by Treva Harte
Praise for the writing of Treva Harte
Every Good Boy Deserves Favor
Treva Harte brings us a future world where women live cloistered lives in protected keeps, giving “favor” only to those men who earn the right to bed them, a world where fertility is waning and love is merely an old fantasy kept alive in ancient romance novels. Every Good Boy Deserves Favor is a fascinating look at the age old battle of the sexes in a world gone awry, a world where Ms. Harte’s women discover that love truly does survive the apocalypse.
-- Kate Douglas, author of 68 & Climbing (Loose Id)
Seductively alien, yet strangely familiar, Treva Harte has created a sensual world that will entrance lovers of erotic fantasy in her new book Every Good Boy Deserves Favor. Her characters delight, her plot enthralls - like a world-class appetizer at a five-star restaurant, this book satisfies on all levels, yet whets the appetite for more, more…more!”
-- Sahara Kelly, author of Now Playing: A Midsummer’s Nightmare (Changeling Press)
There’s just nothing like a Treva Harte hero… Tortured, yet sweet, Alpha to the max and endearing--all in one fabulous read. I never regret picking up a book by her and this time was no different. Don’t miss out on the adventures of Jewel and Mio and the inventive genius only Treva Harte can produce in that wonderfully, wacky way she calls her own!
-- Dakota Cassidy, author of Ex-files 1: Mayhem and Maddie (Changeling Press)
One of the funniest, most heart-wrenching, scariest looks at the future I’ve read in ages. Every Good Boy Deserves Favor--and every bad girl will love these good boys. Whether you enjoy satire, or just a good hot read, you’ll love Treva’s Every Good Boy.
-- Shelby Morgen, author of Dragon’s Watch 1: Gargoyle (Changeling Press)
EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOR
Treva Harte
www.loose-id.com
Warning
This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.
* * * * *
This book is rated:
Explicit sexual content.
Every Good Boy Deserves Favor
Treva Harte
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published by
Loose Id LLC
1802 N Carson Street, Suite 212-29
Carson City NV 89701-1215
www.loose-id.com
Copyright © 2004 by Treva Harte
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.
ISBN 1-59632-003-6
Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader
Printed in the United States of America
Editor: Catherine Gilbert
Cover Artist: April Martinez
Dedication
To Ani, who “graciously” exhibits grace and courage under pressure,
and to MP and Karla, who are good sports.
Chapter One
Jewel heard the roar of male voices and the loud trumpeting beyond the Castle M’Cee walls. She pushed her purple-black hair back from her eyes, pausing for a moment. “Who is it this time?”
The deep-throated yells reached a crescendo, echoing through the outer walls of the castle. Jewel swore the keep trembled just slightly from the noise.
“Karenna, I think,” Tess answered. “She always makes a good display for them. They love looking at her when she is as naked as possible. I wish I could manage to look good with just nipple chains.”
“Better her than me.” Jewel went back to weeding the tiny herb garden, tuning out the cries. “Being thrown once to those jackals was more than enough.”
“The display starts the time of favor. That makes babies,” Tess said. “And it keeps the men from trying to tear the place down, stone by stone, to get at us.”
Jewel shrugged, dismissing the argument. Other women might accept or even enjoy the time of favor. She didn’t. Never would. Fortunately, she had other gifts to bring to the keep’s sisterhood. The Castle M’Cee might not depend on her healing gifts yet, but everyone knew she was one of the keep’s more promising apprentices. She would never have to go through the whole ritual of giving favor again.
At least that was one of the endless, dreary tasks of the castle she could skip. She’d been living all her twenty-four years in the keep and knew this was where she’d be for the rest of her days, following the same routine. There was no other life for a female. No other tolerable life, anyhow. She’d heard rumors of what happened to unprotected females captured by males.
“Don’t you ever get tired of this?” Jewel asked Tess, suddenly.
Tess blinked. “Tired of what?”
“Everything. You know what day it is because it is washday or sewing day or whatever task it was the week before. There’s never anything new here.” Jewel gestured to the tidy little garden. “We even plant the same herbs every year in the same spot.”
Tess stared at her as if she’d grown wings and fangs.
“What do you mean, Jewel?”
“Never mind.” Jewel dug hard into the earth and pulled.
“Jewel, that’s coneflower, not a weed!” Tess snatched the plant from her hand, distressed. “Maybe you should go downstairs. There should be tea soon.”
“Of course there will be tea soon. It’s almost four o’clock isn’t it?” Jewel muttered. She glanced at Tess and her worried face. She’d just confused the poor woman. “Tea would probably be a good idea.”
Tess’ frown lines smoothed out as she relaxed, clearly relieved. “It’s very soothing, especially if it’s--well, you know. Your time.”
