He closed his eyes and prayed for a quick end.
"I’m so very, very sorry," he said thickly, but kept his hands to his sides. This was Isa’s show, and he’d be damned if he’d do anything to interrupt her now.
Her hand fisted around his cock and he groaned her name.
"Now I’m going to give you what you really deserve," she said and began pumping his shaft.
Chapter Twelve
Isa felt heady with power when Catam’s head rolled back on his neck and his body trembled. She quickened and slowed her pace around his cock, wanting to bring him to the edge without letting him go over.
As much as she’d already come, she wanted him again. Teasing Catam made her wet with desire, and she wanted him out of control and insane with lust. She wanted power over him, as he’d wielded the power to hurt her with his thoughtless words earlier.
She suddenly let go of his shaft and circled to his front. He panted like an animal and she smiled, a feline grin that made him swear.
"Tell me what you want," she whispered and lowered to her knees. "Tell me exactly what you want."
Catam’s hands were clenched so tightly she thought he’d leave marks in his palms.
"Isa," he stopped and shook when her tongue licked the side of his shaft.
"Isa what?" She blew on the head of his cock and licked the fluid that sobbed to be released.
"Suck me, Isa," he breathed, his golden eyes glowing as they glittered at her. "Take me in your mouth. Swallow me, love, swallow all of me."
She opened her mouth and took him in an inch at a time. His knees shook and she sucked him, hard. He shouted and thrust, unable to stop himself. And she sucked harder.
She swiftly created a rhythm that brought him closer to relief, and then she grazed his velvet sack with her hands.
"Isa, love, I’m going to come," he groaned as she cupped him.
She increased her rhythm and continued to caress him. His thrusts grew stronger and she let him pulse, needing him to come. She wanted him to be as powerless in her hands as she was in his.
"Sweet," he whispered on a strangled moan before he shot into her. His cum slid down her throat like honeyed cream, thick and rich. He pulsed and pulsed, his hands clenching her shoulders for support when he began to tremble.
Finally spent, he eased down beside her on his knees and took her in his arms. He hugged her to him as if he’d never let her go, and something shifted inside of her.
The hurt and the self-doubt disappeared. She had brought Catam, a legendary lover, to his knees. She had done this. And he had reveled in it. By all rights she should have been imprisoned, and he had risked everything to help her.
She hugged him back and closed her eyes, basking in his warmth. She could taste him, salty sweet, all man and yet more than that.
"It’ll all work out, love," he whispered against her hair. "You’ll see."
How long they remained like that she couldn’t say, but it took an intercom warning to break them apart.
"Fifteen minutes to Tekar."
"Already?" she asked in astonishment.
"Unfortunately so." He sighed and patted her on the butt. "You’d better get dressed unless you want the crew seeing you like that." He frowned and she knew the thought disturbed him.
A ball of pleasure warmed her belly at the thought that Catam might feel jealousy over her. As she dressed, she mulled over what his jealousy might mean.
"Isa?" He spoke her name with a tenderness that had her blinking to see if it was real. "Thank you, love." He took her limp hand and kissed her palm. "I owe you more than you know."
"What--"
"Catam and Isa to the boarding platform. Now," Mara’s voice commanded through the overhead speaker.
He kissed Isa quickly and once they both dressed, pulled her after him to the second deck of the ship, to the boarding platform.
"I found Cheltam and he’s willing to meet with us. I get the feeling he doesn’t exactly like Harron."
"Not many do," Isa admitted, adding her name to the list.
Lurin and Mara joined them on the platform.
"Good luck," Lurin said as he shook Catam’s hand. He grabbed Isa’s hand in his and heat burned at the contact.
"Although I don’t think you’re going to need it," he said to Catam through a wide grin.
Catam nodded. "Thank you. I’m borrowing a com unit so I can contact Sernal tomorrow."
"Thank the Stars," Mara muttered.
"He won’t bother you again."
"Yeah, well, it might not be a bad idea to keep us in the loop too," Lurin offered. "Just in case you need any help."
