Mistress of Submission (4 page)

Spyro hit her again, and then once more.

“No! No! Stop!” she shrieked.

Suddenly she heard a shout and then a scuffle. Spyro was no longer behind her.

“Haven’t you done enough, you sick bastard?” yelled an angry male voice. She heard Spyro yell at the voice and she could tell that the men were fighting.

“Get out of here, scum! And you can be sure I’ll be telling Priska about this!”

“Fuck you, Damianos. I pay good money to fuck these whores, and if I want to have a little fun with a new slut, then I will.”

Kalliope lay tied to the bed, her backside exposed and raw, sobbing.

“Shh, please don’t cry,” the comforting voice said, whom Kalliope could only assume was Damianos. He reached up to untie her arms, and as soon as Kalliope was free, she scooted upright, wincing loudly when she pulled her peplos over her backside.

She looked up at the man who had rescued her, and her heart stopped. He was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. His skin was rich and warm. He had incredibly full lips, and he had long wavy dark hair that fell to his shoulders. But the most striking feature was his alarmingly blue eyes. His eyes were as bright and blue as the sky and Kalliope had never seen such a shade before.

“I’m Damianos,” he said in a low voice and Kalliope could only stare at him. “Are you OK?” he asked, and Kalliope snapped out of it. She nodded shakily, but her hand instinctively went to her bottom. “May I?” Damianos asked and Kalliope hesitated, but then nodded. She rolled gently onto her stomach and she felt Damianos lift her dress up.

“That bastard,” he spat. “He’s beaten you pretty badly. I think you’re going to need to see the healer here.”

Embarrassed, Kalliope pulled her dress down and quickly jumped off the bed. Her entire backside throbbed and she knew that Damianos was right. Spyro had done more than just spank her—he had beaten her.

“Please, what is your name?” Damianos asked. Kalliope found herself tongue-tied as she tried to speak and angrily though that Damianos must think her simple.

“I’m Kalliope,” she finally choked out.

“Kalliope,” he repeated. “That’s a lovely name.”

Kalliope tried to smile but winced instead.

“Come on. Let me help you,” Damianos said gently. He took her belt from the bed and he stepped close to her. He slid his hands behind her back and wrapped the belt around her waist. It was an innocent enough gesture, but it felt painfully intimate and strangely erotic. Damianos seemed to feel it too, and his eyes bore into her own eyes as he knotted the material. “Let’s get you to the healer.”

Kalliope leaned on Damianos, and he helped her down the hallway. The hall was vacant but they could hear the sounds of sex drifting down the corridor; female voices begging for more, and male voices grunting and groaning with pleasure.

They turned down the hall towards the healer’s room.

“You’re new here,” Damianos stated, “I’ve never seen you before.”

“Last night was my first night.”

“I see,” he paused, “Didn’t anyone warn you about Spyro?”

“Yes. Someone tried to as I was taking him back to the room, but I thought they were only half-serious.”

“This is rough even for Spyro’s standards. But he takes sick pleasure in making new girls bend to his will. There hasn’t been a new woman here in nearly a year. I’m sure the men are more than eager to train a new lover.”

“So it’s true?” she couldn’t help asking. “All the men here like to dominate their women?”

Damianos studied her carefully, and Kalliope had the strange feeling that he could see right through her. “That is what Hera Selene is all about. Beautiful, submissive lovers. They are here to serve in every way possible.”

Kalliope didn’t know how to respond, so she remained silent. For the first time, she looked at what Damianos was wearing. He was dressed in fine garments, with various decorative medals for his service at war. He was clearly a man of power, and Kalliope suddenly felt self-conscious and foolish.

“I think I can take over from here,” she said quickly, as she stumbled out of his grip, “Thank you for your service.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Damianos said in a husky voice, gently pulling her back to him. “I’m making it my personal responsibility to see that you are well cared for. I’m sure it’s frightening being new here, especially when a prick like Spyro takes full advantage of your new status and his position of power.”  He looked over at Kalliope and winked. “And people listen to what I say,” he added with a note of arrogance.

Normally Kalliope was put off by arrogant men, but something about Damianos’ confidence only made him more attractive. Instead of putting up a fight, she leaned in to him and let him guide her to the healer’s suite.

The healer rolled her eyes when she saw Kalliope, but then suddenly straightened when she saw Damianos.

“Damianos!” she exclaimed, “What do I owe the pleasure?”

“No pleasure at all,” he said gruffly, gently pushing Kalliope forward. “I’m afraid that piece of shit Spyro has taken advantage of our new woman here.”

