“Captain Edryn,” Andrew acknowledged.
The other man turned to the woman whose ethereal beauty had Caroline utterly transfixed.
“Allow me to present my second in command, Sereena, who is also my wife.”
Caroline looked to Andrew, a dozen questions running through her mind, but the slight shake of his head told her that explanations would have to wait until a time when they were alone.
“It is good to meet you both,” Andrew said warmly. “Perhaps you and I might have a moment or two together, Captain. There is a security matter I wish to discuss.”
“Ah, yes, the other passenger who’s about to join us.” The captain was clearly referring to Lord Barron. “I had hoped to speak with you about him. If you like, we can go to the control room and my wife can escort your bride to your private apartments. Sereena can help her to prepare for you.”
“If it’s no trouble,” Andrew replied.
“Not at all.” The young woman gestured for Caroline to precede her through a doorway to the left of the docking area. “Shall we, my lady?”
A little nervous, Caroline looked to Andrew for guidance. He gave her a nod and she followed Sereena from the landing deck and up a flight of stairs into a sumptuously decorated area that seemed a world away from the rather grim space they’d just left behind.
“Forgive me for mentioning it,” Caroline said as she walked alongside the other woman who was at least a foot taller than her, trying not to be intimidated by the disparity in their heights, “but the captain introduced you as his second in command.”
“Indeed. You find it unusual that a female should hold such a position, my lady?”
“Yes.”
“So it is true that females on Earth do not seek employment?”
“They’re forbidden to,” Caroline clarified in case Sereena thought that women like her were too lazy or spoiled to work.
“Ah, yes, but that is not how it is on Taar-Breck. There, a female might find some occupation for herself outside the home, provided it does not distract her from her duties at home.”
“Really?” Caroline couldn’t hide her astonishment and the other woman gave an amused giggle in response.
“Yes, really, my lady. There are many freedoms for females that I believe you do not have on Earth.”
“And what about restrictions?” Caroline asked. “Are there many things that are forbidden? Are women punished if they misbehave?”
“I think your husband will want to tell you about those aspects of our culture.”
The words were evasive, but the deep blush on the other woman’s cheeks was answer enough. She didn’t want to press Sereena so she simply nodded as they stepped into an elevator that carried them up several floors.
“There are only two apartments on the upper level,” Sereena explained. “Those we have reserved for Commander Rossingham and those that my mate and I share.”
“So we’re to be neighbors?” Caroline was excited by the prospect of having another woman close by that she might become friends with.
“Yes, but I doubt the commander will let you leave the apartment much.”
“Oh.” Caroline’s face fell as she contemplated the idea that Andrew might want to keep her confined to her rooms so she couldn’t get into any trouble that might cause him embarrassment.
“You misunderstand me, I think.” Sereena studied Caroline’s face with apparent concern. “I only meant that as you are so newly mated, the commander will enjoy being with you too much to let you out of his sight.”
Caroline’s cheeks flushed as she realized exactly what Sereena was suggesting and she was grateful that the elevator had reached its destination because she had no idea what to say next. She followed Sereena out into a large vestibule and over to a door that she opened by touching a button on her sleeve to a metal panel on the wall. As Caroline stepped into the room, any concerns she’d harbored about their accommodations being uncomfortable vanished in an instant. By Earth’s standards, Caroline had grown up in relative luxury but nothing she’d seen had ever come close to this. The furnishings were lavish with richly colored carpets and drapes that framed a large window looking out into the vastness of space. Running to the window, Caroline found her breath taken away by the beautiful image of the Earth, far off in the distance.
“This is magnificent,” she exclaimed as Sereena came to stand next to her. “I had no idea the Earth was so big. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Sereena smiled indulgently as Caroline gushed about the view.
“It is something to behold,” she agreed. “Now, shall we get you ready for your wedding night, my lady? Commander Rossingham will be along shortly and will expect to find his bride waiting for him.”
Nerves fluttering in her stomach at the thought of being prepared for her husband’s pleasure, Caroline took the hand that Sereena offered and obediently followed her into the bedroom.
* * *
Andrew sat forward and watched the live stream from the security cameras in the apartment where he and Caroline would be staying as Sereena led his wife into the bathroom. His pulse had already quickened and he was grateful that the captain had agreed to his request to be allowed to view the traditional cleansing of the bride ritual alone. The other man would have been well within his rights to insist on staying to watch the ceremonial bathing as his wife was the one preparing Caroline for the wedding night, but the captain had seemed to understand his desire for privacy. Turning the volume up a little so he might hear as well as see everything that happened, he took a steadying breath. It was ridiculous that the mere anticipation of what was to come should threaten to unman him.
“It is time to prepare you for your wedding night,” Sereena told Caroline, her voice coming through to Andrew quite clearly. “First you will be bathed and then massaged with oils before being dressed in a gown suitable for you to present yourself to your husband in.”
“You’re going to bathe me?” A hint of incredulity spiked her voice.
Andrew could see the way her brow furrowed and wondered if she would put up some argument.
