Price of Passion (3-in-1 Collection)

by Aubrey Ross

  Megan’s sweet taste swept all speculation aside. She returned his kiss with equal fervor, sending a shiver down his spine. He didn’t want to frighten her, but his resistance had been taxed to the limit. Pressing his fingers against the underside of her breast, he rubbed his thumb over her nipple.

  She dragged the tie from the back of his hair and freed the strands to her seeking fingers. Her mouth moved against his, her tongue stroking boldly. A fiery tornado spun within him, his cock the storm’s demanding tail. He had never felt this frantic, never ached with every fiber of his being.

  He dragged his mouth away and gazed into her eyes. “Don’t deny me tonight. I…”

  Her fingers closed around his wrist and she drew his hand downward. She didn’t say a word, but welcome glowed in her eyes. His fingers skimmed across her thigh as he reached the hem of her dress. She parted her legs in silent invitation, then let go of his wrist. Helpless and breathless, he eased his fingers between her thighs and brushed her damp panties. Just one touch, then he’d insist they leave.

  Slipping his fingers beneath the thin material, he stroked her delicate folds. So soft. So wet. She made more room for his hand and he ventured deeper. His cock twitched and his balls tingled. He needed to be inside her, really inside her, and that wasn’t going to happen in this pathetic cave!

  “Oh, Kenton,” she whispered against his lips and arched into his touch.

  He pushed two fingers into her snug passage, his groan as loud as hers. Her inner muscles rippled, caressing his fingers like he wanted her to caress his cock. He found her clit with his thumb and circled the swollen bud, thrilled by her breathless gasps. If he let her come, she might prolong this nonsense. Enough was enough. He would have her tonight or not at all!

  “Not here,” he growled out the words and forced his hand away from her throbbing pussy. He was confused by the intensity of his desire. She was beautiful, but he’d fucked beautiful women before. What he felt for Megan was consuming, overwhelming… elemental.

  “Get your shuttle.” She swung her feet to the floor and sat up. “I’ll meet you out front.”

  Joy surged through him. Finally! He swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

  With a throaty chuckle, she wiggled out of his embrace. “Go.” She urged him toward the doorway.

  Kenton rushed through Starlight Station and sent the valet for his rented shuttle. Where should he take her? His hotel room was adequate, but everything about Megan was elegant and luxurious. Would she finally tell him where she lived? He smiled. Learning her last name would be a damn good start.

  The valet returned with his shuttle a few minutes later. Megan had yet to emerge from inside the club. It took over an hour and two humiliating attempts to find her before Kenton accepted that he’d been duped.

  Chapter Two

  “I have a present for you.”

  Mason Fintel moved across the lavish presence chamber, unsure how to respond to Empress Amoli’s casual announcement. The empress stood in front of her throne, an enigmatic smile bowing her lips. Honey blonde hair framed her oval face and tumbled halfway down her back. She wore a floor-length dressing gown and her green eyes simmered with languid heat. Her tousled appearance left Mason with no doubt the empress had just emerged from the adjoining bedroom.

  Amoli made a sweeping gesture toward the vidscreen on her right and the image of a man appeared. “This,” she paused dramatically, “is Kenton Ward.”

  Dread washed over Mason. How had Amoli found out about Kenton? The image was life-size and motionless, yet the likeness had obviously been captured from a video stream. Pastel blue eyes dominated Kenton’s elegant features, their intensity mesmerizing even in the still-life image. His copper tinted skin denoted his offworld origin and his raven black hair gleamed like the finest silk.

  A pair of loose, white linen pants rode low on Kenton’s hips. Mason imagined tugging on the simple drawstring until the waist released and the material pooled around his ankles. He’d explore the breadth of his shoulders and the rippling definition of his abdomen as he’d longed to do so many nights at Starlight Station. The pants hid the details of Kenton’s lower body, but what Mason could make out through the flimsy material made him anxious to see the rest.

  Could this be a bizarre coincidence? Attempting to make his tone sound casual, he asked, “Who is he?”

