Page 5 of Baited

Yelii is a bully, everyone knows it, and I’ve had enough, especially the way she treats others, even those who consider themselves her friends.

“I can do whatever you can do,” I say, rather unwisely.

Yelii’s tail twitches.

“You sure about that?”

“Try me.”

“Come on, Izzy,” Riklinn says, tugging on my arm. “You can have a look at my wardrobe and see if there’s anything which fits before you get your first client. And we can get you started on the birth control.”

“Okay.” I feel like I’m backing down, but I don’t expect this to be the last run-in I have with the Oykig female. Becoming a pleasure worker wasn’t going to be easy, but she’s going to make it doubly difficult.

I follow Riklinn through the maze of passages which form the accommodation quarters of the pleasure house until we get to her room. Like mine, it’s tiny, holding a single bed, a couple of storage containers, and a screen which can be used for watching vids or the alien equivalent of surfing the internet.

But while I have a translator inserted in my brain by my abductors, it doesn’t work for text, so while I’ve learnt a few symbols, such as those for the dehydrator and cleaning items, I haven’t had the time to learn any more, and given the broadcastswhich appear on the screen are covered in the symbols, watching them is such a chore, I don’t bother.

“Sit, sit.” Riklinn busies herself in pulling outfits from her storage and holding them up for inspection.

I sit on the bed.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all,” I say. “Maybe Yelii is right. If I don’t know what a knot is, then what chance have I got if he has…tentacles…or something?”

“I’m not one to give you an answer, not yet really,” Riklinn trills. “But a knot is something a few species have. It’s at the base of his, you know.” She blushes and looks down at her crotch. “And it swells…inside.”

“Inside?” I query gormlessly.

“Inside you,” Riklinn squeaks.

“Oh!” What she’s saying suddenly dawns on me. “Do all…species have this?”

“No.” Riklinn flaps her hand at me in amusement. “Most don’t.”

I’m not sure if I should be taking advice from her, or instead worrying about what I’ve let myself in for. But if I want off this space rock, it’s in for a penny, in for a pound. And as it is apparently against the rules to “knot” a pleasure worker, then I suppose I’m safe. For the moment.

“Most also don’t have tentacles.” Riklinn is quieter. “Most of them are quite kind too, when you don’t want to…you know.”

I’m struck again at how she ended up here of all places when she can’t even name the act.

“Here.” She holds out a dress which is essentially strips of silk held together by gauze. “You’ll look stunning in this. Try it on,” she exhorts me.

I pull my cleaning tabard over my head, shimmy out of the rest of my clothes, and let Riklinn help me into the dress.

It shows…everything…down to what I had for breakfast.

Riklinn squeals in delight. “Told you! Oh, the customers are going to be falling over themselves for you, I guarantee it!”

The hollow in the pit of my stomach opens up further. It looks like I’m committed to this course of action. I can only hope it will be for as short a time as possible.

BLAYN

I’m struggling to breathe as we’re led along the passage to the parade area. There’s plenty I hate, but this is the worst. I’d rather spend an eternity in the dome fighting a ziggurat than do one more parade.

And yet, here I am, ready to be paraded, poked and prodded when all I want is the dark. My skin itches, my feathers heavy with water because we’ve all been soaked prior to the parade to make it harder to fly, should we feel the need.

I’d fly. I’d fly away from here and never look back, even if I have nowhere to go. Or I’d disappear into the undercroft and not be found. There are pikrats I can survive on if I need to.

“No weapons this time,” the captain barks at us when we stop at the door. “Make this a good show and there will be a reward.”

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