“Uh…” Nikki thought of her soon-to-be ex’s thinning hair. If she started yanking on it, he’d have even less on top than he already had. Also, she couldn’t imagine Gary talking about cunnilingus with the same enthusiasm that Malik showed towards the act. There was a light in the big Kindred’s eyes when he spoke about going down—a deep longing in his voice and an expression on his face that made her think he was imagining the most pleasurable experience of his life.
“Did…did Mistress Hellenix make you, uh, do that—go down on her a lot?” she asked hesitantly. She knew what her evil twin had told her but she wanted to hear Malik’s side of it.
“It was one of the few pleasures in being her slave,” he said, nodding gravely. “She usually allowed me to taste her before bed or anytime she wanted a release.” He frowned. “Though lately she has been giving that honor to Ugger instead and making me watch while he treats her much too roughly.”
“Is it some kind of weird game with them? Is that why he jumped on me?” Nikki asked, remembering the aggressive way the other slave had gone after her while she was in the room with the amazing colored-glass ceiling.
Malik nodded and a concerned light came into his silver eyes.
“Please don’t ask me to do that to you, Nicole. I do not enjoy treating females roughly.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Nikki promised him. “I’m not one of those ‘pain is pleasure’ types.” Like the real Mistress Hellenix apparently was.
“Good.” Malik looked relieved. “Although I would be happy to bring you pleasure with my tongue, if you wish to practice receiving it while you are relaxing, as my old Mistress often did.” His silver eyes went half-lidded. “More than happy.”
“Um…” Once again, Nikki was at a loss for words. “Are you offering to, uh, go down on me just to help me relax?” she asked uncertainly.
“It’s a great stress reliever,” Malik pointed out, sounding like he was talking about taking a yoga class instead of suggesting that he might like to lick her pussy until she came on his tongue. “Many Yonnites of my Mistress’s social class have their slaves give them oral pleasure when they get together. They call it ‘tongue time.’”
Well, thank goodness Mistress Hellenix hadn’t made her promise to get together for a girls’ night with her friends! Nikki thought she would die of embarrassment if she had to sit around and talk to other women while Malik got between her legs and pleasured her with his tongue.
Again, it wasn’t that she didn’t want it—in fact, just talking about this with him was making her almost unbearably hot. Especially when she remembered the way he’d kissed her panties when he was “paying obeisance” to her in front of the other slaves. But she hadn’t been with any man but Gary in so long, just the idea of letting herself be sexually open and vulnerable with a new person made her incredibly nervous.
“Nicole? Mistress?” Malik’s eyes were half-lidded again. “I can tell that you want it,” he murmured in a low, seductive voice that seemed to get under her skin like a big, warm hand and rub her in all the right places. “Why do you not order me to drop to my knees and lap your sweet little cunt until you come all over my face?”
“You…you’re already on your knees,” Nikki pointed out, rather breathlessly.
“So much the better.” Malik began to crawl towards her, his eyes flashing with lust. “I’m already in the right position to give you pleasure. Why don’t you just relax and let me do it?”
“I…I don’t…” She could barely get the words out and she found that he was already right in front of her, his big, warm hands on her knees, urging them open. She was wearing another one of Mistress Hellenix’s semi-obscene gowns which Malik had had her change into before they began her “lessons” and it had a high slit up the middle of its sparkly, dark blue fabric.
The slit clearly showed the tiny blue panties which matched the gown—a miniscule triangle which was woefully inadequate for the task of covering her. It barely hid her pussy lips from view and just the top of her slit was clearly visible, peeking above the low rise of the little patch of fabric.
Now Malik was parting her legs wide with his broad shoulders as his big hands roved up and down her inner thighs, stroking and sending an electrical tingle of pleasure through her entire body. He was still talking to her, his eyes burning into hers as he murmured how much he wanted to taste her, how he longed to lick her pussy until she creamed on his tongue and came just for him…
“Wait!” Nikki protested weakly but her mild protestation didn’t stop him even for a second. He was so big—so overwhelmingly sexual—and he smelled so good. That warm, electrical musk was radiating from his muscular body, making her feel almost drunk, like she’d had double her usual limit of red wine. Her head was spinning and her pussy was parting under the thin blue fabric. She could actually feel Malik’s hot breath on her mound and he was pressing her down against the blood-red mattress, lowering his face, preparing to lick her whether she wanted him to or not.
Did she want him to do this? Nikki asked herself desperately. Yes, absolutely—her body was screaming for sexual release. It was as though he had wakened some part of her which had been asleep for years when he “massaged” her earlier and now that part of her was hungry for more—much more .
But should she let him do this? Nikki had to regretfully admit that the answer was a resounding no. She still barely knew him and she wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl. Besides, they had to work together here—in a way, anyway. They both had their parts to play in order to save his world and also to get her home to her kids. Making this sexual would only complicate matters.
She had to stop this while she still could. But how?
“Mistress,” Malik murmured and she felt the hot, wet tip of his tongue caress the top of her mound and then find the very top of her slit, which was peeking out above the edge of her panties.
Have to stop him—have to! she told herself. Now, Nikki—do it now!
