by Ravenna Tate
She cried out in fake pain, and then when Cord spread her legs wide and slapped her pussy, hard, she almost came again. She knew he was doing it for the crowd, but it was also hot as hell. She tried to close her legs, and Arlo stepped behind the chair, reached across her and grasped both ankles, pulling her legs up and wide apart for Cord. Because her arms were still cuffed behind her, she stayed still because she didn’t want to slide off the chair.
“Bad little sluts get their pussies fucked and spanked,” said Cord. He retrieved the paddle from next to the chaise, and now she understood why her ass hurt so badly. It was metal with holes in it. Holy shit!
“No!” She tried to move away, but Arlo held her too tightly. Cord stepped to the side and swatted her pussy with that demon paddle five times in a row. Now the pain was getting serious, but at the same time she felt her juices running onto her thighs.
“And they get two dicks in their hot, tight holes.” He gave her five more hard swats, and her moans were no longer pretend. “And then they get cocks in their mouths and cum on their faces and titties.”
He dropped to his knees and licked her pussy, then sucked her clit. She cried out, no longer able to hold off the climax, and as it crashed over her he slid three fingers into her pussy and fucked her with them until she thought she’d pass out from sheer pleasure.
Cord stood, and Arlo let go of her ankles. Then he moved in front of her, and Cord moved behind the chair and held her legs open while Arlo went to town on her wet pussy with his mouth. She could hardly breathe it felt so damn good.
Arlo stood. “The little slut tastes so fucking good. That’s how we know she wants this.”
Cord laughed. “You’re right. You can always tell by how juicy the pussy gets.”
Arlo moved to the side and held her head with both hands. Cord let go of her ankles, stepped in front of her, and pinned her legs together with his thighs as Arlo had done. “Open your mouth, slut.”
This time, she didn’t try to resist. She’d have to ask them later if there was any way to get around calling her that name. For some reason, it really got to her. Cord fucked her mouth hard, but it didn’t take long for him to come. He pulled out as soon as it started and splashed his cum on her breasts, then shoved his dick back into her mouth to finish.
“Swallow it.”
She did, and then a buzzer sounded and the screen rolled down.
Fallon closed her eyes as the guys uncuffed her and helped her stand. The door opened as she opened her eyes again, and she flinched. Walton and the two guards were there, leering at her.
“We need to talk,” said Walton.
“Can’t it wait?” asked Arlo. “She’s exhausted and needs to be cleaned up. And Cord and I are pretty damn tired, too.”
“You have thirty minutes.”
Cord moved in front of Fallon, shielding her. “Could she have some damn privacy?”
“None of you are entitled to privacy,” said Walton.
He finally stepped aside, as did the guards, while Arlo and Cord led her out of the room. But she felt their eyes on her. Once inside her bedroom, she collapsed on the bed and curled up into a ball. She’d made a decision during the last two hours.
No matter what Cord had to do in order to contact his cousin and beg for help, she would assist him in any way she could. They had to get out of here.
Chapter Twelve
Arlo punched the wall and then wished he hadn’t because Fallon flinched. Cord had gone into her bathroom to get washcloths and towels, and the guys both cleaned her up and examined the wounds on her ass cheeks.
“We can’t do heavy impact play with her during the next performance. This is too much. Her skin is too fair. We’ll break it next time.”
Fallon sighed out loud, and Arlo gently rolled her onto her back. He hated the haunted, desperate look in her beautiful eyes. “I’m so sorry. We hurt you, didn’t we?”
“There was only one thing I didn’t like. Do you two have to call me ‘slut’? I don’t know why, but it makes me so sad. That’s why I cried. Not because you hurt me. I was all right until then.”
Arlo wanted to die. He should have asked about using derogatory names before tonight. Never again. He wouldn’t let that happen even one more time. He pulled her close and stroked her hair. “Then we won’t do that again. But what about the rest of it? Did we go too far?
“I think under different circumstances I would have enjoyed it very much. I was simply exhausted by then.”
“We wanted to fuck you in the pussy and the ass at the same time, but didn’t get around to it. Could we try that next time?”
“Sure. We can try that.” Her voice didn’t match the words. Arlo pulled her close and caressed her back. “I hope I’m not out of line to say this, but you did an amazing job. And you were so sexy. I just wish…”
“What do you wish?” she whispered.
“I wish we’d done that in here. I mean, not in front of anyone. This isn’t coming out right.”
“I think I know what you mean,” she said. “I was thinking something similar. I really enjoyed everything we did in there together, but I kept wishing it was outside of that room and in private.”
He and Cord exchanged a glance, and Arlo didn’t need to ask. They both felt the same way. But until they figured out a way to leave this place, that wasn’t likely to happen. It would take all their strength to get her through the shows. He was very concerned about her. She looked completely fatigued and defeated.
“Why does Walton want to talk to us?” asked Cord. “Our performance was the best he could have expected under the circumstances.”
“I can’t face him,” she said. “I need sleep.”
Cord gave her a tight hug. “We’ll be with you when he talks to us, and we aren’t going to let anything happen to you.”
