Steampunk Harlots Ch. 30

****

Liddy tried to ignore the new sign on her door as she led her new friend into her bedroom. She bristled at the name, regretting ever letting it slip. If the woman noticed, she didn't say anything. Holding her by the hand, she guided her to sit on the bed. Liddy was a bit nervous, being another woman's first - but the woman in question was a great deal more apprehensive about the whole thing.

"Please, take deep breaths," Liddy soothed.

"Right." The woman did so. "I do need to calm myself."

"Actually," Liddy leaned in closer to whisper, "It pushes out your breasts when you do, and I love it."

The woman gasped softly and shuddered a bit as she exhaled, but took another deep breath afterwards. Liddy smiled as she watched her breasts strain against her dress, knowing that if she was having second thoughts, she'd have done something else. She put her hand on her opposing hip to pull her close for a kiss. The tentative touch of their lips slowly evolved into a tight press before it softened and their mouths opened. Another breath shuddered from the woman as she felt Liddy's tongue press against her own. She had never tasted such passion from any kiss before in her life.

"Now that we have been properly introduced, my name is Liddy."

"Oh, that's not what the sign said."

"That's my given name, that I regretfully uttered within earshot of my crew."

"Oh, I liked it. Mine is Beth, rather plain."

"You can call me whatever you like."

"Kiss me, Trixy, kiss me again."

Liddy leaned in for another kiss, her hand moving up from the hip to the side of her chest so her arm was across the woman's breasts. Slowly, she pulled her arm back until her hand held Beth by her breast and gently squeezed it through the dress. Liddy felt another shudder in the woman as the grip tightened and smiled, still kissing as Beth lifted her leg over hers.

Beth lowered herself so that she was almost sitting on Liddy's leg, facing her, kissing harder to push Liddy onto her back. Liddy was thrilled as Beth pushed herself on top of her, slightly pushing her away with both hands firmly on her breasts. The kiss was only broken when Beth begun to kiss her cheek and then nip at her neck. Liddy could feel the unshackled desire from her, as though finally being able to make love like she wanted. Beth moved lower as Liddy gasped at the soft bites moving down from her neck and along her exposed skin to her breasts. When they were pulled free Beth shuddered again, looking at Liddy for permission before putting her tongue to them. Liddy felt the strong muscle running along her breasts, covering them with saliva and teasing her skin. Beth closed her mouth over one of the nipples, biting it slightly before pressing on it with the tongue. She felt her suck on them hard before flicking them with the tip of her tongue.

"You thought you needed instruction. You were wrong." Liddy gasped, running her hands through Beth's hair.

"I'm just doing what I've always wanted for myself," Beth replied, switching her attention to the other breast, while still teasing the slick wet one with her fingers.

"Show me everything you have ever wanted."

****

Ving heard knocking on the side of her racer. "Go away!"

"I never was good at taking orders," she heard Hannah reply.

Ving unlocked the door and shoved it open to admit Hannah, who locked it closed after getting inside. Hannah pulled her to sit between her legs, leaning her back against her chest. There, Hannah just held her until she was ready to speak.

"What have you been drinking?" Ving asked, after sniffing the strong liquor on Hannah's breath.

"Bartender suggested it, something about killing taste buds. Though probably for different reasons than what I needed it for."

"You didn't ask about the man at the bar. Or about why I'm locked in here."

"I don't need to ask anything to know you are protecting yourself. I'm just here to back you up. Doesn't matter if it means drawing a weapon or holding you tight. If you want to say something or nothing, I'll listen to both."

"I thought I was better at dealing with this."

"You are. Doesn't mean you are done dealing with it. That's why people make friends. To help us deal with the things we haven't figured out yet. Though, I will suggest that you only shoot people who deserve it. Not just anyone in general."

"Yeah, I know. Kind of bothersome just how frequently it still happens."

"Thankfully, it would be bad if it wasn't bothersome."

"True, I don't think anyone should enjoy killing anyone else, even if they deserve it."

"Sometimes I think I do, but it always feels bitter. Actually, it feels great if you just beat them senseless and let them live. Killing is too final, I like it when they learn they were wrong to cross you. Or in your case, race against you. Though I suppose there's the thrill of the race, I guess that's what makes it a sport."

"Did you just segue from my problems to my passion?"

"Yes, your race starts soon and I want to see my bitch win."

"Stop staring at my chest and get out."

Hannah pulled Ving's head back for a kiss while she gripped her breasts tightly before getting out of the racer and letting her take off.

****

"Harder, Trixy! Please!" Beth called out.

Liddy knew better than to actually go harder, but picked up the pace instead. She didn't want to get as enthusiastic as she would with Mari or someone more experienced as she worked her fingers inside the woman. Beth had already climaxed twice, but Liddy wanted a third to match the number she had received. She rubbed herself on Beth's thigh while working her hand between the bare legs. Liddy had her other hand gripped to her breast with Beth holding it in place with hers, while the other grabbed the headboard.

"Trixy!" Beth screamed as she finally let loose her third climax.

Liddy slowed her pace down to tease and extend the climax until Beth was finally ready to relax. They took their time to catch their breath. Liddy rested on top of Beth, off to the side, with her ear on her chest to listen to the strong heartbeat.

