Beware prudes, there be sexy lesbian action ahead.

...

I suppose it was a happy coincidence, if you could choose to call it that. I happened to know the courtesan that went by that name. The count was a fool for assuming that was her real name, one did not use their real name when one is pursuing the oldest profession with a noble of that caliber. And I also knew just the man to see about exploding assassins. "To the Waterfront," I thought back in agreement.

As the carriage rumbled forward, I closed my eyes and turned my thoughts to my next move. The matter with the Count of Bravil's lover was trivial, I could handle it without leaving my villa. This matter with the assassins on the other hand, that could be a problem.

My own personal affection for her notwithstanding, Livia was a powerful ally. The Count of Skingrad was unmarried, his wife having passed in attempting to give birth to a son, the child dying in the process as well. With Livia's father dead, that left Livia as his only legal heir. The count himself was ailing and bedridden, a wasting disease that the Empire's best physicians had informed me was likely to take his life within the year. His death would make Livia the Countess of Skingrad. Skingrad was currently one of the wealthiest counties in the Empire, second only to the Imperial City itself, this made her a political force.

As the only living heir to the familial line, if she were to be killed, there would have to be a County election for a new candidate who would have to be approved by the Elder Council before being proclaimed Count of Skingrad. As it stood, the most likely candidate was the count's steward, a lifelong friend of the current count. He was a native, with enough respect from the people that he would likely win the election, and his years of service rendered him too qualified for the council not to approve.

But I'd met the old bastard, he didn't have it in him to make a play on Livia. The man had the guile, but not the ruthlessness. He was old fashioned, believed in looking someone in the eye when you killed them. He wouldn't send an assassin, he might not have liked Livia, but he wouldn't kill her.

The same could be said of the count himself, he was a crotchety old prick with a policy agenda that the belonged in an old tale, but he wasn't a kinslayer. Maybe the steward's wife, or one of his children, hoping to jump the barrier into high nobility.

I shook my head, there wasn't a point to jumping to conclusions now. I'd have my answer once I'd gotten my hands around the old rat's throat and started squeezing.

I tried to relax as the carriage trundled over the bridge to the Waterfront, the poor districts, where any vice could be satiated. It was here that you could find beggars, thieves, assassins, whores, a combination of the four, criminals and outcasts of all stripes. If it was frowned upon by decent society, you could find it here. I owned a number of establishments here, as I found it useful to keep solid connections with both the reputable and disreputable sides of the Empire.

As we passed, I could feel Cassie's awareness of the dozens of eyes falling on us. Some did so out of simple curiosity over a clearly wealthy individual coming to the slums, others with far darker reasons. Her, I wouldn't call it anxiety, readiness perhaps, seeped from her mind into mine and I found my hand slipping up my skirt. My fingers running along the blades that were strapped to my thighs. Beneath that, I could feel something darker emanating from her mind, wishing they would try something, wishing that they would mistake the predator for prey.

I was never quite sure how to handle that part of Cassie.

It didn't take long for us to arrive at the Flaming Rose, a rather familiar sight for me. This had been my home for six months, here I plied the Dibellan arts for my trial under the direction of Madame Theodora Afron. The Madame was a fellow Devout and she'd welcomed me into her house as one of her own.

Cassie opened the carriage door and helped me out onto the graveled road, more for appearances than anything else. She would hunt down the rat while I handled the business with the Count of Bravil's companion.

Walking into the Burning Rose was like stepping into a memory. The scent of lilies was almost overpowering, it had to be in order to cover the other smells of sweat and sex. Women of all races were spread about the room, naked from the waist up, with transparently thin bolts of cloth hanging from their hips. A lily in the hair distinguished the courtesans from the customers. A small band played in the corner, clothed in nothing but their song. The Rose was one of the more upscale establishments in the district, catering to a wide array of tastes and clientele.

An older woman, wearing only slightly more than her charges, sashayed towards me with a wide smile on her face. She was no less beautiful than her youngers, though her hair had grayed slightly and laugh lines curled up from her shapely lips, her beauty had aged like a fine wine, only growing in sophistication and elegance. She didn't speak to greet me, merely placed one hand on my hip and wrapped the other around the back of my head to pull me in for a kiss. Her tongue slipped between my lips, I closed my eyes and accepted it submissively. Her tongue didn't so much explore my mouth as conquer it, her hand on my hip pulled me closer, pressing her body against mine. This continued for a few minutes, until she gently eased out of the kiss.

