by Ivy Barrett
“So all three of us will alternate between the Elizian and Fort Benning. We’ll switch once a week or once every other week,” Kellan explained. “That way you won’t feel like a ‘volleyball,’ and we can determine which of us can most easily operate remotely on a permanent basis.”
“Or if we need to consider different positions,” Zilrath added casually.
Jasmine felt her eyes go saucer round and tried to relax her expression. It was foolish to let them know how much the offer pleased her. “You would do that for me?” She didn’t want either of them to make significant changes, but it was sure nice to hear that they were willing to rearrange their lives for her. No one had ever thought so highly of her before.
Kellan took her hands between his and pulled her closer. “There is nothing more important than our mate.”
Unnerved by his penetrating stare, she looked at Zilrath. “You honestly feel that way too?”
“Of course.” There was no hesitation in his tone or expression. “Tavorians treasure their mates. No sacrifice is too great to ensure her happiness.”
Unable to dwell on their unexpected generosity without tearing up, she focused on the logistics. “So two weeks on Kellan’s ships and two weeks at Fort Benning, or alternating weeks for thirty days?”
Kellan nodded, his gaze still locked on her face.
“It’s important that you not be left alone during the courtship.” Zilrath drew her attention. His personality was less overtly aggressive, but he was every bit as intense as Kellan. “Our emotions will heighten, as will our desire for you, and you for us. It’s safer if one or the other is available to you night and day.”
“And that you are readily available to us,” Kellan countered as his gaze swept boldly down her body.
Heat crawled up her neck and intensified across her cheeks. Sure, they were both fuck-worthy, but she’d never been that desperate for sex. “I seriously doubt that will be an issue for me.”
“You’ve yet to experience rut,” Kellan warned, predatory intensity sharpening his expression.
She had to swallow before she was able to speak. “I thought that only happened to Ventori males.”
A sexy grin slanted his mouth and made the blue marbling in his gaze shimmer. “I’m already half mad with wanting you. The more we’re together, the more you’ll feel it also. Joining with me will be unlike anything you’ve experienced before.”
The warmth caressing her face suddenly cascaded through her body. She pressed her thighs together and crossed her arms over her aching breasts. “What about Tavorians?” She dared to look at Zilrath, not wanting to leave him out of the strange tantalizing conversation. “Is there anything I need to know before I make my final decision?”
“Finding a soulmate is instinctual for Tavorians. We’re not slaves to our genetics like many species. But once we have found our one true mate, we will do anything to possess her.”
“And do you believe that I’m your ‘one true mate’?” The hunger in his eyes certainly indicated that was the case.
“I haven’t decided yet.” That wasn’t the answer she’d expected, but his next words eased her pride. “I’m cautiously optimistic.”
It would have been easy for him to lie, to reassure her so she’d feel more confident. She preferred a more cautious approach. “Thank you for being honest. I hate the games so many people play.”
“I’ll never lie to you,” Zilrath vowed, “but I expect the same in return.”
“You’ll have it.”
“Good. Now undress.”
The bold directive wouldn’t have surprised her coming from Kellan, but Zilrath was supposed to be the nice one. “I haven’t agreed to let you court me.”
“You haven’t spoken the words, but your eyes tell a different story. I want you naked and on your knees when you promise to obey us.”
Confused and suddenly breathless, she turned her head toward Kellan. He watched her closely, arms folded across his chest. There would be no help coming from him, so she shifted her gaze back to Zilrath. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be as demanding as Kellan. I’m not sure I can handle two dominant males. I’m not sure I want to try.”
He stepped closer and framed her face with his hands. “Will it be easier if I admit I’ve been desperate to see you naked ever since I first saw your image?” He brushed her lips with his, then whispered, “Please fulfill my fantasy. Let me see that beautiful body before I go insane.”
A hot tingle dropped down her spine, and her hands flew to the front of her uniform top. The seam parted, and she shrugged the garment off before she had time to analyze her actions. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, had always been comfortable with nudity. Still, her instantaneous surrender to Zilrath’s coaxing words seemed odd, out of character.
“So beautiful.” His fingers skimmed along her neck and across the upper curve of her breasts as he whispered, “Now your pants.”
Her head swam and the scene around them blurred. She opened her pants and bunched them low on her hips before trepidation halted her actions. “What are you doing to me? I feel strange.”
An enigmatic smile parted his lips as he pulled back his hands and turned them palm out. “There are many ways to persuade others. The Ventori use force and intimidation. Tavorians prefer something subtler.” The tips of his fingers were shiny as if he’d just coated them with oil.
“What is that?” She still felt oddly languid, ready to fall into his arms.
“A mild intoxicant. It soothes the nerves and eases inhibitions. It’s harmless.”
“You made me drunk with the touch of your hands?” She shuddered, her mind gradually clearing. “This is why I choose not to drink.” She reached for her shirt, but he stopped her.
“No more games, Jasmine. Either you want this, or you don’t.”
His fingers firmly banded her upper arm. Was he pumping that shit into her system again? She didn’t feel lightheaded like she had before, but she wanted to be sure. “I don’t want you to use the ‘intoxicant’ on me again. Drugging someone into submission is considered rape on Earth.”
