Submission of the Siren

by Bella Settarra

  “We were not ousted and no one was forced to leave, Hermandine, and you know it!” Pallas was on her feet, holding on to her stick. Her face was tight and she was obviously containing her anger.

  The judge was about to object to the audience shouting out when he noticed the old lady in the crowd. She wore a large sheer shawl that covered her bikini. The judge smirked. She must have been in her 70s. He nodded at her.

  Pallas nodded politely to the judge and took her seat again.

  Hermandine’s face was contorted with rage, but she daren’t speak for fear of being held in contempt of court and thereby ruin her chances of success. She turned back to the judge.

  He sucked his tongue again as he looked back at the form. “The Court will adjourn until the day after tomorrow while I take advice on the legality of this document,” he announced. “If it turns out to be a valid deed then I will have an agreement drawn up to the effect that the island of Refrainia will become the legal property of the Continent of Eastland. The said agreement will be signed in this courtroom, in front of witnesses, by Hermandine, the Chief Elder of the island, and the Governors of The People’s Governments of Eastland and Westland.

  “But why wait for two days? Surely this could be verified and the agreement could be signed tomorrow?” Durango’s lawyer exclaimed in dismay.

  Judge Roberts thumped his gavel on the desk irritably. He evidently didn’t like being questioned. “Governor Abrams will not arrive from Westland until tomorrow evening,” he all but shouted. “He will wish to recover from his journey before he appears in court, aside from the many other duties he and Governor Osabene will need to perform. I suggest two days should be enough for the Governors to make time in their busy schedules for this task, and allow their legal teams time to inspect the document fully, and, if necessary, to draw up the new agreement. Now I will not hear any more said on the subject!” The judge hauled himself to his feet and, ignoring the rest of the courtroom hurrying to stand in his wake, flounced out of the door without a second’s glance.

  Hermandine scurried out after him, obviously anxious to avoid the wrath of the islanders. Durango and his lawyer followed her out, while Benat Ugarte flitted around them taking photographs.

  “He is a reporter,” Ligia said with an exasperated sigh.

  “Hmm, that explains a lot,” Kalliope sneered, staring after them. She felt peeved that Zigor Durango hadn’t seemed to notice she was even there, though she had shot him her most sultry look as she had walked past him to her seat. She much preferred Rechavia to him, but the attention would have been nice, all the same.

  The islanders clambered out of their benches and followed the locals out of the courtroom. There were tuts and moans of distaste from the people in suits, obviously unhappy at their presence, but the islanders ignored them, busy chattering about the day’s proceedings and Hermandine’s unwelcome appearance.

  Kalliope and Ligia caught up with Rechavia and Aitan outside the courthouse. Rechavia was frowning over at Durango and his lawyer, as they climbed into a waiting limo with Hermandine, the cerise lady and a rather plain girl in a gray shift dress. Ugarte finished taking his pictures and slid in behind them.

  “They look very friendly,” Rechavia said, his eyes narrowing.

  “You think there’s some sort of deal going on there, bro?” Aitan nodded.

  “Well, Hermandine sure is keen to let them have the island. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t getting something out of it.” Rechavia bit his lip in thought. “The only way Durango can legitimately buy the land is by following procedure. He can’t buy it directly from Hermandine because she doesn’t actually own it, and they know that if she were to be seen profiting from the sale of it there would be a public outcry.”

  “Not to mention how the rest of the island would retaliate,” Aitan added.

  “So she agrees to the Government having it and selling it to Durango. Eban said they suspected some sort of backhanders were going ’round. I wonder who Durango knows in the Government who would be happy to sell his Granny for a few quid!” Rechavia snorted as the cab drove past them.

  “I wonder who those other two women are,” Kalliope pondered.

  The rest of the islanders had now filtered from the building and were crowded onto the narrow street.

  “We’d best get going,” Aitan said, slipping an arm around Ligia’s shoulder. “It’ll be starting to get dark by the time we reach home, and we’ve only got oil lamps on the boats.”

