Chapter 6 – Giving a Helping Hand

The next day, I woke to find Ethel knocking. I opened the door and leaned against the jamb, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “This is a bit early for a wakeup call, Ethel. How can I help you?”

The stately elf sniffed her disdain. “You needn’t tell me it’s too early. The last thing I want is to be up in these hills before the sun is even properly over the horizon. I need your help, Mr. Jack.”

“Well, sure. How can I help you?”

“My daughter’s been driving me to distraction, always mooning out the window and letting her duties slip. She hasn’t stopped talking about you, so maybe you can convince her to focus.”

“I don’t know that she would trust me more than you,” I shrugged, “but sure. I’ll talk to her.”

“Oh, good. Just… I don’t know. Whip her into shape, if you can.”

I hid my grin before Ethel could see it. “I’m sure we can find an arrangement that works for everyone.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jack. That’s a load off my mind. I looked forward to having Kitana focused and working hard again. It’s important for her career that she develop a good work ethic.”

Ethel left and I watched her go, already thinking of things to do to Kitana. I didn’t think they would result in her working harder, but maybe I could get her to focus more.

I headed down to town after my morning swim. The villagers bustled around, going about their daily lives. Any attention they paid to me was to give me cheerful smiles or friendly waves. Down by the south side of town, I saw Tamara walking toward me.

Our eyes met, and Tamara slammed to a halt. She stared at me, then she turned and ran. I saw her duck into the blacksmith’s and I snorted a laugh. Part of me wanted to be a fly on that wall when she tried explaining to the smith why she was there.

Instead, I turned and headed into the furniture shop. Tina was puttering around, dusting the furniture in the display windows. She had her leather apron on, loaded with tools, and wore a short, bright blue sundress beneath. Her long golden hair was pulled up to one side and pinned in place with a jeweled flower pin. She wore heeled sandals that added a few inches to her height and made the slim muscle in her calves flex. I rapped my knuckle on the wall.

“Morning, Tina.”

She looked up and gave me a brilliant smile. “Mr. Jack! How did your furniture project turn out? I’m sorry I ran out on you before we got it done. My head’s all muddly! I can’t seem to remember what it was we were building.”

“That’s okay. It was a bench. Turned out just fine.”

“Oh, that’s good. Maybe sometime I could come by and see it. People’s first attempts at designing furniture are always so fascinating to me!”

“That could be fun. You’re welcome to come by whenever you like.”

“Okay! What can I help you with today, Mr. Jack?”

“Well, I know you make furniture, but do you do any woodcarving too?”

“I dabble, but it’s not really the thing I’m best at. What do you need? A sculpture?”

“Nah, nothing so complicated. It’s actually pretty straightforward. Do you have something I could draw on?”

“Sure, come to the back. How big is this thing?”

I walked beside her and held up my hands. “Three inches, maybe? Round, about an inch and a half thick.” We got to her workshop, and Tina handed me a pencil and some paper. I sketched out the shape of a butt plug and handed it back to her.

“What a curious carving. What is it for?”

“Well.” I stepped up close behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. “It’s sort of a sex thing.”

Tina twitched. She froze, then I felt her draw in a deep breath. “Mr. Jack,” she whispered. “I feel funny.”

“Why, what is it, Tina?” I grinned and ran my fingers down her bare arms.

She backed up a few inches and pressed her ass into me. I could feel myself starting to get hard and my cock pushed against the small of her back. “Master Jack… oh, Dragon. Why did I call you Master?”

I slipped my hands under her arms and into the gap between her work apron and her dress. The muscles of her stomach were taut and firm to the touch. Tina let her head fall back against my chest and looked up at me, her blue eyes big and round.

“Are you starting to remember, Tina?” I asked softly. Her breath caught as I ran my hands up her chest. Her nipples scraped against my palms, and I played with them gently.

“Oh, Master Jack! I… think I understand what this carving is for.”

“Yeah? What do you think it’s for, Tina?”

“It… goes in my butt.”

I grinned at her choice of words. Not just any butt, her butt. “I think you’ll probably want a plug larger than this. Longer, and thicker. This plug, though, isn’t for you. How long do you think it would take to carve it?”

“Maybe… five minutes?”

I let her tits go and slid my hands around to her ass. I had to bend down a bit to find the hem of her sundress, then I lifted up and cupped her bare ass cheeks with both hands. Tina let out a soft moan and rose up on the tips of her toes.

“Well, you better get started carving, then.”

