Subservience

by Chandra Ryan

  “It does.” She rubbed up against him.

  “I just didn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

  He really made no sense. “But I’m in your quarters.” Unless… She felt sick at the thought. “Am I overstaying my welcome?” Social cues were not her strong suit. Never had been. It was one of the biggest drawbacks of being created fully grown. She’d never had those awkward childhood years to teach her how to deal with her peers.

  “No.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head as he caressed her rib cage with his thumb. The touch kind of tickled—but in a good way. “You’re free to stay however long you like.”

  She relaxed as the knot in her stomach eased. Despite his permission she couldn’t stay as long as she wanted. She didn’t have much leisure time as captain. But that he wanted her to stay and had invited her to made her happy. More than happy, really. It was a bubbling kind of giddiness that started in her chest and spread throughout her body until it begged her to collapse into a laughing fit in order to give it some sort of release. But she couldn’t give in to the urge. How would she ever explain collapsing into a fit of giggles?

  “Are you okay?”

  She hadn’t realized how odd her reaction must have been until his voice broke through her thoughts. “Of course.” Only she didn’t really know. Captains didn’t get giddy. Okay, maybe they did over ships and assignments but not over boys.

  “Are you sure?”

  She looked up and smiled in an attempt to reassure them both. “I’m sure.” Then she kissed him to silence any further questions. He was still for a moment but then his body relaxed and he pulled her to him tightly. Relief filled her at the embrace. That only lasted for a moment however. As soon as he deepened the kiss, desire overwhelmed any other emotions she was feeling. He was so large and so strong that he filled her senses.

  He rolled over so her body was pinned under his. “Am I crushing you?”

  “Not at all.” His weight was comforting. And she liked that he’d taken the dominant position. She spent so much of her day in control that she enjoyed the change. “This feels good.”

  He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Really?” He slowly raised one of her arms until it was resting above her head on the mattress and then repeated the process with the other one. When he was done he wrapped her wrists in his palm. “And now?”

  She tried to pull free but found his grip held. Instead of feeling trapped, however, she felt liberated. She didn’t have to do anything but lie back and enjoy his touch. He’d just taken sole responsibility for her sexual experience. “Feels good.” She rubbed her body against his and the friction made her nipples harden. “Really good.”

  “Hmmm.” He lowered his head to kiss her slowly. “Then I want you to stay just like this. No moving.” He released her wrists and started to kiss her neck.

  “What happens if I do move?”

  “Are you asking out of curiosity or are you actually hoping for a consequence?”

  That he made the distinction turned her on even further. If she said curiosity he would probably shrug off any movement on her part. But if she wanted a consequence he was willing to give her one. So which was it?

  “Actions should always have a consequence, don’t you think?”

  His breath tickled her as he blew on the skin he’d only a moment ago dampened with kisses. “I like the way you think.”

  “And I like the way you lick.”

  He chuckled but then trailed his tongue down her collarbone to trace the top curve of her chest. “Like that?”

  A shudder racked her body. “Yes. Just like that.”

  He continued over the underside of her breast and her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and cup his head in her hands as he made his way to her nipple. But she wasn’t supposed to move her hands. So she rocked her hips impatiently. “You never told me what you’re going to do if I move my hands.”

  He caught her nipple between his teeth. It didn’t hurt as she’d expected though. Instead it sent a jolt of fresh desire through her that made her want to move even more. “The options are limitless.” He sucked the hardened peak into his mouth for a second and then released it. “I could tie you down. Or I could roll you over and spank you. Or I could blindfold you and tease you with a feather until you begged for mercy.” With each new image her body warmed until it was scorching. “But I don’t think I’ll do any of those things.”

  Why the hell not? She wanted to ask him that question but couldn’t. Her breath was coming in harsh gasps and she couldn’t get any words out.

  “I think instead, if you move, I stop and turn the reins back over to you. You want control? You’ve got it. All you have to do is take your hands down.”

  She whimpered in despair. It was a real consequence. She didn’t want to be in control anymore. Not with him at least. Not in this instance.

  “Not to your liking?” He rolled her nipple between his finger and thumb. The touch electrified her nerve endings.

  She shook her head.

  “Then don’t move.”

  “And how do I get you to blindfold me and run the feather over my body?”

  He leaned over and whispered, “All you have to do is ask.”

  “Next time.” Her words stunned her. This was about getting him out of her system. There shouldn’t be a next time. But the thought of never having this with him again hurt. And not in an emotional sense. She couldn’t breathe and her chest cramped at the thought. She guessed it was just that she wasn’t done with him yet. She told herself she would get her fill of him eventually and then they would part ways. But what if she was wrong?

  “Then what do you want to do this time?”

  That question was easier for her to answer. It didn’t require any thought or rationalization on her part. “I want you to fuck me.”

  “Yes sir.” His weight disappeared for a moment but she kept her hands where they were. More than anything she didn’t want him to stop. She didn’t want to take over. Thankfully he just pulled away to get a condom out of his uniform pocket. Within mere moments he’d opened the package and rolled the sheath over his cock. Then he lay over her once more. “Spread your legs.”

