by Jocelyn Han
“You’re too good at this,” he said, his eyes dark. “You have a velvet mouth, little minx.”
“Trust me a bit more now?” Lana replied half-teasingly.
“If this is how you usually establish trust, I should probably say no,” Bruce replied.
A laugh bubbled up inside her belly. “Stop being funny. You’re damaging your image of dangerous hard-ass, you know.”
He stared at her darkly. “Would fucking you from behind help to undo that damage?” he inquired, his voice rough with lust. “Cause I kind of feel like doing that right now.”
“It might.” Lana gasped as Bruce slid his hands over her breasts and tugged at her nipples, capturing them between his thumbs and index fingers. “Should I...”
“Get up.” He lifted her up by the arms, making her sit on her knees on the mattress. Lana’s heart sped up when Bruce pushed her head down onto the pillow, raising her ass up for him.
“I want you to be ready for me,” he whispered, gently caressing her round buttocks before moving her legs a little further apart. His left hand inched up her inner thigh, slowly advancing toward her dripping pussy. Bruce lightly slid his fingers through her slit from behind, touching her clit every now and then. He was making her even wetter than she already was. When he finally replaced his fingers with the head of his penis and placed his hands on her hips, she shuddered in anticipation. He’d wanted to make her ready for him, and she more than was.
Despite her obvious readiness, Bruce eased into her slowly, making Lana gasp as the crown of his cock split through her swollen lips and wedged inside. When he moved his hips and thrust forward more eagerly, she cried out in helpless excitement as he hit her G-spot full-on. He placed one hand on her shoulder and started to pump her slowly, hitting her a little deeper with each stroke. Lana moaned as his tight balls repeatedly hit her clitoris, her muscles clasping him as if she was afraid he’d pull out of her.
She bit her lip when his hand smacked down on the sore spot on her ass. It was still tender from last night, and she couldn’t stop her eyes from tearing up. “Don’t,” she begged. “It’s too painful. You hit me really hard there.” She turned her head to look up at him.
“I got carried away,” he rumbled as he continued to slide in and out of her. “Because you seemed to like it so much.”
Lana turned red. “I did,” she whispered in shame.
He smiled faintly. “Good for you, Sveta. Tell me what else you liked.”
“I liked the fact that you took your time,” she panted softly.
“I like sex,” Bruce replied. “So why rush through it?”
“You felt so good.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. “Best I ever had.”
“I know. You called me God.” He circled her upper body with his arms and pulled her upright against his chest, pulling out of her, his right hand fondling her tits before trailing down to her pussy to touch her most sensitive spot.
“Can I turn around?” she whispered.
He hesitated for a second. “Yes,” he breathed down her neck, allowing her to turn around in the circle of his arms. When Lana looked up into his eyes, she saw an unexpected melancholy in there.
“And you?” She swallowed. “What do you like?”
A slight smile appeared around his lips. “I like being with you again,” he said. “It’s nice to get to know you.”
His answer sounded so honest and genuine that it took her by surprise. Slowly but surely, Bruce seemed to be willing to show himself to her. His words made her aware of the fact he did ‘hang out’ with women a lot, but he never got the chance to show them who he was or even meet them again. It was too dangerous – but she knew who he was, and she’d invited him to be with her again anyway.
“I like being with you too,” Lana murmured. “Even though you’re not a very nice guy.”
She kissed him, capturing his face between her hands, pushing her naked boobs against his chest. He growled deep in his throat, resting his hands on her lower back.
“Sit on my lap?” he suggested, sitting back on the mattress and gently nudging her legs apart. Lana nodded, guiding his dick to her moist slit with her hand before lowering herself onto his hard shaft. Bruce stared up at her, his eyes drunk with passion and desire. “That’s right,” he whispered. “You take control for a while.”
Lana leaned her head back and gyrated her hips as she fucked him, shivering when his mouth roamed all over her upper body, his teeth tugging at her erect nipples and his tongue dulling the pain of their assault on the hardened buds before starting over again. She sucked in a scandalized breath when Bruce’s lips trailed up to her neck and he bit down on the soft skin just above her shoulder, making her yelp in pain. Another wound she’d have to cover up with a scarf. This man was marking her as his. As embarrassing as it was to admit, it was an incredible turn-on.
“My turn,” he breathed, pushing her on her back and wrapping her legs around his waist before he plunged into her, taking things slow as usual. How had he still not climaxed? And how had he managed to keep her teetering on the edge for so long? Lana moaned in ecstasy as Bruce speared her with his throbbing cock, her moan turning to one of frustration when he stopped his movements as her orgasm approached.
“Don’t stop,” she whimpered.
“Don’t rush me.”
“Rush you?” Lana stared up at him incredulously.
“I want you soaking wet and completely lost in me,” he replied hoarsely, his eyes burning into hers. “You’ll get what you want, little minx. Trust me.”
He started to move again, stretching her swollen, slippery walls a bit more as he lifted her bum and buried himself deeper inside her. Lana wriggled under him to spread her legs more and rub her clit against his groin, desperate for release. Bruce immediately changed the angle and tapped her on the cheek reproachfully. “Don’t cheat,” he said with a roguish grin. “Or I’ll make you wait even longer.”