  Amusement lit Amoli’s gaze as she watched Mason closely. “Are you sure you’ve never met?” Nothing transpired on Tranocous Nine without the empress finding out.

  “I’ve never met him.” Mason glanced away. “Megan ran into him a couple of times at Starlight Station. We danced and shared some drinks, but I went home alone.”

  “I’m shocked. Megan usually gets whatever Megan wants.” Amoli chuckled. “And when did you start frequenting Starlight Station? I thought those sorts of places were beneath you.”

  “I’d heard about it for years, thought it might be fun.” A wistful smile curved Mason’s lips. That was almost exactly what Megan had told Kenton.

  “And was it fun?”

  Mason squared his shoulders and looked into Amoli’s eyes. “Have I displeased you in someway? Why am I here?”

  “Kenton met my baby sister shortly after he arrived on Tranocous Nine.” Amoli strolled closer to the screen, her green gaze caressing the image. “As you know, Sabina’s lack of judgment in the past has made it necessary for me to protect her from herself.”

  In Mason’s opinion, continual surveillance took the concept of protection several steps further than it needed to go. Still, he wasn’t going to argue with the empress. In several cases Amoli’s caution had proved justified.

  He clasped his hands behind his back and tried not to let his impatience show. “What does this have to do with me?”

  “Resume playback.” Ignoring Mason’s protest, the empress stepped aside.

  The view shifted, pulling back and rotating to the left. A couple stood on a large, foam pad, a purple-haired woman in front of a man. It took a moment for Mason to recognize Sabina. He’d been distracted by her outlandish costume.

  A tightly cinched corset supported her breasts and high-heeled boots climbed to mid-thigh. Both combined shades of purple with black and appeared to be constructed of synthetic leather. Her areolas were lavender and concentric rings of progressively darker purple circled her nipples. Mason wasn’t sure if the decoration had been tattooed into her flesh or if it was part of her outfit. Closely shaved and died violet to match the hair on her head, Sabina’s bush was shaped to accent the folds of her sex.

  Cushions were scattered about the “pleasure mat” and several portable carts sat within easy reach. Mason licked his lips. He’d seen rooms like this before and not just on surveillance feeds.

  The man was mostly hidden by Sabina. All Mason could see was the top of his blond head. The man stroked her boldly, never lingering in one place long. He rolled her nipples and she murmured. He tweaked her clit and she gasped. Faint unintelligible words escaped her mouth as he ground his hips against her ass. Was he rubbing againsther or was he already inside her? The angle wasn’t quite right for Mason to know for sure.

  Shaking away the sexual lure, his gaze flew back to Amoli. “When was this recorded? Sabina told me…”

  “That Kenton rejected her?” After a pause, Mason nodded. “I thought that might be the case.”

  As if on cue, Kenton stepped onto the mat, naked and fully erect. Mason’s gaze gravitated to Kenton’s cock and refused to budge. He was long, slightly tapered, and crowned with a massive head. Mason swallowed hard and crossed his arms over his chest. Lust boiled up through his body, then slammed downward, making his cock harden and his balls ache. Guided by the painful sensation, Mason’s gaze shifted to Kenton’s balls. Heavy and completely devoid of hair, he was ready for Mason’s hands, his tongue, or the gentle suction of his mouth.

  “Oh, my,” Sabina said in a breathless voice and Mason silently agreed.

  Oh my, indeed!


  The empress chuckled again and patted Mason on the back. “He could make a fortune with that beauty.”

  “Pause the recording.” The empress did and Mason turned to face her. “Was this before or after Sabina sent me to Starlight Station?”

  “Before. I’m not sure what you did to piss her off, but she set you up.”

  “I’m going to kill her!” Mason raked his hair with both hands. “I feel like such a fool. Playing the tease is bad enough when the person deserves it, but this…” His gaze swept back to the screen and focused on the back of Kenton’s shoulder. “What is that? Zoom in on his right shoulder blade.” Portions of the scar were bright red as if the wound were recent, while other sections appeared much older.

  “Maybe he had a tattoo removed?” the empress suggested.

