the room terminated in a large door, decorated with gold and lapis like the one I had entered through. Next to them, and surrounded by an orbiting cloud of flunkies, stood the Baron. The rather plain clothes he had worn earlier had been replaced with an elegantly cut vermillion waistcoat, layered over a white undershirt edged with gold, dark breeches and tall riding boots. His hair had been colored a rich blonde, which, combined with the outfit, knocked about ten years off him.

He dismissed his entourage with a curt gesture as I swept up to him. He took me by the hand and, to my surprise, pulled me in tight against him and kissed me in greeting. I relaxed into it as our tongues explored each others mouths, nibbling playfully at his lips when we finally pulled apart.

"My dear," He said. One hand remained around my bare midriff, pressing up together for a moment longer so I could feel how hard he was under his trousers. "It's good to see you again. Did you enjoy the Library?"

"I did, actually." I reply. I twist my hips, grinding against the erection bulging out of his trousers. "Education is so very...stimulating, don't you think?"

He made a noise, halfway between a laugh and a lusty groan, then pushed me away. "Calm yourself, lady. We'll get to that later."

I was tempted to point out that he was the one who started it, but he continued before I could interrupt.

"We're going to be going in soon. Remember; be nice, be polite, but above all else, be respectful. Everyone makes up their own titles where, but you'll be fine so long as you refer to them as 'sir' and 'ma'am'. If in doubt, keep quiet and let me speak first."

It seemed simply enough, so I nodded to show my understanding as we linked arms and turned to face the door. There was a grinding, mechanical noise from within the walls, and the doors began to swing open on their own. A strange, slightly hollow fanfare blared from within the room, and a high, clear male voice called out;

"Announcing Baron Darrin Cathwar, lord of Linen and Gold, master of the silken artifice..."
Well, he was right about one thing - they really did love their titles. I took half a step forward, thinking the announcement was over, but the baron placed a hand on my arm to hold me back.

"...And his guest, Ireela Dratslava of Pinebarrow!"

I shot him an astonished look and pressed a hand against my chest, as if to say - who, me? *I* get a mention as well? He gave me a reassuring smile and led me into the room, the strange false-fanfare booming around us with every step.