Dominated By Desire

by Barbara Donlon Bradley

  “Dress uniform? I would think you would want to impress my people since you will be living among us.” He didn’t look angry just serious.

  “I am a member of this planet’s military. I have my own protocol to fulfill.” She was just as serious. She might be leaving Earth, but she still needed to show her allegiance to it. “I am expected to show my planet’s leader the respect he deserves.”

  “And my leaders deserve the same respect.”

  He was right. How was she going to do this? She wasn’t sure how to please both of them. “When are we to greet them?”

  “Your leader will be here in the early afternoon. My leaders will arrive several hours later.”

  “That will work.”

  He tilted his head at her.

  “I can dress according my protocol when the commander in chief arrives and then be able to change and greet your people properly. Will that work for you?” She sure hoped it would.

  He gave her a nod and released her arm. His focus then turned to his sister. He didn’t like the intense look she gave them. “Enjoying the view?”

  “Very much.” She gave them a big smile. “I was sent with a gift for your bride. May I give it to her?”

  “Of course.”

  She stood and walked to the door. It didn’t take her long before she returned with a small box for Heather. “Press the button on the top.” Heather placed the box on the coffee table in front of her and pressed the button suggested. She watched in amazement as it opened up to reveal several yards of material. Picking it up, she found a beautiful long dress.

  High collar, low neckline, full, long sleeves. At least it would cover her. She had seen some of the images of dress wear from her security tapes and the women of the race exposed a lot more than this dress did. “Wedding gown?”

  “Formal dress for you to wear.” Storm touched the material.

  “Great.” Now she knew she had to make sure she stuck to her plan. She couldn’t upset either side.

  “Heather do you mind if I speak to my brother? Alone?”

  “Not at all.” Heather needed a little time to herself. Everything was happening too fast. She darted out of the library before he could stop her.

  Not an easy feat.

  ****

  “Why did you send her away?”

  “You’re smitten.” She sat back in her chair and smiled.

  “What? Don’t be silly.” He wondered what she suspected.

  “I have never seen you do that before.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But he did. He did treat Heather differently. His excuse was she didn’t understand their ways so he had to be more lenient.

  “Please.” She stood. “You let her decide how to balance the protocol of both planets. In the past when confronted by something like this you didn’t allow anyone a choice. It was your way or else.”

  “She isn’t from our planet.”

  “Never stopped you before.”

  “Why are you here, sister?” He needed to change the subject before she overstepped her boundaries.

  “I was sent by the leaders to teach your bride how to fit into our society.”

  “Then do that and stay out of my personal life.”

  ****

  Heather hadn’t gotten very far before she felt a slight headache. They had plagued her from time to time in the past and it was normally caused when the cylinder had been moved. She walked into the central medical area and found one of the doctors working on a screen.

  “Ma’am? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. I seem to be suffering from another one of my headaches.”

  “Another one?’ He ran a hand scanner over her.

  “I get them when the device is removed. I’m hoping you might have something to get rid of it?” She ran her fingers through her hair. She kept it short because of military protocol. The moment it touched her collar she would set the computer to shorten it. Would this be something else she’d have to change?

  “Let’s try this.” He pressed a small hypo against her neck.

  She felt relief instantly. “Thank you.”

  “Please let us know if you continue to have these headaches.”

  “I will.” She gave him a smile. “It’s normal for me so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  The doctor didn’t look convinced but nodded.

  She left the room and headed to the kitchen. Going back to her room was out of the question, she didn’t have one anymore and going to Storm’s room alone just didn’t feel right. Heather refused to wander the halls. She knew Storm would come looking for her sooner or later. Besides, a cup of coffee would help steady her nerves and give her a chance to try to keep her thoughts from wandering. Why was she worried about her hair anyway?

  It was all his fault. Being around him made her lose all concentration.

  If she wanted to be evil she could try to hide from him, but he seemed to know where she was and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to push him that hard yet. How would he punish her if she did?

  “Wandering the halls?”

  His deep voice flowed over her like honey.

  “Thought you were talking to your sister.”

  “She annoys me.”

  Heather couldn’t help but grin. “Really? I thought nothing got to you.”

  “You do.” He pulled her into his embrace. “I find I don’t want to be without you for too long.”

  “I still think there was something in that wine.” He wrapped his arm around her. “Promise. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  I did have it checked.”

  “Dinner is ready.” One of the servants stepped up to them.

  “Hungry?”

  Not really, but if they had a lot of schedule working to do she probably should. “What is on the agenda for this evening?” His gaze started at the top of her head and worked its way down to her feet before he looked her in the eyes. That heart melting smile spread across his face. “You need to eat.”

  ****

  She sat amongst her items, trying to figure out where her medals were.

  Ignoring him was hard, but she needed to be sure she was dressed properly and his staring at her the whole time just made matters worse. Plus Storm seemed to be cross with her because she was taking so long.

