Tal shrugged. “Like I said, check it out.”
“I will,” Crowe replied, his facial expression giving nothing away. He lifted a hand toward Greer, who still stood guarding the door. The big man nodded then disappeared.
When heaping platters of steaming meat and bread and full goblets of wine arrived, Crowe smiled with genuine enjoyment. “Well, for the moment anyway, we can at least enjoy the pleasure of having interesting visitors in our midst. Eat and drink.”
At Crowe's shouted announcement, the men scattered around the room cheered, holstered their lasers and went back to their couches, wine and women with a collective sigh of relief.
A burly, black man, bare-chested, covered with tattoos and sporting a moustache with enough hair for both his lip and head, shouted, “Hey, Crowe! How about showing our guests your pet?” His belly laugh echoed around the room.
Crowe's laugh matched his friend's. “Why not, Dirk? Go get Forni and haul him out for our visitors to admire,” he said. He shot Tal a meaningful look. “Maybe English here will feel up to our little game, heh?”
Dirk pushed the naked woman who had been massaging his chest off his lap then disappeared through a drapery that hid a doorway. The sound of his deep, evil-sounding, chuckles echoed back into the room.
Malcolm leaned over to whisper to Tal. “I think he's challenging you, Agent English. It would be wise to decline.”
“Not on your life,” Tal whispered back. “This guy is feeling us out. If I back down, he'll take it as a sign of weakness. We can't afford that right now.” Tal picked up his goblet, saluted at Crowe and took a deep drink of the thick red wine.
Cea and Penny cast worried looks at each other. Some unspoken agreement arrived at, they both leaned closer to Crowe. Penny reached out to run a finger over his forearm, as Cea spoke, “This is a pretty decent place you have here, Crowe. How did you manage it? Or should I ask?” She smiled at him.
Crowe leered at Penny, placed a burly arm around her neck and pulled her closer, crushing her small breasts against his side and pinning her arm. Then, he turned to Cea and reached for her with his other arm, but she was too quick for him.
Forcing a smile, she leaned away and lifted her goblet. Undaunted, he grasped her upper arm and pulled her closer to his side then slipped his arm around her shoulder. Her wine goblet fell to the table at his actions.
With an evil grin on his face, he pressed both women more tightly against him, forcing their breasts to bulge.
Crowe glanced down at Penny's breasts then Cea's more ample cleavage. “Variety, that's what I like,” he snickered. “And both of you at once might just be a nice way to pass the time.” He thrust his hips, once again showing off his huge penis—hard, angry red, and ready for the assault. “I sure got the equipment to take care of both of you,” he snickered. “I can satisfy ten women in one night and still be hard enough to fuck ten more.”
Tal held his body rigidly in place. His face felt like it was chiseled out of ice as he watched Crowe fondle the women. I'll kill you for this Crowe, he swore to himself as Crowe's large, square hands groped over Cea's breasts again. After I destroy you and everything you value, I'll kill you. The thought did little to lessen the rage building inside him.
Once more, Penny and Cea shot each other knowing looks, and Penny's free arm snaked out and hooked Crowe's neck. She used the leverage to rise from her seat and press herself more closely against his chest. Her lips nibbled his ear.
Crowe released Cea and grasped Penny's waist with both arms then lifted her and forced her down onto his naked lap. Anchoring her with one arm, he reached up to grab one small breast in a fierce grip.
Penny bit his ear then laughed, a full-throated and husky sound. She squirmed on the erection pressing into her crotch, rolling it against the lips of her vagina through the thin material of her lame pants. “You don't need two when you have me around,” she purred. She rolled her hips in a circle and grasped his penis between her thighs.
Crowe groaned and began to pant against her neck. “You know how to tease a man, don't you, you fire-haired bitch?” he muttered in a husky voice which reverberated around the room. Every eye in the place was on the pirate leader and Penny.
“Think you're enough for me?” Crowe's hand snaked down to her crotch and thick fingers dug into her cleft. Tal could see two of the large digits push the fabric up inside Penny's vaginal opening, while the pirate's thumb rubbed back and forth over her clitoris.