  “Most tattoos come off clean. This is something else, something deeper.” Mason stepped closer to the vidscreen. “Does he have any other scars?”

  “Let’s find out.” Amoli tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and told the computer to continue. The surveillance pod swung around, offering them a high, side view. Kenton held Sabina’s face, while his mouth moved against hers. An occasional glimpse of their tongues sent fresh waves of longing through Mason. He didn’t need to close his eyes to remember what that felt like.

  The man moved out from behind Sabina and Kenton pushed her up against the wall. The familiar position accented the pressure in Mason’s groin. The kiss deepened and Kenton’s hands roamed over Sabina as the other man retrieved a butt plug from one of the portable cases. Kenton knelt and Sabina parted her legs. The pod adjusted again, but all Mason could see was the back of his dark head as he pressed his face against the juncture of her thighs. It didn’t matter. Mason could easily imagine his tongue stroking her folds, teasing her entrance and circling her clit. His head angled this way and that as he savored her cream-slick pussy.

  “I don’t have time for this.” Mason squirmed, desperate to touch himself or better yet find someone willing to suck him off.

  “Just watch.”

  The blond man knelt behind Kenton and parted his firm ass cheeks. Just enough distance remained between the two for the transmitter to capture their actions. Kenton arched his back and moved his legs farther apart, obviously eager for the fullness. Smearing his anus with lube, the man pushed into Kenton with his middle finger. Mason heard a deep, muffled groan. Had Kenton made the sound or had it come from the blond man?

  “Look at the inside of his thigh,” Amoli prompted, pausing the playback at the needed angle. A second scar was situated high on Kenton’s leg. It was smaller than the first, yet shared the uneven discoloration. “Is that what you meant? Why did you ask about scars?”

  “It’s probably nothing and I have no reason to watch this. His privacy has been invaded enough.”

  “I disagree.” Amoli nodded toward the vidscreen. “Consider it a command if you must. I think you need to see this.” She reactivated the image.

  With slow deliberation, the blond man prepared Kenton for the toy. He caressed Kenton’s balls and slid his finger in and out for what seemed like an eternity. By the time he moved the butt plug into position, Mason’s balls had drawn up tight against his body. This was ridiculous. He had never been this turned on by watching others fuck. Knowing he’d deprived himself of these pleasures because of Sabina’s lies only added to the frustration.

  The plug was tapered, smooth, and shiny with lube. Kenton held perfectly still as his body spread wider and wider for the toy. Mason knew that feeling, the intense fullness that bordered on pain. He needed it, had craved it longer than he could remember. Kenton’s sphincter contracted snuggly around the indentation below the handle and Mason trembled.

  He clutched the sleeves of his tunic and glanced away from the vidscreen, only to turn back a moment later. He felt powerless in the face of temptation. Once the plug was firmly seated, the man stepped back and waited as Kenton concentrated on Sabina. She stroked Kenton’s hair and tossed her head from side to side, her breasts quivering above the corset. Despite the other man, Kenton didn’t rush her. He moved one of his hands between her thighs and Mason cursed their proximity. He wanted to watch Kenton’s fingers disappear into her cunt and see her cream run across his hand. With a sharp cry, Sabina came, her breasts heaving, eyes closed. The man helped Kenton to his feet and she rubbed her pussy, savoring the aftershocks as the men worked out the next position.

  “You promised you wouldn’t hold back.” The man sounded uneasy. “I need --”

  “I know what you need.”

  Sabina dragged herself away from the wall and released cuffs from a compartment in the ceiling. She snapped them shut around the blond man’s wrists as Kenton found a thin, flexible rod in a compartment near the door. Mason knew from experience such devices could trigger pleasure, pain, or an intoxicating combination of both.

  Selecting a massive dildo and a tube of lubricant from the cart, Sabina returned to the restrained man. Kenton had just feasted on her pussy. Why did she need the lube?

