Witch Blood - 11
"... you just straighten yourself up in there then meet us in
the next room," Callie was saying as she backed out of the small room. "I'm
going to show Rhea where we keep things while you get yourself all pickled!" A
solid door was closed and the pair moved down the hall a distance before the
bigger of the two spoke. "Well, this is exciting," Callie bubbled. "New girl,
new client, both of you so fresh and uncertain! Oh! This is going to be the
best night ever!"
"He's just so shy," Rhea commented as she shook her head.
"How are you supposed to deal with a kid who doesn't know what he's doing?"
"Lots of men are like that," Callie told her in a slightly
less bubbly tone than normal. "Lots of bravado when around others but everyone
has a first time. I really like first timers like him ... so innocent and
uncertain. We aren't objects to him ... we're goddesses. He wants to make a woman
feel good but doesn't know his way around."
"So, you make this place sound like a sex school for the
terminally awkward," Rhea said with a smirk.
"It seems like that sometimes," Callie told her with a
smile, "but we're more than just that."
"I know," Rhea said skeptically, "you save men's souls by
drawing the beast out of them."
"Something like that," Callie admitted. "Do you still see
sex as a dirty thing?"
"No," Rhea said a little too quickly. "Well-"
"Sex is about people coming together in the most intimate
way," Callie told her without malice. "It's more fun than anything else you
might get yourself into and being good at it is the best feeling. It's a shame
so many people are so afraid of things that make you feel good. I wonder if that's
why I like it so much." Her mind seemed to wander for a bit.
"It's more than just sex, to you," Rhea said as she watched
the other woman's face. "There are some clients who are special, to you."
Callie's smile returned, but this was different from the one
she normally wore. When Callie entered a room, it was as if she brought a celebration
of life with her. This smile was the type on wore to the bedside of a sick
family member who was not expected to make it through the night. It caused Rhea
to draw her feelings in and create distance, to protect the sensitive parts of her
psyche.
"The priests tell us that emotions are the path to sin," the
plump woman told her sadly. "They'd lock us in our rooms and burn the place to
the ground, if they thought they could get away with it. When people come here,
they come with damaged souls. It's up to us to help them. It's up to us to make
them smile and let their blood burn with pleasures they never thought they
could know."
Silence returned, as the women moved into a supply room
filled with buckets, brushes, bottles, and towels. Once they were armed for
their night, Callie took them the long way around but then walked past the
bathing room without stopping.
"Uhm," Rhea began.
"He's still in the privy," Callie told her. "We need to give
him some time to purge."
Rhea wrinkled her nose at the thought but kept her mouth
shut. They went around the brothel thrice. The pace was steady but slow. Each
time around the plump woman would point to a red sign on the wall. On the final
round the sign was green.
"How does that work?" Rhea asked.
"When he pulls the chain for water, it changes," Callie
explained. "Ready?" Rhea nodded and both drew in deep breaths to center
themselves. Then Callie put on her brightest face, flung open the door, and
gave a carefree shout. "Ta-daaa!"
A squeak emerged from Liam who was kneeling on the ground
next to a bucket of water. Basic cleaning supplies were in every one of the
rooms and he had applied them to his person in liberal amounts. When he looked
up at Callie, the terror in his eyes began to recede and turned very red. "I'm
sorry!" he bleated pitifully. "I'm sorry ... I-"
"Sorry?" Callie cut him off. "You bet you're sorry! You
started without me!"
"I'm sorry!" he shouted again.
"Well I'll get over it," Callie went on teasing him, "but
it's Rhea who you should be apologizing to."
"I'm sorry!"
"She's the new girl so she'll be our voyeur for the
evening," Callie explained with an easy smile.
"I'm sooooo ... vooo ... voy-eur?" His voice squeaked off like a
spigot and his eyes grew large and round as he stared at Rhea. The boy was so
flabbergasted that Rhea felt a little embarrassed for him.
Callie drew her smile up to full blast and then set her
supplies down with a flourish. "Alright, now! Let's get this party started!"
She began humming a jaunty little tune and recaptured Liam's full attention as
she undid the various layers of her clothing. Liam watched her without
speaking, following every movement with eyes that watered like the sea.
It took a moment for Rhea to realize Callie was dancing
while she stripped. Each layer was an experience. A pink sash swooped off, and
she spun it around twice before draping it over a wall peg. One leg strutted
forward and then she thumbed two buttons which gave an audible plink. A silky-looking vest fell away
revealing bare shoulders and some of the straps which held her heavy bosom in
place.
