Steampunk Harlots Ch. 37

The Lady Harlot, pristine and made ready during the trip, held in the docking pattern over their new destination. On the radio, Liddy argued with traffic control.

"Listen, Lake River control! I am not setting down on the fishing docks! I am here to service the local nobility, and I can't do that if they get overwhelmed by the scent of rancid fish! So either get me a docking slip somewhere rich or I'm setting down on someone's lawn and blaming you!" Liddy paused for a breath.

Ving stood next to her, shaking her head, hands on the controls. It had been a good solid hour of screaming over the radio with several different operators. She had a good view of the city as she turned the ship in a lazy arc around it. The long river that ran through it fed into the lake the whole city surrounded before carrying on to the distant ocean. One small part of the lake had high cliffs that descended into a sandy beach as you followed the water, all around it were the most expensive houses and thus their prefered clientele. She waited in silence with Liddy as the operator was hopefully making docking arrangements.

Down the stairs, Vile and Tonna had been listening but grew bored waiting for a response.

"Why don't we just land wherever and go see the clients?" Tonna asked.

"It's not legal in most places. The ship is a safe haven where we can do whatever. So we take advantage of that. But not if the clients don't want to make the trip," Vile responded.

"Do you get a lot of clients?" Tonna inquired before clarifying. "I mean, you personally. I can't imagine either of us finding many willing men outside of that city where everyone was one of us. Foxy is at least the same basic shape as all the other women, and the others don't look that different."

"Except for the wings, gills, scales, ears, and so on. I hear you though, and I had issues at first. The thing is, there are always people who either have no standards as long as they can put themselves inside something wet, or they just happen to be attracted to you. I find it common for men of power to enjoy being with a powerful woman so they can turn off their dominant side. I'm pretty much the apex of that."

"Yes, but not me." Tonna gestured to her self. "If you take away the snake body, I'm not a robust and powerful woman. I wasn't tiny but always shorter than men and I liked it. I loved feeling overwhelmed with the bodies of my lovers."

"It doesn't really matter for clients though." Vile paused to rephrase. "I mean, just walk and talk with confidence in yourself like you probably did before and the clients will respond. Yes, the snake body and extra arms and the snake hair will bother some people. Just like my blood red skin, powerful frame, my hooves, and my horns." Vile paused to touch the horns that had grown to several inches of ivory. "But even Inky has to deal with men who don't like her skin colour. Mari, her ink. Emma, her borderline childlike appearance can go either way. Liddy's less than impressive breasts."

"I heard that!" Liddy shouted from up the stairs.

Vile grinned as if she had intentionally said the last bit loud enough. "The point is, people are weird and there are always deal breakers that have little to do with being Emberborn. So, accept that you won't be on everyone's menu like every woman on this ship has to do, and work with it. Granted, we have a 'Trixy-er' time..." Vile paused to dodge some thrown objects from the bridge. "...than most, but we can only change so much. After that, it's how we present ourselves and the interests of the clients. If we are lucky, we get men who look at us and hire us out of extreme curiosity."

"I suppose. I still wish the holy girl was able to break my curse. She said she would look into it more, but she didn't seem confident it could be broken."

"Until then, you will just have to enjoy your snake body and the advantages it affords you. I'm willing to bet those extra hands would feel amazing on my skin."

As Liddy resumed yelling over the radio, Tonna took the verbal hint and the even more obvious hint of Vile pulling the silk covering her breasts to the side. As she put her four hands on them, two gripping her flesh and two on her nipples, she felt a pair of tails sliding along her scales. She opened the scales that covered her womanhood and felt one tail tip pushing inside her body while the other teased the flesh around the penetration.

As Vile pushed her breasts into Tonnas' face, she mingled her tongue within the snake hair. It felt so smooth and the writhing snakes wrapped around her tongue gently.

Tonna couldn't wrap even her own elongated tongue around the massive breasts she was holding but nonetheless worked to cover every inch of them with her saliva. She moved her own tail to wrap around one of the legs of the demoness before returning the favour and penetrating deep inside with far more flesh than any other man had put inside her. Her smooth scales made it easy to slide in and out, even if she hadn't been wet with anticipation, but it did make the more forceful thrusts easier still.

