Anteros thought too much about Lorissa during his lessons. When he caught himself daydreaming about her, he quickly scolded himself and returned to his studies. He hadn't forgotten what Tiana had said about lives depending on what he learned from her. He also knew that if he daydreamed in Diana's class he could be injured, humiliated, or worst of all, noticed by Diana's critical eye. If she caught his mind drifting away he would be injured and humiliated by her hand. There was no doubt in his mind about this.
The only time he could speak with Lorissa was when they walked to Diana's class together. They were never paired with each other there. They were always paired with an experienced warrior.
Although Anteros was denied what he most lusted for, to hold Lorissa again, he was not deprived of sexual pleasure. Each night he was in the bed of one of the women in Lien's household. He experienced many variations during his weeks in Lien's house. Lien, Phoebe, Alexandra and Kyra all had different preferences. He thought he'd figured them all out and then found that what they wanted sexually changed with their mood. Lien warned him that experiencing five women wasn't adequate to teach him how to deal with all women. She also said that if he copulated with one hundred different women, he'd still have a lot to learn.
Lien summoned him early tonight. He'd been drinking twice his normal ration of tea for the last three weeks and he could feel the effect. He became erect at the slightest stimulation and his sexual appetite was insatiable. He had a fondness for Lien. She was the first woman to bring him to orgasm. She was also the first woman who allowed him to explore her body. She was definitely special to him. He was really looking forward to being with her tonight. Even though he hadn't eaten, it would be worth missing a meal to relieve the ache in his loins.
He knocked on her door and heard her beckon him inside. He entered and saw Lien looking sad.
"How may I serve you, Mistress?" asked Anteros, wondering what could be bothering her.
"I have news Anteros. News that is cause for celebration, yet it is also sad for me," she replied.
"Please tell me, Mistress".
"It is time for you to leave my house, Anteros. Your training with me is complete. Now it is time for you to serve the Amazons," she said. "Now that you are a man, every woman has the right to request your company. It is our job here to create and maintain the schedules. Each man is assigned to a different woman each night. You'll pick up your schedule weekly. It will tell you where you are supposed to be in the evening."
Anteros wasn't surprised. He knew this day would come.
"I'm grateful for what you've taught me and your hospitality, Mistress Lien. I've no wish to leave, but I know that I must."
"Is there anything else I can teach you before I give you your schedule?" she asked.
"Yes, Mistress. I'm curious how you determine which house I will stay in each night," said Anteros.
"It is not too complicated, but it is a lot of administrative work for us. Teaching you at night is the best part of this job. Teaching girls to become women is also pleasurable. The administrative part of my position is tedious, but someone has to do it," said Lien, rolling her eyes. "Each woman is given an equal number of coins. Not the gold and silver coins you are familiar with, but special coins that are used for only one thing, the privilege of having a man serve them. Because of the large ratio of women to men, each woman receives only twelve coins per year. Those coins are given to me, or my staff, and we schedule the man's services in exchange. It gets a bit more complex than that, but I won't bore you with the details unless you really want to know."
"Yes, please bore me, Mistress," Anteros said with a smile.
Lien had a keen sense of humor and smiled back. She liked Anteros not only because of his sexual prowess but because of his wit and intelligence.
"Very well, Anteros. Now I'll insist that you listen to the entire lecture. Women trade these coins with each other. Some women have no interest in men and can make a tidy profit by selling their coins. Women can earn extra coins by performing some service to the community. Usually that is accomplished by showing skill and bravery in battle, although it can be earned without spilling blood. There are also coins that indicate different priorities from one to three. The coins that are routinely issued are priority three. If a woman brings one to me and requests the first available man, she will be put on the list for the man that has the shortest waiting list. If she requests a specific man, it could be months before she gets him. If she brings in a priority two coin, she will be put at the head of all the priority threes on the list. If she has a rare priority one coin, she will be put ahead of all of the priority twos. Do you follow me so far?" asked Lien.
"Yes, Mistress. Is there more?"
"Yes. Once you have your schedule, it doesn't change even if someone has a priority one coin. That would simply put them at the top of the list for the following week. Now here is something that you will find interesting. Although men are not issued coins, they can earn them. They can sell them, trade them, or give them away."
"It doesn't sound too complicated, Mistress," said Anteros.
"Well there are circumstances that cause us scheduling problems, Anteros. If you became ill or were injured and couldn't perform, we'd have to make adjustments. That would require contacting all the women that had requested you. That keeps Phoebe in good condition. She usually does the running," said Lien.
"I hadn't thought of that. Now that I've experienced the pleasure of being with women, I certainly don't want to stop!" exclaimed Anteros.
"Actually, Anteros, it may not be as hard on you as you think," answered Lien.
"Perhaps you underestimate the lust I feel, Mistress."
Lien glared at him disapprovingly.
"I hardly think that your few weeks of sexual experience gives you the wisdom to contradict me, Anteros. Don't bother to apologize," she added as he started to speak. "I know that it is your lack of experience that makes you think you are right. I'll explain it to you. Have you noticed an increase in your lust since you've been here?"
"Yes, Mistress. It grows with each passing day," he answered.
"Have you also noticed that your testicles are larger than they were even a month ago?"
Anteros suspected they were larger, but the change was slow enough that he wasn't sure.
"Yes, Mistress. I thought they'd grown, but I wasn't certain."
"That is the effect of the herbal tea you drink. Your testicles probably won't grow any more. That usually stops after the first few weeks of drinking it. The tea increases your libido. Most men can't perform every night with the vigor the Amazons require. The tea insures that you can. You are accustomed to being with us and now you'll meet new women and experience new things. Some men have trouble maintaining an erection when they are nervous. The double ration of tea I've had you on insures that you will be erect whenever your mistress requires it."
Anteros could feel an erection growing just from Lien speaking of it. The tea was powerful, particularly in a virile eighteen-year old.
Lien continued, "That is the positive effect of the tea. There is also a negative effect. It causes you to produce a great deal of semen. If you don't ejaculate regularly, it will become painful for you. It could even injure you. For that reason, you will be stimulated to orgasm at least once every day. If you are unable to perform for your scheduled mistress, she is expected to make you ejaculate anyway. Usually she will do it manually. When a man is injured or ill, it can be a tiresome chore. She will receive a priority one coin for performing this service since she missed her turn."
Anteros hadn't considered being disabled. He'd never been ill or seriously injured. It occurred to him that as a warrior, he could be wounded.
"Why not just stop drinking the tea, Mistress?" asked Anteros. It seemed like a simple solution to him.
"The tea takes weeks to reach full effectiveness and it also takes weeks for the effects to subside. Missing a few days won't make much difference. That reminds me, I don't want you to continue with your increased dosage. Go back to the usual amount tomorrow."