"Bella my dear, it's been too long since you made time to visit." She playfully pinched my bottom, clearly enjoying the way I bit my lip to keep from yelping. "Are you here for business or pleasure, or," she waggled her eyebrows shamelessly and touched the lily in her hair, "a bit of both?"

"Business I'm afraid Madame Theodora," I dipped my head demurely. Madame Theodora was the only person I'd ever met with a more thorough mastery of the practical Dibellan arts than myself. Whereas the priests of the temple were introspective and focused on developing and understanding our relationship with the Goddess, Theodora preferred bringing the Goddess to the people, I suppose that other religions would call her a cleric. "I need to speak to Vanari."

Theodora let out an overdramatic sigh, "Ah fine, she's up in her room, I don't think she has a client right now." She gave me another pinch on the bottom, the other cheek this time, and pulled me into a tighter hug. This had the additional, and deliberate I'm sure, effect of smothering my face with her chest, reminding me that she was also the only woman I'd met in my adult life with bigger breasts than me. Holding me there, she launched a new barrage of pinches on my bottom. Then she released me, her eyes sparkling as she giggled like a school girl, the expression taking ten years from her appearance.

I rubbed my sore derriere and shook my head, "You have a strange obsession with my rear."

That amused Theodora even more, "it's your own fault for having such a nice bottom my sweet, nice and bouncy, perfect for pinching and spanking." She stopped giggling, settling on a sparkling grin with more than a small bit of warmth. "I am serious though my dear, you must come again soon. I must ensure that your skill in the Lady's arts is still up to snuff. Can't have those cloud-heads at the temple dulling your edge, Lady Dibella taught us her arts so we could use them and spread her love to all, not sit in a temple and preach to ourselves."

"I will, and my edge is sharp as ever." Madame Theodora and the High Priestess had a long running feud over that issue. The High Priestess felt our duty was to develop ourselves and those who were meant to follow the Goddess would come on their own, Madame Theodora felt our duty was to spread Dibella's love and that we couldn't rely on fate alone to do it for us. It was an argument found in all religions, which was more important, the spiritual or the physical?

"I'll be the judge of that young lady, when I send a message to your home next, I will expect you naked and collared in my bed that night, ready for a full exam." she released the embrace and sent me off with a quick spank to my bottom, catching me by surprise and eliciting the desired yelp. "Now off with you, I'll have Telain bring up some tea," she commanded, giggling once more.

I did as I was bid, climbing the staircase to the second floor with a grin and a chuckle. Theodora was an acquired taste, but you had to love her. At the top of the stairs was a set of glass armor, elegantly crafted with an extremely detailed image of the Goddess carefully etched into the breastplate and intricate designs of lilies curling around the arms and legs. It was Theodora's armor as a Knight of the Lily. I owned a similar set.

Walking through the second floor corridor, all one could hear was the music and massed conversation drifting up from downstairs. The rooms themselves were heavily enchanted to keep all of the sounds one could expect of a brothel from slipping out. Finding my way to a door near the end, I opened it to find the woman I was there to speak with, naked, with an Altmer girl who could have been seventeen or seventy, also naked. The Altmer's head was buried between Vanari's legs, Vanari's hand rested on the back of the girl's head.

"Am I interrupting something?" I smirked.

Vanari looked at me through half open eyes, the Altmer's head moved to look at the newcomer, but Vanari's hand pulled her back, and with a slight shrug of her shoulders went back to her task. Focus, that was a good trait to have in that line of work. "No, just training one of the new girls."

"You always did enjoy that particular duty." Vanari was an older woman, younger than Theodora, but older than many of the girls, being in her mid-thirties. She'd been a courtesan since she was sixteen, as such, she served as a kind of instructor along with the Madame and a few of the other older women.

"It wasn't so long ago that you were in this girl's position. I taught you a few things didn't I." I nodded, conceding that point. "I have to pass on my skills in the Lady's Arts."

