by Linda Gayle
“How many? Pardon my asking, but I only want to help you.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Two. The owner of the liner on which I was raised and my tutor.”
“Your tutor? The one who stuffed your head with knowledge?”
He sounded appalled, and she wasn’t sure why. “He was expected to teach me all I needed to know, including wordly matters. Is that not the way of things?”
“Not usually.” He frowned.
“He was very gentle and instructive,” she went on, hoping to allay whatever doubts plagued him. “He prepared me to please the ship’s owner.”
“Like a whoremaster?”
“That word again.” She balled her fists. “I was not—am not—a whore.”
Elion shook his head. “No, of course not. I didn’t mean to imply. I’m just saying, well, it sounds like an unconventional arrangement.”
“It’s all I ever knew until now. This freedom to love whomever you choose—I find it exciting and terrifying at the same time.”
“Ah yes.” He rubbed his chin, his gaze drifting away. “Err, how thorough do you think your tutor was?”
“Elion…” She wasn’t getting anywhere with this line of questioning clearly. “Is there anything Kels particularly likes, then?”
“Oh, anything. You can’t put a foot wrong with him.” He patted her hand. “He’s always had a sense about these sorts of things, an instinct about what a bird will enjoy. The best advice I can give you is to trust him.”
“I do.” She leaned forward and pressed the softest kiss to Elion’s lips. “And I trust you as well.”
His face fell, as if a facade he’d maintained crumbled away. “Sayal, you’ve convinced me you’re sincere enough. Why don’t we skip all this and just head on to the Zone? You don’t have to prove anything to me. I’m sorry I was such an ass to suggest it.”
She shook her head. “Back out now? I can’t. Kels—he’s gone through all this trouble. Besides, I need to prove to myself that I can do this. If I can’t perform here, the high games are out of the question.” And also, if she didn’t have sex soon, she might explode. Once again she wondered if some sort of sexual overdrive had been programmed into her genetic design, or if it was simply Kels’s overwhelming libido that whipped her on.
With the captain out of the room, her desire cooled a few degrees, although it wouldn’t take much effort to raise the temperature again with Elion. His calm control hid a deep well of passion. She sensed it simmering beneath the surface and drew on it now, widening their bond.
“Would you help me with this?” She set the robe aside, grabbed the hem of her blouse, and peeled it over her head. Cool air caressed her breasts contained by a lacy white bra. Elion stared a moment before he jerked up his eyes.
“It’s all right,” she murmured. “If anyone—everyone—is going to see me like this, I need to get used to it. Is it all right with you?”
His voice was a bit strangled when he replied, “Mm? Yes. Yes, I’m sure it’s fine.”
She leaned closer and ran her fingers down the side of his neck, over his pounding pulse, to his chest. He radiated confusion, hesitation, and rising desire. He tried to restrain his feelings; she sensed it strongly. Sayal turned her back to him and lifted her hair. “Would you undo the fasteners, please?”
His fingers fumbled against her spine while he worked to unclip her bra. The cups slid over her breasts as she lowered the straps from her shoulders. She reached behind her and found his hands and drew them around her waist, then pressed his warm palms over her nipples. They hardened, tingling deliciously. “Elion…”
His breathing had deepened. She felt the rise and fall of his chest against her back. His husky voice murmured, “Saints, Sayal, I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Kels told you to.”
“He told me to get you into a robe.”
“And out of my clothes.”
“Yeah, but…” He cupped her breasts, feathering his thumbs over her nipples. “You’re going into the arena with him, not me.”
The door rattled with a thumping knock, and the sofa rocked as Elion startled, snatching his hands away. “That’d be him now.”
Sayal held the robe over her chest while Elion crossed the small room to flip the latch. Kels entered, his dark gaze locking on her. “We’re all signed in. Found a robe, I see. Good. One there for me by any chance?” Without preamble, he peeled out of his shirt and tossed it over the chair at the cosmetics table, then began tugging off his boots.
Elion stood and cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, be waiting outside.”
