Encie leaned closer. “There's one way to find out.”
“Oh, I know I'm in trouble when you get that tone in your voice.” NarrAy quivered with anticipation. She hooked her arm through Encie's. “What do you suggest?”
“You said he's on Shackle, right? Seduce him.”
NarrAy gasped. “That wouldn't be right.”
“You've been flirting with him since he got in the car back in town. Don't even try to tell me you don't like him.” Encie set a hand on her hip. “You told me 'mine', remember?”
“Oh, I do. Believe me. He's the hottest thing I've seen in weeks. Did you see the set of abs on him? Mmm. I almost swallowed my tongue.”
“So, get him into bed.”
NarrAy shook her head. “He can't do anything.”
“He can use his mouth and fingers, can't he?”
“Encie!” She moved back. “This is not an appropriate conversation.”
“We're friends on vacation, remember?”
NarrAy paced the room, her pulse heightening. “Still, that's…”
“Come on,” Encie urged. “What do you have to lose? You'll just be testing him so you know for sure if he's interested. Find out what kind of woman he likes.” When NarrAy didn't answer, Encie added, “In case.”
“In case,” NarrAy repeated.
Senth's door opened, and he came out dressed in immaculate black and white evening clothes. Shoes glossy, black tie against his throat, hair loose and brushing his shoulders. The suit accented his wide shoulders, narrow waist, and firm behind.
Yum.
Those big, pale blue eyes focused on her, causing NarrAy to tingle all over. Moist heat spread through her, throbbed between her legs, made her wet. Even her eyes burned.
He lowered his gaze shyly, and adjusted a cuff.
Senth's untutored vulnerability and restrained sensuality lashed at her senses like a whip.
Have I ever made love to a virgin before? There was no doubt that's exactly what he was. An innocent bundle of sweetness and charm, waiting for the right woman to awaken his passion. You're going to find that woman very soon, Senth, and she's going to be me.
Letting her hips sway provocatively, she strolled across the room.
Chapter Five
Tyran Sleepliner Ceroman Hethen
Empire Class, Promenade Deck
I can't believe this is happening. Senth caught the reflection of himself with NarrAy on his arm. Her. With me. His image grinned so big he wondered why his back teeth didn't show. Oh, wow.
She'd focused on him all through dinner at the ship captain's table. Tablecloths, crystal, gold embossed china. The flatware was for show—his thief-trained eyes recognized that—but the opulence of the food and the ambience had not failed to impress him. Neither had NarrAy's interest in everything he said. And now they were walking on the Promenade Deck, arm in arm. Just the two of them. Unfortunately, in this case two equaled four, because Brox and Encie trailed along behind.
With NarrAy leaning her head against my arm, who cares if they tag along? Is this what love feels like? Words Flea and Gnat had told him a few years ago came to mind. “How you tell the difference between love and lust, Senth, is that lust can't wait to get, but love can wait to give.” But getting feels so good!
A bell pealed. He set a hand against his stomach.
“Oh, we're about to jump!” NarrAy clapped her hands. “Let's go watch.”
“That's okay, I…”
“Come on.” She took Senth's bare hand in hers and led him toward the transparent wall ahead. “Haven't you ever seen a jump before?”
“Never.” Her hand felt warm where she touched him. His skin tingled.
She released his hand and touched the window. “Watch. See that bright light off to the left?”
“Mmh,” he agreed, not wanting to watch anything but her. Her hair had those sparkly pins in it again. He wished she'd pull them out so he could watch her tresses fall around her face, all soft and—
“Here it comes.”
The light swallowed the ship as if it slid into a liquid sun. So bright, it hurt to watch. Senth threw a hand in front of his eyes. Utter darkness followed. No stars, no nebulae, no visible illumination at all.
He staggered back from the window. “Wh…”
“Frightening, isn't it? This is the real reason most people sleep during jump. Even though they don't get the sickening gut-twist if they're drugged, when they see this the first time, most never want to see it again.”
