by Aubrey Ross
“I’ll figure out something.”
He took her chin in a light grasp and guided her face back toward his. She stared at his mouth, refusing to meet his gaze. “Korbin has to release Danette and Palmer. The coalition isn’t going to negotiate with terrorists. You have to approach them—”
“Don’t you think we’ve tried?” She scrambled off his lap. “My father sent countless petitions detailing the abuse and neglect, and they silenced him because of it. Believe what you like. The executive council doesn’t give a damn about the other outposts.” She stomped into the pool.
Ashton watched her dive beneath the surface, her body sleek and gleaming in the moonlight. What the hell was he going to do? Like it or not, he was falling in love with this hot-headed rebel.
He waded into the water, waiting for her to surface. She gasped as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. “I can help you if you give me half a chance. Your stubborn pride is going to cost you this conflict. You won’t solve anything by threats and intimidation.”
“We’ve tried diplomacy.” She remained stiff and unmoving in his arms. “It got us nowhere.”
“Maybe you need a better diplomat, someone more familiar with how the council thinks.”
She turned, resting her hands on his chest. Her gaze searched his face, intense and wary. “Why would you help us? You’re one of them.”
“A certain little rebel has made me curious enough to investigate. If your issues are legitimate, I’ll negotiate with the executive council.”
“Why?”
He leaned down, brushing her lips with his as he whispered, “You know why.”
“This can’t be about me.” She pushed him away. “Investigate. Better yet, visit Shanty Town. I welcome your help, if you believe in our cause, but I don’t want a personal favor.”
“Fair enough.” He cupped her bottom and lifted her against him, smiling into her eyes. “You have to make me a promise first.”
Her gaze narrowed and she tilted her head. “What?”
“Give me one week to complete my investigation. During that week you stay out of sight and agree to have contact with no one but me.”
“Korbin has to know—”
“It’s an all-or-nothing deal. I want you safe, and contacting Korbin compromises your security.”
“Will you contact him? Let him know I’m safe?”
Pausing, Ashton considered the options. He resented the hell out of Korbin for allowing Corry’s involvement in the rebellion, but her request was a fair compromise. “All right. I’ll let him know you’re safe, if you promise to stay put.”
“Where are you thinking of taking me? The council will have agents out looking for us by now.”
“As far as anyone knows, you never left Borrelly. I’ll take you to a place on Halley Prime with better security than coalition headquarters.”
“Where’s that?”
“The Pleasure Palace. Petra guarantees the safety and anonymity of every client. Besides, she’s the last person in coalition space most people are willing to cross.”
For a long, silent moment she stared up at him with wide, uncertain eyes. Finally, she nodded. “One week.”
“We’ll work this out together, I promise. We’ll find a way.” He covered her lips with his. Her tongue surged into his mouth before he could deepen the kiss. Sucking gently on her tongue, he absorbed her taste, her texture. He touched her with gentle patience, memorizing each contour of her satiny flesh.
Her breasts filled his hands, her nipples already hard against his palms. She was a delight, a wonder, so giving and passionate. She wrapped her legs around his waist, relaxing in the water.
Hooking one arm under her bottom, he reached between their bodies with his other hand. Smooth, soft, ready, she gasped as he parted her folds and pushed inside. Warm and welcoming, her core rippled around his fingers. She felt so good.
He slid in and out, enjoying the heat and her uninhibited response. She arched, her head falling back on her shoulders. Moonlight bathed her face and breasts. Pushing deep, he bent to her nipple, suckling firmly as his fingers worked her core.
He wanted to feel her come, to watch her face as orgasm drove reality away, but his cock ached and his balls had drawn up tight against his body. Lifting her hips, he entered her in one smooth, sustained thrust. Her hands clutched his shoulders, her inner muscles squeezing his shaft. Ashton moaned.
“Can I stay inside you forever?” He whispered the words into her hair. “You feel so damn good!”
“Forever?” Sadness flickered in her gaze and her kiss tasted of desperation.
She was right. He couldn’t promise her tomorrow. Why had he spoken of forever? “Lie back. Float on the water. I want to enjoy the view.” Keeping her legs locked around him, she floated. Her hair fanned out around her face and her arms drifted at her sides. Spectacular. She took his breath away and made his heart ache.
“Don’t jump.” He grinned and activated his implants, making his cock vibrate. She groaned, her entire body quivered, and her inner muscles clenched rhythmically. “Come for me. I love watching you come.”
Her thighs flexed against his waist and a breathless whimper escaped her throat. “I can’t…like this.”
“Yes, you can. I’m not moving until you do.” He increased the intensity, pressing on her mound, pushing her clit closer to the vibration. She thrust her breasts toward the moon and surrendered. Each deep pulse of her release caressed his cock. Panting, he deactivated the vibration and increased his diameter. She cried out again, her pussy fluttering wildly.
“Too much?” he asked.
“No.” She gasped. “Just move!”
He pulled her up, guiding her hands to his shoulders. “Lock your elbows and hold on tight. I need hard and fast right now.”
