by Aubrey Ross
She nervously licked her lips, drawing his attention to her mouth. An odd tingle erupted in his brain. That bow-shaped mouth, those electric-blue eyes… Did he know this woman?
An image formed, distinct and shocking. She knelt before him, naked, hands bound behind her, another Master grasped the back of her hair, offering Korbin the wet heat of those scarlet-tinted lips. Had he encountered Danette at the Pleasure Palace? No, it wasn’t possible. She would have been too young.
“Should I be frightened?” she asked, lowering her gaze submissively. “Do you intend to punish me?” The sensual undertone in her words was unmistakable.
Desire spread through him, heating his blood and speeding his pulse. “Would you enjoy being punished?” The question was out before he realized what he was doing. He had fallen into the same trap as Larz!
“I…I would enjoy a hot shower and having something else to wear. This gown is a little impractical.”
“But it suits you so well, princess.”
“My name is Ms. Tiptonn.” She raised her chin, her expression a bit too haughty. “Please address me as such.”
Wrong time to flaunt her breeding. Wrong man to provoke with her arrogance. He deactivated the lights and listened to her scream. She’d never known hardship, never gone hungry. He doubted Admiral Tiptonn had ever raised his voice to his precious baby girl. Training her would be no challenge. Still, something about Danette called to Pleasure Master Nine, the part of Korbin’s nature he’d forced into hibernation when he resigned his position at the Pleasure Palace.
“I’m sorry.” Genuine fear made Danette’s tone shrill. “Please turn the lights back on.”
“Can I call you princess?”
“Yes! Call me whatever you like, just turn on the lights.”
The holding cells were sealed and soundproof, the darkness absolute. “Ask me nicely.”
“Please. I already said please.” Her voice broke urgently. It wouldn’t do to have her swoon. Korbin chuckled and raised the illumination to one-tenth its normal intensity.
“T-thank you. More please.”
“Say my name.”
He activated the enhanced spectral camera, allowing him to see her despite the meager light. She stumbled forward, her arms extended. This couldn’t lead where he wanted it to lead, so why was he toying with her?
“I don’t know your name.”
“Sure you do. Think about it. What does every man really want to be called?” It wasn’t just her beauty. Korbin had a knack for spotting those who understood surrender, needed the security of submission. Those needs smoldered in Danette’s eyes.
“Sir?” she suggested tentatively.
“Close. Try again.”
“Your majesty?” Annoyance snapped through her tone.
He chuckled. “I have an altogether different relationship in mind.”
Her hands trembled as she covered her face and took a slow, deep breath, nearly spilling her breasts from the plunging neckline of her gown. Lowering her arms to her sides, she asked, “What do you want to be called? I’m tired of this game.”
“Call me Master and we’ll play a different game.”
“M-Master?” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and pressed her hand over the upper swell of her breast. Was her heart pounding? Most women would have laughed or gasped in outrage. She only sounded unsure. Someone had introduced her to the pleasures of submission, but who would be so bold? She was Admiral Tiptonn’s daughter. “You want me to call you Master?” she sounded even more uncertain now.
He dimmed the lights.
“Please, Master, turn on the lights.” Her tone was hushed and husky, but the request came without hesitation. Even her voice seemed familiar. This was Danette Tiptonn. Her father’s over-protectiveness was common knowledge. What would she have been doing at the Pleasure Palace?
He increased the intensity to half.
“Thank you, Master.”
Possessive desire tightened his abdomen and made his cock jerk. Stars, he wanted her. Maybe he’d wait to notify her father while he… No! He shouldn’t have started this. But the game had begun and she obviously knew the rules.
“I’m not the first man you’ve called Master, am I?”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth while secrets gleamed in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Despite her denial, her dreamy expression told another tale. She paused in front of the camera and smoothed her hands down her sides, drawing his gaze along every dip and curve of her body.
“That gown displays your figure so perfectly. I bet every man at the gala was desperate to be near you as soon as they saw you in that dress.”
“I’m shamefully vain, Master. I shouldn’t enjoy the attention, but I do.”
All hesitation had left her voice. She was either a trained submissive or ripe for training. Korbin shifted his hips in a futile attempt to alleviate the pressure in his crotch.
The gown supported her fabulous breasts and molded to her perfect ass. Knowing the impractical gown cost more than he made in a year only added to his determination to rip the offending garment off her voluptuous body.
“How badly do you want that shower?” He bumped the lights back to full and waited for her reaction.
Her brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a subtle pout. Regardless of the blatant sexuality apparent in every move she made, there was something almost innocent about his captive.
She crossed her arms just under her breasts. The position pressed the swelling mounds into greater prominence, and Korbin shook his head. An invitation?
“I won’t…sleep with you.” She fiddled with her gown. Korbin studied the distinct peaks her nipples formed beneath the clingy material. Maybe she wouldn’t sleep with him, but the thought excited her. Then panic gradually cooled the desire burning in her gaze. She crossed her arms over her breasts and averted her face. “Can I talk to your supervisor? This is illegal. There are procedures governing the treatment of prisoners.”
