Her life had been regimented, she could say. She could talk about how every movement she made had been part of her training—the way she walked, the way she stood, everything. Rhea glanced down at herself, how even now she’d slid aside the silk of her gown so the slit along the side bared her thigh. A peek for her onlooker, intended to seduce.

A hint of skin, the Madam would say, sends a better message than nudity. They grow curious. They want more.

Rhea dropped her dress so it covered her leg. For the first time in a long while, she was speechless. She hadn’t even realized how she was standing; it was as natural as breathing. “I can’t . . .” She swallowed. “I don’t know how to answer that yet. I’m sorry.”

“Hey. I shouldn’t have asked.” Clo reached for her. Her hand settled gently on Rhea’s arm. “Don’t apologize. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. My ma always said I was curious as a marsh cat and just as likely to put my paw in a bog.”

Rhea smiled, charmed at the mental image. But it was strange. People always expected things from Rhea. She was so used to giving; she kept little for herself—only those secrets she couldn’t tell Clo.

When she was a child, she always sought Madam’s approval. She won it by being the best dancer, the most graceful. Later, when she was of age, it was the approval of her clients. Their contentment came first. They came first. And Damocles had been the most demanding of them all.

Rhea stepped back slightly. “Will you ask again? When I’m ready?”

“Aye,” Clo said. “I can do that.”

Rhea was quiet as another song switched on. What did she want now? To kiss Clo, yes. But not yet. She wanted to savor this—no expectations. No performing. An attraction that came without obligations. Slow.

“How about another dance?” Rhea asked.

Clo smiled and gently took Rhea’s hands. It ended up being more than one dance. And Rhea loved every moment.

As the night wore on, they switched from the rum to water, knowing they all needed to be sharp the next day. Nyx and Eris went off to the officers’ quarters to sleep. Ariadne curled up in the corner, bringing up old programs on her tablet. Before long, the tablet fell by her side, and she slept with her head in her hands.

Later, after Rhea had turned the music off and draped a jacket over Ariadne, she and Clo cleaned up and retreated to the observation room. There, they sat in deck chairs and watched the stars as the ship glided through space.

“Have you ever been to Macella?” Rhea asked Clo.