DangerouslyForever

by A. M. Griffin

  No time for tasting. If she played her cards right, she wouldn’t have to go through this ever again. She would be free from this life—from being a whore and a slave—and the male lying in the bed was a means to that end.

  Stop ogling him and finish what you started.

  Right.

  She jumped off the bed and went to the small chest that held many of the sex toys. It didn’t take her long to locate the gag and rope that Yoshi had said she’d put in there. Retrieving them, she went back to the alien who was going to help her, Max and Yoshi escape. He hadn’t moved an inch. His steady breathing was deep and hard, giving her the comfort she needed to pick up each muscular arm and bind it. It took all of her strength to hold up the dead weight of his arm with one hand and secure it with the other. By the time she finished the second arm, sweat dripped from her scalp and face.

  She pulled back to view her work. He looked so peaceful. She lightly touched the bridge of his nose and made a path to his plump lips.

  Soft as pillows.

  She picked up the gag but instead of stuffing it in his mouth immediately, she clutched it in her hand and hesitated.

  Why did this feel so wrong? This alien was like any other. She didn’t owe him anything. After he left the brothel, he would go back to his life of luxury while she continued to whore for her and Max’s safety. And now that Alharad knew about her interest in Yoshi, she would probably have to do worse things.

  What could be worse than whoring?

  She didn’t want to find out.

  That train of thought was just what she needed to finish the task. She straddled his legs, sat back on his thighs and lifted his head.

  His gaze settled on hers.

  She froze and stared deep into his lavender-colored eyes framed in thick black lashes. He flicked his gaze from hers to the gag in her hand.

  “What are you planning to do with that?” he asked, slurring his words.

  She let go of his head and tightened her hold on the gag. She didn’t owe him an explanation. She tried to put the gag over his mouth. He moved his head from side to side, pulling on his bound arms.

  “Stay still.” She tried again and he thrashed his head more.

  “What is your plan?” His voice didn’t slur as much as it had before.

  Shit. He must have the metabolism of a horse.

  “You’re going to help me escape.”

  “Really?” His mouth curled into a half smile.

  She raked her gaze over him. “Don’t try anything funny. I need your transporter.”

  He raised a brow.

  “Just relax. This will all be over soon.”

  “It’s hard to relax when you’ve got me tied to my bed.”

  “You have no choice. You can relax on your own or I can help you relax,” she nodded toward the knife sitting on the table, “permanently.”

  “I thought you said you need me?”

  “I do. I need for you to give me the launch sequence code for your transporter. It would be easier to have you cooperate with me in the matter. But if I have to kill you and figure it out myself, I will.” She shrugged.

  If she killed him, she would definitely have to escape. Alharad had threatened to kill her if she harmed this one, and he didn’t make threats lightly. If he said he was going to kill her, he would. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since the days she would’ve tested Alharad and hoped for death, but that was impossible now. Max and Yoshi depended on her.

  “Now,” she continued. “Be a good boy and let me put this gag in your mouth while I complete the finishing touches on my escape plan.”

  “You don’t need to gag me. I promise I won’t scream.”

  He didn’t sound mad at all. If she didn’t know any better she would’ve thought he was…amused.

  “Yeah, right.” She tried to put the gag over his mouth again and again, but he continued to thrash his head back and forth. She couldn’t get a grip on him.

  “As enjoyable as I find this, I can assure you that as a warrior of my caliber, I do not want to alert anyone that I allowed a female to get the best of me. I’ll be quiet while you…escape, was it?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. She didn’t have time to keep fighting with him. Yoshi would be coming soon. “The first call for help will be your last. I’ll slit your throat without a second thought,” she threatened.

  “I believe you.”

  She eyed him suspiciously. “You don’t even know me.”

  “I know of you,” he said. “You’re the only female here who has killed customers and lived to tell about it.”

  “If you knew, why did you still request me?”

  “Because I’m a warrior. I don’t want anyone meek and mild.”

  She snorted. “I haven’t been that in a long time.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t have a meek bone in your body.”

  She looked at him, but really past him. On Earth, before Jim had died, she would’ve never thought to lift a hand to someone. She’d never been the strong one. “I did a long time ago.”

  “Would you like to talk about it?”

  She snapped back to reality. “Pft. This isn’t a therapy session and you are not my confidant.”

  He lifted his hips. His hard cock thrust against her ass.

  “Hey,” she said, rolling off him.

  “What?”

  “You know what.” She pointed to his dick. “There will be no more of that—ever.” She rose from the bed and steadied herself.

  “Ever?”

  “No. The only thing I need from you is your transporter. You’re going to make me a free woman and I won’t have to do that anymore unless I want to—and believe me, I’ve had my fill of sex.”

  “Are you saying you didn’t enjoy yourself with me?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been doing this for a very long time. It’s called acting.”

  His gaze turned dark. “I would have to dispute your claim.”

  She turned away before he could see the lie in her eyes.

  “Where are you planning to go?” he asked.

  “As if I would tell you.”

  “You’ll have to tell me eventually.”

  She snorted. “I don’t have to tell you because I don’t need you. I need your transporter.”

