by Aubrey Ross
Withdrawing his fingers, the Pleasure Master bent between her thighs and savored the essence of her passion. His tongue caressed her with long, thorough strokes. This kiss was different. It wasn’t meant to arouse. He avoided her clit. He soothed her, adored her and silently praised her response.
“Oh, how I wish I could keep you.”
His lips moved against her as he whispered the words. Danette stiffened. Did she dare admit her situation? Could she trust her enemy?
Keep me! I don’t want to be rescued. She pressed her lips together, refusing to humiliate herself. Why did she feel safe with this man? Without seeing his face, knowing only his touch and the familiar timbre of his voice Pleasure Master Nine made her feel more important than she’d felt in years. It was a Master’s sworn duty, his highest priority, to pleasure and protect his slave. This man had taught Paul to treasure her. Was it possible he could learn to treasure her too?
Trailing tender kisses down her thigh, he crawled off the bed.
“Where are you going?” she asked a bit too urgently. “Have I displeased you?” She hated the weakness revealed by the questions. Was she really so desperate for love that she’d beg a stranger for affection? But Nine wasn’t a stranger, not really. He’d guided many of her early sessions with Paul, ensured they each found the highest level of satisfaction both physically and emotionally.
“You please me greatly, Danette.” She heard his ragged sigh. “You’ll be examined as soon as you return to Halley Prime. I will not risk our safety.”
“Then take my mouth. Please, Master, I offer it freely. I would be shamed to leave you wanting.”
Korbin trembled. He should go. He’d stayed too long already, taken too much. But she was a prize, a jewel, a treasure. His traitorous heart pounded harder than his neglected cock. She offered herself freely for his pleasure. How could he resist?
She’s Admiral Tiptonn’s daughter. You can’t keep her!
“Master?” The vulnerability in her tone tore through him.
She needed to satisfy him. No pleasure slave was content while their Master ached. And there was no denying that Danette was a slave. It had been obvious even before she admitted that she knew him.
You’re not her Master! You’re her captor; her enemy.
Despite the shouts of his conscience, he heard himself say, “We’ll pleasure each other.” After shedding his pants, he took her slender waist and scooted her down on the bunk. He extended her arms as far as the restraints allowed and made room for his legs. He moved carefully in the darkness, positioned himself above her, straddled her face and arched over her belly, preparing to continue his feast. “You may come as soon as I do.” He chuckled. “You won’t be able to ask permission with my cock in your mouth.”
“I want to touch you,” she whispered.
“I know you do.” But he didn’t trust himself with a less structured situation. If he felt her hands clutching him, her nails digging into his flesh, it would make him more aggressive, more demanding.
He nudged her lips with the head of his cock and she met his entrance with a welcoming swirl of her warm, wet tongue. Closing his eyes against the pleasure, he sank into her hot mouth. Deeper, she took him and took him until he had no more to give. Stars, she was fabulous. Few slaves had been able to accept his full length and she did so without hesitation.
As he pulled back, an image solidified within his mind. The same image he’d seen before. Her former Master offering her luscious mouth for Korbin’s pleasure. She sucked and swirled, taking him deep again.
Distracted by the memory, he pulled her legs toward him, bent her knees and spread her thighs wide. Who was her Master? Most of his trainees had offered their slaves to him in one way or another. It was custom, though not mandatory. The answer eluded him, so Korbin let the mystery slide to the back of his mind.
Her pussy was silky with hot cream. He licked and sucked, flicking his tongue against her clit then circling the nub with firm pressure. She mimicked the motion of his tongue with hers, teasing the tip of his cock. She was so eager, so giving, so selfless. It would be easy to treasure her.
She created a tight ring with her lips and sucked him deeper. Unable to ignore the demands of his body, he slid in and out. Hot, wet—woman!
He thrust his tongue deep into her core. Her muffled cry sent tingling heat darting through his body. Damn, she liked that. Shifting her legs higher, spreading her wider, he fucked her with his tongue.
She arched and sucked frantically on his straining cock. They synchronized their movements, forming a frantic, primal dance.
Scalding pleasure detonated inside Korbin. His balls tightened so fast he gasped, then the sensation barreled down his shaft as he released his seed. He clutched her firm ass and thrust deep with his cock and tongue. Colors burst behind his eyes and emotions inundated his being. Joy and affection twisted through possessive attraction. Her pussy fluttered around his tongue while her mouth sucked greedily on his shaft. He shook, awed and a little wary.
He wanted to turn around and push his softening cock into her pussy. He’d ride her slowly until he hardened, allowing her arousal to build. Then when she was gasping and arching, he’d fuck her hard and fast. He wanted to stake his claim on her body and mind. Carnal aggression was nothing new, but his urges had never been this intense before.
She swallowed and caressed him until he had nothing left to give. He couldn’t get enough of her creamy folds. Licking and gently sucking, he stayed with her until the last pearly drop was consumed.
He had to leave now. If his actions were discovered, he’d jeopardize the mission and compromise the cause. He had no choice. This had to end. Reluctantly disentangling their bodies, he summoned his professional detachment as his heart ached for more.
