by Leila Brown
“Mark?” She gulped. They were going to mark her? But it was just temporary, right? “Like a fake tattoo?”
“No. It's a real tattoo, as permanent as any other. The mark of a permanent tattoo is a brand like this one.” Ace lifted his arm and showed her his bicep.
How had she missed that? The skin was as smooth as his muscles, but the scar was there, long since healed over. She traced it with her finger. There was a skull with a knife clutched in its mouth. The picture reminded her of the history classes she'd taken as a kid.
“You used old Earth symbols?” she asked, curious. They would have had to visit Earth a long time ago.
Ace turned his head and stared at her. “No, we did not take old Earth symbols. This pirate symbol and ones like it have been used for longer than Earth has been part of the Galactic Collective. Others might have visited Earth in the past, and their symbols were adopted by your people.”
The way he said “your people” reminded her that they were different from regular men. Larger, more sexual. Okay, she could do this. “So I have to have a brand?”
“No, you'll get a tattoo. It won't be as permanent as a brand, but it won't wash off either. Only Gio has this mark.” Ace waited for her to touch a thumbprint to the contract. She didn't even bother reading it. It didn't matter what it said, she'd agree to anything in order to help Sophie.
The contract beeped an acceptance; then Ryas walked toward her with a playing card-sized electronic console. He held it to her breast. She opened her mouth to say no. It was too high. Too visible. But it was too late; a flash of searing pain later, and she looked down to see the black ink staining her skin. It mirrored his mark, but the dark stamp was clear against her skin.
“Damn it. That shit hurt,” she said, rubbing the area. The skin felt raw under her fingers, and pain shot through her.
“It wasn't supposed to feel good.” Ryas set the tiny flesh-searing device down on the counter near her and turned back to her. “Now, I think it's time you proved how much you want us to find your sister.”
“You want me to fuck you before you even try to find Sophie?” Surely she was misunderstanding them. There was no way they were asking her to do that.
“No. I want you to go to the baths and wait for us as we make a few inquiries about your sister. These things take a while. We aren't going to find her within seconds of starting a search. We can't let whoever took her know that we are trying to get her back.” Ryas bent and kissed her on the neck.
The touch sent a jolt through her. She couldn't be thinking of sex. Not now. No way. Not even. But her body wasn't agreeing. The slickness between her legs sent her heart racing. How could she be feeling like this when Sophie was in danger?
“Relax,” Ace said coming toward her. “If you don't calm down, you're going to faint.” His smile should have reassured her, but there was something just barely simmering below his surface.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don't think just because I signed up for this you're getting anywhere near my ass.”
“Didn't you read the fine print?” He didn't wait for her to say yes or no. “In order to consummate the contract, you have agreed to have both vaginal and anal sex with us. You didn't think I was going to leave that out, did you?”
Bastard. He knew she wasn't going to waste time reading that contract when her sister was out there. She narrowed her eyes at Ace. “You're a bastard; do you know that? A real bastard.”
“I never claimed to be anything else,” Ace said as he moved and ushered her out of the door and into the hallway.
She ducked under his arm and stopped in the middle of the hall. He turned around and stalked over to her. He bent his head as he stared into her eyes. She met his gaze straight on.
“Ryas is making the inquiries. Should I go back in there and tell him you've changed your mind? The contract isn't valid until after one of us comes in your ass,” Ace whispered into her ear.
She shivered. His words shouldn't have added to the fire running through her. They shouldn't have made her want him. But right now she was having trouble concentrating on anything but the gentle glide of his skin against her face as he took her earlobe in his mouth. He bit it slowly, barely putting pressure on the fleshy nub.
“Why does it matter?”
“Because that's what I want. It's that simple.” He moved his mouth from her earlobe and over to her mouth.
Don't let him kiss you on the mouth. Keep something private. When his lips reached hers, she turned her head at the last second and he caught the corner of her mouth. He laughed against her but didn't turn her head back. At least she could keep this to herself. They both knew she was going to do it. Had to do it to save her sister. She had no choice.
