Zaeed thrusts a datapad at her when she comes home. "Get a nap and then clean up. You've got the biggest client of your life tonight."
If it wasn't on the screen before her, she wouldn't have believed it. Aria T'loak was paying a huge fucking sun for her company.
"She wants you to do her pet Krogan while she watches. He's not Blood Pack." Zaeed folds his arms. "The hell did you do to get Aria's attention?"
"Kill some Vorcha? Have a reputation for taking any-size cock?" Become friends with Archangel? Nothing happens without Aria's notice. She's just glad that Aria seems to have no need to narc on Garrus to any of the Mercs gangs. He's unintentionally keeping them in line for her.
Taking Zaeed's advice, Shepard collapses onto her bed and sleeps. There's not much difference between night and day in this hollowed out asteroid besides the clocks reading am or pm. Life goes by those two little letters anyway. "Day" is quieter, "night" is when things pick up and she goes to work.
At 4:00 pm she rises and takes a scalding hot shower to wake up. Breakfast is a nutritious protein block cut into cubes and covered with a canned tomato-ish sauce. Even with the money she brings in, it's tough to get fresh food on Omega. She supplements with a cocktail of vitamins and fortified, ultra-preserved juice.
Shepard slips into one of her black dresses (the only thing she wears most of the time) and coats on some mascara. A touch of pink to the lips; a round of antibiotics and antihistamines; and she is ready to go.
At Afterlife, the bouncer hands her off to a security guard who hands her off to a scarier security guard who leads her in to a hallway she didn't know existed. Shepard pays half-attention to where they're going. The rest of her is focused on recalling what she knows about Patriarch.
That has to be who the pet Krogan is. If you know nothing else about Patriarch, you know how Aria overthrew him and took his place as head of Omega. A living reminder of why you do not fuck with Aria. According to Zaeed, even Shepard wasn't getting that privilege. Aria was going to watch Shepard be the one who got fucked.
It's a really, really nice room they end up at after three security checkpoints and passing through an equally swanky common room. Chrome and silver everywhere. A cushy bed on a raised platform. Holographic window showing the nighttime view of a gleaming city. Probably Ilium.
Oh, and an old Krogan grinning by the bed. And Aria T'Loak reclining in an armchair on the opposite side of the bedroom, studying a datapad.
The Asari lifts her eyes to the guards and they scurry the hell outta there. Shepard has never gotten a plain answer why people who met Aria are so frightened of her. The cold look in the matriarch's eyes can't be put into words but Shepard understands the fear as they settle on her.
"Shepard?" Aria asks, examining her.
"Yeah," says Shepard, lifting her chin. The assessing glance directed at her triggers a jolt of defiance, smothering the fear. She recites the litany aloud about meds and condoms.
Aria looks bored. "Your pimp Zaeed thinks you can handle my friend here. Can you?"
With what Aria's paying, Shepard will handle anything. "Yeah, I can handle it."
"All yours, Patriarch."
Patriarch yanks Shepard to him, his enthusiasm making Aria's indifference more apparent. Why pay to watch someone have sex if it's not going to excite you? The krogan's claws scrape as they hitch her dress up to her hips and push her to lie on her back, feet still planted on the ground. Krogans are always eager to get to it since the Genophage taught them to view sex as a scarcity.
It becomes apparent why Aria is unaroused. Patriarchs cock emerges limp, his ball wrinkled. Only one. There's a scar where someone cut off the other. She has a good guess who. Shepard darts a glance at Aria who has one eye on them, one on her datapad. The slight, catty smirk on her lips clarifies Shepard's suspicions.
That asshole. Shepard's been humiliated before, but that was to get a client off. Nothing personal. No one's ever humiliated her for the sake of humiliating her (and her client). Scowling, Shepard reaches out to stroke Patriarch's member.
He groans and digs his claws into the edge of the bed. Not her, thankfully. She cups her hands around him. It doesn't do much but it is less limp. The Krogan takes this as some sign and pushes into her. Shepard is still dry and his thighs chafe against her legs but she turns her yelp into a moan.
Aria glances up and Shepard meets her gaze, eyes slightly narrowed. Patriarch focuses on his half-useless rutting, not caring where his bed partner is looking. So Shepard holds the Asari's gaze and keeps up the moans, each louder and more ecstatic than the last.
It'll get her killed but it's the most satisfying way she's ever said, "fuck you" to someone.
Three terse moments pass and Patriarch is no closer, despite Shepard helping him along with her hands. She sucks in a deep breath, ready to fake orgasm when Aria stands. She strides over and yanks the Krogan out of Shepard.
"You're leaving her unsatisfied," says Aria to Patriarch's growl.
"She didn't sound unsatisfied…"
"Because she's a professional. Pro-fess-ion-al." Aria enunciates as if speaking to a small child. She slips her hand between Shepard's thighs and finds the bundle of nerves Patriarch didn't know existed.
One thing you can say about the Asari: at least they know where the clitoris is.
Shepard locks her jaw, refusing to respond. Aria curls her lips and continues working her. It feels really, really damn good and her body is betraying her by becoming slick and flush. Still she remains quiet, not wanting Aria to have the satisfaction. The orgasm breaks over her and Shepard shakes with the effort of keeping tense, unresponsive.
Aria's eyes flash. With anger. With annoyance. And with interest. She licks her fingers.
"You know," says Shepard. "Since you went from voyeur to participant, that'll cost you extra."
"Of course it does." Aria steps away. "Now that you've gotten off, you'll get on your knees and get my friend off."
"That's another fee." Shepard slides down to the floor, pulling her dress down. "And you? Want me to fuck with Aria?"
Aria twists her hand into Shepards hair and yanks her head back. Shepard hisses in pain, forced to meet the Asari's gaze. "Don't get cute. Now put that smart mouth to work or you won't get paid at all."
Fuck. She is not kidding. Aria shoves her down as she lets go. Shepard sees red and forces herself to take a few long breaths. She likes living. And Patriarch deserves a little gift, since he's a fellow target of Aria's humiliation.
She doesn't mind giving blow jobs most times. Hell, sometimes it's sexy to see a male lose control when her mouth is around him. Krogans are tougher though, with even the half-impotent ones having heads that barely fit her mouth. She lathes what she can with her tongue, letting her hands to the rest. Pumping him. Stroking his remaining ball. When Patriarch does come, her jaw, neck and knees are sore from the long procedure. He grabs her shoulders and yanks her up.
"Good girl," he grins, jerking her close against him. "How about a kiss?"
She holds up a hand. "Sorry Patriarch. I don't kiss."
"Paid for you didn't I?" The pity she felt for him evaporates as his claws puncture her dress and skin. He leans in close. "I should get a little bonus."
She reacts in the only way you can reprimand a Krogan: she headbutts him.
Patriarch is stunned enough to let go, pulling his claws out of her. Shepard is dazed and unsure if she really did just hear Aria laugh. Vision blurred, she stumbles to her coat. Grabs it, looks at Aria. "I'll be sending you the additional bill."
And then she gets the hell out of there.