  She moved behind the man and pushed the tube into his ass, squeezing out the entire contents of the disposable container before tossing it toward the rubbish droid. More confused than titillated, Mason continued to watch. Sabina grabbed a cushion and arranged herself on her back in front of the men. Reaching between her legs, she pushed the dildo deep into her pussy. Her folds spread for the thick shaft and cream coated her inner thighs. She raised her hips, moaned dramatically as she fucked herself with long, steady strokes.

  Kenton snapped the rod across the blond man’s ass and he screamed, his body bowed by the intensity of the pain. A vivid red welt formed before Kenton could deliver the next blow. Desire gripped Mason with an iron fist and refused to let go.

  “Enough!” Mason had denied his need for pain, had fought the clashing impulses until he thought he’d go insane. Only by completely suppressing that side of his nature had he found anything resembling peace. Amoli understood the conflict raging within him, so why was she fueling the fire?

  Even as his heart thundered and his gut cramped, Mason couldn’t look away. After five vicious snaps, Kenton dragged the end of the rod up between the blond man’s ass cheeks. The man twisted and moaned. Another sharp snap and Kenton pushed the rod between the man’s thighs, teasing his scrotum and caressing his perineum. Pain, pleasure. Pain, pleasure. Over and over the cycle continued. All the while Sabina used the dildo with progressively more violent thrusts.

  “Now! Please, Master, now,” the man begged.

  In an instant Kenton released the cuffs, Sabina tossed the toy aside, and the man drove his cock into her dripping pussy. Kenton went down on one knee behind the man and separated the halves of his ass. His anus winked and a trace of lube trickled out. Kenton didn’t hesitate. He pressed the wide head of his cock against the other man’s hole and drove inward with ruthless pressure.

  The man tossed his head and arched his back, moaning, panting, wild. Mason understood that feeling too, needing everything all at once, yet wishing it would never end.

  It took them a few moments to synchronize their thrusts. The man drove into Sabina and Kenton elongated each outstroke with his near withdrawal. Graphic, aggressive, unabashedly sexual, they took and were taken.

  Mason trembled, fighting for breath. Aching as he had never ached.

  “End replay,” the empress said and the screen went blank.

  Mason blew out a shaky breath. Why was Amoli doing this? The one and only time Mason had entrusted a lover with his secret, it had ended disastrously. Besides, Mason couldn’t afford a sexual distraction right now. It was unwise to lose focus during any negotiation and his current assignment was especially challenging.

  “He’s perfect and you know it,” the empress said emphatically. “Part Dom, part sub, equally comfortable with men and women.”

  “It doesn’t matter!” Mason rubbed his arms, determined to regain control of his throbbing body. Some things were more important tha
n sex. Amoli would be the first to disagree. The empress had three husbands, fourteen consorts and countless lovers. She basically fucked anyone, man or woman, who caught her wandering eye.

  “I wondered why you’d been hiding out at your estate. Your apartment is far more convenient and rooms are available at the palace anytime you choose to use them. I haven’t seen Megan in weeks.” She swept her hand toward the blank vidscreen. “You’re avoiding Kenton.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Really?” Amusement softened her tone, yet challenge sharpened her stare. “My researchers are very thorough. Kenton arrived on the Retribution eleven weeks ago. He spent the first few days acclimating himself with the city. After putting in his application at numerous businesses, he was sent to Starlight Station by one of the bellhops at his hotel.”

  “I don’t want to hear this.”

  “He met Sabina the third night and fucked her twice, once by herself and the other… Well, you just watched what happened the other time.” The empress rattled off the facts despite Mason’s protest. “Megan showed up at the Station four days after Sabina’s last visit.”

  “Sabina completely misrepresented what happened.”

  “She knew you wouldn’t go near him if she told you the truth.”

  “People go to Starlight Station to get fucked, not develop meaningful relationships.” Mason heaved a disgusted sigh. “Why was Sabina surprised by the outcome?”

  Amoli laughed. “You’re asking me to explain my sister’s thinking? The universe revolves around Sabina, that’s all you need to know.”

  Regardless of how unfair Megan’s actions had been, there was no way to undo what had happened. “It was weeks ago. Why bring it up now?”

  “According to the scanner log, you went to Starlight Station nine times. You must have felt something for this man.”