Chapter 4 - Dharak - Ruvy
When Dharak finally made it home the next day, it was mid-afternoon and he was exhausted. Gindo's wife had gotten into a bad accident and he had rushed away from Mereid's Magicks to be at her side while healers attended to her. He'd left one of his underlings in charge, but the underling had no idea what to do when a big shipment of scrolls, potions, and spell components, along with a few magic items had arrived. Mereid's had been expecting the delivery for more than three months and when there was no one to tell the deliveryman where to put the goods, he just dumped them outside the front of the shop, where they made a tempting target for thieves.
Dharak made it back to the shop before anything could be taken, but he'd had to hire two men - he'd wanted to hire at least four, but at that time of the night, none of the men who he knew to be reliable were available - to come stand guard over the materials while he and the underling checked the delivery into the shop. It was an all-night effort.
Gindo had sent word that morning that he would be out for at least two more days, possibly more than that if his wife took a turn for the worst.
Dharak had grumbled about the inconvenience, but with nothing else he could do about it, he instructed the underling on how to fill in for Gindo.
After resolving a few more issues, the underling said he badly needed to get back to check on his family, so Dharak reluctantly agreed to close the shop for the rest of the day. He himself wasn't really tired yet, and knew he could probably go without resting until bedtime that night, but he thought that maybe he could go home and freshen up and then return to his club. He was still eager to sample the delights of the girl, and he wasn't about to stop until he'd had her. Nahla would never even know.
There was no sign of Nahla when he got home, but that wasn't unexpected at this hour of the day. Now that his children were old enough to go to school, she sometimes went out to run errands during the day.
He was about to head for his private bath when the note on his bed caught his eye. He recognized his wife's neat handwriting, but the message she had written made no sense to him. It's over? What on Gilon is she even talking about?
He finished his bath, then went to this club, and although he was a little disappointed to have to pay another 1000 gold to get the girl from the night before, he paid it. She was everything he'd hoped she'd be, and then some. She made him feel absolutely amazing, like he could conquer the world, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed sex more. He decided right then and there he wanted to take her as a mistress.
"So what's your name?" he asked when they had finished and he was putting on his clothes. Truthfully, he wanted her again, and was trying to decide if he had enough of her time left for a quickie. If he didn't, he was going to take her next opening. "I'm not always the best with names, and while I know you told me yours last night, I'm afraid I forgot. But I can tell you that after I ran out of here last night, all I thought about between when I left and when I came back here this afternoon was you. You're quite remarkable."
"Ruvine," replied the girl. "But most people call me Ruvy. And," she added with a kittenish purr, "you aren't the first man to say that about me."
Dharak said, "Ruvy, I'd like to make you an offer. Come work for me, and whatever you're making here, I'll do you 25% better."
Ruvy's eyes flickered with interest, but she said, "Unfortunately, I'm under a contract for the next three months to work here. It was stipulated as part of my contract that I cannot leave here to work for any club member until after that time period is over."
Dharak considered trying to buy out her contract, but he thought it might be more than he wanted to pay. Instead, he asked, "How many hours a week do you have to work here?"
"6 hours on all weekdays and 9 hours on one weekend day. 6 pm to midnight during the week and 6 pm to 3 am on the weekend. But I can do more than that if I want."
He asked playfully, "And do you want to do more than that?"
She shook her head. "Here? I came in for some extra time today to fill in for a friend of mine who's sick, and this is actually my last slot for her until my shift later tonight, but actually, no. But as long as what I would be doing couldn't be considered 'work', I am not opposed to spending time outside of my work here with someone I found interesting."
"And have you found anyone like that?"
She regarded him steadily, a teasing sultry look in her eyes that made Dharak want her all over again. "I have."
"Well, Ruvy," he said, grinning, "It seems to me that a pretty girl like you deserves a token of my thanks for being so accommodating. What do you say we do a little shopping, then go someplace quiet for a little alone time before you come back here?"
Eyes glittering, Ruvy said, "I know where you can get me a nice token of thanks, and I know a great place for some alone time, too. All pleasure, no work."
Dharak thanked his lucky stars.