by Sue Lyndon
Nuemis remained in the screened-in porch with Erik for several hours, eagerly discussing the differences between Vella and Earth. Similar to humans, Blumerans were married and tended to stay with the same partner for a long time. Occasionally the paired Blumerans separated and found a new life partner, just as humans often divorced and remarried.
The most shocking bit of information that Nuemis shared was about the love lives of these paired Blumerans. Their marriages were more like friendships, and not only did they refrain from natural procreation, they didn’t even have sexual intercourse for fun. The act was considered unseemly, primitive, and unclean, and Nuemis claimed they’d evolved beyond it tens of thousands of years ago.
The alien went on to explain, and even apologize, for all the testing that had been done on Carmen and him, as well as their initial treatment when it was assumed they were incapable of the simplest tasks. The spankings Blue had given Carmen had apparently been a way to keep her from harming herself, and they used spankings and other pain deterrents to keep Blumerans who’d just entered a new body from hurting themselves before they gained control of their new bodies.
The twin suns dimmed as their conversation carried into the evening. A pink-orange sunset blazed over the trees, before the sky went black with stars twinkling down from the heavens. As they compared animal species on their planets, Spike returned and gave Erik an expectant look, but Nuemis glared at the other alien until he left them alone again.
“What was that all about?” Erik asked.
Running a hand through his tall, disheveled hair, Nuemis eyed the doorway as if worried Spike might interrupt again. He turned back to Erik. “It’s getting late and your caretaker wishes to return you to Carmen’s room. I told him I would escort you there myself as I’m not finished speaking with you.”
“I see.” It amused Erik that there seemed to be some tension between the two aliens, but the anxiousness spreading across Nuemis’s face made him uneasy. A flash of insight twisted his stomach. “We aren’t going back to Earth anytime soon, are we?”
Sympathy shone in Nuemis’s eyes, and Erik sensed a friend in the unkempt alien. An ally. “The Blumeran council will decide by tomorrow evening whether or not to return you to your planet. As a member of the council, I plan to vote in favor of returning you to Earth, but I fear my fellow council members are terribly curious about humans. However, your species is not terribly advanced and we detected an alarming amount of nuclear weapons during our scans of your planet. Contact with Earth is therefore a controversial topic right now, with the majority of Blumerans strongly opposing it.”
“Can’t you just return us to Earth quickly and quietly?”
“The last time we tried to return an intelligent species to their native planet, the two ships we sent were destroyed. As I said, returning you and Carmen is controversial.” He glanced at the stars glimmering in the black sky, trouble clouding his gaze. “Perhaps I will have some luck in convincing them. If you and Carmen agree to tell us more about Earth, in exchange for passage home, they might view it as an even exchange, making it worth the risk we run returning you.”
“I will be happy to tell you anything you want to know about my planet.” Astronauts were trained to have an open mind and friendly attitude toward aliens, and they were permitted to share anything about Earth outside from any confidential information about weapons or experimental aircraft and technology. Erik had only half-paid attention to this brief part of his training, not really believing he’d ever be in the position to exchange information with an alien race.
“Thank you, Erik.” Nuemis stood up gracefully and motioned at the door. “I trust you’ll speak with Carmen. Given her somewhat volatile temperament, I decided to speak with you alone.”
Erik grinned. “I’ll fill her in, Nuemis. Thank you for your help.”
“Don’t thank me yet, human. I confess I don’t have a good feeling about the council.”
Chapter Five
“This porch is nice,” Carmen said as she stared into the forest, “but I wish they’d let us go for a walk outside. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in one place for so long.” Over two weeks had passed since she’d woken up on this alien world, and so far she and Erik hadn’t been released from the medical facility—or whatever kind of building it was. Watching the waves lap against the sandy shore and gazing at the thick green tree line she was convinced held many wonders was a tease. She wanted to feel the sand between her toes and get a closer look at those huge purple birds, and to experience everything else the planet had to offer.
