I Dated a Deadly Auditor

by Grace, Viola

Chapter Five

  Harmik had made a request, so she followed it. She wore a dress that exposed nearly all of her with incidental banding and miniscule straps holding it in place. The rich gold colour was unfortunate, but when she put on her dark lipstick and slid her blackened copper mask in place, she knew that he looked good if rather like an ancient icon.

  She fiddled with her bracelets and wrapped herself in a filmy shawl. She walked to the door and picked up an umbrella. Harmik’s voice murmured, “You won’t need that, precious. Come with me.”

  He took her hand and paused. “You look like a statue that has been through the wars.”

  She laughed. “Not precisely flattering.”

  “But beautiful. Pristine items are never as evocative as those that have had a life.”

  He paused for a moment more and then said, “Hungry?”

  She chuckled. “When am I not?”

  He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, and she walked at his side to the restaurant. The protection that he offered her went beyond defending her from weather. When they entered the restaurant, the hostess nodded and led them to their table in the open dining room. Not every couple wanted a private room for what they got up to. Some preferred an audience. Tirra and Harmik didn’t need an audience, but they also didn’t mind the goings-on around them.

  After the wine had been ordered and appetizers selected, Harmik asked, “How are bookings going?”

  “Well. Zera has managed to accumulate a total of twenty-five escorts; three are niche, eleven are strength or physicality resistant, one is exclusive, and ten are mentalist resistant. And then, there is me. So, with those escorts, there are currently over a hundred patrons on the books.”

  She paused. “Bookings are brisk. At least three a week for four days or more. It is harder getting the escorts the time off work under the guise of jury duty. Some of them can’t keep up.”

  “So, what is the solution?”

  “Well, a lot of the escorts are quitting their day jobs and looking into going full time, but others are still in uni or college. It is an old trope for a reason. It is hard to do this overnight when you have a day job.”

  “This isn’t an ordinary calling, and yes, Eighteen, it is a calling.”

  She laughed. “I believe that for the other young women, it is, but I am much more practical. For me, it is just a job.”

  He snorted, and their appetizers arrived. They ordered their mains and started to eat. There was no rush at the resort. The stages of dinner were well spaced if you were in the public area.

  “Can I try that one?”

  She looked at him from behind the mask, his face glowing and bright. She nodded and skewered one of the shrimp for him, holding it up for him.

  He snapped at it, and she jumped, jerking back before touching his face and holding it to him. He took it with his teeth and chewed. “Those are good. New chef?”

  “No, we just let the original one practice.” She giggled and ate the next on her own. She then commandeered one of his mushrooms, and he played a little as her tracking system couldn’t keep up with the movement. When she snagged it, she chewed triumphantly, and they laughed. They had started food fights before when the mood struck.

  There was a swirl of power approaching them as they chuckled, and she looked up in surprise.

  “If you two wouldn’t mind taking it somewhere private.” Gorith was radiating power, a lot of it.

  Harmik cleared his throat. “We are having fun, junior. Go back to your table, and if fun is so abhorrent to you, get a private room for you and your charming date.”

  Harmik looked to Tirra, “Eighteen, are you warm? You look warm.”

  He got up and eased her to her feet. She felt the wrap slip away, leaving the hot pink marks of her healing burns over eighty percent of her body exposed. Her right arm and the right side of her face were the only parts of her unmarked. The dress tied together did not leave much skin unshown.

  Gorith looked at her, and his fury cooled. His entire body temperature cooled. “I... Eighteen, what happened?”

  “Fire. Silver plasma. I had to get myself into the system, so I found a fire that was already being attended by fire and ambulance, and I threw myself into it and started screaming. They found me and brought me to hospital, where I recovered slowly, and my secondary activation kicked in. That is where I got taller. The healer that worked on me poured a lot of energy into me, and my body used it to grow up instead of healing the skin. My skin itself was badly damaged and remained so, so I got grafts to replace it. Today, another healing was offered to me, and I took them up on it. She said I would need more treatments, but I don’t mind how it looks. It is certainly different.”

  Harmik took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Always lovely, but you might be physically more comfortable if your entire nervous system isn’t on display.”

  She glanced down and saw the webbing he was referring to was visible to the mask. “That is kind of cool, but you are probably right. I should continue with the treatment, though I hope that Salat isn’t watching again.”

  Gorith’s body got hot again. “You drank from Khytten? Directly?”

  “Uh, yeah. That is how it needs to work. She needs contact with me for precise design of the effect.”

  “Can I touch the surface?”

  She looked toward Harmik. “It is your date.”

  He kissed her hand again. “Let me know if you get uncomfortable.”

  She nodded and turned toward Gorith. “Wherever you would like to touch, Patron.”

  He blinked. “You consent?”

  “I consent to contact outside my current contract.”

  He stroked the skin of her good cheek then the skin of her bad cheek. She didn’t have nerves in her damaged skin, and he seemed to know it. She felt pressure on the muscle and tendons beneath the surface, but the skin itself was numb. She was numb.

  He gripped her arm. “Can you feel that?”

  “Yes, but not the way you would think.” She chuckled. “My luck ran out.”