Arlo stroked her hair. “Damn right we won’t.”
She glanced at each of them. “I know that. You both have already proven it. Thank you for everything you did in there. For the whispered encouragement, and for the way you made sure I was all right. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
Arlo’s heart gave a strange lurch at the tone of her voice. It was the same way his wife’s had sounded when they were first married, before her upbringing had taken over and she hadn’t been able to relax enough to enjoy even gentle sex. She had tried at first, but it simply wasn’t going to happen.
Fallon would never be that way. Even in that ridiculous room, knowing they were being watched and listened to, she’d responded to both of them. The trust she’d shown them was staggering. But would it be the same outside of here? Was it real, or were her reactions the result of being forced to go along with this? He’d best get a grip on his emotions and quickly before his heart turned this into something it wasn’t.
****
When they walked into the common room with Fallon, Cord kept his arm around her. They faced Walton and the two guards. “What do you want?”
“Sit down,” said Walton, his voice angry. Cord longed to tell this man exactly what he thought of him, but since he had the power to take Fallon out of here, he kept his mouth shut.
They took seats on the sofa, and then Walton put his hands behind back as if he were about to impart something of great significance to them. “It seems you three already have an admirer from Sera.”
Cord’s heart raced, and he forced a neutral expression to his face. Beside him, he felt Fallon stiffen, so he gave her shoulder a squeeze hoping Walton wouldn’t notice her reaction. “A Regum?”
Walton made a sound of disgust. “Do you honestly think they’d come here? No. This man works in one of the regulatory branches.”
“You mean he works in the Ministry, then,” said Arlo. “Why would a Ministry worker come to these performances?”
Well played, Arlo! Had Cortez sent someone? Cord found it difficult to believe he’d risk coming here himself. Surely Walton would know who Cord’s family members were by now.
Walt
on looked uncertain for a second, and it was all Cord could do not to jump out of his skin. “It might shock you to know that not everyone who works for them thinks as they do. He’s here, he watched the performance, and he’s asked to meet Fallon.”
She flinched. “Me? Why?”
Walton gave her a grin that Cord imagined resembled the way a serpent would look if it could smile. “Did the porn stars on Earth not have admirers?”
“She’s not a porn star,” said Arlo. His voice was dangerous, and Cord wished he’d hold his emotions in check a bit more. This wasn’t the time to challenge Walton. Didn’t Arlo understand the man who was here had likely been sent by Cortez?
Walton turned his gaze toward Fallon. “I’ll send him in. You’ll have ten minutes and no more.”
“Is that what you wanted to talk to us about?” asked Arlo. “This man?”
“No. Her performance needs to be more convincing next time, and she must be better rested. She was too tired, and it showed. Make sure she gets plenty of sleep in the next couple of days. If you wear her out having sex with her in between performances, she won’t be in peak condition. If the crowds aren’t pleased, you’ll find another woman in here.”
Cord’s body trembled with the effort of holding his anger in check. Just before Walton and the guards reached the archway leading into the hallway, Walton turned. “Oh, and don’t forget. We’ll be listening to your conversation with this man. So if you two have any notions of passing information to your former accomplices, don’t try it.”
Fallon started to speak as soon as they heard the door, but Cord laid a finger over her lips and shook his head. He listened to a pair of boots on the wooden floor, and then grinned as Quentin appeared from the hallway.
He’d never been so happy to see anyone. This was madness, but it was the best hope they had. Cord leaned close and whispered to Fallon, “He’s the friend I told you about. Play along.”
Cord rose and shook Quentin’s hand. “So, what do you want?”
Quentin slipped him a thick, folded-up note. “I’m here to meet the Earth girl.”
“Her name is Fallon,” said Arlo. Cord sat on the sofa and unfolded the note as quietly as possible.
“Fallon … what an unusual name.”
“Not on Earth it isn’t,” she said.
“What does it mean?”
“It means descended from a ruler.”
“You’re quite beautiful. I wanted to be inside that room, fucking you instead of watching these two criminals do it.”
“That was the idea.”
Her voice was full of sarcasm, and Cord wanted to kiss her. Considering what they’d been forced to put her through, she was amazing right now.
“All right,” said Arlo. “That’s enough. You’ve met her. You can leave now.”
“I’ll be at the next performance.”
“Wonderful.”
“Um,” she said. “Any special requests for next time?”
Cord thought Quentin was going to burst out laughing. “A bit more hair pulling. That really gets me going.”
Cord shot his friend a droll look, and then he rose and shook his hand again. As soon as he left and they heard the lock click in the door, Arlo and Fallon followed Cord into his room, where he read the note out loud in English so Fallon could understand it.
Cortez is doing all he can but cannot risk exposure. I am working on a plan to get you out of here, but if I do, you can never return home. I will be at a future performance with further instructions. Burn this after you read it.
Fallon put her hands over her mouth. “We’re going to escape. This is real.”
“It’s horribly risky,” said Arlo.