“Come sit beside me, Carmen,” Erik said.
Her tummy did a little flip at the annoyance in his tone.
“Why?” She pressed against the screen. “I bet we can break this thing down, and it doesn’t look like a bad jump to the lower roof there. I think we could scale the wall to the ground. Easy peasy, and then we can have an adventure.”
“Little girl, you had better get your conniving bottom over here right now.”
She turned to face him with her hands on her hips, feet planted wide apart. “No. If you’re not going to help me push through the screen, I’ll do it myself.” Ignoring the darkness filling his eyes, she spun around and started hitting the screen. The material, though soft to the touch, didn’t give in the slightest. Not ready to admit defeat, she moved to another section and beat it with her fists until she grew breathless.
A hand gripped her shoulder, and Erik’s no-nonsense voice sent a quiver straight through her. “I think a certain little girl needs a trip over her daddy’s knee.”
“No.” She gave a small stomp of her foot. Tears of frustration burned and threatened to spill from her eyes. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. They might have been rescued by the Blumerans, but now they were the aliens’ prisoners.
“We’ve talked about your behavior before, Carmen, and you agreed to be a good girl. Just because the council voted to keep us here for the time being doesn’t mean they won’t eventually take us back to Earth. Now come on,” he said, leading her to a chair. “Let daddy help you release some of your frustrations.”
Though she liked the naughty games they played in the evenings, she really didn’t want a spanking right now. She wanted to walk along the beach and get out of this building before the walls closed in around her. “I’m not frustrated, Erik!”
His face darkened as he glared down at her. He took her chin between two fingers. “That’s daddy to you, young lady.”
She gulped at the firmness in his tone, lowering her eyes. “Sorry, daddy. It won’t happen again. I will be a good girl, please, no spanking.” She cupped her bottom and finally met his hard gaze.
They didn’t have much to do when the aliens left them alone, which was quite often now that they’d stopped conducting the intelligence tests, so they spent hours talking, kissing, teasing, and sometimes, Erik turned her over his knee for a playful spanking. Except the mood wasn’t so playful right now, and a tingle rippled across her bottom at the thought of real discipline.
He led her to the chair he’d been sitting in, ignoring her protests. Her stomach fluttered and her pulse raced as the seriousness of the situation fell upon her. He meant to give her a real spanking. Gulping, she tried to pull away as he sat down on the chair, but he kept a firm grip on her arm and drew her in to stand between his legs. The tension in the room swelled, and she felt her bottom lip began to quiver. Embarrassed over her weakness, she bit her lip and looked out at the clouds.
“Look at me, Carmen.”
After a deep breath, she forced herself to meet his gaze. Maintaining eye contact with him only served to increase the flutters in her stomach. She fidgeted in place and tried to think of something to say, but she was still angry that he wouldn’t try to attempt an escape and she didn’t trust herself to speak. Hurtful words rested on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them down, not wanting to unleash them on Erik unfairly.
“I will speak to Nuemis about letting u
s out of this building. He trusts me and I think he’ll listen and probably understand that we both feel cooped up in here. But you need to keep your temper in check, little girl, or the Blumerans might start keeping a closer eye on us. I understand that you’re frustrated, but we have more freedom now than we did when we first arrived here. They allow us to share a room now and visit the porch when we wish, and Blue and Spike aren’t following us around like they used to.”
She nodded, her teeth still digging into her lip. “I miss home,” she suddenly said, surprising herself with the admission. But it was true. She missed Earth more than she cared to admit, especially considering she’d be in route to Mars right now if it hadn’t been for the accident on the asteroid. Being kept inside this building, day after day, left her restless and longing for some sense of normalcy. If she could walk along the shore, she could close her eyes and pretend she was at the beach house her grandfather had rented each summer in South Carolina.