Tina didn’t make any move to escape my hands. She fumbled for a short carving knife and a cut-off end of wood. I gently kneaded her ass as she whittled the block into a rough cylinder with a few quick strokes.

She was doing a good job staying focused, at least until I hooked two fingers around and pushed them up her asshole. Her grip on the knife loosened and she let out a throaty moan. I bent forward and caught the tip of her ear in my teeth.

“Focus, Tina,” I hissed, and slowly worked my fingers deeper into her.

“Oh, Dragon,” she moaned. She got a fresh grip on her knife and started narrowing the tip down.

The bell on the door to the shop chimed and I looked over my shoulder. I caught a glimpse of a head of dark hair with a white streak in it. Tamara, coming to follow up on the second half of my instructions.

Tina whimpered. “Master Jack, someone is here! Your fingers…!”

I circled my free arm around her waist and held her pressed against me. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

“Hello? Tina? Are you in?” Tamara called.

“In the back, Tamara!” I shouted back.

Tamara walked into the shop and stumbled to a halt when she saw me. I grinned at Tamara and flexed my fingers up Tina’s ass.

“Say hi, Tina,” I said.

“Good—ah! Morning, Tamara!” Tina gasped.

“Dragon, what are you doing to her, Jack?” Tamara stared.

“How did your visit to the smith go?” I ignored her question.

Tamara lifted a hand unconsciously to her chest, then flinched. “I… did as you asked.”

“Show me,” I demanded.

The older elf lifted trembling hands to her collar and slowly unbuttoned her shirt. Tina pushed back against my hand and turned her wondering eyes up to me. “What is she doing?” Tina asked.

Tamara finished unbuttoning her shirt, then pulled it open, baring her tits. A thin bronze nail had been driven through each nipple, then bent into an uneven circle. She had some spotting on the inside of her shirt, but it looked like she hadn’t bled much.

I laughed. “How did the smith react when you asked for new jewelry?”

“Ista thought it was highly amusing.” Tamara blushed furiously. “Apparently, it’s all the fashion rage among the orcs. She knew exactly what to do.”

“Oh, Dragon,” Tina gasped. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“Yes… but. I, I like it,” Tamara admitted.

“Come here, Tamara,” I grunted.

Reluctantly, Tamara came closer until she was within arm’s length. I reached out and hooked a finger through one of the bent nails. Tamara groaned and shuffled closer, trying to relieve the pressure on her nipple.

“Master Jack,” Tamara moaned. “Please, I’m doing as you asked!”

“Yeah? What is it you’re doing here, then?”

“I’m… getting a dildo made. In the shape of your dick, for my wife.”

“You hear that, Tina? Tamara needs a sex toy too.”

“Oh, Dragon,” Tina groaned. Her hips pushed rhythmically back into my hand as she tried to impale herself deeper on my fingers. “I… I can do that. I just don’t know how big to make it.”

I let go of her waist and fumbled the string on my pants loose. I pulled them down far enough to get my cock free. I spat into my hand and rubbed the saliva over the head of my dick.

“What are you doing, Master Jack?” Tina asked.

“Showing you how big it is,” I said. I bent my knees far enough to get the tip lined up with Tina’s asshole, then pushed the head inside.

Tina gasped, then let out a happy moan. “Oh, yes! Master Jack!”

Her asshole was as tight as a fist around my cock, and I slowly worked it deeper inside her. I could probably have used more lubrication, but I wasn’t about to pull out now. “Let’s play a game,” I grunted. “Tina, if you can finish carving the butt plug before I orgasm, you’ll get my cum. If I cum first, then Tamara gets to finish me off with her mouth.”

Tamara licked her lips. “Master Jack, I… please! Let me suck you!”

“No!” Tina grunted. She pushed her weight back against me, forcing my dick all the way up her ass. Her pert little apple bottom pressed against the top of my thighs. “It’s mine! Master Jack came to me first!”

“Fuck you, you little slut,” Tamara growled and grabbed for Tina’s wrists. “You have no idea how much I need it!”

“Ah ah, Tamara. You can’t touch Tina. Play nice, or you get punished instead!”

I flexed my hips up into Tina’s ass, gradually building up speed as her sphincter relaxed. Tina moaned and started carving again, cutting in the groove that would turn into the flared base. Tamara paced anxiously, her tits bouncing. Then she came to a sudden decision and hurried around behind me. She dropped to her knees.

“I can’t touch Tina, right?” Tamara asked. Without waiting for my answer, she nuzzled her mouth up to the crack of my ass. Her hot tongue slipped out and pressed against my asshole.

