“Good how it stays tight enough that it won’t fall off, isn’t it?” Basil had returned, but was still looking slightly uncomfortable, as Laila tuned back in. She nodded in agreement, trying to show she’d been paying attention when she hadn’t, then she sidestepped into the changing room and put her sailor dress back on. She felt a bit sad to have to take off the shiny black catsuit, but the sailor dress was so lovely that she was happier again as soon as she was wearing it. Skipping out of the changing room, she handed Flin the catsuit and he took it to a till, where an assistant scanned his chip to take payment.
“You know you said the chip pays for things?” Laila asked as the three of them sat in the transport back to The Great Gig.
“Yes, what about it?” Basil asked.
“Well, why do different planets still have their own currency?”
“Because lots of very grumpy old men and women can’t agree on it. So the money on our chips is in UC, or Universal Currency, but it’s only really the native currency of the Prime planets. Almost everywhere else, if you use UC, you get charged a conversion fee to change it into local money, or you can buy local money with most other currencies,” Basil tried to explain.
“But why do they change it, when they’re only going to change it back into UC again?”
“Intergalactic Economics are a pretty strange and complicated thing, almost as complicated as the existence of life itself, or the behavior of subatomic particles. People spend entire lifetimes trying to make sense of these things and they’ve still got no idea why things’re the way they are.” Basil smiled at Laila. “I’m proud of you for thinking about such big questions though, and maybe one day you’ll be one of the economists who studies it all.”
“Maybe,” Laila was noncommittal. She would much rather do a fun job like open a water park or become an inventor. On Pombos, women weren’t allowed to work, but she had seen so many women on this planet, working in all sorts of jobs, that she wanted to find something that she was good at, so she could earn money too. Maybe then she could repay Basil and Flin.
Chapter Three
Back on the ship, Flin found Laila unpacking her new things into a spare closet in Basil’s cabin. Aside from clothes, they’d also picked up some other essentials such as panties, a toothbrush, feminine hygiene products (he didn’t really understand the differences, but Laila had been adamant about the sort she wanted), and a hairbrush. On the way out of the shopping mall, Laila had fallen in love with a big cuddly unicorn toy, with pink hooves, tail, mane, nose, and horn, and a white body, which Basil had bought for her. Mr. Unicorn, as she’d named him, now waited on her pillow for her to cuddle when it was bedtime.
Flin sat on the edge of the bed and watched Laila as she tried to get the emerald top to stay on a hanger. She was really something. Her movements were so fluid; it was like watching a ballet about housework. Every so often she would fumble something, but somehow that didn’t detract from the fluidity. Despite his attempts to resist being drawn to her, he just couldn’t help being captivated.
“What?” she asked without turning around.
“Just admiring the view.” Flin tried to sound nonchalant. He never really knew what to say around Laila; he was blatantly very attracted to her but he didn’t want to get involved. His feelings toward Karissa, Basil’s last little, had been purely sexual, but Laila… she was very attractive, certainly, but there was something else about her, a raw innocence, childlike rather than childish, that drew him to her side. The image of Laila wearing his collar was tantalizing, but then Flin remembered what had happened last time he’d collared anyone.
Before he met Basil, Flin had been involved with three different women. He didn’t like to remember their names any more, although they were etched into his memory; the pain of what had happened still burned five years on. He had discussed at great length with the three women exactly what he wanted in a relationship, what he was prepared to compromise in, and his hard limits. Monogamy was one of Flin’s hard limits; he just couldn’t do it. He loved watching his slaves interact with each other, grow together, fuck each other, and sometimes top one another; it added a dimension to his life that he had loved. Monogamy to Flin was like a sexless marriage; it made him lonelier than being single.
When his relationships had gone bad, Flin was left feeling like this was entirely his own fault, but he couldn’t quite see how he was supposed to have known that the girls weren’t being truthful when they’d said they were happy with a polyamorous relationship; that their feedback hadn’t been honest during the early months of their relationship. It made him wonder whether he was cut out for taking any more slaves, and any other sort of relationship seemed fundamentally dull and pointless to him; empty of its most precious moments.
Another relationship was out of the question. Even with this sparkling princess whom he seemed to render speechless. Until he fully understood what had gone wrong before, he wasn’t sure he trusted himself to take charge again.
Sex, on the other hand, was a distinct possibility.
That’s all it had been between Flin and the last girl living on the ship. He wondered how long Laila would stay on board.
“You look sad,” Laila noted.
“I’m thinking.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Very bad thoughts. Things I shouldn’t tell you.”
“Tell me!” Laila demanded.
“I don’t think little girls should hear such things. Come find me when you’re in adult space.” He got up with some discomfort. The pressure in his balls was unbelievable.
Laila looked at him; it was the look of a woman who knows what she wants but knows better than to poke a bear. He took a step back. She lowered her head slightly without breaking eye contact, widening her already rounded brown eyes. They were little portals, telling him exactly how she felt; he judged she was scared but turned on as all fuck. The urge to bend her over the nightstand, drag her panties down, and fuck her in the ass until she screamed was real. But so was the urge to protect her, keep her safe from anything harmful—including himself.
