The Natural (Afternoon Delights Book 1)

by Bethany Aan

  Then he realized what was going on. The father had just sold his own daughter into sex bondage. Well, not strictly. She would have the final say. But the bottom line was, her father was taking money so that she could be taught to be a skilled courtesan. What kind of father did that? The kind of father that knew nothing of love, of loyalty, of protecting his own blood. Drake fought the instinct to take her and run, to get out of this place and find a safe haven for the girl.

  “It’s a better life than most,” he said quietly though his mind raced with new plans for this woman.“One where you will ultimately be in control of your own fate, rather than commanded by the nearest man.”

  “But you… You’re a Trainer!” she whispered in horror. He sighed, knowing that to her sheltered mind, what he did was so much worse than the pirateshe’d originally thought him to be. When she was hiding in the bushes, watching his arrival.

  She shook her head in mute denial. With one more agonized look, she whirled and ran for her father’s study.

  “How could you?” she breathed, slamming her hands down on her father’s desk. He looked up, mildly surprised. She’d never yelled or questioned him before. He blinked in confusion.

  “How could I what?” he asked stupidly. Tears of fury threatened to spill down her face.

  “You’ve sold me!” she cried. He smiled, not the least bit bothered by what he’d done.

  “Ah, that.”

  “Yes, ‘that’!” she stormed. “You’ve sold me to Trainers! Why?” the last word was an agonized plea. “I’ve always done as you’ve asked. I’ve rarely given you cause to be angry, and I’ve never once asked for anything other than what’s due my station. Why would you do this to your own daughter?”

  “Because you’re not mine,and I don’t give a flying shit about you,” he bit out, rising.

  She shrank back at the hate-filled revelation. His eyes had gone dark with rage, and that never boded well for her. She’d gone too far, questioning him. Then his words sank in. Not her father?

  “What do you mean?” she whispered. He moved around the desk and advanced on her.

  “You’re not my daughter. Your whore of a mother was pregnant with you when she crash landed on this rock. She needed shelter and a doctor, and in return, she agreed to be my wife and stay here with me.”

  Christine felt tears flowing down her cheeks. Her mother. Her dear, sweet, beloved mother. Gone now for five years. That’s when the beatings had started. And there had been times when her father... no, this man... had looked at her almost as the Trainer had only minutes ago.

  In a twinkling, she knew that she was in more danger right this moment than she’d ever been in her life.

  “I’ve never wanted you. Whimpering, demanding little brat. And your mother refused to give me my own children, or you would have been packed off to a boarding school on the other side of the galaxy, never to darken my door again. Or better yet, sold to Trainers, which I finally did.”

  “Father,” she began. Her head snapped back as he whipped a fist out and cuffed her on the ear. She felt herself slam into the wall, heard her own cry, but the world seemed to be tilted funny as she fell to the floor, her head ringing and spinning. Spirited she might be, but she was still a mere five feet tall and nearly two hundred pounds lighter than the duke.

  “Don’t you ever call me that again!” he thundered. He kicked her in the hip and she curled into a ball, trying to protect herself. Once he got going, it was never good, and all she could do was protect the vital bits.

  “You’re going to be a whore, just as your mother was.” Spittle hit her cheek as he dragged her head up by her hair and forced her to look at him crouched beside her. “You’re just fortunate that I’ve sold you to Trainers. At least I’ve done my fatherly duty and am providing you with career training.” He smiled evilly at her. “It’s more than you deserve, and more than I ever promised your mother. And sucha fitting end to this whole farce!”

  His face filled with hatred, he rose back to his full height and drew back a booted foot to kick her again. She watched, dumbfounded, as he was slammed backwards, toppling over his desk. Blood sprayed down over her, raining on her face and hair, splashing her bare arms and chest. She bit back a horrified scream and tried to sit up. The Trainer was advancing onthe man she’d called Father, fury evident in every line of his body. The other Trainer, the shorter, darker one, was standing to the side, watchful and ready to help if needed. She noticed that he was moving to block her father’s path to her, putting his strong body between them as protection.

