by Leila Brown
“She's stubborn.” Ace tightened his hold on her legs. “Put more cream in her.”
Ryas seemed to think about it for a minute before he pulled his finger out of her. She relaxed a bit, until she felt something cold and hard push against her stretched opening. The ooze of cold liquid seeped deep into her anus.
“The cream will seep into your pores and begin to burn. You'll be begging us to take you by this time tomorrow.” Ryas smiled that same knowing smile.
Sera narrowed her eyes at him. “Don't bet on it.”
Chapter Five
Sera watched her younger sister as she cleaned the main engine's hyperdrive plasma chamber. Sophie's punishment for challenging Ryas. When Sophie looked up, Sera waved before turning back to the yellow gunk on the walls of the engine's secondary chamber. Her punishment for challenging Ace. The muscles of her ass burned and twitched with each movement. She scrubbed at the sticky substance with a fine-bristled brush. After several swipes it came clean. She pushed the small button on the brush that made it foam up with more cleaning solution. When she bent over, the fire in her ass burned anew.
She bit her lip. There was no way she was going to give them the satisfaction. The spasms were so intense now, her entire ass clenched together. She breathed faster as the discomfort grew.
“You okay?” Sophie yelled over to her.
Sera didn't trust her voice so she just nodded. She could do this. Totally do this. It was just a case of mind over matter. Or maybe a case of big pain versus worse pain. She just needed a different kind of pain to distract her from the burning. She gritted her teeth and elbowed the wall. Stiff, sharp, stabbing shots of pain raced down her arm.
Several more hours of fighting the mushy engine excrement, and Sera was almost ready to give in. She cleaned her chamber until she couldn't reach any higher. The pain in her elbow was much more welcome to the pain in her ass she knew the men could cause. If she let them have their way, she wouldn't be able to sit down for at least a fucking week.
“I'm hungry,” Sophie complained as she came to stand beside the engine column that Sera was working on.
“Ladies,” Ryas said as he came through the engine room doors. “The rest of the crew is already in the mess. Were you planning on joining us, or are you going on a hunger strike?”
Sera stiffened at his words, but her ass clenched out of control. Was he implying that she or Sophie needed to diet? Before she realized it, she'd taken the few short steps that put her directly in his face. Less than a breath separating them.
“What are you trying to say?” Her fingers curled into a tight fist, and blood rushed in her ears at a dizzying pace.
“That the rest of the crew is waiting on you two. Now either move your asses or go hungry.” His surly tone washed over Sera. He looked down at her balled-up fist and smiled at her.
His turning from her like she was no threat at all was the last straw. Sera spread her feet wide and adjusted her balance as she sent her fist into the side of his head. He took the blow without leaving his feet. He turned and grabbed her hand and pulled her into him.
“I see you need a more specialized punishment.” He bent down and kissed the side of her neck.
“Sera…” Sophie was already crouched to spring.
Sera didn't want her sister in more trouble than she already was. Besides, all Sophie had to do was be a good pirate. They weren't threatening to stuff a cock the size of a small log up her ass. The thought sent her anal muscles into another pulsing storm.
“Don't, Sophie. I'll be fine.” She tried to smile to reassure her sister, but Sera knew Sophie could tell it was fake. “They won't hurt me. If I'm really hurt, they won't be able to fuck me.” That she could say with full confidence.
Ryas let go of Sera. He took them to the synthesizer, where they were stripped of their dirty clothing and reclothed. This time Sera's garment was a dark hunter green.
All mention of more punishment disappeared as Ryas led them through the ship's maze of hallways. They stopped in front of a larger-than-normal door, which he opened with a quick two-number combination on the keypad.
Inside, Ace, a tiny woman dressed like Sera, and a man about Sophie's height only clad in some tight, hip-hugging black pants all sat at a table. Sera and Sophie slid into the two seats farthest away from the group.