  She did as he commanded. “Remember, no moving your hands.”

  “How could I forget?”

  He slid into her slowly, his cock stretching her with each inch. When he was completely seated in her, he paused and gave her a moment to savor the feeling of him deep inside her.

  “You feel amazing.” He smiled down at her as he said the words.

  “Back at you, Parker.” Yes. It was a trite thing to say. Even she knew that. But she couldn’t think of anything witty or profound at that moment. She didn’t want to say anything. She only wanted to feel. And as he started thrusting inside her she got exactly what she wanted.

  There were several times she almost forgot to keep her hands above her head. She desperately wanted to scratch her nails down his back. But she always remembered in time. And after she wrapped her thighs around his waist she no longer cared about what her hands were or weren’t doing. He rocked against her clit with every move. Brushing and pressing against it as he slid through her channel. She continued to climb the spires of desire until he thrust harder and deeper inside her then she fell. She heard someone calling out but it took her a second to recognize her own voice begging for more. She rocked against him as she clung to him and rode out the waves of climax that crashed against her.

  Parker held her close as he whispered into her ear. She wasn’t sure what the words were. They didn’t make sense. But she knew what it meant when his voice became harsh and low. He was with her. Flying with the help of the endorphins and hormones pumping through his blood. And damn did it feel good.

  When the tremors finally stopped and her breathing returned to normal she lazily ran her fingers down his back as he collapsed on top of her.

  “You moved your hands.” His voice was muffled against her shoulder.


  “Did I?” She ruffled his hair before giving it a tug. “Well, look at that. I guess I did.” She turned her head so she could kiss his ear. “I’ll do better next time.”

  His body shook against hers as he laughed. “Damn straight you will. There’ll be a blindfold and a feather. I can’t imagine that’s something you’d want interrupted.”

  “You remembered.”

  “Those are images a man doesn’t easily forget. Hell, I’m not sure why he’d even try.”

  “Engineering to Captain.” Her com badge startled both of them. But she regained her composure quickly. As soon as he moved off her she lunged for her cami on the floor and then sat up with the small piece of metal.

  “Captain here. Go ahead, engineering.”

  “The level-seven diagnostic is finished, sir.”

  “Good. Don’t release that information to anyone. I’m on my way to retrieve it now.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “Captain out.” She looked over at Parker and smiled. “Guess our time is over.”

  “See. I told you it would be as soon as you moved your hands.”

  She got dressed quickly and clipped her com badge back onto her top. “Until next time.”

  “Until then.”

  She leaned over and kissed him lightly before leaving. Even with the stress of the diagnostic hanging over her she felt carefree. The walk back to engineering was so quick she felt as if she were floating. But as soon as she opened the hatch she forced herself to settle. It didn’t help that she came face-to-face with her favorite person when the door opened.

  “Rowe. How are you today?”

  Rowe smiled as her eyes glazed over in an absent way. “I am doing well. But the ship is sick.” She ran her hand along the wall as she spoke.

  “Yes. It is. But we’re trying to find out what’s wrong. We’ll get her fixed.”

  She leaned forward to whisper, “She’s being poisoned.”

  “Have you seen something?” Rowe was a Sub Type Five. A prophet. The only one who’d ever been allowed out of the government facility where they were kept.

  “I don’t know. Have I?” Her eyes widened and she cocked her head to one side as if she were trying to search through memories. It only took a moment for her brow to crinkle with disappointment though. It was an expression Harlow was overly familiar with. Rowe never remembered no matter how hard she tried. That was the kicker. Prophets couldn’t recall what they saw. It was why they were usually kept locked up in military hospitals where they could be monitored. And it was why Rowe was only a consultant. She’d never wear a uniform.

  “No. You haven’t seen anything in years.”

  “That’s why they let me out.” She smiled at having actually remembered something.

  “Yes.” She patted Rowe’s shoulder gently. “And because you’re an amazing engineer. I told them I couldn’t fly this ship without you.”

  Rowe nodded and then began the long meander back to her station. She loved having Rowe aboard. It was like having her sister with her. She only wished Rowe were as happy about the arrangement. She always seemed lost.

  “Captain.” Vance nodded as he held out a data stick. “The diagnostic readout. As requested.”

  She took the stick and nodded back. “I appreciate you making this a top priority.”

  “Only doing my duty, Captain.”

  “Did you already look over it?”

  “I did, sir.”

  “And did you see anything?”

  He shook his head. “No sir. I didn’t see anything mechanical.”

  “Good to hear. I’ll look through it and if nothing jumps out at me we can move on to spatial anomalies.”

  “Yes sir.”