He shook his head and left, deciding to take a shower and clear his thoughts. Making a move on her would be stupid. Basil saw her first. Anyway, Laila was captivating. She deserved more than a one-off fuck then months of uncertainty until the next time his balls needed emptying. No. He would wait. After all, being in control meant being able to control himself, too. He leaned against the shower wall and let the cool metal take some of the heat away from his skin. As his temperature started to subside, he was struck with a thought. Maybe this could be an opportunity to let his romantic side out.
Flin reached for the body wash as a plan began to germinate.
An hour later, he was speaking instructions into special message recorders, of the sort usually used for birthday cards.
* * *
When Laila finished putting her new clothes away, she turned to leave the cabin and noticed that a little paper box, fastened with a silver bow, had appeared on the bed. She wondered whether it had been left by Basil or Flin. Should she open it, or had one of them dropped it? People didn’t usually drop boxes wrapped like gifts, she thought, as she carefully unfastened the ribbon.
“Go to the galley, find the next box.” Flin’s voice was speaking from the box. Intrigued, she pulled at the paper inside and found a chocolate—she’d seen them before but never actually tried one—which she pocketed, and a metal thing, which must have been where the voice came from. When she covered the top of the open box with her hand, then removed it, the message played again. Wanting to find out what was in the next box, she went to the kitchen area and started opening cupboards. Another similar box stood next to the protein shake mix. A second chocolate joined the first.
“Find the next box under the black orchid.”
What did that mean, Laila wondered. What was an orchid? She went to the cockpit to ask Basil.
“An orchid? It’s a sorta flower,” Basil said. “It�
�s a very pretty type of flower.”
“Are there any on the ship?”
“Nah, they don’t grow in space. Why?”
“I’m solving a little mystery.”
“Want any help?”
“I think I need to solve it on my own, thanks.” She realized that sounded abrupt. “Flin left these boxes around.”
“I see.” There was an undisguisable labored intake of breath, and Basil seemed to stare off into the distance. Was he annoyed that Laila was spending time getting to know Flin?
“Is that a problem?”
“Uh… no. As long as you’re happy, it’s fine.”
Laila didn’t think she had any right to press the issue. Looking around the ship, she found the next box in Flin’s cabin, under a painting of a black flower that must have been an orchid.
“Tick tock, the next one’s squirreled in the pocket of something long, black, shiny, and new.”
These clues were getting more obscure as time went on, Laila realized. The chocolate, however, was consistent. She tried to convince herself that she was doing this for the chocolates, but she wasn’t actually sure they were for her, and she probably wasn’t supposed to eat them; surely he would want them back? While Flin was taking an interest in her, she didn’t want to upset him, and given her track record with making people lose their temper at her, she just knew that she should save the chocolate. Maybe it was a test to find out if she was worthy of something or other. Until she knew, her pocket was getting fuller with every box she found.
She got the clue to repeat. What was long, black, shiny, and new? A wedding dress? No, that was old, new, borrowed, and blue. Or something. Long… black. New. What was new? They’d just been shopping; he couldn’t mean something that new, could he? She went to see.
There, in a fold where the Syntex catsuit was draped over its hanger (it didn’t have any pockets), Laila found another box.
“Below stairs.”
Straight away, she went to the cargo bay. Under the steps from the entrance to the main floor, Flin sat reading a book. He wore his black leather pants and a neat white shirt. On a crate in front of him was a box of chocolates. Laila pulled the chocolates out of her pockets and replaced them in their empty slots.
“Hey, what was wrong with them?” he asked, staring at her.
“Were they really for me?” Laila was surprised. He nodded. “What, all of them?” He nodded again.
“But, there were… lots of them.”
“Yes, you were supposed to eat them one at a time and then be ready for the next one. I thought it would be romantic.”
“Oh. Sorry. I’ll know for next time though!” Laila felt bad that she had ruined Flin’s idea. “It was very thoughtful and I did appreciate it.” She waited for him to throw the box of chocolates at her and start shouting. She hadn’t got any sort of agreement with Flin about what he would do if she misbehaved, and as a result she just thought he would behave like everyone else in her life had so far, aside from Basil.
He didn’t, which left her utterly wrong-footed. As if sensing her unease, Flin picked up a chocolate.
“Open your mouth, Laila,” he instructed. She did so, and he popped a chocolate on her tongue. “Eat it, and tell me what you think.”
She bit it in half then tried to eat half on each side of her mouth, to get the flavor from all angles. The hard chocolate exterior was hiding a truffle center. It was divine, but over far too soon. She swallowed reluctantly.
“It was… wow. Amazing, I guess,” she said, lost for words.
“If you’re only guessing, you clearly need another one. Open your mouth for me, please.” He popped another chocolate in, and Laila’s tongue felt the texture of the velvety truffle under the smooth exterior of the chocolate.
“Amazing,” she said again, for want of a better word to describe how it made her feel. “Thank you,” she added.