“Fuck!” I grunted, and started drilling into Tina harder. The more I flexed my hips forward, the less room Tamara had to lick me. It became a back-and-forth effort. I wanted to push my dick as deep into Tina as I could, but I also wanted Tamara’s wet tongue sliding over my taint.

Tina’s voice rose with each thrust, until she was yelping every time I pushed into her. Her asshole clenched tight around the base of my cock and tremors shook through her legs. Her knife stilled as an orgasm wracked through her.

I could feel my nuts tighten. “Fuck, I’m almost there. Have you given up, Tina?”

“No! I want your cum!” Tina whimpered. She started carving again, flakes of wood peeling off as she whittled the point narrower.

“Tamara, she’s almost done,” I said. “Only a minute or two left.”

“Keep fucking her!” Tamara begged, then pressed her face in again.

“Okay, Tina, you heard the lady,” I said. I widened my stance, giving Tamara better access, and started fucking Tina hard. I was a little concerned that she was going to cut herself as I jolted her, but she was being careful about how she was holding the knife.

Even now, with her asshole being reamed out, Tina wasn’t getting sloppy. She used the pounding of my hips to her advantage, each jolt carving free another sliver of wood. Tina paused for a moment, her knuckles white as she clenched her hands tight, then found fresh focus.

Behind me, Tamara managed to get the tip of her tongue inside my ass. I grunted and flexed forward. Tina cried out and held up the plug victoriously.

“I finished!” she yelled. Tina pulled herself forward off my cock and fell to her knees in front of me. She lunged forward and drove her mouth onto my dick.

“Nooo!” Tamara yelled. “It’s mine!” She tried to reach past my legs and shove Tina off my cock.

I reached back to grab Tamara’s hair and hauled her to the side. “Tamara, you’re being bad. Tina won the game fair and square.”

“Fuck you! I need your cum!”

“That wasn’t the game, Tamara. Now I’m going to have to punish you.”

I grabbed Tina’s head and pushed my cock to the back of her throat. My dick pulsed, and I came. Streams of cum shot down her throat, and Tina made a happy moaning sound as she swallowed.

“Nooooo!” Tamara wailed.

Tina slurped at my cock, getting the last of my cum out and licking my shaft clean. I helped her to her feet and gave her a long kiss. “You did good, Tina.”

“Thank you, Master Jack,” she purred.

“Make Tamara her dildo. You know how big to make it, now. Well, maybe not quite so large.”

“Ooh. Okay.”

“Please, Master Jack,” Tamara begged. “Let me have some of your cum! I’m sorry!”

I pulled my pants up. “Tamara, you keep thinking you’re in charge. You’re not. I said I would punish you, and I will.”

She bowed her head and a tear dripped off her chin and landed on the floor. “I’ll do whatever I have to, Master Jack. Please!”

“I’ll think of something suitable. For now, Tina must be feeling a little sore. While she carves your dildo, why don’t you pay her with your tongue up her ass.”

Tamara nodded miserably and shuffled on her knees up behind Tina. Tina lifted her dress and reached back to pull her pert little butt open.

“Thank you, Master Jack,” Tina moaned as Tamara pushed her tongue into her gaping asshole. “You’re so good to me!”

“You’re welcome, babe.” I gave her a peck on the cheek. “Have fun. I’ll see you later.”

I took the freshly carved buttplug and bounced it in my hand. Part of me wanted to stick around and watch the two of them, but I was in town for a reason. I let myself out and headed across town to the town hall where I had first met Kitana.

The cool, dark interior of the town hall was quiet and empty. I wandered around, then heard Kitana’s voice let out a muffled curse from a side room. I stuck my head in and saw Kitana standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at a large apothecary’s chest. There were hundreds of drawers, all full of little file cards. One of the drawers had fallen out, and cards spilled across the floor.

“Whoops,” I said. “Looks like you made a mess.”

Kitana spun around, and her look of surprise was replaced with a broad smile. “Master Jack! What are you doing here?”

I laughed as she leaped into my arms and returned her hungry kiss. “I missed you,” I said. “I thought I’d stop by and see how you were doing.”

“Much better now that you’re here,” she giggled. “I keep thinking about you. I would have come by yesterday after work, but my fucking mom has me swamped with this menial bullshit.” Kitana nudged the fallen drawer with her toe.

“Not a fan of file work, I take it?”

“It’s the worst,” she grumbled.