Ryas came out of the room and wrapped his arms around her. He picked her up and out of Ace's range. It was a short walk to the bathing room. It was a large circular room with space for six large men. Ryas lowered her to her feet and walked a few steps away. This wasn't the communal shower she'd used the previous day. No. This bathroom was pure decadence. And the water hadn't even started running. She didn't see any showerheads or drains. As she took a few steps, she noticed the tiny holes below her feet. When she ran her hand along the wall, she noticed the holes there too. They were everywhere. The entire room must be covered in them.
Did the water come from all the holes? Or maybe the holes drained all the water out? She didn't want to ask them. They both stripped and then walked over to her. And as idiotic as it seemed, the only thing she could think about as the men took step after step toward her was that their clothes would be soaked.
Ryas was the first to reach her. It only took a few quick movements for her clothes to hit the floor. A small gush of air brushed against her skin before the first drops of water hit her. It poured in from above her head, first. Then it shot out from the nearest wall. She scrunched her eyes closed, afraid the water would shoot in her eyes if she didn't. It was like a symphony, the way the water flowed in a choreographed pattern. Just as the water stopped hitting you from one source, another took its place.
“Come here.”
Her eyes popped open at the words. Ace was crooking a finger in her direction and motioning for her to come to him. Normally she would have told him he could come to her. But this wasn't a normal situation. She couldn't waste time trying to one-up him.
She walked over to him. When she was less than arm's length away from him, she looked up at him.
“Touch me.”
She looked over her shoulder to where Ryas was leaning against the wall behind her. Adrenaline surged through her.
“Don't look at him. Look at me,” Ace commanded.
The sweet smell of his breath hit her, making all the heat of her body band together and shoot straight to her cunt. She twitched her legs at the wet feeling. Ace wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. His lips caught hers in a kiss as sweet as it was punishing. Water pulsed at her back, her sides, even her face. But nothing broke the sensual spell he was weaving around her.
His lips devoured hers as his tongue swept through her mouth. He traced her tongue and then her teeth. He wanted her to know he was in control. He sucked her tongue into his mouth.
It only took a few strokes of his teeth along her tongue to send her heart thundering in her chest. A whimper poured through her. His hands moved from around her waist down to her hips. He cupped her ass in his palms and pulled her hips into him. His erection pressed against her stomach. The silky-smooth feel of his cock was enough to send tiny electric tingles along her body. She fought the quiver of ecstasy trying to rob her of her control.
Ace broke the kiss and traced his tongue along her chin, then down to the hollow of her throat. Sera rolled her head back in ecstasy. Another set of hands snaked between her and Ace. Ryas. His hands cupped her breasts, the pressure almost too much for her oversensitized body. Ryas pinched the hard nubs of her nipples between his fingers. It was like being set on fire in two different places. He
r breath caught, and her eyes flickered closed.
“Are you ready, Seraphina?” Ryas whispered along the column of her neck.
A sudden rush of panic assaulted her as she remembered what they wanted to do to her. This wasn't going to be your everyday sex session. Or at least not for her. They wanted to do a three-way with one of them coming in her ass.
“You got the lube?” Ace asked Ryas.
“Wait,” Sera said in a whispered voice. But neither one of them looked at her. “Wait. I don't—”
“It won't hurt, Sera.” Ryas moved his hands from her aching breasts. Using one finger, he traced a line up and down her spine. “Just do what Ace asks.”
Sera closed her eyes and reminded herself she was doing this for Sophia. Even if it did hurt, she could take it. She could. Ace's hands dropped from her hips, and he took a step away from her. For a second, cool air assaulted her skin.
The water had shut off, and she'd been so wrapped up in both men, she didn't care. Ace lay down on the floor in front of her. His cock stood straight up.
“Ride me, Sera,” Ace said as he ran his hand over his erect length.