  He trailed his hand over her breasts and belly. “How much of you burned?”

  “Eighty percent.”

  “So, twenty percent of your skin is intact; there is about twelve percent of you in your arm and head.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I am guessing at the other eight percent, Eighteen.”

  She blinked and stepped away from him.

  Harmik pulled her against him, and he said, “That is enough. Go back to your own table, or join us at ours. Either way, your poor date is alone and a little bit appalled at what is going on.”

  Gorith’s face heated, and he reached out to touch her, but he ran into Harmik’s force field. Tirra was as safe as she could be, wrapped in a bubble with one of the strongest actives on the planet. If there was one thing he could do, it was making a girl feel safe.

  She turned to him and whispered, “Can we go for a walk or move to a private room?”

  “Of course, precious.” He beckoned the server over and had a brief discussion with her. They were taken to a private room immediately, and their food followed a moment later.

  “Was that horrible for you?”

  She sighed. “No, I just wanted to be able to feel for the first time in a long time. Nothing.”

  “What did he say to you at the end?”

  “Uh, he guessed what parts of me hadn’t been burned, and I was afraid he was going to check.”

  Harmik laughed. “So, you still have affection for him.”

  “Is that what this is? Affection is terrifying.”

  “Well, we can say attraction then. Attraction can be terrifying.” He smiled, and their entrees showed up.

  The appetizer remnants were pushed aside, and they talked about the resort, business plans, and then, she asked Harmik, “Have you ever been in love?”

  He paused and thought about it. “I have loved, I have been loved, but I have never been in love. I think that it is deeper and all-consuming. Yo
u can’t do anything but be swept along with it.”

  She chuckled. “Yeah. That sounds about right. I don’t like it.”

  “So, you do love him.”

  “I feel my pulse pound a mile a minute when I am around him. Palms sweat, I get dizzy, and I want to punch him. He revs all of my reactions up to a thousand. It is infuriating because I can’t do anything about it.”

  Harmik frowned. “You are being healed.”

  “It will take days, if not weeks depending on Khytten’s schedule. I can’t expect her to drop everything to help me.”

  Harmik cocked his head. “You aren’t going to contact her again.”

  “Our last encounter was embarrassing.”

  “How so?”

  “After she treated me, she asked if she could kiss me, and I hadn’t been kissed before, so I said yes.”

  Harmik blinked. “You haven’t been kissed?”

  “Well, you are the only person I have been dating, and we haven’t ever kissed. Not like that.”

  He paused. “I haven’t?”

  “I would like to think that if we kissed like lovers, one of us would remember it.” She chuckled and kept eating.

  He sighed. “I suppose that I have never really thought of you that way. We began as friends on a mission, and that is how we stayed.”

  “Yup, and I treasure you as a friend. I know you don’t want anything from me. The mask even proves it. You have a steady warm flare running through you and nothing else.”

  Harmik chuckled. “Then it is good we were paired on these exercises, though I would like to see what happens when you and Gorith get together.”

  “I am not sure that is going to happen. He didn’t like it when I backed away.”

  “He’s a big boy. He can handle a little aversion.”

  She sighed and set her cutlery down. “I am not sure I want him to. My life is pretty good right now, and having a romantic partner in it might screw it all up.”

  He chuckled. “It can do that. In general, it is worthwhile.”

  “But when it ends... how will I deal with that?” She knotted her fingers together.

  “Don’t go borrowing trouble. When it ends—if it ends—you two will probably gently drift apart. You can always come stay with me, and we can eat ice cream and watch movies.”

  “What if you find your ideal lover by then?”

  “Ah, I am not looking for Ms. Right. I am just looking for companionship. I have spent years enjoying the freedom of simply relaxing with you, and I think if I could find something close enough to this with someone else, it would be enough.”

  Tirra smiled. “You really should strive for more. Kissing is a lot of fun.”

  He grinned. “Are you talking about Khytten or Gorith?”

  “Both? Very different, but both very nice.”

  “That is what you should be focusing on.” He activated his com, which he never did, and then, he waited.

  The dessert menu was extensive, and she kept it simple for herself. Some angel food cake, fruit, and whipped cream. The basics were good, and her tastebuds hadn’t been burned. She liked what she liked.

  They chatted, he got an answer to whatever he had sent, and he grinned when her wrist pinged.

  “What?” She checked her com and was surprised to see a booking for nine in the morning with Harmik. They were scheduled to leave the resort and go to Khytten’s. They had an invitation from Salat.

  “So, you know the family?”

  “I worked with his parents.” He smiled. “He addresses me as Uncle.”

  “Oh. Great. Thank you?”

  “You seem unsure.” He leaned in. “Afraid I am going to watch you with Khytten?”

  “Uh, that had not even occurred to me.”

  He chuckled. “Well, I am definitely curious as to the process. This kind of healing isn’t something I have seen before.”

  She groaned and lifted her com link. There was no cancellation option. “Wait. How is that possible?”

  “I had a word with upper management.” He smiled.

  “I am going to have a few words with upper management. They are going to have minimal letters.”