“Well, I brought you a present that might help pass the time.”

“Really? What is it?”

I held the butt plug up. Tina had done an amazing job smoothing the wood, considering the circumstances, but it was still a bit rough. It needed some sanding and a good coat of oil before it would be comfortable to wear. But the point of the plug wasn’t really comfort. “Ta-da.”

Kitana took the plug from me. Her brow furrowed and she frowned. “What is it?”

“Something to help you practice.”

“I don’t understand.”

I reached up to cup the side of Kitana’s face as she looked up at me. She nestled her cheek into my palm, then let out a breathy moan as I stroked the lobe of her ear. When I slid my other hand around to the back of her head, her eyes slid halfway shut and her knees went wobbly.

“Master Jack,” she whimpered. “My mom is in the building somewhere!”

“Then you’ll have to make sure you stay quiet,” I grunted, and made a fist in her hair. Kitana didn’t try to fight me as I marched her over to a desk off to the side. I brushed the stationary supplies on the desk off to the floor, then pushed Kitana down so she bent over it. I took the plug from her and set it down on the desk in front of her face. “Get it nice and wet, girl.”

Kitana was wearing a skirt that came down to mid-thigh and an embroidered vest. I hitched the hem of her skirt up and tucked it into the bottom of her vest. Kitana spread her legs for me and gingerly licked up the side of the plug. She made a face and picked a loose bit of wood shaving from her tongue.

“Why does it have to be wet?” she asked.

“Because it’s going in your ass.” I grinned as her eyes widened.

“Oh, Master Jack… It’s so big!”

“The fat side fits in your ass, on the inside of your anal ring,” I explained. I slipped two fingers into Kitana’s cunt and started slowly fingering her. “The narrow bit here is all that will keep you stretched.”

“It’s still big,” she panted.

“But only like half the size of my cock. We’ll have to work you up to larger plugs over time.”

“Oh, Dragon,” she moaned.

Kitana’s cunt was already wet with her arousal. I shifted my slippery fingers up and pressed one into her ass. Kitana sucked in a breath and her back arched. Then she reached back with both hands and pulled her ass cheeks apart. Her bob-cut hair swung as she slobbered on the butt plug.

“Good girl,” I said softly. I was starting to get hard, but I wanted the plug up her ass before I fucked her.

With her hands holding herself open for me, I was able to get my second finger worked inside of her ass. I stroked them in and out a few times, then spat on her crinkled hole.

“Oh, it’s starting to feel good,” she moaned, “but it also hurts a little.”

“We’ll be patient,” I assured her. “One step at a time, right?”

I reached up and took the plug from her, and she twisted her head around to try and look behind her. I put a hand between her shoulder blades and pushed her flat again.

“Stay,” I ordered her. “Don’t move your hands.”

Kitana whimpered, but obeyed. I ran the tip of the plug around the pucker of her asshole and she tightened up instinctively. That was to be expected. I prodded her a bit, testing to see if her ass would accept the plug anyway, and made no progress. I dropped the tip lower and slipped it easily into her cunt.

She moaned and spread her legs a little bit more. I pushed the plug inside of her and drew it out a few times. The flare of the head scraped the inside of her cunt and pulled a froth of moisture with it. I wiped a finger around the flare, then pushed my freshly slimy finger up her ass again.

I repeated the process, back and forth, masturbating her with the plug for a minute or so, then transferring the lubrication to her ass. Kitana started rolling her hips and mewled with pleasure.

My three fingers together were about the same thickness as the plug. Once two fingers were sliding in and out of her ass easily, I added a third. Kitana stiffened and her head fell forward. She whimpered and her hands shifted on her ass cheeks, but she didn’t let go.

I slowed down to give her a chance to adjust, and soon I had three fingers jammed in her asshole up to the second knuckle.

“You’re wide enough to take the plug now,” I told her. “Are you ready?”

Kitana moaned something too garbled for me to understand. Oh well. My wrist was starting to get tired, so it didn’t really matter. It was time for her to take the plug. It had been wedged up her cunt for the last five minutes or so and was dripping with her juices. I tugged it out, then eased the tip into her ass.

She arched her back and her feet shifted about as she clamped down. I held back a sigh. All that work loosened her up, and she just clenched right up again. I pushed harder on the plug, and tight sphincter or not, it slowly slid into her.

“Ohhh!” she groaned. “Oh, Dragon, it burns!”

“Almost there,” I encouraged her.