For a moment Sera thought he might be joking. A smile lit her face. He was going to let her be in control? That was a big thing for him. Ace thrived on control. To willingly give it up?
Before she knew it, Sera was stepping over his body to position herself on top of him. She slowly sank down. Grabbing the base of his cock, she guided him into her. Her body resisted for a second before opening up to him. She only went down far enough to take in the head of his penis before moving up again. Once he was completely out of her, she moved down again. This time she took in more of him, then squeezed her hand around the base of his cock. Ace moaned and reached up and grabbed her hips. She took her hand off his cock to hit his fingers away. He took advantage of her movement and pulled her down as he slammed his entire length inside her.
“Ace,” Sera cried out as the pain and pleasure of the forceful claiming rocketed through her. Every cell in her body was humming. She inhaled a ragged breath, determined to master the passion surging through her. It was her turn to be in control, damn it. She leaned over Ace, pulling her body until just the tip of his penis stayed inside her.
“I am in control this time. Got it?” How dare he give her control only to snatch it back?
“If you're in control, act like it. Start moving, before I move for you,” he growled at her.
He wanted control? She'd show him control. Sera closed her eyes and sank down on him slowly. As he pressed inside her, she clenched her inner pussy muscles. It was like her cunt was swallowing him inch by delicious inch.
He moaned and dropped his hands from her hips. If he didn't interfere, she would use every muscle in her pussy to drive him insane.
A finger traced down the curve of her spine and along the valley of her ass. Sera looked over her shoulder at Ryas. He smiled down at her with that quirked-up lip, and she shivered with anticipation. She was nervous. More than nervous, she was scared out of her mind. But she knew they wouldn't hurt her. She trusted them.
She turned back to Ace and tightened her cunt as she lifted almost off his cock. He reached up and pulled her down until his cock was buried all the way inside her.
“Ryas, you better hurry up. I'm not going to last. She's so fucking tight.” Ace ended on a gasp.
He might be holding her still, but he couldn't stop her from tightening her body around his penis. Warm liquid slid down the crack of her ass and into her tiny hole. Ryas's finger followed the same path. He circled the rim of her anus over and over again before he pressed the tip of his finger inside.
The pressure was immense. The muscles she'd been using to torture Ace seized into a tight ball.
“Relax, Sera,” Ryas said in a soothing voice. “If you relax, my fingers will stretch you slowly, and it won't hurt as much when I shove my cock up your ass.”
Her muscles clenched even harder. “Relax,” he said. Relax. Obviously he'd never had anyone's finger shoved up his ass.
“I can't relax. It hurts.”
More warm liquid slipped down between her cheeks. Ryas pulled his finger out and pressed it in again. This time it didn't hurt as much. Which wasn't saying anything. She clamped down on the need to move away from his searching finger.
“Stay still, and you'll loosen up,” Ryas said in a pained voice.
“Just lube up good and stick your dick in her already,” Ace ordered.
Ryas pulled his finger away. Sera sighed in relief and shook with fear. His finger was gone, but that only meant his cock was coming. She bit her lip as more warm liquid slid down her ass and onto the spot where she was joined with Ace.
Ryas grabbed the rounded globes of her ass and pulled them wide. His cock bumped against her anus.
“Go slow.” Sera's shaky voice showed all her unease.
Ryas grunted. All too soon his cock was pressing against her small hole. It wasn't as hard as his finger, but it was much bigger. He pressed in. She felt herself opening up to him. Pain rocked through her. It wasn't a stabbing pain, but rather throbbing and uncomfortable. She bit her lip to keep from yelping as he continued to push. Soon the head of his penis was inside. She could feel her body rippling around him.
“Damn it. She's so tight; I'm not going to be able to last long,” Ryas growled.
Thank goodness for small favors. Sera would have permanent teeth marks etched into her bottom lip when this was all over.
“I'm all the way in,” Ryas said finally.
