9 Chapter 9

Pleased as punch, Silvy pulled her from the changing rooms and presented to her for Emerick, whose jaw nearly literally dropped. Satisfied with his open admiration, Trixie struck a few poses for him before strutting to his side.

"You look gorgeous," He finally managed to say. She could feel the goosebumps through his blazer, with only pleased her further.

"You don't smell like vomit anymore," She noted. He chuckled and nudged her playfully. At some point while she was working with Silvy, he had acquired new shoes and a fresh pair of pants.

"Thank you Silvy, as ever, you're a goddess!" He called to the beaming tailor.

"And you're a cheeky rascal," She smiled.

Trixie watched with interest as, instead of offering coins to the tailor to pay for her services, Silvy dumped a blob of hot wax over some sort of note, the held it out to Emerick who pressed the ring he'd offered Trixie earlier into the wax. After a moment, he withdrew his hand, then guided Trixie out the door.

"Aren't you going to pay her?" Trixie demanded. So far, she had been enjoying her experience, but he was nuts if he thought she'd let him take advantage of someone in front of her.

"I did pay her," Emerick replied calmly, a smug smile playing at his lips. "Didn't you see the bank note?"

"If you're lying, I'll break your nose," She promised. She couldn't tell if he was lying or not, and he was hinting that she had missed something which only made the matter more confusing. Proud as she was, however, she refused to admit that she might have misunderstood.

"If I had cheated her," Emerick replied by tapping her on the nose, "I hope you would. I detest people who build their life on exploiting others."

"Yeah? Well…." She had intended to say something, but she was interrupted by a loud gurgle from her stomach. It was about that time it dawned on her she really hadn't had much of a breakfast, and thanks to Emerick's appearance, she had missed the midday meal as well.

"I'll take that as our cue to get some food," Emerick chuckled. "Is there anything you would prefer?"

That was a loaded question. Trixie hadn't experienced food that she had necessarily enjoyed. The tasteless meals they prepared at the orphanage and institution hadn't offered her much to go on, though she had seen some interesting things on the plates of the pureblooded children. Frankly, anything would be fine at that moment. First, she had to make one thing clear.

"This is not being pulled from the gold you're paying me, right?" She checked. He almost looked offended at the suggestion, to her surprise.

"Of course not," He replied with a frown. "If you want to pay for your meal, I will allow you, but I had invited you out and offered the meal. I had every intention of paying."

"Oh," She replied, coloring. "I don't mind then, as long as it tastes good."

He considered her for a moment, then lead her down the street to a small park in the center of the market that was lined with pruned trees and neatly trimmed shrubbery. A stone walk way snaked through the lovely green grove, kiosks stationed strategically along the way. The smells wafting from them were promising.

"How about we take a walk and try a little of everything, that way you can tell me what you like and what you don't like," He suggested. He chuckled as her stomach growled in approval on her behalf, causing her to color further. "You really don't hold anything back, do you?"

"Shut up and feed me already," She grumbled, pushing his arm.

"As my lady commands," He smiled and gave a mock bow before guiding her to the nearest stand.

For the next few hours they simply wandered the park trying the various stalls and seeing what they had to offer. Using a smaller bag that was evidently filled with coppers and silvers, Emerick provided her with abundance of food to try. All of the flavors and smells made Trixie dizzy, but her stomach had never been happier as they were introduced to creamy puff pastries, tenderly seasoned meats, roasted veggies, candied fruits, and all sort of other unfamiliar treats. Emerick proved quite accommodating, buying her things she wanted before she'd ever expressed interest. How he knew she wanted it was beyond her, but she appreciated his consideration. Nobody, not even the orc brothers, had payed such close attention to her before.

After she'd eaten her fill, he led her from the park back into the market where they continued to wander. There were so many shops and even more street vendors to explore, she had no idea where to begin so she allowed him to lead her along.

As they meandered through the market, they talked about life in the institute. As she had promised him, she gave him names, times, locations, and brief explanations of the most heinous goings on within the miserable facility. He'd ask the occasional question, but nothing intrusive about her life which she appreciated.

From time to time, his hand would mover to her hip as he pulled her closer to protect her from being jostled or running into some object or other. Part of her wished his hand would wander, but he always removed it as soon as the obstacle had passed. She wasn't sure what to make of his behavior. She knew he wanted her, she could tell by the tightness that would periodically spring up in his pants, but he never acted on it, so she decided to ignore it for the time being.

