The Natural (Afternoon Delights Book 1)

by Bethany Aan

  “Aye,” Drake said thoughtfully, stopping to regard his friend. “But this one has a level of passion that makes me think that she won’t protest long. She is ripe for the plucking, and ready to be loved. She has been sorely neglected. I think she has longed for physical affection. If we Train her in that direction, I believe we’ll do very well.”

  He turned on his heel and hurried down the hall.

  He wanted Christine with a depth that should probably terrify him, but if he didn’t want to scare the poor thing, he had to get his body under control.

  Chapter Three Christine shivered in the bed, the covers drawn fully up to her chin. They hadn’t left her any clothes to change into after her bath. But the bathing had been necessary, and oh so wonderful. She was grateful to be clean again, grateful that the blood was now gone and that she was at least dry.

  Closing her eyes, she tried not to imagine what would happen to her now. These men were ruthless slavers, no matter what they might call themselves. The truth was thatthey’d bought her. Fair and square. Bought and paid for. And she had no illusions as to why. Tears tracked down her face as she fought the mental images of the housemaids back home, bruised and battered and hardly able to walk. Terror gripped her. An hour passed by, or maybe three. She was so lost in her imaginings that she didn’t know. The daylight simulators dimmed from day to night, leaving her in twilight, then darkness, alone with her thoughts and fears.

  When the door opened, warm light trickled into the room, casting a yellow glow over the furnishings and the bed. The two men, Captain Drake and his first officer, Hamm, entered the room. The whoosh of the door shutting made her jump. She stared at them, knowing that the time had come for her to begin the Training.

  “You poor darling,” Drake said, his brow furrowed in what looked like concern. She didn’t think so. But perhaps... he really did seem worried. That was unexpected, to say the least. “You’re shivering like mad. It’s not that cold in here.”

  “It’s probably fear,” Hamm said with a snort. “She know sthat she’s safer here with us than she ever was with that witless idiot of a ‘father’, but that can’t be much consolation.”

  She couldn’t deny that. She had no love for the man who’d given her a home and raised her. He’d done a poor job of it, and in the end had been willing to trade her virtue and freedom for his own gain. And revenge. She mustn’t forget that part. She hoped that he was happy with the payment they’d given him. May he rot in his hell, choking on the gold that represented her lie of a life.

  “Christine,” Drake said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. She started, blinking at him. She could feel the heat of him through the blanket, remembered the heated kisses on the stairwell, and wanted desperately to be enveloped by that heat, if only for a few minutes. She had felt safe, just for a moment, when he’d held her earlier. She wanted to be warm and safe. Just long enough to stop the shivering.

  His warm hand cupped her cheek. She fought the urge to turn her face into his palm, to cuddle the heat. “You’re cold as ice. Hamm, turn up the heat. She’s freezing.”

  The other man hurried to do what the captain said, watching the two on the bed.

  “Now, I need to discuss something with you, little one,” Drake said. “Because you seem to have the wrong impression of us.”

  “You... you’re Trainers,” she said softly, emotionlessly, putting on as brave a face as she could. “You are glorified slave traders.”

  “Not so!” Drake immediately countered angrily, cocking his head to the side and looking at her pensively. He seemed to come to a decision, and motioned for Hamm to join him. The first mate took a seat in the stuffed chair near her bed. Drake sighed, a very frustrated sound. “That’s the story they tell good little girls who never have a need to meet or deal with a Trainer or the people they Train.”

  “I am a good little ... well, I was...” her voice trailed off as she looked from one to the other. She was looking for reassurance. Drake shared a telling look with his first mate, then shook his head.

  “First of all, Trainers are much different from slave traders. The girls who request Training are generally doing it to help their families, but they’re also doing it to find a better place in the galaxy. Most of them have been abused in some way, or have grown up so destitute that anything is preferable to staying in that life. Most of them gladly accept our price, and give everything they have to their Training, because that way they can be assured of commanding their own fortune.”