“Good.” Ace looked up at her. “The hard part is over. Now it will only be pleasure.”
She didn't know whether to believe him. Then he moved. A thousand shocks clouded her mind as Ace pulled out of her; she could feel him with every inch of her pussy. Then he surged back in, and Ryas pulled out. Where before her ass had been filled with a dulling pain, now it seemed it was grasping at the cock moving out of her.
Sera sucked in much-needed air. Her body was like one big pleasure receptor. Every push in, every stroke out sent her body into a frenzy. She wouldn't be able to take much more. But the guys didn't seem to be affected. Neither of them slowed or got off rhythm. They were enjoying pushing her over the edge.
Sera gathered what was left of her tattered concentration and tightened her muscles around Ace. But pulling those muscles also pulled the sensitive skin inside her anal tract. Both men moaned. She wouldn't be the only one going supernova.
With every movement they teetered on the edge of orgasm. The guys lost the rhythm, and even that spurred them along. And in just a few seconds they crested. The passion flowed over her, filling her up. Her heart felt as if it would burst from her chest.
She slumped down on top of Ace. Ryas slowly pulled out of her. Her anus spasmed before it tightened up. Her body felt like it would never be the same. Sera had never had such mind-blowing, skin-tingling joy. Never been so satisfied.
“Incoming call,” the computer said over a speaker.
Ryas moaned. “Computer, identify caller.”
“Captain Black from the Hellsbreath, Ion class ship,” the computer answered.
“You should answer that in the cabin,” Ace told him.
There was no one else on the ship. Why couldn't they answer it in front of her? Did they not trust her? She'd just given them her body in ways she hadn't ever planned to share with anyone, and they couldn't fucking trust her? Anger bubbled in her. Oh this shit was not right, and she wasn't about to take it lying down.
Chapter Eight
Ryas pushed the Speakerphone button. “Captain, thanks for all your help. We will stop by and collect the package in about an hour.”
“No deal. She is staying with me.” Captain Black's dark voice crackled across the line.
“What the hell do you mean she's staying with you? We had an agreement. You kidnap her for one day and then turn her over to us.” Ryas tried to keep the anger out of his voice. He couldn't afford to make Captain Black angry w
hile the man had Sophie. They needed her back. If they didn't get her back unharmed, the contract would be null and void. And worse yet, he had no doubts that Sera would never talk to either of them again. Much less fuck them. And after the session they had just shared, there was no way he was going to let her go.
“I did kidnap her. Unfortunately she insulted my personal pleasure-giver. The woman left because of Sophie's actions, so now she must take the woman's place. I don't have time to interview new applicants. Besides, I have found that I like the softness of her body. It will give me much comfort as I teach her how to satisfy me.” The man laughed as he hung up on Ryas.
They were fucked. Once Sera found out, they would be so screwed. Ryas wouldn't be surprised if she came after them wanting their heads. And not just the ones on their shoulders.
The small button on the wall beeped as the door to the cabin slid open. Ace sauntered in. Ryas glanced over his friend's shoulder, then closed the door.
“Captain Black is keeping Sophie as his personal pleasure-giver.” The words flowed out of Ryas in a rush. He needed to think. There was a way out of this mess. A simple way. He needed to think of it fast. Knowing Black, the man would take off on a deep run and not be back for a month or more. It wouldn't take but one day, maybe two, before Sera realized that they weren't going to get her sister back and she left the ship. Even if they were to follow, she could call a halt to their agreement, seeing as how they would fail to fulfill their end of the bargain.
“You realize—”
“Yes. I know”—Ryas waved his hand in the air—“we need to get her back. Tonight. Knowing Black, he will make a jump first thing in the morning.” Luck was on their side. Black refused to jump during the night unless he was in danger. One of his few quirks that was a good break for them.
“So what are we going to do?” Ace snapped his knuckles and leaned against the wall. His relaxed posture was a lie. Ryas could see the tension in his neck and arms.