They said their goodbyes as Liddy walked her off the ship, happy and content. It didn't last.

"Trixy!" Hannah screamed, moaning in pleasure with her legs spread while sitting on the floor in front of her room where she had obviously been waiting for some time.

"I'd ask how long you have been there, but I think I'd rather tell you to shut up."

"I'll answer the question instead," Hannah replied as she got to her feet. "Only a few minutes. Just saw Ving getting ready to race and came to invite you to the deck pool to watch. Got you some swimwear."

Liddy caught the bundle Hannah tossed her and took the sign off her door to toss back. Hannah held onto it as she watched Liddy strip back out of the dress she had just put on and slip on the swimwear.

"It's missing pieces," Liddy stated, looking at herself in the mirror. "There are no leggings or sleeves."

The tight yellow fabric hugged her figure pleasingly but Liddy knew that wasn't normal either. Not that she or any of the other girls would have minded, but it would get a scandalous amount of attention from everyone who saw her.

"What's wrong with that? I always hated all the extra crap we have to wear. Mari... um... 'talked' the tailor into taking off any unnecessary bits. By the end, there was just the one piece under everything, so that's what we are going with."

****

Ving knew the time trial was important, but to her the time didn't matter so much as learning the course. Each racer got one lap before the race and she took her time to get it right. Noting when she had to burn hard and when to set up more complex manoeuvres. The track was a series of floating rings that she and the other racers would have to pass through. Missing one added time and hitting one would cause serious damage. Of course, the rules worked with this fact and that any destroyed rings got taken out of the track and forced everyone to adapt. The worst race for that, that she herself had been in, saw a quarter of the rings taken out before the end. Ving was flying through a pair of rings kept close to the ship to force a flyover when she lost control for a moment before recovering and almost hitting the second ring.

****

"Yup," Hannah stated. "She saw us."

"Holy fuck!" Leira blurted out. "I didn't think she'd almost crash!"

Hannah shook her head. The vibrant green swimsuit she was wearing, the same colour as Ving's hair, had definitely caught her eye. Of course, she also wondered if it had been any of the others. Leira wore one that sparkled like her scales, Easy had a hot shade of pink, and Vile wore pure white to match Inky. None of the other guests had notice Ving's mistake at all, busy as they were watching the harlots.

Everyone, aside from Foxy and Astra who requested to be the ones to guard the ship, was on the deck or in the pool. Mari sat at the bar she had swum up to in the pool and chatted up a man who was buying her a drink. It was weird for her hair to be slicked back like it was from the water instead of the elaborate displays she tried to make with it. Emma was having fun splashing water at Easy, who had her wings folded to make swimming easier, with her spectral hand from random directions. The soldier girls seemed to be having a lot of fun being able to swim freely, and the men watching them certainly didn't mind the activity.

"I've seen all these women naked," Liddy spoke up. "Why are they so damned desirable in clothing?"

"Because we are lustful harlots and would be turned on even if they wore full ball gowns. Also, being close to something we want and not quite having it is the whole point of teasing. We like being teased."

"I know, but damn, Hope in that sky blue... " she trailed off, staring at Hope float on her back.

Hannah had to agree with Liddy as she joined her in watching Hope relax on the water, relaxing despite the others around her splashing. She looked up again as another racer passed over, this one missing the second ring entirely. "I want to say I planned this, but I think we just gave Ving an edge in this race."

****

Ving almost didn't make it back in time. After her time trial, she had landed at the Lucky Harlot and taken off quickly after getting what she needed. Now, while waiting for the last few racers to get into position, she furiously worked the vibrating tool between her legs until she forced out a climax as quickly as she could.

"Ready!" she called out when the announcer called for 'The Easy Lay'.

On the deck, Hannah shook her head when she heard her response, knowing Ving's post-climax voice and hearing the buzzing in the background that certainly didn't sound like normal static.

Ving switched it off and got herself ready to race, her focus back on task, determined not to look at the deck pool when she flew by it. Her time had been poor during the trial, but not as bad as some who had gained extra time for missing the second ship ring and being thrown off for the rest of the track. She tested her wires and watched the first, ring intently focused on keeping her engine primed for a quick burn.

The first ring, its passage blocked by a fabric seal with a coat of arms on it, was blocking the two dozen racers until the seal went up in flames. The fast burning material was ash in the few moments it took for the first racer to pass through it. Ving jumped three positions before passing through it herself as some of the other racers were just too slow to start. This was the moment her time trial had paid for. She knew what angles to take each ring with to lead to the next. Those behind her got bogged down, the first ring being mandatory to fly through during every lap and so many trying to get through at once. She had bumped someone on her way through, but she had put a steel plate on the bottom of her hull for exactly that purpose.

The first few rings were easy, to give everyone a false sense of confidence before a sudden twist downwards towards the water. She was already starting her turn when she passed through the ring. Others went by her as she braked - but that meant they had a harder time shifting their momentum towards the water. She went down, slightly away from the next ring, hovering over the water, until she flipped her racer and pulled up hard. It was a slower turn, almost needlessly so, but it meant she would pass through the ring without having to skim the water after, slowing her even more. Ving tore through the ring and accelerated past all those who thought they had left her behind.

