True enough, the suds seemed to be dissolving, slithering down that horrible drain. The bubbles on her skin popped, leaving a tingly sensation behind.
She spit, the lingering taste of soap still on her tongue. “That’s just foul.”
“I should have warned you. Water is heavy, and transporting on a space vessel is a costly endeavor. Most don’t bother with keeping more than enough to sustain those aboard, instead choosing a chemical composite for cleaning. To conserve fuel and space.”
Her eyes still stung as she glared up at him. “You enjoyed that,” she accused.
Fenton dragged the towel over her face, clearing away the rest of the foam. “Maybe a little.”
His smile was infectious and she found she couldn’t hold on to her anger. “My mom always threatened to clean out my mouth with soap. I never reckoned it would taste quite so vile.”
His eyelids lowered, “Come here. I’ve got something you could put in your mouth to help speed your recovery.”
Fenton watched as Alison licked her lips. His cock shot hard as steel at the miniscule gesture. She was glorious, covered in the cleansing foam, the color high in her cheeks from anger. Her question took him by surprise, though. “Where’s Ari?”
“With me.” At her raised eyebrow he elaborated, “The other me.”
“So you . . . ?”
“Split.”
“Why?”
He wasn’t sure how to answer that one. His gut told him it was a trap he’d verbally stumble into if he wasn’t careful. Add to that the fact his dick throbbed like an ion engine and she definitely had the advantage. “I thought you might . . . need me.”
Her face closed up. “For sex?”
“Not necessarily, although now that we’re on the topic you missed a few spots.” Before she could react, he turned the foam back on, albeit on a lower setting so it misted gently down on her instead of the floodgate she’d opened earlier.
Alison ducked her face, and the foam drifted down on her back like snow falling in the Northern Territories where he’d spent much of his adult life. When she wasn’t buried in the chemical the way she’d been before, her features softened and she actually turned her face into the spray.
After shutting it off, Fenton moved to her side and ran his hands over her shoulders and back, coating her skin thoroughly. She arched like a cat into his touch, always so beautifully responsive. The chemical tingled where it touched his skin and he could only imagine what it felt like to her, with so much of it evaporating all over her body. The heat that sparked between them intensified as he gripped her thighs in either hand, forcing her to spread her legs.
The motion sent her off balance, and she leaned forward, bracing herself on the wall.
Caressing her plump backside, he spread her cheeks apart, baring all of her secret places. Scooping up a handful of foam, he cupped his hand over her sex and let the cleansing solution have its way with her pussy.
“Right there.” Fenton watched as she shivered and shook all over as the tiny bubbles popped and dispersed. He worked some around his index finger and then pushed into her tight channel. Slickness greeted his invasion, telling him that between the sensations and his hunger for her he was getting to her. “You like that, sexy?”
“God, yes!” She clenched around him, her inner muscles gripping his fingers, trying to draw them even deeper.
Slowly the cleansing chemical broke down into its base components, leaving her flesh clean and pink from the unusual sensation. Unable to help himself, he lowered his head and tasted her juicy folds. She gasped and leaned forward until her forearms were braced against the walls. Her sweet lube coated his tongue with every swipe over her luscious nether lips.
“Del,” she gasped in that husky voice of hers. “I’m so close.”
He knew, could feel her body yielding, softening and preparing itself for his. His fingers and mouth and chin were all coated with her sweetness and still he wanted more of her, wanted every luscious secret she withheld, every last bit of her soul that she kept hidden away like a treasure.
Standing behind her he withdrew her fingers, and though it pained him, he spoke the words she needed him to. “Activate your shield.”
“What?” Her body shook with need and he saw the confusion masking her features.
The fact that she was so far gone, so out of her head with desire, soothed his pride at not being able to stake his claim. “I’m going to fuck you now.”
He wanted to say so much more to her, to tell her why burying himself inside her was so important. Their physical relationship was their only connection, and with Ari awake, he didn’t want to lose his only tether to Alison. It was his only outlet to show her how he felt.
