by Megan Hart
Del put his hands on his hips. "I won't be anybody's slave."
Sarken laughed. "That's what I said, too, man. But let me tell you, when your dick is hard as marble and your balls are fit to busting, and all you can think about is having a woman wrap her lips around your ramrod and suck you off...there ain't much else you can think about. Lunavoss is a good lay."
"No lay can be that good."
Sarken face went unreadable again. "It's better than nothing. At least she doesn't expect us to love her. For the rest of my life, I don't ever have to be in love again. That's worth just about any price, man."
Sarken went back to his own repair tasks. Del thought about what the other man had said, but he couldn't agree.
Linna had finished up cleaning the galley only to discover the next shift of meals needed to be prepared. The Oss had minimal replication facilities. Garlinda showed her how to operate the re-hydration unit, and where to find the bins of freeze-dried meal packs. The Oss had only a crew of twenty, including the non-essential operating crew of the doxy and the two galley drosses. The Oss was primarily a cargo hauler, though, which meant non-storage space was minimal. The dining room could only hold five people at a time. The crew ate in shifts. No sooner did one shift finish than it was time for the next to come in. Linna now knew why Lunavoss needed two drosses.
Garlinda had left her to finish the next two shifts, then returned to take over so Linna could eat and sleep. The problem was, Linna couldn't sleep. The bunk she'd been assigned to was squeezed in between crates and barrels of supplies, smack up against an exterior wall. The entire bed shook and vibrated constantly. Instead of soothing her off to sleep, it was keeping her awake.
That and her thoughts about Del. She'd quickly discovered that time had little meaning onboard the Oss. Since she hadn't seen a window since she'd been aboard, night and day didn't exist, and the ship was never in darkness. Because the crew was so small, the duty shifts were long and unrelated to any clock Linna was familiar with. The Oss operated on spacetime, not hours, and Linna had no idea of how long she'd been aboard. It could have been a day. It could have been a week.
Long enough to wish for a real shower instead of the light bath Garlinda had shown her to. The unit had cleaned everything, even Linna's filthy jumpsuit, but left her unsatisfied. Now she tossed and turned on her vibrating bed, thinking of Del.
What would the captain do to him when he refused to have sex with her? Maybe he wouldn't refuse. Linna shook her head. No. He had to.
But why? Just because he'd refused her didn't mean he'd refuse everyone else. Lunavoss was beautiful. And sexy, Linna had to admit. She'd managed to seduce the other Xanderrans on board. Maybe she'd be able to do the same to Del.
No matter how much she pretended that thought didn't sicken her, it did. Linna sighed and turned on her side, eyes wide and staring into the steady blue light that filled her small compartment. She wanted Del for her own.
Linna sat up. She had to tell him that. Before he gave himself to the captain, Linna needed to tell him what was in her heart. It might not make a difference...but then again, it might.
"Have a seat." Lunavoss indicated a comfortable-looking chair next to her.
Del shook his head, stance straight, hands clasped behind his back. "I'll stand."
"Suit yourself." Lunavoss sat back in her own chair, her long legs crossed at the knee. She wore the same thigh-high boots as she had before. The heels looked sharp enough to stab a man through the heart. Her ebony hair flowed over her shoulders, down her firm, full breasts, to her trim waist. Along with the boots, she wore a sheer body stocking that did nothing to hide her bare flesh beneath.
She arched her back, giving him a better view of her breasts and the rosy, erect nipples beneath. "Your name is Delek?"
"Yes."
"I like that name."
Del said nothing.
Lunavoss shifted in her chair and spread her legs. The pink slit of her sex winked at him through the sheer material of her body stocking. Her clit was as erect as her nipples, pushing against the fabric. She ran a finger down her throat, over her breast to circle one puckered nipple, then down her belly and finally, rested it on that taut bud.
"I think you know what I want," she said. "There's no use in playing games."
"No games," Del agreed. He forced himself not to look at her tempting display, even though the scent of her was beginning to drive him a little crazy. "You're Saurani, aren't you?"
