At the end of the room were several doors that led to what looked like more private spaces. She was grateful that Allik had chosen one of those little rooms. Although there wasn’t anyone else there, that could change at any moment. Imagining what it would be like to be punished alongside other women, moaning and writhing as their mates disciplined them, made her shudder. It wasn’t something she was ready to face yet. Whatever Allik had in store for her, she was glad not to have the added humiliation of enduring it in front of an audience.
She entered room number three and found Allik standing waiting, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. He was leaning casually against the wall, but there was nothing relaxed about the look in his eyes. They were burning with desire as they raked over her naked form. The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down her spine. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to being looked at with such primal need.
Her eyes reluctantly moved away from him, toward the object in the center of the room. It was a spanking bench like the one he’d used on the transport ship but there were no obvious attachments for a person to be bound to. There were several metal disks along the legs of the bench and Victoria wondered what their purpose was.
On a table next to Allik were several ominous-looking items. Victoria shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she contemplated their use. Allik seemed to read her mind and stepped forward.
“Blindfold,” he said, pointing to a broad strip of red leather, “to deprive you of your sight, earphones to cancel out sound, arousal cream to keep you on edge, bindings to hold you in place, and a rattan cane. I’m sure I do not need to tell you what that’s for.”
Victoria swallowed hard as she imagined how badly that thing would sting. She felt the patter of her heartbeat accelerate as Allik picked up two thick leather cuffs with metal fastenings.
“Hold out your hands,” Allik instructed.
Victoria did as she was told and he fastened a cuff tightly around each of her wrists. He brought the shackles together and activated the powerful magnets embedded in the metal buckles. There was no way for her to move her hands apart.
“Okay?” Allik asked.
Victoria nodded her head and flinched at the stern look he gave to remind her that he preferred verbal responses.
“Yes, Allik, I’m okay.”
He nodded and knelt to put a leather cuff around each of her ankles. Suddenly the reason why there were metal disks on the legs of the spanking bench became abundantly clear as Allik positioned her in front of it. Once the magnets were switched on, she would be bound in place as surely as if he had actually chained her to the bench.
Allik picked up the blindfold and placed it over her eyes, shutting out all light. Victoria imagined that the deep red would look very pretty against her pale skin and dark hair. The murmur of approval he gave certainly suggested that it did. As he fastened it tightly, Victoria blew out a breath. This was already becoming seriously intense. Goosebumps formed on her flesh.
She heard movement and then gasped as she suddenly felt Allik’s arm wrapping around her waist. He pulled her back against his firm chest. She could feel the warmth of his flesh even through his shirt. Her skin prickled in anticipation as his fingers probed the delicate flesh between her legs. She sighed heavily as his touch fired up the need in her. There was something cold on his fingers. It must be the arousal cream he’d mentioned. As soon as he rubbed it on her clitoris, she felt the little bundle of nerves begin to tingle.
“You will not come,” Allik commanded. “If you do, I will begin the punishment again.”
Victoria groaned. The wickedly arousing cream was already taking effect and there was no way she was going to be able to hold off an orgasm.
“I am leaving this in.” Allik tapped on the base of the butt plug and made her groan as the vibration spread through her. “You will also be deprived of your hearing. Being without two of your senses will force you to focus on other sensations. As a kindness, I will not gag you so you may scream and beg as much as you wish.”
A kindness? Victoria pursed her lips, knowing that he would get off on hearing her pleading for mercy, to be allowed to come. He barked out a laugh as she glowered at him.
“You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” he told her.
Victoria didn’t have the chance to retort as he began to maneuver her into position. Allik raised her arms above her head and then pushed her down, so her upper body lay across the top of the bench. The height of the apparatus forced her up onto her tiptoes. Arms stretched out above her head, her breasts were pressed flat against the cool leather padding of the bench. There was a clicking sound and she found she could not raise her hands or move her feet. Magnetic forces were clearly at play once more. A thick band of a padded fabric was wrapped around her middle, securing her to the bench and rendering her almost completely immobile. She tried to move but there was only the tiniest amount of room to wriggle. Held in place as she was, this suddenly all felt very real.
“I’m scared.” The tremble in her voice confirmed it.
“I know,” Allik replied. “This will hurt, but no real harm will come to you. Do you trust me to look after you?”
She replied without hesitation. “Yes, Allik.”
“Good girl.” She could hear the approval in his voice. “Now, I’m going to put the earphones on.”
Victoria felt him place something soft and padded over her ears. Suddenly all sound was muted. All she could hear was the blood rushing frantically around her own head. It was disconcerting.
“Allik,” she cried out in panic.
A gentle hand ran up and down the length of her back, soothing her. She breathed deeply to calm herself. When she was more composed, Allik stepped away. Painfully aware of the pulsing between her legs, she waited for the cane to fall. She suddenly realized that Allik had not warned her how many strikes to expect. She would just have to bear it as best she could and trust that Allik would know when she had reached the limits of her endurance.
