Eat the Poor

XX

🍌 CW - sexual content

I had a bad feeling about the salons.

It was one of those sick apprehensions that sprouted deep in my gut and spread throughout my whole body, until my fingertips were tapping against my sides just to keep from ripping my hair out.

A thin layer of sweat covered me, but I couldn't tell how much of that was due to my nerves and how much was due to whatever substance was in my system.

Beyond the imposing salon doors, I could hear the clink of glasses, an occasional sharp cry, and the ever-present rumble of hearty laughter.

My fist lingered in the air, poised to knock but lacking the courage.

"Wait for me."

I turned back. The Marquis' blonde hair was messy, his eyes big and slightly wild, and his clothes... his clothes were all but gone.

He wore a long overcoat buttoned to conceal whatever horror he was hiding beneath. His legs were bare, his feet free of the shoes he'd worn to the ball. His slim, swanlike neck, normally covered by a dramatic jabot, was now exposed.

"What in God's name are you wearing?"

He tossed me a sly grin. "You'll see."

He brushed past me and rapped his knuckles thrice against the door. I shivered. Whatever lay on the other side couldn't possibly be good for me.

Only a few seconds passed before the knob turned. The door cracked open and revealed a masked woman dressed in gold.

Literally, only gold.

A thick golden necklace dipped between her bare breasts, on which heavy rings shaped like flowers adored each dark nipple. Two separate gold chains dangled from the lowest petals and glittered in the wavering candlelight.

"Holy Mary," I murmured.

A layered waist chain was positioned to drape diagonally from her hip to her thigh, revealing only slips of ebony skin beneath.

She had a deep, rich voice that rolled off her tongue like a clap of thunder. "Lee Lee! Come in, darling."

"Kisi." The Marquis stepped forward to kiss both her cheeks.

Like the rest of her, sleeves of gold covered both arms from wrist to elbow. Delicate golden vines snaked down the backs of her hands and decorated her fingers.

"What-" I began, suddenly struggling to recall the English language. "What in-"

I lost the ability to speak altogether as the woman stepped aside and pushed open the mahogany door.

Inside, people sprawled across every inch of the room - on sofas, on tables, up against walls, out on the floor. Some in pairs, others in groups, kissing, licking, touching all that could be touched.

The candles lining each wall were dark red. Lines of crimson wax spilled over like dripping blood.

Leo's hand grazed mine. "Come, come in."

Mystified, I stumbled after him, resisting my instincts to run. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting I realized this was far more than just a wild orgy. The costumes ranged from feathers to furs. Scents of sage and jasmine masked the smoke drifting through the air.

On one sofa, a young woman sat between two older men, white petticoat pushed up to her waist, her legs strewn over one man's lap and her brown curls loose from their once tidy updo. One of the men fondled her breasts through her tight bodice while the other's fingers disappeared between her plump thighs.