Vile clenched fiercely as her body reacted to the vigorous climax from the hard entry into her body. Forcing in her second tail alongside the first, Vile pushed them both into the snake-woman as deep as they could penetrate, writhing about within her core. The two women held each other as their bodies spasmed in simultaneous climax.

As their bodies relaxed, they kissed, both their long tongues wrapping around each other between their mouths, Vile's totally overwhelmed by the snake tongue. When they finished, they noticed Liddy on the steps with a hand between her legs and the other holding the headset to her ear.

Liddy shrugged. "They put me on hold again."

****

Conna wasn't sure what Tonna had been doing, but as soon as they docked, she came out and laid lengthwise along the railing on the side of the ship. Now she laid, rather uncomfortably looking with her tail on alternating sides, with her head and body near the door. Her breasts barely covered by some very thin silk, she essentially put herself on display. Conna made a confused noise when Juno came out to join her on guard duty. Juno made an appreciative one at the lovely breasts basking in the sun.

"This way clients can see me, and if any get interested, I get them first. Otherwise, I just get to bask in the sun," Tonna answered without them really asking.

Conna nodded in understanding, then nudged Juno to attention as Liddy came out the door to pause and appreciate Tonna before moving on. Hannah came out next with Astra and Blaze in their combat kit to make Liddy look more important. They all spared a glance at Tonna who was resting all four of her hands on her belly in the sun. Cat followed after but failed to notice Tonna as she caught up with Liddy. The two of them were wearing expensive outfits that looked like elegant dresses, however the corsets were designed to show off a bit more skin than the style usually allowed. They wanted to look like nobility but not blend in.

****

Ving adjusted the dress Paje wore. It wasn't quite her size but the space meant for a pair of wings was ideal for showing off the ink on her back. She put some clip pins into the clothing to keep everything in place. Easy held Paje by the breasts to keep them covered as Ving did her work and smiled at Paje the whole time. It was easy for them to fall out since they only barely covered the breasts above or below. The ink on her belly was also on display.

"Alright," Ving stated oddly, her lips busy holding extra pins. "Take it off and put it back on. See if everything stays where it's supposed too."

"Um... miss?" Paje asked.

"Oh, sorry." Easy apologized and let go of her breasts.

Paje smiled, Ving laughed, and the dress dropped to the floor. Paje then picked it up and fit it back over her body.

"Perfect!" Ving exclaimed. "Everything is still in place."

"Ready to start seeing clients?" Easy asked.

"I think so. I mean, I really want to have my first time with a man."

Ving's jaw dropped, as did the pins held in her lips. "That's going to be expensive for some lucky bastard."

****

Hannah stood with the escorts while they watched Liddy and Cat flit about the forum talking with the nobility. There wasn't a conventional trade hub that they could have posted to or at least one the nobility visited, so they resorted to casual mention. She watched as both Liddy and Cat expertly enticed and dealt with any unkind words with class and grace. It wasn't long before everyone was murmuring about them. Unfortunately, the local duke was ill and not receiving visitors. They would have to resort to spinning rumours with any clients who visit the ship and hope word made it back to the Duke.

As they made their way to leave, an arriving aristocrat noticed them. He made a quick glance downwards and an approving smile when he saw Hannah. At first, she thought he had been staring at her breasts, though to be fair, he probably did, but he had settled on her weapon. She touched Astra to let her know she was hanging back and waited until the man felt comfortable enough to approach her after the others left.

"You are the only one here with a weapon that isn't polished gold or whatnot," he commented by way of introduction.

"It's seen its share of use but it's clean, it works, and it's always loaded," Hannah replied. She liked how the man seemed to appreciate the fact.

"Are you available for hire?" he asked, taking a quick glance down again, but only so far as her breasts.

