Page 79 of Their Courtesan
“It’s inevitable that we’ll have another Sylvia, but I can’t bear the thought of it being you.”
Judith gasped, thrown back that her boss wouldevercompare her to that dumbass. Sylvia was one of the first girls hired at the Château. She was a sweet, natural submissive who was obsessed with 1920s flapper styling and culture, which annoyed Judith at first, until she accepted that it was an integral part of Sylvia’s silly identity. Clients loved it. Particularly the old school douche Mr. Carlisle, who became Sylvia’s patron shortly after the Château opened.
When Sylvia announced she was retiring from sex work to marry Mr. Carlisle, Judith hadn’t said anything, even though she saw the warning signs everywhere. Sure enough, a few weeks later Sylvia was back, having found out about her fiancé’sotherfiancée’s around the world.The man was never going to marry her. All he did was lead her on and make her his mistress, free of charge.Sylvia had been so heartbroken, so distraught that she spent a whole month in her old room, refusing to exist. Then one day she was gone, moving to the west coast to start a new life.
The last Judith heard Sylvia was but a shell of who she used to be. Multiple arrests for prostitution and solicitation in the Pacific Northwest, as well as being linked with a nasty fellow who dabbled in assassinations, money laundering, and did one mention the murders?
How the mighty fall.
“Don’t compare me to her.” Judith kept her voice as terse as Monica’s. “I’m not that dumb. I’m going through some things. Once this patronage thing sorts itself out, I’ll be back on track. I’ve got goals I don’t intend on giving up. You can count on me.”
“That’s good, because I’m going to need you more than ever in these upcoming months. I need to know that you’re prepared to run the show while I’m gone. I want to secure your patronage by then so you’ll have a steady income to rely on while you focus your efforts on running the Château. It’s difficult to try both jobs at once. Don’t overdo it. The overall business comes before yours.”
“Got it, yes.” Judith knew how this worked. While she was in charge of the Château, she wouldn’t have much time for seducing new clients into her bed. She’d be too busy making sure the other girls were 24/7 dicked so they all got rich. “Trust me. I want this place to continue to succeed and grow as much as you do.”
“Excellent! Now, let’s get back to talking about those potential patrons of yours…”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“I’m going to propose something unconventional. I’m going to suggest, if this bid war goes over $100,000, that they both put in a final offer, and the highest offer wins.”
“So a silent auction? Interesting.” Miguel would win. He’d put in like half a million dollars a month while Seth took the financially conservative route.
“Something like that. I want to ensure that both men bid as high as possible. That’s why I’m going to suggest you take a break from other clients for a short time and go away with them.”
“What? That’s a privilege for patrons only…”
“Yes, and you’ll be showing them what they can get for as much money as they’re willing to put down for you.”
Her ruthless businesswoman’s smile said that this was a fantastic plan. Judith wasn’t so sure about that. These men could take her anywhere in the world… and do whatever they wanted to her.
Like make her fall in love with them. The bastards.
