Light teasing but no further

Her eyes narrowing in suspicion, Venus decided to play along, at least at first. She put up a smile as she gradually worked her way down Ace's back, making small circles with her palms along the broad muscles near his spine. As her hands dipped beneath the waterline of the tub, Ace's smile only grew bigger and he closed his eyes in expectation.

Sensing the time had come for a little payback, Venus reached down, pretending to reach for his crotch, and instead pinched Ace on the bum as hard as she could.

"H-hey, what're you...O-ow! Ow! Agh, okay, I get it! Stop Venus!" Ace pleaded, leaping out of the bath like his bottom had suddenly caught on fire. Water splashed in all directions, including onto Venus, as he escaped her fingers and he retreated a few paces away before whirling back around to face her. His face was red with shame and embarrassment, and he shouted, "What was that for?!"

"Down, little puppy." Venus calmly said as she rose to her feet, wringing the water off her hands, "I said I would give you a massage, not a handjob with a happy ending."

Ace opened his mouth to retort but, realizing for the first time that he was naked, he instead walked over to where he left his trousers and starting pulling them on angrily. "You really don't know how much I'm doing, going with you to Regis like this. I wasn't joking about the taxes, not really. My mother's caught a bad sickness a few weeks ago and I need the money to pay for it. The healer says it's going to cost more than sixty silver to cure her." Ace said, sulking slightly.

"It's going to cost me more than a week's pay, going with you to the city. That means one more week she'll be bedridden. So I....I just wanted to have a little fun."

Venus sighed, feeling some pity for him. She was so caught up in the fact that she has no family that she forgot that other people do. She never knew that Ace's mother was sick, and the young woman began to suspect that no one in the Guild knew. That Ace was willing to divulge such a secret spoke volumes about how much he trusted her. She silently reprimanded herself for embarassing him when it wasn't necessary.

He had just finished putting on his undergarments when she walked over to his side. Standing close to Ace, she placed her hands on either side of his face and gave him a soft, sympathetic gaze.

"I like you, Ace. I really do. I'm sorry for pinching you and I was glad to give you a massage." She began, "But just because you're doing something nice for me, doesn't mean that I owe you sex."

The young hunter looked crestfallen, but he nodded his head and later said, "I think I understand."

"Thank you." Venus said, showing him a genuine smile that could make a man's heart skip a beat, "So do you think we could head out for Regis now?"