Sexual Memory [Dark Colony 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Elle Saint James

  His thoughts would then inevitably lead him to the gladiator arena and protecting Parisa, or rather Angelica, and his similarly passionate feelings for her.

  William thought often about what they’d done together in the Den of Iniquity. If he ever had the power to do so, he’d find an illegal renegade copy of that exquisite time together on DMR tape, and watch it on occasion to remind himself of perfection in lovemaking.

  Of course he didn’t remember anything about his past, but felt certain that sharing a woman with another man hadn’t been a part of it.

  The knock at his door startled him out of his useless thoughts. He rose from this bunk and opened the door to his temporary quarters.

  Olivia, her vivid, sapphire eyes filled with question, was there as she’d promised she would be, holding in her hands the device that would erase his memories.

  William had made his final decision, hoping that it was the right one. He smiled and held the door open, inviting her inside his room.

  * * * *

  Gray, along with Nathan, had remained aboard the Stargazer for the trip back to Bravura. The ship they’d traveled here on was one of his latest acquisitions, the Skydancer. He could have put either himself or Nathan in charge, but he left Drew in command for the trip, testing what he already knew. Lt. Drew Maxwell was a hell of a captain. The Skydancer led the way back home.

  The Stargazer trailed along next. And the Mirage had followed behind like a faithful pet once Nathan had done a complete diagnostic on the main engines, finally destroying the need for Bergeron’s battle simulation pass code. They’d stayed in constant communication between all the ships for the journey back home.

  He’d also discussed in detail the events of her ordeal with Angelica. She told him she’d discovered the secret cloaking device on the Mirage and that it had not only saved the ship, it had saved them on their return out of the Forbidden Zone.

  Gray was grateful she’d discovered what only he’d known beforehand regarding hidden cloak technology aboard the Mirage. He was also glad she’d used it to save his ship, and ultimately the others. They both agreed along with Jeremy that it didn’t need to go on the official records anywhere.

  He for one was ready to get things back to normal. Whatever that was. Penelope waited for him back on Bravura. She’d wanted him to go and help get Angelica back, whatever it took. Angelica and his wife had a strong friendship, which had begun even before they’d married.

  Penelope worked as a scientist at the Bravura Science Labs in the city of Spectra. Their lives had collided nearly a year ago when Penelope had contracted a vile disease called Sex or Suffer, courtesy of a fellow co-worker named Damon.

  The virus caused her immense internal pain until she had sex with the one in four men she was biologically attracted to. Gray had been in the twenty-five-percent category of her biological attraction. But then again, so had his first officer, Nathan, and also how she’d first learned of her unexplained exposure to the virus.

  Penelope had contacted Gray, and the Dalton Prime Company, to take her to Parsec Five to get more doses of the cure for her illness. When the self-contained room she’d been housed in during the trip was accidentally breached, Gray became the next man to fulfill her needs brought on by the horrid virus. But he’d never regretted any of it because it brought them together.

  Gray loved her with all his heart and soul.

  Her career at the Bravura Science Lab had continued after she’d been released from quarantine. In fact, she’d taken over her boss, Dr. Ledreder’s position once he retired. Damon resigned, but was never charged criminally like Gray thought he should have been for what he’d done.

  Penelope didn’t want to leave the place where she’d invested so much time. He didn’t blame her, although she’d mentioned a position at a private lab recently. Perhaps she was looking for a change. In fact, he wondered if there might be more than one adjustment she wanted to make.

  A deep dark part of his brain said, “There’s someone else she would enjoy. Perhaps that’s the change she seeks.” Perhaps she wanted a personal one involving his best friend, Nathan.

  Gray knew that she loved him. They were good together, and she’d never expressed any regret about not including Nathan in their lives initially. Still, he suspected she harbored strong feelings for his first officer. And that it was more than just friendship in nature she sought, but she never said anything.

  The three of them got together every month or so as their busy lives allowed, and the last couple of times, he’d seen a particular longing in her eyes with regard to Nathan. Like maybe she wished for different outcome. A couple of months back and the last time they’d been together, he’d also seen a similar look in the way Nathan looked at Penelope. Perhaps he regretted not being included in a life with her.

  There was a knock on his door. Gray looked at his unfamiliar quarters, taking a second to remember where he was before calling out, “Come in.”

  Nathan entered and closed the door to his temporary quarters behind him. “Just wanted to let you know we’re about an hour away from Bravura.”

  “Good. Thanks.”

  Nathan stared at him for a few seconds, but said nothing. He soon turned to the door again.

  “Something on your mind, Nathan?”

  “Maybe.” His best friend turned back slowly to face him. “Yes.”

  “Does it have anything to do with Penelope?”

  His eyes widened. “How’d you know that?”

  “Are you in love with her? Because that’s the way you’ve acted the past few months.”

  Nathan’s arms crossed. “Have I? I thought I’d been so clever as to hide it.”

  Gray inhaled. “She loves you, too, you know.”

  “She said that?”

  “Of course not, she’d never admit it.”

  Nathan tilted his head to one side. “I’m more interested to know what you think about our unspoken love for each other?”