His eyes didn’t leave her face anymore. Lana looked up at him, reaching out to touch his face, tracing the outline of his lips with her fingers. “Kiss me,” she croaked. “Please.”
Bruce obeyed, brushing her mouth and slipping his tongue between her lips to duel with hers for a few seconds before pulling out again.
“Again,” she whispered. “Please, Bruce. I want you.”
“How much?”
“So much it aches.” Her hands trailed down to grab his ass and pull him closer.
He softly kissed her lips again. “Where does it ache?” he mumbled against her mouth.
“Down there,” she sighed. “No, everywhere. Please, fuck me. Just fuck me. Make me come. Please.”
Bruce smiled, spreading her legs a little wider. Lana trembled as he slickly pushed inside her, big and hot and firm, hitting her clit with every deep thrust. “I’m gonna make you come hard,” he whispered in her ear just before she finally convulsed around him, screaming out his name, digging her nails into his back as her body swayed and trembled with the most violent, intense, white-hot orgasm she had ever had.
“There,” he sighed, kissing her face and neck everywhere as she shuddered and almost broke down in tears. Lana clung to him as if he were the last man on Earth. “Was that good for you?”
“Hmm.” She couldn’t find words, let alone string a sentence together. She just wanted to be held.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Bruce deduced. He started moving again, stroking Lana everywhere as he gently thrust himself to a quiet climax that seemed to go on for minutes. Afterward, he collapsed into her arms and gazed into her eyes until the expression on his face changed.
Sitting up, he disentangled himself from her, turning his face to the darkness outside.
“You’re going?” Lana exclaimed forlornly when Bruce got up from the bed.
“Yes, I’m going.”
“Why?”
He started to walk around the room, picking up his clothes from the floor. “You know why. I don’t spend the night.”<
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“But this is different,” she objected without thinking.
Bruce silently put on his pants, then looked at her. “How is this different?”
Lana’s shoulders slumped. If he didn’t feel it, maybe it wasn’t true. Somehow, it had felt as if this had been more than just sex. She’d felt connected to him – even more so than yesterday. “It – because – it was more than just fucking,” she stuttered lamely.
He raised a wary eyebrow. “If this ever turned into more than ‘just fucking’, I’d be in deep trouble,” he replied. “How can I keep you prisoner if this turns into something else?”
“You tell me,” Lana snapped. “You wanted me to be completely lost in you.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, the hard lines around his mouth disappearing. “Look. You know you don’t belong here. Sooner or later, you’ll leave this place. Your dad won’t allow me to keep you here for too long. He’ll relent. And when you go back to your safe, Elite world, this will only be an unfortunate memory.”
“It’s not unfortunate,” she replied, her voice insistent.
“Then enjoy it for what it is.” Bruce walked over to her, his shirt bunched up in his hand. He touched her face and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Lana.”
He was right. Of course he was – what did she think was going to happen? “Good night,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry I’m being so difficult.”
His eyes softened. “You’re not. I can be a difficult man.”
She watched him disappear through the door, the lock falling shut with a soft click. Still a bit sore and dazed from the encounter, Lana walked over to the water fountain in the corner of her room to wash up and stare at herself in the mirror. Her neck looked brutalized – there was no way she was going to cover that up. If Bruce insisted this couldn’t be anything more than just sex, why had he felt the need to claim her like this?
“Just let it go,” she grumbled, giving herself a fatigued eye roll in the looking glass. “And pray he will let you go soon.”
14.
“They’re back.”
Lana almost dropped the book she was reading when Bruce’s low voice startled here. He seemed to have come out of nowhere, his feet making no sound on the sandy path between the trees leading up to the pond.
“Chester and John?” She squinted her eyes against the sun pouring through the treetops, looking up at the man she’d managed to avoid all morning. After last night’s encounter, she hadn’t been able to go to sleep, mulling over all the things Bruce had said. The sad fact was that she couldn’t enjoy things for what they were anymore. Somehow, she felt the need to bond with Bruce – wasn’t this what those scientists called Stockholm Syndrome? – but he clearly wasn’t interested in connecting with her beyond their obvious sexual attraction. It was time to distance herself from the whole thing.
“Who else?” he commented drily, extending his hand. “You want to come?”
“Sure.” Lana hesitantly put her hand in his, allowing Bruce to help her get to her feet.
He smiled down at her, absently brushing a lock of hair away from her face. “You look tired. Woke up too early?”
She shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”
His eyes searched her face. “Worried about the future?”
Why was he being so nice? If he wanted to talk, perhaps he should have stuck around last night after their little – or actually, not so little – romp. “Not in the least,” she replied stiffly. “Like you said, my dad will meet your demands and I’ll be out of here in no time. Right?”
“Let’s hope so.” He arched an eyebrow. “Am I correct in assuming you still want to have a look at those recordings?”
“The ones you paid millions of rubles for?”
“Oh, well. Who’s counting?” Bruce fixed her with his eyes. “You’re brave enough to face the truth about what really happens down there?”