When the cane struck for the first time, landing across the fleshiest part of her slender bottom, she screamed loudly. Like a lightning strike, furious heat spread through her bottom. Every nerve prickled and she couldn’t prevent herself from tensing. Her bottom clamped down around the large silicone plug. Her pussy throbbed and she had to breathe deeply to prevent herself from coming.
Feeling a hand on her lower back, she realized that she had to relax. That was just the beginning. She wiggled as much as she was able, to loosen the muscles. Then the next stroke fell. Again, she screamed. This was pure hell. Unable to see or hear anything only served to intensify the stinging sensations.
“Please, Allik, I’m sorry,” she yelled.
The cane cut across her bottom once more and she knew it would leave a glaring red line. She panted as the sting ignited a fire inside her. Moisture flowed to her pussy and she felt her muscles clamping down on thin air. Before she had a chance to breathe, the cane fell again. She squealed loudly as pain rippled out across her tender flesh. The butt plug pressed deep inside her and the cream made her clitoris swell. She shifted a little, trying desperately to rub against the bench. In that moment, she didn’t give a damn about the punishment being repeated. She had to relieve the agony somehow. She was standing on the edge of a precipice.
Victoria panted and moaned, writhing on the bench as she chased a woefully elusive climax. Although she was painfully aroused, she couldn’t quite get to where she needed to be. Her body wanted to take its pleasure but her mind warned her to hold off. The bite of the cane was worse than anything she’d experienced before and she could not risk prolonging the ordeal.
Pain seared her flesh as the cane struck once more.
“Stop!” she cried out. “Please, Allik, I can’t take this.”
Twice more, the cane struck, hitting the tops of her thighs. Victoria felt the first spasms gripping her womb and fought hard for control. She breathed deeply, somehow managing to ho
ld back the flood. Words tumbled from her mouth as she begged Allik to relieve her misery.
“I need to come,” she wailed. “Please, Allik. Please, I’m begging you.”
It was awful not being able to see or hear him, not knowing whether he was responding to her pleas in any way.
Suddenly she felt his fingers between her legs. With one hand, he fondled her pussy. With the other he removed the coverings from her ears and leaned in to whisper to her, “Come for me, Vicky.”
It was the first time he had called her by that name and it did funny things to her. As his fingers pushed into her soaking wet cunt, she flew over the edge. Convulsing helplessly, she strained against her bonds. Leather cut into her skin, but she didn’t care. With a cry of pure ecstasy, she came, releasing a gush of moisture over Allik’s probing fingers.
Suddenly, she was released from her bondage. The strap was removed from her waist and the magnets all deactivated at once. If Allik had not been there holding her, she might have slid to the floor. Her limbs felt useless. Supporting her weight, Allik pulled her hips back toward her and slammed his thick, hard cock into her welcoming depths. With the plug filling her bottom, the pressure was immense. It was the most delicious pain she’d ever felt.
As Allik thrust furiously inside her, his balls slapping against the painfully inflamed skin of her bottom, Victoria squirmed beneath him. Still unable to see with the blindfold covering her eyes, she felt every sensation more acutely. The sound of her own harsh breathing seemed to fill the air.
Victoria felt Allik taking hold of the base of the butt plug. Without warning, he pulled it from her body as he drove his cock deep into her pussy, which clamped down on him immediately. Crying out in a confusion of agony and ecstasy, Victoria slumped against the bench. Her body jerked helplessly as Allik roared out his own release and fell to the floor, bringing her down with him.
The blindfold was removed from her eyes and suddenly everything seemed impossibly bright. Allik teased the hair back from her face and pressed a kiss against her neck.
“Come on,” he said, scooping her quivering body up into his arms. “You look exhausted.”
Chapter Seventeen
Victoria got out of bed and padded, barefoot, over to the window. Her bottom was still a little tender. When they’d got back to the apartment, Allik had applied a soothing ointment to calm the redness and minimize the bruising. He had handled her with such tenderness after punishing her so harshly that her emotions had become all mixed up. She’d started to cry like a baby, eventually sobbing herself to sleep in the comforting embrace of his arms.
She looked out into the street. The endless rows of buildings that greeted her made her heart sink. She much preferred the view of the country that the other side of the apartment offered. The city might be clean and modern, but she found it just a little soulless. Everything was white and glistening and she longed for something with more character. She was, to her surprise, homesick for the brick-fronted terraces of New Cambridge.
She turned from the window and looked at the empty bed that dominated the space. It came as no surprise to Victoria that Allik had not been in bed with her when she awoke. She knew that he rose each night and slipped out, doing his best not to disturb her. In return, she pretended that she was still sleeping soundly so he wouldn’t realize he’d woken her. She wasn’t too concerned about what he was up to, as she always heard him moving about in the living room. It wasn’t as though he was disappearing to find some other women to entertain him while she slept. She did wonder, though, about the cause of his restlessness.
Not bothering to cover her nakedness, she headed through to the living room. This was the first time she had actually sought him out and, as she entered the room, he looked up at her in surprise. As she walked over to where he sat, on the floor by the window, she noticed he had a piece of paper next to him and a pencil in his hand.
