Kidnapping Keela

by Cathy McAllister

  “At your service,” said the robot politely.

  “What is that?” asked Keela in amazement.

  “That’s a massage robot. It understands everything you say. You can say where and how he should massage you. He even makes polite conversation. He can also make you a drink.”

  A grin spread over Keela’s face.

  “I think I’ve arrived in paradise!”

  Solima grinned, too.

  “Solima. Can we go now?”came the impatient voice of Solima’s father.

  “In a minute, father. I need to show Keela everything.”

  They left the bathroom and Keela avoided looking in Marruk’s direction. He was still standing at the door and did not appear to be very happy about his daughter wasting so much time on her.

  “I’ll just show you the clothes maker. Come on!”

  Keela followed Solima through the enormous room. The girl opened a door and entered a room covered in mirrors from top to bottom. In the middle was a strange structure with a sort of screen and a machine.

  “Get undressed and stand under here,” said Solima.

  “Solima, I don’t think that I …”

  “Please,” interrupted Solima. “I need to show you how it works!”

  Keela sighed and slipped out of the dress that she had been given on board the Cordelia. Just wearing underwear, she stood under the machine. She felt rather silly and had no idea what to expect.

  “Right, you press here first to switch it on. You see.”

  Solima pressed a button and the screen came to life. A refined-looking woman appeared on the screen with a professional smile on her lips.

  “Greetings, lady. How may I serve you?”

  “Evening wear …” said Solima. “… that matches the colour of Lady Keela’s eyes.”

  “As you wish. Please look at the selection!” said the woman’s voice from the computer.

  Various dresses appeared, one after the other, all numbered.

  “Number four,” said Solima, and an image appeared on the screen showing Keela in the requested dress.

  “Oh no, not that one after all,” Solima decided. “Number seven.”

  The picture disappeared and a different image of Keela appeared, this time in another dress.

  “Perfect. That dress, please,” the girl decided.

  Keela jumped in shock as the machine around her suddenly began to move. Before she could look down at herself she was dressed. The soft material moulded itself perfectly to her figure.

  “That’s not possible,” she cried in astonishment, stepping out of the machine to look at herself in the mirror.

  The dress really was the same colour as her eyes. It consisted of a close-fitting bodice decorated in golden ornaments and a wide, swinging skirt that fell to the floor. She moved a leg forward and saw to her amazement that she was even wearing golden dolly shoes.

  “You absolutely will wear that when we go to the reception, won’t you?”

  “What reception?” asked Keela.

  “Well, the reception that’s taking place this evening for you and Amber, to introduce you. So, you’ll wear it, won’t you?”

  “If it means that much to you,” Keela agreed with a sigh. At the moment she felt a little as if she were in a fairy tale and she was not yet sure whether she liked that.

  “Great!” Solima was very happy.

  Keela began to take off the dress and put it carefully over a stand before reaching out for the simple dress that she had been given on the ship.

  “Solima, now we really must …,” she heard Marruk say.

  Keela cried in shock as he was suddenly standing in the doorway, staring at her as if he had never seen a woman before. The hunger in his eyes unsettled her and made her pussy burn with desire.

  Can the ground beneath me just open up and swallow me, please? – Damn it! Why can’t that happen just when I need it to?

  Marruk froze and did not finish the sentence. He had not counted on seeing Keela half-naked. He thought that Solima would only be explaining to Keela how the clothes maker worked and had not expected them to try out the machine straight away. Being completely unprepared for this erotic sight he had no hope of suppressing his body’s reaction. Hard and painfully his arousal pressed against the tight material of his trousers. He cursed himself for squeezing himself into trousers today – something that he very rarely did.

  Out of here, damn it! Out of here! he urged himself, but his body would not listen to him and stood as if rooted to the spot.

  He took in every detail of the bewitching woman before him: from her big green eyes; the slightly open mouth with the most kissable lips that he had ever seen on a woman; her slender, fit body with her firm breasts; right down to her perfect feet. He was grateful that she was at least wearing underclothes because he was already having a lot of trouble not forgetting everything around him and pulling her into his arms to take those sweet lips and taste their softness. He wondered what her skin would feel like under his hands and what she tasted like. Whether the same light blond hair also decorated the entrance to her feminity. He bit on his lip to suppress a groan. He had not felt such yearning for a long time. No! He had never felt such yearning.

  “Father?” his daughter’s voice tore him from his trance and he swore quietly.

  How could he have forgotten that his young, innocent daughter was there? He was standing here with a mega-erection, gaping at the breasts of a woman whom he neither really knew nor wanted to get to know. Had he not sworn that he would never give away his heart again? After Morika’s death he had sworn never to take another mate and only to tend to his small daughter.

  Solima reached out for his hand.

  “See you later, Keela,” said his daughter happily, pulling him away.