“No—no!” Somehow she mustered the strength to shout the words as she pushed at his head.
Malik looked up at her, his silver eyes flashing.
“Order me to stop then, Mistress,” he growled. “Show me who is the boss in this situation. If you don’t, I’ll have my way with you and lap your luscious little pussy until you come all over my tongue.”
Finally Nikki understood what he was doing—this was a test and up until a moment ago she had been failing miserably. She had to be more dominant, act more like her evil twin in order to pass. Would Mistress Hellenix have allowed Malik to do anything he wanted to her—especially if she personally didn’t want it done?
The answer was immediate and obvious—definitely not.
“No,” she said again, making her voice stern, trying to remember the tone of the dominatrix whose life she had been thrust into with no warning. “Malik, get away from me at once,” she said, glaring at the big Kindred. “I don’t…don’t choose to let you taste me right now. So stop.”
“Ah, at last.” Malik released his hold on her thighs and sat back, a small smile playing around the corners of his sensual mouth. “I knew you had it in you to be dominant, Mistress,” he said. “You just needed a push to get there.”
“Well, you certainly were, uh, pushing. But how could you possibly know that?” Nikki asked, sitting up and trying to straighten her gown.
She was still throbbing between her thighs and breathless from the encounter with the big Kindred. She couldn’t help wondering if he had been pretending his desire to taste her. Had it all been part of his plan to force her to act more dominant? Or did he really want to lick her after all?
“How could I know? Because no one who is a such a perfect genetic match for my old Mistress couldn’t have at least a few of her personality traits.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Does that make sense?”
“I don’t know.” Nikki shook her head. “I guess maybe if my life was like hers I could be more dominant—more in charge. I suppos
e I just feel out of control most of the time—like everyone and everything is acting on me instead of the other way around.”
“That ends now,” Malik said firmly. “I need you to reach down and grab hold of that part of yourself that you used to back me off and own it. From now on, you’re a force to be reckoned with.”
“I am?” Nikki took a deep breath. “I mean, yes, I am!”
“Good!” Malik nodded in approval. “Don’t be afraid to take charge. Don’t just pretend to be Mistress Hellenix—inhabit her. Now, let’s practice some more…”
* * * * *
She was finally beginning to get the hang of it, Malik thought, watching approvingly as Nicole strutted confidently around, head lifted high as she got into her role as his old Mistress. At first he had been afraid she would never be able to pull it off but all she’d needed was a little push.
Although part of him had to admit, he wished she hadn’t pushed back until he’d at least gotten to taste her pussy. It had been a long time since Mistress Hellenix had allowed him between her legs and he was in need. He hated to admit that he was addicted to her beautiful body but that was actually the truth.
And now that a much sweeter soul had taken her place—someone with all her beauty but none of her cruelty—he couldn’t help feeling drawn to Nicole—not just her outer self but her inner personality as well. In fact, if circumstances had been different he would have considered himself in danger of falling for her. She reminded him so much of the dreams he’d had of Mistress Hellenix being kind and loving towards him instead of harsh and cruel…
Better put that thought out of your head right now, he lectured himself sternly. If the device the Time Warden gave you works as planned, you’ll never see her again after this is over. Besides, you have too much to do getting ready for the Banquet of Pain and the trip to Uriel Two to worry about romance.
Still, he found he couldn’t help the desire and admiration that rose in him as he watched Nicole inhabit the part of his Mistress. Though not naturally a sub, he had always admired strong women. And Nicole had everything that he desired in Mistress Hellenix and a lovely personality as well.
He would have to work hard to hold onto his heart with her around, Malik told himself sternly. He would have to stay strong and remind himself constantly that his only purpose here was to restore his home word—not to fall in love.
Chapter Thirteen
“Are you sure this is necessary?” Nikki muttered from the corner of her mouth, shooting a quick glance at the huge Kindred who was walking beside her. She was wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes and yet another revealing gown—this one deep green—and they were on their way to the kitchens to punish the chef who had poisoned her.
“Unfortunately, yes. The real Mistress Hellenix would never have tolerated an attempt on her life—nor should you.” Malik frowned. “You were poisoned, Nicole—you cannot let the perpetrator go unpunished. Your retribution must be swift and brutal.”
“But I don’t want to hurt anyone—don’t want to flog anyone with a, uh, pain whip,” Nikki protested, remembering the server telling her that was what usually happened to the kitchen staff when her evil twin was displeased.
She kept her voice low, even though Malik had fitted both of them with “voice-alone domes” which meant their conversation was completely inaudible to anyone outside the small, invisible privacy bubble the devices cast around them. Each privacy device was tiny—no bigger than a grain of rice—and clipped painlessly to a few strands of hair.
Malik sighed. “Honestly, I don’t blame you for being reluctant to punish. The chef who poisoned you has been flogged and punished numerous times by my old Mistress. No doubt he felt justified in seeking revenge. But if you allow him to get away with this, you will be sending a message to any other disaffected slaves that you are weak and there will be even more attempts on your life.”
“I wish I could set them all free,” Nikki murmured, eyeing the golden statue slaves who were posed on their marble pedestals all up and down the vast throne room. “It’s not right to own other people!”
