Chocolate Rewards: The Sweetness of Two Worlds Colliding Together

by Burns, Rachel

  “You are going to be safe with me. I will care for you for the rest of your life, Amber.”

  He laid a hand on her shoulder.

  Amber jerked her shoulder away. “A slave can never be safe. Only freedom brings safety.”

  Rokai had to laugh at such nonsense. “My precious little one, you are wrong. Strength brings safety. You have none, so you need me.”

  Amber looked back at him laughing at her. It was time again. She just had to hit him. Once again she couldn't control her temper. She stood and slapped him before he even saw it coming.

  Rokai grabbed onto her hand. “You weren't mine the last time you did that. This time you are. I'll teach you to never do that again.” He unraveled her out of the sheet, twisted her arm behind her back and laid her over one of his knees.

  She struggled, trying to get away from him. “You barbarian, let me go.”

  “I'm going to teach you to obey me. It's for your own safety.” He raised his hand up high behind his ear and really let it sail down on her bottom.

  Amber bucked trying to get away from him. Her hips rocked from side to side trying to ease the pain of just one blow. He was holding her so tightly that it was clear that she wouldn't be going anywhere.

  Amber peeked over her shoulder and saw his hand soaring down once again. She looked away squinting her eyes. The impact of that blow made her say a very high pitched oh.

  Rokai gave her another one.

  Amber felt a need to take action. She tried to hit him with her one free hand. He had given her eight smacks already when it became clear to her that her little jabs weren't hurting him.

  She straightened out her free arm and then drove her elbow back into his side with all of her might.

  Rokai jumped with pain. His hands let go of her, moving to cover his kidney. Amber rolled off of his knees and back away from him.

  Rokai stood and took several deep breaths. He rubbed his kidney for a moment before he went to her. “We weren't finished.”

  “I felt we were. That was my way of informing you.”

  “I will first stop when you are sorry.”

  “Sorry for what? Sorry for hitting you, or sorry for being kidnapped, because I am incredibly sorry for being kidnapped by you, you – Red Barbarian.”

  “I'm not a Barbarian. I am a very modern man. I could be using a whip on you, but I feel that is too barbaric. Perhaps it is just what you need, perhaps you want a barbarian.” He took a step closer to her.

  “No!” she screamed, not wanting any more pain. “You promised that you wouldn't hurt me.”

  “I'm not going to let you get away with everything you want. You have to listen to me. I am the master and you are the slave. This is how this works. When you don't behave, I will punish you until you do.”

  “But what if I never get things right?” Amber was picturing herself carrying buckets of water to the cocoa plants all day long. What if she stumbled and fell?

  Would he beat her for something like that?

  How could she be someone's slave? Things like that didn't happen anymore. The world had changed; this wasn't a worry that she had ever had. Now she was being punished for not behaving, as her master wanted her to. And her master was an overgrown red hulk.

  Amber's feet gave way under her. Too much was crashing down on her at once. Her mind needed to shut off.

  Rokai saw that as well. He leapt forward and caught her in his arms before she fell tot he floor. He brought her back to the bed and sat down with her on his lap. He rocked her back and forth and hummed to her. Of all the creatures in the universe his kind was considered to be special because they could get their voices to vibrate.

  He wanted Amber to think that he was special, and, perhaps, she could start to like him.

  Amber shook in his arms, she wasn't sure what to think. He was being nice to her right now, but would that stop the second that she stopped crying?

  She let everything run through her head. His humming was making her tired. She snuggled into his broad chest, laying a hand over his heart, which was beating strong and regular.

  His humming combined with his heartbeat was making her drowsy. Her eyes grew heavy and she snuggled in closer to him, making sure that her ear was over his heart.

  She thought of nothing, just the constant beat, letting it lull her to sleep.

  Chapter 5 Home

  Planet Lokiun

  Amber took a deep breath. She was slowly waking up. Never, in all of her life had she ever slept better.

  She stretched, taking another deep breath. She smelt him. He smelt like Christmas, more precisely, like cinnamon. That used to be one of her favorite smells. Now she wasn't so sure.

  Surrounding her body was his warm skin. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, wondering and worrying what would happen now. The lack of control was the worst thing about being a slave. She couldn't make a game plan; everything was up in the air.

  Rokai stopped walking and looked down at the woman in his arms. She was so beautiful as she slept, but now looking down into her pretty brown eyes he had to think that she was most gorgeous when she was awake. His heart was melting as he looked into her eyes.

  “Hello, precious Amber. Did you sleep well?” The love he felt for her was a real force, making his heart grow. It felt so tight in his chest. He was sighing as he looked at her.

  Amber tried to sit up, but he was holding her cradled in his arms, as if she were a baby. She stopped trying to get into an upright position and stared back at him. Could she admit that she had rested well in her master's arms? Just the thought of that was sickening her.

  “I want to go home.” A tear rolled down her face.