  Keela was still standing there, frozen to the spot, long after Solima and her father had left. She had pressed the dress against herself to cover up her body and to her horror she was aware of a telling dampness in her panties. Her nipples were pressing hard and painfully against her bra. How could his look alone cause such a reaction in her? How could she forget that he was tabu? He had a wife and a child. Perhaps he even had more children. She had not asked Solima whether she had any siblings. Cursing, Keela flattened out the dress and staggered with weak knees out of the room. She could not get his expression out of her mind. Never before had a man looked at her like that. Also she had not missed the fact that he had had a huge bump in his trousers. He wanted her, there was no doubt about that. She would need to be carfeful. Because she would not be able to trust herself when it came him.

  Chapter 5

  Keela had spent the afternoon in a very relaxed way and had eaten a little something in her room with Solima and Amber. Later she had taken a long bath and had a shoulder massage from the massage robot. She had to admit that she had never had a better massage. And Rob, as she had named the robot, was entertaining, too. He had made her laugh with his stories and jokes and so distracted her from the forbidden feelings that she had for Marruk. Now she was dressed and her hair was done and she was waiting to be collected for the reception. She was horribly nervous. What would the royal couple be like? Would Marruk’s wife be there, too? It should not matter to her but she could not help herself. She hoped that she would not be witness to any intimacy between Marruk and his wife. It was bad enough that a man who was already taken was having such an effect upon her. She ought to forget all about men for a while. Had she not been hurt enough? What was more, she could not seriously consider getting involved with an alien. She should concentrate instead on how to get back home again. Perhaps there was a way.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Yes,” she said, a little breathlessly.

  The door opened and Marruk appeared. He looked stunning in his dark red, knee-length skirt, white shirt and a black plaid that was held in place with a golden clip in the form of a cheetah’s head with rubies as eyes. Marruk’s brown hair had been plaited into lots of thin bra
ids, tied together at his neck with a black band.

  “Are you ready?” he asked in a slightly husky voice that went right through her.

  She did not miss the searching look that he gave her - and likewise the dangerous flash in his eyes. He should not look at her like that and she should not wish for things that she was not entitled to. For a moment, that felt like an eternity to her, he held her gaze, and butterflies danced in her belly, the way she had not felt it since she was a teenager. He took a few steps towards her and she had the unsettling feeling that he was going to take her in his arms and kiss her. She almost hoped that he would. Her heart beat faster and her lower body clenched unexpectantly. But he stood still just in front of her and held out his arm to her. Keela tried to fight off the disappointment. Her whole body seemed to cry out in protest, wanting to feel him in every possible intimate way. Instead she put her hand on his forearm as she had seen in old historical films and was led from the room.

  He led her along the corridor and down the staircase to the ground floor. From there they entered a wing of the palace that had been created to receive guests and to impress them. The ceiling was high because the rooms in this wing went higher than two stories. The corridors were four times wider than in the private parts of the palace where she had already been. Keela was amazed by the splendour that she saw and her heart sank. She had expected to meet the royal couple in a somewhat more private environment. She did not feel comfortable with all this splendour and she felt small, even tiny, in this high, wide hall with its enormous statues and tapestries that were several meters high. Her knees weak, she let herself be led by Marruk until they reached a high double door. Two guards nodded to one another and opened the doors to allow them inside.

  She did not know what she had expected but definitely not this. They entered a hall that was as big as a football field and it was teaming with guests. Some guests from other alien races were even present, and there were many different uniforms. Everyone looked very important and formal. This reception was anything but a little meeting with the royal family. This was more like a state event. The fact that no one had noticed her yet did not even help. As it was she was already feeling extremely uncomfortable.

  “Why are there so many people here?” asked Keela in a whisper.

  “Because your visit is of great significance for my planet,” replied Marruk, just as quietly.

  “But why?”

  “Because, as you’ve probably noticed, the number of women amongst my people is much lower than the numer of men. But there are not many planets where there are humanoid women. The few planets whose people are humanoid almost all have the same problem. For some it’s even worse than here. On Karrx7 there’s one woman to forty men. Some planets have a ratio of one to a thousand. There are various factors that partly explain this. For some reason less girls are born and some women suffer from inexplicable infertility. The United Galactic Federation even has special scientists dealing with this to try to find a solution.”

  Keela stood still as if rooted to the spot and stared at Marruk in dismay.

  “Are you saying that Amber and I are to be paired off with one of your men just because you don’t have enough women?” she asked cuttingly.

  “You say that as if it would be an awful punishment. So do you have no longing for a man? For a mate and a family?” asked Marruk.

  Yes, for you! thought Keela miserably. Only you are already taken. Damn it!

  “Not at the moment, no! And if I did want to at some point then I would damn well want to decide myself when and with whom!”

  “Then you need to take care that no male claims you,” replied Marruk sullenly.

  “What is that supposed to mean? Claim?”

  “On Karrx7 a man knows, when he sets eyes on his mate, that she’s the right one. If that happens then he claims her for himself in a ceremony.”

