Page 48 of Their Courtesan
Oh, no. Judith didn’t like this… whatever game this was that Monica played. It could only go one of two ways… and Judith was not happy with one of those outcomes.
She opened the first box. “I take it these are the gifts that came with the bids?”
Monica leaned back in her seat, hands resting on her stomach. “Indeed. I’ve already inspected them. I want to know what you think.”
The flaps opened on the box.Let’s see what I’ve been gifted.It was customary for prospective patrons to also send a gift along with their bid. Whether Judith accepted their bid or not was beside the point – she got to keep whatever was in these boxes, to do with them as she pleased. Use them, sell them… Mitch had given her a handcrafted crop and paddle set that listed at five thousand dollars.
She did not find such a thing in the first box.
Diamonds glittered in the office light. Gasping, Judith pulled out a large web of sparkling gems, each one more luminescent than the last.I’m blind!So blind that she didn’t realize it was a piece oflingerieuntil she held it up by two spaghetti straps.
“Holy shit,” she said, in utter awe. “Are they real?”
“I’ll have our gemologist take a look, if for no other reason than to get a quote. But yes, they seem real. Nice quality, too.”
“Fuuuuck.”
“I know. I would tell you to try it on, but…”
“I’msureyou’ll see me wearing this at some point! Who was this from?”
Monica tapped the other box. “Take a look at this first.”
Judith did not want to put the diamond-studded negligee back in its box, but she did so, careful to not let it get caught on anything.Wow.They were already off to a great start.
She tore into the second box. What was it? More jewels? Gold? BDSM equipment that cost thousands of dollars and would take her business to the next level? (Every room had standard equipment included, but any upgrades came out of the inhabitants’ pockets.) Judith couldn’t wait to see…
Herself…
“What the shit?” She pulled out a small canvas. Oil paints in an assortment of colors looked back up at her. “Is this… a painting of me?”
Sure enough, it was. Judith didn’t recognize the pose, so it must have been done from memory. Her, draped across a chaise lounge, her body on full display and her hair coiled on top of her head. She had the confidence of a Greek goddess who chewed up and spat out men as if they were nothing.I am Aphrodite.Goddess of love and sex. A golden girl who took no shit from no man, and used her body as she pleased. Flowers grew all around her, and a halo of rubies sparkled above her head. Only one man could have painted this. The style was unmistakable.
“This is from Seth, isn’t it?”
Monica nodded. “Dr. Christens surprised me. He put in the full bid.”
“Wow.” Judith couldn’t pry her eyes off her painted image.I’m not saying I look fantastic, but…“The negligee?”
Finally, a warm smile. “Your Mr. Bolivar.”
“Shit.” Judith was not expecting this. The two men she wanted most? She didn’t expect thembothto bid. If either one of them had bid, she would accept them in an instance. Being Seth’s full-time model and lover wasn’t a bad gig. Being taken on a whirlwind faux-romance with Miguel? Bring it on! She could see the other one on the side, anyway. Such was the nature of her business.
To have the both of them bid on her body and time? It almost felt absurd.
“I will ask you this once,” Monica began, closing the lid on both boxes. “Do you have a huge preference for one man over the other?”
Judith said the first word to come to her mind. “No.”
The madam’s smile broadened. That was the magic word, apparently. Judith could already hear the business gears turning in that brilliant mind. “Good. I have a plan that could make us bothveryrich.”
“Go on.”
Monica tapped one finger against her desk. “A bid war.”
Judith smiled back at her. “I was hoping you would say that.” There hadn’t been a bid war since Grace acquired her patron. That one didn’t last too long, though. The other guy dropped out without putting up much of a fight.
“Excellent. I will be in contact with Dr. Christens and Mr. Bolivar soon. I will tell them both that you are interested in their patronage. However, another man is interested as well… and would they like to increase their bid?”