“I’ll release the restraints once I’ve left the room. Dress quickly. I don’t want the others to know I visited you. They might see it as permission to do the same.”
“I understand.” He felt his way across the holding cell. “Will you visit me again?”
He’d reached the door when her question brought him up short. It was ridiculous, but he felt as if a part of his soul were about to be severed. Forcing the words past his tight throat, he said, “The council was notified this morning. You should be ransomed soon.”
Chapter Four
“Something’s wrong,” Korbin said suddenly, preempting the remainder of the meeting. The other two department heads sat across a small table from him. “You’ll have to excuse me, gentlemen, but I’ve ignored this premonition as long as I can.”
“Do you often have premonitions?” Warden Restien asked.
Korbin had been careful to earn this man’s trust over the past several years. His largest obstacle had been convincing the warden he didn’t share his father’s radical politics. Restien believed him to be a faithful servant of the coalition and nothing he did or said must shatter that illusion.
“Not at all, sir. That’s why I’ve tried to ignore this feeling. But it won’t leave me. I need to find out what’s causing my unease.”
“My wife had one of those feelings last year,” Glen Vont, director of maintenance, put in. “Our daughter had broken her arm. I’m free tomorrow afternoon to finish this up. What’s your schedule like, Warden?”
“Tomorrow afternoon will be fine.” All three men pushed back their chairs and stood. “I expect a full report, Korbin. Hopefully, this is a waste of time.”
Korbin walked them to the office door and thanked each man for his patience. He waited only long enough to be sure they had actually departed before he began his investigation.
Corry wasn’t in her apartment and she didn’t answer the outpost-wide page. Inmates and Corrections employees were injected with ident-chips. Corry wasn’t technically an employee, so she had never allowed the procedure. Her ability to leave the outpost without being tracked had been an advantage from time to time. This wasn’t one of those times.
Korbin marched to the control boo
th. Sharon was on duty. She greeted him with a smile.
“Have you seen Corry or Larz in the past two hours?”
She shook her head. “What’s the matter? You look frantic.”
“Did you take food to our guests today?”
“Just Danette and Palmer,” she explained. “Corry’s hoarding VinDerley. Can’t say I blame her, but it’s still—”
“That’s not funny,” he growled.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Page Foster. I’ll be right back.”
After learning that VinDerley was a powerful empath, he’d ordered Corry and Larz to move Ashton back to the main complex. Something must have gone wrong. Tension built with each step Korbin took. Please let her be all right, let them be all right.
Korbin found Larz locked in the abandoned cellblock. VinDerley and Corry were nowhere in sight. The younger man struggled to his feet as Korbin deactivated the energy barrier.
“Are you okay?” Korbin asked.
“I jammed my wrist and wounded my pride, but I’m not badly hurt. He moved so fast and hit with such precision, it was all a blur. Why can a professional negotiator fight like a gorilla?”
“There’s obviously more to Ashton than meets the eye. We won’t underestimate him again.” Korbin dreaded the next question. “Did he take Corry with him?”
“Yeah. I doubt he would have taken her off-world, but they were together when they left.”
Korbin led Larz back to the control booth. Foster had already arrived. “VinDerley escaped. He took Corry with him,” Korbin told the others, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
“How? When? How long have they been gone?” Foster demanded.
Chagrined and obviously uncomfortable, Larz explained what happened.
“If they managed to get off the outpost, there has to be some sort of record,” Sharon pointed out. “Let’s start there.”
* * * * *
Danette trembled in her restraints. Being restrained didn’t frighten her. Being blindfolded was nothing new, but she heard only fury in the Master’s voice. No velvet seduction, no unyielding tenderness, just anger and demand.
“Where would he have taken her?”
“I told you, I don’t know. Are you sure they’re really gone? Ashton wouldn’t—” She bit back the words before she revealed too much.
“Leave without you?”
The wristcuffs stretched her arms well above her head, keeping Danette on the balls of her feet and slightly off balance. Something soft brushed her nipple. Startled, she jerked, swaying unsteadily before regaining her stance.
“Why would VinDerley care what happens to you?”
Was the Master allowing the others to watch? This was so different from his last visit. This wasn’t about pleasure. This was an interrogation. “Ashton loves to play hero. He wouldn’t have left without trying to rescue Palmer and me.”
“Maybe you overestimate your appeal.”
“It has nothing to do with appeal. Ashton would feel honor-bound to rescue anyone.”
Her other nipple received a teasing stroke.
“Regardless of his heroic nature, we have reason to believe he’s abandoned you to my tender mercies.”
Why was he treating her like this? Without the security of her role, she was lost, vulnerable. She thought he understood. Channeling her confusion into anger, she responded boldly. “How did Ashton get off-world? Where the hell are we anyway?”
“You will answer my questions.”
She turned her head, following the sound of his voice as he slowly circled her. “I have answered your questions. Master, I don’t—”
“I’m not your Master!”
His words struck like a blow. She recoiled, turning her face away. The fantasy shattered. For a few short hours she’d been sheltered and cherished as only a pleasure slave could be, but reality returned. She was a political hostage. The daughter of Admiral Tiptonn.
