Everything after that was a blur.
Elaine led the way, her coat now buttoned modestly but doing nothing to hide the sway of her hips or the way what leather straps she had left occasionally flashed at the edges. Every time she turned to me, that molten warmth threatened to flare up in my chest again. I would sometimes try walking half a step behind her just to watch the perfect roll of her ass, already imaging how it would feel in my hands.
I remember trying to ask questions.
"Where are we going?"
"You will need to stay with us for at least a few weeks while we evaluate you. After that we can discuss more long term plans. Any objections?"
"No."
"Cool."
"Hey, so what was that you said about his dick falling off?"
"The ways of Spice are beyond you right now. Just know that if you work out, I won't have to do it to you."
That was, at least, more successful than what I tried next.
"So, I mean, if you give hand jobs to guys you don't like, can I—"
"Now is not the time. Not now, not maybe ever. As I explained to you before, I am not, and will never be, your Sugar Baby."
I stopped asking Elaine questions for a while after that.
We passed a nurse's station manned by a black man in a full pirate hat and tricorn. Gregorian chants leaked from a nearby room, punctuated by high, breathy feminine moans that rose and fell in perfect rhythm with the music. I swallowed and kept walking.
Elaine noticed my stare. "Curious? There'll be plenty to see."
We were accompanied by the real Dr. Ryebald, who never changed the expression on his face. Though he didn't look very friendly, he at least seemed to not hate me. I wanted to try talking to him but wasn't sure how to start. And then I remembered.
"Dr. Ryebald?"
"Hmm?"
"My appointment was supposed to be with you, wasn't it?"
He nodded. "Yes. I was looking forward to it."
"So, why weren't you there?"
His frowned deepened only slightly enough to counteract the slightest of blushing on his cheeks.
"I would rather not discuss that at this time."
I saw Elaine give Dr. Ryebald a smirk.
"Okay, but maybe you could tell me a little why you were looking forward to it?"
"Isn't it obvious? You are the magical equivalent of a gold mine. One with your natural level of Sugar production would make you or whoever had possession of you a contender for the Sugar Patriarchy."
"Hush."
"Yes, Mistress."
An awkward silence followed.
I wanted to know more about the Sugar Patriarchy. It sounded important, and if it's something I could be a contender for, then maybe there was room for some ambition in my life beyond spending the rest of my days with beautiful women.
A trio of belly dancers in translucent silks sashayed past us, hips rolling in hypnotic circles. Their eyes lingered on me, dark and large and inviting. One brushed deliberately against my arm smelling of jasmine. Elaine blew a playful kiss after them. The lead dancer caught it mid-air with a wink, and the miss made a soft, wet popping sound against her palm.
The corridors grew dimmer, lights giving way to glowing runes beneath closed doors. Flashes of pink, violet, and electric blue punctuated the scene.
"How long has all this been part of the hospital?"
Dr. Ryebald glanced at Elaine, who sighed.
"Go ahead, but we're almost there."
"Officially," Dr. Ryebald said, "the Mana Care Wings were established by the first Sugar Patriarch nineteen years ago. The roots, of course, go deeper, and involved those who worked with a variety of Mana sources. It was more of a hidden network of Mana sensitive hospital staff who resented the big monied interests who paid hospitals to suppress Mana sensitives while at the same time carefully harvesting some for themselves."
"Mr. Cook, he was one of those harvesters?"
Elaine closed her eyes and frowned. "What happened with Mr. Cook is a tragedy. He was part of the network. Like I said before, he discovered me. But we didn't know the risks of working with Mana and the abilities they empower like we do now. Even now, we still do not know a lot. But I loved working with him, and he loved working with me. Too much in the end. He had become a simp, which is what we officially call Spice addicts."
I felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for the man currently tied up and cursed to lose his dick if he returned. Then a loud, wet splash hit the door to our left, followed by a flood of glowing blue slime and a furious shout:
"EMPEROR DAMN THE SUGAR DADDY BITCH KING PATRIARCH."
Dr. Ryebald shook his head. "That one's going to take a while to detox."
We reached an unlit dead-end corridor lit only by a single bulb above a heavy door. Elaine stopped.
