The Grace of Roses (5)
The Grace of the Rose (5)
"Rene! That was an absolutely fantastic performance!"
I willingly let Madam embrace me as she reached out.
Burying my face in her soft bosom, I drank in the scent of roses.
Rosalia stroked my head affectionately for quite some time, as if proud of me.
"I'd love to pamper you more, but we're swamped with customers! Rene, do you know how many reservations you've gotten?"
"That many?"
"Yes! It's the best debut performance record in Grace of the Rose's history!"
I see. I wasn't exactly jumping for joy.
I was just relieved to have safely completed the performance.
Still, this was better than starving in the slums.
"I should change first."
"Huh? No no. Today you'll receive customers wearing just that outfit."
"What? But it's slightly damp with sweat..."
"That's exactly what makes it better! You really don't understand these things at all, do you?"
Pushed along by Madam, I ended up going up to the third-floor room still wearing the leotard.
Was this really okay?
Though the tanning was perfectly done, it was still leather so there might be some odor.
Regardless, I couldn't refuse Madam.
Sitting on the bed in the room, I quietly waited for my first customer.
Before long, the door opened and a man entered.
"Even more beautiful up close. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Rene."
"Welcome, Councilor."
I rose and gave him a slight bow.
The middle-aged man with a lean build nodded familiarly as he approached me.
Madam had briefed me beforehand.
This man held the highest status among my reservations tonight.
Reportedly one of Rivaid's city council members.
A VIP regular at Grace of the Rose and one of Madam's powerful backers.
As a particularly important guest, he would be the first to button up my night's work.
Madam said his polite nature made him a good starting point.
"Let me clean you first."
"Much obliged."
Kneeling, I undid his belt.
Then carefully lowered his trousers and underwear.
Thwack-!
A surprisingly thick erection sprang forth toward me.
Apparently impressed by my Night Stage performance, there was even some thin pre-ejaculate at the tip.
I thoroughly wiped his lower body with a prepared cloth.
In this profession, hygiene was paramount.
That's why this ritual was mandatory before any intimate act with a customer.
And no guest would refuse this soft, warm service from a scantily clad woman.
Setting aside the used cloth, I looked up at him with a question.
"Do you have any special requests?"
"Hmm. Why don't we start with your mouth?"
"As you wish..."
My face drew closer to his already rigid member.
My pursed red lips lightly touched the glans.
"...Smooch. Slurp."
After teasing the tip with my lips, I gradually took him into my mouth.
Since he'd ordered this like an appetizer, he probably didn't want anything too intense yet.
I moved my head slowly back and forth, pressing his shaft against my palate and tongue.
My moist lips glided along the length while my hot tongue licked and coiled around it.
"Hoo. Good, very good. This should suffice for now."
At his words, I stopped my oral ministrations.
Just when I was about to really demonstrate my skills, he cut me short.
Perhaps insecure about his stamina.
Being older, he probably didn't want to waste his opportunity with just oral.
"Now then, let's satisfy my curiosity."
His arms reached behind me.
After some fumbling, his hands found the leotard's strings.
Soon the knots came undone and the tight lacing loosened.
I felt the chest area that had been tightly constrained become slightly roomier.
His hands returned to the front and swiftly pulled down the leotard.
"Mmph..."
"My, what voluptuousness."
My swollen breasts and erect nipples were exposed.
My nipples had been hard since first touching his member with my lips.
After admiring my chest for a moment, his hands began moving.
His wrinkled palms freely kneaded the soft flesh.
"By the way, Miss Rene. Did these stand up during your performance?"
He suddenly asked while tapping my nipples.
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I stammered in response.
"Huh? Oh, n-no. You must be mistaking them for the seams."
"Hmm. I'm certain they were erect."
He looked at me with suspicious eyes.
Had my lie been discovered?
I immediately tried to deflect.
"T-that's impossible! You must have seen wrong!"
"Hmmm. I'll take your word for it. But if not, why raise your voice like that?"
The Councilor pinched both my nipples as if annoyed.
The pink nubs deformed under the pressure of his pinching fingers.
A faint pain mixed with sharp pleasure coursed through me.
My shoulders trembled as an involuntary moan escaped.
"Ahhn..."
"This... I can't hold back any longer."
He removed his hands and completely discarded his pants.
Startled by his sudden urgency, I instinctively scooted back.
"Miss Rene. Place your hands against that wall. And recreate the pose from your performance."
"You mean this pose?"
Following his command, I leaned against the wall and extended one leg straight up.
Then grabbed my ankle to maintain the position.
The vertical split that had climaxed my stage performance.
Balanced on one foot, I looked down at him.
My most shameful area - the crotch - was completely exposed.
Only the thin leather of the slipped-down leotard provided any cover.
"Yes! Exactly that pose! I thought my pants would burst watching it."
"...Glad to have satisfied you."
He stepped forward and pushed aside the leotard covering my thighs.
The act many could only imagine in their fantasies.
My glistening womanhood was finally revealed to him.
"Ooh...! Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. To think it could be this smooth without a single hair...!"
After his embarrassed exclamation, his thick fingers began exploring my folds.
I was already wet enough that no lubricant was needed.
"But where's the contraceptive? I don't see one."
"You can enter directly."
"Huh?"
He looked at me in disbelief.
Understandable.
Even among prostitutes, few would readily accept unprotected sex.
