by Ivy Barrett
Mal Ton pulled his fingers out of her body and inhaled her tantalizing scent. “You’re right. It’s just that she has tormented me for so long.”
“You’re both here now. That’s an important first step.” He moved in front of Lorelle and raised her face. “I know you enjoy fucking him. Is lust all you feel when he’s inside you?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Her lashes swept down, hiding her expression. “He’ll leave me. They always do. He’ll get tired of the novelty and…”
“I understand.”
The vulnerability in her tone tugged at Mal Ton’s heart. Even knowing she was only acting, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and assure her he would never leave. He gave himself a firm mental shake. This conflict was meant to distract Amadi. Mal Ton didn’t sense mutant energy radiating from the younger man, but there was a slim possibility his mental shields were impenetrable.
Mal Ton folded his arms over his chest and immersed himself in his role. “Does dishonesty warrant punishment?”
Amadi dragged his gaze away from Lorelle and asked, “Is she being dishonest?”
“She’s a cock tease. She makes men so hot they’ll kill each other for one night in her bed. But her partners don’t leave her. She leaves them.”
“Let’s continue this conversation on the ship. I really do need to get going.”
Amadi unfastened Lorelle’s ankles and draped a long, hooded cloak around her shoulders while Mal Ton finished dressing. As they made their way to the rooftop shuttle lot, Mal Ton opened his mind to Fane. Rather than risking a lengthy explanation, he allowed Fane to scan his consciousness. A driving sense of purpose inundated Mal Ton’s empathic receptors a moment later. Fane understood the plan and was anxious to act.
The shuttle was largely automated. After a quick departure check, Amadi entered their destination into the navigation computer and turned to face his guests.
“How long will it take to reach this other location?” Mal Ton didn’t have to feign impatience. He’d had enough of Amadi’s superiority. This little bastard likely knew who Max was and his current location. Mal Ton wanted to release his shift and shake Amadi until the answers came tumbling out.
“We have plenty of time to explore the source of your frustration.” Amadi folded his hands in his lap and crossed his legs. “How long have you two been a couple?”
Ignoring the question, Mal Ton said, “I thought you were going to teach us how to have better sex, not psychoanalyze us.”
Lorelle sat beside Mal Ton, holding the cloak together with both hands. Her expression gave nothing away, but anxiety pulsed beneath her calm exterior. If you keep him talking maybe we won’t have to perform anymore.
Lust blasted Mal Ton every time Amadi looked at Lorelle, so he suspected the trainer would find another reason for her to ‘perform.’ I won’t let him touch you. Even if I have to end this charade early, he’s not touching you.
“I’m just trying to understand the dynamics of your relationship,” the trainer persisted. “True intimacy begins in the mind. If you have unresolved issues between you, your sex life will suffer.”
“We both have complicated pasts,” Lorelle said. “One of the things I like most about him is his willingness to leave it alone. I’m with him now and nothing else matters.”
“Nothing else matters as long as we both make different choices. If we don’t learn from our mistakes nothing will ever change.”
“Very true.” Amadi’s gaze settled on Lorelle and he slowly licked his lips. “Are you ready to share yourself with only one man?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to make this work. But it’s harder than I thought it would be. What he said is partly true. I end relationships as soon as I sense a man’s interest starting to wane. But I only do so to make it easier on myself. I’ve been fucked and disregarded more times than you can imagine. Men only want one thing from me.”
“I want more than your amazing body.” Mal Ton reached over and took her hand. “I enjoy spending time with you and hearing you laugh. Even our arguments are invigorating as long as we don’t allow them to go too far.”
She squeezed his fingers and tenderness rushed across their private link. “I want to believe that so badly.”
Amadi glanced at the control console before offering them his attention again. “I’d planned another demonstration in punishment, but I think something different might be more beneficial.”
“Can’t we do both?” Mal Ton grinned as lust pulsed through his body. “I can’t stop picturing her over my lap instead of restrained as she was before.”
“Let’s compromise.” The trainer’s gaze shifted to Lorelle, then narrowed. “You said you would obey. It’s time for the first demonstration of your willingness. Take off the cloak and bend over your lover’s lap. Offer him your ass. Submit to his discipline.”
She scooted to the edge of the seat, then stopped. “Why am I being punished? He’s the one who lost his temper.”
“Very true, and there will be a consequence. But you provoked him. This spanking is for your hurtful words.”
Mal Ton felt smoldering need and anticipation coming from Lorelle or he never would have suggested this. The only thing that would have made it perfect was if they weren’t pretending. “You need this.” His gaze locked with hers. “You’re just not ready to admit it yet.”
She looked as if she’d argue, but then she angrily unfastened the cloak and tossed it onto her chair. The beauty of her naked body drove the breath from his lungs, and it no longer mattered that they had an audience. She bent forward and he guided her down. Her knees bent, but her feet could still touch the deck. Her breasts flattened against one of his thighs and his other supported her hips. And her ass, still faintly pink from before, was presented at the perfect angle for punishment.
“This is a gift,” Amadi reminded him. “She is offering you her trust.”
“Then I want her to come this time.”
Amadi’s head dipped. “That is your right.”
