A Reluctant Courtesan (Harem Masters #1) (Harem Masters Series) (4 page)

Kalliope cried out from the pain and from the frustration of
not being able to finish.

“Not yet, Kalliope,” the man breathed, “I’m not finished
with you.”

The man spun her around and pushed her down on the cold
stone. With wide eyes, Kalliope watched as the man fumbled in his cloak and
pulled out his throbbing cock. He pulled Kalliope’s hands up over her head and
held them tightly as he wound her belt around her wrists. Kalliope watched with
shock and arousal as the man immobilized her arms.

Panting heavily, the soldier slid between her legs, rubbing
her dripping sex and squeezing her swollen breasts. Kalliope bit her lip to
keep from yelling out and the man saw the small gesture. He smiled wickedly and
lowered his mouth to Kalliope’s ear.

“Do you like how I tease you, Kalliope?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do your other customers dominate you like this?”

“No, Kyrie!”

The man stroked his cock with one hand as his other hand
traced the curvature of her neck.

“You have done well following my orders. You could do quite
well where I come from.”

Kalliope wanted to ask what the man meant but she was
instantly distracted as the man pushed himself deep within her in one,
languorous thrust. The sensation was sweeter than Kalliope could have imagined
and the man cried out with his own lust and pleasure as he began to slowly
claim Kalliope for himself. His thrusts were strong and meaningful and the man
had complete control over her body.

The man pulled Kalliope’s legs up and pushed them wide open,
making for an even deeper entry. Normally, Kalliope would have held her legs up
with her hands, but that was impossible and instead the man kept her legs
pushed open, once more showing his dominance over her.

The man’s thrusts became faster and harder and Kalliope came
hard, her inner muscles clenching around the man’s throbbing cock, and in turn
he came too, pounding into Kalliope with a ferocity.

Kalliope shook against the rough stone as the man yelled
loudly, shuddering as he emptied himself into Kalliope. The man rested his head
against Kalliope and then snapped it up quickly.

“Do you anoint yourself?” he asked, his face darkening.

“Anoint?”

“Yes, foolish woman! Did you use a paste to prevent
pregnancy?”

Comprehension dawned and Kalliope nodded. “Yes, I use an oil
mixture.”

The man sighed with relief, putting his head back down. “I
was not sure if such measures were practiced in such an unrefined area.”

“Unrefined?”

“Of course. These areas are nothing like the metropolis of
Athens.”

“Well unrefined or not, we still practice such things as
using oils to prevent pregnancy. How would I make my living if I were to
conceive?” Kalliope’s eyes flashed with annoyance at the man’s ignorance.

The soldier shrugged and stood up, his semi-hard erection
still dripping with semen.

He lazily fixed his garment, his eyes never leaving
Kalliope’s naked and bound body. His dark eyes were filled with lust and
desire.

“I could make you an offer you wouldn’t be able to refuse,”
he said softly.

Kalliope only looked at him, unsure of what he meant.

Lazily, the man bent down to unwrap Kalliope’s binding. She
rubbed at her sore wrists, and sat up before reaching for her peplos to cover
herself.

He leaned over and pulled the leather strap from her neck
and stowed it in his pocket.

“Would you like to come with me to Athens?”

“What?”

“Come to Athens. I will speak to your keeper immediately.”

He turned on his heel and quickly strode out of the room.

Kalliope frantically pulled her dress on and scrambled out
of the room as she sloppily tied her belt. She figured the man was in search of
Gaia, and she hurried through the hall, looking for any sign of Gaia. Men tried
to stop her and talk to her, cajoling her into leading them back to the beds.
Kalliope pushed past them, desperate to find Gaia. Surely Gaia would not accept
this man’s offer. This brothel was the only home Kalliope had known and she was
a country girl; she was not fit for a city such as Athens.

Kalliope hurried towards Gaia’s office door and her heart
fell when she saw that it was closed.

“Gaia!” she called anxiously, pounding on the door. Kalliope
received no answer but she could hear two voices behind the door.

“Gaia, please! Don’t!” Kalliope cried as she continued to
pound on the door. After a few minutes, Kalliope gave up and she sank to the
floor, holding her head in her hands.