  “You bag of gorgo excrement,” the Trainer from the stairs seethed. “I bought a lady, not a punching bag!”

  “She’ll get this treatment anyway,” Ranier sniveled, backing toward the bow window behind his desk. “The little whore-whelpdeserves it.”

  “For the sins of her mother?” the pirate asked softly, incredulously. “I think not.”

  “Cap’n,” the darker man said quietly, though he sounded a bit amused, “You can’t kill him.”

  “And why not?” the Captain demanded, moving around the desk and jerking the duke up by his over-starched collar. The smaller man squealed and kicked as his feet were raised off the ground. The Captain didn’t even seem to notice, and seemed not to strain at all. Christine blinked, the world still swaying a bit as she tried to stand. The Captain looked absolutely murderous on her behalf. This was not the image she’d always been fed about Trainers.

  She couldn’t think right now. She was too confused, frightened, heart-sick... she might not have thought her father liked her overmuch, but she’d always taken for granted that he loved her at least as a daughter, even if only in a peripheral sort of way. Finding out that he never had... that he actually hated her, was heartbreaking. But it explained much of her life.

  “Because he’s nobility,” the smaller Trainer reminded his Captain. “You kill him, you lose our license. Leave it. We have the girl. Let’s be on our way.”

  “She needs to pack,” her father simpered, clawing at the Captain’s tight fist.

  The Captain looked over his shoulder at her. Brilliant, sparking blue eyes met her green ones, and she swallowed at the menace in them. But it was not menace aimed at her. For some reason, she no longer felt the least bit threatened by this man.

  “Is there anything you need to take with you that cannot be replaced along the way?” he asked softly. She thought about her wardrobe, her few keepsakes, then shook her head. Her ‘father’ had destroyed everything of her mother’s upon her death. The only things she had now were things he’d given her, most of them gifts to appease her after a beating. She could live without those reminders, thanks.

  “No,” she whispered angrily. “I want nothing from this worm.”

  The Captain and his friend both grinned in approval of her anger and her attitude.

  “Well, little man,” the Captain murmured. “Looks like she’s got a spine, despite your efforts to rip it out of her.” He tossed her former ‘father’ onto the floor, then turned his back, unconcerned with the possibility of retaliation, and strode over to her. He knelt beside her, offering his hands. The same hands that had just been restrained from bludgeoning her adopted father were now gentle as he helped her up from the floor, helped to steady her until she was no longer swaying.

  “Are you all right, little one?” he asked, true concern in his soft voice. She nodded, mute, as she stared up at her savior. Who would have guessed that the very man she’d been sold to, the man who would very shortly claim her body, could be kind, as well? His touch was incredibly tenderas he examined the growing bruise on her cheek. “Then go with my first mate, Hamm. He’ll get you settled in your cabin. You could do with some rest as we get back on our course.”

  She nodded again, then stumbled a bit as the first mate gently took her arm and led her from the room. The world tipped sideways and spun, a loud buzzing setting up in her head. She realized that she was falling, but couldn’t manage to call out. The first mate
scooped her up into strong, hard arms, and clasped her securely to his chest. She clutched at him, not wanting to fall, but blearily looked back over his shoulder one last time at the man she’d always thought was her father.

  And was fiercely glad that he was not.

  Chapter Two

  “Here you are, missy,” Hamm said, carrying her into a small cabin with a very large bed. The

  room was warm and cozy, and she could see steam rising from a sunken bath in one corner. The

  drying blood on her face and hands was starting to chafe and she felt disgusting. She looked

  longingly at the water. Hamm chuckled, watching her. “I signaled ahead,” he told her. “You

  looked like you could use a bath. The ship’s computer has everything ready for you.” “I... yes,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll leave you for a bit, to get settled in,” he told her, walking to the door. He actually looked

  apologetic. “I have to lock you in, but that’s for your own safety, as well as ours. We must

  protect our investment, so until we’re safely in space, you’ll have to be confined to quarters.” She nodded without speaking. Though she didn’t like it, and the thought of what was to come

  scared her to bits, she understood his point.