Mal Ton raised his hand and spanked her soft ass, loving the faint movement of her supple flesh as his palm made contact. She gasped and wiggled. He splayed his free hand between her shoulder blades. “Lie still. Accept it.”
She tensed with the next two spanks, but clearly tried to obey. Heat and color rose as her body processed the impact, blossoming beneath his firm touch. “Open your legs. I want feel how wet you’ve gotten.” He could smell her arousal and fell her escalating need, but he wanted to touch her, needed to see how quickly she’d obey.
Her legs moved apart, but not nearly as wide as he wanted them. “More. Offer me your pussy.”
With a little whimper, she moved her legs as far apart as she could in the awkward position. He switched hands, spanking her with his right while his left moved to accept her offering. She was wet and hot, as he knew she would be. Her core fluttered around his fingers as he pushed inside.
He spanked one side and then the other, still filling her with his fingers. “Come for me, love. Come now.”
His husky command combined with two more swats sent her over the edge. She cried out and shuddered, her inner muscles contracting again and again.
Oh, God, how I needed that. Even in his mind her thought sounded breathless and replete. The admission sent joy surging through him, unexpected and intense. He poured energy into his mental shields, concerned that his feelings would give them away.
“Now it’s time for his punishment.”
Mal Ton’s gaze snapped back to Amadi. He’d basically forgotten the other man was there. “What punishment?”
“For losing your temper.”
Lorelle rocked back onto her knees and placed her hands on his leg. She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Do I get to spank you now?”
Amadi chuckled, but Mal Ton only tensed. That sure as hell better not be what the trainer had in mind.
“I had something more pleasurable
in mind,” Amadi assured him. “I want you each to show the other how you feel about them. The point of this exercise is to heighten sensations and deepen your emotional connection. But because you lashed out at her in anger, you will not be allowed to come. At least, not now.”
Sizzling anticipation assailed Mal Ton from all sides. Despite the circumstance, Lorelle was hungry for his embrace and Amadi wanted to watch them, drawing pleasure from their uninhibited exchange.
Mal Ton pulled Lorelle to her feet, then drew her between his legs. Sliding his hands up the back of her legs, he gently cupped her hot bottom. She winced, then smiled and placed her hands on his shoulders as she bent down to kiss him. The kiss was slow and deep. Passion and affection flowed freely across their link, connecting them on a level Amadi would never understand.
“He gave you pleasure,” Amadi reminded. “Show him your appreciation.”
He wants me to suck you off. She knelt on the floor and reached for the fastenings at the front of his pants. Why do you think that is?
Watching those soft lips slide up and down my cock will make it all the easier for him to imagine himself in my place.
He can imagine all he likes. My mouth belongs to you.
Possessive pleasure surged through Mal Ton, warm and intoxicating. He pressed his hand against the side of her face and paused for another lingering kiss. And my mouth belongs to you.
Her deft fingers found his erection and drew it out. Annoyed by the confines of the bunched material, he lifted his hips and pushed his pants to his knees. She pumped him firmly as she stared into his eyes, dragging her fist from tip to root with long, curving strokes.
Amadi left the pilot’s chair, moving from position to position until he found the angle that provided the best view. She closed her lips around the flared head of Mal Ton’s cock, preventing Amadi from seeing exactly what she was doing. She swirled her tongue over the top and explored the tiny slit until Mal Ton growled and grabbed the back of her hair.
“Slide slowly.” His throaty tone brooked no refusal.
She sucked him into her mouth, her lips firm against his throbbing shaft. Heat swept through him, igniting sensations as the wave coalesced between his thighs. She drew back, her tongue seeking out the places that made his breath hitch and his head spin. Up and down, deeper and faster until his balls ached and his chest burned.
“If I don’t get to come, you better stop.”
Pausing with just his cock head in her mouth, she met his gaze. Her lips sucked and her tongue swirled, her farewell identical to her welcome. “I think the ‘thank you’ would have meant a lot more without that stipulation.”
“Perhaps.” Amadi adjusted his pants and returned to the pilot’s chair. “He won’t have long to wait for the rest. We’re almost there.”
Mal Ton refastened his pants and took several deep breaths. Lorelle picked up the cloak and swung it back onto her shoulders. She overlapped the front edges and held it closed as she returned to her seat.
You look a little flushed, sweetheart. Try to calm down.
Calm down? A sharp laugh accompanied her question. I’m ready to impale myself on your cock right now and I don’t care who sees us. God, I ache.
We’ll take care of that ache as soon as we free the others.
Shame sparked within her shimmering gaze and she blew out a ragged breath. “How many people are in each session? Will they all be couples or do some people seek out this sort of training on their own?”
“I’m not sure who’s scheduled to attend.” Amadi faced the control panel as they neared their destination. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
The shuttle lot was situated behind a drab building. There was nothing on the exterior to indicate what the building housed.
Incapacitate him as soon as he sets down, Fane instructed. Don’t let him alert the others to your arrival.
Mal Ton released the shift, rolling his shoulders as his natural shape emerged. The shuttle rocked several times then came to rest with a muffled hiss. He moved into Amadi’s peripheral vision and the trainer jerked his head toward Mal Ton. With one well-placed punch he rendered Amadi unconscious. Lorelle found the control for the hatch as he powered down the shuttle.
