I controlled myself.
“What would be the point in breaking her? No, no. We’re assholes, but we try to be civil about it. Usually, uncontested courtesans wait three to five years before settling into marriage with their partner. If they’re older, the pair is encouraged to have a child earlier, but there’s an expected adaptation period. Sometimes, a couple simply doesn’t work, and the courtesan is released from the contract. That’s rare, though. Most realize they’re getting a really good deal in life by going with it.”
I scowled. “Sorry, Sandro, but my pride demands a hell of a lot better than settling for the first handsome man to come sniffing at my tail, and if you want me, you’re going to have to do a lot better than that. However, I will do you one favor.”
The way he scowled intrigued my fox. “What favor?”
“Pull up a contract that bars me from entering into any uncontested courtesan agreement other than with you while in the Alley. I’ll give you a year to make you prove you’re worth my while. If I like what you say, I’ll even think about it—but you have to do a single task for me.”
“What task?”
I liked that he didn’t argue with my base bargain. I stood on my toes and whispered in his ear, “I want to know who is sending these storms to Tulsa, and I want their heads. Don’t blemish good silver on filth when a burlap sack will do.”
I took a step back and waited for his reaction.
His eyes narrowed, and I appreciated how he took the time to think over my request.
Then, as I had a mean streak a mile wide, I added, “If you can.”
“I see there is nothing cheap about you.”
“For years, this has been my home. Good people are dead because of those storms. If you want me to consider allying myself with you for the rest of my life, then you better make it worth my while. Tossing me into some rich family isn’t good enough. That’s what I want. You do that, and I’ll give you a year to convince me this is a good idea.”
“Unless someone takes you to the East.”
“Then you better prove to the other bidders you want me bad enough.” I shrugged. “I can’t control what others do. I can influence what you do, and you’re a quadrant master. You didn’t earn that sort of control over your magic without a lot of hard work, effort, and boundary travel. If I am taken to the East, and you don’t best the competition, then I guess you didn’t want me bad enough.”
I didn’t want it to come to that, although I worried it might become one of my only options. Until I learned more about the intricacies of what it meant to be an uncontested courtesan, I’d have to play it by ear. Understanding I had escaped the system once helped me keep my cool.
I could escape again, somehow.
Sandro considered me through narrowed eyes. “Two years, and you’ll sign now, with the understanding I will have to learn more about the nature of these storms. The Alley doesn’t have magic allowing for such things.”
I looked him in the eyes and replied, “No, but the East does, as does the South. I suppose someone in the West might be able to. They have some witches who can meddle with nature.” I doubted any one person could meddle with nature on the scale hitting Tulsa, but I hoped Sandro would figure that out on his own.
“Will my promise to do what I can be sufficient?”
I flattened my ears, but I nodded. “Yes. That is sufficient, and I will agree to a two-year term to give you the chance to convince me you’re worth my while. And if you lose to some other bounty hunter, and you can’t figure out how to win at the auction, well, that’s not my fault.”
“I have no intention of losing.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, and we both know it.”
Instead of arguing with me as most men did when I called them out on their egotistical bullshit, Sandro acknowledged my point with a scowl and a nod.
My fox approved, as did I.
Nine
That seems like a good way to piss you off.
Monday, May 4, 2043.
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Alley.
* * *
The United States government had gone out of its way to simplify the enslavement of people, offering standardized forms for uncontested courtesans or those considering becoming one. It took an hour for the negotiated amendments to be