Miriam’s quarters were bare of frills or soft touches. Her room looked as though she treated her honorary title of Sister as seriously as if she’d taken vows in a convent. There was little in the room except a simple wooden bed frame covered with white sheets and blanket, a small chest, and a round table with two straight-backed chairs. It was as though her years as a harlot had stripped away any trace of warmth or feminine grace, leaving behind a cold shell.
All the Sisters had wooden benches like the one AJ had been tied to in the square. Miriam’s was in a place of honor, right in the center of the room. AJ bent over it, shuddering as Miriam pulled up her skirt to expose her bare bottom.
Miriam left her like that and walked away, allowing the tension to build. AJ maintained the humiliating position, knowing she’d be subjected to punishment if she dared to move. Her trainer crossed the room, rummaged in the chest, and came back with a small jar. Plunging the tip of the metal probe into the jar, she made sure it was coated liberally before spreading AJ’s cheeks and working it into her bottom hole.
The well-lubricated tip slid in easily. But as the device grew wider, straining her tight opening, AJ had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Though she’d been made to wear the hated implement every night, she still hadn’t gotten used to the embarrassing and uncomfortable ritual. Miriam inserted it farther, twisting it around. Suddenly AJ became aware of a burning sensation, growing in intensity. She gasped, jerking upright.
Miriam pulled the device out roughly. “You’ve just earned ten strokes from my paddle,” she snapped. “You’ll count them and thank me after each one. Then we’ll start over. If you move again, I’ll give you ten more – and then tie you down while I complete the insertion.”
Miriam fetched a wooden paddle about twice the size of the dreaded hairbrush she wielded in class. The first whack had AJ sucking in her breath.
“One,” she muttered through clenched teeth. “Thank you, Sister.”
Miriam pulled back her arm. Though it was larger than the hairbrush, the paddle only connected with one bottom cheek each time. Instead of alternating, Miriam concentrated on the same spot, delivering another harsh swat. AJ hissed, forcing herself to stay in place.
“Two. Thank you, Sister.”
When the third whack seared the same cheek with a fresh lick of flame, it was all she could do not to whirl around and jerk the paddle out of Miriam’s hand. She was bigger and stronger and could easily have overpowered the woman. But doing so might get her imprisoned or killed by Tok’s guards. AJ reminded herself she was a soldier on a mission, drawing on her years of training to get her through the ordeal.
Miriam switched to the other cheek, raining down whack after whack. AJ couldn’t help groaning. She swore the paddle was dipped in molten lead, branding her flesh with every stroke. Her muffled cry seemed to please Miriam, and the woman made the next blow even harder. Somehow, she managed to count each stroke out loud and thank Miriam afterward without howling or giving way to a flood of tears.
AJ heard a thunk as the paddle hit the floor. “Now – stick your ass in the air and spread your legs wider.”
Miriam’s fingers dug into her burning bottom, parting her cheeks. She felt the tip, probing, then the humiliating invasion. This time there was no mistaking it. Miriam had coated the device with the same oil Thelo had used, creating a burning sensation inside her rear passage. The farther it penetrated, the more intense the blaze became.
She couldn’t hold back a groan. Miriam laughed. “I’m tired of seeing you parade around here, acting like you’re better than all of us, looking down from on high. You love having all the men ogling you, counting the nights until you finally take your place in the Lyceum. We’ll see how cool and composed you are tonight!”
Miriam fitted her with the leather straps, making sure to pull them extra tight so there was no chance the metal probe could slide out. Then she attached the red tail, giving it a few sharp tugs. The Sister did it all with such an air of self-satisfaction she must have known that every little movement of the device set off a fresh wave of agonizing heat.
“You will sit beside me tonight, so I can grab this tail whenever I please.”
They headed for the Great Hall, where the harlots were lined up outside, ready to be presented. Most of them sported tails, some made of brightly colored feathers, some covered with sleek fur. A dozen men had already arrived and were waiting in the Hall, lounging on cushioned benches or lifting a mug at one of the long tables lining the room. Wine flowed freely, along with a potent drink made of fermented fruit mixed with honey.
As the women entered, the men looked them over, deciding which one they’d choose for the evening. AJ saw eyes widen when they caught a glimpse of the bushy red tail swishing back and forth between her cheeks as she walked by. She spied Dianna across the room, already clasped in the sweaty embrace of a drunken miner. She’d witnessed enough sessions by now to know the young woman was in for a difficult time.
Miriam dragged her by the tail to where a sweet-faced young harlot was being pawed by a guest. Swarthy and balding, the man looked old enough to be the woman’s grandfather.
“You are Elias, are you not?” Miriam asked, her voice sweeter than AJ had ever heard. “May we observe your session tonight? This harlot in training would benefit from seeing the kind of pleasure a discerning, mature man like yourself enjoys.”
AJ saw the leer on his face at the idea of showing off his sexual prowess in front of an audience.
“Certainly, Sister. I rememberherfrom that night in the square. Thought she could walk among us dressed as a man.” He gave Miriam an evil grin. “I’d be happy to help you train this one.”
Miriam led the way to one of the private rooms lining the corridor outside the Great Hall. The room had no windows, only a single door. Like the others she’d seen, it was decorated in an opulent fashion. Plush carpets in deep, rich colors lay scattered over the stone floor, topped with benches cushioned by thick pillows. Intricately woven tapestries covered the walls. Hanging lanterns flickered, and a brass incense brazier smoldering on an inlaid wooden table filled the air with a heady exotic scent.
But the centerpiece of the room was a massive bed centered on the wall across from the door.
Although AJ hated witnessing the intimate physical contact between harlots and their guests, the Sisters considered it the most important part of her training. She’d been forced to observe women having intercourse with strangers or pleasuring them orally the way Dianna had done to the guard.
Watching them made her appreciate how unusual Kaden’s treatment of her had been. None of the other men acted like they cared about the pleasure or even the physical comfort of their harlots. They ordered the women to perform lewd and obscene acts then left once their own satisfaction was complete, sometimes without even a word or a glance at their companion. The more AJ saw, the more she understood why Miriam had become so hard and bitter.
No sooner had they entered the room than Elias tore off his clothes, revealing a pudgy body and flaccid penis. He grabbed the young woman by the back of her neck.
“On your knees,” he demanded.
She knelt obediently and took him in her mouth. He grabbed her head, grunting as she coaxed his penis to an erection. Miriam led AJ to a bench near the bed and sat down, yanking on her braid and forcing her to her knees. She took hold of the red tail that protruded from between AJ’s freshly spanked bottom cheeks, making sure the man had a clear view of it.
Elias divided his attention between the harlot’s efforts and AJ’s tail being stroked and teased in a suggestive fashion by Miriam. Once his member had swelled to a semi-rigid state, he ordered the harlot to bend over the bed then bunched her gown up around her waist. Shoving aside her brown leather tail, he grabbed her hips and rammed into her pussy.