by Louisa Neil
“What about the men who want to do…things, different things than most?”
“Some of the women willingly do those things. Their tips are bigger. Some don’t do the unexpected. They usually don’t last long here. After a few months, you mother sends them on their way for disappointing customers.”
“And no matter what,” Bettina whispered, “we have to satisfy the customer.”
“That’s right. Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be one of the chosen women, one that gets bought by a man and taken away to live with him?”
“A man can do that? I mean, buy a woman from Phoebe?”
“It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a man will come in and fall madly for one of the girls. He talks with Phoebe, and when a price is agreed upon, arrangements are made for her to leave with him.” Susan let out a sigh. “They always seem so happy. That a man would buy them solely for themselves is a big deal.”
“But you’ve got time, Bettina.” Susan put her iron aside and sat beside her. “First, you’ll have your coming-out ceremony. Phoebe will gather all her richest clients and bring you out to show you off. She’ll buy you a new dress and have Josie fix your hair. She’ll want you to make a good impression at the parties because it will bring her more money. Of course they won’t be allowed to touch you. Then after they’ve all seen you, she’ll make a deal for the most money and you’ll be given to that man. He’ll have the honor of fucking you for the first time.”
“It doesn’t seem like something to look forward to.” Bettina stood and took over the ironing. “I would like to have a say in who uses me.” She didn’t expect Susan to laugh.
“That, my friend, won’t happen, so don’t dream about it. The man with the most money will get you.”
“And he’ll want to do all the things the other men do to the other women?”
“Most likely. Just hope he wants it to be private. Sometimes, the customers want to be watched taking a virgin and turn the event into a party of sorts. They’ll invite other men they want to impress with their prowess and money and fuck you in front of them.”
“What?” Bettina’s voice squeaked.
“That’s right. They’ll pay a lot of money for you and want to show off. When they’re done, they’ll make a production of wiping their cock and showing the blood-streaked cloth to the others to prove they were your first.”
“That’s not the kind of party I want to be a part of.”
“You won’t have a say in it. My advice is to smile and bear the pain. Make them all think you’re enjoying it. That way, when you go into the parlor with the rest of the women, they’ll choose you. They’ll remember watching you and pretend they’re being your first. Those first times will be the best tips you ever earn, so why not enjoy it?”
“When will she take me, Susan? When will she take you?”
“Phoebe promised to take me upstairs when one of the other women leaves. Either they get too old and the men don’t want them, or sometimes they move on to another town. Sometimes they get bought. If they’re here too long and they get too old, they become housekeepers. That’s how old Lavonia got her job as the cook and Josie, the housekeeper. I’ve heard the women talk about both of them. It’s said they were once young and beautiful. They made the most money for Phoebe. When they got used up and had no place to go, you mother put them to work in other areas of the house.”
“My birthday is at the New Year,” Bettina whispered.
“Then that’s when she’ll take you. That’s when she’ll buy you a new gown and have your hair styled. Then she’ll put you on show for a few weeks to work up the customer’s appetite. The men will be anxious to be the one to get you.”
“Is there any other way out of here?”
“Only to run away. But you have no money, and if you don’t get far enough away, Phoebe will find you and bring you back. Then her anger will take over. I’d rather have any man use me than take Phoebe’s beatings.”
Josie came in and stared at both of them. “No more talking, there’s work to be done.”
Both girls mumbled a “yes ma’am” and split apart. Bettina kept to herself and was quiet unless spoken to directly. She hoped to blend into the walls and maybe her mother would forget about her. If anything, her fondest wish would be for Stewart to come back and buy her. She didn’t know how that would happen, but she still prayed every night some miracle would make it happen.
* * * *
Bettina had a lot to think about. In the coming days she stayed to herself, cooking, cleaning, and pressing the upstairs women’s garments. Her mind was awhirl with all the information she’d learned. What kept coming back to her was that she had no choice. She tried to relieve her anxiety by accepting that many of the girls who left the workhouses when they came of age didn’t have family to go home to. Most of them became prostitutes on the street to survive. She could only imagine that would be much worse. At least here, she’d have a nice upstairs bedroom and someone else would do her chores.
What she truly wanted was another option. None seemed to be presenting themselves, and she was beginning to accept there were no other choices for her. So, when she went back to watching the women perform for their clients, she tried to view it differently. She noted how some men wanted to use different positions. Some men just wanted to have a woman suck their penis. Other men wanted to put their penis in all the places a woman could take it. A shudder ran through her remembering the beautiful man who used Thad’s anus. She’d seen men take women that way, but not another man.
Tonight there was a renewed enthusiasm around the club. All the women made sure they looked their best as they waited in the parlor to be chosen. Susan had told her a very special customer was coming tonight. It would be a big pay day for any woman he took. Bettina wondered if he’d choose Thad, too. At six o’clock her mother appeared in the kitchen, checking arrangements for the night’s activities. It was then she caught sight of Bettina and pulled her to the side.
