When I got back to my room I set the box down on one of my shelves and stepped back to admire it.
This was my first gift from a patron, and I had been honest with Rin. It meant more to me than any more expensive thing would have done - it was a meaningful gift that made it clear Marius had connected with me and genuinely enjoyed our time together.
That was what this was - being a courtesan… I wasn’t supposed to spread my legs for any man who offered me enough money, I was supposed to cultivate relationships with influential men.
I didn’t expect anybody else to understand. The kind of gifts Xena showed off were worth a fortune and the others would not envy me for the little Gallic trinket I had been rewarded with.
That didn’t matter to me.
I didn’t care what they thought of me. I cared