“Very,” said Cord. “We could all wind up dead or worse.” Worse for her, not them.
“Where will you go if you can’t go home?” she asked.
“The Regum have ways to hide people if they want to.”
She frowned in confusion. “The Regum? But he can’t ask them for help, can he?”
Cord and Arlo exchanged a glance. “It’s likely he already has,” said Cord. “No one else would have the kind of power or resources he will need to get us out of here.”
“But why would they help him? You two are convicted criminals, and I’m only an Earth woman. I’m confused.”
“My cousin has a lot of friends in the Ministry. He probably called in favors.”
“And they won’t betray you because of your cousin.”
“That’s right.”
“Then it’s hope,” she said. “We have to hang onto that.”
He went into the kitchen and returned with a book of matches and a metal bowl, then burned the note and flushed the ashes down the toilet. Yes, it was indeed hope. The only hope they all had. And if Fallon could hang onto such a thin shred of it after all she’d endured, then he could, too.
Chapter Thirteen
During the next two weeks, Fallon began to believe Quentin was never going to return. She didn’t make love to Cord and Arlo in between performances, but they held her each night, as tenderly as a lover would. They made meals with her, and played card games with her each day. They asked her questions about her life on Earth, but talking about it made her sad, so instead she asked them what their lives had been like before being sent here.
There were a few television shows to watch on the monitor, but the language was theirs and she didn’t understand it. Still, she was content to cuddle up next to them on the sofa and listen to them translate the dialogue.
As long as she was with them, she knew she could get through this, but it had seemed easier when they had a chance of escaping. The more time passed without Quentin showing up again, the less hope she had, and she wondered how she’d endure this for years to come.
As impossible as it seemed, her feelings toward both men ran deeper each day. But Fallon didn’t know if that was because of their circumstances, or if those feelings were real. Would she have developed them if she’d met these men back home, under normal conditions?
But this wasn’t home. It never would be. Several times during the two weeks, she found herself fantasizing about what it would be like to live with them in a conventional setting. One in which they all had jobs, and came home at the end of their workdays to each other.
But each time her mind started down that path, she pushed away the craziness. This wasn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination, and any second Walton could show up and whisk her away. That was her reality. She was a prisoner, forced to have sex with Arlo and Cord for unseen, unheard crowds.
Arlo and Cord were criminals, even if the charges against them had been trumped up or bogus. They put on a show every few days to save their lives, the same way she did. But when she kissed them, her passion was real. When they gazed into her eyes with tenderness or concern, the emotion pouring from them was real. And by the end of those first two weeks, Fallon knew her feelings were just as real as any she’d ever had.
In the performance room, Arlo and Cord were alpha males all the way. But they each had a compassionate side, as well. They hadn’t broken one promise to her, and no matter what happened when they all got out of here, she’d never forget them. The feel of their mouths and hands on her, and the sensation of becoming one with each of their bodies would haunt her for the rest of her life.
It might not be the kind of love she’d felt for Jim, or the emotion she’d always imagined whenever she tried to define “love”, but the joy she experienced with them, and the physical attraction that was instant at the mere thought of them made her heart soar and her skin tingle.
Fallon didn’t know what would happen to her, but she knew what she felt for Cord and Arlo was right and true. She knew if they did get out of here one day, and if she were given a choice, she’d still want to be with them for the rest of her life.
And that certainly sounded like love to Fallon. If it wasn’t, she had no idea what was.
****
At the beginning of the thir
d week, Quentin returned an hour before the performance, this time with two other men. The three had insisted on seeing Fallon alone, under the pretense of wanting to ask her more about her sexual preferences. Since Walton was a pervert, he allowed it.
Walton led Fallon to a room much like the one in which he’d told her not to romanticize her imprisonment with Cord and Arlo, and made her sit at a table while the men stood around her. After Walton left the room, Quentin and two men whose names she still didn’t know asked her detailed and embarrassing questions.
Fallon did her best to answer them, but all she wanted to do was beg Quentin to tell her when the three of them were getting out of here. Her entire body shook with the effort of keeping a neutral face and forcing her voice to stay calm and unemotional.
At one point, Quentin leaned close as if he was trying to kiss her or cop a feel. He slipped her a note, and didn’t move away until she’d stuffed it into her jeans pocket. She’d nearly been caught doing that because Walton came into the room and told the men they’d had enough time with her.
After they left, he stared at Fallon with a hard look on his face, and for a few seconds she was afraid he’d seen Quentin give her the note. But then he took her back to the quarters, and she handed the note to Cord. They took it to his room, and he read it out loud.
Two hours before the next performance in three days, an electrical outage will occur inside the Zoo. The two men with me today have contacts within the Tyranns who oppose the Zoo. These two men will pose as guards and come to your quarters. You will have only moments to escape the building, so you must be ready when they come for you. They will identify themselves as Brant and Ellis. Burn this after you memorize this information.
The certainty of escape was the only thing that got her through the performance that night. Afterwards, she lay awake for hours with Cord and Arlo, talking through every possible scenario and planning for their response to it.
