Chapter 13
The Horse Trainer
Baronial Precinct, Tianjing
While noble families in the Capital would often personally retain pleasurable company in the form of concubines and courtesans or simply make use of their servants as they would, the lower classes had to look elsewhere. Madam Lo's Parlor was one of the more upscale brothels in the Baronial Precinct. Even some of the nobles would frequent it, especially those with jealous wives. It was rather different than the more traditional establishments. A selection of 'merchandise' was on display behind a pane of glass much as a dressmaker or a butcher shop would show off their wares.
Yasuko stood there uncomfortably with her arms folded, averting her eyes from the leering passers-by. She was dressed in this flimsy, mostly see-through nightgown so short that only extended about halfway down her thighs and a complex system of elaborate undergarments she couldn't even begin to imagine the names of. They also had her in high heels, which she had never worn before, that added to her discomfort.
Normally the display was bathed in dim red light, but occasionally it'd switch over to a blacklight, Yasuko and the other girls were made up so that their lips, eyelids and nails glowed this sort of eerie green whenever the blacklight came on, the lace fringing their outfits were similarly treated to show off the outlines of all the desirable contours.
Like some sort of perverse dojo, the girls' outfits were color-coded based on their experience level. A newcomer like Yasuko was dressed in all white and that was exactly what her target was looking for. The Lord Captain of the Central Division of the Imperial Guard liked his meat fresh and he had an arrangement with Madam Lo for his pick of any new arrivals.
"You're gonna have to show a little more enthusiasm after tonight," a woman in blue told her while arching her back to make her breasts stick out more. "If you can't meet quota, Madam'll trade you to somewhere that ain't half as nice."
Yasuko wanted to say a whorehouse was a whorehouse, but she knew that wasn't true. She wanted to kill Prince Sturla for making her do this. No doubt he was watching the whole thing and getting some depraved joy out of whoring out his 'daughter'. Was it all to get at her father? He was the sort who would do something like this for the man who came first, especially since he was an Infernal—no, paisano. Damn this place. She was already starting to think like them, like the Celestials.
"How much for the one in white with the short hair?" a man's voice asked.
"I am sorry, sir, but that one is reserved for another client. If you like, I could put in a reservation for tomorrow."
"What am I supposed to do about tonight?"
"We could offer a ten percent discount on the girl of your choice and a complimentary drink for the inconvenience."
"Very well. Who have you got available now?"
Yasuko's attention drifted off. She didn't know whether she was supposed to be flattered or offended by the men who had come asking about her. The woman in blue gave her an annoyed look. Her warning didn't count for much if Yasuko could attract customers without even trying.
"Good evening, my lord. As always, it is a pleasure. We have three new girls for you tonight. Would you like to have a look?"
The concierge's voice could then be heard closer behind her.
"Yinghua, come down from there. Your client has arrived."
'Yinghua' was the name Yasuko was going by here. Nobody used their real names, even if the establishment was operating entirely within the law. It was either a shame thing or part of a fantasy to enhance the experience. Yasuko didn't know which it was, nor did she particularly care. She was going to be done with all this soon.
Yasuko stepped down from the display, struggling to keep her balance in the high heels, and another girl took her place. The concierge led her to a waiting room where her target was sitting, nursing a cup of something, probably alcohol. He was wearing a regular Army uniform, hiding the fact that he was one of the top men in the Imperial Guard. There were also two other girls around Yasuko's age. One looked like a scared rabbit and the other was like an empty shell with this lifeless look to her, the kind of look you'd see in the eyes of someone on their way to the gallows.
"Here we are, my lord," the concierge said. "Does the selection meet with your satisfaction?"
"That's a question for after," the Guardsman replied.
"Will you be having the usual course?"
"Yes, I will."
"And who would you like to start?"
The Guardsman got up from his seat and approached Yasuko and the other girls. He took a moment going back and forth looking at them before stopping at Yasuko.