“No need to go,” Kels said. “It’s a mob scene out there anyhow. Much better turnout than usual for a nooner.” He glanced at Sayal. “Word’s already out about you. Seems Canto’s been chatting you up since yesterday.”
She gripped the robe to her throat. “How much better?”
“Oh, now, don’t you worry, princess.” Kels stepped over and gave her a sound kiss on the lips. “We’ll be so busy, you won’t even notice. Good for us, though. It means a bigger pot.”
“You’re so sure you’ll win?” Elion finally chimed in.
“‘Course we will.” He had his boots off and chucked them into the corner one by one, where they landed with twin thuds, then unbuckled his pants, drew them off, and tossed them at Elion, who caught them awkwardly. She’d never seen anyone undress so fast.
In seconds Kels stood naked before them. He began pawing through the clothes rack. “Well, fuck me. There’s supposed to be a standard array in here… Ah, here we go.” He dragged on a robe to match Sayal’s but didn’t bother sashing it. His eyebrows notched. “What’s the matter, luv? Can’t fuck you with your trousers on.”
“Oh.” So caught up in his whirlwind of energy, she’d forgotten. She stood and tried to thumb them off while still holding the robe over her breasts, absurdly shy all of a sudden.
“Sayal, precious,” he murmured with strained patience. “Here, allow me.” He took the robe from her and tossed it back at Elion, who piled that over Kels’s pants. Even knowing it was silly, considering their situation, Sayal covered her breasts with her crossed arms.
Kels eased to his knees and drew off her ankle boots. He threw them over his shoulder, then undid the fastener and slid the tan pants over her hips, taking her panties with them. He pushed her knees apart a little and worked everything down to her ankles, where he lifted one foot at a time out of them. His eyes were level with her mound, and as he slipped her left foot from the cuff of her pants, he placed a sucking kiss on her inner thigh. The heat of his breath flowed over her damp, sensitive flesh, and he dragged his mouth over her skin, then bit her lightly right where her thigh met her pussy, drawing shivers over her. Her pussy tingled with a swell of moisture, her body responding to him effortlessly.
He tossed the pants away and gazed up at her, running his hand from the bottom of her foot, her calf, the back of her knee, the inside of her thigh, coasting to rest on her dampening lips. Waves of prickly heat rippled through her. Her head spun with his lust, her desire, Elion’s…
Fates… She’d forgotten about Elion. He stood staring at where Kels’s hand touched her moist lips, unaware that she looked at him. Before she could say a word, Kels eased toward her and slid his tongue wetly over her clit. Fire shot through her, and she gasped, grabbing his hair. Kels squinted up at her and, finger by finger, unlatched her death grip from his scalp.
“I see we’ll have to work our way up to that. You have a very pretty puss.” He stroked his fingers over her short hair. “Very soft. Nice,” he murmured and rose to kiss her mouth again. “Ready as we’ll ever be, I think.”
Her pulse jolted. “What? Now?”
“Yeah, it’s past twelve-hour. That triad’s at least halfway through. Remember, El, the one we saw yesterday?”
Elion, red-faced, grunted, and Kels said, “That fella with the limp dick’s not going to get it up any better today, I don’t care how much his girl works him. They w
ere going in as I was heading back here, so we’re up next.”
Sayal gulped nervously. “I…I…”
But Kels gripped her hand, Elion opened the door, and the two men propelled her forward into the hall.
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Chapter Nine
“Now, luv, we’re not expected to go a full hour. We’ve got fifteen minutes, matter of fact, easy in and out.” Kels bent close to her ear as they strode into yet another noisy hallway. His fingers twined in hers gave her some comfort, and Elion, walking alongside him, also reassured her jumping nerves. Elion—he was her anchor while Kels’s energy flowed like a storm around her.
The chalky smell of biocleanse filled her nostrils, along with the musky undertone of sex. She could hear it now, the shouts of the audience as the triad did their best to entertain. A collective groan went up, and Kels, apparently unperturbed that his robe flapped open as he strode along, glanced at Elion. “Told you.”
Elion rolled his eyes. “I’m sure they did their best.”
A round of applause went up, and Kels squeezed her hand. “See, they still appreciate the effort. No pressure.”