“I miss Earth too, but unless it appears the Blumerans are going to harm us, which I doubt they will, I think it is best that we continue to cooperate. The more they trust us, the better chance we have of leaving here one day.” He paused and straightened on the chair, his gaze sharpening with disapproval. “Throwing a hissy fit, trying to damage their property, and attempting escape is naughty, Carmen. We’ve talked about your temper before and you promised to behave. You’ve been doing better lately, but I think you’d benefit from a session across my knee, little girl, to remind you to keep your cool and to help you calm down.”
Eyes wide, she continued to stare down at him. “Erik… I mean daddy, I am sorry for my, er, outburst. It won’t happen again.” Nerves tightened in her tummy, and warmth pulsed between her legs, causing her to fidget even more. “You don’t have to spank me.”
He tugged at her arm and brought her down across his lap, immediately draping a leg across hers. He pressed one hand to her lower back, holding her in place as he lifted up her dress to expose her bottom. The cool breeze caressed her bare flesh.
“No panties today, Carmen?” he asked, amusement touching his voice.
She huffed. “Those things they gave me can’t even be considered panties. Even though they’re more like shorts, they ride up my crotch and drive me crazy. You’d think an advanced alien race would have developed more comfortable undergarments.”
He cupped her bottom, the warmth of his hand scorching her yet somehow prompting a shiver to skitter down her back. “Spread your thighs a bit,” he said, lifting up on his leg for a moment to allow her the movement. “Good girl. Now, daddy is going to redden your bottom, little Carmen.”
Her breath caught, and she worried what might happen if one of the Blumerans walked onto the porch and witnessed her punishment. Of course, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen her getting spanked before. Blue hadn’t hesitated to spank her when she threw a fit—or her dinner—no matter who was around. With her luck, they’d probably break their silence to cheer Erik on. Bristling, she berated herself for her short temper.
“I want you to ask for your spanking.”
She peered over her shoulder at him. “Wh-what?”
“I want to hear you say, ‘I was a naughty little girl, daddy, and I deserve a spanking on my bare bottom. Please, daddy, will you spank me?’”
Turning around, she wiggled around on his lap, trying to escape. “I will not say that! You can bite me!”
A heated sting erupted across her bottom cheeks as the first spanks landed on her ass, fast and hard. Several slaps fell on her upper thighs, the pain taking her breath away. He meant business, and she felt her anger begin to melt away as the blaze he ignited over her flesh became too much to bear. Still, she held on for as long as she could, remaining silent with pride as her only companion.
Finally, he paused to rub her bottom. “This doesn’t count as part of your punishment, Carmen. Your spanking will begin once you are a good little girl and ask for it.”
What? All that pain, and it didn’t even count? Tears burned in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to hold them in, thankful that he couldn’t see her face at least. His hand left her bottom, signaling that he was about to start spanking her again, spanks that didn’t even count. She released a muffled sob. “Okay, okay! I’ll say it.” She breathed in and out slowly, concentrating on keeping her emotions under control. Her face flamed as she recalled the words he’d instructed her to say, and she inhaled deeply as she prepared to recite them. “I-I was a naughty little girl, daddy, and I-I deserve a spanking on my ba-bare bottom. Please, daddy, will you spank me?”
The tears finally fell as he held her over his lap, still stroking her sore backside. Calling him daddy felt natural, so natural that it made her want to cry. What if the aliens split them up into separate rooms again, not allowing them to see one another often? What if only one of them was allowed to return to Earth? Her mind screamed for her to hold Erik at a distance, because whatever happiness they found together on Vella might only be temporary. And even if they did make it back to Earth, would Erik still want to be with her? All her questions and doubts whirled through her mind, filling her with a sense of dread.
“Time for your spanking, little girl.” Erik’s stern voice brought her back to the present. She was about to be punished like a naughty little girl over her daddy’s knee, and pulses of warmth stirred in her center at the thought. Though she was about to be spanked and it would hurt, she’d never felt so safe and cared for as when she was over Erik’s lap awaiting her punishment. The realization sent the tears gathering in her eyes rolling down her cheeks.
