“Was it something I did? Yesterday, he called me Dani, now I’m Miss Alltryp. Perhaps my screams disturbed his rest?”
“It wasn’t you. It’s his nature. Cool and perfunctory, like the automaton he is.”
“Automaton,” she echoed, puzzled by his implication. “You mean as in a robot?”
“Exactly. Outwardly, he’s a living, breathing man, but inside he’s a machine, going through the motions. And the living part is still up for debate.”
Dani looked after him, considering their odd interchange, and the captain’s description. Suddenly, it clicked. “You’re saying he’s a cyborg?”
She saw the tall, handsome man from a new perspective. It explained a lot, yet confused her. At times, though mostly during interactions with Jaylin, he seemed to show emotion. “I’ve never met one before, though I’ve heard it’s hard to tell them apart from real men.”
Jaylin gave a short bark of laughter. “Organic yet with biomechanical parts. Cut him and he bleeds, stroke him and he feels pleasure, if his programming allows it. Isn’t that so, Malik?”
He didn’t react, only said in the same remote voice, “Whatever you say, Captain.”
“Well, he certainly fooled me.” Amazed was more like it. “So, he’s capable of emotion? Yesterday, I would have thought so. Today, however, he’s much different.”
“Cyborgs are sentient, and many have evolved to show a wide range of emotions. Sadly, Malik has a narrow spectrum, limited to the extremes. Except when it comes to more subtle qualities and those requiring a heart, I’m afraid he hasn’t quite figured it out.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Maybe one day,” Dani offered.
“I have work to do.” Malik had turned, his attention on Jaylin, his eyes narrowed a fraction she thought. “Perhaps you can finish your inventory of my abilities without me. Or maybe you and I could do so in private, later, Captain.”
If he’d been a man, Dani would have said he was irritated, but someone would have had to program him for that, which made no sense to her. “He seems put out with you, and you argued yesterday. Is it normal for a cyborg to have disputes with his leader?”
“Malik and I have been together for a long time. He knows me and the way I think, which encourages him to take more liberties than an ordinary crewman would.”
“Yes, he mentioned something about not following blindly. I suppose it’s good he interacts with you on different levels. Otherwise, you’d be alone which would make extended voyages dull and seem longer, I’d think. Perhaps you need to work on his softer side. Maybe program him to smile, laugh, and lighten up a little.”
She thought she heard a low growl coming from Malik’s direction, then decided it was the humming of the auto-lift doors opening. Although, she couldn’t be sure, because Jaylin found something she’d said very amusing and his laughter drowned out everything else.
Chapter Six
With the awkward breakfast done, Jaylin took her on a tour of the ship. At least he started to, but they became distracted whenever their eyes met or their bodies touched, which happened often. It led to kisses, first on her knuckles, which was so gallant and romantic her knees turned to jelly, then to soft touches of his mouth to hers.
In the coolness of the cargo hold, when she shivered and he put his arms around her, things soon got out of control. Dani found herself against the wall, his long body next to hers, while his tongue delved between her lips. She clung to him, not protesting when searching fingers slipped under her shirt, and splayed over her back. More slid lower, curving around the fullness of her bottom, molding it with his large palm. Her head tipped back as she gasped for air, which allowed his mouth to sear a path along her cheek to the ultra-sensitive side of her neck. The broad hand at her back swept up and in, cupping a breast. When his thumb swept over the crest the edge flicking her nipple, she arched into his touch, and a groan escaped his throat.
It seemed to snap him out of the state of lust surrounding them. He pulled back, and, with the heat of their passion reflecting in his eyes, stared down at her.
“I hate to end this here, but I have to get to the bridge. I’ve left too many of my duties to Malik of late.” He said this with as much reluctance, as desire showing on his face.
Jaylin led her back to the main area on the lower level and excused himself. Though not before touching his lips to hers one more time. Sweet and light, not the sizzling, all-consuming kisses of earlier but equally stirring.