Especially not a beautiful Third Floor Lady.
"You mean I can come inside you raw?"
"Yes. If you checked my catalog, you'd know I allow internal ejaculation. I'm on birth control."
This world did have proper oral contraceptives - magic and alchemy existed after all.
Though priced similarly to their weight in silver or gold, so I'd never even seen one.
The birth control claim was just a plausible cover.
No need to reveal my infertility to customers, so Madam and I had agreed on this pretense.
"Please feel free to do as you wish, Councilor."
"Heh, magnificent. Then I won't hold back..."
His painfully hard member slowly pushed into me.
He gripped my raised thigh with one hand and seized a breast with the other.
Now came the time for his hips to move.
As he relentlessly kneaded my chest, our flesh collided repeatedly.
No need to stubbornly hold back.
I let out wanton moans as my body dictated.
"Hahh, hngg...!"
A woman's passionate cries would only excite a man further.
To maximize Lust points, every moment of intercourse needed careful attention.
"Nngh..."
I consciously tightened my inner walls periodically.
Modulating the pressure to prevent him from finishing too quickly.
It seemed effective as the right reaction came at the right time.
The telltale spasms of impending climax.
Simultaneously, his grip on my thigh and breast tightened.
As his legs trembled, the member buried deep inside me released thick seed.
"Ah, hngg..."
The forceful spurts of white flooded my depths.
I used Recovery to erase it before reaching forbidden areas.
The Councilor withdrew and stepped back from me.
"Hoo. That was the best experience I've had in recent memory. I've no idea where Madam found a lady like you, Miss Rene."
"Thank you. You'll visit again, won't you?"
"Hmm. Of course I will. I'll be requesting only you for the foreseeable future."
I cleaned his softened member with my mouth then wiped it with a cloth.
He left the room looking thoroughly refreshed.
The entire session lasted about twenty minutes.
That earned me 3 Arshen. An absurd amount of money.
And my reservation list was still packed.
I might earn more silver tonight than my entire lifetime in the slums.
After that, I continued servicing the stream of customers.
Though Madam expressed concern, I reassured her I was fine.
Numbers didn't matter. When else would I get to earn so many points?
Only when night deepened did my thighs finally close.
I'd received men's desires nonstop until the establishment closed.
"Rene. You worked so hard today."
"Hardly. This kind of work doesn't tire me."
"My, how impressive. Aura Users really are different."
Madam brightly smiled and kissed my forehead.
Startled, I stiffened slightly as she bid me goodnight and left.
"......"
Even after finishing cleanup and lying in bed, the sensation of those soft lips lingered in my mind.
For some reason, my chest felt slightly ticklish.
* * *
I awoke early in the morning.
Having tossed and turned lost in thought, I'd only slept about three or four hours.
But that was enough.
Though I couldn't interfere with my brain beyond a certain point, Recovery could reduce needed sleep.
After dressing and arming myself, I stepped outside.
Last night's debut as a prostitute was successfully completed.
Now it was time to resume my work as a Silver-ranked Mercenary.
Passing through the eastern gate, I left the city.
No particular destination today.
I planned to simply wander wherever my feet took me.
That didn't mean I lacked goals entirely though.
This time my quarry would be wolves.
According to Daygan, wolf packs had been multiplying exponentially east of the territory recently.
The city council recognized the severity and offered 10 Grange per wolf killed.
10 Grange was half the bounty of a goblin.
With night work providing ample income, the monetary difference wasn't important.
Roaming through forests large and small, I eventually spotted wolf packs with keen eyes.
Finally, before noon, I encountered one such pack.
"Grrrr...!"
Wolves baring fangs at me.
Their size dwarfed any stray dog's.
But in the end, they were just beasts.
Drawing my sword, I immediately cut one down.
Even seeing their packmate die, these wild wolves didn't easily scare.
The more my blade flashed, the more fiercely they attacked.
Convenient for me since I didn't have to chase fleeing prey.
I delivered death to each wolf that charged from all sides.
They were faster than goblins and their hides considerably thicker.
But their straightforward charging and biting tactics posed no real challenge.
Before long, I'd completely exterminated the pack.
Like goblins, the proof of extermination was their ears.
I carefully cut them off and stored them in a leather pouch.
Thanks to diligent searching, I found another wolf pack before sunset and returned to town.
Each pack seemed to consist of 7-10 wolves on average.
At this rate, I could hunt about 16 daily.
Since they awarded points similar to goblins, that meant 400 points per day.
Not bad at all. Though even if it were, I had no alternatives.
I wanted nothing to do with goblins for a while, making wolves my only current option.
Thus continued my week of dual life as courtesan and mercenary.
By day a ruthless wolf hunter, by night a sought-after prostitute.
This double life was becoming familiar now.
I visited the Mercenary Guild during daytime for the first time in a while to check accumulated requests.
Evenings were always rushed with submitting ears and hurrying to Grace of the Rose.
Today I'd leisurely browse the request board.
As I slowly walked reading posted notices, the door burst open violently.
"M-mercenaries! I need to hire mercenaries! Anyone, right now!"
The man who shouted this was gasping for breath.
His tattered, mud-stained appearance suggested he'd suffered some attack.
What could have reduced him to such a pitiable state, and why the desperate urgency?
My interest piqued, I quietly observed his next actions.