“You like that, my little red-haired dragon?” Crowe panted. “Want me inside you, little one? Want to feel this big prick in you instead of my fingers?” His words came in spurts with each thrust of his fingers.
Enough was enough. Tal half-rose from his seat when Cea came to sit on his lap, forcing him back down.
Leaning closer, she whispered into his ear, “Let her do her job, and you do yours. Pretend I'm your woman. Lead me over to that couch by the drapery on the left. It covers a doorway. When I get a chance, I'll slip outside and take a look around.” She nibbled his ear then leaned away and leered at him.
Crowe bellowed with laughter. “Go for it English! There's plenty for all!” he roared before Penny stopped his words with her mouth.
Tal reached up, grabbed Cea by the hair, pulled her to him, arching her head back. Then he locked his lips on hers in a lust-filled kiss that had nothing to do with drugs or pretense. His other hand molded her breast and massaged it through her jumpsuit.
.Startled, Cea froze even though she knew what needed to be done. Telling herself that she was just playing her part, she returned Tal's kiss with all the passion she could muster. Soon, all pretense of doing her duty forgotten, her body squirmed on his lap.
Tal cuddled her against his chest, rose, and carried her toward the couch against the far wall. He laid her down then lay down beside her, using his body to block hers from the rest of the room. “Give it a few minutes then drop off the side. I'll cover for you as best as I can,” he whispered, his lips touching her ear, his hands rubbing up and down her body.
A burly red-haired man with few teeth staggered over to their couch and leered down at Cea. “Share, mate?” he slurred.
A shudder of revulsion shimmied through Cea's body, the muscles under the skin tightening into cords of fear. Tal's hands smoothed them, gently massaging her skin, telling her he was there, that he would protect her. Her body relaxed once more.
“Maybe later, friend. I haven't had any for a long time so give me first go. There's plenty for everyone.” Tal winked at the man.
The man took a deep swig from the bottle he clasped then returned Tal's wink. “Sure, sure, but I get seconds,” he replied, his eyes leering down at the two of them. “How about a little peek, girlie? At least give me that much.”
Cea's eyes widened. Tal's gaze reflected the anger he felt. Silently pleading with him to remain calm, her hand moved to the zipper in the center of her suit and slowly pulled it down. She plastered what she hoped was a sensual look on her face and pulled the suit open, revealing both her breasts.
The man leaned over. Pushing his hand between Tal and her chest, he grabbed one nipple between finger and thumb then twisted it. “I want ’em hard, dearie, real hard.” He let go, stepped back and rubbed his crotch; his stare fixed upon her bare breasts. “Make ’em hard for me. Then I'll leave,” he demanded in an even louder voice.
Cea's eyes must have conveyed her discomfort with pleasuring herself in front of this man, because Tal leaned down and quickly drew the nearest nipple into his mouth, sucking it into instant hardness. Cea gasped then thrust her breasts up in reaction to the wave of pleasure that raced through her at the warmth of his mouth. Overwhelmed as always with Tal's love-making, she didn't care that they had an audience. Her hand reached up to massage her other nipple. It was soon hard, also.
Tal's head rose, his body now covering hers protectively, he glared at the man. “Get lost! It's my turn. You got a look. That's all you'll get for now.”
“Ye
ah, yeah. I'll be back. You can bet on it.” The man drooled some more, turned around to leave and tripped over his boots, falling on his face in a drunken heap.
Tal watched the drunken sot for a minute before he was satisfied that the man had truly passed out. Then he leaned closer to Cea. “We'd better be on our guard here. You're fresh meat to these men, so they're watching you very closely.”
He nodded over his shoulder at Penny, who was now completely naked on the table dancing slowly and suggestively in front of Crowe. “Penny, too.” He watched her buttocks gyrate for a moment, lost in the sheer mesmerizing movement of them.
At that moment, Penny glanced over her shoulder, winked at them with a knowing grin then squatted down, rotating her hips and using her hands to keep every man's attention focused entirely on her.
