Chapter 2

Alcaeon had to admit to himself that there were plenty of sensual women worthy of his lust. He didn't deny that he wanted many of them for his personal use. He was not a jealous or uxorious sort of fellow, fixated on a single woman. He even had the occasional eye for youths.

That changed nothing about his growing attraction to Zoe. The courtesan drew him with her athletic figure. Her hair was pretty in a nearly androgynous way, but her eyes were very feminine, with their mischief and unabashed playfulness. The hetaira obviously lived for a new thrill, and her affair with Bellerophon had become dull, though the latter fact was still unknown to Alcaeon.

He wasn't so naïve that her probable interest in his potential authority and influence didn't occur to him. In any case, he could also see hints that she truly found him attractive in a unique way. He sensed that it had something to do with the idea of the perils of being a royal mistress, as well as the perks thereof.

It was also safe to say that Alcaeon didn't care. He wanted Zoe to be his lover, his first mistress, regardless of any ulterior motives that the hetaira might have. The prince knew that the women of her class tended to be a tad cynical at times, but he didn't blame them. Any woman who had to make her own life, independent of the customary duties and protections of the institutions of marriage and concubinage, would inevitably witness some of the less pleasant circumstances surrounding all things erotic. No one would shelter her from the hard knocks of life.

He was chiefly glad that she didn't become one of those courtesans who cared only for coin and luxury. He hated the idea of trying to bed a woman and having her feign pleasure in an effort to get him out of her hair. It was one thing to be jaded, quite another to be frigid. What he sought in a companion was a bedfellow motivated primarily by lust and risk. He was convinced that Zoe was such a woman.

Naturally, Alcaeon was pleased when he returned to the baths and found the courtesan in the heated pool. While most Malacanian women bathed at home and in private for reasons of custom, the hetairai were encouraged to mingle freely with men in the public bathhouses. Zoe wasn't the only woman present there. Between courtesans and regular prostitutes, not to mention slave girls, females were hardly scarce.

"Would you like to do more than bathe together, kyros?" the courtesan suggested as the prince entered the pool, despite the fact they weren't alone. Alcaeon had no doubt that others could see them approach each other and hear what she said to him. In a few days, the whole capital was likely to know that the former spy had propositioned the young lord. He simply didn't mind the gossip.

"Actually, I would. I know that others have promised you the clouds above Olympus, but I will not. I offer you no guarantees of anything but the pleasures of sexual congress. Even so, if you wish my company in bed, I desire yours as well," the prince haughtily declared. His uncle had not forbidden him to copulate with such women, so he was willing to show interest in her.

"Well, then, my lord, I propose that after our bath, we retire to the steam room. I believe that we won't notice a little more sweat on our bodies from coupling. Perhaps we can even mate again in the changing room," Zoe encouraged the youth's lust, making a point of addressing him as always by his title. Contrary to myth, courtesans generally respected their social superiors. His age was irrelevant, since he was of royal blood.

"So far, hetaira, your ideas make excellent sense," Alcaeon concurred, still in his remote and dignified tone. The lust was impossible to conceal, but it didn't detract from his inherent majesty. No one could ever mistake this boy for a commoner or even a regular noble. He was a member of the royal family, for sure.

"Thank you, kyros. I am honored by your words and interest in my humble person," Zoe answered sincerely. No matter how little she knew him as a man, the courtesan could find nothing more flattering than the amorous advances of a prince.

They soaked together quietly afterward, as both now understood each other's intent. They also embraced and even kissed now and then, further announcing their mutual fascination to any bystanders. Others might act as if they weren't paying attention, but no one fooled the pair. Rumors of a dalliance were inevitable now, but since such tales were true, there was no harm done. The reputations of both of them would improve with this affair. He would prove his virility to his peers, while she would demonstrate that she was good enough for a prince.

The mating dance continued in the steam room, as the lovers took their positions for the sexual act. Zoe, gathering more awareness of the youth's true nature, comprehended quickly that her best option was to put herself on her stomach and offer him either of her orifices for his use. The realization that her chosen paramour was such a formidable lad already not only impressed but also excited the older woman. She knew that such men would be famous in their own right. She could expect adventures and notoriety from this liaison.