  “But they’re sex slaves,” she said. But there was finally a question in her voice. Drake grinned and shook his head.

  “They are business women. They negotiate deals, set their terms, set their wages, limit their contact, and don’t do a damn thing they don’t want to. They stop when the job is done, if they wish, or they can extend their contracts. It depends on the individual situation.”

  “To be truthful,” Hamm put in, “Many of them are only in the life for a few months, perhaps a year, before a smitten fool who thinks he’s in love with her will offer to set her up for the rest of her life, even to marry her. The chance to have to please only one person, have security, and possibly a family, is often too much to pass up. Hence the constant need for Trainees.”

  “So if you’re providing them a service,” Christine’s brow furrowed as she tried to reason it out in her head, “Why do you have to pay a price for them? And why do I hear stories of forced separation from their families?”

  “Because often, though the girls are in favor of the agreement, their families are reluctant. They see it as prostitution, and on someworlds, it’s still taboo. Most worlds, it’s seen as an honorable profession, and those who command the highest prices also command the most respect as keen business women and the leaders of their social class. But sometimes, the families don’t see it that way. The price goes to soothe their outraged morals. In other cases, their families are selling them outright, knowing full well what they’re doing, but the girls don’t know and don’t want it. They eventually learn that it’s not nearly what they thought it was, and come to accept and even enjoy it. Immensely.”

  “But... you accepted me,” she said, angry tears forming in her eyes. “You paid for me, and he gave me to you. I don’t wantto be Trained! I just want to be a nobleman’s daughter. I was raised to be the wife of a gentleman, not the mistress of many.”

  “You, little love, are an entirely different story,” Drake said softly. She looked at him, questions shimmering in her dark eyes.

  He sighed and ran a hand through his long blonde hair in agitation. Unable to stay still he rose and paced the room, his big, muscular body dwarfing the furniture. “Yes, we came to Sandarra to collect what we thought was a willing young woman, and we paid a handsome price for you. However, we did not know when we got here that you were unaware of the arrangement, that your father had no need of the money. We wondered about that when we first got there.”

  “What changed?” she asked softly. He smiled gently at her.

  “You did. I had no idea at first that it was to be you, when I met you on the stairs, but you touched me in a way I haven’t experienced in many years. I was going to ask your father to release the ‘servant’ I thought you to be, but when you told me it was none of my concern in that haughty tone of voice, I realized that we were there to collect you. The plan changed.”

  “It became a rescue, instead of a business agreement,” Hamm told her quietly. Drake nodded. “When we realized that your ‘father’ was willing to sell you just to get you away from him, we knew that you needed help.”

  “So we decided to take you. Offer you transport. Send you on your way.”

  “Then... you don’t plan to Train me?” she asked hopefully. The men looked at each other and smiled.

  “Only if you wish it, little one,” Drake assured her. “I would very much like to be the one to teach you, to introduce you to the pleasures of the flesh. I very much want you. However, I also know that being Trained was
not even a consideration for you. So, I will make you a different offer. I would like to point out that you have no skills, no experience outside of the small community you were living in. You don’t know the first thing about the galaxy, politics, or dress. If we were to leave you at some space hub, you’d be snatched up and taken away, or worse, in minutes.”

  She gulped, staring at him in horror.

  “If the sexual aspect of being Trained disgusts you, we can leave that part out. It will take us several weeks to get to the next space port I would feel comfortable leaving you. For a portion of your purchase price, Hamm and I could take that travel time and educate you on all of the other aspects of being a highly-paid courtesan. Just knowing those things will allow you to move in the proper circles, as befits your station, and will connect you with the right people for furthering your education, choosing a career, or open up marriage opportunities.

  “However, if you chooseto be Trained,” he said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She curled into his touchas though she couldn’t help it. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to get closer, or keeping him away. He wondered if she knew. He’d felt the heat in her earlier, knew that she was close to awakening sexually, and dammit, he wanted to be the one to make that happen.