Her health guard activated and he didn’t waste a second shoving his hard prong into her hot sheath. They moaned in unison, reveling in the base thrill of their union. Fisting her wet hair, he tipped her head to the side as he withdrew slightly before thrusting forward. His free hand wrapped around her hips and delved between her labia until he pressed into the stiff little bud. She rocked up onto her toes and he felt the ripples as she came around him, milking his cock, urging him to follow her over the edge. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the weight in his balls and held on to his control for everything he was worth.
Moments passed while Alison shivered through her release. He gentled his touch, left his cock in her wet heat while he kissed along the curve of her neck and played with her breasts. Her eyelids fluttered up and she stared at him over her shoulder. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” His hands cupped her breasts, hefting the heavy globes, memorizing the feel.
“Aren’t you going to come?”
Slowly he shook his head. “No.”
She scowled. “Why not?”
Running one knuckle along the curve of her cheek, he spoke softly. “This wasn’t for me, at least not physically. I want you to understand, Alison. I will go to any lengths for you. It’s not a bad thing.”
Astonishment scrawled across her face. “You don’t even know me. Why would you go out of your way for me at all?”
“Because we’re the same, and I know how much it means for someone to fight for me with everything they possess. It’s a gift I want to give to you.” Before she could ask any more questions, he pulled himself back together, leaving her alone in the bathroom.
13
Mary had done exactly as he’d requested. The tray from his dinner still sat on the small table, the only piece of furniture in the room other than the huge bed. This was not a room someone lingered in for longer than a meal and a rest.
Or, in this case, a punishing fuck.
The younger man stood when the assassin entered the room. He had re-donned his ragged clothing, but the flesh beneath was clean.
“Take your clothes off. I’ve brought you something else to wear.”
He read the hesitation but his tone left no room for argument. Marv stripped down to his skin and lowered his gaze. “Whadya want me to wear?”
“This.” He offered the sleek black cloth.
Puzzlement flitted over Marv’s face. He fingered the single hole in the fabric, ran his hand along the silky cords. “I’m not sure—”
“I’ll show you.” Without waiting for a response, the assassin took the bag back and placed it over the other man’s head. Marv gasped but the assassin spun him around and wove the cord around the wrists he trapped at the small of his new toy’s back.
Excitement and desire bubbled up in Marv and his cock lengthened and distended. His darkness excited him, the choice being taken from him fueled his lust and made it burn hotter even while it frightened him. His physiological response didn’t stop him from making the token protest. “Hey, man, I didn’t sign up for any of this kinky weird shit.”
“You ate the food I provided for you, washed your body in my shower without a problem. I know earlier you were ready to suck my dick until I shot my load down your throat. Does it really matter that I can’t see you w
hile you do it?”
“I guess not.” Marv sank to his knees slowly. “We gonna do this?”
“Patience. Anticipation can heighten the experience.” The assassin gripped the other cord, the one attached to the hood that held the wearer in place. “Take me out.”
“I can’t, not with my hands tied.”
“Imagine yourself doing it.” Reaching into Marv’s mind, the assassin pressed against the telekinetic cluster of nerves, adding to the gift he’d seen, the spark that, in another time, in another place, would be nurtured and cultivated to a full-fledged ability.
The thick muscles in his shoulders tightened as though straining physically with something that took physical exertion. “You have to want it, to want my thickness free to slide into your mouth. I know you like to suck cock, like the taste of cum spurting on your tongue. Own it, revel in it, like the filthy little whore we both know you are.”
Precum beaded on Marv’s shaft at his words but with his hands bound he couldn’t do a thing about it. He grunted and the assassin pushed harder on the cluster, almost too hard. Jerking his hold on the hood, he took out his frustration on the bound man. “Maybe I’ll just flip you over and fuck that ass. Ride you raw. One way or the other I’m going to use your body to come.”
