Page 157 of Their Courtesan
“Decided to come early. Now I know why my gut told me to.”
“You seriously brought the baby?”
“What? Like I was going to leave her for almost a week? What kind of mother do you think I am?”
“The kind that brings her child to a pleasure house to learn the finer points of seduction and making love.”
“Don’t be crass. She’ll be staying in my chambers until she’s weaned. She’ll hardly remember anything, unless you plan on having your orgies in my room.”
“We will reach a point where it’s the only place we haven’t fucked around here.” Had someone told Monica about them commandeering Chelsea’s room the weekend before? It had been the most convenient place when hormones skyrocketed. Judith had half a mind to invite her friend to partake, but her patrons were way too involved with her to care about anyone else.
Seth got up from his set and meandered to the gaggle of girls playing with the infant. “I’m calling her Abby,” said one woman. “Gail is cuter,” retorted another. Seth gazed at the baby, who hadn’t grown that much since she was falling into his hands straight from the mother’s womb. Since she had been a big newborn, that wasn’t a bad thing. “What’s her name?” he asked Mrs. Warren.
Monica parted the people surrounding her baby and plucked her from Matilda’s grasp. “Abigail Rose.”
“A lovely name. May I?”
Monica protectively held her child before relenting to Seth. “Don’t see why not. You’re more qualified than any of them.” She referred to the young women now dispersing. So much for holding the baby when there was work to get back to.
Seth took little Abigail. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Judith sitting with Miguel, as if he was going to protect her from Monica, who wasstilltrying to get an explanation. After counting Abigail’s digits and asserting that the baby was, in fact, a normal human being, he handed her back to her mother. In time, too. One of the most unfortunate parts of having a baby was starting up. Loudly.
“Thought you were supposed to be a baby doctor!” Miguel bellowed from the balcony. “At least now we know why you were forced to quit!” He looked to Judith after she playfully smacked him for being too mean.
“You’re thinking of a pediatrician,” Seth said, once returned to his lounge chair. His eyes never left Judith’s beautiful form, bedecked in a bright red sundress. “I had nothing to do with them after they were a month old.”
“Can you believe this guy?” Miguel asked Judith. “Making babies cry.”
“You both make me cry.”
“In nothing but pleasure, we hope.”
“Judith!” Monica called. “Can I see you in my office, please?”
***
Monica may have been halfway back to her original size, but she still walked around her office in ballerina flats and a second-trimester maternity dress. She gestured to a chair as soon as Judith entered. Holly was already in there, although she expressed a great interest in going back out to the party. “I’ve almost hooked this one potential client,” she said more than twice. “He’s so loaded I think I could break his bank.”
While Monica settled back into her office – now furnished with a bassinet, albeit currently empty – she made Judith give a brief rundown of how things had been. Nothing that she hadn’t reported over the phone and emails from the past month. Business was always up this time of year, and Judith hadn’t botched anything. Except then she had to explain the origins of this party that Monica was never supposed to know about.
“How are your patrons?” she asked, once she was done giving Judith the stink-eye. “Happy, I presume?”
“Obstinate, bickering, uncontrollable.” Judith finally sat down. “Absolutely wonderful.”
Holly snorted. “You can hear the three of them fucking at the worst hours. Sometimes a girl is trying to sleep, you know.”
“Some of us are trying to make money,” Monica reminded her. “I understand that overnight clients have gone up 20% since they started coming around at the same time.”
“Yes, well, what better ambiance is there than two studs pounding a woman’s pussy into oblivion?”
“Is that what you call it? Ambiance?”
Judith ignored her coworker.
“Anyway, as soon as this party settles down for the evening, I want to get right back to work. First order of business is getting you,” she looked to Holly, “a patron. Time you certified your keep around here.”
“Yay!”
“What about the other thing?” Judith asked.