  “You need me whether you want to admit it or not.”

  She turned with a smart retort on his lips. But instead of telling him off she stared at his glorious body and cock.

  Her knees weakened. I can’t think with him naked like that.

  She grabbed his clothes from the chair and began putting his pants on him. The sooner she covered up his jutting cock, the better. The more she looked at it, the more confused she became.

  And he just kept talking. Sheesh. If he would shut up, she could think.

  “You do know that the moment you try to leave here Alharad will have vessels on you. Do you really think you can outmaneuver them? Are you a skilled pilot?”

  She pulled her brows together. She hadn’t thought about that. “I-I’ll make it.”

  “It seems to me that you didn’t think any of this through.”

  She threw his shoes down. They hit the floor with a loud thump. “Holy shit! Will you shut. The. Fuck. Up!? I ought to just kill you right now and leave on foot. At least then I wouldn’t have to hear the constant chattering.”

  “And you think Alharad won’t find you if you stay on this planet?” he asked.

  She turned her back on him and thought about it. As long as they escaped from the compound, the rest could be figured out later.

  “Do you know anything about the planet you’re on? Even if you escaped, he’d find you. He owns this city. And the cities surrounding this one are no place for a solitary female. If the locals don’t catch you and send you back here, you’ll end up being someone else’s personal slave. It won’t matter. As long as you stay on Yinnis, you really won’t gain escape.”

  “I didn’t ask for your advice, C
aptain Know-It-All.”

  “You didn’t ask, but it’s obvious that you need it.”

  She reached out and placed a steadying hand on the back of a chair and closed her eyes. She needed to think and she couldn’t do it with all his talking. Every word he said made her doubt her getaway plan would even work.

  I should’ve gagged him.

  “Listen, as long as you promise not to hurt me with your big knife, I’ll cooperate.”

  “And you expect me to believe you would risk Alharad’s wrath by helping me?” she asked through clenched teeth. “Do you know what those guards would do to you?”

  “What choice do I have? I’m your prisoner,” he said with a cocky smile.

  “And what would you gain from this?”

  He indicated his head toward her. “I have something to tell you.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Spill it.”

  He shook his head, pressing his lips together.

  What game was he playing?

  “Listening devices,” he mouthed.

  She stared at him blankly. Shit. She hadn’t even thought of that. She needed to leave and she needed to leave now.

  She went to him, confident his bonds would hold, and leaned her ear to his mouth. If he could help her get out of here and past the guards, she’d hear what he had to say.

  “There’s a little girl here,” he whispered, all the playfulness in his voice gone. “She’s Alharad’s personal slave.”

  Yoshi. Her back stiffened. Her fingers curled into a fist. “And?”

  “Since you’re escaping, I thought you might want to take her with you,” he whispered.

  She turned to look at him. He was serious. He had no way of knowing she was going to take Yoshi or Max with her. She hadn’t mentioned them—ever.

  A chime sounded through the room.

  She stepped out of his reach. “Are you expecting anyone?” she asked.

  “No. Thesan, my companion, wouldn’t ring. He can enter anytime he wants.”

  “Good.” Before he could guess what she was doing, she stuffed the gag in his mouth and started for the door with confusion swimming in her mind. From what it sounded like, not only did he want her to escape, but he wanted her to take Yoshi as well.

  When she reached the door, she viewed the monitor mounted on the wall and saw a scared-looking Yoshi holding a bag in her hands. She opened the door and pulled Yoshi inside. She hit the close button even before Yoshi cleared the doorway.

  She started down the hallway with Yoshi on her heels. Although she wasn’t gone for more than a minute, she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Kiehle alone. He was probably using his big muscles to bust out of his binds.

  “Were you able to do everything that I asked?”

  “Yes,” Yoshi replied.

  Ally entered the room and her gaze immediately sought out Kiehle. He was in the exact spot she had left him in.

  Yoshioka’s eyes widened as they settled on him. “Ally…are you sure?”

  She took the bag from Yoshi’s hands and pulled out the contents. “Don’t worry about him.”

  Shirt, pants, hat and boots.

  At least the clothes wouldn’t stand out.

  With Yoshi’s help, she unhooked the flimsy skirt and let it fall to her feet. He inhaled deeply from across the room. She shook her head. One thing she’d learned was that all males had the same reaction to seeing a naked female. Every male species, no matter how old, was reduced to putty.

  She pulled on the pants that were a little too big and too long. “Shit. They don’t fit.”

  “I’m sorry. I found some that I didn’t think would be too tight. I didn’t want anyone to know you were a woman. I thought they should hang off you.” Yoshi dropped to her knees and rolled the bottoms as Ally rolled the material around her waist.

  “Smart thinking.”

  Yoshi looked up at her and smiled. She was beautiful. But if they stayed, Alharad would wipe that beauty away.

  No time to waste. “I can finish this. Alharad has listening devices planted in the rooms. He might be on his way here now.”

  Yoshi shook her head. “He listens at night.”

  Sick bastard. “Are you sure you and Max can meet me in the docking bay without being seen?”

