I Dated a Deadly Auditor

by Grace, Viola

  She snorted. “It isn’t my door he is interested in.”

  He laughed.

  She opened the request file, and her cheeks got pink as she read the request specifics for the date. That evening, dinner, dancing, and in his arms until nine the next morning. The dressing specifics surprised her. She didn’t think she had that outfit in her wardrobe, but it said she did, so she did. The grooming portion wasn’t a surprise, but it did mean she would have to go light on the massage. Bruises would show if Phillon did what she wanted.

  She bit her lip again, and she hit accept then put through the priority order for the grooming. She would get a ping when they were ready for her.

  He chuckled. “So, that is what an escort’s face looks like when she accepts an invitation. You know the patron?”

  “Uh, yeah. He was there when I had my secondary activation.” She shrugged. “I have known him for a few years, but this was our first time on equal footing, so to speak.”

  “And you are willing to let him sweep you off your feet? When you were reading about the date, your face got all soft and sexy.”

  She blushed.

  He laughed. “How many dates have you been on?”

  “Technical ones? Over a hundred, but that was all the same patron. Platonic dates to test things and make sure that hotels and restaurants would be discrete. A lot of back organization takes place to make sure that things can go smoothly. I was part of that organization.”

  “Was?” He grinned and drank his tea like he was having the grandest time.

  “Well, yeah. I had a lot of biological damage that kept me from doing anything more intimate. The damage was recently healed, which kicked off the final activation.”

  “Ah. So, the damage was holding you back.”

  “Yup.”

  “This is the most interesting conversation I have had in this decade.” He grinned. “May I continue quizzing you?”

  “Sure, but I only have until noon. At that point, every bit of hair below the neckline is removed by force.”

  He barked a loud laugh. “So, tell me about the preparation that the escorts go through. I just pick an outfit and a grooming assessment, as well as the location, and a perfectly groomed escort shows up on time.”

  “Well, we get the date request, spend a bit of time hyperventilating, double-check our schedule, and then authorize it. After that, we spend the rest of the day at work watching the clock and head for a quick snack before getting dressed at the hub. That is where all the weird grooming takes place. We get into our outfits for the evening, trying to keep calm, then put on a cloak, and get our security bots to travel with. The transport is arranged automatically, and we put on our masks and meet the transport. It takes us to our date, and as you know, there is the matter of the patron’s icon. It glows, so we go exactly to the patron and stops any issue with us being waylaid by others.”

  “Does that happen often?”

  “Often enough. It is usually hotel staff that tries to blackmail or extort the escort. That is when management steps in, if necessary. Some are stupid enough to do it within earshot of the patron. That is a short conversation. The patrons usually have nothing to lose.” She chuckled. “The next time there is an escort at that hotel, there is no problem.”

  “The offending person is gone?”

  “Management usually politely offers to pull our account. That panics the hotel into giving their staff stricter instructions.”

  “And you are management.”

  She grinned. “Occasionally. I do love making those calls.”

  He chuckled. “So, if I was to try and book you tomorrow, what number would I be looking for.”

  “I am not showing up on your roster. As I said, you are too much for me. I require a lighter touch.” She chuckled. “I also can’t hold my breath long enough to do anything really fun with you.”

  “What would you consider fun?”

  She inclined her head. “Whatever the patron wishes.”

  “Ah, very nice. A nice non-committal answer.”

  “Well, it is up to you; the escorts are just along for the ride. Also, having never slept with you, I have no gauge for what you would or wouldn’t enjoy.”

  “I am very easy to please.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “I read your specs. Your skin is really strong, and any caress that gets through to you would be able to carve wood. I can’t manage that kind of pressure.”

  He sighed. “Ah, I tried.”

  “I could take you on a tour and lead you to the private lake. You could take a cold plunge?” She smiled.

  “Nothing compares to the cold of Hyreno. That is what the skin density is for.”

