I couldn’t help but laugh. Here I was, offering myself up on a platter to him and he wasn’t the least bit turned on. Instead, he was like a kid in a science class, learning about the hidden lives of muskrats or something. It was better than disgust or aggression, so I had to be grateful for that.
“No, Commander, I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. I was just trying to test you,” I said.
His eyes danced along the gaping opening of my tunic. I stood still, not wanting this to happen too fast. He reached out and passed the tip of his finger along the skin that was exposed. I tried not to shudder. He took another step towards me and dipped his head, breathing deeply the lingering scent of my perfume. The low rumbling in his chest began anew, only this time I understood him perfectly.
“You must disrobe,” he said.
I hesitated. Was he going to fuck me or examine me like a display at a zoo? I was never squeamish about my body, but this took body consciousness to whole new level. What was he expecting? And more importantly, what would he do if what he saw wasn’t to his liking?
“You must disrobe, now,” he growled once again. This time his hands bit into my arms and yanked the tunic down, below my shoulders, exposing the white skin. I stifled a tiny scream at his sudden aggression and forced myself to stand still as his breathing became ragged. Despite my stunning lack of a tan, he didn’t seem disgusted. Another good sign. It was shaping up to be another win for team “don’t get eaten by an alien”.
“I. Ache.”
I looked down again at his crotch and caught sight of the swelling in his pants. My body began to respond to the sight. His arousal ignited my own. It was a terrible feedback loop, each of us giving in to our lower instincts. I found that I was as curious about his anatomy as he was about me. I wanted him to take off his pants. I wanted him to show me his body. It was as sexual as it was academic. I wanted to know him and I wanted to be consumed by him. I decided not to examine those feelings too closely and just let it go. How else was I going to get through an afternoon of lovemaking with an overly-evolved house cat?
SIX
I reached up to undo the first button on his shirt. The material was scaly to the touch and the silver colored buttons only added to the sheen of the outfit. The tunic gave way easily, revealing more of his deep golden skin, covered in a light fuzz. I ran my hands over the skin. It was hot to the touch. He hissed slightly and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The purring grew louder and more insistent. It seemed to make everything in the room vibrate.
“I ache,” he growled again, tugging at my torn tunic and flinging it away with a flick of his wrist. He circled my waist with one strong arm and crushed me against his chest. The light fuzz on his skin tickled my nipples.
“I ache too,” I whispered.
My lips grazed against his skin and his teeth snapped together.
“Is this the bond?”
I shook my head, though, at that moment I’d never felt as close to anybody in my life. His purring seemed to permeate my whole body, making my insides vibrate sympathetically. I realized, shockingly, that I was genuinely aroused by his body. I was aroused by the feel of his hot skin under my fingertips and the look of ecstasy in his eyes. I was aroused by the way his lips quivered and lifted, revealing the tips of his protruding incisors.
He dipped his head and licked my skin, dragging his tongue across my bare shoulder. Its texture was rougher than I expected but no less satisfying. Despite my misgivings, I leaned in closer to his body, letting him rub his face into my hair and lick my necks, shoulders, and back. By the time I was brave enough to put my hands on the waistband of his pants I was slick and shivering with need.
It took me a few awkward moments to figure out the clasps on both the front and back of his pants. I opened the front clasp first, letting the heavy clasp fall open and setting my eyes on Rakesh’s manhood for the first time. Let me say, yes, the carpet matched the drapes. His cock was embedded in a tuft of fire red hair, but the similarities ended there. Instead of the slowly swelling member that I was expecting, his cock was telescopic, with each hardened ring sliding into place under the skin as he became more aroused. It was smooth and hard and was significantly heavier than I was expecting. Although, I’m still not sure what I was expecting.
I gripped the extended member and it vibrated in my hand. Rakesh swayed slightly as his knees were turning to jelly. I took a chance and slid my hand along the shaft, enjoying the smooth, scaly texture of it, only to see another ring slide into place. If humans were anything to judge by, and it didn’t appear that they were, he was close to reaching an orgasm.
“More,” he said, gripping my hair painfully. My eyes watered from the sudden burst of pain across my scalp but I didn’t dare to object or to weep.
I swept my hand up and down the length of his shaft again, this time exerting more force, testing the sensitivity of his organ. He shuddered, drawing a ragged breath and flicking his tongue as I repeated the process. I undid the clasp at the back of his pants with my free hand, letting his pants fall silently to the floor and pool around his ankles as I stroked his cock. He dipped his head to take another long sniff of my scent when a devilish idea popped into my head. Before I had a chance to think better of it, I grabbed his tail at the base and caressed its length.
Rakesh roared, this time giving in to some primitive instinct and pinning my shoulder with his teeth. The sharp incisors scored my flesh but not too deep. The shock of his sudden outburst paralyzed me. He bit deeper in protest and I resumed my stimulation. Fear mingled with desire as I continued to pleasure him. He turned his head and began to say something that, according to Siri, had no translation in any human language but felt very powerful. His tone was soothing as if he were trying to comfort me or ask for forgiveness, though I couldn’t say why Rakesh would ever apologize to anybody.