Clearing her throat, she raised her chin and summoned all the arrogance her upbringing instilled. “I demand that you return my clothing and release me from these restraints. My father will hunt you down and kill you if you abuse me in any way.”
“I haven’t touched you.”
No, Pleasure Master Nine had. The Master had touched her and tasted her and allowed her to… “What do you want from me?”
“Can VinDerley pilot a spacecraft?”
“Why should I tell you anything? You already told me the executive council has been contacted. I have nothing to gain by helping you recover Ashton. You still have Palmer and me. Just let him go.”
“I can’t. He took something that belongs to me.”
Easily identifying possession in his tone, Danette’s heart sank even further. There had been no connection between them. They hadn’t ignited the spark which had flared between them back at the Pleasure Palace. He’d simply seen an opportunity to enjoy a willing woman and he’d taken full advantage of the situation. “You mean someone.” He didn’t deny it. “He won’t hurt her. Ashton wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“Then why did you agree to marry him? You will never be satisfied with a man who isn’t willing to hurt you, at least a little.”
Danette gasped, feeling truly naked for the first time. Had he known she was engaged to Ashton when he came to her as Master? Had her submission meant nothing to him? As if a dam broke inside her, Danette sagged against her bonds. Hard, racking sobs tore from her throat and shook her body. All the lonely years, the continual scrutiny, her father’s unrelenting expectations caved in with suffocating intensity.
Strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her against a solid chest, relieving the pressure from her wrists. His unexpected tenderness mocked her grief. He couldn’t reject her one moment and offer comfort the next. It was cruel!
“Why are you crying?”
“Leave me alone.” She couldn’t escape his embrace. His warm hands caressed her back, skimmed over her ass and came to rest on her hips, steadying her. “My private life is none of your business.”
“I remember you, Danette.” The dark seduction returned. He was Pleasure Master Nine again.
Her heart leapt and heat flooded her pussy. Damn him! She couldn’t just turn her feelings off and on at his convenience. “So what? None of it matters anymore.”
“It matters to me. Why did you leave Paul? He was one of the best, most perceptive Masters I’ve ever mentored. I thought he would cherish you.”
She twisted and tugged against the restraints. Wanting to hit him, needing to feel physical pain like the emotional torment ravaging her soul. “I didn’t leave Paul. My father had him killed!”
His strong arms raised her off the floor, bringing an end to her struggles. “You suspect or you know?”
“Paul was a sniper. He specialized in long-range kills, but Father had him assigned to a close-quarters assault that no one could have survived. The entire company was slaughtered, because of my perversion.”
He slipped a thick cushion under her feet so she could stand more comfortably. Moving up behind her, he stroked her breasts, midriff and hips. His touch was light, yet smooth and calming, obviously meant to soothe not arouse. “I’m sorry. Paul was a good man. I will mourn his loss with you.”
“You’re a fucking liar!” She threw her weight forward. He covered her breasts with one arm and her hips with his other hand, dragging her back into the heat of his body. “You don’t care about Paul. You don’t care about me. You’ll return me to my father and I’ll be married to Ashton within the year.”
“Why did you agree to the engagement?” He didn’t caress her now, just held her firmly while he waited for her explanation.
Each breath she took rubbed her nipples against his arm and her sorrow accented the hollow ache building in her core. She wanted him, needed him, but not just for today. She needed to escape from the prison of her life and she wanted him at her side. Tears trailed down her cheeks.
Why was she hoping to find escape at the h
ands of her captor? It was irrational. Pleasure Master Nine hadn’t kidnapped her. His presence was an unhappy coincidence. She was at the mercy of the rebels.
“The engagement is a political maneuver sponsored by Premier VinDerley and Admiral Tiptonn,” she said mechanically. “Ashton isn’t happy about it either. We just haven’t figured out how to end it without incurring the wrath of both families.”
“Has Ashton ever fucked you?”
“That’s none of your goddamned business!” He pinched her nipple. Pleasure-pain spiked deep into her abdomen and Danette cried out.
“Say my name.”
“This isn’t fair!” She jerked and twisted, but his hold was unbreakable. “You’re either my Master or you’re not. I won’t be manipulated like this.”
His body tensed against her back and his warm breath stirred her hair. “You’re right. I apologize.”
She didn’t realize what he intended until the restraints released. Tugging the blindfold down, she caught a glimpse of his retreating back before the door rolled down behind him. Sinking to her knees on the cushion, Danette buried her face in her hands and wept. The last thing she’d wanted was to be released.
* * * * *
“There has to be something,” Korbin said, struggling to conceal the utter frustration in his voice.
Sharon pushed back from the control console, sweeping her hand toward the vidscreen. “I’ve been through all the records twice. Every ship that launched in the past twenty-four hours had proper clearance and manifests. Is there any possibility they’re still on Borrelly?”
“Corry isn’t tagged, but her DNA is on file. The scans Larz ran would have detected her if she was still on the outpost.”
“And your interrogations?” Sharon asked. “Were either of the captives able to give you some idea where he would have taken her?”
He shook his head, infuriated by his helplessness. “Ashton was acting on his own. The other two know nothing.”
“Where do you think he took her?”