  Rokai hated to see her sad. “I am going to take you home with me. The king was very generous with us. You will like your new home.” When he saw that she was still crestfallen he added, “I promise.”

  “You can't promise something like that. No one can.”

  He nodded. She was right, of course. This was one of the reasons that men took their women with them wherever they went. Women saw things from their own prospective. A wise man listened to his woman's opinion before he made any decision.

  “I promise, that I will try to make you happy. I will never stop trying. That, I can promise.”

  Amber's mouth gaped open in surprise. He meant what he was saying. It was written on his face. This was something that was important to him.

  She was important.

  Although, it didn't make sense to her why he would want her to be happy. A master didn't strive to put his slave in good spirits.

  His words and promises were probably just things that he meant now. Later, once things had settled into place, he would only notice her when she did something wrong.

  Amber looked away from his eyes. When he stopped looking at her like that, it would hurt.

  She had to give herself a mental shake. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a lovesick fool, like a young girl in puppy love with her math teacher.

  “I want to show you something. We are descending. Look, this is going to be our home planet.”

  “But it is so small.” The planet under them, which was steadily coming closer, reminded her of the planet that the Little Prince lived on.

  “It's bigger than you think, but we need something that is very secluded, because of the chocolate.”

  The words, Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out were going through her head. He was acting like Mr. Wonka, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She guessed that made her an Oompa Loompa.

  “Everyone is going to want our chocolates. The King gave us this planet so we are well hidden. A defense system is also going to be put into place. When everything is finished we will be as safe as the Royal family. That is going to mean a lot of work, but if I can help men have happier homes then I will do that.” Rokai realized that he was babbling on and on. He didn't want to tell her that it had always made him sad to see women being punished. If men could give their women
chocolates, and increase their good behavior that way, then, maybe, the men could give fewer punishments.

  Naturally, they had to be given from time to time, but if this chocolate could lessen punishments and bring men and women closer together, then he would feel like he was doing a very important job.

  Jamko was carefully landing the ship. “The computer is telling me that there are two mansions on the planet. It used to be inhabited by Grintis. They left the planet because of its size and because it was too secluded. It really is perfect.”

  “What are Grintis?” Amber asked.

  “The Grintis is a family that controls several planets. They used to be warriors but now they are traders. Most of the treasures in the universe had at one time been owned by a Grintis.”

  “Incoming message from King Aideyoung,” the computer announced. “Workers will be arriving today yet. One hundred Emkos.”

  Jamko's jaw dropped. “The King is sending us one hundred Emkos.” Jamko said, excitedly, looking at Rokai. “Did you hear that? Emkos.”

  “What's an Emko?” Amber asked.

  “Only the best workers in the universe. They are incredibly smart, fast and tiny. They need to work to be happy. Emkos sleep outside, so they can protect the plants and they hardly eat anything. They are the most effective workers the galaxy has to offer,” Jamko informed her. She could see how pleased and excited he was.

  Amber looked up at Rokai who was staring over at Jamko. “This means that we really discovered something very important. We are going to be famous.” Rokai was getting very excited.

  “And we won't have to work ourselves to death. I should have brought along a woman, too.” If Jamko had known that he would have.

  Amber listened to the two and waited for what was going to come next. The men both looked at a computer screen that was an entire rounded wall. She was still in Rokai's arms. Had he held her the entire time while she slept? Like she was a baby?

  The men were discussing who should get which house. The houses were similar but the locations were different. One was by the water and the other wasn't.

  “If we can't decide then maybe your slave can. Amber, you be the tiebreaker.” Jamko looked at her waiting for her answer.

  Amber had stopped listening to them a while ago, but she had been looking at the pictures on the computer screen. She looked up at Rokai, who was waiting for her answer. They were going to let her decide something as important as this? “The house by the water.”

  Jamko nodded and they went on to divide up the land. They spoke of working together but that each should have their own plantation. They joked that one day their children might fall in love and own the planet.

  The computer spoke over the intercom again. “Decompression is finished. The air on the planet is suitable for all three occupants of this aircraft, as well as for the plant life.”

  The men traded looks with one another. “Here we go, on our way to fame and fortune.”

  The door opened and they walked out of the craft.

  Amber felt like a new bride being carried over the threshold. She peeked around Rokai so she could see where she would be slaving away. At least, she would have help from the Emkos. Would they be nice to her? She was picturing them playing tricks on her to get her into trouble.

  Before her lay green fields as far as the eye could see. She was glad to see that they were green. The grass looked so soft. She longed to touch it and see if it was just like the grass they had back home. Maybe it was even softer, like the clothes the men wore and the bedding.

  She was once again aware of her nakedness. She wished that he had let her keep the sheet. It had looked so nice on her.

  This was a point that they were going to argue about until she won. She would not go walking around naked in the fields. This was something that she wasn't going to back down on.