He grinned and said, "This one has an impudent look in her eyes. I like it. When I'm done with her, I'll take the other two in turn and then bring the three of them in together for the end."
The concierge bowed. "As you wish, my lord. Shall we proceed to your suite?"
The Guardsman drained his cup and held it out for the waiting attendant to put it on his tray.
"Let's get started."
"Right this way, my lord. Yinghua, come along."
"Have her go ahead," the Guardsman said. "I want to enjoy the view from behind."
As much as Yasuko hated Prince Sturla for making her do this, she was at least grateful to have a target she'd have no regrets about killing.
"New to high heels?" the Guardsman asked as they were walking.
Yasuko said nothing, prompting the concierge to tell her, "Answer His Lordship, Yinghua."
"It's fine," the Guardsman said. "I like the attitude. You don't usually have girls with so much spirit, especially the newcomers."
"Perhaps with some training, we can serve her to other clients who like their companions a little more... assertive," the concierge suggested.
"Depending on how tonight goes, you might have a standing reservation."
"Madam does appreciate regularity with our clientele."
"We have to make Madam happy, don't we?"
When they got to the room, the concierge gestured to the door and said, "Here we are, my lord. When you are ready for the next girl, just send Yinghua back... unless you are wanting an audience this evening. In which case, just call the front desk and we will have someone send the next girl."
"Come on, Cheng, I've been coming here enough years to know how things work."
"Of course, my lord, but you also know that Madam insists on protocol. Even a regular can forget and we do not want to cause our clients any embarrassment."
"I guess you want avoid those senile old men wandering naked down the halls not remembering what they're doing here."
The concierge covered his mouth with his sleeve to conceal a slight chuckle.
"Even so, my lord. Enjoy your evening. We will be on hand if you need anything."
"Sure."
Yasuko took a deep breath before stepping inside the room. It was surprisingly sparse looking. Just a bed, a nightstand, a table for two, a couch and a coffee table, all with the same featureless white enameled look as the walls, floor and ceiling.
Looking at the room, the Guardsman said, "Well, this goes with your outfit, but I'd like a little more color. How about a hot springs resort in the mountains?"
He went to the panel of the wall and tapped on the screen until the holoprojectors activated. In an instant the room was transformed to an old-fashioned inn with a view of steaming hot springs clustered around outside and mountains as far as the eye could see, all under a starry sky. Even the furniture's appearance was changed to look like polished hardwood. Though she didn't think they went as far as to simulate scents, Yasuko thought she could catch a faint hint of sulfur in the air from the hot springs.
"How do you wanna do this?" she asked.
"No romance at all," the Guardsman said with a chuckle as he started to undo his belt. He unbuttoned his tunic and hung it on the back of one of the chairs, then sat down and stuck his right foot out. "You can start by helping me get these boots off."
Yasuko knelt down and went to work taking off his boots. Dress uniform boots like these fit very snugly, so it took a lot of wiggling to get them off. While she was busy taking off his boots, he poured himself a drink.
"I could think of some things you could do while you're down there, but I think I'll leave that to someone a little more practiced."
Yasuko wasn't able to keep from glaring at him, but that only seemed to make his smarmy grin even broader.
"Nice," he said appreciatively. "Keep it coming."
She didn't know if it was worse that he was enjoying it so much or if it would be better if he was a common power-tripping petty tyrant who demanded absolute submission.
Once his boots were off, he stood up to take off his trousers, then folded them and draped them over the chair with his tunic. He then took off his inner shirt, leaving him in just his undershirt and socks. Yasuko could feel her body tensing up as she braced herself for what was coming next.
"Go on and take those shoes off before you break an ankle," he told her.
Yasuko knelt down to unbuckle her shoes. She sure as hell wasn't going to bend over around this guy.
The Guardsman chuckled to himself.
"You'll last long in prison like that," he said. "Afraid of a little backdoor surprise?"