She laughed, a tinkling, sparkling sound that made his cock twitch. "You're very good, Delek. Not many people have guessed that."
"I've met Saurani men before."
"Really?" She raised one brow. "Sauran is a long way from Xanderra."
"So is Earth."
"So it is." She spread her thighs a bit wider and stroked her finger in a circle on her erect clit. Her other hand toyed with her nipple. "But have you met a Saurani woman before?"
"No."
"But you know of my people."
Del nodded, not sure he could answer without sounding hoarse. Her musky scent, the smell of sex, surrounded him. He forced himself to focus on her face, not her lush body or the things she was doing to herself.
"Then you know we're blessed with not just one pleasure point, like so many other humanoids. I have one here between my legs." She let out a low moan. "And one on each of my breasts." Another sigh. "And one in the back of my throat. Another deep inside my cunna. I'm absolutely made for balequili. For fucking, you call it."
She writhed a little more on her seat. Sweat broke out on Del's forehead and ran in trickles down his back. Saurani men and women released pheromones that made them irresistible.
Lunavoss stood. Her high-heeled boots made her tall enough to face him eye to eye. Her tongue swept across her red lips and her green eyes flashed. She didn't touch him, but this close, the smell of her was enough to make his dick surge to life.
She put a hand between his legs. Del's hand came down on her wrist. For a moment, they strained against each other before she took away her hand.
She smiled. "I'm sure the crew has already told you. I get what I want."
"Want something else."
"I don't think so." Her shrewd expression didn't take away from her beauty, but it did help Del resist her a little more. "You're on my ship by my good grace. You said you'd work for passage. I intend to collect the debt you owe me."
"I didn't promise to work for you forever, and you know that's what will happen if I give you balequili. If I fuck you."
Lunavoss pouted. "You'd still be free to leave the Oss once we dock on Xanderra. Or anyplace else you want."
Del barked out a laugh. "I'd still be bound to you."
Lunavoss shrugged and turned away from him. She paced toward the table next to her bed, where she picked up a carafe of blue liquid and poured herself a drink. "Only for sex."
"Some life I'd have," Del said.
Lunavoss tossed back a shot of the drink, then gave him another narrow-eyed glance. "Some life you have now. You're well past the age when most of your kind have chosen their partners. You ran away from your homeworld. You make your living doing scut work.
"Don't think I don't know what those tattoos of yours mean, Delek. You're not common born. So what are you doing here, doing crew work on my ship in return for passage off a world you don't belong in? If you haven't found your partner by now, what makes you think you ever will?"
Linna's face flashed in his mind.
Lunavoss laughed out loud, poured another shot and handed him the glass.
"You're thinking of that Earther cyborg, aren't you? Don't be an idiot, Delek. If you'd wanted her, you'd have had her already. Don't fool yourself."
"She's working for her passage too," he said as evenly as he could. He didn't drink the shot. "And I'll still work on your crew. But I don't want to be bound to you."
"But you do want to taste my cunna, don't you?" Lunavoss strode toward him, eyes gleaming. She took the glass fr
om his hand and tossed back the shot, then licked her lips. "Your nuake is hard, isn't it? You want to put it inside me, Delek. You want to feel my cunna wrap around your dick. You want to come inside me, over and over. Don't you?"
She took his hand and put it on her breast. The body stocking was so thin it was like touching her bare skin. She closed his fingers around her nipple and her body shuddered.
"You want to make me reach nackrim, don't you? You want to fuck my cunna until I come. I can see it in your eyes."
She took his other hand and thrust it between her legs. Her clit was like a pebble against his palm. She held his hand there, rocked her hips. Her clit spasmed and her green eyes went dark with her climax.
"I need it," Lunavoss said when her shudders had faded. Her pale skin had bloomed pink. "I want it. I want your hands on me, Delek. I want your thick cock inside me, fucking me. I want you to make me come from all of my pleasurepoints, every one of them."
"No."
She slapped him across the face. "No?"
Del stepped back. "No."