The dance went on piece by piece. Each time she pulled
something away Liam would give a little gasp and then his pupils would expand
and contract. Then Callie would place the item safely off of the floor and then
start on the next layer. By the time she was freeing herself of her final
constraints, the suds on Liam's skin had congealed into a thick paste. The
distance between dancer and client closed by inches until her hand found his
shoulder and felt along his arm.
"You're so strong," she told him. "How did you get such big
muscles?"
"Uhm," he began as he struggled for words. "A ... farm."
"Ooohhh," she cooed, "that would explain it. All that hard work makes a boy into a strong and hearty man." Her hands dipped once into the water bucket and then
began to slide up and down his arm a few times. The motion caused the soap to
lather up again and she repeated this process until moving back along his
chest. Rhea heard his breath quicken and then Callie nearly whispered in his
ear, "Can I wash your back?"
"Hhuhh ... s-sure." When Callie moved around behind him, Rhea
could see that he was completely at attention. The plump woman smirked with
amusement but her face changed into a business-like expression as she took up a
rag and examined his skin.
She's checking him for sickness
and injury, Rhea
realized as the lesson returned to her mind. At first she only touches him in a sparing manner, in case he had something awful, but newly cleaned skin
makes every mark and blemish shine. If he has a wound, or a place he does not
wish to be touched, she'll discover it here.
Liam breathed deeply and shivered as Callie worked. In addition
to studying his body, she also washed his skin. Lines of pale and tan stood out
brightly as filth was cleaned away. A smirk of satisfaction brightened Callie's
face and she moved to the next phase. Pressing breasts into his back made him
yelp and tense. Thick arms reached around and messaged his chest.
"Hmmm," she groaned in pleasure, "you're strong all over."
She made a hungry purring noise as her hands went lower. "I wonder ... how strong?"
She slithered up and down his back, touching his legs and bottom, strategically
avoiding his most sensitive parts which bobbed and strained. Callie then pulled
away, took up a bucket of chilled water, and poured it over him. A yelp of
surprise shook him and she gave him a smile designed to calm a frightened
animal.
"You're too tense," she told him kindly. Then her face
shifted into those of an uncertain girl as her eyes stared hard at him. "Can I
... can I touch it?" Liam tried to talk but chose instead to settle for a nod.
Callie put her hands on his shoulders and led him firmly to the wall. Once his
back was pressed against it, she dragged her nails down his chest and knelt.
Liam shivered at her touch, but he did not flinch or pull
away. Rhea watched with wonder as Callie inspected him, touching him with only
the tips of her fingers and until she gripped him firmly and gave him a light
squeeze. A tiny bit of fluid leaked from the tip. Callie stared at it, dabbing
the tip with her thumb before finally giving it a taste.
"Mmmm ... you're such a healthy boy," Callie told him with a
smoldering look in her eyes. Then she opened her mouth and wrapped her lips
around him. His gasp seemed almost painful, at first, but soon he moaned like a
maiden. Callie's curls swayed as her head moved forward then back. Though he
appeared well endowed, she seemed to have no problem gathering all of him into
her. Part of Rhea's mind tried to think clinically of the process of opening
one's throat to allow passage ... but it fell out of her mind as she watched
Liam's reactions.
His face was in rapture. Dark eyes squeezed shut as he
braced himself against the wall. Fingers gripped at the wooden supports as a
rhythmic slurping sound drew his pleasure into the dangerous levels of release.
Rhea had expected Callie to control herself, not wanting to end it all so
quickly, but it did not happen. Liam grabbed two handfuls of Callie's hair and
let out a shuddering groan. Callie squeaked and then plunged forward, staying
that way for several pulsating seconds until letting herself drift away.
Liam slid to the floor, panting heavily while Callie drew
herself to her full height. All across her face were the marks of smug
satisfaction, and she licked her lips as if she had finished a meal. When she
looked over to Rhea, her smile wavered and she tilted her head to one side. "What?"
she finally asked.
"I thought you needed to take your time," Rhea said accusingly.
"Remember? Not in my eye?"
"Oh, that's just for older men, silly!" Callie giggled. "Men
start to lose their stamina, as they push thirty, but shiny first timers, like
him, will be back up and ready to go before his bath is done!" Rhea stared
blankly but then thought back to her time with Lyle. He too had been young and
... virile. "Are you ready for your soak?" Callie asked. Her charge nodded and she
pulled a long chain that hung near the large tub. A metal trough descended from
the ceiling and water gushed forth. Steam rolled out to fill the room and Rhea
could feel sweat gathering on her skin.