****

Inky stood face to face with the bodyguard who had been a full head taller than her but was now bent over slightly from the strike she had delivered to his gut. Normally, bodyguards stayed on the docks, but this one had insisted on joining his master. That was typically

allowed as long as they went aboard unarmed. So far, he and his master refused to disarm for their stay. He was about to threaten Inky when he heard the sound of a machine gun having its action worked, charging the weapon for firing. Laurel had it resting on the railing, aimed at him, in a blatant display of overkill. Conna and Juno already had their rifles aimed at him.

It looked just about ready to go completely wrong when Liddy arrived back on the docks. She took in the scene at a glance and understood exactly what was wrong. After walking up the ramp, she put herself between the bodyguard and Inky - who took a step back.

"Sir, if your bodyguard wants to commit suicide, there is a perfectly acceptable cliff nearby that would prevent him from getting his blood on my ship," Liddy addressed the noble.

He started to reply in a condescending tone, "Listen, Captain, I-"

"Lady Captain, Sir. You would do well not to speak down to me."

Her retort surprised him, but finally addressing someone of 'his own class' seemed to calm him. "I would like my bodyguard to accompany me on this ship."

"That is acceptable, he may enter, but his weapons will not. The last group of armed men who boarded my ship did not survive the attempt. Neither will he."

The noble looked between Inky and his man before finally nodding to Liddy. He indicated his bodyguard to surrender his weapons. After the angry man handed them to Juno, he followed his master inside the ship, keeping his angry glare on Inky. The noble noticed this and got a smirk on his face.

"I find bodyguards who get humiliated to be difficult to trust." The noble stated as he turned to face Liddy again. "How much for him to take some time with... her" He gestured to Inky.

The bodyguard looked at his lord in surprise before getting an angry grin on his face as he looked back at Inky.

Liddy drew a deep breath, having had quite enough of the man and was almost ready to throw him off when she felt Inky pinch her bum to covertly stall her. She paused long enough to hear Inky whisper through gritted teeth, "Angry sex," in a lighter, interested tone.

"Quite a lot more than if you were to have her. Between your attitude thus far and the fact she's on duty-"

Liddy was barely done alluding to there being a whole list of reasons to increase the price when he interrupted. "How much?"

Liddy smiled wickedly as his pride committed him to whatever price she decided to give him.

****

Hannah didn't have extremely high standards when it came to drinking, but she could recognize the good stuff when she had it. The man had insisted on treating her to a fine meal before discussing business. Of all the things the wealthy did while conducting business, it was one she certainly approved of. The food was fantastic and the wine matched perfectly. As they ate, he asked if the stories were true. He wanted to know about the vampire, the undead village, and even the 'snake monster' they had supposedly slain.

"Actually she's a lovely person," Hannah countered. "She works with us now. Not a monster though, just a poor girl trying to live with a curse."

"Oh my, does she turn men to stone? Or was that untrue?"

"She can, but usually doesn't unless she has a reason. Our resident warrior priestess can break that particular magic so nobody stays stone for long."

"You seem to have a collection of strong and powerful people on your ship."

"A necessity really. We can arrive at a place and look for peaceful work and find ourselves embroiled in danger. Middle of the palace where the Duke of the capitol lives, we were attacked by waves of vampire thralls. It's really surprising how often these things happen when we don't even go looking for them."

"Well, trouble does seem to fall on those who seek to avoid it." His voice trailed off as he considered how to convey he understood her feelings. "But I digress, I have need of your..." he considered his words. "...talents."

Hannah could tell his eyes were firmly set on her breasts, "Something we certainly have a great many of," she responded, also thinking of breasts.

"There is a house, not so far from here. A... party of sorts is going on and I think a collection of women with weapons might be just what is needed."

"You like soldier-girls for this job?"

"Well, I'm certainly not going to hire armed men for it!" he shouted as he shook his head before taking a drink with a smile.

"Well, I'm sure we can oblige. If the price is right."

He slid a paper across the table, "This is what I offered the last lot."

Hannah blushed at the number, it was serious money you would expect for a mercenary contract. "Big party, then, eh?"

He nodded, again his eyes on her breasts.

"Well, it looks like we might be able to do business." Hannah signed 'The crew of the Lady Harlot'. "Your signature?"