Left alone, she tried to find something to occupy her time. He’d said to make herself at home, including using any of the recreational equipment. She eyed the exercise room, but gave it a quick no. Although Malik had declared her ribs healed, she figured it wise to take it easy for a few more days.
The library was also out. Feeling too antsy to concentrate on a digital book, she would probably nod right off with an audio version. She looked to the room with the large screens and the black recliner. Immersion Reality, Jaylin had called it. A new technology on Earth, she’d never had the opportunity to try it. Mostly because the units were located in malls and public places she wasn’t allowed to go without her security team. This brought back bad memories of the few times she’d gone shopping with friends. The armed men with communicators, following and watching her every move garnered strange looks and whispers from the other shoppers, and her friends found it awkward. She hadn’t gone again because they never invited her back.
Their private booth was her best chance, so, why not? Especially when Jaylin had encouraged her to try it, thinking it might be a way to help her relax.
“Sit down, put on the gear, and let it take you wherever you want to go, present, past, or future,” he said. “Think of a favorite spot from your childhood or a place you’ve always wanted to go. You can lie on a sandy beach at home or be a fighter pilot defending a battle cruiser, or a real princess marrying the handsome prince of her dreams. The best part, whatever you decide, it’s safe because it’s a fantasy—your fantasy. And because it’s attuned to your brain waves, it will be detailed specifically to you.”
She entered through the heavy glass doors and paused for a moment, taking it all in. It seemed harmless and relaxing, like the black recliner which molded to her body when she took a seat. The headgear, however, was big and bulky, covering her ears, and had a visor that flipped down over the upper half of her face. It also flattened her hair, something she had a lot of, but she was relieved to find it lightweight and fully padded.
“Unit on,” she said, as Jaylin had instructed. Now she only had to lie back and decide where she wanted to go. She had no favorite places from childhood because her father had never taken her anywhere. And being a fighter pilot held no appeal. But she loved the beach, the smell of the ocean, feeling the warm sand between her toes and the waves rolling in and out, washing over her skin when she walked in the surf.
The next thing she knew, the heat of the sun spilled onto her face and she could taste salt on her tongue. She blinked then had to squint against the rays of light reflecting off the water, now fully immersed in her beach fantasy.
A wave rolled in, and the frothy foam tickled her toes. She looked down at the shifting sand beneath her feet, and noticed her clothes were very different, and skimpy. The IR interface had created a sexy, black bikini which fit her perfectly.
She’d never worn a two-piece suit before, not seeing the point when no one was around to notice while she swam alone in the pool on their estate. This one, with its halter top and neckline that plunged low between her breasts, was more risqué than anything she would have ever chosen for herself. It tied up the front, baring the inner curves of her breasts. Threaded through the laces were small white conch shells which contrasted with the dark fabric. The back stayed together with a single string tie, leaving her bare except for the itsy-bitsy bottoms. In front, a shockingly small scrap of diamond-shaped fabric preserved her modesty, though barely, since the sides were nonexistent, with nothing more than three gathered laces at eac
h hip. If she wore this on a beach for real, she’d never come out from under a towel or cover-up.
As she made her way down the strip of white sand, Dani sensed eyes upon her that she knew couldn’t exist. She walked for a while, soaking up the tropical beach experience, until she came to a red cabana, set back from the water. Somehow, she knew it belonged to her. After veering toward it, she picked up the pace when the dry sand away from the water’s edge became so hot it stung the bottoms of her feet. She was running by the time she reached the tent. Laughing at all the oo’s and ah’s and ouch’s she’d made, she flopped on the blanket spread out under the cabana’s shade. Taking a deep breath, she sighed, making plans for a beach getaway to celebrate both her birthday and her freedom in two short weeks. With the sun still warm on her legs, only her upper body in the shade, she rolled onto her front, pillowed her head with her arms, and closed her eyes.