He immediately released her and held up both hands. His fingertips were no longer shiny. “I won’t touch you again until you answer the question, but you will do so now. No more stalling, no excuses. Will you allow us to court you, yes or no?”
She glanced at Kellan, surprised that he still stood back and watched. That wasn’t like him at all. She’d known he would issue orders and expect obedience. All the Ventori were like that. But she’d hoped for an ally in Zilrath, someone to temper Kellan’s aggressiveness. If they were both domineering, the courtship would be more combative. And she was at a horrible disadvantage.
Her logical mind offered all the reasons she should reconsider this course, yet her body was urging her onward. Her nipples tingled, gathering into tight peaks as if to draw their attention. She kept her arms at her sides, wanting them to look, needing to feel desirable, beautiful. And she wanted to strip both males bare and explore every inch of their big, strong bodies. Why shouldn’t she? The old rules no longer applied. Humans had changed. She had changed. A fresh wave of arousal washed over her, tightening her core and making her groan. Zilrath wasn’t touching her, so why did she still feel hot and tingly?
She looked at Zilrath and sighed. “I’m not trying to be difficult,” she insisted. “I honestly don’t know what I want to do.” But she knew what she wanted them to do. She wanted them wild for her, so driven by desire that they’d... What? Fuck her with or without her permission? The thought was wicked and wrong. Why had her imagination gone there? Shame helped cool her feverish mind, but her body still smoldered.
“We can help with your indecision. Let us show you what we’re offering,” Zilrath suggested.
A soft scoff escaped her as she backed up a step or two. “If either of you touches me, I won’t be able to think at all.”
“Would that be so bad?” Kellan finally broke his silence.
“Yes,” sh
e asserted. “I need to think about this rationally.”
Zilrath’s gaze narrowed into gleaming slits, his patience clearly at an end. “You knew what we wanted when you came here. We have made our intentions clear. You’ve teased us long enough.”
He was right. This wasn’t fair to them. She hadn’t set out to tease them, but—But teasing men is what you do best. It’s what you enjoy. She slammed the door on her inner voice, refusing to acknowledge the truth in those statements. That was a chapter of her life she no longer considered relevant. It was part of a past that had been reduced to smoldering rubble by Skarilian bombs.
“It’s not a complicated question.” Kellan sounded slightly annoyed. “It’s obvious to everyone that you’re attracted to us. We’ve made no secret of our desire for you. Are you willing to explore the possibilities or not?”
She whipped her head around and met his gaze, trying not to glare. She’d pushed them as far as they’d allow, but she wasn’t quite ready to surrender. “It’s not that simple, Sir. You don’t want to date me. You want to court me. We both know there’s a big difference.”
“One indicates casual interest. The other is used to test the compatibility of a potential mate. Neither of us has any interest in a ‘girlfriend.’ We’re beyond superficial romances. We need a permanent mate, someone willing and able to share the rest of our lives.” He moved to Zilrath’s side. Now they were both close enough to touch her, but neither did. “We’ve agreed to make significant changes to accommodate your needs. All we ask in return is that you obey us and willingly share your body with us.”
She licked her lips, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. “I’m not opposed to spending time with you, even having sex with you. The part that concerns me is the blind obedience. I don’t know either of you well enough to agree to that.”
“You know Ventori custom. Courtship is the next step. Your other compatible pods will expect the same thing. According to the High Command’s edict, a compatible female must allow three pods to court her before she becomes off limits. Your government agreed to these stipulations. Would you prefer one of the other pods have control over you?”
“No,” she snapped, frustrated by his persistence. “I’d prefer to remain in control of myself.”
His stern expression didn’t change. “That’s not an option. The Skarilians left us all with few choices. We cannot afford to be lenient with compatible females. Producing offspring is a matter of survival for my species. Without a new generation, the Ventori will become extinct in a matter of years.”
She understood all that and felt compassion for their plight, but human females shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of their desperation. “I volunteered for the Carnal Compensation Program. My contract was for twelve months, not an entire lifetime.”
His lips pressed into an angry line. “You would rather be a carnal companion than a mate? That’s irrational.”
Making him angry was foolish, and counterproductive to the conversation, but she was angry too. Angry, confused, and scared. Focusing on the anger, she crossed her arms over her breasts and stood her ground. “I’ve heard the Ventori find rape abhorrent.”
“Your point?” His voice was so tight that she wondered if he were gritting his teeth.
“How will the High Command force me to allow three pods to ‘court’ me if I refuse to have sex with anyone?”
“They will not force you to do anything,” Kellan predicted. “They’ll just keep you at Camp Accord until you’re old and gray.”
“That’s not fair,” she cried, covering herself with one arm so she could gesture with the other. “It’s not my fault the—”
“Enough!” Zilrath snapped. “You’re arguing because you’re afraid. Fears must be faced, or they will control you. Finish undressing and kneel or Kellan will punish you for your behavior last night and for being obstinate right now.”