“You are to stay in the basement tonight. Don’t you dare come upstairs. I don’t want anyone to see you until it’s time, do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Phoebe grasped her chin and roughly turned her face from side to side. “Yes, in a few months you’ll do nicely. Until then, stay out of sight and don’t dare let anyone touch you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” As Phoebe left the room, Bettina accepted she was nothing more to her mother than another commodity to be sold for profit.
Josie patted her shoulder and smiled. “Don’t you worry, Tina. The man coming tonight has special tastes. You don’t want him to notice you, or even know you exist.”
“You mean it isn’t Stewart coming tonight?” Bettina realized her mistake.
“Where did you hear that name?” Josie gave her a stern look.
“I heard the women talking about him one morning.” She glanced downward.
“Well, stay away from him, too. Tonight, Gaston Duvall is coming. He’s a very rich sea captain. He’ll spend a lot of money here tonight with several of the women.”
“Several of them, at the same time?”
Josie let out a howling laugh. “Yes, and mind you, stay out of sight.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We can finish up without you tonight. Go downstairs and finish the ironing.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bettina slowly walked down the steps, glancing back at Josie only once. Downstairs, she wandered from corner to corner, not knowing what to do. Ultimately, she decided to finish her work or there would be hell to pay in the morning. As she pressed the women’s garments, all she could think about was the new rich man who would use more than one woman tonight. She wondered how it would work. After all, he only had one penis.
* * * *
Making sure her chores were done, she crushed her lithe body into the back of a cupboard she’d used to watch from in the past. She hoped this man, Gaston Duvall, would choose her mother’s special room or she’d not see h
im.
At nine o’clock the doors opened. Her mother strolled in, wearing her most exquisite gown of white satin. It enhanced her breasts, pushing them upward. Her waist had been tied so tight Bettina didn’t know how Phoebe could breathe. Her hair had been newly coiffed, leaving long curls down her back. She had red rouge on her lips and cheekbones. In the low candlelight, if she hadn’t known, she would have thought her mother was much younger than the forty-five plus years Bettina knew to be true.
Following her was another beautiful man. Just as handsome as Stewart had been, but in a different way. He wore the newest style of fashion and laughed heartily with her mother. He had sandy-brown hair and brown eyes. What struck her was the full beard that covered his face. While polite, he seemed very at home in the club. They drank a glass of wine together before there was a knock on the door. Her mother simply said, “Come in.”
The door opened inward, and four of the women pranced in. Tonight they were all dressed in their finest gowns, too. Each one wore a different color, but they all had been groomed as her mother had. They were shy yet flirty with each other and Mr. Duvall.
As the evening wore on, she noted how each of the women took a turn talking privately with him, leaning down in front of him to show off their breasts. Within a few minutes, her mother nodded to two of them. They left quickly with sour looks on their faces. The other two women took turns undressing the other in front of Phoebe and Mr. Duvall. When they were naked, Duvall instructed them to drop before him and suck his cock. They kneeled side by side on the floor before him and opened his trousers. Then they took turns sucking his length.
Bettina noted how he wrapped his fingers in their hair as they swallowed his length. He had no inclination to keep their hairstyles intact. He continued to drink his wine and converse about his trip with Phoebe, who sat across from him. She didn’t know how he continued to talk and have the women suck on him.
A knock on the door didn’t startle the women. Thad stepped in and, after closing the door, quietly stripped off his clothing. Then he went and stood before Duvall. They said a few words that Bettina couldn’t hear. What happened next surprised her. Thad stood and handled his own staff until it was full and then dropped behind the women. He pushed it in one woman and stroked a few times then changed to the other woman. Back and forth he went, alternating between their woman places.
Bettina saw her mother snap her fingers. Thad pulled from the woman he was using and leaned forward, sucking Duvall’s manhood. She noted he seemed to do it best, from the smile on Duvall’s face. A short time later, he tapped Thad on the shoulder and he sat back. Both the women leaned forward. Duvall grasped his own member and pushed and pulled until he shot his essence on the women’s breasts. Thad immediately began to lap at them, taking turns licking them clean. Then the women dropped to the floor on their hands and knees and accepted Thad’s penis back in their bodies.
Bettina knew this went on regularly but she didn’t understand the need for her mother to watch. As the show continued, she watched Duvall’s penis get hard again. He finished the wine in his glass and moved forward. Thad pulled from the woman and went to the table. He stood with his back to the room and his arms resting on the wood top.
It no longer surprised Bettina that a man would use another man for sex. She watched how he grasped Thad’s hips and pounded his penis in and out of his body. She could see the strain in Thad’s upper arm muscles as he tried to hold his position. Suddenly, Duvall took a step back, and his release sprayed on Thad’s buttocks.
Instantly, the women crawled to Thad and Duvall. One of the women began to lick Duvall’s liquid from Thad’s buttocks. The other woman took a snowy-white handkerchief Phoebe offered and, with a few steps to the sideboard, used the water in the basin to dampen it. Then she took what Bettina thought was a long time to clean Duvall’s penis. When she was done, she closed his trousers and he walked back to the chair he’d been sitting in and poured himself another glass of wine. Thad walked to the door where he’d dropped his clothing and, after gathering them, reached out to grasp the coin Duvall tossed to him.