“With such fair skin, you need protection from the sun,” a voice said out of nowhere. Hands began massaging lotion into her back. Of course, this had also been conjured up by the IR and her head. But it felt wonderful having strong fingers working the tension from her muscles as they rubbed in sunscreen. She tried hard to summon up one of those tropical drinks to sip on, the kind with fruit and a paper umbrella, which would make it perfect.
One didn’t magically appear, sadly. Instead, her massage heated up as her virtual reality man moved to her shoulders, then kneaded along the length of her spine all the way to the top of her bikini bottoms. The fingers went away for a moment, and she heard the squirt of the bottle. Instead of the cold she expected, warm hands rubbed the coconut scented lotion onto her thighs. And on her back... At the same time.
Confused, she opened her eyes, seeing sand, sun, and the shadow of not one, but two men leaning over her.
Great day! The machine had dug into her subconscious and found a recurrent fantasy she’d had for years. It started in college, though she hadn’t told a soul, not even her roommate the night they’d been drunk on wine and revealed their deepest, darkest secrets.
She felt a tug on both her bikini top and bottom at once. The strings disappeared, and the bottoms peeled down. The sensual massage resumed, now rubbing places that hadn’t ever needed sunscreen before.
“It’s a shame to cover such beauty with cloth,” one of the men whispered near her ear.
“And a crime to bury the best parts in the sand,” said the other.
Flipped suddenly to her back, she gaped up at the men, one dark headed, and one light. The massage continued on to her breasts and thighs. Fingers pinched and rolled her nipples, while others parted her thighs and stroked lightly on the tender skin in between. As the caress moved higher, his fingers grazed places never before touched by a man.
Her body vibrated with shock and pleasure, and she almost forgot how to breathe, especially when the dark head bent to her breast, at the same time the blond pushed her legs further apart and settle between them. Twin spirals of warmth drifted over intimate places a moment before lips and tongues, swirling and sucking, made her back arch of the sand.
In seconds, a wave of incredible pleasure engulfed her body. It had to be the fastest orgasm in history. Her breathing became rapid. No, it couldn’t be.
Before she could think, or breathe, they moved her again. She found herself on her hands and knees, her dream lovers taking their places in front and behind. Then, they took her right there on the beach.
The man at her thighs parted her with his thumbs, slid the smooth tip of his cock through her wetness and drove inside, filling and stretching her until she cried out with intense pleasure. This gave the man in front the opportunity to slide between her parted lips, and along her tongue. Two at a time, they fucked her, until she moaned around the hard shaft in her mouth, while clamping down and orgasming around the one in her pussy.
They didn’t stop there, building it again within her. Instead of four hands, it seemed like a dozen. Slightly rough fingertips plucked and tweaked her dangling nipples, while a hand slid around to her front, locating the nub that she alone, in the darkness of her bedroom at night, had ever stroked, circled, and rubbed to a hard peak.
She let out a cry for more. And they gave her what she asked for, one large cock gliding persistently to the back of her tongue, as the other of equally impressive size began pumping hard into her from behind. Dani screamed, but to her it came out muffled, the simulator replicating how it would sound if she really did have a hard shaft wedged in her throat.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump at the same time she heard her name called with urgency. She sat up, tearing off the headgear to find the captain and his cyborg first mate standing over her, with identical looks of concern.
“You were screaming,” Jaylin stated. “And you’re out of breath.”
“Her heart is racing,” Malik observed. “I can see her pulse fluttering in the side of her neck.”
She couldn’t answer, not yet. And if they wanted details, they’d be waiting forever. With trembling hands, she wiped the sheen of sweat from her brow.
“This is a relaxation device, meant to help, not send you into a panic.” Brushing the damp hair back from her face, Jaylin leaned in and asked, “What did the simulator bring up for you? Bad memories?”
“I, uh, don’t recall. I must have fallen asleep,” she lied, badly, earning doubtful looks from them both. She didn’t care. No way was she disclosing anything about her erotic fantasy, particularly how it starred both of them!