“I like your outfit.” Fane grinned at Lorelle as he climbed aboard. She just shook her head, refusing to rise to the bait. “It’s a simple setup. One large room flanked by three smaller rooms on each side. There are four Protarians congregated in one of the smaller rooms. Our targets are in the farthest room back on the opposite side.”
“You can sense all that?” Lorelle asked.
Fane chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint you. Our ship has scanners.”
Lorelle released her shift as well. Mal Ton found her natural shape even more desirable than her previous form, but he could let nothing distract him from the mission.
“How do we want to play this?” Mal Ton worked one of Amadi’s arms out of his sleeve as he waited for Fane to answer.
“Shift into Amadi and drag me inside,” Lorelle suggested. “We’ll tell them you took off and Amadi can insist I be locked in with the others until Max can decide what to do with me.”
“We don’t know for certain that Amadi knows about Max.” Mal Ton pulled the shirt over Amadi’s head.
“He knows.” Fane took the shirt from Mal Ton and handed it to Lorelle. “I got a peek at his mind right before you knocked him out. He was going to have the other trainers waiting for you when you walked through the door. That’s why I broke telepathic silence and warned you.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
Fane politely turned his back as Mal Ton released one side of the handcuffs. She donned the shirt and he refastened the cuffs. The shirt only came to mid-thigh and her nipples were clearly visible through the fabric. Still, it offered her some semblance of modesty. With Mal Ton’s assistance, she swung the cloak back onto her shoulders and tied the velvet cords.
“You didn’t happen to bring a pulse pistol, did you?” she asked Fane. “Even with the element of surprise on our side, the odds are still in their favor.”
“They might scan for munitions,” Fane told her. “It’s better if you get us inside. Sean will be on your heels and I’ll be in as soon as the action starts.”
“It will likely be over before you figure out another way in.” Fane didn’t argue, so Mal Ton laid his hand on Amadi’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
“Disproportionate mass complicates any shift,” Fane leaned down and whispered in her ear. “It takes more energy and a higher level of concentration for Mal Ton to reshape his body into a smaller form. The trainer is a good head shorter than Mal Ton.”
The shift passed over his body, rolling from his feet to his head in a smooth, sustained wave. His true appearance was swept away and Amadi formed in its place. No matter how many times she watched it happen, she was awed by his power.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice transforming as well.
“Absolutely. How resistant should I be?”
“How resistant would you be if Mal Ton sensed danger and took off, leaving you with Amadi?”
“You would never run from a fight.”
“They don’t know that.” Mal Ton wrapped his fingers around her forearm and led her off the shuttle. As they neared the building, she began to resist, tugging against his hold and digging in her heels as much as her bare feet allowed.
He stepped onto a square pad in front of the door, triggering a full-body scanner. Lorelle held her breath as the scanner analyzed the accuracy of Mal Ton’s shift. The door hissed open a moment later and she released her pent-up breath.
You need to try to hurt me, sweetheart, or no one is going to believe us. She kicked his thigh and jerked away violently, only to turn and swing her hands at his face. Much more like it. He caught her upper arm and shoved her into the building.
“He’ll be back for me, you depraved prick! Don’t you dare lay a hand on me.”
“If you’re so important to him, why’d he take off without you?” She swung for his face again. Mal Ton caught her around the waist and pushed her up against the wall with enough force to make her grunt. “Hit me again, you bloodthirsty bitch, and I’ll hit you back!”
Three men and a woman rushed out of the office not far from where they were standing. “What’s going on?” a tall blond man asked. “We were told you were bringing us a man and a female Gehinna.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. They both shapeshifted and the man took off as soon as I opened the hatch. He must have realized it was a trap.”
“Did you recognize him?”
“No, but they’re obviously mutants. What should we do with her?”
A dark-haired man shouldered the blond aside. “She looks human. Are you sure she shifted?”
Mal Ton rolled his eyes. “Shifting is a little hard to misunderstand when it happens right in front of you.”
“We have to notify—”
“No names,” the blond cut in.
“Put her in with the others,” the lone woman said. “Regardless of her species, it’s the safest place for her. I’ll comm ‘our leader.’ After what happened this morning he’s sure to be in a shitty mood.”
Grabbing Lorelle by the upper arm, Mal Ton propelled her forward. “I hope you need to be interrogated. I can’t remember the last time anyone has gotten me this hard.”
The others snickered at the taunt and they quickly crossed the main room. Unlike the Summer Den there was no sexual apparatus displayed in the common room. With its gleaming wood floor and clean lines, it reminded Lorelle of a martial arts dojo.
Time slowed as they neared the final door on the left side of the room. The blond scanned open the door and Mal Ton released her arm. In one sustained motion, Mal Ton shifted and pounced on the blond, pummeling him with fast, vicious strikes.
Lorelle spun and kicked hard, catching the man behind her squarely in the gut. He bent over with a startled groan, both arms wrapped around his middle. She clasped her bound hands together and slammed them against the back of his head. He sprawled in an unconscious heap at her feet.