  She made her way back to her quarters and then loaded the data stick into her secured reader. The numbers swam in front of her eyes though. No matter how many times she tried to focus on them they never made sense. Finally giving up, she locked the reader in her desk and walked back to her bedroom. She’d look at it after she got a couple hours of rest. Today had been a crazy day. And she didn’t think things would settle down anytime soon. But everything always looked better after a good night’s sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Parker spent the next week and a half filling out forms and capitalizing on stolen moments to seduce Harlow. He hated the clerical work but his time with Harlow more than made up for the countless hours of wading through red tape. And since he’d been the one to insist on following the book, he couldn’t really complain. Harlow probably didn’t care if the ship’s service manifest was read, initialed and filed on time. But he did. So he did it. It was actually what he was currently doing.

  “I need to talk to you about a couple of mechanical issues when you have time.” He didn’t even bother to look up from the readout. He could feel her attention on him.

  “Anything serious?” She crawled into the space behind him on the couch and straddled him so she could read over his shoulder. Her long, shapely legs resting next to his made it hard for him to focus.

  “Long-range sensor static, prison-cell shields flickering, riot guns misfiring…” He ran his fingers through his hair as he read over the list. “It’s nothing serious. And all the issues have been fixed. It’s just a long list.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and slumped forward so her cheek rested on his back. “It always gets a little hectic right before a pickup. But I’ve got a good team. They’ll make sure it all comes off smooth as silk in the end.”

  “You have a lot of confidence in your crew.” He checked off the last item on the list and then filed it in the ship’s data banks.

  “They’ve earned it.” She started to run her hands over his inner thighs. “The Tempest isn’t a flagship. It’s not even all that high up on the Fleet’s priority list. We don’t always get the attention or the time we need with the Fleet’s mechanics. But my crew shows up every day, on time, in uniform. They put their blood, sweat and tears into her. They love her just like I do.”

  “Some apparently more than others.”

  Her hands stopped. “What do you mean?”

  “I couldn’t help but notice that Barkswell has signed off on more of these repairs than any other officer.”

  “It’s part of his job.”

  “I’ve also noticed that he spends more time in engineering than some of the ship’s engineers.”

  Her skin prickled as she remembered the day Barkswell wanted to go to engineering to check on the long-range scanners. But she quickly pushed the sensation away. “He’s ambitious. He wants to captain his own ship someday. In order to do that he needs to understand how a ship works at every level.”

  He could tell by the rising pitch in her voice that she was starting to get defensive. He’d seen something he considered suspicious and told his captain but now it was time to let the subject drop. “Then from what I’ve seen, I’m sure he’ll make an excellent captain one day.” He put his hand over hers and caressed her fingers with the pad of his thumb.

  “Probably sooner rather than later. He was one of the recipients of a Congressional Merit Scholarship when he was in training. Prime Minister Lee personally gave Barkswell the award. Back when Lee was a representative of course. Barkswell has been marked for greatness since the day he signed his recruitment papers. And he’s lived up to his potential. He’s even managed to save my ass a time or two.” She started to massage his thighs again. “But I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “You don’t?”

  She kissed his neck. The soft touch made his skin break out in goose bumps. “Nope.”

  “Then what do you want to talk about?”

  “You. Me. Sex on the couch.”

  “But someone could walk in at any time.” He doubted anyone would actually walk into the captain’s ready room without an invitation from her but the door was technically unlocked. And the thought of being caught was hot.

  She wrapped herself around him so she was straddling
him from the front. “Then we’d better make this quick.” She winked at him as she started stripping off the layers of her uniform. She’d gotten her jacket off when Parker’s com badge buzzed. “Navigation to XO.”

  He clenched his teeth but then forced himself to take a deep breath and release the tension. “XO here, go ahead, navigation.”

  “You’re needed on the bridge.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Okay. I’m on my way. XO out.” But he was surprised by a burst of laughter from Harlow. “You find this amusing?”

  “Most women complain about their men being too fast in the sack. But you’re the one guy in the history of sex who wasn’t quick enough.”

  “Ha. Ha.” He kissed her deeply. “I’m sure I’ll be laughing over that one all damn day long.” He wrapped his arm around her and stood. He kept his grip on her tight so she’d have to stand with him. “I’ll be back.”

  “Oh, I know you will.” When she wiggled her hips, a delightful wave of heat swept through him. “Don’t be too long.”

  He kissed her one more time before letting her go. “Just don’t start without me.”

  “And if I do?”

  He took a step away from her. “I’ll tie you up and go so slow you’ll be begging me to let you finish.”

  He turned away and started walking for the door at her whimper. The woman liked to be tortured. She may tease him about not being quick enough but there was nothing she loved more than to be driven crazy. Hell, he might just tie her up and play with her for hours even if she did manage to wait for him.

  He smiled at the thought as he stepped out into the corridor. Thankfully the bridge wasn’t far from him. When he walked onto the bridge, however, his smile died. There at his station was Barkswell. The man was at Parker’s console and staring at his screen. “May I help you?”

  Barkswell didn’t even have the courtesy to look up at him. “There was a glitch with the nav system. It shut down and when it rebooted it started to reroute the ship’s trajectory.”