Fear slithered into the hired whore’s mind. Marv didn’t like that idea, he’d been ridden cruelly by an abusive stepfather. Which was precisely why the assassin said it; a spike of adrenaline brought forth the ability in some people.
Slowly, as though it was held by a trembling hand, his zipper slid down, one tooth at a time. He could imagine the look of concentration on the other man’s face, another reason for the hood. Nothing would ruin this perfect moment of achievement, passing his gift off to another. In his more fanciful musings, he thought this must be what siring progeny was like.
He wore no underwear and his stiff prick was bared. When Marv would have slumped in exhaustion, the rope attached to the hood held him in line with his next meal.
“Very good. Now suck as though your next breath depends on it. Because it does.”
The tongue darted out, searching for its reward and connected with the head. The gentle swipe was pleasing, as was the way his subject honed in on his length and swallowed him whole. Warmth and wetness welcomed him eagerly, sucking with greed and purpose. He let Marv work him at first with wet licks and deep, drawn-out pulls, enjoying the pressure, but as his balls tightened he drew up on the string again, holding the other man steady so he could fuck his mouth.
The first drive rammed his rod deep into the other man’s throat, until he started to gag. Using his mind the assassin implanted the sensations he experienced in Marv’s head, until he could feel wetness coating his own dick. Conversely he relaxed his gag reflex and the assassin rammed him again, fucking the face beneath the hood.
It didn’t take long before he was shooting down the gulping throat, his body easing into release. It was pleasant, but nothing to write home about, as the old aphorism said. Marv didn’t glom on to his new ability, didn’t turn it back on the man he sucked off. Pity.
Stepping back, he distanced himself before Marv’s own release forced jets of cum out from his engorged staff. The assassin despised mess and sneered at the streaks across the floor. Marv still shuddered and cursed in his native tongue, phrases the translator chip couldn’t begin to interpret.
As he watched the other man struggle to recompose himself, the assassin considered the void inside him. Usually these little encounters served to clear his mind from the murkiness shrouding his path. The encounter with Marv left him just as muddied as he’d been before, his path as unclear as ever. There was no epiphany, only a hollowness that was growing more uncomfortable by the day.
Unbinding the ties with his mind the assassin growled, “Be gone.”
“What the hell was that?” Marv yanked the hood off with a shaking hand.
Breaking his own rule of contact, he gripped the younger man’s hair and leaned in until their faces were inches apart. The sharp scent of cum and the slick of perspiration drifted to him. “I said, be gone. Do not force me to say it again.”
Marv’s eyes widened and he scrambled to collect his clothing. Not stopping to redress he bolted from the room.
Bending at the waist, the assassin picked up the hood and worked it between his fingers. Mutual wasn’t working for him anymore. The sickness was spreading. He had been many things, but never a rapist. He didn’t know why, but that was a bridge too far.
Lying back on the bed, he thought about Alison’s companion. She had no idea what a warrior she traveled with, the great violence he was capable of, or the lengths Fenton would go to protect her. Perhaps having a man like that in his hood, a powerful man who would fight him every step of the way, would lift his ennui.
His cock twitched with interest, imaging Fenton on his knees, taking his cock between his lips. He had no doubt Fenton would do it voluntarily, if he thought the action would save his woman’s life. The assassin would make him come, would make him enjoy it while Alison cried. He’d never comingled business and pleasure before, but the seed, once planted, unfurled to take over his mind.
He smiled to himself. The mess would be worth it.
Daton Five was a beautiful world, at least in Alison’s opinion. The forest surrounding Gwella’s village was lush and green, with the merest hint of autumn colors tipping the leaves. She stood beside the empress as the shuttle landed on the raised platform high above the main city, taking in the dense expanse of greenery. Fenton knelt behind them, as was fitting for breeders when in the presence of their women. Ari was slung in a pack strapped to his chest, her head resting against his heart. Though they hadn’t spoken since the encounter in the bathroom, Alison felt his eyes fixed on her every move.