“She has a spanking coming either way. I lay awake for hours, hard and miserable because of her kiss.” He turned his angry gaze back toward Jasmine as he said, “If you have no intention of allowing us to court you, you never should have touched either one of us.”
Seeing the determination in his gaze, she took a step back. “I needed to know if I’d respond to you physically.”
He stalked her, easily outdistancing her shorter stride. “You wanted to make us hard, and you know it.”
Zilrath laughed. “I was hard long before she kissed me.”
“That’s not the point.” Kellan growled out the words as he caught her upper arm. “Have you always been a cock-tease or does the fact that you’re compatible make you feel powerful?”
“I’m not...” The lie refused to pass her lips. She’d spent eighteen months as an internet performer, flaunting her body, teasing, arousing men ruthlessly because she knew they would never be able to touch her. “I honestly wanted to know how I’d react to your kiss.” It was true, but it wasn’t the only reason she’d kissed them.
He grasped her other arm and drew her up onto her toes. His face was still well above hers. “That might be how it started, but you enjoyed the fact that you left use both aching for you. Admit it.”
Would he let her go if she admitted it? “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Because you caused us intentional pain or because I’m about to spank you for your cruelty?” He didn’t give her time to decide. He dragged her over to a fallen tree and sat down. Using a fraction of his strength, he positioned her kicking, twisting body face down across his lap. “Zilrath, would you mind removing her pants for me.”
She looked at Zilrath, hoping he’d refuse. No such luck. He grinned at her then joined them by the fallen tree. He caught one of her kicking feet and then the other, quickly ridding her of her shoes. She’d already unfastened her pants, so all he had to do was yank them off. She hadn’t worn undergarments since becoming a Ventori ‘guest,’ which meant she was stark naked in less than a minute.
She tensed, expecting Kellan to begin immediately.
His hand cupped one of her ass cheeks and squeezed. “This view is even better than the other,” he said softly, then delivered the first stinging slap.
Shocked by the pain, she clenched, which only made it hurt worse when he spanked the other side. “That hurts!” she yelled, twisting even more wildly.
Kellan rocked her forward and threw one of his legs over hers. She bent over his other leg, arms extended, ass in the air. His punishing slaps came fast and hard, several on one side before he switched to the other.
“Stop it! This is ridiculous. I’m not a child!” Her arguments fell on deaf ears. No matter how much she struggled, or how loudly she yelled, he just went on spanking her vulnerable backside.
Heat quickly deepened to actual pain. The faint ache became an inescapable throb. And the indignity of her position combined with her helplessness, compounding the pain.
“Please stop.” She went limp across his leg, hoping he’d show some mercy in response to her surrender. Layer after layer, he stripped away her composure, making her feel vulnerable, emotionally raw. “I’m sorry,” she cried, sobbing loudly.
“I’m not convinced.” Kellan spanked each side especially hard before adding, “You would not have teased us again today if you regretted last night.”
“I haven’t touched you today,” she objected, her voice shaking.
“No, you just flashed your lovely breasts then changed your mind about letting us court you. While you were still topless, I might point out.”
She tried to deny it, to blame it all on whatever Zilrath had done to her, but part of her knew he was right. She loved the hunger in their eyes when they looked at her. Knowing they couldn’t touch her until she gave them permission made her feel powerful. She’d wanted that feeling to last as long as possible. His hand fell, again and again, dragging miserable sobs from deep inside her. “I admit it,” she lamented, shame welling inside her. “I purposely aroused you then pushed you away.”
He paus
ed, hand resting lightly on the small of her back. “Have you done this sort of thing before?”
She closed her eyes, dreading the answer. “Not to a Ventori or Tavorian.”
Zilrath easily read between the lines. “It was just human males you tormented?”
She blinked back the rest of her tears, feeling cruel and sad. “The human males knew what to expect. They paid me to tease them. I was an internet performer. That’s sort of like a stripper, but I was never even in the same room with any of my customers.”
Kellan pulled her up and spread his legs, allowing her to slide to her knees between his thighs. “Explain why any male would do such an irrational thing.”
Careful to keep her stinging bottom off her folded legs, she looked up into his stern face. “Have you ever been to a strip club?”
He shook his head.
Zilrath explained, “Human females dance on a stage as they remove their clothing for the primarily male audience. The customers also pay the females to rub against them suggestively while wearing very little. The female can be as provocative as she likes, but the males are not allowed to touch her. It all seemed rather pointless to me. Why encourage a female to arouse you if you can’t fuck her once you’re hard?”
Feeling compelled to defend her past occupation, she looked at Zilrath. “Do Tavorians have any form of erotic entertainment or art? Do you know what pornography is?”
“Pornography is not art,” Zilrath argued. “At least not the pornography humans create. It is tasteless, juvenile, and extremely demeaning to females.”
Interesting. Zilrath objected to the extreme nature of human pornography, not the concept of being turned on by art or entertainment. “Tavorians have something similar?”
“We do, but it is much more sensual, more aesthetically pleasing.”
“You said you were never in the same room as the males you teased,” Kellan reminded. “Why bring up pornography?”
“You both know what it is, so you’ve obviously seen it. Did you find it enjoyable to watch?”