Moments later he convulsed and coated my bare belly with a thick, pink substance that tickled slightly. Satisfied and a little overwhelmed, he stumbled away from me. Gripping the strange furniture to steady himself.
“Is that it?” he panted.
“No, there is a lot more, but there will be time,” I explained, not daring to move or clean myself until I was sure that I would be safe.
“I have your taste in my mouth now, human. You are truly mine,” he said, perhaps as a warning. “After this sleep cycle, you will report to P’tah for an examination. She has decided that you must learn our language and our ways if you are to survive.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“In private, you may call me Rakesh, Companion.”
“My name is-”
“I know your name, and I do not like it. Until you have earned a new one you will simply be my companion,” he said, dismissively. It felt like a slap in the face.
All my life I hated my name as well. It sounded like the name of a character from Little House on the Prairie. I begged my dad to change it to something elegant or exotic like Esperanza or Elise. No such luck. But in that moment, I was feeling quite attached to it. I guess you really have to be careful about what you wish for.
“I need to clean up,” I said softly, not wanting my sentimentality to anger him.
“In the left ante-chamber, there is a bathing pool like the one in the lab. You should be familiar with its use.”
I nodded and walked over to the case where my things were packed. I pulled out a new set of clothes, this one made of softer, finer fabric in a light peach color. I had pajamas in that color when I was a little girl. I felt heartsick as I stood up and made my way to the bathroom.
“Companion, I am quite satisfied with this bonding and mating ritual. I would like you to teach me more of these Earth customs of pleasure,” he said, stretching like, well, like a cat.
“Yes, Comm –, Rakesh.”
“Bathe, eat, and sleep. There is much for you to do,” he said, walking over to the small room where he found me originally, and closing the door behind him.
And there
it was. I gave an alien a hand job and he took my name. That was what counted as a win in my new reality. I slipped into the tub and let the blue “water” wash over my skin. I was shocked by the desire to have him hold me. What was I expecting? Snuggling? Was I expecting him to snuggle? He didn’t even know what sex was. But, my body was still yearning to be touched and fully satisfied.
I recalled the feeling of his skin against mine and his mouth on my shoulder. The feeling of his tongue sweeping across my skin was a sweet agony gripped me. He may have finished but my engines were still running. I closed my eyes and let my hand sink between my legs. Lucky for us both, I was still adept at closing the deal all by myself. It was unlikely that he would be skillful or attentive enough to satisfy me for quite some time.
After I bathed and dressed I slurped down another food packet that had the consistency of applesauce but tasted like prunes. It wasn’t satisfying either but, like my right hand, it got the job done. I fished around in my case for a blanket that I saw P’tah put inside and the found a soft corner on the strange apparatus in the room. Almost immediately I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
“It is time to wake,” Siri said.
I opened my eyes, half expecting to see Rakesh standing over me. To my surprise I was alone and Siri was still booming in my head. I rolled my eyes and sat up. Siri immediately shut up. Trust P’tah to set an alarm and implant it in my head.
I dressed and ate and then waited. Report to the lab sounded like fun but since I’d been carted around this ship since I arrived, I had no idea how to get there. After what felt like an hour Siri boomed into my brain again.
“It is time to report to the lab,” she announced.
“I don’t know where it is,” I groaned.
“Calculating fastest route to the lab,” she said.
“Oh shit, a billion miles from home and the GPS still works,” I said, as I jumped to my feet.
I followed Siri’s directions, making sure to keep my eyes low and never to stare. Again, I was thankful for the benign neglect that the crew afforded me. I kept moving until I was safely in the lab, with the door shut behind me.
“You’re late,” P’tah said, looking up from a tablet in her hand.
“I wasn’t sure how to get here.”
“Next time, don’t be late. You had some strange hormonal spikes several times yesterday. Did the Commander scare you?”
“No, well yes but not really. Not much.”
P’tah stepped closer to me and leaned in, taking a deep whiff of my hair and body.
“He marked you,” she said with a hint of humor in her voice.
“Not exactly.”
“No, that's exactly what he did. I didn’t expect you would respond to that. From what I can tell, human responses to pheromones are weak.” She marked something down on the tablet and turned her back.
“What pheromones? You mean like how a dog pees on a tree to mark its territory?”
“Yes, it involves leaving a scent but no, there is no urine involved.”
“How, then?”
“There are glands in his mouth and some along certain parts of his skin. They secrete a substance that is faint but very hard to wash away. I expected he would do that once he decided that you were useful to him. I didn’t expect him to make a decision so fast. Well done, human,” she said.
I almost felt proud of my accomplishment. I’d secured my survival with one hand-job. Almost.
P’tah did a thorough examination, even going to far as to take blood. Though her interest in me was clearly scientific, she was the only other being on this ship that I felt wanted me to survive.
“You are scheduled to take lessons in our language and culture. Your teacher is a very important person. Be sure not to offend her. If you do, I am not sure that even Rakesh can preserve your life,” P’tah warned.
“Who?”