Jewel took a long, deep breath before she stood up. She wasn’t going to snap at her companion. She wasn’t. Tess was only saying what any woman in M’Cee would say, of course. Jewel could predict the conversations by now.
What would Tess say if Jewel told her only one more predictable word would set Jewel screaming and she wasn’t sure she could stop? “She’d probably just be convinced it was my time,” Jewel muttered.
“Any problem, dear?” Tess smiled up at her.
“No. None at all.”
“Jewel!” KarLa, their Eldress, stepped into the tiny garden. “Come with me, please. I must speak to you immediately.”
“Before tea?” Jewel asked. This must be an emergency. It certainly was a break with the routine.
“Before anything.” The Eldress impatiently beckoned to her.
* * * * *
Ara stood, hands at her hips, breasts jutting forward, once again in the same stance she’d held far too often over the past year or two at Castle Bloomingdell. Maryam stooped before her, carefully painting and enhancing the redness of her nipples.
“Done!” she announced. “No, hold still. Now for the nipple ornaments.”
Ara sighed as the first one was fastened into place. Someone behind her began to brush her white hair while another painted glitter into the strands. Every part of her body was to be put on show during the display. Was it really her fault she’d been subjected to this so of
ten? The initial excitement was gone. The terror left next. Now she was more bored than anything else. Bored and faintly repulsed. She was just plain tired of giving her favor.
“Girdle or not? What do you think?” Maryam asked over her shoulder of the other two women.
“The girdle makes it hard to breathe when you cinch it so tightly,” Ara said. No one responded.
She didn’t even have a say anymore in what she should use to entice the waiting men. Not that she cared.
“I wonder how the bigger castles make a display with their females,” the Eldress wondered aloud thoughtfully, pinching at Ara’s nipple so that Maryam could push the jeweled bar in easily. Ara’s smaller, everyday ornaments were carelessly pushed aside. “Perhaps we are too old-fashioned. I could contact Castle M’Cee with an e to find out what they do.”
Ara shifted uncomfortably. Having these nipple ornaments in, both pleased and tormented her. The slight pleasure/pain made her restless in ways she couldn’t quite describe. Goddess knew that fulfilling her obligations during the time of favor didn’t satisfy that restlessness. Once in awhile being alone with a special dildo came close--not that there would be any private time anytime soon. Ara tried to focus her mind on something else.
“I haven’t seen any of the men losing interest,” Maryam answered with a sniff. “I think I create a damn fine display with the talent I’ve been given.”
“No offense meant. However, with but three women to display--” The Eldress began.
“--and with us being put on display every month--” Reina agreed.
“--the last thing we need is for the men to get restless or bored,” the Eldress finished.
The last thing we need is for the men to get restless or bored? A pox on the men. What about her? Ara scowled.
“Don’t ruin the makeup, girl,” Maryam warned, absently. “It took near an hour to do properly.”
“What difference does any of this make?” Ara said. “Ulrich will win me. He always wins all of us. I won’t breed. No one will breed. Then we’ll do this all over again next month. We have to change something. It’s time to realize we have some big problems.”
No one said anything.
“I hate to agree with such a peevish wench, but she has a point,” Maryam said at last.
“Change what?” Reina asked, fearfully. “This is what we’ve always done.”
“We need advice.” The Eldress pulled at her chin. “Somewhere some of our sisters will know what is wrong and how to remedy our problems. I’ve already begun to e the larger keeps.”
“But we have the problem right now,” Ara pointed out. “How long can we wait?”
No one answered.
* * * * *
“The men will be at the gate, waiting for the champion to enter the keep.” KarLa drummed her fingers against the computer. “If we want to get anyone out, that would be the time.”
“Very well.” Jewel swallowed the nervous excitement rising in her throat and tried to sound matter-of-fact. “That’s as good a time as any.”
“None of us have been outside Castle M’Cee for a generation, at least. We can’t tell you what to expect. I’m only doing this because Bloomingdell has such an emergency. It’s a terrible pity their only healer died.” KarLa frowned. “Their Eldress is a good woman but--ah well, she does her best. It’s our duty to help.”
“Of course.” Sisterhood was one of the only defenses against the rest of the world. Jewel had had that drummed into her since childhood. When there were but a handful of women in the world you had to help your fellow females.
“You may pass for a boy with your looks, but we can’t count on that. Put a dagger in each boot. Don’t forget to use them if you have to.” The Eldress gripped Jewel’s hands. “Be alert. Be careful.”
“Eldress.”
“Yes?” KarLa asked.
“You’re telling me very old news. Don’t worry. I’ll get to the Castle Bloomingdell. I don’t know yet why their women haven’t been able to get pregnant, but I’ve been trained to diagnose and heal such disorders. I’ll e you from there in no time at all.”
“See that you do, Jewel.”
* * * * *
“Mama Zee?” Jewel looked into the tiny library.