“You are the first visitor we’ve had here in almost a century.” Gwella’s remark was casual. “I’m curious as to what you think.”
“It’s glorious,” Alison murmured. “The region on my planet where I was born has trees and mountains very similar to this. I feel right at home.”
“Looks can be deceptive,” Gwella said. The cryptic statement, combined with her earlier inference that there was some kind of problem here, stuck like a splinter in Alison’s mind. She desperately wanted to talk to Fenton about what they had gotten themselves into, but he wasn’t receptive. His behavior vacillated from sulking to sexy and back in a heartbeat. If Ari ever slept again—and Alison was beginning to doubt she would— she and Del would have it out. They were on the same side, just the way he’d wanted it. Why was he being so difficult?
“You seem distracted,” Gwella murmured.
Alison cast a look over her shoulder until her gaze met Del’s. “It’s nothing,” she said to him, to both of them.
“I see.” The empress’s lips twitched. “Men are troublesome creatures at times.”
The last thing she wanted to talk with the empress about was her relationship. She got the feeling that the other woman looked down her nose at her. Or perhaps it was simply her own insecurities rearing their ugly heads. “Thank you for bringing us here. I can’t wait to sightsee.”
“I’m afraid your exploration will be very limited. Though the planet looks peaceful from this vantage, only the main cities are safe. We are at war, one I’m afraid we have very little hope of winning.”
“With whom?”
Gwella cut her eyes to Alison before turning to the window. “Now is not the time. Come to dinner tonight, bring your breeder and the babe. You will meet my daughter and together we will answer your questions.”
The shuttle set down with a thump, and the empress turned to her. “Do exactly as the group leader commands.”
“Is there direct danger?” Though Fenton was on his knees, his posture stiffened and he became instantly alert. “If you grant me loan of a weapon, I can protect my woman better.”
“Breeders are not allowed weapons. You might hurt yourself.” One of the patrollers sneered.
“Del was a soldier,” Alison offered, careful to phrase her words diplomatically. “He knows how to fight.”
“It’s forbidden.” Gwella’s voice was terse, her decree final.
Fenton rose gracefully and for a moment she thought he was about to challenge the edict. But he put his hand on Alison’s shoulder. She looked into his clear blue eyes, even brighter than the cloudless sky. He didn’t speak a word, he didn’t have to, she got the message as though he’d whispered it in her ear. Stay close to me.
She would have offered to carry Ari, but she didn’t think the empress and her minions would take that well, and the last thing she could afford to do was piss them off when they had no way off world.
One of the patrollers, a massive redhead who looked like she bench-pressed shuttles for fun, stepped forward. “We move as a unit in a starburst pattern with the empress and the hostages in the center. If you see a helcat do not stop, try to hide, or separate yourself from the group in any way. They like easy prey.”
What was going on out there? Whatever a helcat was, she sure as shit didn’t want to meet one if they considered people like the Amazon group leader easy prey.
Slowly the shuttle door opened and two of the patrollers moved out into the open. One turned back and made some sort of signal that must have been an all clear, because Gwella stepped forward.
Fenton was practically breathing down her neck and Ari fussed in her little carrier. The child had a scream like a sonic train whistle and just as piercing. Alison would have bet her heart had swollen to epic proportions as she descended the ramp to the world of trees and moss, because it seemed to throb in her throat and cut off her air supply.
“All clear, my lady.” The lead patroller waved them forward. The air was rich with the scent of wet leaves and tree bark, the ground soft, almost spongy beneath her feet. Above them the main ship hovered as though standing sentinel on the small party.
Though she had a million questions, the atmosphere of the small group didn’t invite idle chatter. Beside her, Gwella moved at a purposeful clip, like her ship cutting through space, knowing she owned it and cowering to none. If empress of Daton Five was a profession, Alison wanted to be Gwella in her next life.
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