  Yoshi stood. “I think so.”

  “You have to. Do you understand?”

  Yoshi straightened her shoulders and nodded. “Yes. We’ll use the back hallways to get to the VIP docking bay.”

  Ally held on to Yoshi’s shoulders. “Don’t get caught, but if you do, go back to my room.”

  “Will…will you leave us?” Yoshi asked, starting to sniffle.

  Ally moved the hair from Yoshi’s face. “I would never leave you. I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait all night if I have to. If you don’t show up, I’ll go back to the room.”

  Knowing what that would mean, tears ran down Yoshi’s face. Kiehle would tell the guards that she’d tried to escape and Alharad would send her back to prison. Max would be taken away and she would probably be sold to another brothel, separated from both of them. And Yoshi would end up in Alharad’s brothel sooner rather than later.

  Ally eyed Kiehle and, against her better judgment, removed the gag from his mouth. He smiled at her. She had the urge to knock that smile off his face.

  “Go on, it’ll work out.” She ushered Yoshi to the door. “Remember, as fast and as quietly as you can.”

  She watched the little girl scurry down the hall and disappear out the front door before turning back to Kiehle. “I do need you.” He seemed to have a better idea of what it would take to get them out of here. “I’ll kill you if I get a whiff of your betrayal,” she said, pulling the shirt over her head.

  “You already had plans to take the child with you?”

  “She’s not your concern.” She grabbed his blaster and made sure it was on the highest setting. Anyone who stood in her way deserved to die, including Kiehle.

  She practiced holding it in her hand and let her sleeve fall over it. Satisfied that no one would be able to see it, she turned toward the male in bed. If he kept smiling, he was going to be casualty number one.

  “You’re coming with me. If you try to give me up, I’ll blow you away.”

  “So does this mean you’re going to straddle me again?”

  She scrunched her face.

  He pulled on the binds. “You have to untie me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ally sauntered beside him, portraying confidence that he doubted she felt. He had to hand it to her. She knew that if she didn’t, the guards would stop them before they made it to the transporter. Her hand rested behind his back, just underneath his jacket, hiding the blaster that she pressed against his skin.

  She walked through the halls with her head high, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Her hair was gathered underneath the hat Yoshi had given her. The clothes she wore didn’t fit her at all, but they hid all of her best assets. The guards nodded him through all the exits, which he expected. He made sure to keep his composure, pretending everything was fine, all the while on the inside he was just as nervous as he thought she was.

  “I came here with a friend. I need to tell him to meet us in the docking bay.”

  “No, he can’t come with us,” she whispered. “I can handle one giant, not two.”

  “If I leave without telling him, he’ll know something is wrong and alert the guards.”

  He could tell from her facial features that she was thinking about what to do. After a long silence, she nodded to herself. “When we get to the transporter, I’ll let you call him.”

  “That sounds reasonable.” He would also have to find a way to alert Taio to the situation. If this crazy plan of hers worked, Ally would be free and it would be just a matter of getting her to his home on Saurene, which wasn’t too far from Yinnis. From there they would wait for the Saia I and he’d take her to Drazlan to reunite with Eva.

  The only problem was that he didn’t know if he
would be able to convince her to go to Saurene—well, without trying to kill him first. Ally didn’t trust him. She was smart, volatile and calculating. She would be comfortable with her control over him in the transporter with a blaster as her enforcer, but controlling him at home would be another story. He didn’t see her agreeing to that.

  But…

  If she spoke with Eva, she could tell Ally everything. He glanced over at Ally. She looked relaxed, except for the small bead of sweat working its way down the side of her face. He wanted to assure her, tell her that they were going to get through this, no matter what. But that would have to wait until after he got her away from all of Alharad’s listening devices.

  Taio’s plan of meeting with Alharad and negotiating her release was no longer needed. Now his brother would have another angle to work from. Alharad’s slave had taken a member of the Drazlan royal family prisoner. Taio wouldn’t owe Alharad anything. He’d love to see the brothel owner groveling at Taio’s feet for forgiveness.

  Kiehle hid the smile that began to form. This was actually better than any plan he and Taio could’ve come up with.

  But if this escape didn’t work, there was no way he’d turn her back over to Alharad. He’d read the file on him. Alharad would enjoy making Ally suffer for even thinking of escaping. No, he didn’t know what would happen, and was sure there would be fines to pay for not returning Alharad’s property to him, but she wasn’t staying here.

  He looked away from her, not wanting her to be more anxious than she already was. “So tell me about this Max person you’re trying to free as well.”

  “He’s not your concern.”

  “Hmm, and you’re certain that I have room for another?”

  She didn’t respond.

  He narrowed his eyes. If it weren’t for the blaster at his back, he would have stopped and whipped her around, making her face him. “Who is this male to you? How well do you know him?”

  “Sweet infant Jesus—why are you acting jealous?”

  He straightened his shoulders and raised his chin. Jealous? He’d never been jealous of anyone. “I’m not jealous. This is information I need to know to help you.”

  “Whatever.”

  Whatever? “What if I back out because you aren’t telling me who we’re taking with us?”