The women gathered their clothing and, in turn, accepted the coins Duvall handed them. Each gave him a quick curtsey before leaving. Duvall continued to sip his wine. She noted her mother didn’t move. They whispered back and forth, but Bettina couldn’t hear their words. With the ring of a bell, Josie came in with a tray and cleared the glasses they’d used. As she was leaving, Phoebe turned to Josie and in a very loud voice said, “Send in Bettina.”
Bettina froze in place, her stomach sick. Had her mother seen her? Or was she going to let this man use her, too?
“Yes, ma’am.” Josie turned to leave but Phoebe called her.
“She’s supposed to be in the basement, but you’ll find her sneaking out of the cupboard that backs this room. Bring her to me.” Phoebe’s tone was too controlled. Bettina realized that meant she was holding back her temper in front of a client.
Josie appeared quicker than Bettina realized, shaking her head. “You should have stayed in the basement as you were told.” With a heavy hand on her shoulder, she guided Bettina out of the cupboard and into the hallway. There she paused and tucked her hair back into the braids she always wore. Then she straightened her apron and dress and pushed her toward the door.
“Josie,” she said.
“Go on, you brought this on yourself. Take what comes and don’t act like a child.” Then Josie opened the door and all but forced her inside, closing the door behind her. Bettina stood in the doorway, looking down. She was afraid of her mother, and now she was afraid of Gaston Duvall.
Chapter Three
“Come here,” her mother ordered. It took several seconds for her to actually move, but she managed to take the steps across the room to stand before her. “I told you to stay downstairs in your room. You didn’t. What do you think your punishment should be?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” She held back her tears, knowing from the look on her mother’s face they wouldn’t help her.
“Did you enjoy what you watched?” The man seemed to be laughing at her.
It was the first time she allowed the idea of Duvall to enter her mind. Yes, she knew he was there but she’d been so frightened she’d almost forgotten about him.
“I was curious,” she said, not lifting her head to look at him.
“She is beautiful, or will be when she’s presentable.” Duvall laughed.
“Yes she will be. In a few months I’ll put her on display and sell her to the highest bidder. After that, well, you know.” Her mother didn’t finish her sentence.
“Did your curiosities get answered?” Duvall asked.
Finally, she turned to him. She’d created the situation so she might as well get all the information she could. He was beautiful. He had dark-brown eyes and light-brown hair. His face was covered with a full layer of hair, trimmed close to show the line of his jaw.
“No, sir.” She wasn’t prepared for him to laugh outright.
“What don’t you understand?” He reached his hand toward her, and she hesitated. Her mother pushed her forward, making her stumble before him. If he hadn’t caught her by the waist she would have fallen at his feet. As it was, the warmth of his hands around her waist sent a strange thrill through her. “Now, what don’t you understand?”
“Any of it. Why do you need two women and a man?”
“Because I was in the mood.”
“Oh,” she muttered.
“Your mother tells me you’re untouched. Is that the truth?”
“Yes, sir.” She swallowed hard, surprised Phoebe actually claimed her as kin. Bettina knew there had to be a reason for the admission but didn’t ask. “Only the doctor touched me when I arrived.”
“Are you afraid of what will happen to you? Do you assume a man will hurt you?”
“Yes, sir.” Bettina swallowed hard but felt this was the only chance she’d have to actually speak for herself. “I’m afraid of being hurt.
I’m afraid of being touched in front of a room full of strange men.” She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. “It’s strange enough to think of one man touching me in that way, but to be used in front of a group is terrifying.”
“What would you do to avoid that happening?”
“Almost anything.”
Duvall smiled at her. “Relax. From the look of you’ve a bit of time before that happens.”
“Yes, sir, but it will still happen.”
“Yes, it probably will. Tell me what you’ve learned spying on your mother and her clients.” He settled back in his chair and crossed his left ankle over his right knee, staring at her.
“I’ve learned that women have to let a man put their penis anywhere they want.”
“Tell me where they want to put it.”
Her mother cleared her throat, and Bettina remembered she was in the room. Until now, she’d been enthralled with this man and the way he looked at her. At the small smile he let slip.
“Captain Duvall is talking to you. Answer him or I’ll have to beat the answers out of you.”
“Relax, Phoebe. Don’t frighten the child.”
“She’s not a child anymore, Captain. She’s a young woman who doesn’t mind her mother. I have every right to beat her for any reason.”
“Yes, but then she’d be soiled and men wouldn’t want her. Besides, you don’t want her to cringe at their touch. If she’s to follow in your footsteps, she should be comfortable with men. Now, talk to me. Tell me of your fears.”
“I’m afraid I’ll choke if a man puts his penis in my mouth. I’ve seen how some of the men force the women to take more than they want to.”
“What else do you fear?” He sipped from his wine and offered her the glass. She shook her head no.
“I fear a man pushing his penis into my body, especially my behind.”
“Would you believe me if I told you one day you’ll come to like those things happening to you?”