“You’ve been drawing,” she remarked.
It was a rather facile observation. Allik nodded warily as though he’d been caught in pursuit of some forbidden pleasure.
“May I see?” She held her hand out expectantly.
For a moment, she thought he was going to deny her. He looked from her to the picture and back again. Then he shrugged his shoulders and passed the piece of paper to her. Victoria stared at the image in front of her. An exact likeness of her face looked back. There was a melancholy air about it, something in the eyes and she wondered if Allik thought she was unhappy. Certainly, she had some yearning to see her home again, but she was not miserable here. If he thought that she was sad, then it was her fault for not letting him know how grateful she was to be with him.
“You never told me you had such incredible talent,” she said eventually. Drawing with a delicate hand, capturing minute detail, was not something she’d have expected of a brawny Taar-Breckian warrior.
Allik arched a brow as a wry smile twisted his lips. “During which of our heartfelt conversations did you expect me to mention it?” he replied.
He had a point, she supposed. They really didn’t do much talking. Their life together so far had revolved around fucking. There was, of course, also a little domestic discipline thrown in for good measure. She was reminded of that as she sat down next to him, her bottom smarting as it hit the cold tiled floor. But, as far as conversation went, it tended not to delve into anything very deep.
“It’s a very beautiful drawing,” Victoria remarked to fill the silence that had descended.
“I draw what I see.”
Victoria blushed as his eyes burned into her. She was used to receiving compliments about the way she looked but somehow when Allik remarked on her beauty, it was different. It made her feel like the most desirable woman in the universe.
“Do you do this every night?” she asked.
“More or less,” Allik replied.
“Because you can’t sleep?”
Allik gave a reluctant shrug of his shoulders. Victoria knew he wouldn’t want to analyze the reasons for his insomnia, but she persisted anyway.
“Something weighs on your mind.” It was a statement rather than a question.
“Perhaps.”
His admission gave Victoria hope that she might actually be able to learn more about him at last.
“Do you dream about what happened to you,” she asked, “when you were held prisoner by the Bylanthians?”
Allik fixed her with a forbidding glare but she stood her ground. She met his eyes and refused to let him intimidate her into looking away. To her surprise, he gave way first.
“When I close my eyes, I recall things that are unpleasant,” he admitted.
“You think about how you got those scars?” Victoria asked.
“I know you are curious, but I am not going to tell you about that, Victoria.” His tone was weary rather than impatient. “Such things are ugly and should not be dwelt upon.”
“But you do dwell on it,” Victoria argued. “If it stops you sleeping…”
Her voice trailed off as she felt the tension radiating from him. She reached out and took his hand, lacing her fingers through his. For a moment, he said nothing and then he let out a huge sigh. “Most of the scars are from when I crashed my fighter out on the plains of Antarrak.”
Victoria had no idea where that was, but didn’t intend to interrupt him to ask for details when he was finally opening up to her.
“The enemy pulled me from the wreckage but left the wounds to fester. That is why the scarring is so severe. Usually we heal well if there is swift medical intervention.”
He paused and Victoria squeezed his hand to offer encouragement.
“I was held without food, water, or medical care for several days. You do not need to hear about their methods of interrogation but they were harsh.”
“And you told them nothing?” Victoria asked.
The look Allik shot her told her in no uncertain terms that he had revealed nothing to the enemy. She felt a surge of pride, knowing tha
t he had withstood horrors he would not speak of in order to preserve the safety of his people.
“Men from my squadron rescued me at great risk to themselves. They brought me to Kyree and she did what she could for me.”
“Thank heavens for Kyree,” Victoria said.
“She did her best,” Allik said. “I doubt anyone could have done more.”
He looked downcast as he raised a hand to his cheek and ran it over his scars.
“You know, it’s not nearly as bad as you think,” Victoria said. She could see the disbelief in his eyes and finally understood just how much the scarring affected him. As she thought about it, she realized something. He had only ever taken her from behind. She’d thought it was the Taar-Breckian way but now she wondered if there was more to it. “Is that why you’ve never made love to me?”
Allik looked puzzled. “I make love to you all the time.”
“No, you don’t,” Victoria argued. “You fuck me, hard and fast and never face to face.”
Now that she thought about it, he hardly ever kissed her either. It was as though it was too intimate an act for him to contemplate. She had thought it was because he lacked commitment to her that he didn’t want to display affection but now she realized it was because he was afraid she would find him repulsive.
“I thought you liked it when I fucked you.” Allik’s tone was defensive.
“I do,” Victoria replied. “I love it, but I’ve never experienced anything gentler.”
“Never? The man who took your virginity was not gentle?”
Victoria looked down at the floor and shook her head.
“He hurt you?” Allik leapt to his feet. He looked angry, as though he was ready to travel back to Earth to seek out the man who’d taken her virginity. No doubt he wanted to tear him limb from limb.
Victoria got to her feet and laid a restraining hand on his arm. “He wasn’t rough,” she replied. “Just a little unrefined. I don’t think he knew what he was doing. Neither of us did.”
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