Free For the Pleasure of Men by Nora Weaving Page B

Selene.
    She hated Orestes for bringing her here.
    “Chin up,” Damianos whispered, gently tilting her chin.
    When his finger touched her skin, sparks ignited, and Kalliope’s eyes flew open wide from the sensation. Damianos looked rattled too, and Kalliope was certain he also felt the energy between them.
    Damianos offered to help her back to her room. “I’m sure you are disappointed about losing a few days pay.”
    “Honestly, it’s not about that,” Kalliope admitted. “I felt so hopeful after last night and I believed that I was off to a promising start.”
    “It is wonderful to have a customer on your first night. Us men here are stuck in our ways and we like the women we are accustomed to bedding.”
    “But I did better than one customer. I had many.”
    This time Damianos stopped walking and looked at her. “Many?” He paused, reflecting, “That is quite a fine start.”
    They reached Kalliope’s small room. Damianos helped her lie down on her stomach.
    “Thank you for being so kind,” Kalliope said, sad to see Damianos leave.
    “Of course. I will check on you tomorrow.”
    Kalliope knew that Damianos was only being kind and that he wouldn’t actually come back. She bid him goodnight and watched him slip through her curtain.
    Once she was alone, she finally let herself cry.
    She missed Gaia.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Chapter Eight
     
    * * * * *
     
    News of Spyro’s brutish behavior spread quickly, and Kalliope was catapulted into the spotlight overnight. Many of the women came up to her at breakfast, cursing Spyro and saying how sorry they were to hear what happened. Many also confided about their terrible first experiences with Spyro. Apparently, Spyro was not nearly as rough with women after his so-called “breaking in.”
    Kalliope went to visit Aella twice, just as instructed, and Harmena accompanied her on both trips.
    “You’re famous now,” Harmena teased.
    Kalliope felt uneasy. This was certainly not the way she imagined befriending the other women of the brothel.
    “I tried to warn you that he was no good.”
    “Well you didn’t say he was going to beat me!” Kalliope snapped.
    Harmena looked embarrassed. “I...I didn’t know. I just knew that he liked to be rough on his first encounters. I don’t know from experience though. He’s never shown any interest in me.”
    “Lucky you.”
    As the women were walking back to their room, Priska came hurrying up, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed.
    “Kalliope!” she said excitedly. It was the first time she had directly addressed her. “Hurry! You have a visitor!”
    Kalliope looked over at Harmena with surprise and she looked equally shocked.
    “Damianos!” Priska exclaimed, “Hurry!”
    Kalliope’s eyes widened and the trio of women hurried down the hallway.
    “Your room is not fit to see him. He’s waiting in a bigger room.”
    “But why? He saw it last night.”
    Priska puffed out a huge breath of air and shook her head.
    Before Kalliope could say another word, Priska shoved her into the room where Damianos waited. Priska and Harmena disappeared.
    “Kalliope.”
    The voice was rich and sultry, dark and comforting. Kalliope turned slowly around to its owner.
    Damianos leaned against a nearby wall, his face even more handsome than she remembered. His bright blue eyes were piercing, and he looked at Kalliope with such care and concern that she had to steady herself before opening her mouth.
    “Damianos. I didn’t expect to see you.”
    “I was worried about you. I told you that I would come check on you.”
    “Yes,” Kalliope said slowly, “but I didn’t actually think you would.”
    “Kalliope,” Damianos’ voice was stern and commanding and Kalliope could just imagine what he was like in the bedroom.
    Her sex throbbed with the thought of him using that stern tone while giving her orders.
    “I am, if anything, a man of my word. If I promise to do something, you can be certain it will happen.” His eyes burned