"Fair enough," I found a seat on one of the couches that were spread around the anteroom of Vanari's suite. The rooms in the Rose were actually suites of three or four, two or three girls were assigned to each suite while senior members got suites to themselves.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Psythia, if you would be a dear and accommodate Lady Augustus, she is a Lily after all." The Altmer, Psythia, withdrew and crawled across the room to kneel before me. She bent low and planted a kiss on both of my feet, a true submissive considering how naturally it seemed to come.

I paused for a moment, Psythia was a typical Altmer, a very small build but she would much taller than me were she standing. Her skin was as gold as a septim with long blonde hair tucked behind pointed ears to match. "How old are you?" if she was being trained, it meant she was of age. Theodora would take in children, but they weren't allowed to serve as courtesans, at least until they were sixteen.

Psythia looked up at me with her almond-shaped yellow eyes, her face still covered in Vanari's juices, "Twenty-two my lady." Twenty-two, a child in the eyes of Altmer society, but a full grown adult by the Empire's standards. She was still looking at me with those eyes, so eager to please. "May I serve you my lady?"

I nodded, I hadn't come here for this, but why not? There was no point in disappointing the girl. "Of course my dear."

My permission given, the elf carefully removed my underclothes and ducked her head underneath my skirt, then proceeded to attack her task with gusto. She was likely new to the faith of Dibella, but she most likely knew the ranks of the faith by now, and was eager to impress one so highly placed as myself.

I leaned back and laid my hand on the girl's head, idly stroking her hair as she went about pleasing me. "Hmm," I purred, "That's a good girl." I turned my attention to Van, "She's been studying chapter six of the Arts."

Van nodded, smirking, "I'm sure you didn't come here just to socialize and enjoy some company. You can get the latter from Cassie."

I didn't often conduct meetings with a cute Altmer between my legs, something that this particular Altmer was fast convincing me that I should remedy that, but it changed little. "The Count of Bravil."

That told her all she needed to know, and she burst into laughter. Just as I thought, "From your reaction, I take it that you're not totally smitten with him."

Van paused, looking at me with tears of laughter, "Smitten… with that little bastard. I should go into theater."

"I thought as much, he's not truly your type, now is he?" I chuckled as I said it. "You don't actually think you can actually get him to ackowle-ah," Psythia hit the sweet spot and stayed there. I held up a finger to tell Van to give me a moment and used my other hand to press on the back of the Altmer's head.

"Agghh," I tensed, locking her head between my thighs and forcing her face deeper into me. I threw my head back, "By the Goddess." I rode the high as long as I could, hitting my peak and gently descending with a long sigh, "Ahhh." I coated the elf's face in my juices, which she happily lapped up.

I shook my head, dragging me out of the post-climax haze and forcing myself back to the business at hand. "You can't actually think he'll acknowledge your child Van."

Van shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not, but I certainly wasn't going to take his offer." She spoke the last word like she was spitting out an insect. Understandable, for someone of Van's caliber, such a low offer was a grievous insult.

"I know, but I think I have a counteroffer that will suit both of you, you more than him." I won't pretend to be impartial, my first priority was always my own interest and the interests of those I cared about.

At that moment, a young Bosmer entered. She was dressed conspicuously more modestly than other women in the Rose, wearing a simple white knee length tunic with embroidered lilies on the shoulders. She carried a tray and a tea set, Telain actually was a child, barely nine, seven years away from being offered the chance to train in the more erotic of the Dibellan Arts.

She bowed to the Van and I, "Lady Vanari, Lady Augustus, Madame Theodora thought you might enjoy some tea." If the sight before her affected her at all, she didn't betray it.

"It's nice to see you again Telain, thank you for the tea, but I'm afraid Lady Van and I are discussing business. If you wouldn't mind leaving us for a bit." Telain turned to me, she had a set of penetrating brown eyes that seemed to bore right through you. Guilt always tore at my heart when she did that.

The wood elf had a seriousness about her that didn't fit with her youth, "Of course my lady."

On an impulse, I reached out and touched her shoulder. "Cassie…" I paused swallowing the lump in my throat, "Cassie should be close by, at the bookshop if you want to see her."