Catam opened his mouth in protest, Isa was sure. The man had an aversion to receiving assistance. "We will," she said firmly and nudged Catam to answer in kind.
"We will," he said quickly.
She contained a grin, pleased that he still seemed willing to do anything to stay on her good side.
Mara gave her a conspiratorial wink and stepped back with Lurin when the ship landed.
The outer hull opened to allow their exit, and they left armed with two phasers, a com unit, and a small bag of provisions to see them through the next few days. Flor willing, they’d only need to get through tomorrow. With luck, Cheltam would show them just how to beat Harron at his own game.
* * * *
Qalteh’s was a surprise. Isa had assumed the gaming club would be much like the filthy bar where she’d met Feltang in Shathra. Qalteh’s, however, was anything but.
The premier gaming establishment in Tekar, and in the entire northern province, according to ads surrounding the town, Qalteh’s catered to a higher clientele. Isa noted a few statesmen mingling with the high and middle classes, all with avarice gleaming in their eyes.
Highborn or not, those in Qalteh’s came for serious gambling or serious pleasure. Like the bar in Shathra, open fornication surrounded the gaming tables. Pleasurers by the dozen loitered near high-stakes tables offering solace to the losers bent on drinking themselves into oblivion.
Unlike the bar in Shathra, however, these pleasurers were handsome creatures, and watching them perform was akin to watching art.
Isa couldn’t help staring at two male pleasurers servicing a fashionably half-dressed woman.
"You don’t need two when you have me," Catam growled in her ear.
"I’m just surprised at the quality here. I didn’t expect as much."
"I know." He nodded and looked around them. "This place sits in the slumpits of Tekar. Only the invited are allowed entry, and only if they pay the required fee."
She glanced up at him in surprise.
"Cheltam was interested when I mentioned Harron," he explained, "so he arranged for us to enter on his tab."
"How much are we talking here?" she asked uneasily. Catam might not understand the rules of the "underground," but she knew accepting favor from someone meant having to return it later at a much higher price.
"Don’t worry. Cheltam owes me more than just one lousy entrance fee."
She wondered at his and Cheltam’s relationship when a large man with a scar running down his face approached. Catam tensed until the man bowed and asked them, politely, to follow him.
Keeping himself between Isa and their guide, Catam seemed tense as he subtly looked all around them. Isa didn’t understand the sense of threat. The club wasn’t that crowded, and those that mingled seemed far too intent on gaming and sex to even look their way.
She gave Catam an inquiring glance.
"The Ari," he said under his breath and she stilled.
She’d forgotten, or chosen to forget, that small, significant detail. How could she have dismissed a possible assassination on her life? She stared at Catam. Great sex, that’s how I forgot about it.
She didn’t relax until they reached a private table in the corner lined with drapes. From here she’d be able to put her back to the wall, facing any coming threat.
"Welcome friends," a soft voice hummed f
rom inside the drapes. The scarred man pulled back the partition to show a lone man sitting in the shadows.
"Cheltam?" Isa asked, quelling her nerves. She glanced at Catam and saw him make the oddest face.
He looked stunned, completely shocked at Cheltam’s presence. Then he caught her staring at him and muttered, "No one else could command this corner save our enterprising host." His tone grim, Catam answered with a warning glance at the man patiently waiting. Then he reluctantly sat across from Cheltam and nodded for Isa to do the same.
Isa sat and the scarred man left them, dropping the drapes to surround the small table. A lone candle’s flicker lent the small alcove a cozy feel, and had Cheltam not been present, she might have enjoyed the intimate setting with Catam.
"So, we meet at last," the informant whispered, the sound like the patter of raindrops on glass. "Isa Araye, in the flesh."
Isa studied the man, surprised at what she found. He sat straight and tall, his dark brown hair cut to his shoulders and tied in a fastidious sweep at the base of his neck. Amber eyes studied her with a keen intelligence as he tapped a graceful, long-fingered hand on the table.
"So you’re Cheltam. Feltang mentioned you, and you’re not what I expected," she said bluntly.