  The noisy throng chatted excitedly all the way back to the dock and clambered aboard their assorted boats. Rechavia started up the ship’s engine and pulled out of the harbour, waiting for the rest of the boats to fall in behind him before setting off.

  Pallas was still seething about Hermandine’s behaviour, accusing her of betrayal and treachery. The younger girls hailed their friend a hero for the way she had stood up to her. Hermandine had always been a very forceful lady, arrogant to the point of rudeness, and seemed to frighten all of the islanders, including the elderly ladies who were supposed to be her colleagues and friends. Pallas claimed that they only let her think they were scared of her, but really she didn’t bother them in the least.

  “Will she really be able to let Eastland have the island?” Ligia asked when the women were all settled in the cabin munching cookies and griddle scones.

  “I’m afraid so, dear,” Pallas said gravely. “I’d forgotten that when we Elders were first put in charge of the island, Hermandine insisted we had something legal drawn up. We all felt it was a waste of time, as it would only be legal as far as Eastland was concerned, Refrainia and Westland aren’t subject to Eastland’s laws. However, if she is going to give the island to Eastland then I am afraid it will legally stand. We will all be out of a home very soon.”

  The girls were very quiet all the way home. Eventually they all fell asleep as the steady motion of the waves lulled them. By the time they awoke, they were arriving at the harbour at Refrainia. It was already becoming dark as they all made their way up the track to the huts. The crowd was much more subdued now, obviously aware that they could soon lose not only their homes but also their whole way of life.

  “Can they really make us leave?” Ligia asked, wide-eyed, as the four of them ate their meal outside their huts.

  “I’m afraid so, darlin’,” Aitan said, stroking her long red hair. “The law can be a cruel thing sometimes.”

  “But it’s not fair! Hermandine doesn’t even live here, but she can still ruin all our lives!” Kalliope sounded sulky.

  “That is one nasty lady,” Rechavia said, eating his last mouthful.

  “You can say that again, bro.” Aitan stood, taking their dirty plates from them.

  Ligia yawned.

  “I’m surprised you’re tired after all the sleep you had,” Kalliope teased. “You were snoring your head off long before any of the rest of us nodded off.”

  “I do not snore.” Ligia pouted indignantly.

  Aitan giggled. “And that’s one argument I am not getting into.”

  “You should be backing me up!” Ligia’s voice rose higher.

  Aitan pulled her to her feet and gave her a hug. “You know I love the little noises you make in your sleep, darlin’,” he said, cajoling her. “They are the cutest things I ever heard.”

  They all laughed. Ligia seemed to accept that as a compliment and kissed him.

  “Come on, pretty maid, time we let these two lovebirds get their beauty sleep.” Rechavia grinned as he put an arm around Kalliope and led her next door.

  “What’s a lovebird?” Kalliope asked, as they got ready for bed.

  “I might show you one day,” Rechavia said with a smile.

  Kalliope thought for a moment and then clambered into bed. “Do you mean if we have to leave here? Will you want to live on Eastland or Westland?”

  He snuggled into bed, cuddling her naked body.

  “I hadn’t really thought about it, pretty maid. What would you like
to do?”

  “I want to stay here.” She had already decided.

  “Then we’ll have to see what we can do, won’t we?” He took her lips in a lingering kiss, plunging deep into her mouth.

  She instantly felt a gush between her legs and laughed into his mouth, pulling at his dark, tousled hair as passion engulfed her. To her dismay, he suddenly lifted his head back, a stern expression on his face.

  “I think we have some business to sort out before we go any farther,” he announced, jumping from the bed and rummaging in her trunk of clothes.

  Kalliope stared at him in the dim light afforded by the moon shining through the open window. “What?”

  He went over to the window and pulled the wooden shutters across, before climbing back onto the bed with a couple of scarves in his hands. Kalliope strained to see him in the dark. She felt him pull her arms above her head and she grinned, rolling her eyes. She knew how much he loved this position, and she did, too, especially when he was being masterful. To her surprise, he didn’t leave her hands clasped together as he usually did. He wrapped one of the scarves around them. “What are you doing?” she asked in surprise as she felt him pull tightly on the scarf before tying it to the leg of a nearby chair.