“We will dock on our base planet within the next forty-eight hours. You all need to decide whether you will be signing up for our next voyage. We will most likely only dock for three days.”
“I'm on for the next run,” the almost naked man said, before swiveling and walking to the door. He didn't even spare Sera and Sophie a glance.
“I'm out,” the tiny pale woman said as she stared at Sera.
Ace frowned but nodded. “Your credits will of course be deposited in your account before you leave the ship.”
“We're out too.” Sera grabbed Sophie's hand. They would sign up as pirates on someone else's ship. Someone who didn't look at Sera like she was a menu option.
Chapter Six
Sera looked from the plate of food in front of her back to the thin woman staring at her. Her tongue itched to tell the woman to stop staring, but there was no malice behind the woman's steady gaze. She'd been uneasy when the woman followed her and Sophie to the separate table. Now, with her stomach grumbling, she knew why. The woman made her feel like a freaking fat-ass. And her stare was making Sera too self-conscious to eat.
“What?” Sera finally asked. Her stomach was growling, but she couldn't lift a piece of food. The other woman was starting to piss her off.
“You slept with both of them?” The woman's eyes were wide with disbelief.
Sera felt her face flame. Sophie and she hadn't talked about it. Wouldn't. So there was no way in hell she was going to talk about it with a stranger.
“Gio says they aren't as mean as usual. He says you must have really pleased them,” the woman almost whispered as she turned her head to look at the others in the room.
“Well, you've done it with them before. I mean, you're the only other pleasure-giver on board. And they don't strike me as the type who swing both ways.” Sera dipped her head.
“Oh, they tried. They were too big for me. After seeing them both standing there naked, I told them I couldn't. I threatened to jump ship at the first planet we stopped at if they tried to convince me. I mean, even one of them was too big…much less both.” The small woman picked up a brown square and popped it in her mouth.
Sera stared down at her plate. What did she say to that? They aren't too big for me? Her stomach growled, and she swallowed before she picked up a small, cold brown square and popped it in her mouth. Sweetness burst on her tongue. Damn, that was good. Kind of like a grape and a peach. The texture and flavor twirled around in her mouth as she swallowed.
Sophie touched her arm and raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded at her sister. The food was definitely edible.
“So how was it? Their previous pleasure-giver didn't let them touch her either.” The woman was practically hunched over the table now. “Gio says that they signed her on knowing she wasn't going to fuck them. When they found out she was fucking their first mate, they dropped them both on the next planet.”
“They didn't kill him?” Sophie asked in a hushed voice.
Sera looked over the gossiping woman to where Ryas and Ace sat eating. They weren't paying her any attention, so she felt safe studying them. Confidence oozed from them. Ryas's mouth moved as if he savored his food. Had he worn that same look last night? Had he savored her? Sera gulped and turned her gaze to Ace. He set a cup down and licked the excess liquid from his lips. That simple movement of his tongue got her juices flowing. She twitched in her seat as she turned and lowered her gaze. Damn it. She couldn't let her body rule her like this.
She didn't know these men. Didn't know a damn thing about them. But neither man seemed the type to get jealous over a woman. Not with that air of self-assurance. If a woman chose someone else, she didn'
t think they would be vindictive enough to just drop her at the next planet.
“The man was supposed to be their best friend. I signed on because they pay the best, but money isn't worth everything. And I mean, I like Gio, and he knows how to fuck, but…” The woman shrugged her shoulders as if to say who cared.
“Maybe they wanted to be dropped off at that planet,” Sera said.
The woman stopped eating and looked at her like she'd grown another head. Was it that hard to believe? Surely the men would do that for someone they considered their best friend? The woman hadn't been there. Sera refused to condemn them on gossip. She really hoped she wasn't being stupid.
Ace clenched his hands. Ryas should never have given them the option of leaving the ship. At least not Sera. Neither woman would last a single day on their world. Anger bubbled up inside him.
