once they hit puberty. Within their first year of it, almost all males lost their virginity. None lasted more than two. To find a virgin as handsome and old as Talyn was unheard of.
“You’ve never been to a house of assignation?” It was what most unpledged males did until they were taken.
That adorable blush mottled his cheeks. “I went once.”
“And you didn’t do anything?”
He glanced away and blushed even more profusely. “It was so… uncomfortable. They had this system of four Ps.”
“Four Ps?”
He nodded. “You picked a price, a… prostitute. A place and then a position. It was like ordering fast food. And they had things listed I wasn’t even sure what they were. From the descriptions, some sounded downright dangerous. They even had some you had to sign a waiver to participate in.”
Amused, but not wanting him to think she was laughing at him, she hid her face.
“Go ahead and laugh at me. I won’t be angry. It was quite special and I’m pretty sure I left a vapor trail when I hit the door running. I think I might have even screamed on my way out.” He rubbed at his face. “And then they banned me because of it.”
Snickering, she climbed up his body. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right. I had no intention of returning, anyway. Last thing I want is something so impersonal for something that personal. I figured at least with my hand, we have a committed relationship. I know exactly where it’s been and who it’s touched.” He kissed her gently.
“I wish you could stay longer.”
“Me, too. But I have to go.” He held her tight before he rolled off the bed and dressed beside it.
She rose up on her knees on the mattress to fasten his uniform jacket and straighten it for him. “Next time, I won’t let you sleep.”
“Deal.” He pressed her hand to his cheek. “I’ll be in touch when I can.”
Felicia wanted to cry as he left her alone again. His absence was like a part of her was being ripped away.
How stupid was that?
Angry over it all, she fell back on the bed and hated her parents for what they’d done to her. But then it wouldn’t have mattered. Had they been married, she wouldn’t have been able to claim Talyn at all.
His father had screwed him over even worse than hers had. At least this way, he belonged to her. Maybe not formally, but she had a part of him no one else did.
A vital part of him. This was almost as good as having a stralen husband. Talyn wouldn’t be able to break their contract, and he’d never leave her to marry another female. He would be hers for as long as she wanted.
Unless her agency canceled the contract. Though rare, it could happen if another, more prestigious male wanted to contract her. It was what had happened to her mother.
Her father had let her mother go without a single protest, mostly because his children had been angry over his relationship with her mother. It was what had made her mother so bitter toward the world in general and him in particular.
Even if Felicia said no to being switched to a new patron, if the male had enough power behind his lineage, her agency could break her contract and force her. And Talyn didn’t have any social ability to fight it.
Suddenly terrified, she pulled up the agency site and made sure her profile was gone.
It was.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, she quickly e-mailed her broker and told him that she was no longer a virgin. A slight lie, but it would help to make sure they didn’t offer her to someone else.
Once the probationary period was over, it would be harder to break their contract. She just had to make it four more months.
Four months.
Felicia refused to think about what could happen during that time. Talyn was a fighter and for him, she would be one, too. No one would take her male from her. Not without blood being shed. Her passivity did have its limits, and while she didn’t like to fight, it didn’t mean she didn’t know how.
She froze as she caught a whiff of his scent on the pillow. Smiling, she buried her face against it and inhaled. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the future she wanted. One spent with a sweet, thoughtful male who treasured her.
With her finger, she switched the screen on her link and texted him. When will