A few moments later, the door opened and the soldier walked
out with a pleased look on his face. Kalliope’s hear sank and she turned away
from the man.

“Tomorrow, cherub,” he whispered before he went down the
hall, his sandals clicking loudly.

Kalliope stood up and rushed into Gaia’s office. Gaia’s back
was to her.

“Thea Gaia, please tell me you didn’t!”

Gaia turned around and her face was streaked with tears.

“Paidi mou, I had to.”

Kalliope broke down into tears. “Why? Why did you have to?
This is my home. You said I could stay here and run the brothel!” she sobbed.

“Yes, I know, my sweet girl. But Athens can offer you so
much more than I can give you here. And that soldier will be able to introduce
you to a whole new life.”

“But I will still be a prostitute!” Kalliope cried. Kalliope
was not naive enough to believe this man had requested her hand. Once a
prostitute, always a prostitute.

“But you will be a courtesan. You will receive more
respect.”

Kalliope sobbed.

“But I want you Thea Gaia! I can’t leave here!”

Gaia held her face tightly. “Look at me!”

Kalliope looked up.

“Do you remember what Adelpha did to you tonight? It will
only get worse. You are too pretty, and too talented to stay in this small
town. It will only be difficult for you. This is your chance to have a better
life.” She paused. “The man will come for you tomorrow after the sun rises.”

Kalliope pulled away. “I hope you got a good price,” she
said bitterly.

Gaia suddenly looked very old. “I did,” she said softly.
“And so did you,” she murmured.

Kalliope turned away and walked slowly back towards the
bedroom.

* * *

Though Kalliope begged the sun not to rise, but it did not
hear her plea and soon the sky was filled with the soft pink light of morning.
The other girls were sleeping as Kalliope tiptoed around them with the small
sack that carried her few belongings. A gold broach that had been her mother’s,
a carving that had belonged to her sister Hagne, a small gold necklace that
Gaia had given her as a child, two worn and tattered books and her meager earnings
that she had made from her paltry share of client fees. At least Gaia gave the
women shares, most brothel owners did not.

Gaia was waiting for her in the hallway and Kalliope looked
at her with red-rimmed eyes. Gaia hugged her tightly and pulled her into her
room. The small room made Kalliope’s heart ache as she thought of the years she
spent sleeping there beside Gaia.

“You are not my blood, but you are my daughter,” Gaia said.
She had a package wrapped in tissue paper. “Take these dresses. They have been
hidden in my closet. They were my mother’s.”

“Gaia, I can’t –’’

“Take them,” she insisted. Kalliope took the package and
peeled back a sliver of tissue.

She gasped.

“Gaia! I can’t take these!” she exclaimed.

The dresses were made of the finest fabric she had ever
seen.

“Yes, you can. They are much too fine for this place.”

Gaia never spoke of her past and Kalliope was now desperate
to know how Gaia’s mother had come to own such riches.

Gaia produced a pouch from the inside of her dress. “This is
your share for your purchase.”

Kalliope looked at her quizzically. “I don’t get a share.”

“Yes, you do. The soldier paid me more money than I have
ever seen before. He was determined to have you, a sentiment of how special you
truly are. I took more than enough, and if I choose, I can walk away from this
brothel at any time and I will have no financial worries.”

Kalliope stared at Gaia in disbelief. Could her strange
customer truly have paid that much for her?

“Take your share, Kalliope, and hide it well. It is a
sizeable amount. I’m sure you will make good money in Athens. Guard your money
wisely and you could become quite wealthy one day.”

Kalliope took the heavy change purse and she thought of how
obscene it sounded to consider herself wealthy. All of her anger quickly faded
and she threw her arms around Gaia.

“I love you, Thea Gaia,” she whispered. Gaia pushed
Kalliope’s hair from her face and kissed her forehead lovingly.

“I love you, my kori”

Kalliope choked back a sob as she turned away from the woman
who had raised her and loved her, and she slowly made her way outside.

* * *

The soldier was waiting for her outside, and a handsome
brown horse stood behind him.

“Good morning,” he said, as he took Kalliope’s bag from her
and carefully hung it over the side of the horse.

“Good morning, sir” Kalliope said shyly.