"I’m sure you expected someone as filthy and nervous as Feltang," Cheltam responded with dry humor. "I hope you’re not disappointed."
"She’s not," Catam interrupted. "We’re here to talk about Harron."
Isa felt Catam’s hand under the table curl around her thigh and she swallowed audibly. Heat flared where he touched her, and the possession in his grip thrilled her. She had to focus on Cheltam to control her desire, and she felt a flush darken her cheeks when she saw Cheltam’s knowing grin.
"Harron, hmm," Cheltam paused. A decanter of purple liquid suddenly appeared in the center of the table surrounded by three glasses.
"Cheltam," Catam warned.
"Hold a minute, Mardu." The inflection in the informant’s voice didn’t change, but she could tell Catam had irritated him. "In celebration of Harron’s certain and unavoidable demise, I ordered Chelfont 2040." He nodded to the purple liquid.
"You have expensive tastes," Isa murmured.
"But I so deserve it."
Catam sighed and squeezed Isa’s thigh. "First you drink it, then I will."
Cheltam muttered something under his breath but he took a sip before pouring Catam a glass. After Catam swished the liquid in his mouth, he nodded and released her leg.
Cheltam poured Isa a glass. "See? It’s vintage wine, something even you can appreciate, Mardu."
Catam rolled his eyes at the veiled insult and Isa chuckled. There was something about Cheltam she liked, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.
"Now tell me about Harron," Cheltam said softly.
Isa explained her job for Harron, leaving out nothing in the details concerning Daarna or Arnath. The informant listened in silence.
"Well?" Catam said to dispel the quiet. "What do you know?"
Cheltam finished his wine, refusing to be hurried. His arrogance spoke volumes and Isa wished she felt as easy.
"We don’t have all day," Catam growled.
Isa glared at him. They couldn’t afford to scare Cheltam off, not at this point.
"How do you put up with him, my dear?" Cheltam sighed and pushed away his now empty glass. "Very well. Harron has been working for Daarna Klin for the past five years. Statesman Klin was in office for eight years, and the last five were spent keeping his wife in line."
"So he did know about her affairs," Catam said, as if confirming what he already knew.
Cheltam nodded. "But he didn’t know this past year she had an ongoing affair with his fiercest rival, Arnath Bedenzi."
"That makes sense," Isa said. "But where does Harron come in?" She didn’t understand. Klin had been wealthy, so Daarna shouldn’t have wanted for anything. Why steal from her husband? And why use Harron to pawn her own goods?
"At first Daarna stole from her husband to finance her gambling habit. That’s how she met Arnath in the first place," Cheltam explained.
"He was blackmailing her?" Catam toyed with his glass. "That sounds like his style."
"Yes," Cheltam agreed. "She began pawning her jewelry and antiques to finance Arnath’s campaign against her husband. Apparently once he won Klin’s seat, Daarna would be off the hook."
"She isn’t," Isa said with a frown.
"Ah, but that’s because she has him right where she wants him." Cheltam smiled. "It was her idea to use Harron in the first place. He came up with your name, Isa, because you refused to work with him on so many other jobs. Why did you concede this time?"
Isa shook her head. "I wasn’t thinking straight." No, Teve had dumped her and she’d desperately needed to escape.
Catam frowned. "You sure as hell weren’t." She glared at him and he coughed. "I mean, it’s too bad about the whole situation."
Cheltam stared at him strangely before continuing. "Yes, well, in any case, Daarna decided to murder her husband, steal his wealth, and place the blame on a thief from Aran. The blade used to stab Klin was Voranian. Arnath’s father made it, and Harron just happens to have it in his private safe."
"How do you know this?" Isa asked, amazed at what Cheltam knew.
He shrugged. "Information is my game. It’s what I do." He acted nonchalant, but she could see him preening.
Catam saw it too, for he muttered, "Peacock."
"All I need to do then, is steal it back from Harron and we’ve got the evidence to support my story."
Catam looked thoughtful. "It seems almost too easy."
"It is." Cheltam smiled, and his affability faded under a predatory grin. "It so happens I acquired the knife from Harron. You can have it, for a price."
