They stay at the inn

”Hello, sir, I'm Tom, and this is Yolanda. We are looking for a roof over our heads and a meal. Also a place for our beasts and carry in your stable.”

”Look no further, young masters,” Voltok said, rubbing his mustache. ”The Dancing Nymph will satisfy your every need.”

Yolanda looked around with a haughty look on her face. ”Well, it's a bit ordinary, but it will do,” she said, ”I will have a good room with a large bed, a window and a bath. And my escort will take accommodation fit for his standings.”

”Aaah, a woman of class!” Voltok made a cordial bow, seizing a closer look at Yolanda's curves. ”I assure you, madame, that the standards of our suites are are fit for a sophisticated young lady such as yourself.” The rural newcomers didn't catch the thick layer of irony in his voice.

The innkeeper snapped his fingers and beckoned three buxom maids and handed out orders with a stern voice. ”You and you, show this young lady to her room! And you, tell the boys to stable the cart and oxen for our new guests!”

Yolanda gave Voltok a smile, then directed a sharp glare at Tom. ”Stay out of my room, Tom. I will dine alone tonight.”

”Uhm, yes, of course,” Tom mumbled.

”I will see you in the morning. And Tom, you bonehead, don't you dare to show up with a hangover!” the chief's wife added before following the maids upstairs.

After watching Yolanda disappear up the stairs, Voltok turned to Tom and grinned. ”Now, young sir, I sense that you are not ready for bed just yet. Let me give you a tour of the establishment and its various pastimes.”

Tom felt exhilarated and the coin burned in his pocket. ”Lead the way,” he answered, trying not to sound too eager.

”Excellent.” Voltok made a sweeping gesture around the busy room. ”This is the grand hall. Here you'll eat and drink like a prince from our well-stocked kitchen and cellar. Our bards are the best in the city, and yes, they do take requests. And of course, our beautiful maids! Always helpful and pleasant to look at, and for a modest tip they will sit down and keep you some company.”

Tom stared at the big-bosomed beauties, almost drooling.

”But you already know everything about drinking and flirting up barmaids, don't you? I can sense you are a man of the world, sir. And the night is young!” The robust innkeeper rubbed his mustache. ”I sense that you are a man with a taste for the more, civilized, pleasures of The Nymph”.

Tom nodded eagerly. Voltok saw him for what he was – a young man of the world, ready for what the big city had to offer.

”Excellent, now follow me,” Voltok said, ”Let me show you the private parlor, only accessible to our most distinguished guests, such as yourself,” he said as he led Tom up another flight of stairs that lead to a door guarded by two burly bouncers. The guards nodded to the landlord and opened the door.

They entered a new room of a different nature. Thick, exotic rugs covered the floor, red velvet draped the walls and the air was thick with incense and perfume. The dimly lit chambers seemed to stretch out in several other smaller rooms and retreats in the back.

A few men were sprawled around a group of cushions. They smoked odd looking, long pipes and watched a dusky-skinned, full-bosomed beauty in thin silk veils perform a sensual dance in the middle. Tom went wide-eyed as he spotted another voluptuous female figure kneeling in front of one of the men. Her blonde head bobbed up and down over his lap as the portly man absently watched the dance and sucked on his pipe. Other patrons were gathered around tables and played cards or dice with tall stacks of coin in front of them. There were more women about too, dressed in corset dresses or scanty silk ensembles, serving drinks, sitting in men's laps or lounging idly on cushions. A particularly cute brunette sashayed past Tom and gave him a warm, welcoming smile. He could hear women's laughter and faint moans in the distance.

”So what is your poison, sir?” the landlord asked, ”You could watch a dance and perhaps enjoy the sweet kiss of the lotus. Or how about a game of chance, or some more private company?”

Tom pondered his options. These back rooms seemed to offer an abundance of pleasure, but at the same time he couldn't get the mental image of Yolanda having a bath out of his skull, and he was eager to explore the city outside these walls too.