  She nodded. “Gotcha. Well, I have an appointment to talk to a sculptor about our new gardens. You are welcome to come with me, but if not, I have enjoyed our chat, Patron Juro.”

  “I thought it was anonymous.”

  “Nothing is hidden from management.”

  He nodded and got to his feet. “One last question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Where does the lingerie come from?”

  “From the magical lingerie fairy.” She snickered. “Two designs most of the outfits. Lately, one of the patrons has started designing some of the harder stuff. More corsets and leather. They are becoming very popular with certain clients.”

  “So, if I wanted a woman in a porpoise suit...” He held out his hand, and she put her fingers in his as she got to her feet.

  “Your kinks are your own, but she has the right to say no.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough. I am not into porpoises, but I just wanted to keep my options open.”

  She took his arm and walked out with him. She explained about the plans for the erotic gardens to act as a spur to ideas and even plan a menu of sorts.

  “Who is posing for the statuary?” His gait was slower than necessary.

  “Zera is choosing from escorts and their willing patrons. There is an entire section for Salat and Khytten.” She laughed.

  “You know them?”

  “Uh, yeah, we have met.” She blushed slightly.

  “Their coupling has become legendary.”

  “You mean their partnership or them having sex. Either one is impressive. Add in Dr. Torenne, and you have an interesting combination.”

  “They are a powerful triad. How did you meet them?”

  “Oh, Thirteen brought me over to the lake house for tea, and I got along with Khytten and Dr. Torenne, and I had met Salat before. A few years earlier.”

  “Was the initial meeting romantic?”

  She laughed. “Oh, god no. He was working.”

  Juro winced. “Ah. I see.”

  The sculptor was waiting with a security guard. The woman was wearing loose-fitting jeans, a tank top, and a loose denim shirt. She was compact and curvy, each limb completely still until she chose to move.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Ledia. I am Tirra, and I am in charge around here for now.” She held out her hand, and Ledia shook it carefully.

  “You have a steady hand.” Tirra spoke with a smile.

  “I work around a lot of softies. I am used to not squishing your kind, though I get the feeling you are harder to crush than you should be.” Ledia smiled. “Well, I can add a new piece every three weeks or so. I have the designs for the first statues and can get started today if you will allow it.”

  The glossy block of water-breather blinked. “Am I not standing here?”

  Ledia couldn’t meet his eyes. She nodded. “Oh, hello. Patron?”

  Tirra nodded. “Yes, he’s a patron. Patron, this is the sculptor.”

  “Ledia. Right. You carve stone?”

  She looked away from him and mumbled, “I shape it.” He was hypnotic in person. She had seen him on the news vids negotiating for assistance with some deep-sea mining operations.

  Tirra left the patron and put an arm around Ledia. “Sorry. I know that you weren’t expecting to see anyone today.”
>
  Ledia nodded shyly. They walked away from Juro, and Ledia glanced back at the confused water-breather. “He’s taller than I thought.”

  They walked to the site where the first blocks had been dropped. Tirra sighed. “I am sorry. I thought they would stack them.”

  Ledia smiled. “I can stack them. This is the first design.” She took a design out of her pocket, and it was Salat and Khytten. Salat was lying on his back, and Khytten was astride him, her head thrown back. It was a very powerful image to start with.

  “Oh. Wow. That is definitely a statement for the entryway.” Tirra looked at the stone and then the image. “How long will it take?”

  “I can finish it today then head back to the docks tomorrow.” She wheezed a little. “Damn.” She took out an inhaler with oxygenated fluid and sprayed it into her mouth, inhaling it into her lungs. Rathnard’s Syndrome sucked. She bent over and let out the barking cough that distinguished the syndrome. She wasn’t built to be a mermaid, but tell that to her lungs.

  Once she had her lungs under control, she went to the stones and started picking them up and arranging them.

  She was being paid a lot to make the statues faithful to the subjects, so she had better get started.