It was taking all of Yasuko's willpower not to just go ahead and kill him and be done with it, but she had explicit orders from Prince Sturla on how this man was supposed to die. She knew he had access to all the outer districts' security systems and just because this was a brothel didn't make it an exception. If anything, there were probably more cameras in a place like this.
When Yasuko, stood back up, she asked him, "What next?"
The Guardsman shook his head.
"It's all business with you. Not going to put on a little act for me or anything?"
"Is that what you want?"
"No, I've never been a fan of roleplay. People who do it tend to lose track of what's real."
"Then what do you want?"
"I like to keep it simple. Besides, this is your first time, right? Best to leave the complicated stuff to the experts."
He got closer to her, tilting his head as he looked her over.
"You know, I was actually born down on the surface," he said. "My family raised horses. Breaking in the yearlings so they were fit to ride, that was always my favorite job. Women are no different. You get them used to having a man on top of them, to do what he tells them to do. Madam Lo knows I like the new arrivals, but I think she appreciates how I break in her girls. Not too hard... and not too gentle."
Yasuko balled up her fists. She had to wait. It was too early.
"So you're a paisano," she said in Lingua.
"We don't use Infernal here in the Capital," he said, sticking to his Celestial. "But I figured you were a fellow Infernal. What happened? Drop out of Charter School? Get into some kind of trouble?"
"It's a long story."
"Well, I don't care to hear it and I'm not one for foreplay, so let's get to it."
He placed his hands on her shoulders, then pushed her back onto the bed. Reflexively, she started to get back up, but he held up his hand to stop her.
"Stay down," he told her. "You might as well get comfortable."
Fat chance of that.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"Oh, I'll be doing most of the work," he said. "Just do what comes naturally."
With him looming over her, she had to hold back her every instinct to keep from fighting him off. It really seemed like he knew she was suppressing the urge to hit him and of course it only served to amuse him.
He started by undoing the clips on the suspenders holding up her stockings, then reached up under the skirt of her gown to pull down her underwear.
"Don't tear them," she said. "I've got to go back through the place after we're done."
"That's what you're worried about?" he asked incredulously. "You know, in some places they just leave their whores naked the entire time. Less trouble, but not nearly as stimulating."
He leaned over her and spoke directly into her ear, saying, "If this really is your first time, it's going to hurt. When I break in horses, I like to bite their ears to get them to settle down. I find it works pretty well for virgins too."
He then bit down on Yasuko's ear. She gritted her teeth from the fresh spike of pain. Only when he started to grind on her, he quickly realized something was not quite right.
Letting go of her ear, he muttered, "What the hell?"
A grin crossed Yasuko's lips.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, my lord..."
She reached around him and pressed the button on her wrist, deactivation her muscle suit's stealth mode.
"I'm wearing protection."
He didn't have time to fully react before Yasuko took hold of his head and gave it a sharp jerk to snap his neck. It was so much easier to do with the suit's strength enhancements. It wasn't how she was supposed to do the job, but she never intended to follow Prince Sturla's orders to the letter. That sick bastard wanted her to have a poison needle inside her. As he put it, "When he puts his little sword in your sheath, you'll put him in his grave."
She pushed the Guardsman's body off her, then stripped off the outfit she was made to wear. It looked even more ridiculous with the muscle suit's stealth turned off. For good measure, she went into the shower to rinse off before taking one of the lounging robes from the closet. It would make her less obvious to the casual observer. She turned the stealth mode back on and went out the door.
Rather than return to the front where the concierge was waiting, she went further back, slipping into a utility closet with no one paying her much mind. There was a hatch to the maintenance tunnels there and so her exit was secure. How long would they wait until checking up on the Guardsman, she wondered. Surely they wouldn't think she could keep him occupied all night. It would be long enough for her to be well out of the way, at least.
As Yasuko made her way through the tunnels, she cursed Prince Sturla the whole time and hoped he wouldn't make her do anything like this again, but knowing him, this was just the beginning.