  “Well, I’ve thought about it, understandably. Seeing Jeremy and Angelica together with William may have helped me see certain relationship aspects in a new light.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes. I was wondering if you’d want to discuss an arrangement with her?”

  “An arrangement? With Penelope?” His eyes were wide open now. “Keep talking.”

  “This is all dependent on her completely, you understand?”

  “Of course.”

  “Often you and I are gone from Bravura at different times, and I thought perhaps you’d like to move in with us. That way when I’m gone, you’d possibly be there, and when you’re gone, I’d be there. And Penelope wouldn’t be alone as much.”

  “What about when we’re all there at the same time?”

  Gray crossed his arms and gave Nathan a smile. “I’ll let your imagination take that one for a ride.”

  Nathan laughed. “Would you be surprised to learn that ride is already a favorite in my fantasies?”

  “Nope.”

  “The thing is, I don’t want to ruin the current relationship we all enjoy.”

  Gray shrugged. “We’ll take it slow and see what happens. When we came back from Parsec Five almost a year ago, I told her you weren’t ready to settle down.”

  He nodded. “That was accurate at the time. But the truth is I haven’t been with anyone else since her. Afterward, I just never seemed to find anyone who was as appealing.”

  Gray smiled. “I’d lead with that when you try to convince her you want to introduce a regular threesome relationship into her new marriage.”

  “Well, you’re going to be there, aren’t you?”

  Gray shrugged. “If you want me to hold your hand I will, but Penelope will laugh at you.”

  “No, she won’t. You said so yourself, she loves me.”

  “And she does. I just don’t want her to feel ganged up on.” Gray said, “Look, I’ll be there if you want, but I believe you should approach her initially. Tell her how you feel. Dis
cover what her thoughts are. You can say we already spoke, and that I’m open to the possibility.”

  Nathan tilted his head back and a wide smile lit his features. “Thanks, Gray. I appreciate your open mindedness on this matter.”

  Gray shrugged. “She was with you even before she came into my life. I can’t begrudge my best friend since childhood and the woman I love beyond all reason a chance to explore what might have been.”

  Nathan twisted his head to one side. “Actually, you totally could do that, but I’m glad for the opportunity to at least express my feelings.”

  Gray expected that although there might be some initial awkwardness, his love life was about to change drastically, and he looked forward to a new future with his best friend in his life more intimately.

  * * * *

  Angelica didn’t want to interfere during Will’s reunion with his family, but she couldn’t keep herself from watching it even if it had to be from afar.

  Across the expanse of Bravura’s extensive air dock, she saw the spacecraft that had only just arrived from Hydrock. Was Will’s bride on board? Undoubtedly. A streak of jealousy—that she had no right to possess—ran down her spine anyway.

  Will had kept to himself since they’d left the Forbidden Zone border. She’d seen him only once during their journey, and not at all since they’d docked. She understood why he kept himself apart. He wasn’t certain if he was married or not. Wasn’t certain of his obligations once he returned home. She certainly understood that, but was also not eager to let him go forever.

  Jeremy put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to squeak and jump in the air.

  “You wouldn’t be so jumpy if you weren’t doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing.”

  “I’m just watching.”

  “To see what the bride from his memory looks like?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I need to confess something.”

  “What?”

  “I overheard something that I wasn’t supposed to, but it impacts the both of us and I think you should know.”

  Angelica took her intent gaze from the Hydrock ship and faced her love. “What is it?”

  Jeremy cleared his throat. “I accidently overheard Olivia and Vidarr talking about using the device she had to possibly erase William’s memories of the gladiator arena.”

  “Would he forget everything from there? Even me?”

  He nodded. “That was the gist of what I understood would happen.”

  She turned to look at Will again. The door on the ship was opening, lowering like a drawbridge to allow the occupants to disembark.

  A tall, beautiful blonde woman raced from the spacecraft, leaping off of the door before it hit solid ground. She spied Will and ran toward him, screaming his other name, Roghan, all the way until they touched.

  Will’s arms opened wide, and the woman slammed into him, still screaming his name. She wrapped her arms and legs around Will securely, nearly knocking him off balance. Even from here she could see Will smiling wide. He hugged the beautiful blonde woman tight to his chest.

  Angelica had seen all she wanted to. “Okay. I’m ready to go.”

  “I think you should go meet them.”

  She shook her head. “If it’s his bride, and he had his memories of me erased, I would only be a confusion. No. It’s better to make a clean break. It wasn’t like I didn’t expect it. He kept himself away from us all the way here for that very reason. He has other obligations.”

  Jeremy rubbed her shoulders. “Which still doesn’t mean he’s stopped loving you.”

  “I know. And I appreciate you of all people reminding me of it.”

  More citizens, and presumably all the royalty of Hydrock, were alighting from the ship to shake hands and or hug Will, or rather Prince Roghan. Tears welled up in Angelica’s eyes unbidden. She was honestly happy for Will. He deserved to find his dream bride. She wouldn’t ever stand in the way of his happiness.

  Angelica turned to Jeremy, hugged him tight, and said, “Thank you so much for understanding.”