“Thank God.” She chuckled then moaned with his first forceful thrust.
Bracing his legs far apart, he drove up into her wet, willing body again and again. Hard, fast, deep, wild, he gave them both what they craved. His hands clutched her ass and her nails dug into his back.
Tension knotted his muscles and his balls drew up tight. He thrust to the hilt and held her to him, coming in long, shuddering waves. He groaned into her hair. The pulses of her orgasm around him felt nearly as good as his. For a long time he just held her, the moment too perfect for words.
With obvious reluctance, Ashton separated their bodies and Corry lowered her legs to the ground. They waded through the water hand in hand, enjoying the tranquil setting and the tingling afterglow.
All the unanswered questions awaited them on the shore.
“You’re planning on getting me a security waiver?” she asked as they started back toward the village.
She knew enough about the Pleasure Palace to understand what he had in mind. The sex emporium frequently attracted off-world clients who had no other interest in Halley Prime. They were issued diplomatic waivers, allowing them full access to the Pleasure Palace without the usual security scans and background checks required to visit Halley Prime.
“No one will know where you are,” Ashton stressed.
“As long as I stay inside the Pleasure Palace.”
“This will ensure your safety until we can develop a long-term strategy.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, his gaze gleaming in the moonlight. “Can you think of another way for us to be together while we negotiate peace between your world and mine?”
“No,” she admitted. A gentle breeze teased her damp skin, reminding her that they were still naked. “It’s a good plan.”
“Meals will be delivered to your door and I’ll instruct the service personnel not to look at or speak with you. Unique customs of visiting dignitaries are nothing unusual for Petra’s staff.”
Pausing on the narrow path, she pulled her hand out of his. “Why are you on a first-name basis with the owner of the Pleasure Palace?”
He chuckled and recaptured her hand. �
��Father likes to forget the connection whenever he can, but Petra is my mother’s sister.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. His mother sympathized with the rebels and her sister owned a thriving chain of sex emporiums. Premier VinDerley had more than his share of skeletons in his closet.
“I guess the only real question is, can we trust ‘Aunt Petra’?”
“It should never come to our needing to trust her. The sort of security we require is standard for each of her elite clients. Still, if things turn ugly, it should comfort you to know she’s been supporting your cause for years.”
“The rebel cause is being financed by the owner of the Pleasure Palace?”
“Why do you sound surprised?” He tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow and resumed their trek down the path. “Korbin never told you the identity of your primary benefactor?”
“Korbin never told me a lot of things.”
They ducked into the hut where she had been prepared for the ceremony and Ashton pulled her into his arms. “The Perrlain have some bizarre ideas, but I think they got one thing right. We need to live our lives to the fullest and cherish each moment the Deity grants to us.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” She pressed against him, savoring his heat and the tenderness so evident in his expression. Her heart swelled with affection and desire. “Tomorrow might belong to the revolution, but tonight belongs to us.”
Part Two: Korbin
Chapter One
Danette Tiptonn opened her eyes and groaned as light stabbed into her brain. Blinking repeatedly, she brought the room into focus. She sat between Ashton and Palmer in some sort of holding cell. An alloy bench protruded directly from the barren wall. Her ears buzzed and her mind felt muddled.
“Where are we, Ashton?” she asked, trying to lift her head off his shoulder. Why did she feel so…weak? Had she been drugged? What was happening?
“I don’t know.” He sounded groggy and annoyed.
The last thing she could remember clearly was the gala. She’d been returning from the bathroom when everything went black. Ashton had been at the party, but she couldn’t remember seeing Palmer there.
Forcing her head to turn, she looked at the younger man. Palmer still wore his pajamas. He must have been taken right out of his bed. But who had done this and why?
As if to answer her unspoken question, the door panel rolled up into the ceiling and a dark-haired woman strode into the room. Bright green eyes dominated her delicate features. Though she was slender and less than average height, she carried herself with authority and confidence.
She approached Danette, grasped her shackled wrists and urged her to stand. A small length of chain connected her ankle restraints. For the first time, Danette noticed her feet were bare. What had they done with her shoes?
It was such a trivial concern it shocked Danette out of the lingering stupor. Her shoes were the least of her problems. She needed to learn as much as she could about her circumstances and that was only possible if she regained control of her emotions.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked. “Who the hell are you? What do you want with us?” Despite her determination to remain calm, her tone grew sharper with each question.
“You won’t be harmed if you follow my instructions. If you give me any trouble, I’ll leave you bound and gagged until this is over.”
“You can’t treat us like this.” She glanced at Palmer and Ashton for reinforcement. “Do you know who we are?”
“This wasn’t a random act, Ms. Tiptonn. I’m fully aware of who you are, or more to the point, who you call ‘Father’.”
Rebels? Who else would attempt something so brazen? The coalition had more allies than enemies. This had to be the work of the rebels.
Seeing no alternative but cooperation, Danette shuffled out into the corridor. The woman emerged, followed immediately by her guards. The door panel rolled into place and the woman motioned Danette down the hallway.