When it came to flying over the ship again, she grinned as the racer in front of her had fumbled while trying to angle his ship to get a good view rather than get through the ring properly. She passed him where she knew he wasn't looking, and got through before he tore off a wing trying not to miss it. Her own wings were doing fine, though she already had a lever to pull if she lost one. The mirrors in her cockpit she had spent hours setting up just right were helpful in spotting anyone approaching her from behind so she could cut them off when she could.

What really had tricked her during the time trial was the pair of rings that appeared like a figure-eight as you approached. She had missed the one, like everyone else, but this time she took the high angle and approached inverted. In an odd quirk of the rules, it didn't matter what direction you passed through any ring but the lap ring. So sliding through the far edge of the top ring, then pulling up hard to make it through the bottom ring, and trying not to hit anything, counted. Again, she was thankful for the steel plate on her hull that she had put there, only this time it hadn't been a planned use. Twisting her racer again, she righted herself to get the next ring, taking longer than others, but without the added time, she came out further ahead.

The lap ring was ahead and she was lining herself up for it when two racers nudged wings and both tried to give way to the other when they slammed into the ring itself. They tore it apart and lost control. Racers were tough and Ving figured the pilots would be fine, but the lap gate was gone. Of course, it happened so often that spares were kept, usually as many spares as there were laps. Ving saw the replacement ring rising from its horizontal resting place and dove through it and the other spares before it had been made upright. Normally, racers had to wait since most lap rings were on the ground but since everything was free floating in the air, she took advantage of the others habitual waiting.

Her second lap, she saw others attempting her own manoeuvres, though with less success than her for the most part. Again, someone clipped the second ship ring while trying to look at the deck. Ving wondered if Hannah had planned that. Ving made it through the figure-eight again but without touching it and smiled at her achievement. Most would just take the added time and not risk it. The new lap ring was in place for her second pass through it.

The third and final lap, there was no second ship ring, its lights had been doused and it had been lowered. The figure-eight gates were both broken when she approached them again, she passed through the one that still had its lights on. There were three other racers that passed the lap gate before her while the sparklers on the gate signalled the finish line. She followed them through and then went to circle the ship with the other finishing racers as the rest joined them.

Ving felt good, it had been a long time since she had finished, or even raced, and the rush of endorphins flooding her system were almost as good as after a round of fun with Hannah. She was eying her lovely redhead on deck when she heard the announcer call out first place. Ving didn't recognize the name but it wasn't a league race so it didn't surprise her.

"At only point seven seconds behind first place, Miss Ving has claimed second place!"

Ving was lucky that flying was an unconscious act for her because her conscious self was dumbstruck. She had counted fourth place, assuming those in front were the ones good enough to have done the figure-eight as well. Fourth place would have been her best finish ever, never mind being behind first by less than a second. She looked over to see Hannah jumping wildly into the air on the deck, suggesting that she hadn't been imagining the placement.

****

Vile watched Hannah holler and cheer into the sky, proud of her girl and weeping with joy. She turned to Inky who was floating next to her in the water.

"Did we have something to do with that?" Vile asked, looking at her massive breasts straining against her swimsuit.

"I think maybe. They all did seem to make a mess of their flyovers. Amateurs! My money is on the ones who didn't being either military or former," she responded.

****

Ving exited her racer to the excited cheers of the spectators on the dock. Many shouted words welcoming her back to racing. She even gave signatures to a number of people as she tried to make her way through the crowd. Foxy and Astra pushed their way through to help her out and soon she was back on the ship.

"That looked amazing! I knew you raced, but didn't know you were at that level!" Astra shouted.

"Honestly, even I didn't know. Everything just clicked and I used every trick I ever learned," Ving responded, shaking her head.

"That and maybe what everyone is wearing on the pool deck?" Foxy asked.

"Oh, well of course that!" Ving laughed.

"If you want to get changed for whatever formal thing winners do, do that, but put this on under it."

Astra handed Ving a vibrant red swimsuit that matched Hannah's hair. She stripped out of her clothing right away to try it on and twirled in front of the girls. They both nodded their approval before Ving went down to her room to put on some clothing over top.

"So..." Astra lead.

"Inky's bed," Foxy replied, rushing off with Astra.

****

Ving was lead up on deck to meet and greet the Lord Captain as well as the other racers - including the first placer. He and the others seemed surprised to see her. They were even more surprised when Hannah ran up on stage to kiss her by leaping into her arms and wrapping her legs around her. When they were finally finished, the Lord Captain handed her a gold chest with her winnings and offered an approving nod, matched by his wife.

"One could argue that the display on the deck pool was an unfair distraction," one of the other racers stated.

Hannah and Ving looked at him, a level glare until he spoke again.

"Unfair, unless you intended to introduce us? To them?" He made no attempt to hide his hopeful look.

"Racer party in the pool!" Ving shouted, almost ripping off her top as she did so.

Everyone cheered, and she was already down to her swimsuit before getting off the stage, Hannah holding her winnings and clothing as they walked off towards the pool.

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