Page 63 of The Assassin's Dancer
The girls in the hallway weren’t lying. They really are all beautiful. And there’s so many of them! There’s a man in each armchair, men crowding around sparkling tables, and dozens of men leaning against the bar. Even the women flitting between them are gorgeous, dressed in their stunning gowns. Some perch on men’s laps while others dance like goddesses on the tables.
They’re so pretty. I wish I could dance like that. Maybe I should try?
Smiling, I pick up my skirts and stride towards the nearest table. But then something stops me. A tiny voice echoes in my mind –this isn’t real. And then another chimes in –get the letter and stick to the plan.
I blink. The letter. Right. I get the letter, then I can dance.
“Sounds perfect.” I smile to myself.
With a dreamy sigh, I head towards a nearby hallway.
Andrick’s whorehouse is like a maze. An endless, glittering maze full of beautiful people that are almost too irresistible to walk by. There’s couples everywhere, kissing and touching each otherin forbidden places. They’re draped over chaise longues or on silk beds in positions I didn’t think possible for people to be in. Sometimes more than just a couple. One group of five even tried to get me to join them, andStars,did I want to...
But somehow, I resisted the urge to rip all my clothes off and collapse in a giggling fit on top of them. Instead, I followed the silly voice in my head until I arrived here – inches away from an unassuming door near the back of the whorehouse.
My hand instinctively pushes it open. Inside is a small office lit up by candles and filled with bookshelves. There’s a big desk in the centre, and without thinking, I perch on the edge of it. My legs swing beneath me. I can’t help but giggle as air rushes past them.
This is delightful.
I could stay on this desk for hours.
Before I know it, I do. Sighing, I lie back as a huge grin washes over my face. Pretty colours swirl on the ceiling above me.
“Everything is so beautiful,” I sigh.Letter.
My hands stroke my corset as my back arches. “I feel so beautiful.”Get the letter.
Slowly, my fingers wander to my skirt, searching for the place that’s been tingling ever since I left the main room.Get the letter, Ami.My fingers slip between my legs.
“Mmm, there it is,” I murmur.
Ami!
I gasp. Bolting upright, I whip my head around the room, but I’m alone, the only sounds being the faint chatter and moaning coming from outside the office.
“I’m going crazy,” I laugh, but for some reason I don’t lie back down. “Find the letter,” I mumble, pushing myself off the desk as if invisible hands are guiding me.
Without really knowing why, I explore the room. My hands dip into drawers, baskets, even leaf through the books, searching for something. I’m not sure what.
Returning to the desk, I flip through the papers, eventually stopping on a piece of parchment that seems different to the last.
It’s a list, I think. Dozens of addresses fill the page, and there’s other information too, but I can’t really make sense of it. Still, I grin and clutch it to my chest.
“Found you!” I sing. Then I fold the paper up and neatly tuck it into my bodice.
For some reason, my heart flutters with excitement. It’s enough to make me spin in place, and I giggle as my skirt fans out around me.
“This is wonderful!” I cry. “This is?—”
The door to the office swings open.
A beautiful man stares at me from the doorway. His long hair is the colour of burnt amber, and he’s tall and dressed in fine silks.
I can’t help but smile as his blue eyes meet mine. It’s funny, they remind me of someone who leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but the warmth in my lower belly is burning too hot for me to care.
“Oh, hello there,” the man says, a little uncertain. “Is there a reason you’re in my office?”
My lips part. “Your office?” I smile. “Your office is beautiful.” My smile grows wider as I glance up to the sparkling ceiling. “There’s so many pretty colours in here.”
