safety net. For the first month, the overmistress meets with the odalisque weekly. After that, she meets with her once a month, or sooner if an issue presents itself. The overmistress is empowered to remove any odalisque who is in emotional distress over her situation. In that case, the owner is reimbursed for the cost of the odalisque and, if the issue was not caused by his mistreatment, permitted to choose a replacement at the Maison.”
“That sounds smart. And fair.”
“In the second case--if the man changes his mind--he is permitted to return the odalisque to the Maison and choose a new one. However, only one exchange per year is permitted. We are not a short term rental service, if you catch my meaning.”
“I catch it completely.”
“The best outcome is for the odalisque and Master to bond into a cohesive, satisfying sexual unit. This can only be done with interaction and use. A Master who neglects or ignores his odalisque is likely to find himself alone. Or, to put it more directly, a cockslave must have cock.” Bastien paused. “In some cases, a secondary relationship develops with a favored friend of the Master, one with whom he frequently shares. This is permissible, particularly if the Master is traveling or busy at certain times of the year. I have even known Masters to hire ‘toys’ for their odalisques to play with in their absence.” He smiled. “I suppose it all depends on how possessive or magnanimous you are.”
Kai fiddled with one of his shirt cuffs, remembering Mason holding out an ivory card. “I can think of a few friends who wouldn’t be averse to helping me out. One of whom is a woman.”
Bastien shrugged. “A woman now and again can be a welcome adventure for an odalisque. But they are only trained for the pleasuring of males.”
Only trained for cock. So refined, and yet so nasty. Kai’s cock throbbed, bursting for release. It was actually getting kind of hard to walk. They looked in on another girl with gorgeous auburn curls, lazily primping in front of a mirror.
“Some of them are very intellectual,” Bastien said with a grin as he closed the door. “Some of them are rather more...shallow. Airheads, even. Is that not what you Americans say? Again, this is a personal preference. Some gentlemen prefer an empty head.”
Kai grimaced. “I’m not one of them.”
“What type of woman do you like?”
Kai felt put on the spot, so he just came out with the basics. “I like longish hair. I like creative women. I like nice tits but nothing fake. I like large features--big mouths, big noses. Expressive eyes. I like normal bodies, not too thin, not too fat. Maybe a little fat. I like curves. I love curves,” he amended a moment later. “I love curves a lot.”
“Come then.” Bastien led him up another stairwell to the top floor, to the last door on the left. The room was slightly smaller, but no less comfortable. The ceiling slanted down, with a window seat set back in the wall. A woman was curled up there on tufted cushions. She was in her early to mid-20s, if Kai had to guess, and she scribbled in a notebook with great concentration. As Bastien approached, she abruptly left off. “Good evening, Constance. This is Mr. Chandler.”
Constance was a fair approximation of everything Kai had just spouted off. She had long curly hair--tons of hair. Magnificent. It was hard to tell the color of her eyes in the soft light, but she had the same openness and relaxation in her face and mouth that he recognized in the other girls. But this one was too exotic looking to be pretty. She did have a big nose, and gorgeous big lips. She exuded as much sweetness as sex. She put her notebook and pen to the side, still gazing at him.
She didn’t speak. She seemed shy. She was so beautiful, so mysteriously beautiful. Why? Because of the way she looked at him in that shy, curious way? Kai forgot Bastien was even standing there until the man shifted and gestured toward her.
“If you wish