"We're here," Elaine said. "Should be just a few minutes."
"There were a few other reasons why you were interesting, Teddy," Dr. Ryebald said, leaning against the wall. "For example, what was especially interesting was that you are almost certainly a virgin."
If I had been drinking water, I'd have spit it out. My cheeks burned red, and I didn't need any mirror to know it.
"H-how could you possibly know that?"
"Your Sugar levels were the most relevant magical condition, of course, but you have been attending this hospital for your entire life, no? We know much about you. Your depression, your struggles with your weight, your, uh… penile incidents…"
I could not believe this man was talking this level of shit about me near the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. If he was not the size of a tractor, I would have decked him.
Except I really wouldn't have, because he was right about everything. On top of all my physical inadequacies it was all too perfect that I was also a coward. So, I made a coward's complaint.
"That's all supposed to be private."
"Excuse me?"
Before, even though I had clearly annoyed her with my questions about the hand job, I didn't think she actually hated me. But the way she looked at me... this was a face, maybe not of hatred, but of such utter contempt that I might have preferred it.
"I, I'm just saying that, that—"
"You have been a loser your entire life. I understand you might be going through a lot of this very fast and don't understand a lot of what is going on, but you've just been told by me, who you've just seen naked, that you are a rare and precious jewel, and not only that, but I am on my way to introduce you to your first potential Sugar Baby and first sexual experience ever in your life, and you are going to bitch to me about privacy? By all means, get the fuck out and I'll see you in fucking court!"
I said nothing for a long time. She just stood there, staring, breathing deeply, slowly, trying to control herself. And then I realized that she was probably not used to this. She clearly had immense power, influence, and social charisma. Someone was even willing to plot to steal me just for the resources to, I don't know, bribe her or something.
She could afford to have short thrift with the vast majority of people she interacted with, and here I was, something she desperately needed, but also someone she was expending a lot of effort for, and I was acting ungrateful. Maybe I wouldn't say I was really being ungrateful, but I for sure could have been a tad more tactful. And even though I didn't like the way she talked to me, I liked that she needed me. Maybe that was unhealthy, but according to my blood sugar levels I should be dead already.
"I'm sorry."
Her expression didn't change much, but I think her breathing slowed maybe a little bit.
A low chime sounded. The door slid open, revealing a plush, antique inside of a train carriage filled with dark wood paneling and velvet seats. Patients and staff filed out the far end: some in wheelchairs, some bandaged, and several sported anthropomorphic features like bear ears, fox tails, and sometimes fur.
When they finished filing out, we stepped inside, the door sealing after us.
"The next stop the bridge will be making is the Kiss Kiss Hotel," Elaine said. "We will be more comfortable there. I can change, and Shower. You will do the same. And then... we introduce you to your tutor."
My heart slammed against my ribs. "Tutor?"
"Your first potential Sugar Baby," Dr. Ryebald clarified, pouring himself a tumbler of amber liquid. "The very best applied. You'll need guidance to access your reserves properly. Sex is the most efficient catalyst for Sugar, and for Spice."
Elaine leaned closer, her breast brushing my arm. "She'll teach you how to use that magnificent well inside you."
I shifted, trying to ease the ache in my pants. "What if she looks at me and changes her mind?"
"She might," Elaine said.
Oh. I was hoping for a little more encouragement than that.
"But," she continued, "the Shower will take care of a lot of your... concerns." She felt up my thigh, stopping just short of my straining cock. "For now, enjoy the ride. Drinks are on me."
Dr. Ryebald raised his glass in salute. "We got lucky. The Hoary Griffin is our ride tonight. Strongest cocktails on the bridge."
Elaine selected a tall, frosted glass from the butler who appeared as if from thin air. She pressed it into my hand. "One sip and you'll feel it in all the right places."
I drank.
The liquor burned sweet fire down my throat, pooling low in my belly before spreading outward in lazy waves. My eyelids grew heavy. The last thing I felt before sleep claimed me was Elaine's fingers combing gently through my hair and her lips brushing my ear.
"Sweet dreams, Teddy. Tomorrow, you'll be a whole new man."
How clean exactly am I going to get?