so some of the things she'd brought might be considered risqué, but they weren't trashy. Jerk! She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. She refused to feel ashamed about her clothing. She glanced at what Hades was wearing. For a King, he wasn't exactly the height of fashion.
Hades led her past the Great Hall. "We take meals in there and hold important meetings. If you prefer to eat in your room, notify the food preparers." He kept walking, but not before she caught a glimpse of the deep furrows marring the door. "Most of the doors you see lead to guard quarters and strategy rooms." His grip on her tightened as they passed several warriors in the hall.
Taylor was surprised by his reaction, but didn't show it. Maybe being single here really was a big deal. "Where are they going?" She used her free hand to point to the retreating guards.
"Shift change." He tracked their movements with his eyes and didn't stop until they were out of sight. "What did you do on your planet?" he asked, when they were gone.
Taylor felt her face flush. It had to be from the exertion of fleeing. No way was she embarrassed. She'd never been embarrassed about how she made a living. Sure, there'd been times in the beginning, but after the first year of dancing her nerves had past. Maybe it was because the question was coming from a King. She thought about lying, but quickly dismissed the idea. He'd find out eventually.
"I was a dancer,” she said. “An exotic dancer."
Hades frowned in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"Do you know what dancing is on Earth?" she asked. It would be hard to explain, if he didn't.
He nodded. "Yes, but moving to various rhythms seems quite foolish. The movements don't have meaning and cannot possibly help one in battle," he said.
Taylor sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. "There are all kinds of dances on Earth. Some are for pleasure, some are for competition, and then there's the kind I do, which involves taking my clothes off." She swallowed hard. "For money."
Hades froze. Something akin to disappointment flashed in his eyes before he suppressed it. He didn't say a word. He just continued to stare.
She'd shocked a King. For the first time in a long time, Taylor felt... ashamed . She tried to explain, but every time the words came out it only seemed to make the situation worse. Hades’ expression grew darker and darker, until Taylor felt her eyes burn. She would not cry. Would not cry. Not here. Not in front of him.
What kind of reaction had she expected from Hades? A King wouldn't know anything about needing to survive or fit in. His social network was built-in on the day of his birth.
"I did what I had to do. I will not apologize for my actions," she said.
Hades' granite expression didn’t even crack, when he said, "Linx did not tell me that you were a sex companion."
He thought she was a whore. This was nothing new. A lot of people thought the same thing over the years, but none of the accusations hurt as bad as it had coming from Hades. Taylor gritted her teeth and tried to calm down, tried to ease the pain.
"I am not a sex companion . I get paid to take my clothes off and dance. That's it!" She used her hands to slash the air for emphasis. "No sex! Just dance!"
Hades didn't look like he believed her, but he didn't say anymore. He simply grabbed her hand and continued on. They strolled out a side door into a large courtyard. Wooden swords, shields, and a ton of other equipment Taylor didn't recognize hung on hooks that had been bolted to the stone. Several large poles lined the wall.
"This is where we train. One of the places anyway." He glanced at her body. It was obvious that he was thinking about what she'd just told him. "You don't really need this area."
That's right, what would a whore need with a workout area? Taylor glared at him. Did he think she got this body by sitting on her ass?
No, he thought she obtained it by lying on her back.
Kings were supposed to be
Hades led her past the Great Hall. "We take meals in there and hold important meetings. If you prefer to eat in your room, notify the food preparers." He kept walking, but not before she caught a glimpse of the deep furrows marring the door. "Most of the doors you see lead to guard quarters and strategy rooms." His grip on her tightened as they passed several warriors in the hall.
Taylor was surprised by his reaction, but didn't show it. Maybe being single here really was a big deal. "Where are they going?" She used her free hand to point to the retreating guards.
"Shift change." He tracked their movements with his eyes and didn't stop until they were out of sight. "What did you do on your planet?" he asked, when they were gone.
Taylor felt her face flush. It had to be from the exertion of fleeing. No way was she embarrassed. She'd never been embarrassed about how she made a living. Sure, there'd been times in the beginning, but after the first year of dancing her nerves had past. Maybe it was because the question was coming from a King. She thought about lying, but quickly dismissed the idea. He'd find out eventually.
"I was a dancer,” she said. “An exotic dancer."
Hades frowned in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"Do you know what dancing is on Earth?" she asked. It would be hard to explain, if he didn't.
He nodded. "Yes, but moving to various rhythms seems quite foolish. The movements don't have meaning and cannot possibly help one in battle," he said.
Taylor sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. "There are all kinds of dances on Earth. Some are for pleasure, some are for competition, and then there's the kind I do, which involves taking my clothes off." She swallowed hard. "For money."
Hades froze. Something akin to disappointment flashed in his eyes before he suppressed it. He didn't say a word. He just continued to stare.
She'd shocked a King. For the first time in a long time, Taylor felt... ashamed . She tried to explain, but every time the words came out it only seemed to make the situation worse. Hades’ expression grew darker and darker, until Taylor felt her eyes burn. She would not cry. Would not cry. Not here. Not in front of him.
What kind of reaction had she expected from Hades? A King wouldn't know anything about needing to survive or fit in. His social network was built-in on the day of his birth.
"I did what I had to do. I will not apologize for my actions," she said.
Hades' granite expression didn’t even crack, when he said, "Linx did not tell me that you were a sex companion."
He thought she was a whore. This was nothing new. A lot of people thought the same thing over the years, but none of the accusations hurt as bad as it had coming from Hades. Taylor gritted her teeth and tried to calm down, tried to ease the pain.
"I am not a sex companion . I get paid to take my clothes off and dance. That's it!" She used her hands to slash the air for emphasis. "No sex! Just dance!"
Hades didn't look like he believed her, but he didn't say anymore. He simply grabbed her hand and continued on. They strolled out a side door into a large courtyard. Wooden swords, shields, and a ton of other equipment Taylor didn't recognize hung on hooks that had been bolted to the stone. Several large poles lined the wall.
"This is where we train. One of the places anyway." He glanced at her body. It was obvious that he was thinking about what she'd just told him. "You don't really need this area."
That's right, what would a whore need with a workout area? Taylor glared at him. Did he think she got this body by sitting on her ass?
No, he thought she obtained it by lying on her back.
Kings were supposed to be
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