  * * * *

  Tirra returned to Juro, and he was looking at the sculptor with astonishment. “She has Rathnard’s Syndrome.”

  Tirra smiled. “Does she? You don’t say.”

  “You mentioned that there was a woman applying with Rathnard’s Syndrome.”

  “I believe I said that. Yes.”

  Ledia lifted a block of stone that weighed hundreds of pounds and set it in place. She was mixing black and white stone into an appropriate configuration. She moved the blocks like they were cardboard boxes.

  Once she got moving, Ledia forgot that she had an audience. She got the blocks adjusted the way she wanted them, set them in place, and then she climbed onto them and pressed her palms against them with her eyes closed. The stone began to flow.

  “Oh, wow.” Juro watched her as she stroked the stone into shape. She started with Khytten and got her roughed out, but then, she worked on Salat. It took her an hour, but they were both roughly crafted before Ledia took a break.

  She pulled off the loose denim shirt and tied it around her waist before drinking a litre of water in one long draught. The scooped back of the tank top showed the edge of gill slits, and Juro was enthralled.

  Tirra prodded him in the ribs. “Are you going to stare at her for the rest of the afternoon?”

  He smiled. “My escort doesn’t wake until later this afternoon. I have time to kill.”

  “Ah, but Ledia is off the menu, and she is very shy around men.”

  He frowned. “She has been hurt?”

  “She hurts them. She’s a heavy lifter. That is her job as well as her definition. She works for three weeks and gets two days off. She works twelve-hour shifts.”

  “That’s too much.”

  “Heavy lifters or heavy handlers are used until they break in Uradda.”

  He snorted. “I don’t like their government.”

  “Neither does she, but we have the citizenship we are born with. Well, some of us do. She’s stuck with it. Uradda doesn’t let its citizens go. They work their actives to death.”

  “How is it that they are letting her come here?”

  “It’s a scheduled vacation for her. She is allowed to be here, but she has a tracker in her bloodstream. If she goes beyond her schedule, it makes her sick, and two days later, she’s dead.”

  The horror in his expression was obvious.

  “Not all of us can jump into the sea and swim home.” She smiled. “Some of us have to live in the world we were born in and try to find our way to survive it. The more exceptional a woman is, the crueller the world around her. It is the same with men, but they have more resources. Their predators are more direct.”

  She shrugged, and her com pinged. It was her appointment. She sighed and walked over to where Ledia was sculpting Khytten’s ass. “Ledia, do you mind if Juro continues to watch you work?”

  Ledia looked at her with her eyes wide and panicked. “I... I don’t... He won’t talk to me, will he?”

  “I will ask him not to.” She stroked Ledia’s shoulder. “May I give you a kiss for luck?”

  Ledia blinked. “I haven’t gotten to that part of the training. I haven’t kissed a girl before.”

  “I will do the kissing. You just need to not freak out.”

  Ledia smiled. “I can do that.”

  Tirra touched Ledia’s face and leaned in, pressing a kiss to the lips that trembled as she got closer. She stroked her lips along Ledia’s, and when the other woman opened her mouth slightly, Tirra exhaled a wave of luck into her. Ledia put her hand over Tirra’s and returned the kiss with enthusiasm after the luck ran through her.

  Ledia wasn’t skilled yet, but that would come with practice. She was enthusiastic as hell, and the grip she put on Tirra’s waist was firm but not constricting. The kiss continued until Tirra’s com chimed again, and then, Ledia pulled back, blushing. “Sorry. I got carried away.”

  Tirra stroked her cheek. “We all need the contact. When it happens, we don’t want to let it go. I have to go, but I will try and see you before I leave. However, I have to meet with a patron tonight, so I might not be able to. I will see you the next time you come.”

  Ledia looked at her. “Really?”

  “Really. After Khytten and Salat, there is Zera and Torun’s team. Other couples are lining up as we speak.”