“Yes.” Her heart leapt into her throat at his question. Actually, she was terrified, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Just how complicated things were would become evident once she watched the videos Bruce had dearly paid for. Maybe, if the recordings were good enough, he wouldn’t see the need to keep her here anymore.
“Then let’s go.”
They walked back to the house in a silence that felt uncomfortable to Lana. She was used to having little chit-chats with Bruce by now, balancing carefully between being playful and sounding too frank. This time, she didn’t feel like striking up a conversation, though – if he ran out the bedroom door the minute he was done with her, he shouldn’t expect her to be forthcoming on a personal level either.
When they’d reached the concrete path for Solar cars, Bruce suddenly halted, grabbing her shoulder to stop her too. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” She met his eyes and tried to shrug noncommittally.
“Yes, there is.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re giving me the silent treatment. Have I done something wrong?”
Lana shook her head disbelievingly. “Uhm, where to start? You abducted me, among other things. I’m your prisoner. You hit me in the face.”
“Hasn’t stopped you from talking to me so far.”
Lana took a deep breath. “You used me.”
He stared at her, his gray eyes filling with quiet indignation. “I clearly remember asking you several times if you wanted those things to happen.”
“Well.” Lana looked away, unable to bear the fact that Bruce was right. “You could have been nicer about it afterwards.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he suddenly exploded. “I’m not a nice guy! What will it take to get it through your head?”
“Fine.” Lana clenched her fists and looked up at him, fairly sure her eyes were spewing vitriol. “You want to convince me you’re an asshole? Then be like John. Except I’m sure you’re nothing like him. You just push people away so you won’t get hurt. Just like me.”
Bruce laughed bitterly. “Wow, can I say projection? I don’t push everybody away, you know.”
“Just me,” she mumbled.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Just you.”
“Then why did you show up at my doorstep last night?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe I was hoping to get lucky.”
“You could have just flown to Luna and bought yourself a hooker there,” Lana spat. When Bruce didn’t react to her remark but just stood there, she whipped around and broke into a run, sprinting back to the house across the lawn, her feet angrily thumping on the wooden deck once she’d made it back to the patio doors. Bruce wasn’t making any sense – last night, he’d told her he enjoyed being with her again and getting to know her. It completely clashed with his claim it should never turn into more than just casual sex.
“What happened to you?” Shou’s voice made her look up from her feet. He emerged from the doors, stepping onto the deck with a cigarette in his mouth.
“Nothing,” she deflected. “I just had a little workout, that’s all.”
He looked past her at Bruce, approaching the house at a leisurely pace. “You running away from him?”
Lana exhaled forcibly. “He’s pushing me away, more like.”
The Japanese pirate took a drag on his cigarette. “Of course he is. He likes you too much.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped as she stared up at Shou blankly.
“It’s pretty obvious if you know him well.”
Lana wanted to protest, pry more out of him, but from the corner of her eye, she saw Bruce was now well within earshot. “But why...” she trailed off.
“I should probably stop talking,” Shou observed before taking another cigarette out of his packet and offering it to Bruce, who presently joined the two of them at the doors. “Hello, oyabun.”
“Konnichiwa,” Bruce replied with a faint grin. “Thanks for the smoke.”
“You want one too?” Shou presented Lana with his pack of smokes.
“Sure. Yeah. Why not?” It had been a while since she’d had
a cigarette. Before she moved to Mars, she’d smoked quite a bit because Sergei had been a smoker.
“Because it’s bad for your lungs,” Bruce deadpanned.
Lana rolled her eyes. “Aren’t they all tar-free these days?”
“Not the ones Shou’s smoking.”
“Oh, well. It’ll help me relax.”
“You stressed?”
“Me? Heavens, no. I can’t imagine why.”
Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Laying on the sarcasm?”
“If you two keep quarreling, I’m going somewhere else,” Shou announced with a wink, paling somewhat when Bruce shot him a warning glare. “Sorry, boss.”
“You should probably do just that,” Bruce said calmly. “I don’t think Sveta is quite done yelling at me yet.”
“Oh, I’m done,” Lana assured him, still seething with fury. “I said everything I needed to say.”
“Then let’s go inside and get this over with.”
They both finished their cigarettes so quickly that Lana felt slightly nauseous when she followed Bruce into the house and down the hallway to his study.
“Sit,” he just said once they were inside. Chester and John were waiting near the desk monitor, Chester clutching a hard drive that looked a bit battered. John pulled out a stool for her to sit on, being uncharacteristically gentleman-like.
Her heart was tapping against her ribs as she sat down and faced the screen. While Chester hooked up several cables to the portable hard disk, Bruce took a seat on a chair right next to her. “Lana,” he said softly.
She grudgingly looked aside. “Yeah?”
“Maybe we should talk after this.”
A tiny crack ran through her veneer of ice. “If you insist.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I do.”
And then, the screen spluttered to life. John dimmed the lights in the room so they could all see better what was on the tape. At first, there was nothing to see – just static. Gradually, the black-and-white pixels disappeared, making way for a shaky image of a dark, stony hallway. A tunnel. It looked like the camera had been fitted onto somebody’s helmet, or possibly hidden inside a spectacle frame.