Along the way, she spotted all sorts of interesting things that she longed to get for her family back at the orphanage. Tools and schematics Rathus would find fascinating, exotic ingredients for Titus's balms and potions, shimmering fabrics and accessories that would make Zeke go ga-ga, eerie bobbles and trinkets the elf twins would enjoy for their mischief making, candies for the children… the list went on and on. She tried to guard her interest, not wanting Emerick to purchase any of it on her behalf, but made note of the prices for later use.

"Do you see something you like?" Emerick questioned. She had found herself frozen in front of a stall of jewelry, entranced by the glittering gems and metals. She could tell the bands and were genuine silver and gold, but she wasn't sure of the quality, nor could she tell if the gems were genuine or merely colored glass, but it didn't matter. They were delicate and intricately designed, and she couldn't look away.

"No, not really," She forced herself to pull her gaze from the stall, though she didn't want to. Much as she'd love to indulge herself, she needed to save every last penny for the purpose of getting her and the others out. With the payment from Emerick, she was closer than ever to freeing them all from the miserable existence and forging a better life, but she couldn't lose sight of that now.

"You have a terrible poker face," He commented. She glared at him, but said nothing. He could think what he wanted.

"So where to next?" She asked instead. They had been out for a while, and her feet were growing sore, but she didn't want to say as much. He was paying her to be there after all, and it was a rare opportunity.

"It is starting to get late," He commented, observing the sun as it began to kiss the western horizon. "How about I call for a carriage and we head to my room?"

"Works for me," She replied indifferently. She managed to keep her expression stoic, but her stomach started doing flips as she realized what that would mean.

As promised, he called for a carriage and they were soon bouncing along, out of the lower market and deeper into the heart of the brilliant city. An awkward silence fell over them as they rode, and Trixie stared steadfastly out the carriage window, unsure what to do with herself. She felt stupid, she had never been this nervous about sex before, but none the less here she was fidgeting around like some smitten virgin.

The only benefit of her silly shyness was the fact they passed a number of homes for sell. Based on the asking prices, she could definitely afford a place for her and the others, now it was just a matter of earning enough money to pull all of them from the system.

"May I sit next to you?" Emerick questioned. His voice startled her, and she jumped before whipping her head around to look at him.

"What?" She blinked. It took her a few moments to process his question. "Oh, uh… sure."

"Are you ok?" He moved from across the way to the seat beside her. "You seem tense."

"I'm fine," She tried to force a smile, but she could tell by the raise of his brow that she had probably only managed a grimace.

"May I touch you?" He asked. She found it odd that he would ask. They had an agreement after all. Then it occurred to her, he still owed her 200 more gold. She had to think a moment before she responded.

"Yes, but all clothing will remain in their its place," She said, staring pointedly at his pants. She wasn't wearing underwear, which wasn't unusual, but now she almost wished she had requested some while they were at the tailor's shop. She felt dreadfully exposed.

"Fair enough," He said with a crooked smile that caused her breathe to hitch. Teasing her skin with the tips of his fingers, he moved his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, then rested his head against hers. "You don't need to be so anxious."

"Easy enough for you to say," She teased. "You aren't the one who could get fucked over if the night doesn't go well."

"While I can't deny there will be fucking involved, I promise that I won't allow any harm to come to you under my care," Emerick replied. She covered her mouth to stifle a yelp of surprise as his lips brushed the bare skin of her shoulders. "And, for your information, this afternoon has already been quite amazing. I can't imagine the events of this evening will be any different."

"You… you…" She wanted to berate him, but his lips were moving up her shoulders to her neck, leaving sweet, tingling sensations along the skin that made it difficult for her to concentrate on her ire.

"Don't talk," Emerick suggested between kisses. "Just enjoy it."

She could do nothing but groan in response. She had always considered herself fairly proficient at love making, but she had never been on the receiving end of such pleasure before. Most of her previous clients had been clumsy and eager, so she was left to provide for both of their needs. This was clearly not the case with Emerick however.

Trixie felt like she was experiencing some kind of heaven as his lips explored her bare skin, and she could feel herself growing more and more flushed with desire. Before long, he was kissing her cheek and nibbling her ear lobe. Every now and then he'd wander to the edge of her mouth, and she could guess what he wanted but she was reluctant to meet her lips with his.

As a general rule, she refused any lip-lock in her sessions, it formed attachments she couldn't afford. She should have said as much to Emerick, but part of her was tempted to let his lips meet hers. It wasn't as though whatever was occurring between them would go beyond the night he had purchased, they had entirely separate lives that they would each undoubtedly return to in the morning, so she may as well enjoy the experience to its fullest. After fighting with herself for a few more moments, she gave in to her desire and turned to meet his lips.