“I would most certainly agree. Unfortunately, that would violate the contract the E’lo stones set between the two of you when they switched you into each other’s lives,” Malik said dryly. “You must do your best to preserve Mistress Hellenix’s life as she must preserve yours.”
“I still don’t like it,” Nikki muttered rebelliously. “And I’m not whipping anyone!”
“Fine. Then sell him—to the Mor’bath mines,” Malik suggested. “It’s a horrible place where slaves dread to go because the chemicals they mine are so toxic the life expectancy there is less than three standard months.”
“But that’s awful too!” Nikki protested. “I’ll be as dominant as you want but I will not send some poor man to his death!”
Malik gave her an appraising look.
“I didn’t think you would, but I wanted to be certain. You look so much like Mistress Hellenix and she wouldn’t hesitate to kill a slave or send him to the mines.”
“So you were testing me?” Nikki demanded. “Thanks a lot, Malik. Just because you’re teaching me to act more like her doesn’t mean I’m going to adopt all her awful ways.”
“Forgive me.” He bowed his head briefly. “I should not have done it. Why do you not pretend you will send the slave to the Mor’bath mines but in actuality give him a small ship and set him free? No one needs to know that he isn’t going to his death—his disappearance will be enough to convince the other slaves that he is doomed.”
“All right—that’s more like it.” Nikki nodded decisively. She was beginning to like this whole speaking her mind and expecting to be obeyed thing. Malik’s crash course in assertiveness had done wonders for her self-esteem and she fully intended to bring some of her newfound boldness back with her when she finally got home.
Maybe being a Mistress wasn’t so bad after all.
When they got to the huge, industrial-sized kitchen though, she almost changed her mind.
The kitchen certainly wasn’t like her cramped kitchen back home. It looked like it had been designed for a restaurant—someplace that served hundreds of people a night, not just one. Most of the work surfaces here seemed to be made of some brightly burnished copper-like metal instead of stainless steel and there were many appliances, both large and small, though Nikki had no idea what any of them did.
But it wasn’t the gleaming metal or strange appliances that held her attention—it was the rows of sullen eyes glaring at her from the kitchen staff, who were all standing silently in rows, waiting presumably, for her to speak.
There were at least twenty of them, though why one woman living alone should need so many chefs and kitchen staff, Nikki had no idea. All of them were staring at her except for the chef who had perpetrated the poisoning. He was looking down at the floor, his jaw clenched and an expression of determination on his face, as though he was nerving himself up for some terrible punishment. Thick black manacles bound his wrists and when he glanced up briefly she saw his dark eyebrows were drawn low over sullen brown eyes.
The intense scrutiny of the kitchen staff—all of them big, muscular males—made Nikki feel somewhat overwhelmed. She was used to men’s eyes sliding past her, not even registering her existence back home. Despite her long hair and big eyes, she was too plump to be considered conventionally attractive on Earth and her age was a factor too—not to mention the fact that she usually had two or more kids in tow. She didn’t fit the “pretty-young-single-thing” profile most men were looking for, which rendered her completely invisible to ninety-nine percent of the male population.
But it was different here in Mistress Hellenix’s palace. The Yonnie Mistress wore her curves with pride. Moreover, she used them to tease and taunt her slaves, making them desire and resent her at the same time. It gave Nikki a deeply uneasy feeling to realize that every man in the room wanted to either fuck her or kill her—or probably both.
Still, the sho
w had to go on. And having Malik at her side for support helped. Taking a deep breath, she threw back her shoulders and addressed the man who had poisoned her. Malik had told her he was the head chef—the one in charge of the entire kitchen.
“Slave, you tried to kill me,” she began, frowning at him. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
She didn’t really expect him to say anything—he would probably just mumble and shuffle like her boys did when she asked them that question. But he surprised her by lifting his head and looking her directly in the eyes.
Nikki saw with some surprise that he was as big and muscular as Malik was. He had black, tousled hair, high cheekbones and a knife blade nose. The flashing eyes that glared into hers weren’t brown, as she had first thought, but dark bronze with a strange metallic tint. And when he opened his mouth to speak, she saw…were those fangs? The sharp double points the slave had where a human would have their canine teeth disturbed Nikki.
“Yes, I tried to kill you, Mistress,” he said in a low, angry voice. “Even though it is against my religion, my nature, and even my genetics to harm a female, I put the poison in your cup and hoped that it would end you.”
“You…I…” Nikki wasn’t sure what to say to this. “Your genetics?” she managed to get out at last.
He lifted his chin. “I come from a race that reveres and protects females.” He nodded at Malik who stood silently beside her. “He knows. It’s probably the only reason he hasn’t wrung your throat while you slept.”
Did he mean he was also a Kindred? Nikki had no idea but aside from their coloring, he certainly resembled Malik physically.
“If your people revere women, why would you try to kill me?” she asked.
“If you have to ask that, you’re even less self-aware than I supposed,” the slave said dryly. “How could I not try to kill you and win freedom for all of us when I and all my staff bear the lash of your pain-whip across our backs and shoulders almost nightly?” He turned abruptly, showing her his broad back.
Twisted: Brides of the Kindred 23 Page 16