He waves me off. “Why do you think your sanctions are so deep? No one is going to touch you when you have been consorting with our rivals.” He smirks. “Well, they might touch you in Club Y. It’s not unusual for members to have sanctioned thieves blindfolded so they can fuck the ones who fucked them, as it were. I hope you have no enemies in the Den.” He grins.
I slip my fingers into the waistband of my pants, where I store several antidotes to common poisons and drugs. But I’ve taken too long, and my anger has made the sleeping agent move through my veins with greater speed. Keeping calm is the name of the game when injected with something. I didn’t follow the first rule.
My knees buckle. I manage to land in the chair, but within seconds I slump over, my chest over the side arm.
I don’t go all the way unconscious, though. It’s a sort of twilight sleep. I sense Antony leaving his desk and walking by. He pauses a moment to put his hand on my shoulder.
“You have been one of my best,” he says. “This is a sad day for me.”
I try to elbow punch him, but the effort comes off as slow and clumsy, like I am moving through water. He shakes his head and walks out of the room.
Two women approach me. One is older than I am, her black hair set in tight curls
“I’m Onyx,” she says. “Amethyst and I will be preparing you for your debut at Club Y.”
I look up into her face. She bears an unforgiving expression. She wears a black kimono that shimmers. Her hands are strong.
The other girl is young. She has glossy dark hair and big kitten eyes. She looks worried as Onyx lifts me out of the chair. She also wears a kimono, hers pale purple. I had forgotten that little quirk of Club Y. Everyone is named for a jewel and dresses like it.
My mind flashes with the memory of Emerald’s bright green kimono before she let it fall. I hold out my hands as if I could touch her pale skin, narrow hips, and slight breasts tipped in pink buds.
“He’s pretty out of it,” Amethyst says. She wraps an arm around my waist.
“I’ve been drugged,” I say.
“That’s just so you don’t do anything funny while we get you ready,” Onyx says. “It’ll wear off in about half an hour. You can still walk.”
She gets right in my face to look into my eyes. “Yeah, he dosed you good. But you’ll be fine in a bit. You’ll be working under me, and I like my bondage slaves clearheaded. We don’t traffic here, and we don’t drug our workers. It’s a clean operation. I assume you chose to accept your punishment rather than be killed.”
Right. Like that’s a choice.
We head back out into the hallway, taking several twists and turns. I can’t follow the path with my addled head.
We arrive in a bright room filled with sinks and chairs, like a hair salon.
The women draw me back into a shower stall large enough for several people.
Onyx’s words are harsh. “Amethyst, undress him and put him in the basic attire. Hand him over to Pearl for grooming. Wax it all. Get the swelling down on his face. We want him ready for his first client by midnight.”
Amethyst peels away my shirt and removes everything I own, everything I conceal, and all of my weapons and defenses. Occasionally, I hold out an arm to stop her, but she pays me no mind.
She sets me in a chair in nothing but my birthday suit, and another woman in a white kimono enters the small space.
“Heya, handsome,” she says. “I’m Pearl. I’ll get you all fixed up.” Then she looks me in the face. “Oh, dang, boss man got you good. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine in a jiffy.” She holds up a little bowl of a strange aromatic paste. “Probably about the time I get the first strip off your balls, you’ll be good and awake.”
Pearl kneels between my legs. This is unexpected. I thought Antony said this was punishment.
She smears something soft and warm way down low.
“You might want to hold on to the seat,” she says.
I can’t imagine why I would want to do that. I feel amazing, with two beautiful woman looking at me, naked in a secluded room.
Pearl reaches out, the back of her hand grazing my thigh.
Then she jerks something.
And yes, I’m awake.