Catam stilled, menace filling his frame. His eyes glowed and Isa wanted to warn Cheltam to tread carefully. Catam would only be pushed so far.
"You owe me," Catam reminded him through clenched teeth.
"I think not. I don’t owe you a thing," Cheltam answered calmly.
"Damn it, you--"
Isa cut off Catam’s roar by "accidentally" spilling wine on his lap. He looked shocked and had she not been so desperate to salvage the situation, she would have laughed.
"Look, Cheltam, I need that knife. Just tell us what you want."
Cheltam’s gaze remained on Catam when he answered in a cool voice, "I want you, Isa. Just you."
Chapter Thirteen
"You bastard," Catam said and lunged over the table.
Cheltam surprised them all, dodging the attack and pinning Catam to the wall with one hand on his throat and another holding a phaser.
"Don’t move, my dear," he said quietly, "or I’ll put your lover to sleep for a long, long time."
Isa stopped in her tracks, just a foot away from smashing Cheltam in the head with the carafe.
"Put it down," he said without looking at her.
She placed the glass decanter on the table and stared angrily at the back of his head, wishing him to hell.
"That’s right, everyone calm down." Cheltam released Catam who snarled angrily. The informant wisely kept his phaser sighted on Catam’s chest. "Both of you sit back down and listen.
"I want Isa, and I want her to accompany me, tonight, back to my home. If she’s as good as I imagine," he said, his eyes blazing with a sudden heat, "I’ll give her the knife and a thank you."
Isa’s jaw dropped. She’d never before had anyone blackmail her for ... sex? Maybe Catam had done something to her that made her seem sexy to the male species. Her sisters had men fall all over themselves for their attention. But not Isa. Not until Catam, and now apparently Cheltam.
"Let me get this straight," she said for clarification. "You want me to go home with you and have sex with you. That’s what you want in exchange for the knife?"
Cheltam grinned, and for the first time Isa noted how handsome he was. He shouldn’t need blackmail to g
et a woman. Why this, and why her?
"Cheltam," Catam growled, "this is the most asinine thing--"
"I figure this way I’ll be enjoying Isa while you deal with the Ari on her head. This is as good a place as any to start searching."
His words doused Catam’s anger and made Isa puzzle with worry. Cheltam knew about the Ari? If she indeed had an Ari over her, the smart thing would be to avoid her, not bring her home. What was Cheltam thinking? Then again, as she’d often heard said, men tended to think with their cocks or not at all. It seemed Cheltam wasn’t as intelligent as she’d originally thought.
Catam cleared his throat. "Okay."
Isa turned an incredulous gaze on him. "Okay?"
He looked uncomfortable as he avoided her glare. He did, however, radiate frustrated anger as he cursed Cheltam. "When this is over, I’m going to peel your lips from your face, you piece of drun."
"Okay?" Isa repeated, in shock.
"Cheltam, give us some privacy, if you can manage that, you back-stabbing bastard."
Cheltam nodded and stood, ever calm, ever polite. "Of course. I’ll wait by the bar. Drekk, the man with the scar, will escort you to my conveyance when you’re ready to leave," he said with a bow to Isa.
The minute he departed, Isa turned to Catam in a rage. "Okay? As if you have any right to turn me over to him! There’s no way I’m going to have sex with Cheltam to get that knife back! Hell, give me a few hours and I’ll steal it from him."
"Isa, calm down. I have to take care of the Ari. Much as you don’t want to admit, until the Ari disappears, your life is forfeit. And I can’t defeat them if you’re with me, distracting me."
"But to have sex with Cheltam?"
"You will not fuck Cheltam," he said evenly, spacing out each word. "Stall him, lead him on, whatever, just keep him busy ’til I join you again. Despite that he’s an ass, he won’t hurt you. He won’t force himself on you ... unless you want him to."
His gaze held a touch of hurt, as if he’d seen her attraction to Cheltam, and she blushed.
"He’s an attractive man. Excuse me for noticing. But I’m no way in hell going to have sex with him!"
The Thief of Mardu Page 11