Simon swallowed nervously and adjusted his vest slightly. It was newly purchased for the occasion, a stiff satin material which was far less comfortable than his normal clothes. His pants, too, had the stiff, almost over-starched feel of new, fresh-tailored clothes, and the gold watch lay heavy in his pocket. He swallowed again as he stared at the ornate wooden door to the suite, carved with ancient symbols he recognized as being from a country called Indian on Earth-that-Was. Bracing himself, he raised his hand to the heavy gold knocker and rapped twice on the door.
The door opened a few moments later, revealing the most beautiful woman Simon had ever seen. She had wheat-blond hair, wavy and soft, hazel eyes, and beautiful large lips. She was wearing a long blue dress with silver stars, and with a sea green gauzy veil wrapped lightly over her arms. She smiled sweetly at him. "Simon. I'm so glad to see you," she assured him gently. "My name is Maeve."
He'd intended to tell her right away that this had all been a mistake, that he didn't want to waste her time. But somehow, he found himself walking through the door and standing inside as she closed the door. He felt a moment of irrational panic as it shut behind him, as if it was cutting off his only method of escape. She smiled at him again, a dizzying smile that made his head spin, and motioned for him to sit. He sat, feeling the gold watch dig into his leg. "I…think there might be some mistake," he finally managed to say.
She tilted her head slightly, somehow encouraging him to continue without saying anything. "I'm not sure I should be here. I…I think there must be many clients who would be much more suited to receive your…um…attentions."
Her smile didn't falter, but it turned sympathetic. "Why do you say that?"
"I…um…" he felt himself flushing brightly. "I'm not…experienced. I'm quite sure I won't be pleasing."
She reached over and put one hand over his. "I knew when I accepted you as my client, that it would be your first time. I knew, but I chose you anyway. Do you know why?" Simon shook his head. To be honest, he wasn't sure what details his father had put in the…advertisement, for lack of a better term. "Because I believe that a young man's first time should be something special. The job of a Companion is not simply mechanical pleasure. It is to touch the soul of another person, and see it open." She reached up to touch his face with her other hand. "And I believe you have a warm soul within you." She pulled back. "But if you would rather not, we need not make love at all. A Companion's arts are many. Why not start with taking tea together, and we'll allow what will happen to unfold naturally."
"And then she looked at our parents, and with the most innocent expression you've ever seen, told them we were fighting off prowlers," Simon laughed, and Maeve's clear, bell-like laugh joined his.
"She must be a remarkable girl," she said, sipping the last of her tea as their laughter subsided.
Simon grinned proudly. Some of the other doctors teased him for talking about River all the time, but she was a special girl. "She is. She's studying to get into a special Alliance-sponsored academy right now." He sighed a little. "That's the one thing I don't like about medical school: being away from her."
Maeve nodded, standing up and putting the tea set away with smooth, practiced movements. She came around behind the soft, well-padded sofa he was sitting on and began to rub his shoulders firmly. He felt warmth ripple through him at the touch, and the stirrings desire in his groin. At the same time, he luxuriated in how skillfully she was easing knots in his neck and shoulders that he hadn't realized were there. "You seem closer than most siblings," she observed.
"We are," he admitted, closing his eyes as her hands rose to work on his temples. "My father and mother are busy—well, I can't complain. But River…she's something special. Mature for her age, more than I am half the time. She seems to think I'm her little brother instead of the other way around."
She chuckled. "I'm sure she admires you a great deal." He felt her hands draw back for a moment. "Would you like to lie down so I can work on your back?" she asked. He nodded a bit and lay down on his stomach.
"I don't know if admires would be the right word. She's better than me at everything…I'm lucky she never took it into her head to be a doctor." He laughed. "She's a bit of a pain that way. I'd be learning something in school and she'd take the book and have it memorized before I even finished the first chapter."
"Is that why you decided to become a doctor?" she asked, working her way down the tightness in his back from too many nights of sitting hunched over medical books.
Simon thought for a few moments. Truthfully, he hadn't thought about that possibility before. "I wanted to help people. So many of my parents' friends don't…care about anything outside their social sphere. I wanted to do something useful."
"They say you'll be one of the best surgeons in Osiris before you graduate," she said, moving on to his legs. He wasn't sure if the warmth in his stomach was from her touch or from the praise.
"I just want to cure people," he said, but he was smiling as he said it. He fell silent, and so did she, easing his shoes and socks off and massaging his feet slowly and gently. Simon simply enjoyed the quiet, the odd intimacy of the act—something he'd never have imagined could feel so good.
As she finished, he found himself relaxed yet refreshed, and she knelt by the head of the sofa, her eyes warm but inviting. "Simon," she cupped his face in one hand, "Would you like to come to bed with me?" He was almost surprised when he nodded, stood, and let her lead him by the hand into the warm, plush bedroom.
Later, with a small smile on his face and a deeply satisfied sensation all through his body, Simon buttoned the top button of the vest, no longer minding the stiffness. He turned back to Maeve and bowed formally. "Thank you. It was truly a pleasure," he said honestly.
She smiled warmly in return. "It was a pleasure for me as well, Simon," she assured him. "You have no need to be nervous in the future. You're quite capable."
He blushed faintly. He wasn't sure it was entirely true, but he didn't feel like he'd completely embarrass himself either. "I'll see you again, sometime?" he ventured.
She nodded slightly. "Sometime, Simon," she promised. And with a happy smile and an unconscious spring in his step, Simon pushed the heavy door open and headed down the lush hallway towards home.