The healer studied Kalliope for the first time. Kalliope had felt invisible moments before, but she now had the healer’s full attention.

“I’m Aella,” she said, “Come on over here, lamb.”

Kalliope scooted over and Damianos motioned to her backside. Aella lifted up Kalliope’s dress and then gasped. She was an older woman, possibly older than Priska, and she cursed Spyro as she tended to Kalliope’s wounds. She cleaned them, and rubbed creams and ointments on her welts. She finished off with a healing oil and instructed Kalliope to come back twice a day for the next few days.

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to work the next few days,” she sighed.

Kalliope felt her spirits plummet. She had such a wonderful first night and she had been so confident in her abilities at her new home. Now, she wondered if she could ever survive at Hera 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.

* * *

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 with promise, and Kalliope thought she saw just a hint of lust behind their fierceness.

“I’m sorry, I doubted you. Please forgive me as I acquaint myself with so many new people.”

“Of course,” he said graciously. “Now tell me, how are you feeling today?”

“Better,” she admitted, “Though I’m still quite sore. I’ve been ordered to rest the next two days.”

Damianos nodded thoughtfully. “Tell me, have you been treated well?”

Kalliope studied Damianos. She couldn’t understand why he seemed to care so much, or why he seemed so invested in her. “Yes. Well enough. I don’t want any special treatment,” she sniffed, raising her head proudly. Kalliope certainly didn’t want to be known at Hera Selene as a woman who received preferential treatment. She wanted to build her own name and success.

Damianos’ face darkened. “I told Priska that I didn’t want Spyro going anywhere near you but she told me she couldn’t make any promises,” he growled.

Kalliope paled. She hadn’t thought about meeting again with Spyro in the future, and possibly having to sleep with him again. She knew that Priska was right, though. She couldn’t ban customers, especially if they were well paying ones.

“Let’s hope he’s better behaved then,” Kalliope said grimly. She would have to deal with that when the time came.

Damianos moved towards Kalliope, and she marveled at his height. Standing before her, Damianos was nearly an entire head taller than she. “Where are you from?” he asked softly. “I know nothing about you.”

Kalliope flashed him a small smile. “You know nothing about me, because we just met. I’m from a small village up north.”

Damianos’ gaze was intense, and Kalliope could feel the air spark between them. Her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest, and she feared that Damianos would be able to hear it.

He reached out and gently touched her cheek. “And how does a lovely country girl from the north find herself in the most exclusive brothel in all of Athens?” His question was but a whisper, yet something about it made Kalliope dizzy with desire.

“I was brought here by a soldier named Orestes. He discovered me in a brothel. He made the owner an offer she could not refuse.” Kalliope looked away, the sadness still fresh in her mind.

Damianos picked up on her change in mood. “Did you not want to leave your former workplace?”

Kalliope shook her head. “It was more than a place of employment. It was my home. I had been there since I was six years old. The owner, she was like a mother to me.” She looked away, not wanting Damianos to see the gulf of emotion in her eyes. She didn’t want his pity, either.

But instead of pitying her, Damianos said, “If she had been like a mother, then I am certain she sold you only because she thought it was best for you. That is what mothers do. They make hard decisions that you sometimes can’t understand, but they do it with your best interests at heart. I’m sure it was very difficult for her.”

Kalliope turned around to look at him, floored by the honesty and truth in his words. “What makes you say that?” she whispered.

Now Damianos looked away. “I know from experience,” he said gruffly. He cleared his throat, the moment gone, and looked back at Kalliope. He smiled slyly. “I heard you are a beautiful singer. Would you do the pleasure of serenading me?”

Kalliope protested.

“Just one song!” he said quickly.

The problem with Damianos was that Kalliope couldn’t refuse him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before singing a Greek hymn. Damianos was riveted, and at one point he closed his eyes, as if ridding himself of sight would help him listen better.

When Kalliope finished, she looked at him. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but the air still hung with the last notes of her song. Damianos opened his eyes and looked at her, and in that instant, Kalliope knew she would do anything that Damianos asked of her.

“Kalliope,” he said hoarsely, coming to her. “I must go away for a few weeks. But I want to know if when I return, I could come to you?”

“Come to me?” she asked slowly, not quite understanding what Damianos was asking.

“Yes. To your bed,” he explained.  “Will you take me if I come to the brothel for you?”

“But,” Kalliope stuttered, “You don’t have to ask. You can have anyone you want when you come to the brothel.”