Ryas's need to give options had just guaranteed this was the last chance they would get with their new pleasure-giver. This time tomorrow she would be off their ship and out of their grasp. They could always kidnap her. Even as the thought raced through his mind, he discarded it. If they kidnapped her, she would be even more disagreeable than she was now. There had to be a way to keep her.
Ryas smiled at him. That bastard must have a plan.
Sera finally started eating in earnest. It had been hell trying to watch the woman without having her know it. Ryas stood and walked out of the room. Ace chugged what was left of his drink and followed close behind him, but didn't catch up with him until they reached the lift doors.
“Why the hell did you do that?” Ace demanded the second the lift doors closed.
“Because we can't keep her against her will. The code demands that all pleasure-givers be given the choice to serve,” Ryas answered in a frustrated tone.
“All registered pleasure-givers,” Ace corrected him. Until Sera stepped off their ship, she was an exception to the rule.
“Do you think I want her to go? I want her to stay, but I also don't want to have to beg or plead or even tie her up every time I want to fuck her.”
“So you would prefer to just let her walk away?” Ace couldn't believe Ryas now. He wasn't making sense.
“I'm not giving up anything.” Ryas pushed past him and strode into the captains' lounge. He sat down at the console and punched in a set of numbers. “I knew she would choose to leave. Now I am going to make her choose to stay.”
Ace shook his head. His friend was a master manipulator, and since they'd both found satisfaction last night, he'd most likely devised a plan that would keep their current pleasure-giver exactly where she belonged. “Who are you calling?”
“Captain Black,” Ryas said, then turned back to the monitor.
“Do I even want to know?” Ace asked just as the screen popped on. Sometimes he hated Ryas's schemes. Whether they worked wasn't the issue. Or at least it usually wasn't. Today he supported him 100 percent. As he listened to Ryas, he wondered if they had gone too far.
“Excuse me,” a female voice called from the other side of their door.
Even though the voice was muffled, Ace knew it was Sera. His cock jumped in his pants. He needed to get a grip. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. The set of her eyes was a just a bit too close and her nose a bit larger than he was used to. Even her fuckable lips were bigger than most women of his acquaintance. But somehow when all her features came together, they put his cock on high alert. The look in her eyes and the tilt of her mouth were just so damn sexy; he couldn't look at her without wanting to screw her six ways from sideways.
“Open the damn door!” she yelled, pounding on the wall.
Ace walked over to the door but hesitated as he looked back at Ryas. It took a few seconds more for Ryas to end the call. Ace opened the door, and his breath caught. Green was definitely her color. That and the red flush coloring her cheeks. She was quite pretty when she was pissed.
His gaze dropped to where her chest moved up and down at an agitated pace. Oh, he was going to have to make her mad often. He liked this look on her.
She stormed past him into the room and then put her hands on her hips. “Where is my room?” She shifted her weight left, then right, almost dancing on her feet.
“You're standing in it.” Ace closed the door and leaned against it. Should he tie her up? Whip her with his virtuo-whip? Maybe even use his crossbars. He would truly love to see her open and on the cross waiting for his touch. It had been a long while since he had the enjoyment of taking a woman like that. And none quite Sera's size. Her size made her the perfect woman for him and Ryas. She was big enough to take all of him. To take all of Ryas. They'd never have to worry about breaking her.
With their last true pleasure-giver, he couldn't lose himself. She'd been so tiny, he swore if he'd thrust his cock in her the way he'd wanted to, she would have split in two. His hands had spanned her waist. No wonder the woman had left the crew the first chance she got. But with Sera, he had something to hold on to.
He reached out to her, but she danced away from his fingers.
“I didn't come in here for sex. I want to know where my room is. All the other crew members have rooms. Where's mine?”
Ryas stood up from his chair and advanced on her. “He's serious, sweetheart. This is your room. Ace and I have our own personal pleasure-giver. The other two are for the rest of the crew. They have their own rooms so that the crew members can have a bit of privacy. Since you will only sate our needs, there is no reason for you to have a separate room.”