It really was amazing to watch, she admitted to herself. I didn't think I was that kind of girl but ...
well ... I'm kind of excited. A slight shift caused her legs to slide more
smoothly then she had expected. A sharp stab of pleasure burst through her and
she shivered. Whoa ... I guess his noises
turned me on even more than I thought!
Callie climbed into the tub and let out plenty of pleased
sounds as she settled to the bottom. "Come on in, you two, the water's great."
Rhea and Liam looked at each other, as if noticing another person in the room
for the first time. He instinctively began to cover himself and she averted her
eyes, which sent Callie into a fit of giggling that sloshed water onto the
floor. "Oh you two are just precious!
Rhea, you're not here to play with him, that's my job, but you are here to learn!" She leaned forward
and let her breasts hang over the edge of the tub. "Liam!" He jumped at the
sound of his name and looked up into her eyes. "Do you want to see Rhea naked?"
"Uh ... buh ... duh-"
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Callie said, nodding as if a
full sentence had just been uttered. "Rhea! Get out of those clothes and get in
here with me!" The words settled over Rhea like shards of hail and she froze in
place. "Come on, come on. I wanna see what's under all that linen too! I'm an
equal opportunist when it comes to this sort of thing, after all." Her smirk
turned into a leer and Rhea felt she might blackout from the humiliation.
Oh, this is silly, she berated herself. What am I, fifteen? I'm an adult! I'm a
sexual creature! I'm not some blushing maiden! She looked up at Liam and
felt the heat on her skin. Okay, so maybe
I am a blushing maiden ... but I'm also a witch, and a witch doesn't let fear and
uncertainty paralyze her into immobility!
A hot and exhilarating terror continued to flood through
Rhea's veins as she forced herself to move. Slowly, she fumbled at the buttons
of her blouse and let the outfit go slack. Liam's eyes were captured by her
presence and she bathed in the compliment of his desire. Layers of fabric
peeled away and fell to the floor, but she turned slightly away from him and
covered her breasts with one arm.
"Oh, you're pretty," Callie said in a dreamy tone. Rhea
sucked her lips together when she realized that in turning away from one person
she had faced another, but something about Callie's remark seemed to drain the
worst of her fears away. "Now come here, Rhea." She obeyed, moving to the edge of
the tub and then climbing in.
The sting of the water surprised her. It was still hot and
it took a moment for that sting to fade into something delicious. Settling her
bottom to the ledge around the tub was an endurance test but it was worth the
journey. Once there, she forgot all about the room for several seconds of
bliss.
"Those are some good noises you make," Callie told her,
breaking the spell and returning her to the room.
"What do you mean?" Rhea asked meekly.
"When you got into the tub," Callie told her, "good noises.
I mean, just look at that boy." Both women looked over to Liam who quickly
covered his mid-section but Rhea could see the tip of his manhood poking over
the top of his hands. Rhea burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. He was
just so cute. "Are you going to join us, Liam?" Callie asked as she shifted
closer to Rhea in order to make room. "You've already paid for our time. You
might as well spend it."
The words seemed to break through the worst of his terror
and soon he was taking deep breaths and moving slowly forward. He stumbled a
little while getting into the tub but eventually he made it all the way in. He
barely reacted to the heat of the water but Rhea figured he was probably hot
enough from all of his excitement.
"See?" Callie teased. "Not too bad. You virgins might
actually get somewhere before the night is done."
"I'm not a virgin!" Both Rhea and Liam blinked, realizing
the shout had come from both of them and they both sank until they were blowing
bubbles in the water. Callie's laughter caused waves along the surface and she
scooped Rhea up into another flesh-filled hug.
"Oh, I love you!" Callie shouted. "So cute!"
Rhea lost a few minutes of time, when she was released, but
Callie was chatting to Liam when she recovered. It was an odd collection of
questions, designed to draw the young man out, but she was not getting much
from him. Rhea focused through the haze of hot water and twisting emotions long
enough for her empathy to puzzle out what she was seeing.
He's losing his nerve. He got
caught up in the moment and did something disgraceful ... and now he is ashamed.
He wishes this was over.