  “Are you done, yet?” He had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood over her.

  “And tomorrow you won’t be the same way?” She grinned when she found the velvet box she had been looking for. She handed the box to him as he helped her to her feet. “You’re sure your people know how to do this?”

  “They will not ruin your uniform. Promise.” He opened the door for one of the servants to enter.

  She nodded as she placed her uniform into their arms. They gave her a slight bow before exiting the room.

  “Why don’t you try on the dress? Just in case it needs to be altered.” He pointed to the gown lying on the bed.

  “You’re right.” She picked up the dress and started toward the bathroom.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To change?” She wasn’t quite sure she understood his question.

  “Change here.” He gestured about the room.

  “Right.” She gave him a disbelieving look. “I’ll never get the dress on.”

  “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  She looked at him. Was this his way to show she should trust him? If she were to continue to the bathroom could she hurt the budding relationship they were building? Her modesty was ingrained but the man had been intimate with her twice now. Was there a need for it? “And are you going to keep your hands to yourself?”

  “I’ll be on my best behavior.” He didn’t promise her a thing, but gave her that bone melting smile.

  “You’re terrible.” She laughed. His libido did seem to have a mind of its own, but she needed to show she did trust him. “You know two can play at this game.”

  “Really?” he perked up
a bit.

  “I have been thwarting men for years.” She stepped back from him.

  “You don’t have a chance.”

  “That sounds like a challenge.” His eyes lit up at the thought.

  Maybe taunting him wasn’t the smartest thing she could have done. She pulled the dress over her head, removing her other outfit as the dress slid down her body. She had learned how to do this during different assignments.

  Came in handy from time to time. The top came off without a hitch, but a large pair of hands stopped the progress of the dress and she couldn’t reach her pants.

  “You’re cheating?” he sounded astonished.

  “Really? Where are your hands?” She slipped her arms through the sleeves of the dress. He unhooked her pants and pulled them down her hips.

  The dress followed, keeping his hands at bay.

  The low neckline allowed her to wiggle into the dress without having to release the seams. Once on it fit like a glove but she found a problem.

  The material across her breasts was too skimpy. One false move and she’d be popping out.

  Storm batted her hands away from the material when she tried to fix it and arranged it so it covered what she wanted but exposed what he wanted to see. Taking her hand, he led her to a close mirror. “You look beautiful.” She stared at the image looking back at her. “That can’t be me.” His hands slipped beneath the top of her dress, gently cupping her. “Do you feel that?”

  “Yes.” All he had to do was touch her and her libido came to life. Her heart was beating double time from a simple touch.

  “Then you know it’s you.” He bent his head to nibble on her neck. She tilted hers so he could have total access to that side.

  His lips pressed against her throat before nipping against the same soft skin. He blazed a trail down the tender flesh until he hit her shoulder and the material of the dress. “As much as I’d like to just rip the dress from you I don’t think my leaders would appreciate the gesture. You need to take it off before I take it off you.”

  “But you just said you wouldn’t rip it off me.”

  “So you want to see how gentle I can be with you? That dress is coming off. It blocks my view too much.” He ran the tips of his fingers across her exposed skin, causing little goose bumps to rise up in the path. “Let’s see how far I get before I turn into a wild man.”

  Shivers went down her spine as he walked behind her. She felt the gentle pressure of his fingers against the magnetic seal that held the dress together, then the tips of his fingers brushing her skin as he slid them through the seam to the bottom of her spine.

  “I do like the view from here.” His words soft, right next to her ear.

  She looked down and saw why. She was completely exposed to him.

  He dipped his hands into the bodice to pay a little homage to her breasts before going lower. When one of his hands closed over her mound she felt her body clinch. His fingers separated the soft folds and explored, drawing a few sounds from her.

  “Really?” She could feel his grin against her throat. “So I need to explore here a little more to see what sort of sounds I can elicit from you?”

  “Storm.” She touched her cheeks because she could feel them heating up. “I have embarrassed you.”

  “I’m just not use to such talk.” She didn’t think he’d be so tuned in to what she thought or felt. It was nice having a partner who cared that much.

  “Maybe we should remove the dress? Wasn’t that the main goal?”

  “Was it?” He moved back around and grasped the cuff of the sleeve.

  Giving it a tug, he pulled it down one arm. “I thought it was not to damage the dress before I have my way with you.”

  “You do have a one track mind.”

  “When it comes to you I seem to.” He helped her step out of the dress and clasped his hands together. “Now where were we?”

  “What about the dress?”

  “Someone will be along to get it.” His eyes lit up. “I know. Let’s take a bath.”

  “What?” Confusion overcame her. When did they talk about taking a bath?“I have read that the bathtub can be a great place to be intimate.”

  “If you have one big enough.” He must have been planning this one for a while.