  She heard footfalls behind her and saw Gorith. She panicked and wanted to run, but Ledia was behind her, Juro to the side, and Gorith striding up to her and scooping her into his arms. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “Turns out that Salat also has an aircraft.” Gorith’s words were the last things spoken as he lifted her off her feet and pulled her against him with a thud.

  He threaded his hand in her hair and kissed her deeply. She moaned as her senses spun, and she went limp against him. His tongue slid along hers, and she was shaking when he lifted his head. “Hi.”

  She blushed. “Hi, Patron.”

  Her com chimed urgently.

  “What is that?”

  She ducked her head. “Grooming appointment.”

  “Oh, do tell.” He put an arm around her waist, and he nodded to the astonished water-breather. “Hey, Juro.”

  “Gorith. I didn’t know you were a patron.” He was staring at Gorith as if he had grown another head.

  “Oh, yeah. I have been looking for her for quite a while. She finally showed up.” Gorith chuckled. “Tonight is our first date.”

  “That was the greeting before the date?”

  Tirra’s face was on fire. She had broken every protocol that she had designed. “Um, I should go.”

  “I will go with you. I have never gotten to watch grooming before. I think it will be fun to participate in.”

  “Oh, no, you will not.” They started to walk toward the resort.

  “Oh, yes, I will.” He murmured it.

  “No. You won’t.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I will. Check your contract.”

  She brought up the contract, and there was a surcharge for participation in the grooming. “Sonofabitch!” She glared up at him. “Pervert.”

  He laughed. “You have no idea, but you will.”

  She shivered as they entered the spa area, and a relieved greeter saw her. “Oh, Tirra, you weren’t responding. Patron, I didn’t know that you were booked in.”

  Tirra covered her eyes as she muttered, “He wants to watch.”

  The greeter blushed and then nodded. “Right. Well, this way. Tirra, first, we need you in a spa robe. Everything off, please.”

  “Yeah.” She exhaled. “Right. Gorith, seriously?” She paused. “Ah, right. Patron, seriously?”

  He laughed. “You can slip between the two. I don’t mind. Duality is something I am used to.”

&n
bsp; He was with her in the changing room, and he watched as she removed her tall boots and then wiggled out of her bodysuit. He made a small sound and curled his hands into fists when she was naked.

  She glanced at him and took the spa robe off the hook. “You are the one who wanted to watch.”

  He was behind her when she left the changing room and followed the attendant to the grooming station. The first thing was the hair removal, and she glared at Gorith when she got in the unit, and the low-grade laser took everything off from the chin down. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but her legs were splayed wide to make sure that every bit of her was exposed.

  She shivered as her brows were plucked into tidy lines, and then, she was bustled off for a shower, massage, and a hot soak.

  The shower was uneventful, and she was clean when she saw Phillon. “Hey, have you seen my new stats?”

  “I have. Congratulations. At least now I can do more than a pressure massage.”

  She paused. “Ah, this is my patron. He’s here to watch.”

  Phillon inclined his head to Gorith. “Oh, right. That’s new.”

  Gorith chuckled. “Be gentle. It’s my first time.”

  She glared at him. “Not funny, Patron.”

  Phillon chuckled. “I thought it was very funny.”

  She walked up to the massage table, dropped her robe, and lay on the bed, moving between the sheets before propping herself on her arms. She checked her com and shrugged. “I only have twenty-five minutes in the appointment, Phillon. Do what you can.”

  He chuckled. “Your regular scent?”

  “Uh... I don’t know.” She looked to Gorith, and she said, “Pick one you like?”

  He grinned and went to the box of scents. Phillon picked out two. “You have had these on Five and Thirteen.”

  She smiled as he coloured slightly. “It’s okay, Gorith. I know I am not the first or even the fifth. Just pick a scent you like and stop overthinking it.”

  “I can’t choose.”

  She sighed and wrapped herself in a sheet, and walked to the box. She beckoned to Gorith, and he leaned down. She gave him a little luck in a sweet kiss and said, “Pick one.”