“Where did everything go?” Senth reached blindly for her, unable to wrench his gaze from the deep darkness outside.
She slid an arm around his waist. “Theory has it that we're outside of time.”
“Theory?” At her disturbing words, he swallowed. “They don't know?”
“No. We use the technology, but no one knows how it works.”
“Someone has to know.”
“When you go into your room, you flip a switch or say 'lights on' and the lights come on, don't they?”
Senth frowned. “Yeah. Sure.”
“Do you know how that works?”
“No, of course not. It's not the same thing.”
“Sure it is. Everything exists to build the ships, so it gets done, but no one knows for sure how jumping works. The Tyrans thought they invented jump technology less than a century ago. After the Conqueror jumped into their system and invaded their world, their engineers got together with human engineers to compare notes, and found they both used the same basic systems. Why do you suppose that is?”
He considered it a moment then shook his head. “What do you think?”
“My parents were jumptech scientists, and they thought it was because all of it's based on the same history, as well as the same science.”
The Tyran captain and his first officer, with their horns and hooves and angular faces, came to mind. “You're talking about the Sower's Theory, that we all came from humans and were transformed into non-human races.”
“Betters are humans transformed in the womb. It could have happened that way.” She shivered.
He slid off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Its large size made her look fragile and delicate.
“Thank you, Senth.” She hugged him.
Joy shot through him like fireworks. With the darkness beyond, their reflection showed all the more, and the sight of NarrAy hugging him brought that inane grin back to Senth's face. He couldn't force it away. He ransacked his brain for something intelligent to say.
“So, if we're outside time, does that mean we're time traveling?”
“In a way. When we arrive at Tarth, one day will have passed for us, when it should have taken years to make the trip. Of course, if you believe all the old legends, it used to be possible for a single person to jump without a ship at all.”
“Like that could ever happen.”
They both laughed.
*
NarrAy gave herself a mental slap. What was I thinking, telling him that? Thank God he'd laughed it off. Her parents' esoteric experiments in personal jump for the armada's Forgotten Technologies Arena was what had gotten them killed. No one outside a select few even believed in the FTA's existence, let alone its secrets.
“Senth.” She stepped back and took his hands, letting her smile woo him away from the subject. “Ever gone dancing in lo-grav?”
Without waiting for a response, she led him by the hand and walked toward the inner part of the ship. Passing Encie and Broxus, she said, “Don't wait up,” and followed the words with a pointed look.
Whatever protest Broxus might have made went unheard. Encie's laugh followed them out.
She and Senth were shown to a table in the darkened XO's Lounge.
NarrAy noted with amusement that for once women were not glaring at her. They were staring at Senth. In the black light of the lounge, his eyes glowed like a cat's at night.
His physique could have turned heads even without the well-tailored clothes. Esp
ecially without.
She squeezed his hand.
The music was too loud for any Better's liking, but far more bearable than the Ghost. She hung Senth's jacket on the back of her chair, and took his arm.
“See how the colored lights under the dance floor make wide rings?”
He nodded.
“The outside light blue part is normal gravity. The darker blue it gets, the lower the gravity.”
A slow song ended, and older people left the floor as a song with the steady pounding of drums began. A younger, more energetic crowd surged onto the round pad.
“The purple near the center is about one fourth normal G, and the red area in the bullseye is just under one eighth. You can pick up your partner and fling them across the room if you're not careful.”
“I never knew you could turn off gravity.”
“The jump engines produce a varying field naturally. Humans discovered it, but the Tyrans figured out how to make money with it. And they can reproduce it anywhere it's wanted. They're brilliant scientists.” She bit her tongue. God, I sound like my parents. “In Empire Class berthing, you can control gravity in sleeping areas. You get a great night's sleep in lo-grav. Especially after dancing in heels. You should try it tonight.”
He chuckled. “I'm not ready to try dancing in heels.”
She swatted him playfully. “Low gravity beds.”