Danette studied her surroundings as she walked, searching for any clue to her location. Was she still in coalition space? Her chains jingled and her bare feet slid over the cool tiles. Tingles skittered up her spine.
“Inside,” the woman ordered, and a door on Danette’s right opened.
Danette glanced inside and shuddered. The room was identical to the one she’d just left. “I’d rather stay with the others.”
“I’m sure you would,” the woman muttered.
“We can verify the humane treatment of each other if we’re left together.” It was a warning as much as a suggestion.
“So can the surveillance feed. Go.”
Before Danette could argue, the two guards picked her up and carried her into the cell. Their hands lingered against her upper arms, the backs of their fingers brushing her breasts. She twisted out of their hold with an indignant gasp as her stomach lurched. They had no right… She had no rights. She was a prisoner of war, not Admiral Tiptonn’s daughter. The sooner she adjusted her thinking, the better her chances were of surviving this ordeal.
“How long will you keep us? What are you asking in return for our…” Her words trailed away as they left her alone in the tiny room.
The restraints fell to the floor with a noisy clatter and Danette kicked them under the bunk. She hadn’t worn the restraints long enough to chafe her skin, but it felt good to be rid of the weight.
Ashton’s father was premier of the Comet Coalition and Palmer’s mother was chief justice. As the dark-haired woman said, this was no random act. To Danette’s knowledge, the coalition had never given in to threats. Surely the rebels knew that. So what were they hoping to accomplish?
A single blanket was folded at the foot of the bunk, which was the only thing resembling furniture in the room. An open archway provided some modicum of privacy if she needed to use the toilet. Another compartment opened off the lavatory, but the door remained locked as she approached.
Even the detention centers on Halley Prime were far more hospitable than this. She sat on the edge of the bed then scooted back far enough to raise her feet off the cold alloy floor.
They expected a helpless socialite, a superficial twit, living only for pleasure. Perhaps she should give them exactly what they expected. Covering her mouth with her hand, she allowed tears to fill her eyes. Were they watching? Assessing her? She had to learn more about them and she couldn’t do that locked in this cell.
She produced a pathetic sob as tears escaped the corners of her eyes. Please let there be a man watching. If the dark-haired woman was monitoring the surveillance feed, this performance was utterly wasted.
An odd rumble vibrated the room and Danette yelped. “What is that?” She kept her tone breathless yet loud enough for a security transmitter to detect. “What’s going on? Please, someone talk to me.”
“Ms. Tiptonn, just relax. We’ll bring you something to eat in a little while.”
She slowly lowered her hand away from her mouth, making sure her lips still trembled. “Thank you.” She sniffed and inched closer to the edge of the bunk. “May I know your name?”
“I’m not even supposed to be talking to you.”
He had a faint accent, as had the woman. Danette scrambled to place the vocal inflection, but she’d never been good at outpost accents. “I’m glad you did. My stomach is really upset. Could I get some crackers or maybe—”
“Someone’s coming.” After a quick crackle, there was only silence.
* * * * *
Korbin Reah walked into the control booth later that night to find Larz cheerfully chatting with Danette Tiptonn. The younger man’s gaze was fixed on the vidscreen with a mixture of lust and awe.
“Is this your homeworld?” she asked. “You have such an interesting accent.”
Before Larz could answer the siren’s question, Korbin reached across the console and deactivated the intercom. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
A flush crept up Larz’s neck and deepened across his cheeks. “I
didn’t tell her anything. She doesn’t even know my name. She was scared to death when Corry locked her in there by herself.”
“You felt sorry for her?” He made a sharp gesture toward the vidscreen. “She’s pumping you for information and you’re too turned-on to notice. We are beneath contempt to people like her and don’t you ever forget it. Go take a cold shower and get your head screwed on straight.”
“But my shift doesn’t end for another hour.”
“Your shift ends now!”
“Yes, sir.”
Korbin turned back to the vidscreen as Larz left the booth. The manipulative little bitch. Larz might be dazzled by her beauty, but she’d find him harder to control. With an angry exhalation, Korbin reactivated the intercom.
“Hello.” She paced the holding cell, calling out to the walls. “If that question was too personal, we can talk about something else. Just don’t ignore me. I won’t cause any trouble, I promise.”
Korbin raked his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes against the temptation. He’d promised Corry she could play with the prisoners first. He’d promised himself he’d leave the pampered princess alone. There was no way in hell he’d play nicely, so it was better for everyone if he took a giant step back.
“Hello,” she tried again.
There had to be some consequence for what she’d done with Larz. She had to know her gorgeous face and perfect body weren’t going to help her here. He paused the surveillance recording and crossed his arms over his chest. This would create a lapse in their vidlog, but he was willing to take the chance.
“I’ll have to review the entire conversation before I decide what penalty is appropriate for the two of you,” he said with lazy menace.
Her sparkling blue eyes widened and her lips parted. “Please don’t be angry with…the young man. He only spoke to me because I was frightened.”
“Are you frightened now?” He hadn’t expected her to defend Larz. It was remarkably selfless for a privileged citizen of Halley Prime.