“Yes. Usually there would be three or four females who are trusted by your mate taking part but as we’re in transit, there’s only me.”
“I think I’d prefer that,” Caroline said.
“Good.” Sereena’s face lit up as she smiled. “There is one other thing I must tell you before we begin.”
This would be interesting, Andrew thought, sitting a little straighter as he waited for Caroline’s response.
“Your mate, that is to say, your husband, will be watching the preparations.”
“How?” Caroline queried.
“There are watching devices positioned throughout the room,” Sereena said and then, in apparent response to the anxious look on Caroline’s face, added, “Don’t worry, they are deactivated once the cleansing is completed. You need not fear anyone spying on you while you’re on board.”
“Am I able to refuse to allow this?” Caroline asked, looking around as though trying to locate the cameras so she could make her appeal directly to him.
“Of course,” Sereena replied. “There is no punishment for refusing to take part in the ceremony but most brides choose to embrace the tradition. Many believe that it brings good fortune if you enter into the marriage bed with your body fully cleansed.”
“A fresh start?” Caroline asked.
She was quick to grasp the meaning behind the ceremony just as she had realized back in the town square what it would take to appease the crowd and Andrew had to admire her rapid understanding of different situations. It was a quality that would be useful in their life together.
“Exactly,” Sereena confirmed.
“And a shower wouldn’t suffice?”
As Sereena shook her head, Andrew barked out a laugh. She really was a little minx, this woman of his.
“Very well, then,” Caroline said after a moment’
s pause. “As it’s a tradition, I’ll be happy to participate.”
“A good decision, my lady,” Sereena praised her. “I am sure you will find it relaxing. Now, please stand still while I remove your gown.”
Andrew watched intently as Sereena slowly moved behind Caroline and began to unfasten the dozens of little buttons that held the gown together. He felt a stirring in his groin as the dress was finally loosened and Sereena slipped it from his bride’s shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. She took Caroline’s hand and helped her to step out of the pool of fabric. Caroline had worn nothing beneath the gown and now she stood in the center of the bathroom, completely naked. She really was something quite unique with her milky white skin and those piercing emerald eyes and Andrew couldn’t wait until her hair grew back, to see its contrasting black cascading over her pale shoulders.
“Please kneel and bow your head in contemplation while I prepare the bath,” Sereena instructed. “You should clear your mind of everything except thoughts of your mate and how perfect your life with him will be.”
Caroline nodded and dropped to her knees. Andrew shifted in his seat as Sereena adjusted his wife’s position, moving her thighs farther apart and encouraging her to straighten her back. Once she was in the correct position, Sereena moved to the bath and filled it with warm water into which she dropped fragrant salts whose properties were reputed to enhance a female’s sensuality, not that Caroline required it.
“Now, please rise and step into the water so I might bathe you,” Sereena instructed Caroline.
Andrew watched as Caroline got up from the floor and stepped into the bath, every movement imbued with grace. He still couldn’t believe how fortunate he was to have such a beautiful wife. As Sereena encouraged Caroline to lie back and began to run a cloth over her skin, Andrew felt his cock stiffen. There was nothing he could do to relieve the agony building inside him as he saw the incredibly carnal way Sereena caressed his wife’s breasts. It was forbidden for a male watching the cleansing ceremony to masturbate and as the beautiful Taar-Breckian woman’s hand moved between Caroline’s legs, causing her to throw back her head in pleasure, he realized for the first time just how big a test this was of a husband’s ability to control himself.
“Do you like that, my lady?” Sereena cooed as Caroline began to moan. “Do you like my fingers on your soft little pussy?”
“Yes,” Caroline gasped as the other woman continued to move her fingers between her legs, teasing her to a frenzy that had her grasping at the sides of the bath for something to hold onto.
As Sereena suddenly moved her hand away, Caroline sat up, an indignant glower on her face.
“I am sorry, my lady, but only your mate may give you release.”
Andrew almost felt sorry for Caroline, she looked so disappointed, but as he was also suffering intensely, he couldn’t bring himself to pity her entirely. He moved restlessly on his seat as Sereena helped Caroline from the bath and began to dry her body by running white linen cloths over her in slow, deliberate motions. From the way she kept smiling to herself and glancing up at the camera, it was clear that the woman knew how much torture she was inflicting on Andrew as she rubbed his wife’s body until she was completely dry.
“Now, please open your legs a little wider and stand perfectly still while I apply the oils,” Sereena said to Caroline.
His wife’s compliance impressed Andrew. Each time Sereena instructed her, she immediately did as she was told. He felt a tightening in his balls that made him groan as Sereena began to massage oil onto his wife’s back. He heard Caroline’s breathless exclamations as Sereena’s hands moved around to caress her breasts, paying particular attention to the pale pink areolae that had pulled up into tight little buds.