Lunavoss frowned and narrowed her eyes. "I am captain of this vessel. You are crew. I can have you thrown in the brig for insubordination."
"Why Xanderran men?" Del challenged. "Why not Saurani men? Or other species? Why do you have to pick the one that can't get away from you once they've given you what you want?"
Now her expression became smug. "Xanderran men are eager to please their lovers. And they don't stray. I can count on my Xanderran lovers to satisfy me, whenever I want, as many times as I need it. Saurani men get bored quickly. I've tried other species. They wear out too soon. I like to use Xanderrans."
"Use us," Del said, his voice thick with disgust. "Like animals."
Lunavoss shrugged. "I take care of my men. They lack for nothing."
"Except choice."
"All of them came to me," Lunavoss snapped. "I don't seek them out. Just like you came to me."
"I'm telling you no."
Lunavoss shrugged. "All you're doing is making this more of a challenge. I'll get what I want, in the end."
"Not from me."
She smiled, revealing white, sharp teeth. "Don't be so sure."
He didn't see the hypogun in her hand until she hit him with it.
Chapter 8
What the Oss lacked in size, it made up for in complexity. Linna had only been in the dining room, galley and in her compartment. She'd mistakenly thought the crew berth would be easy to find. So far, she'd found multiple storage bays, the doxy quarters and the engine room. The hallways were narrow and hung with wires and stacked with boxes. The rooms opened one into the next without order. She was lost.
She didn't want to think about what Lunavoss would do if she came upon Linna wandering the ship. She hadn't been told to stay in her quarters, but she hadn't been given free rein either. Somehow, Linna didn't think the captain would appreciate Linna's presence, especially if it meant coming between her and Del.
Suddenly, the ship rocked. Linna stumbled against the corridor wall and banged her unenhanced elbow hard enough to bring tears of pain to her eyes. The ship rocked again and sent her reeling to the other side of the tight passage. The lights flickered and dimmed. The red emergency bulbs lit and the warning siren began to chime.
"All crew to posts!" came the command over the intercom. "We're under attack!"
Under attack? Dread trickled through Linna's veins. She'd heard about space pirates who preyed on the small, private cargo ships. The ship rocked, and she fell to her hands and knees.
A stack of boxes shifted and fell, landing mere inches from her head. She needed to get out of this hallway and someplace more secure. As Linna got to her feet, the intercom continued to bark commands.
"Cap'n to the bridge," came a new one.
Linna could hardly believe a ship the size of the Oss even had a bridge, but apparently it did, because in the next moment a door at the end of corridor flew open and Lunavoss burst out. The captain wore the same high boots and little else. Her face was set in a look of fierce determination.
"Not this time, you bastards," Lunavoss muttered as she slammed the door behind her. Instead of heading toward Linna, the captain went left, down another hall, and disappeared around the corner.
Now Linna knew where the captain's quarters were.
She kept her feet the next time the ship rocked, even though her hip banged painfully against the wall. She tried the door Lunavoss had come out of.
It wasn't locked.
Linna shook her head at the captain's arrogance and pushed the door open. "Del?"
The room inside had gone dim, lit by the red emergency lighting. Her pupils dilated, and she had no trouble spotting Del. He stood in the corner, back toward her, hands splayed on top of a table. His shoulders heaved. He wore only his black trousers and boots. His skin glistened in the red light.
"Del?"
He turned so fast he was almost a blur. The whites of his eyes gleamed, followed a second later by his teeth as he grinned. His chest muscles rippled and flexed.
In two strides, he was in front of her. The kiss was fierce, passionate, bruising. She opened her mouth to speak and his tongue swept inside. He devoured her.
Without pause, without warning, his hands cupped her buttocks and lifted her, settling her with her legs around his hips. The length of him, rock hard, rubbed her through his pants, and she gasped against his mouth.
Del held her easily with one hand, like she weighed no more than air, while he jerked open the button at his waistband with the other. He tore at the stickseam, which separated with a loud rip. His cock sprang free, hot against her ass, and he lifted her up to slide it between them.