He smiled. Now this was more like it. Admiral Tiptonn’s daughter should be outraged that he would dare treat her with disrespect. “If I were a law-abiding citizen of Halley Prime that might interest me. And as entertaining as sleeping with you might be, that wasn’t what I meant.”
“What did you mean?” Her gaze shifted back toward the camera.
Pleasure Master Nine surged to the surface, refusing to be denied. “I can unlock the lav, but even the back room is under surveillance.”
A delightful fire lit her eyes. Oh yes, get angry. Tell me to go to hell. Resist!
“I can shower as long as I’m willing to let you watch?”
“Or you can spend the night in darkness. The choice is yours.”
“I’m not ashamed of my body.” She raised her chin and smoothed the gown over her hips. “I want fresh towels and clean clothes to put on when I’m done.”
Korbin clenched his jaw and glared at the display. The teasing little slut! The need to subdue her clawed at his gut until he groaned. She wasn’t ashamed of her body? Why would she be? She was closer to physical perfection than any woman he’d ever seen.
With a few quick commands, he triggered the door to the holding cell’s utility room. Hearing the subtle hiss, Danette spun toward the archway and rushed into the back room of the lavatory. Korbin closed the door behind her. A dangerous smile curved his lips. He could lock her inside. If she thought the holding cell was cramped…
His hand hovered over the controls. All he had to do was enter the code and the screens would display the lavatory from three angles. Her easy acceptance of his condition abraded his pride. Chasing his quarry was half the fun. How could he conquer if she didn’t resist? Who was her Master? Korbin was more convinced than ever she had been trained.
He activated the display and braced himself for the visual impact. Danette was stepping out of the gown as the video feed came into focus. She faced away from him, her long, toned legs and tight, round ass presented
in naked splendor. His hand moved automatically to his crotch. All the rearranging in the world wasn’t going to help him now.
She turned to hang the gown on the hook beside the door. High and full, round and rosy, her breasts beckoned his fingers and his lips. He wanted to touch and taste, to pinch those scarlet nipples until she gasped and squirmed. He switched camera angles as she moved toward the shower. Her mound was smooth. Delicate pink folds peeked out from between her slender thighs.
The shower activated as she stepped into the stall. A soft gasp escaped her lips and her eyes widened. “Master?”
“Yes, princess.”
After a long pause she asked, “Do…do I please you?”
Her obvious need for affirmation fueled his desire. She was using him just as surely as she had pumped Larz for information. He was a fool to continue the game. Still, he couldn’t drag his gaze away.
“You’re stunning,” he said in a tight, begrudging voice. “I want to touch you but we both know I can’t.”
Water cascaded down her body, drenching her long blonde hair. Arching her back and raising her arms, she smoothed the mass back from her face. A dreamy smile revealed her pleasure at his praise. Her perfectly applied cosmetics were impervious to the spray.
“Do you have a Master?” Why was he asking? It was irrelevant. He couldn’t fuck her. There was too much at stake to risk her crying rape.
She blinked the water out of her eyes. Her lips parted as if she would speak. Instead she turned her face into the spray.
“I asked you a question.”
Sputtering, she reached for the shampoo dispenser protruding from the wall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m Admiral Tiptonn’s daughter. That’s all you need to know.”
She was right, but what had caused the sudden change in her demeanor? Was she worried he was recording their conversation? Did she not want Daddy to find out she had a Master?
As she worked the shampoo through her hair, her nipples gathered into tight red beads. Had their color been enhanced too? She skimmed her breasts with her hands, pausing to stroke her nipples. Damn her! She knew he was watching and she was punishing him.
Unfastening his pants, Korbin freed his aching cock. Stars, it had been years since he’d relieved himself like this, but there was really no other choice. Knowing she was three doors down from the control booth only heightened the tension.
She caressed her breasts. He worked his cock. She cupped her mound and Korbin’s shaft bucked within his grasp. Her slender fingers ended in long, blood-red nails. She parted her folds and rubbed her clit with her middle finger. Didn’t those nails scratch? The momentary distraction pushed back his release. He watched her fingers, wishing they were his, wishing…
“Show me,” the command came out harsh and desperate, but Korbin hadn’t even meant to speak.
After a tense pause, she leaned against the shower stall, bent her knees and spread her legs so he could see her glistening pussy.
“Yes. Now close your eyes and pretend I’m there with you, touching you, filling you, fucking you.”
“I want…” Pearly essence coated her fingers. She shuddered and turned her face away. “I need you here.” Holding herself open with one hand, she slipped two fingers right up into her core.
Korbin tightened his fist and worked himself hard and fast. A ragged groan tore from his throat as he angled his cock toward the floor. He came in violent spasms, his entire body shaking with the force of the pleasure. Panting harshly, he collapsed back in his chair and reached for some tissues, dropping several onto the mess he’d just made. He couldn’t drag his gaze away from the display. His princess leaned against the shower stall, finger-fucking herself in earnest. Her thumb rubbed her clit while her fingers slid in and out.
You can’t have her, Korbin. You can’t even touch her. But damn, it was fun to pretend.