“You’re welcome.” Flin smiled at her, then offered her the box. After hesitating for a second to ensure it wasn’t a trick, Laila took another chocolate. This time, in control of how she ate it, she nibbled the chocolate from the outside first, slowly, then put what remained of the truffle into her mouth, sucking on it, letting it corrupt her thoughts with its promises of affection. Soon, it too was gone, and Laila found herself sighing contentedly.
“Thank you for the chocolates.”
“You are welcome. Again. Did you have any problems finding me?”
“Not really. Oh, I had to ask Basil what an orchid was, but then I learned it was a sort of flower.”
“It didn’t occur to me that you might not have seen it. I put it on the wall after I painted it, so I see it every day in my cabin.”
“You painted it yourself? Oh, yeah, you’re an artist. Why are you down here?”
“It’s as good a place as any.”
“To do what?”
He replied by taking her head in his hands and kissing her with a ferocity she hadn’t expected. At first, she didn’t know how to respond, and she momentarily froze, but then she decided to meet his force with her own, and soon she pushed back at him, pressing her teeth against his lips, until with a low growl he pushed her back against the wall, pinning her easily with one hand spanning both her shoulders, making her helpless against him as he continued to kiss her. The lips around her pussy throbbed defiantly, making her legs weaken, her body more dependent on his hand for support, as he continued to claim her mouth.
She let out a sigh as she melted like the chocolates he’d just fed her.
As he kissed her, Laila brought her arms up to wrap around his neck but before she could, he gently broke away. The look in his eyes was smoldering hot.
“I have to stop now,” he said.
Laila was confused.
“Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry.” She tried to work out what she’d done. Maybe she shouldn’t have kissed him back?
“No. You were perfect. Much too perfect, actually. That’s why I need to stop. Otherwise you’re going to end up impaled on my cock and I don’t think either of us are ready for where that will go.”
“I don’t understand. If you like me, why don’t you just take what you want?” Laila started to panic.
“Because… because of that, actually. Someone’s really fucked with your head and you need the time and space to sort it out. Sex with me… it’s just going to complicate everything,” he said. “Look, Basil’s the one who brought you on board and he’s the one who’s all touchy-feely. I’m not that guy. I’m a hard-assed bastard when it comes to sex.”
Laila shook her head.
“What about the chocolates? They were… sweet.”
“That’s romance. Sex is different,” he said. Laila still thought he was making a big deal out of something simple. It was only sex. She’d endured it with Gar-Kon, although she had hated it. As far as she knew, men had to have sex. Denying them sex was tantamount to asking to be battered. Why, then, would Flin not just take it from her?
She shook her head again and sighed.
“I’m sorry but this makes no sense.”
“Sit down, Laila. I need to explain, otherwise you’re going to think this is a rejection, aren’t you?”
He grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled her down to the floor, where they sat together.
“I’m not a normal guy when it comes to sex,” he started. Laila burst out laughing.
“Of course you’re not; you’re an alien! You have pointy ears, and you’re really tall and strong,” she giggled.
“No, I mean, I have different interests.” He wasn’t giggling at all. “I love being in control. The feeling of knowing that a woman is mine and taking what I want from her… I need that. But I also need to take care of her, love her, cherish her. What I can’t do is nurture you, or give you the space to grow and work out your trauma. Not while it’s so… loud and red. I just don’t have the patience. When I tell you to do something, I want it done; no ifs, no buts, no excuses.”
“Ho
w is that different to every other person in the universe?” she asked, utterly uncomprehending.
“See? This is exactly why I’m concerned about doing anything with you. You think this is normal, and not because you’ve been part of a two-way relationship with a loving dominant or master, but because you’ve been systematically abused and conditioned to accept that abuse as part and parcel of your existence.”
“Are you saying there’s something wrong with me?”
“You know what? I actually am. I’m saying there is something wrong with you and that I can’t have sex with you while you’re still expecting to be abused because I don’t think you can give consent to anything at the moment. Sorry. I’ll be waiting around for when you’ve started to identify the problem and work it through, but I have no idea how to help you right now. I will do more damage than good, so until then, you’re in the friend zone, my dear.” Flin seemed to be pinning this all on her, Laila thought, and she knew she shouldn’t press him for answers, that he was probably going to hit her for what she was about to say, because she didn’t trust him anywhere near as much as she trusted Basil, but she could see that there was something on his side too.
“You’re hiding something.” She flinched as she expected the first blow. It didn’t come.
“You’re right. This isn’t entirely about you. Before I met Basil, I was settled on a planet called Minos Kerala. The inhabited part is like a huge beach resort, hundreds of miles long, with hotels and houses intermingled. BDSM is the predominant way people have relationships there; their culture is built around it. Everyone on Minos Kerala is very enlightened; they like to be sure about where they stand in their relationships. Communication between partners is so important that there are special classes on it. I had a home there, and a job in a travel agency, because I always wanted to travel, although my passion is for art, in its various forms. And I had three slaves. All female, all humanoid, but all different to one another.”
Her Daddy and Her Master Page 5