“That's bullshit. When do I get a bit of privacy?”
“You don't need privacy from us,” Ace told her as he took a step toward her.
She held a hand out to each of them as if to ward them off. Like that was going to work. Even though Ryas had set a plan into action, neither man wanted to miss out on what could be their last time with her. The second she stepped off their ship, any number of things could go wrong.
“Did your last pleasure-giver have her own room?” she asked, her eyes narrowed at Ryas.
“No. This was her room also,” Ace said, wary of where this conversation was going.
“And how did that work if she didn't fuck either of you?” She tilted her chin up in a defiant gesture.
That little challenging move set Ace's teeth on edge. His need to dominate roared through him as his cock throbbed in his pants. “What do you know about it?”
“Only what others have said. Your last pleasure-giver didn't satisfy either of you. Didn't even touch you. She only let your first mate touch her. And when you found out, you dropped them at the first inhabited planet,” she finished, looking from him to Ryas.
“What do you believe?” Ryas asked her, taking a step in her direction.
“I don't know. Why don't you tell me?” she countered.
“Would you believe us if we told you they were in love?” Ace asked. The look of disbelief she gave him answered his question for him.
“So you would rather think us heartless bastards who would strand a woman who decided not to fuck us?” Ryas's voice held a sliver of steel.
Ace shook his head. “We don't owe you an explanation.” He took another step toward her. “But for the record. Our first mate, Mathis, was in love. She was an innocent he knew from childhood. She made a terrible pirate, so she changed professions in order to survive. We signed her on so they could be together. She was never our pleasure-giver. She was always his.”
Both men were within a few feet of her.
“We consider him family. Is there any limit to the things you would do for your family?” Ace asked as he reached for her.
Ryas reached her first. “Don't think I forgot that you're owed another punishment.” He turned her head and captured her lips.
Punishment. Definitely time for the cross. Or maybe just the submission rings.
“How about the submission rings?” he asked Ryas.
“Perfect.” Ryas stepped away from her.
“What the hell are s
ubmission rings? I haven't agreed to let either of you guys fuck me in the ass. I ain't begging for it. And I won't beg for it. Ever,” Sera grumbled.
“Submission rings are biometric muscle-controlling bands. One slipped on a finger or toe will control the entire arm or leg. You won't be able to do anything but what we tell you.” Ace leaned into her. “There are a lot of other things we can do besides take you back here.” He slapped a hand down on the soft flesh of her ass. The sound seemed to echo through the room.
He leaned back and watched her shiver. She might tell them that she had no intentions of having anal sex, but she was fighting a losing battle. Her mind might not be ready, but her body screamed for it.
Ace's cock jumped in his pants. “Strip.” He wanted to see her naked standing in front of him.
“Hate to tell you this, but Captain Ryas said I need the synthesizer in order to take off the clothes.”
“Your sister needs the synthesizer to take off her clothes. I modified yours with clasps on your right side for easy access. The top clasp is right under your arm, and the skirt's clasp is directly below it,” Ryas said as he stalked over to her and clamped a flexible ring on her pinkie finger on both hands.
When he bent down to put the smaller bands on her toes, she smiled. That witch was up to something.
“Do you want me to hold her legs?” As Ace asked the question, he watched her face drop. With Ryas bent on his knees before her, he was in a vulnerable position. One she could take advantage of at any second.
“No. If she does anything to warrant another punishment, we'll strap her to the cross and she will get fucked up the ass whether she likes it or not.” Ryas's voice held the hard edge that Ace had come to know. He was doing this as another way to push her into anal sex.
Sera froze up. Ryas bent down farther to loop the tiny ring around her left big toe and then her right. She didn't do anything, and from the look on her face, she wasn't about to. Well, hell.
Ryas stood, then flicked several buttons on the ring controller. “It does help if you try to work with the rings. I hear that fighting the rings can get painful.”