She had only meant to come and talk to him, but words and reason fled under the onslaught of his tongue and hands. She wanted this. She wanted him. It was the wrong time, wrong place, but this was not the wrong man, and even though Linna knew she should stop him, she couldn't do it.
Her arms were wrapped around his neck. Their mouths locked, tongues stroking and dueling. Her entire body was on fire.
Still holding her, Del walked her back toward the table he'd been standing at. It was just high enough that when he settled her onto it, her pussy aligned perfectly with his erection. Linna let her head fall back as she supported herself on her elbows.
She was already so wet for him he slid inside her with no resistance. He filled her, as she'd known he would. Instantly, her cunt clenched around him as her clit buzzed. Del groaned, his hands on her hips to guide his thrusts.
Linna hooked her ankles around his firm, muscled ass and urged him on. In, then out, right to the very core of her. She lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, wanting to take in every inch of him. His cock throbbed inside her and pressed against the rim of her womb. The pressure sent another delicious burst of sensation rolling through her. She moaned.
Del slid a hand between them and rolled his thumb in circles over her erect clitoris. She exploded into an orgasm so intense it made her vision narrow for a moment into a tunnel of black tinged with red.
"Del!"
He answered with a moan of his own. He bent low over her and found her mouth again. They breathed together, one to one. He filled her completely, head to foot, and covered her.
The pressure of his pubic bone against her clit made another orgasm flood her. Linna held him close to her as the pure pleasure flooded her entire body. Del shuddered and thrust into her one last time as he gasped and cried out.
It had happened so fast, Linna almost couldn't believe it had happened at all. Del pushed himself off of her. Linna recognized that the red gleam in his dark eyes was not a reflection of the emergency lighting at the same moment the door opened and Lunavoss stormed in.
"What the fuck?" cried Lunavoss. She dug her long, crimson nails into Del's shoulder and pulled him away from Linna. "Oh, you cunna!"
Linna sat up and pulled her jumpsuit closed around her. She looked at Del, whose eyes were still glazed.
His breathing was rapid. His erection hadn't wilted, even though she felt the warmth of his semen trickling between her thighs. "What did you do to him?" she whispered.
Lunavoss actually snarled, like a beast. "It's what I didn't do to him that should worry you, dearie. Seems like you beat me to it."
"Why is he like that?" Linna ignored Lunavoss's snide remarks. She got up from the table, her legs still a little weak from their lovemaking. "Did you drug him?"
"A little injection of lovevine never hurt anyone." Lunavoss reached for Del's cock. He moved away from her, his erection softening at her touch. "But there are some things even lovevine can't change. Xanderran bonding is one of them. Too bad. I was really looking forward to bedding this one."
Nausea swirled in Linna's gut. "He has no idea what's going on, does he?"
"He knows enough." Lunavoss went to a hook on the wall, yanked off a robe of flowing material and drew it on. "He could still fuck like a pro, couldn't he?"
"But...he didn't know it was me, did he?"
Lunavoss shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know, and I don't really care. He's useless to me now, which is just as well I suppose, because we've been boarded by that bastard Erystus Sloane and his crew. They're calling for forced barter. Since I'm not inclined to give up my shipment of Keanican liquor or Shaddran foliage, I guess I'll have to offer them something a little less unique."
Linna put her hand on Del's bare shoulder. The muscles jumped beneath her fingers. His skin was flushed, as though with fever. She bent and pulled up his pants and made sure they were fastened around his waist before she turned to face Lunavoss.
"You're a monster," she said coldly. "Look at him."
"He'll be all right. Oh, coming off the lovevine high is always a bit unpleasant, but he'll survive it. A bit of puking and some hallucinations are nothing compared to the Xanderran adulthood rituals. At least I didn't make him bleed."
"Does that make it any better?" Linna demanded.
Lunavoss fixed her with a narrowed green glare. "What do you care, you stupid cunna? You got what you wanted from him. He's bound to you now. You should thank me."