  “You’re taking this all rather well,” he mentioned as he hesitated at the door. She offered a

  brave smile, belying the knocking of her knees.

  “Have I any choice?” she asked quietly. He shook his head. She shrugged. “Then I can either

  fight my fate, or I can accept it and adapt. I’m rather tired of fighting, and there are worse things

  that could have happened. He could have sold me to someone worse than him. He could have

  tossed me out with nothing. In a way, he was right... at least he’s seeing to my future.” But her voice broke on the last word. Hamm watched for a moment as she whirled to hide

  her tears. She was a tiny thing, so very young, but strong. Most girls were crying or screaming at

  this point, bound and determined to make the transition that much harder. They usually took

  several days to calm down, be educated about the reality of the situation, before they accepted it.

  But this little one seemed to understand that she had no choice and that this would happen

  whether she participated or not.

  Well, she thought that, anyhow. She had no idea that neither he nor the Captain would so

  much as touch her without her permission, if she made it clear that she didn’t wish it. But mostly,

  he was amazed that she was so adaptable when she’d led an almost criminally sheltered life. He

  wondered what she’d been through, that made her understood that he and Drake were the better

  option now.

  He smiled to himself as he shut the door. She would find out soon enough that he and the

  Captain weren’t the Trainers of nightmares, which she was obviously expecting. They were very

  selective. Though they bought many women, they took a bit of time to evaluate the girls before

  offering the Training. They only took on girls that had the potential to truly be high-demand

  courtesans. Those brought the highest prices, and they were worth the time and gentling it took

  to keep their spirit intact.Others were given a portion of their ‘price’ back to them and settled on

  a suitable world to make a new life. He and the captain weren’t animals. They were

  businessmen.

  Drake stomped aboard the ship, meeting Hamm just down the corridorfrom Christine’s

  cabin.

  “She’s locked in?” he asked curtly. Hamm nodded.

  “Locked in and accepting. She’s about to take a bath.”

  “Good... I want every trace of that vile man cleansed from her. And have that ridiculous dress

  she was wearing burned! I don’t want her wearing such a thing ever again.”

  Hamm stopped and stared at his friend.

  “You’re much angrier than you usually are when things like this happen. It’s not the first

  time we’ve caught a father beating his daughter to get her compliance.”

  “No, but that man wasn’t her father, so he had no right, real or imagined, to do what he did. I

  have a problem with that.”

  “Strange scruples you have, my friend!” Hamm snorted, clapping Drake on the back. The

  taller man stood for a moment, staring at Christine’s door.

  “She’s a strange case,” he muttered. “I don’t know why, but she’s different.” Hamm chuckled to himself as they walked back to the cockpit to prepare for liftoff. It was

  bound to happen one day, that they’d find a woman they wouldn’t want to let go of. He

  wondered if this was the one? Then he forgot about it as they prepared for takeoff, his mind on

  those mundane procedures.

  Half an hour later, with the ship safely in hyperspace and on autopilot, the two friends were relaxing once more. They sat back and Drake turned on the monitors to Christine’s room. She was wandering around the chamber, looking at everything, touching some of it. Her toes dug into the thick, soft carpeting of the room and she smiled in delight at the sensation. She seemed to be an incredibly sensual creature, but then, Drake already knew that. The memory of their kiss had his body tightening painfully.

  Finished with her wandering, she paused at the side of the deep tub, and sighed. Twisting and pulling, she managed to unlace the back of her dress. The men watched, dumbfounded, as generous breasts immediately rushed to expand the loosened cloth. Hamm’s breath left him in a whuffof surprise, but Drake merely chuckled, as though he’d fully expected it. When the girl stepped out of the material, Hamm whimpered. Actually whimpered. She might not have a face that would send men to their doom willingly, but if she’d shown a body like that...