He landed the first slap on her bottom, then the second and the third. The sting built up as he spanked, working his way all over her backside, alternating spanking from left to right cheek, and even striking her upper thighs and sit spot. The blows weren’t as fast as those he’d rained down upon her ass when he’d been trying to get her to ask for her spanking, but the pain soon surpassed that of the first spanking.
Blood rushed to her head when he shifted her forward slightly, and heat scorched her face as he parted her thighs. The new position left her entirely exposed to his gaze, and though she tried to clamp her thighs together, his heavy leg atop hers prevented her from moving. Hard swats peppered her bottom, and she cried out and tried to flail herself off his lap when he struck her inner thighs.
Her relief was short lived when he paused spanking only to reach between her thighs and stroke his fingers through the moisture seeping out from her center.
“What’s all this, Carmen?”
*
Erik stroked the wetness along her folds, but purposely avoided her clit. She whimpered but didn’t speak, and she shuddered with a sob each time he came close to grazing her swollen nub only to pass it by and continue spreading her moisture elsewhere. Dark desire flared within him as he gazed down at the tiny figure draped over his lap, her punished bottom bright red and her slick pussy lips on display.
“This is very naughty, Carmen,” he said, though he was very pleased by her reaction to his discipline. Of course his scolding only caused her to whimper again as her plump folds glistened with a new surge of wetness.
“I’m sorry, daddy,” she said, barely a whisper.
Though he wished to keep teasing her, the need to comfort her was even stronger. Releasing her wrists, he turned her over on his lap and cradled her against his chest. She latched onto him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she buried her head against him. She sniffled, crying softly as he stroked her hair.
“Shh, sweet Carmen. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
“What if we never get off this God-forsaken planet? What if we die here?” Her sobs deepened, her whole body shaking with emotion.
He hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead. “We will get off this planet. I promise you, Carmen.” His tone was infused with a confidence he didn’t feel, and his gut felt heavy with worry over their future. He hoped he wasn’t lying to her right now. He hoped there r
eally was a way off Vella, but he wasn’t about to voice his concerns to her.
Gradually, she stopped shaking and her gasping breaths slowed to normal. She peered up at him with a look so trusting his heart ached and the urge to protect her pulsed through him. She belonged to him now, even though he hadn’t actually claimed her.
“You’re mine, Carmen,” he said. “Whether we’re on Vella, or Earth, or Mars, you belong to me, little one. Always. I will take care of you and protect you, and I… I will love you.” His throat burned, and he swallowed hard as he held her gaze. You can do better than that, Erik. He cupped her face in his hands, brushing away the last of her tears with his thumbs. “What I mean, Carmen, is that I love you.”
Her lips parted and she stared at him with wide eyes, speechless as the seconds dragged on like hours. A little gasp escaped her, and still she kept looking at him as if he’d just told her he was an alien. “Erik, I-I…” She stuttered and paused, a flush spreading up her neck to flare in her cheeks. He thought her blushes were adorable, but he needed her to say something, even if she rejected him. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the whooshing of the door opening drew both of their gazes to an approaching figure.
Erik cursed inwardly and helped Carmen straighten her skirts as Nuemis entered the porch, a grim look on his slim, humanlike face. A knot tightened in Erik’s stomach, and when Carmen made to rise from his lap, he held onto her arms firmly, not allowing her to escape his embrace.
“Erik. Carmen.” Nuemis nodded and pulled a chair across from them, his wild hair blocking out the suns.
“Have you had any luck negotiating with the council on our behalf?” Erik rubbed a hand up and down Carmen’s back while keeping one arm wrapped around her. The alien had obviously come to deliver some bad news, and he braced himself to be strong for her sake.
“The council has issued an ultimatum to you and Carmen.” Regret flickered in Nuemis’s eyes.