Chapter Two
“You don’t look pleased, little sister.” Korbin waited until Corry met his gaze before he smiled.
“They’re everything I expected, and yet they’re not.”
They sat across from each other at the small round table in Corry’s apartment. Spacious quarters had been assigned to Korbin with his promotion to superintendent six months before. He’d been thrilled by the luxury until he realized every room was equipped with continual surveillance. The warden assured him the practice was mandated by the coalition for all administrators and was meant entirely for his protection. He hadn’t argued with the policy, he just started spending more time in the cramped box Corry called home.
“Have you interviewed all three of our guests?” he asked carefully.
“Yes. Palmer is either completely uninterested in the coalition at large or a consummate actor. He never hesitated to answer any of my questions. He just had nothing important to say.”
“Try again tomorrow. See if his answers change. What about the blonde? Did she cooperate?”
“Ms. Tiptonn seemed disgusted and fascinated by me.” Corry made a derisive sound in the back of her throat. “She’s a spoiled rich girl to the roots of her enhanced hair. She has perfect posture, a body men dream about and permanent cosmetics.”
Korbin smiled as Corry’s tone went from confounded to downright jealous. “Beyond beauty secrets, did Ms. Tiptonn have anything interesting to share?”
“She knew more about the workings of the coalition than Palmer but nothing we don’t already know. I interrogated her for several hours and she never wavered.”
“What about VinDerley?” She hesitated a bit too long and Korbin shook his head. “Got to you, did he?”
“He’s arrogant and completely remorseless.”
“He’s the premier’s son. What did you expect? He’s been groomed from the cradle to step up once his father steps down.”
Corry sighed. “If the coalition knows about the transportation unit, so does VinDerley.”
“I don’t think their knowledge, or lack of it, is crucial to our plans,” he reminded her with a bland sort of criticism. She was still looking for a means of negotiation, a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
“If they haven’t managed to reproduce Father’s prototype, it gives us something to barter.”
“We have the hostages. We don’t need anything else.”
She shook her head, clearly frustrated by his attitude. “The hostages are only an incentive for as long as we hold them. If we use this opportunity to prove to the coalition that we’re equal—”
“I don’t want equality,” he insisted. “I never have. I want out from underneath the coalition’s control. I want the freedom to shape my own future.”
“You have that now. We need to be accepted—”
“No,” he interrupted sharply. “I don’t want to belong to their society. I don’t want to dance at their soirées. I’m not fighting for acceptance and neither are the others. You need to get over your fascination with Halley Prime.” Cupping her chin, Korbin turned her head until their gazes locked. “Father is dead because of them. Your mother abandoned you for a chance to be part of their world. How can you feel anything but contempt?”
“Father died believing this conflict could be resolved without destroying the coalition.” She twisted away from his grasp. “I will not let his death be in vain.”
Korbin shook his head. “Father died because he tried to resolve this conflict without destroying the coalition. The time for diplomacy is past. Whether you like it or not, this is a revolution!”
* * * * *
Major Meredith Caperelli squared her shoulders, straightened the jacket of her formal uniform, and took a deep breath. She’d been escorted to the council chambers door and told to enter when she was ready. Ready was a relative term.
She’d been assigned to numerous missions that risked life and limb. She excelled in situations that left other officers trembling with fear. Yet a command appearance before the Comet Coalition’s executive council made her feel like a young recruit again.
>
“This is foolish.” She stepped in front of the body scanner and waited as her identity and clearance were confirmed. The door slid open and Meredith walked into the room, her stride confident and calm.
“Thank you for coming so quickly, Major Caperelli,” Admiral Tiptonn greeted her. He was the only member of the executive council Meredith had previously met.
She responded with a smart salute and crossed to stand directly in front of the council’s high table.
“Please have a seat. This might take awhile.” The admiral motioned toward the seat to her left.
Meredith sat as Admiral Tiptonn introduced the others. Premier VinDerley was a strikingly handsome man with a full head of silvery hair and dark eyes. Chief Justice Boehme sat on his left. She was perhaps ten years younger than the two men, but her regal bearing bespoke her position of power.
Meredith’s astute gaze returned to the admiral. She had always thought him too pretty to head the Comet Coalition’s armed forces, with his tawny hair and clear gray eyes. But his skill and ingenuity were unparalleled. She would obey his commands without question.
“I asked for you personally, Major Caperelli, because you are especially suited to the situation at hand.”
“How so, Admiral Tiptonn?” She kept her voice even, respectful without sounding overly eager.
Premier VinDerley cut in. “Major Caperelli, you must understand the very delicate nature of the information we are about to disclose. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance.”
“I understand.” This was getting more interesting with each word they spoke. Tension rippled through the room in a tangible wave. What was this about?
“A small band of rebels have kidnapped our children,” Admiral Tiptonn explained.
A faint gasp escaped Meredith despite her efforts to contain it.
“They disappeared within minutes of each other, so the abductions were obviously premeditated. For the past three days we have tried in vain to determine their whereabouts.” The premier cleared his throat and continued. “We just received word from the kidnappers that confirms our worst suspicions.”