"Liam," Rhea spoke loudly, causing Callie to blink into
silence for a critical moment, "why are you here?" A frantic panicky horror
filled Callie's features as she stared in stunned silence. "I don't just mean
here," she continued, "I mean here in town." Silence followed, but the seal
seemed to weaken and she could see the hurt in his aura. "I mean, were you
unhappy at the farm?" Silence as she drew closer. "Did you leave due to
trouble?" That's it. I've got him. I know
what happened. "Did a girl break your heart?"
Pain screwed up his face and he shuddered.
"Rhea!" Callie gasped as she tried to defuse the situation.
"That's it, isn't it?" Rhea continued, as the threads of his
path trickled into her mind. The destiny of one so untainted would have been
easy before, but she could feel the heat of the brand, and her vision remained
cloudy. I need more, she thought as she
moved over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face. Skin-to-skin
contact created a much stronger link. Energy crackled momentarily and then a
sharp stab of agony lanced through her. Rhea jerked back. The brand on her
chest glowed gold before fading to an angry red. The wind had been knocked out
of her and it took a moment before she could breathe it back in.
Images flickered but she could only glimpse the paths. A few
critical fragments remained and she clung to the pieces. Cautiously, she felt
around with her witch's senses. The brand glowed in her mind's eyes but it was only
a symbol, not a solid magical seal.
It's an inhibitor. It allows a
certain amount of energy through so that I can live but it was made by amateurs
who don't know anything about real magic.
Callie spoke her name and she saw concern in the face of the
young man. "I'm alright," Rhea said
out loud, and then she focused on Liam once more. "I'm sorry," she told him.
"I'm going to intrude on something personal. Are you ready?" He nodded once and
she drew a deep breath. "You feel you are not worthy because you are not
experienced. You feel you are weak because you are not manly enough. You feel a
lot ... and there are women who will love that about you. The women who don't
like your tender heart aren't worthy of you. Leave the vicious predators for other
vicious predators. Yours will be a woman of heart, kindness, and passion."
"How-" he started but then he hesitated.
"It's okay," she told him. "Ask."
"How do you know this?" he managed.
"It's who I am," she confessed. "I see people's weaknesses
and I help them get better." She paused. Is
it? The smile on her face was a confident one and full of good things. Yes ... yes it is. That's exactly who I am.
"But," he managed to say, "they told me I was weak. She said
..." His voice trailed off and Rhea's smile grew a little sad.
"Your heart is so full of life and light," she heard herself
say. "That light will blind those who dwell in darkness. They will rise up to
destroy you; telling you your light is weakness, but it is not. You have
something they don't understand. It's painful for them to look at you because
they hate joy."
"I ... I don't know how to be happy," he told her. "I'm so
afraid of everything. I don't know what to do."
"What do you want out
of life?" she asked him. The answer surfaced at once but he bit his tongue and
did not speak. "Liam," she spoke sternly and his whole posture straightened.
"What do you want out of life?"
"I want," he began and then he let out his breath. "I want a
loving wife who will join me on the farm." The words filled him with fire and
his voice grew passionate. "I want a house full of children, a small plot of
land, and the approval of my father. I want to be strong and courageous. I want
to know my way around a woman's body ... so that when I leave the bedroom my wife
will long for my return." Something about the words became ritual and she knew
he was quoting something important to him.
"Your wish is a worthy one," Rhea spoke as she had heard
Baba Ginger say to those who came for her wisdom and blessing. "With patience
and living, you can learn what you need to make this dream come true."
"But ... she said I was too stupid!" he nearly shouted.
"Is she the future mother of your children? Does her opinion
matter?" Rhea asked and his eyes fell to the water. "Pick a goal and move
towards it. Find a way to be near the type of women who share your dream and
you'll find one who will love you for who you are ... and not what she can make
you."
"I-" he began, but then he stopped and simply gave her a
courageous nod. Rhea smiled, and she rose out of the tub. She kept her back to
them, wrapping a towel around herself so that the brand would not show.
"Callie," Rhea said and the woman gasped.
"Y-yes?"
"Take over, please."
"Uhm ... okay."
Rhea gathered up her clothing and made her way into a side
room. There she dried, dressed, and then moved out into the hall. The world seemed
heavy and it was a struggle to return to her room. Once inside, she locked the
door and collapsed into her bed. The ache in her chest had spread through the
rest of her and she curled her whole body around it. Tears flowed and the agony
of her pain overwhelmed her.
The power of her sorrow filled her chest and the brand
flared into golden light. It suppressed the storm of her emotions and leached
away her strength. Instead of wailing she gave only a few impotent shudders. The
effort drained her will then left her a heap of loose muscles. Sleep found her
in that place and took her away.