  “As an escort, you are not allowed to delay repair or recovery to an injury. It is in your contract.”

  She paused and then slumped when she scrolled through the document. “Shit. It actually is. I didn’t think anything of it the first time I read it. It seemed sensible. Now it seems diabolical.”

  “Would you care to distract yourself with some dancing?”

  She sighed and nodded. “Yes, please, Patron. Are you staying over?”

  He nodded. “Would you let me hold you as you sleep?”

  “I don’t know if that is appropriate.”

  “We have done so before.”

  He had a point.

  “Wait, are you trying to show off to Gorith or something? This goes beyond taunting.”

  He smiled. “I am not. I am merely taking advantage of the option to hold a beautiful woman in my arms for a night, possibly for the last time. I am not going to miss the chance.”

  “I don’t think that much will change with Gorith. He is here for three days and then gone. That is just two more days. My scars won’t be done in a few days, so he will be gone before the healing is done and my classification can change.”

  He chuckled. “Let’s go dancing.”

  “Fine, but you will have to be more careful with me today. This dress is not made for flips.”

  He laughed and helped her to her feet. “Of course. I always take care of you.”

  “Yes, and that is your particular kink. You are a chronic caretaker. You need to find a woman who picks a fight with you now and then. You need to assert yourself.”

  “I could never hit a woman.”

  “I am not talking about combat; I am talking about matching wits and feeling your blood rise. It is exciting and fun, or so I have been led to believe.”

  They walked into the bar area, and the music started playing. Harmik had his private mix queued up, and it activated as they took to the dance floor.

  He spun her out, then reeled her in, and they danced slowly, moving together as if they had done it dozens of times before.

  Tirra enjoyed dancing with Harmik. He knew she couldn’t feel subtle cues, so all directions had to be done with specific pressures. As a result of all the practice, they looked fairly graceful together.

  They had danced for about half an hour when Gorith arrived with his own date, and he cleared his throat. “May I cut in?”

  Harmik murmured, “Do you mind, Eighteen?”

  “No, it’s fine.” Her pulse started to pound, and she guessed that she looked as flustered as she felt.

  Five grinned and stepped toward Harmik. “At your disposal, Patron.”

  Gorith stepped toward Tirra and took her in his arms.

  “I need to be steered and directed with direct pressure. Use fingertips or the flat of your hand. I don’t pick up on subtlety, Patron.”

  They started to move in a very formal box-trot, and he learned very quickly what she could and couldn’t feel. They moved to the music, and he didn’t say anything to her while they moved and spun.

  When the music was over, she tried to step back, but he wrapped a hand around her lower back and pulled her in for something more intense and faster.

  Being plastered directly up against his body caused her breathing to alter dramatically as they slid against each other. There was nothing lewd to it, but they were close, and she did want him, despite the many cons to accepting him. She misread a direction, and she stepped on his foot. She was mortified. “I am so sorry, Patron.”

  He chuckled and pulled her closer. “I just need to keep you close.”

  “I am very sorry, Patron.”

  “It is fine, Eighteen. I have done worse on a pebble.” He smiled.

  She swallowed and nodded. Her com link chirped, and she turned to see Harmik nodding to her. He danced his partner in c
lose and said, “Five has agreed to continue the date that we agreed to. If Gorith agrees to keep it platonic, do you agree to the switch?”

  Blood drained out of her face, and her skin went cold. “What?”

  “I agree to keep things platonic. What was the rest of the plan?”

  “Eighteen sleeps in my arms.” He smiled. “She has an appointment with me tomorrow morning, so I will need her fed and dressed by eight-thirty.”

  “I am not a child, Harmik. And as he probably wanted to have sex with Five, you are depriving him of his contracted agreement. That is not fair.”

  Harmik tapped her on the nose. “Fine, you have sex with him.”

  She blushed and stepped away from the three people focusing on her. “I can’t. I don’t pass the fucking physical!”

  She turned and stalked out of the restaurant and walked into the rain. She removed her mask, passed her quarters, and kept walking.

  For a night that had started with so much fun and support, it had ended with her wanting to punch someone. Anyone.

  Chapter Six

  She started a small fire in one of the caverns and held her hands out to dry out. “Fuck.”

  Her trip up the rock face had caused a bit of damage, but she didn’t feel it. The scent of copper in the air let her know that she had cut herself, and the dress she had on didn’t have any extra fabric to bind it. She rubbed at the cuts to get the clotting going and then added more of her stockpiled wood to the fire. The nice thing about not wearing a lot, you dried quickly.

  She was unsurprised when she felt power moving toward her, but as it got closer and she could feel the tone of it, she tensed.

  The energy tentacles that Gorith had at his disposal crept into the opening of the cavern and pulled him up and inside. He stood and snorted at her cozy arrangement, but when he inhaled, he frowned. “You are bleeding.”

  She glanced down and shrugged. “I took care of the ones on my legs. They will heal soon.”

  “No. your back. You have a slice across your back.”

  She flicked her hair and noticed its dark hue. “Oh, well, it will stop soon.”

  He looked at the fire and cocked his head. “You come here often?”