  “And what if the woman does not want that?” asked Keela, a little too loudly, but she was too angry to notice that she had attracted the attention of those around her.

  Marruk glared at her out of what were now almost purple eyes. She had already noticed that his eye colour changed according to his mood and this purple colour indicated that he was very angry. She only wondered why. She was the one who should be angry here.

  “It’s the male who makes this decision,” he declared between clenched teeth. “But I can assure you that I have never come across a case in which the woman was not happy with the decision. There are very few unions that are not happy on my planet. Our women are treated very well.”

  “Oh, right, I’m reassured now then,” she snapped back sarcastically. “I don’t think I feel like this party. I’m going!”

  Keela was angry. Her blood was boiling and she really felt like hitting someone in the face, preferably an arrogant, chauvinistic and damned sexy looking alien with the body of an ancient Greek demigod. Consumed with rage she pulled herself away from Marruk and rushed away. The fact that hundreds of pairs of curious eyes were watching her did not bother her.

  ***

  Marruk stared after her, clenching his fists and grittin his teeth. This woman was really driving him mad. He was not sure whether he wanted to put her over his knee or shag her senseless. When he thought about it carefully, both alternatives had their advantages. A grin lit up his face until he realised that he was on the point of losing his heart to this woman. That could not happen. He must keep his hands off her. He had managed for such a long time without a mate until this blond temptation had burst in upon his well-ordered life. She was making him wish for things that he had long sworn not to do. Damn it!

  “Are you not going to go after her, brother?” asked Berka who had come up to him.

  Marruk shook his head. He really was not in the mood right now to discuss his love life, or lack of one, with his brother.

  “I’ll tell you something. If you don’t hurry up, another male will come and claim her. Then she’s lost to you, you know that.”

  “She is not mine to claim. She’s not my mate!”

  “I’m sorry, brother. I see things differently. I have eyes in my head. You look at the little one as if you want to swallow her alive. But fine, if you don’t want her perhaps I should go after her and claim her. Yes, that might be a good ...”

  Berka took the punch with a grin. He knew that his brother would get jealous at just the slightest provocation. Although he may be denying it right now, Marruk had found his mate, and Berka had, too. He just had to convince this stubborn woman that she was his. And until then he had to take care of his own manhood if he did not want to lose Amber. This little witch was dangerous. It seemed that the women on planet earth were more fiery than the women in his world. That made the whole thing more exciting. Smiling, he watched his brother storm out of the hall like a mad man.

  “What’s going on here then?” asked the queen, suddenly appearing next to him.

  Berka turned and smiled at his mother.

  “Oh, Marruk has just found a new mate at last.”

  “Has he?”

  “Yes. Only he doesn’t seem to quite get it yet.”

  “And what’s going on with the two new women? I can’t see either of them.”

  “Well, yes, Amber is not ready to come. We had a – misunderstanding.”

  The queen raised an eyebrow and looked closely at her son.

  “Misunderstanding?”

  Berka nodded.

  “And the other girl?”

  “She charged out of the hall in anger when Marruk explained to her about the situation with the claiming.”

  The queen sighed.

  “You men always have to charge in like a bull. I think I’m going to have to take this in hand.”

  With these words the queen walked away from her son and left the hall.

  ***

  Keela was walking angrily up and down her room. What had she done to deserve all this? She had been rescued from a slave trader just to be put into slavery again. Her sit
uation here could not be described in any other way, if any passing alien could simply come and claim her for himself. Whether he was going to pay money for her or, in caveman style, just swing a club and say “ugah-agah, now you’re mine”. What was the difference? If she really was going to enter a relationship with one of the Carthians, then it would only be because she wanted to and not because someone came along and beat on his chest. These Carthian men really did all seem to be alpha-men. Emancipation here was a totally foreign word. She really was amazed that such a Stone-Age culture was technologically so highly developed. One would think that a race so highly developed technologically would have also developed to a high level culturally. Damn muscle men! Primitive beasts! She would show them that she was not going to be treated in such a way. Perhaps the women here were used to being treated like decorative ornaments without a brain or any sense, but she had learnt to use her head. She was not a naïve, silly little thing and she would definitely not fall for such a sex beast - at least as long as he did not have turquoise-coloured eyes and a damn firm …

  Damn it! I really do need to watch where my thoughts are wandering.

  There was a knock at the door and Keela froze. Her heart was beating wildly. Had Marruk followed her? She hoped he had not. She really did not feel like speaking with him right now. - or speaking with anyone at all. She began to panic.

  There was another knock.

  “May I come in?” asked a woman’s voice.

  Keela sighed with relief. It was not Marruk. Perhaps it was a maid. She would ask for something to drink - something alcoholic - the stronger, the better!

  “Yes!” she called finally and the door opened.

  The middle-aged woman who entered was clearly not a maid. Her priceless dress and the gem-embossed tiara on her brown hair were hardly going to belong to a simple maid. She closed the door behind her and gave Keela a friendly smile.