“That, I might go for.”
You bet you will.
She could sense Senth reacting to her on more than one level. His body might not be aroused, but his attention was. The mind behind those sparkling eyes was fully engaged and focused solely on her.
She squeezed his hand. “Ready to try it?” She didn't wait for an answer, but led him onto the dance pad.
Time to get my money's worth out of this shimmery red dress. When she lifted both arms in a graceful arch and undulated her hips, Senth went glassy-eyed. Oh, honey, that was all too easy.
She didn't dare release her pheromones here; she didn't want a mob frenzy. A half-hour of dancing, brushing against him, teasing him with the slow rock of her hips, and he'd be hers anyway.
The next two songs were fast, and she enjoyed watching Senth move. Whatever work schedule Saint-Cyr kept him on, it was clear he'd found time for fun. When he laughed, the bright dazzle of his light blue eyes and swinging dark hair worked its own magic on her. She feasted her eyes on his sensual mouth, loving the way his fangs glimmered, so wet and sharp and ready to bite. Would he sink those teeth into one of her nipples when she took him? An image flashed into her mind of rising over Senth in bed, a breast pressed against his open mouth, his hair flung against her pillow.
Heat flared between her thighs, a delicious ache she longed to satisfy—with him.
She danced closer, sidling against him, remembering the body she'd glimpsed that afternoon. Smooth chested, unlike a Kin. The moment she'd seen him half-naked, she'd had the urge to touch him and taste the texture of his skin with a long, slow lick.
She danced behind him, rubbing her back against him, sliding up and then easing down with a shake of her hips. She flung back her head, all too aware of her own desire. She wet her lips. In her present state, pheromones would release whether she liked it or not.
Too fast. Too fast. Need to get him somewhere private.
The rhythm changed to a slower one. NarrAy knew better than to put herself in Senth's arms in public. Unless she wanted a riot. His body against hers meant passion, and passion meant pheromones.
She led him off the floor, grabbed his jacket on the way to the door, and entered one of the elevators. He didn't question her, allowing her to lead him without protest.
Once the doors closed, she leaned into him, pinning him against the wall, arms around his neck. Her mouth closed over his. Senth kissed back, opening his mouth when she licked his lips. She scraped her tongue over one of his fangs.
So hot. She felt her pheromones release their first wave. Her breasts tingled with it.
NarrAy rubbed up against Senth, drawing him down hard against her body. His arms went around her waist, fitting her along his length.
“Need to have you, Senth. Need to. Have to.” Her fingers tangled in his hair, clutching a handful. She drew him down for more kisses, nibbling his lower lip, licking his chin and jaw.
He let her kiss him, resisting nothing, allowing her intimate touch. She ran a hand over his chest, yanked his shirt up out of his trousers and fitted her hand underneath.
“Nnnhh, love your skin.”
The elevator doors opened. In the corridor, she palmed the door lock and it opened to their suite. She half-dragged Senth into her cabin, and locked the door behind them.
Tossing his coat over a chair, she advanced on him. He stood there, a haunted look about his eyes. Without pause, she opened his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.
He made a small move to stop her when she reached for his trousers, but she brushed his hands away.
“Have to have you, Senth.” Her second wave of pheromones hit the air. By now, he should be trembling from the rush the way she was. When the third overtook them, he'd do anything she asked, long past the point of saying no.
She unfastened his pants and pushed them down along with his underwear.
When she stepped closer, he moved back, stepping out of his shoes.
“NarrAy.” He put his hands in front of him. “Not like this.”
“I know about the Shackle. I don't care. I want to hold you.” She took his hands in hers and pulled them away. She trailed her eyes over him.
“No, don't! I…”
She ignored his protest, and took his penis into her hand. She couldn't close her fingers around him. “God, once you're hard you'll be huge.”