“Easy for you to say,” Elion said.
They stopped in front of transparent doors. In a dapper blue suit, Canto came through and greeted them. “Sayal,” he said with a small bow, “welcome, right this way. Just a quick scan this time.”
Kels reached around her to unknot her robe and slip it from her shoulders. A desperate grab didn’t save it, and she stood naked in front of everyone. She pressed back against Kels’s chest. He squeezed her shoulders. “It’s all right, only a formality. You just walk through and come right back out. El and me’ll be here waiting. All right?”
Canto smiled in his grandfatherly way and held out his hand. She let him take her fingers and lead her through the doors. “You don’t have to lie down for this one,” he said. “Go on through the archway there, turn around, and walk through again.”
There was no one else in the small room but her and Canto. Talking a deep breath, she did as he said. He cupped his hand over his mouth and chin as he studied the readout. “That alien DNA’s still showing. Strangest thing.”
“It’s the tattoo.” She hadn’t even had to push him last time. He’d bought the lie. But now she was too frazzled to focus, and if he began to question further, what would she do? “Ulvik thinks the ink got absorbed into my system.”
“Really? No toxicity, though?”
“Not yet.” She smiled weakly.
“Saints,” he muttered. “The chances you young people take with your bodies. All right, then. Everything else clears. It’s aphros and stims we’re after anyhow. Back to your friends.”
He handed her out the door. Kels stood with her robe at the ready, and she gratefully slipped back into it. “Where’s Elion?”
“I sent him on a little errand. C’mon. We can go into the arena now.”
She gripped his arm. “You mean we’re going to perform?”
“Not quite, just the waiting area.” He must have seen the panic in her eyes, for he stopped, smoothed the hair from her face, and cradled her cheeks between his two big hands. “Sayal, listen to me. There’s never a moment when it’s too late to say you don’t want this. We should have a safe word in case you’re feeling overwhelmed. You say it, and I’ll stop, all right?”
Considering that her heart felt as if it were about to pummel right out of her chest, she thought this was a good idea. “Yes, all right. What word?”
“Oh I don’t know. Pick a number.”
“Eight. No, ten. Twelve! Twelve, yes.”
He laughed, though how he could be so relaxed, she’d never know. “All right, twelve it is, but if you forget and start yelling random numbers, I’ll take the hint.”
He laced his fingers with hers again and led her through a sliding door that whispered back to admit them. “There are more doors and hallways in this place,” she remarked, needing to talk to distract herself.
“It’s a bit of a rat’s maze for sure. Here we are.”
The waiting area was no more than an empty space behind the bleachers that drained like a funnel to the arena itself. It was probably one of the few places in the Dome where they were truly out of sight of anyone. Kels stood behind her and wrapped her in his arms. Being held so tightly made her feel safe, and she rested against him. He nibbled at her ear and slid a hand inside her robe to stroke her breast.
Oh, that was right… They were here to fuck. After the whirl of getting to this point, Sayal seemed to have forgotten.
“It’ll all be fine,” he whispered against her neck. “You’ll like it. You’ll see.”
His nibbles continued down the side of her throat, and the familiar restlessness began to well in her. When he brushed the robe open this time, she let it fall away. He rolled her nipple between his fingers lightly, then reached with his other hand to find her wet pussy lips and her swelling clit. A few light strokes and her body opened to him, a desire smoldering in her belly, spreading outward to her nipples and fingertips. Sex with the Primes had never been like this. Kels was all animal heat and primal passion, and it wasn’t duty or an experiment to him, but pure carnal delight.
“Saints below, you’re gorgeous,” he murmured hotly, turning her to face him. He kissed her deeply, drawing her lips between his, nipping and sucking, while his hand roamed her back, sliding down to her butt to squeeze, then trailing firm fingers between her cheeks.
Sayal pressed her nipples against his chest. Another difference—Primes had no body hair, but it gave Kels another sensual dimension. His day’s growth of beard roughed over her cheek, then over her breast when he bent, cupping her tit to lift it to his hungry mouth. She plunged her fingers into his hair and rolled her hips against his fingers circling her clit. Already she was wet and ready. Fates, she’d die before they entered the ring.