There was still a quarter inch of the flare remaining when Kitana let go of her ass and pushed back at me, trying to block the slow advancement of the plug. I caught her wrist, then the second hand when she swung at me and twisted them both up between her shoulder blades and held them there with one hand.

Kitana shook her head. “Wait, Master Jack, please! I’m too tight!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, girl. It’s going to fit.” The plug was starting to slide back out of her ass. I pressed my palm against the base and increased the pressure.

She threw her head back and cried out. “Ow! It hurts!”

“Be quiet! Do you want your mom walking in right now?”

“Fuuuuck!” she moaned. “Okay! Fit it in me!”

The plug was too slippery for her to keep her ass clenched against it. I pressed harder, and it suddenly sank all the way into her ass. Kitana screamed and bucked her hips, fighting against my weight, pinning her down.

I kept her bent over the table until she stopped fighting. Her asshole flexed as she tried to push the plug out, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

“There, see? I told you it would fit.”

Kitana’s shoulders shook a little as she drew in a sobbing breath. “My asshole feels like it’s on fire!”

I heard a scuffing sound at the door, and I flipped Kitana’s skirt back down to cover her ass. She tried to straighten up, but I leaned my weight onto her and held her down. The door opened and Ethel stuck her head in.

“Oh! Mr. Jack. I thought I heard my daughter shout.” She stepped in the rest of the way, and her eyes widened as she took in the scene. “What is the meaning of this?!”

“A little corporal punishment,” I said firmly. “You never spanked your daughter, did you?”

“No, I… it wouldn’t be proper! And her father is too gentle a soul for that.”

I grunted. “That explains things. Sometimes a little spanking is needed to set a child straight.”

Ethel winced and turned away. “You are not hurting her, are you?”

I grinned at her back as Kitana twisted under my hand, but the girl stayed silent. “Nothing she won’t forget about in a day or two.”

“Well. She did make a mess, didn’t she? I suppose you know best, Mr. Jack.”

“Leave everything to me, Ma’am.”

Ethel sniffed and tugged her cuffs straight. “Very well. Kitana, do try to keep your voice down. It’s bad enough I have to put up with your laziness, I won’t have you disturbing the town hall with your complaints as well.”

“Sorry, mother,” Kitana said sullenly.

Ethel nodded and started for the door. I raised my free hand up and brought it down hard on Kitana’s ass. Ethel flinched at the sound and jerked her head around to stare at me. I met her eyes as Kitana wailed through gritted teeth.

For a moment, Ethel looked pissed, and I wondered if I had taken it too far. Then she wilted and her throat bobbed as she dropped her gaze. She hesitated for a moment, then shuffled out the door and pulled it closed behind her.

“Oh, Dragon,” Kitana moaned.

“If you want me to stop, call for your mother now. I’ll let you go, but we’ll be done forever.”

Kitana took a deep breath, then let it out in a shaky sigh. “Okay,” she whispered.

“What? Louder. I can’t hear you.”

“Don’t stop!”

“Good girl.” I leaned over her back and whispered in her ear. “You belong to me now.” I flipped her skirt back up and pushed my still-wet fingers into her cunt. She was absolutely soaked. Painful butt plug or not, she loved this shit. I fingered her for a moment, then pulled my hand out and slapped her hard across the ass.

Kitana gasped, but didn’t yell this time.

“If your mom comes back because you’re making too much noise, she’s going to walk in on me fucking you,” I told her.

“Oooh, yes! Please, fuck me! I need it!”

I slapped her ass again, and Kitana moaned. “How’s the plug? Still hurts?”

“Not as much now,” she admitted breathlessly. “Still some.”

I ran the tip of my finger around her dilated asshole, then tugged experimentally at the plug. It was firmly set in place. I loosened my pants and pulled them down to my knees. My cock was hard and aching to be put to use.

“Here I come,” I warned her. Her cunt felt hot around the head of my dick, and I slowly pushed into her. I could feel the hard swell of the plug in her ass, and it pushed my dick down against her g spot.

Kitana’s hands clenched into fists and she threw her head back. “Oh, fuck! Yes!”

I kept pressing into her until I was balls deep, then pulled out until I felt the plug pushing against the top of my cock head. I stroked it back and forth there, and Kitana’s legs started shaking. My dick was only halfway in her, and I could see her pussy flex as she started to cum. I kept my strokes shallow, letting her get fully into the orgasm, then I slapped her ass hard and drove all the way into her.