  “Our home is this way.” Rokai said to her still carrying her in his arms. Jamko took off in the other direction. “The house has been unoccupied for several years. It will need lots of work done to it, but with the Emkos helping you things should go quickly.”

  Their help would most likely come in the form of them telling her what to do and that she should hurry up.

  Rokai walked for over half an hour before they spotted the house. Just like in the picture that she had seen on the spacecraft it had a brook next to it. It sounded just like she hoped.

  She needed to hear water when she slept. Their house had a view of the ocean. When she slept at her friends' house she missed that. She just couldn't get proper rest without the sound of moving water.

  That wasn't quite true. She had slept well in his arms. Her fingers went to her ear. Was the thing that they shot in her ear also giving her some sort of sleep medicine? Was that why she had slept so deeply? It was a theory. She would watch things closely. She wanted to know what he was doing with her.

  Amber looked at the house that she was going to be fixing up. It was made out of sand colored stone with huge windows cut out for light. The windows had no glass. Any plant could just grow inside, pushing its way through the open window. Any animal could just leap inside, too. The walls were high and this reminded her of a castle

  “Are there dangerous animals on the planet, snakes, bugs and all of that sort of thing,” she asked him as he leapt over the brook with ease.

  “I'll check with the in house computer. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe.”

  “Why thank you so much Superman,” she answered, sarcastically.

  Rokai looked down at her and frowned. Why was she acting like that? It was clear that she didn't believe him. He could have made her walk, but instead he carried her, to protect her soft tiny feet. He could have had his way with her on the ship, but he wanted their first time to be something special. Couldn't she see that he was trying very hard to be good to her?

  Perhaps, he should have continued her spanking when she woke up. Her problem was that she just wasn't thankful.

  He had chocolate with him in his backpack, but it didn't look like she would need it anytime soon.

  They now stood at the opening of the building. It went up several stories in height. Rokai liked that; he would be able to look out over his land this way.

  He walked in and set her down besides him. This room was made out of colorful stones.

  “Who would move away from something this beautiful?” Amber commented and reached out to touch the walls. The vibrantly colored stones were all the same oval shape. They were fitted together and tiled onto the wall and floor. The bumpy feeling under her hand felt comforting.

  “These are all healing stones. Walking across them and touching them will give us strength and keep us healthy. This also finally explains why one family would have two houses on the same planet. This was the healing house. Just this room alone must be worth a fortune. You chose well, Amber.” He gave her a piece of chocolate. He was eager to train her, and to see her smiling at him

  “I chose it because of the water. That is healing, too.”

  “Yes, that's right.” He popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. “That is one of those things that a person often forgets because water is so often taken for granted. You are already proving your worth, slave.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and walked with her into the next room.

  Amber was finding it difficult to see what the next room looked like. His fingers were just above her hip. They felt so out of place and her breast was touching his side. They were touching in a different way.

  This room was done up in the same way as the entry way but it was only done in one color. This room was a green blue. It had a large window that overlooked the brook. “I'll use this room as my office. Anyone who wants to see me will have to walk through the main hall and into here. They will be very impressed.”

  They went on to a room that was a dining room. It had a long table covered with colorful stones but the walls were yellow and the floor pink. It had a fireplace done up in the same way and a mirror was hung over it.


  Amber was glad to see that they had mirrors. She liked to admire herself when she tried on new things. She would ask him to get her one, telling him that she needed it to do her hair.

  Amber had seen several of the slave women with their hair done up in beautiful braids and swoops. Her hair would become her new favorite thing to style.

  Then they went into a very plain room. The walls were done in the gray and brown stones they had seen outside. This was the kitchen but it needed to be modernized. It had a huge old fashion fireplace for cooking but no modern means of cooking.

  Rokai nodded, pleased that they didn't have to do all that much to the house. A bit of furniture here and there and then they would be settled.

  They went back to the entry hall and climbed the staircase to the next floor. Each step was a different color. “This house is really a jewel box.”

  “What is a jewel box,” Rokai asked her.

  “A nicely decorated box that holds jewels.” When it was clear that he didn't understand her she lifted up the amber stone around her neck. “Like this one. That keeps them safe.”

  “That makes you the jewel that the box is protecting,” Rokai smiled at her.

  Amber started to blush before she could stop herself. He may be flattering her, but that was just because he was so pleased with the house. He didn't know the first thing about her. If he asked, the first thing she would tell him was that she hated him for taking her away from her home.

  Rokai smiled at her and continued their investigation of the house. She could turn red like he was. He looked that. He would make her blush often.

  The room on the next floor was just one large room. “This is a gathering room,” Rokai declared. He was pleased to see that the room was in the same splendor as the rest of the house.

  Again they climbed the stairs. They found bedrooms, twenty in all between the gathering room and the roof.

  “Which room would you like? You are good at choosing things.”

  “Really?” she asked in disbelief. He was going to allow her to sleep in one of the fancy rooms. “I like the pink room that overlooks the brook.”