Tal shook his head, turned back to Cea and added, “I think she'll keep their attention for awhile with that dance, but, just in case, make it fast!”
As she looked into his eyes, Cea licked her lips. Her breathing still fast and erratic from their sex play. Her breasts moved up and down in a rapid dance. Both nipples were still rock hard.
Reluctantly, he reached down and pulled the zipper up until her breasts were covered. “I want to see more of those later,” he whispered in a hoarse voice. “For now, we have to find the alien transporter Crowe is hiding and destroy it.”
Cea's face cleared and her eyes filled with anger. “I know what we have to do. I'm not some addle-brained woman who can't think beyond a man groping her tits!” she ground out between clenched teeth.
She pushed away from him, slid her hips toward the far side of the couch, and slowly slipped off the side. Soon, the curtains covering the hidden door rustled, and she was gone.
Tal shook his head and snorted softly, working hard to suppress a tidal wave of frustration, irritation and confusion. What the hell is it with her? What do I have to do to get past her anger? The questions swirled around in his head until the sound of Crowe's bellowing laughter brought him back to his situation. He shoved his feelings and thoughts of Cea out of his mind.
Worried her absence might be noticed, Tal continued to lay with his back to the room. Both ears strained for any sound of approaching feet.
To his great relief, he heard Malcolm's voice boom out over the loud music and raucous laughter of the men. “Where's this pet of yours you promised, Crowe? Bring on the entertainment.”
Tal turned his head. Malcolm stood at the end of the table, with a smile on his face and a mug of wine in his hand, playing the part of the jovial party guest to the hilt. Tal shifted a large pillow beside him and laid his hand on it, hoping the men in the room would think Cea was still there.
At that moment, a roar and snarl erupted inside the room as Dirk towed a large chain through a side door. The burly black man was as loud and snarly as the beast he dragged at the end of the chain. The man's massive arm muscles flexed into tight bundles as he hauled at the metal leash, cursing the beast at every step of the way. Men on either side of the beast each held a chain to keep it from lunging forward and closing its jaws around Dirk.
Crowe's pet was a reptilian creature at least nine feet long, covered in red, gold and green scales, with claws that dug long slashes into the stone floor as it lumbered into the room, fighting the thick chain every inch of the way. Its mouth opened in a vicious snarl, revealing six-inch fangs riddling its long jaws and a curling, orange tongue. Saliva dripped onto the stone floor, preventing its six feet from digging in too deeply and forcing it to slide into the room. When the light hit its bulbous yellow eyes, it shrieked with rage, and the long, sharp tail curled over its back snapped upright, revealing a foot-long stinger at the end that oozed a smoking, greenish fluid.
The three men pulling it threw their collective weight back at the same time, forcing the enraged animal to move completely into the room.
Crowe leapt to his feet, dumping Penny's naked body onto the table top in the process. He swept a long arm toward the beast and announced, “I present the champion of the games, Forni-Gator, pride of the swamp lands challenge of the Hollow Moon.” His laughter echoed around the room.
His men joined in the spirit of the bloodlust, bellowing the beast's name, banging their goblets against the stones and stamping their feet. “The pit! Into the pit!” they roared. “The challenge! On with the games!”
Tal and Malcolm cautiously moved toward the beast until mere feet separated them from it and its lethal teeth. The handlers held it in place, laughing and taunting Tal as the beast's next meal.
“It's going to take a miracle to kill this thing,” Tal whispered to Malcolm out the side of his mouth as he inspected the thick plating on the beast's body.
“There's always a way, my friend. You have a brain. It doesn't. Use it and you'll win,” Malcolm replied.
Crowe vaulted onto the dais at the head of the room and held up his hands. “Clear the room! Let the games begin!” He scanned the room until his gaze settled on Tal. “Our guest will have the honor of being our first challenger!”