Andrew gripped the arm of his chair, his knuckles whitening as Sereena knelt before his wife and, starting from her feet and working upward, coated her beautiful skin with the shimmering oil. He felt his heart pounding as Sereena opened her mouth and poured a few droplets of oil on her tongue, before firmly grasping Caroline’s hips and burying her face in her pussy. Throwing her head back, Caroline moaned as the other woman’s tongue lapped at her core, circling the clitoris and spreading the oil along the length of her slit. Andrew’s cock throbbed painfully as he watched the other woman dig her fingernails into Caroline’s buttocks as she held onto her tight and pleasured her with her tongue.
Caroline groaned and fisted her hands in Sereena’s hair but the other woman pulled away. The agony Caroline felt in that moment expressed itself in a loud shriek, which Andrew barely held himself back from replicating. He sat back in his chair, sweat beading on his forehead, his pants painfully restrictive as his cock swelled. He slowed his breathing as Sereena fetched a filmy white gown and helped Caroline into it, the fabric falling to her feet. The other woman placed a lingering kiss on Caroline’s lips and then stepped back to turn and address the audience she knew was watching.
“Commander Rossingham. As per our customs, your bride has now been cleansed. You may now come and claim her.”
Before she had even finished speaking, Andrew was already on his feet and heading for the door.
* * *
Lust fired through Andrew at the sight of his beautiful young wife sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him but the way she shifted restlessly and looked away as he walked toward her made him hesitate. She was nervous; no, more than that, terrified. Whatever relaxing qualities the oils Sereena had rubbed into her body may have possessed, they were clearly no match for her anxieties. No doubt it had not helped matters that he’d been delayed for so long as well-wishers had stopped to offer their congratulations as he’d tried to make his way to their suite of rooms. It was gratifying to know that people were excited about his marriage to Caroline, that they were appalled by what they’d heard about the way the High Council had treated her and were eager to welcome her to Taar-Breckian society, but all he’d wanted was to get back here to be with her.
“I didn’t intend to be gone for so long,” he said apologetically.
“It’s okay. Sereena stayed with me until a few minutes ago.”
As he moved closer, Andrew detected a distinct floral scent in the air.
“You liked it when she helped you to bathe and rubbed the oils on your skin?”
“Yes.” Caroline blushed and fidgeted with the lacings on the bodice of her diaphanous nightgown, one of the items of clothing he’d arranged to have sent here for her in advance of their arrival. “She said you were watching.”
Andrew nodded.
“She told me it was a tradition,” Caroline continued. “Said it would help me relax.”
“It is traditional,” Andrew agreed. “But you don’t look very relaxed.”
“Sorry.”
Caroline’s expression as she looked up at him with those gloriously green eyes was wary, as though she expected him to disregard her fears and pounce on her at any moment. As tempted as he was to do just that, to tell himself that she would soon relax once she felt what pleasure he could bring her body, he held back. The wedding night did not have to be rushed and if their marriage was to get off to a good start, then it must be done right. He had no intention of taking her to bed while she was quivering like a sacrificial lamb. He wanted her to be as willing a participant as she’d been when she offered her mouth and her cute little bottom to him.
“Perhaps you’d like something to eat?”
He held his hand out to her. Caroline hesitated for a moment before taking it and he pulled her to her feet to lead her out into the sitting room where some food had been laid out for them. He’d anticipated them both being hungry later but, on reflection, he decided that enjoying a quick meal together now would help ease his bride’s nerves. He walked her over to the large couch that dominated the room and sat her down before going to the table to fetch the platter of meats, cheeses, and fruit that had been provided for them.
As he laid the silver tray down
in front of Caroline, she gasped in delight.
“Are those real berries?”
The excitement in her voice over such a little thing made him smile. She really was incredibly easy to please sometimes.
“Of course.” He picked up a piece of the ripe red fruit and held it out to her. “It’s called a dragonberry.”
With a coy smile, she leaned forward and wrapped her mouth around the berry, taking it carefully from his fingers.
“Good?” he asked teasingly in response to the moan that came from somewhere deep inside as she savored the plump fruit.
“Yes.” A tiny dribble of juice ran down her chin and Andrew could not resist leaning closer to wipe it gently from her soft, pale skin. “I’ve never tasted anything so flavorful.”
“You may have to adjust to eating real food,” Andrew mused. “It’s much more plentiful on Taar-Breck and we use few synthetics.”
“Real food,” Caroline said with a smile. “Such a hardship. What else will I have to get used to, I wonder?”
“Well, you’ll have to get used to pleasing me,” he replied, returning her smile, before turning more serious. “You’ll have to learn the language, I suppose. Most people speak good English but it’s only polite for you to learn a few phrases at least. You’ll also have to get used to having the freedom to make a lot of your own choices, which means you’ll have to accustom yourself to dealing with the consequences of your newfound liberty.”
“What do you mean by that?” She looked a little worried now.
“Well, you’ll be able to read books, associate freely with other women, and gain an education if that’s what you want but if you put yourself in harm’s way or break my rules on acceptable behavior, then you will be punished.”
“What are the rules?”
“Well, you’re to make sure I always know where you are. You are not allowed to use foul language, to me or anyone else. You are to be respectful and to make yourself available to me whenever I want you. And you are to defer to me on matters of your health and safety.”
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