Kitana let out a shriek, then clenched her teeth shut. She kept crying out, but her voice was muffled. I pounded into her, and continued raining blows down on her ass. Kitana’s orgasm peaked, then she slumped boneless onto the table.

Little grunts still jolted out of her throat with every thrust. I gave her a few more strokes, then let her wrists go. Her arms flopped to her sides, and I made a fist in the hair at the back of her head. I pulled my cock out of her and dragged her off the table.

She fell to her knees in front of me, and obediently opened her mouth. I set the head of my cock on her tongue and she sucked me in deep. My head hit the back of her throat and she swallowed me down. Her brown eyes watered a little as she grabbed my hips and pulled me deep on her own.

Kitana held me in her throat until her face started to flush, then she pulled out and gasped for air. She jerked me off for a few seconds while she panted, then she plunged my cock back into her throat. I couldn’t help it. My nuts tightened, and a tingle ran up my dick.

The first pulse of cum went straight down her throat, then she pulled back and let her mouth fill with my cum. She sucked me until I started to turn soft, then she swallowed my load down with a moan.

“Thank you, Master Jack! That felt amazing!”

I cupped the side of her face and stroked her earlobe. Her eyes went unfocused a little and she nuzzled against my hand. “I’m glad. How’s your ass doing?”

She reached back and touched the base of the plug. “It doesn’t hurt at all,” she said wonderingly.

“Good girl. Keep it in until you finish work for the day.” I grinned at the wide-eyed look she gave me. “It’ll help keep you focused.”

“Um, Master Jack, somehow I don’t think that will help.”

I clucked my tongue. “You mean my methods of punishment don’t work?” We laughed, and I pulled her to her feet. I kissed her and reached around to pat her ass. The plug made a tiny lump in the smooth flow of her skirt. Only someone who knew what it was would notice.

“I’ll be good,” Kitana murmured. “I wouldn’t want my mom deciding your method failed.”

“That’s my girl. You can play with yourself, but you aren’t allowed to cum.”

“Shit,” she muttered.

I gave her a quick kiss. “Tomorrow morning, I want you to put the plug back in on your own. I’ll come by and check on you.”

“I have to wear it all the time?” she looked at me aghast.

“At least until I get Tina to make you a larger one,” I grinned. “Don’t worry. After a day or two, your ass will get used to it.”

I got my pants back on and made myself presentable, then left her to her work. Ethel was waiting in the hallway, fidgeting with her cane.

“Mr. Jack!” she gasped when she saw me. “I’m sorry. I heard her cry out, but I didn’t want to interrupt. It sounded like you were working through something.”

I tried not to stare at her. Was she totally oblivious? She heard me fuck the stuffing out of her daughter, and somehow thought it was just a bit of spanking? “I gotta ask, Ethel, why are you so intent on your daughter working here? It’s clear she doesn’t like it much.”

Ethel leaned on her cane and tried to look down her nose at me, but had to tilt her head too far back to do it properly. “We elves find a lifetime calling. Our path, we call it. Kitana’s path will be in governance, like mine and her father’s.”

“Are you sure? I suspect she’s acting out so much because she absolutely hates it.”

“And what else is she to do?” Ethel asked. “Muck out stalls? Or maybe she’ll enjoy hunching over all day as a seamstress?” She snorted. “No, my daughter will not engage in some menial drudgery. That’s for the common folk.”

I was starting to dislike Ethel as much as Kitana did, but I kept a pleasant smile on my face. “There are many professions that are honorable and suitable for a woman of her upbringing,” I said. “I have a suggestion.”

Ethel grimaced, but sighed. “Fine. What do you suggest?”

“Kitana doesn’t know what she wants to do, because she hasn’t had a chance to explore her options. I know many things that she might find worthy of her time.”

“What, like an apprenticeship?” Ethel looked thoughtful. “How would this work?”

“Two days a week, put her under my care. Make it sound like it is your idea, but give her a condition. As long as she works hard at her job here, she can be with me.”

Ethel pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “That could work. But I must see if your methods of encouragement are successful or not first. If she manages to finish that filing project by supper, I’ll make her the offer.”

“Deal,” I nodded. “If she agrees, send her to my house and I will begin her instruction in earnest.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jack. Dragon, if this works out, it will be a weight off my mind! I wish you the best of luck.”

I waved goodbye and set off home, laughing to myself. Never have I had a stiff-laced matron thank me for turning her precious daughter into a needy slut. Kitana just had to finish her filing project, and it would all be downhill from there.

Hopefully, that plug wouldn’t be too distracting.