Telain nodded, "Thank you Lady Augustus." Then she was gone without another word.

Van's eyes stared at me sympathetically, even Psythia looked up from her task in confusion. I didn't think she would ask questions, but just to be safe…

I didn't bother whispering this time, I spoke the invocation of Dibella in a loud, melodic, tone. The energy came into me and I pushed it out through the palm of my hand into the Altmer. I locked my legs around her head again as Psythia was hit with an utter tsunami of pleasure, more to keep her quiet so I could carry on my conversation than anything else, though the feeling of her moaning into me was rather pleasant.

With Psythia pre-emptively silenced, I turned my focus back to business once more. In truth, I was allowing far too many things to distract me from my job. Van sipped at her tea, "You were saying that you had a counteroffer."

I refocused, "The count's brother passed away recently, he was a notorious playboy. On a whim, you two had a quickie wedding at a shrine of Mara when you learned you were pregnant. It likely would have ended disastrously once he'd come off the skooma high of course, all his other marriages had. However, this time his life of hard living caught up to him, an aberration of the heart." I took a sip of the tea, bittersweet with a hint of jasmine. "That part's actually true, I'll have you briefed on all of the details, you'll need to memorize a lot, as far as the public will know, you two were madly in love. It adds legitimacy."

Van nodded, understanding what I was getting at, "Alright, I see how this puts him in the clear, but what exactly do I get."

It wasn't asked out of resentment, her tone was one of casual curiosity. "You will be acknowledged as a member of the count's family. A stipend, a private townhouse, a suite in Castle Bravil, taking care of his brother's widow will be a boon for the count's image." I'd thought up this part in the carriage, an added benefit for myself. "And, until the count has a child of his own, he'll name your child as heir. It is his, right?" She nodded again, "Good, is that satisfactory."

A slow smile spread across Van's face, "You're a miracle worker Bella, will the little bastard actually agree to it?"

"I've got him by the balls Van." I took one final sip and set the tea down. "The count's going to lose his head if this plays the wrong way." I showed her my teeth in that predatory grin, "whether he likes it or not, I own him now. I'll save him, but from now on, he has this hanging over his head like a sword on a wire. And I've got the shears."

"I'll send a runner with a full briefing, I'd do it myself, but I've got a pressing matter to attend to." Van looked at me curiously, "You don't want to know."

I looked down at Psythia, and found myself caught between humor and adorableness, the climax had passed, and it had taken it all out of her. She had dozed off, her head resting gently on my thigh. I bit back laughter and patted the elf on the head, "Psythia, dear, time to wake up."

Psythia blinked slowly awake, then her golden cheeks turned ruby red and she tried to untangle herself, "Ooh, I'm sorry Mistress…"

I took her by the chin, grinning like a cat, "Oh, so I'm your mistress now?" That left her amusingly flustered, "My dear, I do believe that you will be spending a lot more time with me in the future, if you don't mind of course."

Psythia looked away demurely, a small smile on her face, "Of course Mistress Augustus, I am yours to do as you please."

A pure submissive, I had to wonder how much of it was an act to ingratiate herself. She went to retrieve my underclothes, but I held up a hand to stop her, "Keep them, if you truly wish to give yourself over to me, you'll be wearing them the next time I see you."

I stood up and stepped around Psythia, Van had an amused smirk on her face that I did not dignify with a remark, Cassie kept a submissive, why shouldn't I? Besides, I had a feeling about this one. "Van, always a pleasure." We exchanged a quick kiss and I was gone, out of the room and on my way out. I had let that meeting go on for too long, allowed too many distractions, Cassie had to have the rat under her firm control by now.

Madame Theodora was busy with a small cluster of half, soon to be fully, naked nobles as I left, but still blew me a kiss as she saw me leaving, I returned the favor of course, but my mind was already on the rat.

...

Longest chapter yet, and now we get to venture into the darker parts of the Empire.

I'm noticing that I'm not getting a lot of views for this story, that's fine, that's not why I do this stuff. But I would like some feedback, that is why I post this stuff, not why I write it, but why I post it. So if you guys don't mind, drop a review, tell me what I'm doing wrong or right, this is my first elder scrolls story and I want it to be good.

Either way, R&R people.