  “Are you questioning me?” He was using that deep voice she loved so much, and she felt another gush between her legs. She suddenly remembered how she was supposed to behave when they were alone together and her heart quickened a little with excitement. She shook her head, no, and lay perfectly still while he stretched out her legs and tied each one to the legs of the low table that stood at the foot of the makeshift bed. She pulled on her restraints, more to test them out than to attempt any form of escape. Escape was the last thing she wanted to do.

  “Now, I saw a certain look that you gave a particular man in that courtroom today, Kalliope, and I must admit I didn’t much like it.” Rechavia sounded very authoritive, and she knew she was in trouble. Damn! I didn’t think he’d noticed.

  She felt her pussy clench involuntarily. Something about his voice seemed to do things like that to her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it,” she whispered.

  “Well I hope not, because I believe you and me had a talk about monogamy not so long ago and I seem to recall we both agreed that we were not going to pursue other lovers, did we not?” His voice was stern but not unkind. He was lying over her, stroking her flat tummy with his finger.

  “Yes, sir, we did.”

  She didn’t know why she called him “sir” just then, but it just felt right somehow. Even in the darkness, she could see his teeth gleam as he smiled down at her. She felt a warm glow inside her. She loved making him happy, she realized.

  “Well, I think your apology sounded sincere enough, and you have shown me such respect tonight, that I have decided that you are not to be punished for it,” he announced with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Thank you, sir. You are very kind.” She tried to sound serious, but couldn’t hide her smile in her voice.

  “Yes, I am, aren’t I?” He was smiling too. Arrogant git!

  His finger now traced a line around her left breast, then her right. She flinched suddenly, willing him to touch her nipple. He chuckled. “And because I am such a kind person, I think I will reward my little sub tonight.”

  “Sub? What’s a sub?” She frowned.

  “Why, it means submissive. That’s what you are, though I reckon you wouldn’t have admitted it up until a few days ago.” He was still smiling. She wasn’t.

  “I am not a submissive. I am an independent woman. I know my own mind. I don’t have to do what you tell me.” She was becoming annoyed now.

  He chuckled again. She became even more annoyed.

  “No one said you couldn’t be an independent, strong-minded woman and be submissive,” he told her, gently stroking her breasts, getting closer to the nipples. “And, incidentally, you don’t submit because you have to but because you want to.” He leaned right over and took her hard nipple in his mouth.

  She hadn’t quite understood what he was talking about, but suddenly it didn’t matter. Another gush escaped her pussy as he took the other nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. It almost hurt but it felt so good!

  “Ah!”

  “Shh, we don’t want to go waking our neighbours, do we, little sub? Not when they’re so tired.” He giggled.

  Kalliope was surprised. They had never worried about making a noise before. She suddenly realized that Ligia and Aitan, and probably some of the other neighbours must have heard them making love before, especially when the windows were open. Her sudden feeling of embarrassment was short-lived as he took her nipple in his mouth again and nibbled all around it, before lathering it with his soft tongue. The sensations were exquisite.

  She felt his hand drift lazily down her stomach and settle in the folds of her pussy. He chuckled as he felt her wetness, and a finger found its way easily inside her, followed by another. She bucked her hips before remembering that she was tethered to the bed. It was an odd feeling, being restrained and yet able to move parts of her body. She enjoyed being tied up, she had realized. The feeling of placing herself at Rechavia’s mercy didn’t frighten her. It excited her. He always seemed to know exactly what she wanted, what she needed.

  His massive cock stroked her inner thigh as he lay over her, and she felt it dribble slightly onto her leg. She gasped with delight. His mouth hovered over hers and she moaned as his long, wet tongue found its way back between her waiting lips. Her tongue tussled with his again as they explored and played. All the time his fingers stroked her pussy, thrusting into her then gently caressing her petals, wiping her moisture all around her, before probing her depths once more.