“Oda, daughter of the High Councilor and Chief Tactical Officer of the Chronos. Maintaining order and safety is her job. If she deems you to be a security risk or a disruption to order on board this ship there is no limit to the things she will be empowered to do with you. Things, I may add, that would make my job as the Chief Science Officer much more difficult,” P’tah said.
The whole time she spoke she never bothered to look at me. That was her way, I was learning. For the things that she was powerless to change, she simply turned away.
Ten minutes later Oda arrived flanked by two guards. I was starting to feel a little annoyed by the fact that she felt as though she needed an entourage. I recognized this Oda immediately. She was the one who challenged Rakesh’s wisdom on the first day. It was obvious that she didn’t think very highly of him, or of being ordered to teach his pet new tricks.
“I am here to collect the human. Is it ready for transport?”
“You can talk directly to her. It is female and has a name,” P’tah informed her without looking up from her work.
“I have no interest in its name. I have been assigned to teach it, so that is what I’m going to do,” Oda said.
If I was still harboring any hopes that she would be my ticket out of here, they died at that moment. She was not the ally that I thought she might become. She resented Rakesh and since she couldn’t harm him without risking punishment, she was going to use me against him. I looked at P’tah for help and she shook her head silently and then averted her gaze. There was nothing she could do. It was best if she didn’t watch.
SEVEN
I was delivered back to Rakesh’s quarters after what Siri informed me was four hours of intense “learning”. My body ached in ways that I cannot adequately describe and my brain felt like Jell-O. Oda’s idea of “teaching” was an extended lecture followed by oral exams. Every wrong answer elicited a punishment of some sort. Today’s first lesson was on proper respect and Troitek hierarchy.
I learned a series of bows, prostrations, and how to properly identify which social class each Troitek belonged to according to their color, markings, names, and insignia. And without meaning to, she taught me what was at the heart of her conflict with Rakesh. Oda, daughter of the High Council, was as upper crust as they came. And yet, she’d been passed over for Commander of this vessel and forced to serve under Rakesh, who was far from a slave, but not nearly as high up as Oda. Something told me there was more to the story. As she beat me it felt entirely too personal, as if she were punishing me for some deep hurt.
For my part, I didn’t shame Rakesh by crying out or begging. I nearly bit my lip off while trying to endure her blows quietly. P’tah’s reminder not to strike back and not to run echoed in my head. Oda would push her limits, to be sure, but she couldn’t kill me or even injure me heavily if she wanted to keep her head. On this vessel, at least, she was also serving at Rakesh’s pleasure.
Her goons dropped me on the floor of Rakesh’s quarters, bowed to him and then left wordlessly. He walked over to me and looked at my body with the kind of indifference you expect from a concentration camp guard.
“Today has been hard on you. Bathe and feed. Report to the lab after your sleep cycle.,” he said.
I pulled myself up off of the floor and then staggered into the other room. I filled the tub with hot blue syrup and slid my naked, bruised body into its soothing depths. I leaned my head against the edge of the tub and closed my eyes. Only then did I let the tears fall. Today had been more than hard, it had been torture. I had been tortured for hours and it was impossible for Rakesh not to know. What did he think Oda would do to me once she got her hands on me?
“This will assist in the healing.”
I opened my eyes to see Rakesh standing over me. He dropped something into the tub and then. As if he was satisfied with his decision, he turned and walked out. Whatever he dropped it smelled like bitter herbs and felt like being covered in beetles. It was a trippy feeling but it didn’t hurt and so I welcomed the alien at-home spa treatment with open arms.
After twenty minutes in the tub, I was able to stan
d up without wincing. The dark blue and purple bruises on my body had receded to pale orange mounds. I quickly dressed and left the bathroom, intending to thank him for his help. When I walked out I found him shirtless, installing another odd piece of furniture.
“This is for you. You will sleep here,” he said, indicating the egg-shaped pod. “I am told it is appropriate for human bodies.”
I wanted to thank him but anger tangled with gratitude in my heart and I could only manage a deep bow before falling into the pod. Its interior cradled my body like an embrace, distributing the pressure and heat form my body evenly. I was asleep in moments.
When I woke Siri was ringing in my head again. This time, Rakesh was standing over me, looking concerned.
“You did not feed before sleep,” he said.
“I was too tired,” I said in reply, annoyed by his commanding tone.
“You must feed to maintain your strength. I was told that you endured your training well.”
“Is that what she told you?” I realized my mistake immediately. It was inappropriate for one as low on the totem pole as me to question one as lofty as Rakesh. Even if I weren’t his pet I still had no right to question him. For this, he could backhand me across the room and that would be getting off easy. I simply didn’t care.
And by some miracle, neither did he.
“You did not shame me. You did well, so I have decided to give you a name.”
“A name?”
“You have earned it. It is the name that even one such as the Chief Tactical Officer must use.”
I looked at him closely, trying to riddle out the unspoken message he was trying to communicate with his eyes.
“You are called Diem. In my language, it is a very important word. There is no translation in any human language. It is the moment when a Troitek reaches their full potential and is able to take their first flight. It is a monumental moment in our lives.”
A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series Page 4
