Page 17 of Bela's Bounty
“The madame likes us to be smooth. Everywhere.”
I hear Skylar’s sharp inhale.
“Oh, is that all?” Nita hops up and starts toward the hot tub. When she realizes we’re not following, she pauses to look back at us over her shoulder. “Seriously? I used to do this all the time; it’s not so bad.” Then to Cybele she says, “I guess I’ll go first.”
Cybele sets the basket by the edge of the pool, and Elara appears with an armload of colorful robes and neatly folded towels she sets out. Nita stops at the edge of the hot tub before pulling her shirt over her head, followed by her pants.
I feel Skylar jump, and her chin drops to her chest, averting her eyes. Once more I’m reminded just how naive and shy she is.
Nita sits down on the edge of the tub with her feet dangling into the swirling water while Cybele takes a bowl and begins mixing ingredients together until she has something that looks like vanilla frosting.
Using a flat utensil, she smooths the paste under Nita’s arms and along her forearms before moving on to her long legs and, finally, the dusting of hair between them. As soon as that’s done, Elara hands her a towel, and she begins wiping away the paste, along with the hair. When she’s wiped away all she can, Nita slips into the pool where she lets the water take care of the rest.
“Bela, you’re next,” Nita calls, leaning her head back and relaxing into the warm, swirling water.
Great.
Nita is grinning and running her hands up and down her smooth forearms. “It’s better than the creams we have on earth. That stuff always burned my skin, but this felt nice.”
I slowly make my way across the room, with Skylar holding on to the back of my shirt like a monkey. I’m dragging my feet, not because I’m a particularly modest person, but because I’m a little embarrassed. Nita is tall and thin. Her body is lithe and athletic with little body hair to begin with. I, on the other hand, have the kind of body hair that not only grows dark, but there is a lot of it. Most days I can barely be bothered to shave my legs, let alone try to keep everything else trimmed up, and it’s not like I have a man in my life to impress.
Just get it over with.
After disentangling myself from Skylar’s grip, I quickly strip and then sit down beside Cybele.
“Your skin is so soft,” she murmurs quietly as she applies the paste to my arms, legs and in between. Nita’s right; this is nothing like the harsh creams I’ve used in the past. When I slide into the warm swirling water of the tub, I can’t help the sharp gasp. My skin feels soft and silky and extra sensitive without the covering of hair. Especially between my legs.
“Feels nice, huh?” Nita grins at me.
Actually, it really does, but before I can tell her as much, I hear Cybele ask Skylar to undress.
“No, I don’t want to,” she whimpers. She’s got her arms wrapped around herself and her knees locked together. I can already see this is going to turn into a bigger fight than it needs to be.
“It doesn’t hurt. You’ll be fine,” Nita tells her.
“I can’t,” she insists as two fat tears slide over her flushed cheeks.
Cybele lets out a heavy sigh. “You can come over here on your own, or all of us will force you to lie still until this is done. It’s your choice.”
More tears fall from her lashes, and she shakes her head, backing up a step.
Cybele’s eyes dart over to where Elara is standing back from us. The tight nod of her chin is subtle, but I realize what’s about to happen, and my heart aches a little for her.
Everything happens quickly.
Elara sneaks up behind Skylar and, fast as a snake strike, wraps her arms around her. Skylar screams and begins flailing and kicking, but Elara has a good hold on her and simply lifts her up and walks to the edge of the pool where Nita and I help to remove her clothes and hold her still while Cybele applies the paste.
The whole time Skylar screams and sobs like she’s being murdered. Cybele is efficient, and in no time at all, she is released and submerged to her chin in the warm swirling water. Her face is tear-streaked, and she’s glaring daggers at Nita and me.
Traitors,her look says.
“I don’t know what kind of life you had before,” Cybele says to Skylar. She’s sitting on the edge of the tub with her feet dangling in the water. “But that life is over. The sooner you learn to accept that, the easier this will be.
“Madame Athea likes us to be welcoming and docile, and she has ways of making sure we act appropriately.” The way her lips twist suggests she knows this firsthand. “Keep in mind some of our customersliketheir bed partners to have some fight in them. Those are not the kinds of customers you want to draw your attention to. Am I understood?”
Skylar sniffles loudly but nods her head.
“Good.” She pats the pile of towels and points to the robes. “Dry off, and then the rest of the day is yours to get settled.”