  Oh, the wonders he and Hamm could show this country miss! He shook himself, realizing that he’d left his words hanging. “If you wish it, we will fully Train you. Give you that education, make you a savvy and stylish lady of the galaxy. We’ll introduce you to influential people in unexpected places, and we will help to set up a business arrangement for you afterwards, to ensure that you are properly taken care of...even if that’s by yourself. And I will tell you that the sexual part of Training can be… incredible. You should also know that very few worlds still consider it to be distasteful. On most of the civilized planets, consorts are highly regarded and sought after. And did I mention that the sex is a lot of fun?”

  She stared at him for a very long time, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. Her gaze darted from one to the other. She swallowed nervously. The idea of being able to control her own destiny, to choose her own path, greatly appealed to her. And she had to admit that being kissed by Drake back at her father’s house had been incredibly exciting, arousing. Even now, she wondered what it would be like to kiss Hamm, as well. He was a handsome man, just like Drake, and the hunger in his eyes did crazy thing to her equilibrium. Was it so wrong that she wanted to find out about all the naughty activities that her nurse and the housemaids had refused to talk to her about? Was she a wanton to even wonder what it was like to enjoy more than just a kiss?

  She thought about all the time she’d spent alone, all the urges she’d had to touch herself, to play with parts of her body that ached so badly at times. And she’d always wondered what it might be like if someone else played with those bits.

  Her entire world had changed today, a world she had thought she’d known. The world she was in now was far different, and if Drake was correct, there was no reason to be ashamed of the desires she’d held in check for so very long. His kiss and the caress of her breast earlier had stoked her curiosity. And it did, indeed, sound as though the consorts were far from being slaves, but were in charge of their own lives.

  The idea of being Trained no longer held revulsion. And if the sex part of it wasn’t actually required… well, that made a big difference, to her mind. Suddenly, the acts of physical intimacy no longer seemed frightening, but exciting. And she didn’t have to go anywhere to find someone who would indulge her rampant curiosity. Here were two very willing and capable men who would happily introduce her to all those things she’d only dreamed about, and probably many that she hadn’t.

  Did she dare?

  She knew they were watching her, knew that they were waiting for an answer. After a long moment, Drake sighed and shifted to get up.

  “We will let you think about it,” he said, but she could see the bulge in his pants. She had a clue as to what that meant.

  He wanted her? Still? She swallowed, wondering if she was crazy for wanting to throw away a lifetime of rules and inhibitions, give herself over to the tutelage of these men, allow them to teach her what life was really about. He started to get up. Her hand darted out, grasping his arm, stopping him.

  “If I... do this...” she stammered, her face going red. “What are the... rules?”

  “For which sort of Training?” Hamm asked, eyes narrowing.

  “The… all of it.” Her face felt like it was on fire, but she was tired of being a sheltered ‘good girl’. She wasn’t one. She didn’t know who or what she was. But if she was going to be on her own, she wanted to know more about herself, the universe in which they lived… Everything that life had to offer, by the gods!

  Drake’s eyes flashed with fierce triumph. She was considering it! He settled back on the bed.

  “You will accept us, either or both of us, whenever we wish, however we wish, and you will obey us in everything, unless we give you leave not to.”

  “You’ll... Do I get time off?” She looked startled. He chuckled.

  “Everyone gets a day off,” he assured her. “You’re a student, not a slave or a servant. You will have one day per cycle, to do with as you wish. On that day, and that day only, will you be allowed to tell us to go bugger ourselves, if you wish.”

  A startled chuckle escaped her. He winked at her.

  “My job, though, is to see to it that you do notwish.” His voice went deep and husky with desire, sending a shimmering heat through her. It settled between her legs and began throbbing gently. “I hope that we create such a need in you that you use your ‘free’ days to satisfy your own curiosity.”