“What is it, child?” Zee looked up from her book. “I was right in the middle of my studies. In fact, I was just reading the most fascinating--well, never mind that. Why aren’t you at tea?”
Jewel bit her lip. Zee was a wonderful healer but her “studies” tended to include far more of the ancient romance novels than medical books. It didn’t matter. No one in the keep dared point such a thing out to the woman who had ushered almost all of them into the world.
Why did Mama Zee bother, anyhow? That old romance world, one where men and women chose a mate for themselves, without needing to worry about pregnancy or kidnapping, was long past. Romance had blown up, along with history, generations back. It might as well be a fairy tale for all the good such stories did now.
Jewel sighed. She didn’t have the luxury of pausing to wonder why Mama Zee did such things.
“I haven’t much time.” Jewel put her hands on the small woman’s shoulders. “I have to fix an emergency. I can’t explain much, but I thought if anyone could give me some advice, it would be you.”
“I love to give advice.” Zee smiled at her and put down her book. “What do you need to know?”
“Causes of female infertility.”
Zee snorted. “That is something I never had to worry about. Eeee. I have eight boys and two girls and you ask me about infertility? If not for my medical work, I’d probably have had ten more, Goddess pity me.”
“Zee, seriously. I need to know.”
“Well, I’m not a writer, but I do have a little list of instructions on the subject. That was from back when darling P’Trice was having her troubles…or was that Karenna? Ay, there are so many of you girls I sometimes can’t remember who had what ailment.” Zee began to fumble through the books scattered on the shelves. “Hmmm. Here. It’s also on the puters, of course. You don’t need my old-fashioned lists.”
“I may not have access to a puter where I’m going,” Jewel snatched the tiny book from Zee’s hands. She knew Zee had done a fine job with her list. Otherwise the Eldress would never have allowed her to use any of their precious paper.
“Darling! Where are you going if there is no--”
“I can’t explain now. When I get back!” Jewel blew her a kiss and hoped Mama Zee was as clever about infertility as she was about midwifery. Clutching her book, she began to make her way down to the kitchens and from there to the outside world. Was she truly prepared?
It didn’t matter. She was as prepared as she could be, given that she had but a few more minutes to safely leave while the men were distracted.
* * * * *
“Ladies, may we announce the champion of our latest tournament and winner of your lady’s favor at Castle Bloomingdell.” Ara looked at the unctuous little man and wondered how many times she’d have to hear those words in that same oily tone. “Lady Ara, our champion is Ulrich.”
Ara refrained from rolling her eyes. A giant of a man loomed behind the herald. His cheek held scars from an old swordfight. He scowled menacingly, as if he were facing down another horde of males set to win favor rather than the lady whose favor he had gained.
Ulrich.
He was bigger and faster and meaner than any of the other handful of males who camped outside the castle. He’d won every championship for the last seven months or more.
“Lady Ara.” His voice came out as a low growl.
“My champion.” She tried very, very hard to sound gracious and not bored. Ara wasn’t sure if she pulled it off.
“Let us hope for a successful outcome to our mating.” Ulrich spoke the traditional words, his growl making the flowery words sound even more ridiculous than they were.
“Nonsense!” The word burst out of Ara instead of the ones she was supposed to s
ay.
Everyone gasped.
“Lady?” Ulrich asked.
“I said nonsense. We haven’t had any pregnancies in the castle for the past year.”
“You women are failing to do your duty! We grow tired of the wait,” one of the men in the crowd blurted out. “Once Ulrich gets you pregnant then he must step aside and give the rest of us a chance.”
“You dolts! We women aren’t failing. It’s your precious champion who can’t make us pregnant!” Ara snapped.
The whole crowd fell silent.
Oh my Goddess. Had she actually said that? Out loud? In front of a sea of huge males, all sweaty and edgy after their stupid championship battles? Ara would have clapped her hands to her mouth but it was too late.
“What do you mean by that?” Ulrich’s voice raised to a roar.
“Exactly what I said. Or are you stupid along with your other fa…” A hand was clapped over her mouth. Maryam’s.
“Ara is a little over-excited by giving favor today.” The Eldress stepped forward, her hand on Ara’s shoulder. She squeezed it, hard.
“She hasn’t given anyone favor. All she’s done so far is give me sass!” Ulrich scowled so hard Ara wondered if he could be displayed as a gargoyle on the castle turret. “Maybe I don’t need this one’s favor. And maybe you don’t need my tribute.”
The women looked down at the pile of venison, raspberries, and other delights the men always brought in tribute at the start of giving favor. None of those things could be obtained within the castle walls unless someone brought it to them.
“If you don’t want Ara’s favor, I’m sure we can come to a reasonable compromise,” the Eldress said. “Just let me confer with my Council.”