  She felt herself rising on a wave of ecstasy as the feeling mounted within her hot body. She panted as his tongue delved further, and his fingers invaded her depths. She pulled on her restraints, but they kept her pinned to the bed. Helpless. Vulnerable. His.

  “You’re so ready for me, aren’t you?” She loved it when he spoke to her like this.

  “Oh God, yes.”

  “Tell me you want me. Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you. Inside me. Oh please.” She could hardly catch her breath as he nuzzled into her neck, nipping at her skin in painful yet pleasurable little bites.

  “You want me to fuck you? Is that what you mean?” His voice was a low growl.

  “Yes.” Her breaths were quick, abrupt gasps now.

  “Then tell me.”

  Oh God!

  She knew he wouldn’t do it until she said the words. Bastard!

  “I w–want you to f–f–fuck me!” She spurted the words out.

  A low chuckle came from deep within his throat and he shifted himself right over her. His cock rammed into her, but she was so ready for him she hardly felt it. He withdrew and thrust again, over and over. She felt him hit that special place right up inside her. That place only he bothered to find, time and time again. She felt him suck at her nipples and caress her hair as he plunged deeper and deeper inside her. He became even more engorged than she ever thought possible, until they both screamed their climax together. Neither gave a thought to their neighbours as they yelled and groaned. She pulled on her restraints, revelling in their tightness, in her feeling of giving herself up to him. Their tongues continued to tangle and taste each other as they slowly sank down from their ecstasy, panting and sweating, and loving.

  He untied her and she rolled her arms and legs around him tenderly. She couldn’t get close enough. She wanted to feel engulfed by him. She snuggled into his muscular chest, breathing in his scent, savouring him.

  They lay in each other’s arms in the dark as their breathing slowed and their minds stopped racing.

  “Kalliope, I want you to be mine, always,” he whispered tenderly into her ear. She kissed his chest.

  “I don’t ever want to worry about you being with another man. I want to know that you’re mine and mine alone.�
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  She lifted her head to look at his gorgeous face. Even in the dark, she could make out his perfect cheekbones, his luscious mouth, his deep brown eyes.

  “I want you to stay with me, wherever we end up. As long as we’re together it doesn’t matter. I just want to be with you.”

  Her mind briefly flitted to the possibility of leaving the island. Of having to go and live on the dreary mainland somewhere. Her stomach lurched.

  “Kalliope, it doesn’t matter where we are. I want to marry you. Will you marry me, pretty maid?”

  She felt herself flush. She hadn’t expected this. Not now. Not ever.

  He lifted her chin so she was staring into his eyes. His eyes searched her face. The smile on his lips slowly faded.

  “Of course, you don’t know what marriage is, do you, sweetheart? It means being together always, no matter what, no matter where. Like Eban and Amaranda. Say yes.”

  His face was lit up, flushed, excited.

  “Say yes, pretty maid, say you’ll marry me.”

  “No.”

  Chapter 10

  Kalliope woke from a fretful night’s sleep to discover she was alone in bed. Again! Rechavia had stared at her with a stunned, hurt expression and then left the room without a word. She had considered going after him but decided she didn’t know what she would say to him.

  She had lain in bed in a state of shock. How could he think I would want marriage? She felt so ashamed at the hurt and disappointment she had seen in his beautiful face. His mouth had been open but he obviously had no words to offer her. She had felt the same. What could they say? Words couldn’t begin to describe how they each felt.

  She got herself up and ready for the day, all the time considering how she felt. The sheer tiredness and shame she felt for disappointing Rechavia made her feel horribly sad. By the time she had dusted through the tiny hut and straightened what little furniture and belongings they had, her despair was slowly turning to anger. Why had he walked out? Why should she be made to feel like the one to blame? Everything had been lovely until he asked that stupid question! He had spoiled everything. And now he had just run away instead of facing her, explaining himself to her. She had done everything he had asked of her and now he had ruined it!