Somewhere beyond her haze, a throat cleared, and a voice said, “Captain.”
Elion’s face filled her vision when she snapped open her eyes. She jumped, pushing at Kels’s shoulders. With a look of dry amusement, Kels straightened and faced his mate. “You got it. Good. Thanks, El.”
Sayal wanted to cover herself, but there was nothing. Her robe lay pooled on the floor, and now she realized Kels had lost his as well. He strolled, nude and semierect, to take a black scarf from his friend. “Yeah, this’ll do. You can put it on her.”
“Me?”
Kels looked over his shoulder and held out his hand. “C’mere, luv. It’s all right, no tricks.”
“Trust Kels,” Elion had said. Gazing into the mate’s pale eyes, she walked to the captain’s side. Kels ran his hand down her back. “She’s lovely, isn’t she?” True appreciation warmed his tone.
“Yeah,” Elion bit out. He wanted her. He wanted both of them. She sensed his body warring with his mind, and beyond that, she could see his cock had grown hard. Her tender nipples ached for more attention, and she wished Elion would suck on them just a little.
Suddenly a roar thundered from the audience, reverberating through the bowl of the Dome. Her nerves came slamming back, and she pressed against Kels’s side.
His arm tightened around her. “Still a bit flighty. It’s all right, princess. I know what to do.” He nodded to Elion, who looked uncertain but came around behind her nevertheless and dropped a blindfold over her eyes.
Elion’s hands shook as he tied the black silk blindfold behind Sayal’s head. It was a testament to her growing trust in both of them that she allowed it. “It’s not too tight, is it?”
Before she could answer, Kels slid his finger under the fabric and said, “Tighter. Don’t want it slipping.”
Sayal said nothing, but she trembled as well. Saints, she was gorgeous, just as Kels said. When he’d walked in and seen Kels latched on to her tit, his fingers buried in her puss, and her face a portrait of rapture, he had thought he’d come on the spot. This audience didn’t know what they were in for.
He finished knotting, and Kels waved his hand in front of Sayal’s face. “Is it all right? You can breathe and all?”
“Yes.” Her voice shook, poor thing. Elion put his hands on her upper arms and stared at Kels. He didn’t have to state that he questioned his captain’s sanity; it was right there in his face, but Kels’s eyes were implacable.
Kels turned her toward Elion. “Kiss for luck?”
Fuck it. They were going in no matter what he said. Elion leaned and pressed his mouth to Sayal’s plump, soft lips. As he straightened, a big hand cupped around the back of his head, and hard, rough lips bit into his. Kels’s brusque kiss stole his breath and made his cock jerk in his pants.
The captain patted the side of his face. “See you in a few. Ready, precious?”
She flexed her fingers. “I think so.”
“What’s the word?”
“Twelve.”
“Good girl. Here we go now.”
“Elion?” She reached a hand back blindly, and he grasped it, gave it a squeeze.
“Will you watch?”
If Kels had asked, the answer would be an easy refusal. He glanced at his friend, who lifted a shoulder. It wasn’t him asking. “Do you want me to?”
“Yes.”
Unequivocal, and in such a desperate, pleading voice too. Crack and ruin. “I’ll…I’ll see if I can find a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Kels winked and grinned. Of course he would be happy. Elion released an aggravated breath as the handsome couple made their way to the arena. Well, he’d be fucked himself before he put his head into one of those braces. Instead he walked under the bleachers, weaving his way around the steel struts, looking for a break in the seats where he could see out. A wave of applause and shouts filled the Dome. Wild fans chanted, “Havoc! Havoc!” and a few even yelled out for Sayal.
Ah, there was the break he needed. He found a place where he could look out beneath the bottom row of seats. Unseen, he had a bird’s-eye view. The stadium was about half filled with pasty humans likely fresh off deep-space jaunts, midliens of several species, all sexes. Despite the triad’s failure, they looked excited to be there, and no wonder. He watched Kels lead Sayal into the center of the arena.
