The man leaned forward, eyeing Adrissu. His hair was slightly wavy, cascading just past his shoulders, and was somewhere between a light brown and a dirty blonde. Adrissu hesitated for only an instant longer, then continued walking toward him.
“Hello, sir,” the man said, his eyes flickering up and down the length of his body. “I can’t say I’ve seen you grace our establishment before. Adrissu, isn’t it?”
He did not try to stifle the smile that spread across his lips. The sound of his name in his mate’s voice would never cease to be a source of pleasure, even if that voice was new.
“Yes,” he said, stepping right up to the man. Any other human would have stepped away in discomfort, but this one only smiled wider up at him. “And what is your name?”
“I’m Volkmar,” he said, almost a purr. Seeming to take Adrissu’s boldness as an invitation, he pressed his hands to the thick sash of a belt on Adrissu’s waist—another style that had been in fashion of late—and slid them higher up his chest. “Welcome to the Garden of Delight.”
Adrissu almost laughed. “Is that what this place is called?”
“It certainly is,” the man—Volkmar—said, pulling one hand away to gesture behind him. Now that he looked, Adrissu could see that the entire entryway was covered in ivy. This time he did laugh, shaking his head.
“So it is,” he agreed, pulling his gaze back to the man that had nearly thrown himself into his arms.
He considered where to go from here. He could agree to Volkmar’s obvious invitation for a romp, probably in a room upstairs, but then what? Leave him behind to visit again some other day? He knew that as soon as he had Volkmar, he would be entirely unwilling to leave his side. But it would be the same if he brought Volkmar home with him—and how could he explain that he couldn’t stand for the human to leave when they had only just met? It was clear that Volkmar had no memory of him, perhaps no memory of his time as Ruan at all, so it truly was as if they were strangers.Thatwould be an entirely separate conversation, too.
It took only a moment for him to decide what he had to do.
“Volkmar,” he said, testing the sound of his new name on his lips. It did not flow from his mouth as easily as Ruan had, but there was a certain cadence to it that he liked. He was sure he would learn to love it just as much. “Since you know of me, you might know that I... value my privacy. Would you consider, perhaps, making a house call?”
He let the question settle in the air between them, heavy with promise, hoping his anticipation didn’t come across as desperate. Slowly, Volkmar grinned up at him.
“Such a thing could be arranged,” he said. “But... it will cost extra.”
“Of course,” Adrissu said, bowing his head. “That will be no problem.”
“Your place, then?” he asked, stepping back.
“Yes,” Adrissu said. “Only it might be prudent to... change into something a little more... discreet.” Volkmar’s smile faltered, and he added softly, “I would very much like to unwrap you like a gift.”
Volkmar laughed at that, the easy grin returning to his face. “Well, when you put it that way...” he said, as he moved past Adrissu to enter the building. Judging from the bulge in his pants that had not been there a moment ago, either he was very good at his job, or Adrissu’s words affected him more than he let on. “Why don’t you come in? There’s a little sitting room right here. I won’t be long.”
Adrissu nodded and followed Volkmar inside. The entrance was dimly lit, and the hazy smoke of incense wafted through the room. More flowers and plants were along the walls and in pots on the floor, and distantly, Adrissu could hear the sound of flowing water like a fountain—clearly they were leaning into the garden imagery.
A woman, just as scantily dressed, was sitting near the door. She started to rise as they entered, but seeing Volkmar, smiled knowingly and settled back into her seat.
“Wait right here,” Volkmar said, turning to face him again. “Don’t go anywhere.” He winked, then moved toward a staircase on the opposite end of the hallway.
Adrissu watched him go, admiring the supple movement of his backside as he climbed the stairs, then turned to the woman.
“Could you direct me to the person who owns this establishment?” he asked.
She led him past the stairway that Volkmar had ascended and through a large, dark atrium, where a topless woman played a harp and hummed as couples sat in dim corners. Adrissu kept his head down as they passed, but the visitors all seemed preoccupied. On the other side of the sitting room was another hallway, this one more brightly lit, and the woman knocked on the door at the very end.
“Come in,” a woman’s voice called, and she opened the door.
“A visitor to see you, ma’am,” the woman said, and gestured for Adrissu to enter.
The office was perfectly mundane and would not have been out of place alongside his own office at the Academy. The woman sitting at the desk was an older human, thin as a whip and with long fingernails painted with red lacquer. Her dark hair was set in short curls around her face, which was painted with makeup, but the robes she wore were much more leisurely and casual than the rest of her appearance would suggest. She peered at Adrissu curiously for a moment, before gesturing to one of three chairs set around the room.
“Please, sit,” she said, and Adrissu sat across from her. “How can I help you, headmaster?”
“I see my reputation precedes me,” he said with a dry smile.
“I can assure you everyone in my establishment will treat you with the utmost discretion, including myself,” she said. “Ah—you can call me Madam Crowe, by the by. Pleased to meet you.”
“I don’t know how to ask this, Madam Crowe, so I will get to the point to avoid wasting anyone’s time,” Adrissu said, before he could think better of it. “I would like to buy out one of your... workers.”