  He smiled and grabbed her hand. He half dragged her out onto a balcony. “Is that big enough?”

  “Not a bathtub. It’s a hot tub.”

  “And what is the difference?” He pulled his shirt off before shedding his pants.

  “Um, you don’t use soap?” She wasn’t sure herself. They had always been a waste of time to her. Of course the only people who ever invited her to one were men and she felt the confined space was just asking for trouble.

  Just like now. “Do you not have tubs on Vespia?”

  “We use sonic waves to clean the body.” Storm picked her up and dropped her into the water before he hopped over the edge to join her.

  “Interesting sensation.”

  “Jets.” She wasn’t sure what to say or to do but Storm had a gleam in his eyes that said he knew exactly what he wanted to do to her. And there really was no escape. Before she could move a muscle he had crowded her into one corner of the tub.

  “And what is a jet?” He went down on his knees in front of her so they would be closer to the same height.

  “The thing that makes the water swirl.” She felt his fingers at her mound again. When they brushed against sensitive flesh she sucked in her breath.

  “I see.” His lips captured hers, his tongue searching, touching the recesses of her mouth, making her forget anything but the sensations he was causing.

  They started to build in her, she could feel her body tighten and move as he worked his magic with his fingers. Then everything exploded. She heard two words but wasn’t sure who said them.

  “Oh God.”

  “I’m truly sorry, sir.”

  “This had better be good.” Storm growled at the interruption. Keeping Heather shielded from view, he turned toward the shaking young man near the edge of the hot tub.

  “There’s a communiqué from the elders of the council.” The frightened man kept his eyes down. “They said it couldn’t wait.” So did she say oh god because of the orgasm or did he say it because of the interruption?

  Storm climbed out of the tub and walked over to another screen. One she hadn’t noticed before this. Weren’t they also security cameras? Then she realized she was going to be seen by the council. There were only two choices, either sink as low as possible so the cameras wouldn’t pick her up or get out before they were on the screen. She opted for scrambling out.

  The only piece of clothing she could find to wear was Storm’s shirt so she slipped it on. Then she found the towels.

  She tried to stay out of view as she toweled off but it was not to be.

  Although they spoke Vespian and she didn’t understand the language she did get the implications when Storm came over and brought her to the screen.

  What now?

  ****

  “Is that your mate?”

  “Who else would I be with?” Storm wanted to reach through the screen and throttle the elder smiling at him.

  “There’s a whole planet of women there. Just because you have to mate with her doesn’t mean you have to have anything to do with her.” She seemed pleased to see him with Heather.

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Can she understand us?”

  “No, Ma’am. I haven’t been given clearance to add our language to her universal translator.”

  “You have it now. Please make sure it is in place before we arrive.” She shifted in her seat. “She sure is a pretty little thing and from the looks of things you wasted no time in enjoying her company.”

  “Yes Ma’am.” He put his arm around her. It was not the smartest thing he could have done because of what the elder might read into it, but he felt a need to show his protection. He wasn’t happy about the focus this elder was g
iving to Heather. It normally meant she wanted something.

  “You received the dress?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Good. And your family crest?”

  “It’s safe at home.” Why did they want the family crest?

  “It should have been in the box with the dress. We wish her to wear it.”

  “Can I ask why? There have now been two incidents. Do you not feel she is wearing a big enough target already?”

  “I am aware of what has happened there. This time we will have all our security to protect her. If it happens again then we will have to assume it’s someone from our people and take the proper measures.” The elder stopped talking for a moment while an aid whispered in her ear. “If it is someone from her planet then it should stop once we have her in our custody.” He hoped so. It was bad enough he always had to be aware of assassination attempts. Having to worry about attempts on her life too would compound the problem.

  Chapter 5

  Once the screen went blank he turned to Heather. She stood there wearing his shirt, trying to be patient but wondering what she was supposed to do now. Even new to the Vespian way, she knew to expect something.

  “It seems we missed something in the package.” He headed back into the room. Gown and box had been removed. Storm walked to the doors and pulled them open. “Bring me the person who removed the box.” They started scurrying around which helped his anger abate a bit.

  Heather must have walked up behind him because he found her tugging at his arm. “Bit grumpy, are we?”

  “Not with you.” He looked at the way the material wrapped around her frame, giving him little peeks of a thigh or a breast from time to time. His body hardened. “I do like this look for you.”

  “I can tell.”

  He grabbed her and pulled her up against him and rubbed himself against her. “Then you know you need to fix this.” Then someone cleared their throat.

  “Understand you were bellowing earlier.” His sister stood in front of them, grinning from ear to ear. Taking in everything. “I have the crest. I wouldn’t dare leave it in a box to be accidently thrown away.”

  “What? Are you listening in on my conversations with the elders?” He spoke to her in Vespian, probably the last time he would be able to. If she was listening in then she knew Heather’s translator needed to be upgraded and that would be her job.