The man chuckled. He looked younger and less serious in the
daylight. “You do not have to call me sir now.”

He hoisted Kalliope onto the horse and then he pulled
himself up beside her.

“I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Orestes.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Orestes flashed her a bright smile and then kicked the
horse, which promptly took off.

It had been quite some time since Kalliope had been on a
horse, but she held on tightly to Orestes and watched her small village fly by.
Soon, they had left the outer limits of her village and Kalliope knew they were
heading towards the sea. Kalliope had never seen the sea, but she knew the
direction in which it lay, and she had to admit that she was excited to lay
eyes on the water.

Within an hour, the sea came into view and Kalliope made a
small sound of excitement.

“Have you ever seen the sea?” Orestes asked, leaning his
head back to hear her answer.

“No!”

Orestes hurried along and soon they were dismounting at the
water’s edge. The water lazily lapped at the shore and Kalliope moved closer to
examine it. The water was bright and calm and she longed to touch it.

“Go ahead,” Orestes said, “wade in. But not too far since
you obviously can’t swim.”

Kalliope kicked off her sandals, and pulled her peplos up.
She waded into the water and she shrieked when the cold water surrounded her
ankles.

“It’s cold!” she exclaimed with surprise. She squinted and
shaded her eyes and saw a large ship looming in the distance.

“Is that our ship?” she called over to Orestes.

“Yes,” he said, and Kalliope watched as he dragged a small
wooden boat from the grass into the water.

“Ready?” he asked, holding his hand out to her, while his
other hand held onto her bag.

Kalliope nodded and took his hand. “Where are the other
soldiers?” She remembered at least ten other warriors who had been at the
brothel the night before.

“They boarded the ship early this morning.”

Kalliope climbed carefully into the boat and watched with
rapt interest as Orestes rowed them towards the ship. Orestes helped Kalliope
on board and she suddenly became frightened as she looked around at the
numerous unfamiliar faces.

“Don’t be afraid,” Orestes said. The other soldiers looked
at her hungrily, their eyes ones of carnal desire. “She’s not working now,”
Orestes growled.

Orestes beckoned for Kalliope to follow him and she went
below the ship where Orestes showed her to a small room that was roughly the
size of a closet.

“The journey will take close to a week. Our housekeeper on
board will bring you your meals. I will see you once we dock.”

Kalliope could only nod and she looked around the small
space that would be her home for the next week. It could barely contain her
cot, but it was entirely hers and Kalliope wasn’t sure if she should laugh or
cry.

She sat down on her mattress and waited for whatever would
come next in her new life.

* * *

The journey felt long and Kalliope experienced her share of
seasickness. She didn’t see much of the other soldiers, and she tried to sneak
up to the deck each day for some fresh air. The sea was salty and choppy and
Kalliope would find herself mesmerized until the housekeeper would come in
search of her and shoo her back downstairs to her room.

Kalliope wondered if any of the men would try to find their
way to her bedroom but no one disturbed her. She had a feeling that Orestes had
warned the other soldiers to steer clear of her. Kalliope still had no idea
what Orestes had in mind for her, but he had seemed pleased with her nonetheless.
Kalliope even thought that Orestes might visit her again, but he did not and
Kalliope didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed. Orestes' bedroom
methods were foreign and bizarre but Kalliope would be lying if she didn’t
admit that she had somewhat enjoyed his approach.

More than once, Kalliope would sit on her small cot, draw
her long legs beneath her and gently pull out her few meager belongings. She
would line them up one by one on the bed in front of her and she would slowly
turn each item over in her hands, letting all the memories of each object wash
over her. Kalliope decided that once she arrived in Athens she would wear
Gaia’s gold necklace. It was a delicate piece, with three intricately braided
gold ropes. Kalliope had always found it too beautiful to wear, but she would
be living in a big city now, and she wanted a piece of home close to her heart.

She also fingered the carving that Hagne had made. Hagne had
always been artistically gifted and this particular carving was of the large
tree in the family’s backyard. If Kalliope closed her eyes and focused her
mind, she could just picture the backyard she had known as a child. Kalliope
tried to remember the yard before it had become a hiding place for her. She
preferred the memories of the backyard from when it was a place of relaxation
and play.