“But, NarrAy, I can't. I…”
“Shh … I don't care.” She fondled him, looked up into his eyes. They were open all the way, his innocence shining out of them. “This part of you isn't human, baby doll. This part is as big as a Kin.” She growled, low in her throat. “I just love Kin.” She set her hand against his chest and pushed. He bumped into the bed and fell.
“NarrAy, don't. Please.” He tried to get up, but stopped when she pointed at the other end of the bed.
“I want you! Get under the blankets.”
While he complied, she set the grav controls. You needed only a bit to cling to each other, but not so little you flew apart.
When it kicked in, she heard him sigh. “Didn't know how tired I was.”
She reached behind and unfastened her dress, kicking it aside as it fell. She slipped off her red thong panties, and climbed into bed beside him. The low grav made her feel pounds lighter, her breasts less heavy.
She curled onto her side next to Senth. His eyes were closed, a peaceful expression on his face.
“Feels good, doesn't it?” She brushed back his hair.
“Mmh.” He didn't open his eyes. “Up all night, practicing.” His face relaxed.
“You'll sleep well tonight, sweetheart, I promise.” She leaned over and pressed a kiss against his mouth. No response. She kissed him again. Nothing. “Senth?” She rose on her elbow over him. “No!” She patted his cheek. “Senth!”
He was out cold.
With a groan, NarrAy threw herself onto her back, fists clenched. “Saint-Cyr, I know you did this to him. I don't know how, but I know you did.” She glared at the ceiling. “And I'm going to get you for it.”
She drew a deep breath, forced it out, and then did it again. When her pheromone level dropped, so did her anger. Guilt took its place. She scrambled out of bed, refusing to look at the sleeping youth.
He's seven years younger than me. Barely a man. My God, I would have raped him. NarrAy covered her face with both hands. How can they call us Betters?
She grabbed a robe and pulled it on as she fled the room.
Chapter Six
Tyran Sleepliner Ceroman Hethen
Senth woke in darkness and fumbled for his clock until it dawned on
him he was in NarrAy's room. Breath held, he slid one hand across the other side of the bed. Alone.
He flung off the covers, felt around for his clothes, and yanked on his pants. He bolted for the door. The memory of NarrAy stripping him returned with complete clarity. Shame scalded his face.
No one in the common area of their suite. Whew! He tiptoed to his own room, entered silently, and leaned against the door. How could I let things go so far? Khyff. Have to think of Khyff.
He visualized his brother in the alley, forcing himself to endure while Liu had her mouth on him. At that time, Senth hadn't known whether Khyff felt anger or pleasure. In retrospect, the tightly closed eyes and clenched fists screamed anguish. He pictured the Ghost, and Khyff hanging over the establishment's railing with his pants down.
Can't let this happen again. Can't let Khyff down.
Not bothering with the light, he climbed onto his bed. Onto lower gravity. And a body.
A body that sat and screamed.
Senth yelped and, arms windmilling, fell backwards into full gravity. The floor came too fast, with a rude thud.
The body landed on top of him. Hard. The wind whooshed out of him. Hands pinned his arms to the floor.
The lights came on when the door banged open. Broxus charged in, a gun in his hand. “What the…”
Senth gaped from the gun to NarrAy, on her knees, pinning him beneath her. He sucked in air as his breath returned. NarrAy climbed off him, affording Senth a great peek at her long, incredible legs.
Broxus put the gun out of sight. “What's going on, NarrAy? I heard you scream.”
She wrapped herself in a robe. “I was sleeping in here. Senth is in my bed. Or, he was.”
“Why was he in your bed?”
At that, Senth rolled toward the bed and hid his face against one arm.
Broxus cleared his throat. “Do I want to know any of this?”
“I heard a scream.” Encie's voice sounded in the doorway. “What's going on? Why is Senth on the floor?”
Senth moaned. Let me crawl under the carpet.
“It's handled, Encie,” Broxus said. “Sorry to have disturbed you, ma—um, NarrAy.”
Senth heard the door shut and sensed NarrAy had stopped beside him.
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure Page 5