  She gulped again. He rather liked that endearing little trait.

  “So... I will have to obey you, make myself... available?” she asked shyly. “In a... sexual way?” The men looked at her as though she’d lost her brain. She shook her head and muttered. “That was stupid. Well, it was worth clarification, wasn’t it?”

  Drake almost laughed at the mutinous expression on her face.

  “What else?” she asked, bracing her shoulders.

  “You learn.” He told her sternly. “We will be Training you not just to please a partner, but to be a partner. You will be tutored on many things... dancing, clothing, social skills, galactic politics and history, finances, cooking, self-defense... anything and everything we can think of that will turn you into a street-wise and court-worthy lady.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” she murmured. She thought about it for awhile. He and Hamm were silent, patiently waiting for her decision. Finally, she sighed and looked up at them. “When would we start?”

  “Now.”

  She squeaked. “Now?”

  “Right now, in fact. Before another minute passes and you have a chance to change your mind.” He grinned to let her know that he was kidding. Mostly.

  “But... why now? Can I not have a day to...”

  “No.” Hamm told her, gently but firmly. “In our experience, you will make yourself sick and frantic, worrying about this first time.”

  “If we Initiate you tonight,” Drake said gently, “Then you will have no fear tomorrow, and you will be able to go to sleep without nightmares or anxiety. In fact, it’s our duty to make sure that you go to sleep with a satisfied smile on your face, and too tired to worry about anything else.”

  She swallowed, hard, then nodded once. They were right. She would only make herself sick, thinking about it. She wanted to do this! In some ways, she felt like she needed to. But wanting and being able to were two different things. Curious and aroused as she was, she was still inhibited by her upbringing, and it took every ounce of rebellious courage she had to speak the next words.

  “I want to do this, but I’m afraid. You might have to… makeme enjoy it.”

  “Then you give us leave to restrain you, if you try to stop us from doing something we know you will thoroughly relish?” Hamm asked,
his eyebrows arching high on his forehead in wonder.

  The thought of being perfectly helpless while they did unimaginably wonderful things to her body surprised her with a shiver. She nodded, eyes wide.

  “We are agreed, then?” Drake asked. “You must give us clear leave to do this. I do not wish to rape you or have you think of it as coercion later.”

  “I agree,” she said shakily, offering him a weak smile, then admitted, “I… enjoyed our kisses and touching on the stairs. I wanted more, then. You… I would very much like to see where all that leads. I’m tired of being proper. I think I’m ready to be improper for awhile. With you. Both of you, though I hadn’t knownthat was a possibility.”

  Drake nodded, grinning, as he and Hamm both quickly spoke the legally binding words for the arrangement, for the benefit of the computer records. Then he looked at Christine, allowing her see the full force of the desirehe’d been holding in check.

  She began trembling like mad. She did want this. He could sense that. But she was unsure of just what would happen. Drake reached out to touch her face, and realized that she was still ice cold. Concerned, he looked at Hamm.

  “She’s still freezing, but it’s nice and warm in here now. We’ve got to get her warmed up. Take care of that, would you?”

  “Body heat would do it faster,” Hamm mentioned, grinning. His words startled a squeak out of Christine. Drake raised an eyebrow.

  “The ideaapparently terrifies her.”

  “No,” she said quickly, squaring her shoulders. “No, I will be fine. Please. I’m just… I don’t know what to do.”

  “Then do nothing,” Hamm told her, smiling gently. “Just react. Follow your instincts. We will do everything this first time. But if you get the urge to do something, do it. There is nothing that is wrong or forbidden. Do what comes naturally, and you will find great enjoyment.”

  “I… I will,” she gulped, then watched them, at a loss. She was terrified and eager at the same time, two emotions that she never would have thought could work together. But strangely enough, they did. The danger of the situation was titillating, the barest knowledge of Drake’s kiss and the wash of passion that had accompanied it priming her for this encounter.