“Something isn’t right. Let me check the settings.” Malik went to the wall and flipped open a recessed panel. After making a few swipes and punching a few buttons, he glanced up at her, surprise in his golden gaze.
Dani cringed, flushing hotly. Was it possible he knew what she and the machine had contrived?
“I think I’ll go lay down,” she announced, bolting out of the chair. Except when she stood, her knees wobbled and she had to grab onto the arm to keep from hitting the floor.
They reached out to catch her.
“Don’t touch me,” she hissed.
Startled, they both froze. Dani didn’t apologize, though she should, but with her body still on edge, if they laid hands on her—anywhere—she was afraid she’d orgasm on the spot, number three in a matter of minutes.
“I need a moment is all.” Somehow, she managed to walk out, her chin high, acting as though nothing was amiss. Except she moved stiffly, sore in places where she really shouldn’t be from a mere fantasy program.
***
Malik watched her cross the main floor and turn down the hall to her room, his brother’s gaze aimed the same way. A second later, the whoosh of doors opening and closing drifted back to them.
“I’m concerned she’s having residual stress from being held for so long by those thug pirates.”
He gave Jaylin and sidelong glance, unconvinced. “I don’t know. She looked embarrassed more than afraid. I think it’s something else.”
“What?”
Malik didn’t answer. Instead, he swung back to the control panel and punched a few keys. “Although it violates her privacy, I think we need to know for the nature of her session for her welfare.”
“Certainly, Dani’s well-being takes priority,” Jaylin growled. “But I’d prefer you tell me what you’re talking about, so please, spit it out.”
“I’ll do better. Watch.”
Then the floor-to-ceiling screens replayed the last few minutes of Dani’s immersion fantasy. Malik hardened at the sight of her pale body bowed, her head tossed back, stunning red hair tumbling down her back. But what aroused him most, the three sets of arms entwined, six hands feverishly touching, and two male heads bent to her, their mouths leaving wet trails along her skin.
Beside him, his twin’s husky murmur oozed with blatant arousal. “The naughty little imp was screaming for us.”
He tried to remain objective. “I suppose there is a small resemblance.”
“Small! That’s you suckin
g on her nipple and my head between her thighs.” Jaylin grinned from ear to ear. “Now are you convinced she was meant for us? I have been hesitant to broach our ways with her. Although Earth women are known to be adventurous sexually, not all are comfortable with multiple partners. They are still primarily a monogamous society.”
“This convinces me of nothing.”
His steely glare zeroed in on him as he snapped, “Must you be so obstinate?” His arm swept toward the screens surrounding them. “You can’t deny what is before your eyes.”
“This is sex, Jaylin. It doesn’t equate to the connection a twin pair establishes when joined with their destined third. A special bond like that comes around once in a lifetime.”
“Says who?”
“Me! Don’t you think I know how I feel? You must face the fact, as I have, our one was Mahlia. Take Dani if you must, but it will be solo, brother. I’m not interested.”
“Liar! Your cock is rock-hard the same as mine. Admit it.”
“I’ll admit to having a physiological response to a beautiful woman, yes. But I’m not ruled by the often-indiscriminate part of me between my thighs, Jaylin.”
“And you’re saying I am?”
“It is your nature. As the first, you have an instinctive need to seek out and provide a mate for the both of us. In this case, I’m not willing. We’ve been there, and I won’t go back.”
“You’re denying your true nature, brother. Your first has found our mate. It is up to you to follow my lead, to help form the bond of our triad.”
“No. I’m sorry. Take her and enjoy her. She is interested, obviously, and her eager response to you this morning shows she is willing. Find your happiness without me, brother. And leave me alone to find my own way.”
“I cannot, Malik. We are twins. You can’t sever the bond.”
“I must or risk losing myself in grief again, something I won’t do.”
“Are you clinging to Mahlia or your grief? Has it become so ingrained in you, you can’t remember life without it? I understand your reluctance, brother, but you can’t let fear condemn you to an isolated, unfulfilled life. And me with you.”
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