  He’d obviously seen her tears, but good sport that he was, he didn’t mention them. He simply held her as she sobbed a silent farewell to her gladiator. Bye, Will.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  He wasn’t certain how he felt about his name. Prince Roghan. He sounded pompous. He wasn’t an arrogant ass, was he? Hopefully not.

  He still didn’t have any memory of his past or where he’d come from, however a doctor he’d seen early this morning after they’d docked told him once he saw any member of his family, all of his memories would likely return fairly quickly. That was something he looked forward to. He hated the empty space filling his brain where names and stories from family and friends should be,

  The ship from his home world of Hydrock waited before him, having landed only a few minutes ago, but the door hadn’t opened quite yet. His family waited on the other side of the entryway door. He was nervous and excited and understandably so, given that he might be about to meet his bride. The dance with her at sunset filled his mind.

  The door opened and before the plank came all the way down, a female’s excited scream filled the air. Two seconds later a flash of blonde hair and a wide grinning face streaked toward him as the screaming continued. There was a flash in his head like a torrent of information let loose to fill his brain. He knew her. He remembered her.

  Rhiannon.

  His memory of Rhiannon’s entire life and their special bond filled his brain the moment he saw her. The doctor had been right. Everything filled in. She leapt onto him, arms and legs winding around him like a creature at the zoo, clinging hard as she still screamed in excitement to finally see him again.

  Behind her, but in a more sedate and royal fashion, came his parents, and two of his three older brothers. He remembered everyone. He remembered everything. All the recollections of his past filled into the crevices of his mind like books neatly shelved in a row, one by one.

  It was glorious to know who he was. It was so very satisfying to remember his complete history.

  The wisp of memory at the sunset wedding while dancing with Rhiannon in her beautiful wedding gown filled into his mind completely.

  He’d been so happy in that moment. He couldn’t have loved her more as they’d danced. Their special connection could never be broken. Not by anything.

  William—well, he was really Roghan—remembered why he loved her so much. The close bond they’d shared since birth was difficult to explain to others, but understandable.

  In that festive moment with Rhiannon in his arms dancing at sunset, Prince Roghan had realized that even her marriage to Prince Dietrich wouldn’t change their close relationship.

  Then or now. They’d always have their special bond. Always.

  Because Rhiannon was his twin sister.

  * * * *

  Angelica roamed around her apartment, reacquainting herself with every item she owned, picking things up, rubbing them against her face, delighted she was free, ecstatic she was no longer a slave bitch in a strange place without her memories.

  She had a future again. She had her life back. She’d be captaining the Mirage once again very soon. She couldn’t wait to get back to normal and routine.

  While they’d journeyed to Bravura, Vidarr and Olivia had confided to them all that before they left Lord Harcourt’s world, they managed to do something devious to his DMR video distribution center.

  Her two new friends were vague on the details of exactly what they did. However, they told the three of them they wouldn’t have to worry about any Den of Iniquity films.

  Somehow they’d uploaded a nasty computer virus onto Lord Harcourt’s sophisticated DMR system and erased the entire library of films in his possession right before departing from his lordship’s extended hospitality. They said that while the sabotage was also self-serving, it was also a down payment for getting them off the planet and out of the Forbidden Zone.

  Jeremy i
nformed them quickly that they were paid in full. They were both so relieved not to have that hanging over their heads as an unpleasant lifelong souvenir of their time in the Forbidden Zone.

  Angelica was supremely grateful that her foray into threesome sex—while seductively enjoyable personally—wouldn’t be broadcast across the galaxy in perpetuity as Lord Harcourt had promised.

  Jeremy was on his way over to keep her company on her first night home. She already planned to ask him about their relationship and wanted a firm commitment as to its permanence. Given all he had done to find her in District Six, she suspected he also might bring that very subject up. She certainly didn’t doubt his love for her, she just wanted the words to be spoken out loud.

  There was a knock at the door, making her smile. She raced over to answer, whipping the door open and expecting to see Jeremy, but instead it was the woman from Hydrock who’d melded herself to Will the moment she’d gotten off the ship from her home planet.

  “Hi!” she said with enthusiasm.

  “Hi,” Angelica said in reflex, unsure she wanted to have a conversation with Will’s wife.

  “I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Rhiannon.” She leaned forward and half of her full, lovely to-die-for flaxen hair cascaded forward in lush waves covering her chest. “Roghan told me all about you.” She grinned and flipped her long, beautiful blonde locks back over one shoulder.

  Angelica faltered a bit. She took a step back in confusion. Rhiannon grinned even wider and stepped forward as if an invitation had been issued.

  Behind her she saw Will with his hands possessively gripping Rhiannon’s shoulders as if holding down her zeal for the introductions. Why did Will’s wife want to meet her?

  The familiar touch Will displayed actually didn’t make her angry or jealous, surprisingly enough, just incredibly sad. Was Angelica about to have to pretend that she hadn’t been having wild, satisfying, erotic sex with this woman’s husband for months?

  “You’re Angelica, right?” she asked, sticking out a friendly hand, grabbing Angelica’s fingers tightly.