  Generous breasts with large, dark nipples, a tiny, nipped-in waist. She had a true hourglass figure, though not skinny. Her hips were wonderfully wide, her belly nicely rounded, a perfectly cushioned haven for any man between her legs. She turned to drop her underwear, and both men groaned at the plump bottom she showed them. Gods above, but it was round and luscious, pert and... kissable.

  Drake felt himself harden as the girl stretched. She groaned softly in pleasure as she massaged her cruelly confined breasts. The tips drew up, pebbled, and her nipples came to perky attention. She seemed oblivious, merely rubbing and soothing them.

  Completely unselfconcious, she stepped into the bath, then dunked under the water. When she rose, her hair was plastered to her head, and the smudges of dirt were mostly gone.

  Without the frizzy hair partially hiding her, and with the blood and dirt removed, both men sat in silent awe, watching her. She was lovely. Not beautiful in a traditional sense, but striking in an earthy way that defied description. She would never have her face plastered on the big vid screens, but to the right man, or men, she would be priceless.

  After a long moment of soaking, she reached for a tray of soaps and lotions, took up a Crillian sea sponge, and squirted a large amount of soap onto it. Then she attacked her flesh as though it were vile and she wanted it gone.

  Both men stared, breathless, as she scrubbed at her skin. After a moment, Drake realized her shoulders were shaking. They could hear her sniffling as she angrily sought to get every bit of the man she’d called father removed from her person.

  “I hate him!” she seethed. Her arms were red where she’d scrubbed. Drake’s brows drew together in concern. She could hurt herself if she wasn’t careful. But she didn’t seem to notice. “I hate him I hate him I hate him! Bastard!”

  The men chuckled at her show of spirit, then sat back once more to watch as she bathed.

  “She’s a sight, isn’t she?” Hamm breathed when she turned around to dunk her hair in the water. When she surfaced, her chest thrust up above
the water, offering lovely, stiff peaks that begged for a man’s mouth. He felt himself harden, but knew not to take that seriously for a bit longer. She needed settling-in time. Not much, but at least an hour or so.

  “She’s breathtaking,” Drake agreed, smiling. “And very passionate. With a gentle hand and a bit of honesty, I think she’ll come along quite nicely.”

  “So, which of us gets to break her to saddle?” Hamm asked indelicately. Drake shook his head as he laughed.

  “I think we’ll do this one together,” he murmured. “I want to see how she handles two at once, her first time out. That will tell us much of what she’ll be capable of… and agreeable to later.”

  “Both... at once?” Hamm asked with raised eyebrows. Drake rolled his eyes.

  “We’ll take turns, you doofus. She’s a virgin. I’ll not deflower her that much on her first go. Thatwill wait until later.”

  Hamm nodded and grinned. The water drained out of the pool, slowly exposing her to their view once more, naked and clean, without her disguise in place.

  Drake sucked in a harsh breath. He’d had an idea of her attributes after their little passionate scene on the stairwell, but he’d had no clue that she’d be this incredibly lovely. He was getting painfully hard just thinking of himself atop her, breathing hard, his cock deep inside her and her body convulsing from pleasure. He could almost feel the aftershocks moving through him, her soft body beneath his as they fought to come back down from an incredible high.

  He blinked and shook himself. Where had that come from? Never before had he looked so forward to the Initiation portion of the Training. Never before had he anticipated the after... always, it had been the ‘during’ that he’d looked forward to, not the after. Why was she different?

  Growling in frustration, he hurriedly stood and headed for his cabin. Hamm laughed and asked where he was going.

  “I’m going to need a cold shower,” he tossed back over his shoulder, “If I don’t want to rape the girl and scare the wits out of her.”

  “I think she’ll be scared no matter what,” Hamm pointed out, grinning. “They’re all scared the first time.”