Thirteen
The smell of incense was overpowering and Mirja had to take small shallow breaths to get accustomed to the scent. It was surprising how much of a surprise it was each time she entered the parlor. But it was exacerbated by using the pathways. That way you got sent right into the middle of it without any warning. The regular customers, and the girls who entered the mundane way had some time to acclimatize themselves in the entryway and the reception chamber.
"You are aware that it is not allowed for anyone below fifth tier to use the pathway chambers?"
Mirja froze then slowly turned around trying to set her face in an apologizing look to face the Matron.
"Yes, Mistress Lorelee," Mirja said curtsying, tilting her head slightly forward looking down at the floor.
"In fact," the Matron continued. "It should not be within the skillset of anyone below fifth tier to utilize the pathways."
Mirja looked up and thought she saw a glimmer of glee in the Matron's eyes.
"It will not happen again," she said promptly.
Lorelee drew a deep breath, clearly not affected by the smell. Her jewelry rattled and Mirja could not help but look at her impressive cleavage as her chest rose.
"Oh. I am sure it will. And we will have to see to getting you to at least third tier rather soon. It would be quite the scandal if this came to light. Now. You are late for your visitor."
Mirja nodded and curtsied once more.
"Remember: Knowledge. Power. Gold. In that order."
Mirja nodded again. She did remember. The Mistress had told them a hundred times, at least, the mantra of the parlors. Knowledge. Power. Gold. The first thing a girl should try to gather was knowledge. Information was the most important thing gained by the faculty of Matrimancy from the parlors, and one of the main reasons why the College had been successful in surviving through no less than seven dynasties of the Empire. Second came power. The creation of bonds to the clients and the drawing of matrimantic power through those bonds. Not much through each bond. You couldn't leave the clients as helpless husks lying in bed all day, but just enough so that it all added up to the total power generation of faculty and to always, always keep the power crystals buried beneath the College topped up, in case of another disaster, or revolution, or combination of the two. Lastly came gold. While least important of the three, mundane currency always did serve its purpose and the girls of the parlors were not cheap.
"Well. What are you waiting for? Go. He's in the hummingbird chamber."
Mirja raised an eyebrow. The hummingbird chamber? It must be an important client. The hummingbird chamber was the fanciest room in all of the Westerling parlor. Mirja ran into the dressing room and sat down in front of the mirror. She looked around. She was alone. It would take her at least half a bell to put her makeup on properly. There was no time for that. She focused her mind and drew from Jarl's bond. As usual there was an almost infinite energy available to her as she drew in. By the seventh, that boy had an enormous energy potential. She started fluttering her fingers as she had seen Mistress Norei do. If it was one secret that Mirja kept to herself it was her perfect recollection. It was enough that she had seen the Mistress perform the cantrip once and it was etched into her mind. With each wiggle of a finger a part of her face changed appearance. Lines under her eyes from lack of sleep disappeared. The red spots on her forehead faded and her skin matted out and the shading of her cheeks changed. Less than a drop later she was satisfied. She put on a regular red lipstick and rolled her lips a few times to even it out. Perfect.
***
"Sire. It is an honor to meet you," Mirja said curtsying deeply, tilting her head forward.
She stayed down until the man answered.
"Please stand up my dear."
Mirja did as he said and smiled at him. It was a young man. Likely just over twenty with a hawkish face. He wasn't very handsome but had a kind face that just happened to be all angles. As was customary she did not know his identity. She could easily find it out by asking the Matron, who always knew even though the parlor was supposed to be completely anonymous, that would be a mark on her. She had to find it out on her own. And it was a game she loved.
"My name is Mirja, sire. And it will be my pleasure to serve you this evening."
To her surprise the young man stood up from his seat and walked over to her and took her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. Her skin tingled from his touch.
"The pleasure is all mine, lady Mirja," the young man smiled. "I am Duke Leopold Wissgretch the fourth."
Mirja blinked. This was a first. The men she serviced usually never volunteered their own names. By Mistress Lorelee's actions it was clear that this was an important man, but there were just so many noblemen in the city, and to be honest, she was not that interested in learning about them. She was about to open her mouth when she realized that he had called her a lady. Lady? Her? She almost laughed out loud but managed to keep her lips sealed.
"In fact. It was not my doing. Coming here tonight I mean," the duke continued.
Mirja looked at him questioningly.
"I ... I am not ..." the duke seemed to be searching for his words. "I am not a man who frequents these places," he said gesturing, with his hands, around the room.
Mirja looked around the room. The hummingbird chamber was a marvel. From floor to ceiling, there were the most realistic paintings of a verdant forest inhabited by the miniscule creatures. It was almost as if you were standing on a wooden deck in the middle of the forest. The ceiling completed the illusion with leafy branches half covering a blue sky. Mirja did not have to attune her mind to realize that they were enchanted.
"It was my uncle you see. He insisted. He said I could not enter my twentieth year without ... without ..." his voice faded, and he turned around.
Mirja nodded. It was not the first time that she had taken the virginity of a young man and it was usually quite a pleasant experience, for both parties. But normally the young men were more than eager to get it over with. This was clearly not the case with the young duke.
"Have you ever been touched by a woman?" Mirja said with a friendly smile.
The duke turned around and went completely red. He started fidgeting with his jacket. It was a very nice jacket Mirja had to agree. Thick, smooth fabric that almost shone in the candlelight. The buttons were, if she was not mistaken, gold. It was a jacket that could pay for a year's stay at a decent boarding house and right now the duke seemed to be about to scratch a hole right through it with his nails.
"It is perfectly fine if you haven't," she said taking a step forward and putting her hand on his.
He froze and stared down at his hand.
"Come," she said and pulled him towards the velvet sofa. "Sit."
He did as he was told.
"It won't be so bad," she said with a smile and leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.
She could feel him trembling. Staying the kiss a bit longer she let her tongue lick against his still closed lips. She pushed her tongue past his lips, and he opened his mouth for her. She kissed him for a little while longer feeling the stiffness in his body disappear, apart from one very obvious part. She drew back and smiled at him. Then she slowly slid down on her knees in front of him and started undoing his pants. A proud member sprung out and Mirja smiled up at the duke as she took him in her hand.
"You're doing just fine," she said stroking his shaft a few times.
He had a wonderfully long cock that was just wide enough that it filled her hand. She smiled up at him and kept her eyes locked on his as she took him into her mouth. The duke gasped loudly, and it did not take more than a few moments until he started pulsing his seed into her mouth. It came so quickly that Mirja did not have time to stem it. Instead she moved her fingers under his shaft and sent a wave of energy into his groin increasing his pleasure.
"By the seventh!" the duke shouted and spurted a last burst of seed into her mouth.
Mirja swallowed diligently and continued sucking on his cock as it grew smaller. Her eyes never left his and she could see the adoration in his eyes and soon his hands were running over her hair.
"I'm sorry," he said shaking his head. "I didn't mean to ..."