Hannah offered the paper back and he extended his hand. Instead of passing it over to him, she held it in her teeth and crawled over the table, pushing plates and glasses aside. On all fours, she offered a much better view of her breasts as he took the paper from her mouth.

"You already signed, this won't increase the pay," he stammered, trying to sign his own name quickly.

"You'd think that, but there are other rewards than financial, and I don't want to wait until after the job is done."

As soon as he shook the pounce from the paper, Hannah grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in for a kiss. He snapped his fingers and one of the attendants drew the curtain around the table. The music that had been playing softly picked up a bit in volume, but it couldn't hide the sounds of crashing plates as the man joined Hannah on the table.

He was surprised that her breasts were suddenly revealed, but didn't stop to ponder the intricacies of her uniform. Instead, he gripped them tightly and licked as she slowly dribbled wine on them for him to slurp up.

Hannah was thankful their meal had called for a white wine rather than a red that would have stained her uniform. Before she could strip it off, she ducked his head under her skirt and as she knelt on the table, she could feel his tongue displaying far more talent than most men could claim. Her moans forced the band that was playing to again increase in volume. The privacy offered by the establishment they were in was only really geared towards keeping business deals quiet. Not the cacophony of sexual expression that was starting.

It only occurred to Hannah that she might have wanted to know the name of the man, and she was sure he had introduced himself, but between the drink and the sensation between her legs, she couldn't remember. Instead, she stripped the rest of her clothing off and saw the face of the man buried in her flesh. She squealed as her body gave out a short climax that surprised her. Falling back onto the food and the flowers that had been decorating the table, her new friend realised he had succeeded.

He crawled on top of her after quickly stripping off his shirt and trousers while he watched her writhe, covered in food. Slowly he worked his way up her thighs, to the hot flesh between her legs that still ached for more, and up her body to clean her breasts before kissing Hannah again. He kept the kiss and stared her in the eyes as he pushed himself inside her. The hard moan she let out went into his mouth as he put his tongue in to find hers.

Hannah wrapped her legs around him as he thrust deep into her body as the table shook. The hard kiss he kept on her did a little to keep her quiet, but she didn't doubt that everyone knew what was going on. To her, the thrill wasn't that he was surprisingly good at sex so much as that he had always seemed a bit awkward while talking to her. That was a man most women would have passed on could offer so much enthusiasm once he finally got past his social inabilities. She felt his seed explode inside her body as he, rather predictably, didn't last long. Yet her own body reciprocated with another climax. For her, the satisfaction was the experience of the hidden gem of a man inside her.

****

Tonna didn't know quite how to feel. On one hand, her display on the railing had gotten her hired by one of the first men to arrive at the ship before Liddy had even started spreading the word. On another hand, the man had called her names and treated her poorly as he penetrated her snake body. On her third hand, he had been kind and polite before and after, so it felt like he had wanted to act that way as much as have sex with her. On the fourth hand, it just hadn't been as satisfying an experience as she would have liked.

"It happens," Emma said softly from the hallway as she adjusted her underwear through her dress. "Some just like being able to have a girl they can treat like shit with no consequences. Not that they face much of that off this ship but they seem to think they do."

"I think part of it might just be that I expected something more fulfilling for my first time with a client. Ya know? Leave the bad sex for after."

"I hear that, though 'Wow, this is way better.' sex is also fun. The first man at any port kind of sets the expectations of the rest. At least for a bunch of us. So try not to let it get you down."

"I suppose, it was nice just having a man inside me."

Emma smiled and nodded in understanding. "Come on, Inky is getting with a disgruntled bodyguard and it should be fun to check out. They are using one of the quick fuck rooms and we can spy on them from the other."

****

Juno had locked up the bodyguard's weapons and let Harriot take her place at the door. She watched Inky take him into one of the lower rooms and went around to go into the other lower room. She quietly opened the door and saw Tonna using her snake body to lift herself high enough to make use of the movable panel that Emma, held in her arms, was

opening. Juno quickly closed the door and sighed. She had wanted to watch Inky but didn't want anyone to see her enjoying the show.