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"Yes, Ela, you do," I teased, shooing him away. "It's Maela's first time in the temple. Don't terrorize her."
He chuckled, but did head back to the table with the guys. Shalsa just ducked her head into her hands and laughed. Amerlee was only a moment later. Beside me, Irila shook her head at his antics, but Maela looked a little confused.
"What did I miss?" she asked.
"Eladehl!" Amerlee groaned. "I'm pretty sure he couldn't take having a woman in the room who hadn't noticed him."
"He is rather fantastic," Maela breathed, leaning a bit to see him again before he sat down.
"That's Nari's partner," Shalsa explained. "And he's already earned himself a reputation as a charmer. He'll make an amazing Priest of the Body once he finishes his education."
"He's still in school?" she asked.
I nodded. "We have two years of intermediate training to teach us how to handle assignments. Believe it or not, the temple prepares us better than most families do their sons and daughters."
"You mean..." She leaned forward and dropped her voice. "Sex?"
"Among other things," I agreed. "Sometimes, it's as innocent as being a public date to a ball or function. Helping our patron navigate the scene. Other times it's sex, or offering our bodies for abuse."
"You mentioned that," Maela said. "I still don't understand why."
Amerlee patted her arm. "I have a patron," she began, "who I see once a month. His wife is supposedly a shrew. She rants at him for coming home late from work, for ignoring her, or for holding his tea cup wrong. He's typically a passive man, but eventually, the strain builds up. Before he snaps, he requests me to come over, take the place of his wife..." She reached up to touch her hair. "We're both redheads, you see. And then he says the things he only thought of after. Often, he slaps me. Usually, he wants to see me cry. It gives him a safe space to vent."
"What do you get out of it?" Maela asked. "I'm sorry if that is a rude question, but I honestly don't understand."
"Well..." Amerlee licked her lips and glanced at me. I nodded to encourage her, so she pushed out a breath and continued. "We do this because it's safer than allowing him to abuse or possibly kill his wife. I get pleasure from subservience. I don't mean laundry, either. I like my partners in bed to be forceful and controlling. I don't mind a slap on the rump. To me, it's exciting. It makes me feel as if my partner desires me so much they can't keep control. Sessions like that are easier for me, and sometimes even a turn-on."
"And they tip," Irila added. "The proper term is tithe, but the patrons think of it as a tip. The more aggressive it is, the more they're willing to spend. That allows Amerlee to buy her own things."
"And your..." Maela's brow creased. "I suppose a priestess wouldn't have a husband."
"Partner," Amerlee told her. "That's the person we share a physical connection with. The closest thing to a spouse. For me..." She tipped her head to Shalsa. "It's her."
"But..." Maela quickly looked at Shalsa, then reached up to scrub at her face in the least lady-like gesture I'd ever seen her make. "I thought you had sex with Thiemo!"
"I do," Shalsa told her. "I happen to be attracted to both men and women. Amerlee, however, prefers mostly women. There are a few men she can tolerate, but she's not really attracted to their bodies."
"And you?" Maela asked me.
"I happen to like mostly men," I admitted. "It seems that I'm very picky about women, because I haven't yet found one who I desire."
So Maela looked at Irila. "And you?"
"I'm a guardian," Irila told her, "so I don't practice the temptation of the flesh in that manner. I do, however, find both men and women appealing. I love Shalsa with all my heart. She's been paired with Amerlee for..."
"A decade, at least," Amerlee said.
"And I've grown attached to her as well. Then there's Jamik, her guardian. He's a very handsome man, but I love him based on his mind, not simply his body."
"That's..." Maela just laughed. "I feel like I can't even finish a whole sentence! I've never imagined anything like this! When they warned me that the Temple of Temptation was crass, this wasn't at all what I envisioned. It sounds more like a family - albeit a rather complicated one."
"It is," I assured her. "My situation is almost the complete opposite of theirs. I'm the only woman while Eladehl is my partner on the Path of the Body. Talin is my guardian. And the rather large man at the table beside us? That's Eladehl's guardian. The three of them live with me, help me dress, pick my clothes, and such. Wraythe is only attracted to women - he'd say only to me if you asked him. Talin and Eladehl, however, have formed a relationship, and I have one with each of them as well. Family is the word I use for it, since I don't have a better one."
"Do you love them?" she asked.
Every instinct in my body wanted to say yes, but I knew that wasn't quite what she was asking. Maela was trying to make our world fit into the boundaries she knew. It didn't, and probably never would. The trick would be explaining this in a way that didn't scare her off forever.
"Each one of them is different," I explained. "Wraythe is like my rock. I know he will always be the same. Eladehl, though, is the complete opposite. He's the spontaneous and fun one. The man who makes me feel like I'm on top of the world. Then there's Talin, and he always makes me feel as if I'm safe. It doesn't matter if I am or not, he makes me feel as if I always will be."