The room erupted with roars of approval as the men rushed to move the furniture to the sides of the room. When the center of the huge room was clear, Crowe reached over and pulled a lever hidden behind his lounge chair. Instantly, a grinding noise filled the room and the floor began to split down the center. Two hidden panels of stone slid apart. When the panels had completely opened, lights came on inside, revealing a pit ten feet below the level of the floor. The sandy floor still showed the bloody stains and bits of bone from the last challenger.
Malcolm and Tal took a good look then stepped back.
“That pit isn't big enough to maneuver in for a fair fight, you know. The beast has the advantage. Are you still set on meeting this challenge, Agent English?” Malcolm whispered, eyeing the beast as it flung its massive head back and forth, trying to shake off the three men holding it in place beside the open pit.
Tal studied Crowe's face, noting the triumph already etched there and the sly speculation behind it. “I have to Malcolm. Besides, Cea is trying to find the alien transporter. We have to cover for her absence as long as possible.”
“Well, English, do you accept?” Crowe bellowed from across the room, fists on his hips and eyes flashing.
“Yes,” Tal shouted, easing away from Malcolm toward the side of the pit. “I accept. What are the rules? What kind of weapons do I get?” he asked as he moved to stand beside Crowe.
The men in the room roared louder. Dirk and the other two men who held Forni-Gator dragged the beast closer until it teetered on the edge of the pit, hissing and spitting with rage. They forced it to slither into the hole where it snapped and spitted in the murky pit. Dirk and the men released the magnetic chains from the beast's collar and pulled them back up onto the floor.
Crowe reached over and took a long, twisted dagger from the belt of a man standing near him. He handed it to Tal. “This ought to make it a fair fight,” he said. Then, he grinned and pushed Tal into the pit. “Fair enough to suit me, anyway,” he added, watching as Tal hit the sandy floor face down and the dagger flew from his hand, just out of reach.
The reptile's massive head whipped around to glare at the intruder lying only a few feet away from its open jaws.
Crowe's grin broadened into a sneer. “Let's see you get out of this one, big man. Payback is a bitch, ain't it?” His roar of laughter echoed down into the pit.
The reptile lowered its head and began slithering toward the prone body. Its curled, venomous tail poised for a strike and its clawed legs angled for the kill.
“Oh shit,” Malcolm muttered, peering over the side. “He's going to die.”
“You can say that again,” Penny, pulling on her jumpsuit, whispered beside him. “Now, what are we going to do about it?”
Chapter Sixteen
Cea ran down a dim tunnel, hoping the noise she made was lost among the cheers and shouting coming from the meeting hall behind her.
I hope to he
ll all Crowe's men are in that hall ,too, she thought as she glanced into room after room as she raced by them.
At the end of the tunnel, she came to two large metal doors. They swung open without a sound. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd held until that moment. The inside of the room was small, crammed with equipment, all of it lit with circuitry and dials. The wall of electronics curved around a dome of shiny, opalescent steel that reached almost to the ceiling. The only break to the wall of circuitry, other than the entrance in which she stood, was a ramp that ended at the dome itself. At the end of the ramp, there was no apparent opening or any seam to indicate such.
Entering the room, she approached and examined the dials and gauges, but couldn't figure out what any of it meant or how it worked.
Damn! Just when I need Malcolm the most, she thought, watching a long, clear tube of yellow fluid rise. What the hell does all this machinery do? Is this the alien transporter?
Turning her attention to an LED readout next to the liquid-filled tube, she observed a row of four red-lit switches glowing inside a clear plasteel box. She flipped the lid open and peered down. None of the labels made any sense. She flipped the top switch and the yellow fluid rose to the top of its tube and stayed there. She flipped the second and the machine began to hum. When the third switch was engaged, the dome began to shimmer into a hazy, mind-bending ball of light.
Cea took several steps then stopped and stared at it, mesmerized and suddenly unable to move. Every muscle in her body became languid, without energy or cohesion. She felt as if every fiber of her body had disconnected from each other, ready to float apart at any moment. Her mind was suddenly free of any sensation of contact with the room or her body. It floated free, unencumbered, yet saw and experienced all.
Portal Page 12
