As she walked down the passageway, Rikku was eager to see what was so special about his trophy room, and thinking that listening to Baralai talk about his day was so much more interesting than listening to Gippal talk about his. She had always thought politics was boring, so she wondered if it was the wine talking or if she was just getting old…Rikku shook her head. She couldn't be turning into a boring old lady, she was only 21 and a half! As he followed her, Baralai wondered if he would have agreed to show her if he hadn't shared the whole bottle of wine with her. Rikku stopped when the passageway opened up into a room, feeling very uncomfortable as she looked into it.

"What is this?" she demanded of Baralai in slightly higher pitched voice. The room was painted with neutral colors and the furniture was made of lightly colored wood, but her first impression was that it was a torture chamber, despite the room's attempt to seem cheerful. There seemed to be restraints on all the furniture and what looked like weaponry on the far wall. She had vaguely heard stuff about places like this, but she never expected Gippal's best friend to be part of it.

"This is where I do my private entertaining." Baralai answered, walking into the room. "Now you've seen it. And remember, you promised not to tell anyone." Baralai was glad he knew he could trust Rikku, because he didn't need the scandal of having his preferences exposed.

Rikku stared at Baralai like she'd never seen him before. "How could anyone enjoy any of this?"

"You'll just have to take my word for it that plenty of people do. Now let's get back to the study." He urgently gestured for her to leave, wanting to get her out of his trophy room before he did something he'd regret. "Thanks for bringing me that sphere." he told her once they were back in his study.

"Uh, thanks." Rikku would have been upset by such a dismissal if she hadn't been so distracted by his revelations. She found her way to the front door, trying to sort out her thoughts. Something about the way Baralai had looked at her added to her disquiet, but when she put her hand on the door handle, she paused. Why was she so upset about Baralai's preferences? Hadn't she been the one pushing Yuna to embrace new experiences once Sin was finally defeated? She felt once again like she was turning into a boring old lady, and that bothered her more than anything. Something needed to change, and she was walking back to his study before she realized it.

"Rikku! Did you forget something?" Baralai asked. He was reading some papers when she barged back in.

"Yes, I did." she agreed, making sure she closed and the door securely. "I want you to teach me how to enjoy the trophy room."

"What?" Baralai wasn't expecting that. Was she serious?

"I want to learn something new." Rikku said as she walked over to the bookshelf and tried to remember which books he had removed.

"Careful! Some of those books are irreplaceable!" Baralai exclaimed as Rikku started taking books out and dumping them on the floor.

"Will you teach me then?" Rikku wanted to get it over with before she lost her nerve.

"Stop!" Baralai told her, grabbing her arm and turning her around to face him.

"Teach me!" Rikku kissed him and Baralai gave in, shoving her against the bookcase.

"First lesson, I'm now your Master." he told her as he took her clothes off.

"Master?" Rikku blurted the word out. What had she gotten herself into?

"Spread your legs." Baralai ordered Rikku, who was lying over his desk, her head slightly elevated on his stack of paperwork, watching him as he stood in front of her once he was done tying her up with her long scarfs. Her hands and forearms were secured to the front of her chest, and she felt somewhat like a mummy with how he positioned them.

She obeyed, opening up her dangling legs, and Baralai caressed her thighs before suddenly pulling her to his naked body. She was still slick from the consummation of her education as he fucked her against the bookcase, and he easily slid into her. Rikku moaned and tried to position herself better, crying out in frustration when he stopped.

"You're not to move unless I tell you to, understand?" Baralai told her.

"Yes." Rikku pouted.

"Yes what?" He tweaked both her nipples hard, having left her breasts exposed when he bound her, so he could watch them move as he used her body.

Rikku cried out again, this time in pain. "Yes, Master."

"Good girl." Baralai's smile was slightly malicious as he resumed. Rikku felt even better than he expected, and she had asked him to teach her, so he would indeed…her body would become his ultimate playground. He watched her cry out one final time as she came, and his smile widened as he thought of how before too long, her mouth would be only for pleasing him or begging. His own orgasm caught him unawares, lost in his thoughts of how he would train her. She was so perfect…

"Oh crap!" Rikku exclaimed when she tried to get dressed once he untied her. "My clothes are ruined!" Her top had broken straps and her shorts were missing their buttons.

Baralai frowned. He thought he had been careful when he stripped her, but apparently not. "Just a moment." He unlocked the door, opening it carefully and called out an order to the butler, who came back with a maid's uniform a few minutes later.

"Well at least this will get me back home." Rikku said. The outfit didn't quite fit her, but it didn't expose anything.

"What are your measurements?" Baralai asked her.

"Huh?" Rikku hadn't expected that question.

"Write them down for me." Baralai found a clean piece of paper and handed it and a pen to her. Rikku complied, handing it back to him after she scribbled them down.

"What do you want them for?" she questioned him.

"You'll know when I want you to know." he told her as he led her to the door. "l'll keep you informed as to when your second lesson will be." Baralai slid his hand down her back and cupped her cheek in his hand, giving her a boost out the door. When she was far enough down the hall, he turned to his butler who was waiting outside his study. "Order another maid's uniform for Lexia and send her in to clean up my study. The messenger had an accident on my desk." Baralai told him.

"That's how our affair started, Yunie. I was the one who pushed for it."

When Rikku got back home, she was relieved to find a message on the answering machine that Gippal was going to be at Djose temple for the next couple days. Not only did she have time to adjust to what she had done with Baralai, it eased her guilt a little to find him neglecting her again. She took the maid's outfit off and got into bed, feeling very exhausted. So far what Baralai had done to her hadn't seemed that bad. He only hurt her nipples a teeny bit when she failed to call him Master, and that was all, and she had no complaints about the sex. Rikku was curiously eager to find out to what he would do to her next time.

Gippal laid in their bed, wondering what happened to Rikku while he was gone. He had showered and gotten into bed quietly since he thought she had been sleeping. She hadn't been, and she had turned over to face him, kissing him passionately as she stretched herself over him. Rikku was so glad he was back, she had gotten herself so worked up thinking over her first lesson with Baralai that sex was all she could think about. Gippal had never seen her so horny.

"I missed you." Rikku told him as they lay trembling in each other's arms much later.

"I missed you too." Gippal said after a moment's hesitation. Rikku had acted like she was trying for a gold medal in a rough rider competition, either that or she was laying claim to him….could she know?

"Thanks for showing me your latest project." Shelinda said as their latest interview concluded. For the past month, she had been staying at the Djose Temple Inn, trying to get enough material for a decent article about the latest wonders being invented, and Gippal had finally given in, becoming very flattered and more cooperative as she seemed properly awed by his demonstrations.

"No problem." Gippal was glad to have someone listen to him go on as he explained things, Rikku was never that interested in what he was doing.

"Now I can finish the article and send my copy in." Shelinda said as she put everything into her satchel.

"Do you want to go out to dinner to celebrate?" Gippal surprised himself by asking.

It had been a very convivial evening, and he had promised her unlimited access if she needed more material for a future article. He was going to miss having Shelinda around while he worked.