“Oh no, mistress, I couldn’t.” She shook her head, blushing.
“Are we not allowed to give gifts to staff?” I asked.
“No, you can… but?—”
“But nothing, they’re yours. They may not be your size, but some might fit you, and the rest you can give away or sell, whatever you like.”
“No one has ever given me anything like this,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “Even if I can’t use them, this is… too much.”
I went to her, taking her hands in mine, noticing how calloused and rough they were. “You deserve nice things too, everyone does,” I said softly.
“Might I hug you, mistress?”
I hugged her tightly. “And stop calling me mistress. Call me Izzy.” I sensed her hesitation, so I added. “You’ve seen me practically naked, so I think we can be on a first name basis.”
She laughed at that.
Good.
She did a quick tidy of my room as I changed back into regular clothes, then I bundled her up with the many bags.
But before she left, Myel popped into my room.
Zora started.
Myel started.
I didn’t know what to do.
Would she be obliged to tell the authorities on us?
Zora quickly looked between the two of us. Though something in how she looked at Myel — with not as much surprise as I might have thought — made me wonder.
“I won’t tell a soul,” she whispered, then winked at me.
I sighed with relief.
Myel… just nodded. Why did I get the feeling he knew Zora? Not in an intimate way, but… still.
Zora snuck out and left us alone.
I turned to Myel. “Do you know her?” I asked directly.
He started, seeming shocked I’d ask, but then he nodded.
“Yes, she’s… a friend of a friend.”
That was a simple explanation and perfectly reasonable. I lowered my voice in case Zora wasn’t far away, I didn’t want to insult her with this question. “And… is she an ogre?”
Myel laughed. “No, she’s a hobgoblin or brownie, the names are interchangeable. An ogre would be much larger than she is, and their skin is more gray than green.”
I nodded, glad to have that cleared up. “Thanks!”
Myel’s gaze drifted to the string bikini slung over the top of my desk chair.
I went to him, whispering in his ear in my most seductive voice. “Want to see me in it?”
Our bond had grown tight over the course of the day, we’d be having sex tonight, might as well give him a show beforehand.
