by Sophie Stern
“About time,” a voice says. “She looks fat.”
My jaw drops and Lee quickly says, “She speaks Drakonai.”
There’s a pause, then the other person says, “Then she should know she looks fat. Start her on a diet immediately.”
“As you-“
Lee doesn’t get to finish his sentence because all of my training goes out the window at that moment. I rip the blindfold off my face and throw it on the ground.
“Listen here, you asshole,” I say, marching forward. “I am not fucking fat, but if you want a half-starved waif of a woman, then by all means, fucking return me. I’m sure you’ll be quite satisfied with one of the other sluts.”
I’m so busy yelling at this stranger that I don’t see his face at first, but when I meet his eyes, oh, do I meet them.
The arousal I felt with Lee?
Um, that’s nothing compared to this.
I’m instantly wet and if I was wearing panties, they’d be soaked.
I stop talking and just stare. Lee is mumbling apologies and I can tell he’s about to freak out.
Yeah, Lee’s definitely not the one who bought me.
It’s this guy.
And judging by the royal flags hanging on the wall, I’d say he’s definitely the King and I’ve definitely made an impression.
And I’ve definitely just thrown away four years of hard fucking work for nothing.
I don’t waste another second. I don’t want to be killed or sent to another planet. Even if Bleoi isn’t that bad, I don’t want to go there.
The hard wooden floor hurts my knees as I fall forward, but I ignore the stinging pain and begin apologizing.
“Your majesty,” I say quickly. “My deepest apologies for my unruly and unacceptable behavior. I am so sorry for my harsh and inappropriate words to you, my King.” I keep mumbling in Drakonai, droning on and on about what a noble and wise King he is, and the two men are silent.
Finally, the King puts me out of my misery.
“Enough,” he says. “Rise.”
I’m crying at this point because I just know he’s going to kill me. This King? He’s not someone you should fuck with, and I’m pretty sure calling him out for a comment obviously designed to get a rise out of me counts as fucking with him.
I stand slowly, staring at the ground. Then I stare at my hands. Then I stare at my feet. I stare at anything but him, but I can hear him moving from behind the desk and walking over to me. He circles me and I have the distinct feeling that he’s sizing me up the way a lion would size up a small bird it planned to eat.
He touches my back, then his hands wander around to my front and he cups one of my breasts. This time, I don’t flinch. I don’t move at all.
This time, I stand perfectly still.
“She has quite a little mouth on her, doesn’t she?” The King says to Lee.
“Yes, sir, I would say that is accurate,” Lee comments. “However, I should say that her behavior did not become naughty until she was provoked.”
“All I’m hearing is that she was quite well behaved when she got her way, but the moment she didn’t like something, she threw a tantrum.” His hand twists my nipple and I bite back a cry of pain, ignoring the growing arousal between my legs. “She is a naughty little girl, indeed.”
The King continues to touch and tease my body and as much as I’m trying to ignore him, there’s pressure growing in my body. Between my legs, there’s power. There’s desire. There’s a need to climax that he’s trying to wrench from me, but I have a feeling he’s not going to make this an easy orgasm.
“How old is she?” I realize the King hasn’t said a single word to me. He’s just talked to Lee about me.
To him, I am simply an object. I’m simply something to be used.
“28,” Lee’s deep baritone voice says. “She is fluent in Drakonai, and she can dance.”
“Anything else?” The King asks. He tweaks my other nipple. I know he’s a dragon. I know he can smell my arousal. I know he can scent exactly how he’s affecting me.
I also know he’s enough of a sadist not to let me come until he gets what he wants, no matter what that might be.
“She’s a virgin.”
The King stops touching me.
“Impossible,” he says, turning to Lee, and suddenly, I feel embarrassed.
Put on display.
Suddenly, I feel like a caged animal in a zoo, designed to be looked at and admired from afar, but in a distant sort of way.
Not taken home as a pet.
This whole time, Hal and Jenika made it seem like being a virgin would be a good thing. What King wouldn’t want a virgin bride, right?
Ruby made it sound like the King would love the chance to deflower me, to be my first. They trained me in the art of seduction, but somehow, no one thought he might not want someone who wasn’t experienced physically.
The made it sound like I would be a rarity: something special.
Instead, I suddenly feel like a freak show and my arousal is gone.
“It’s true,” Lee says, flipping through some papers. “She was found on Earth at age 24 and had no sexual experience at that time.” He hesitates, then I hear him speak again. “Your majesty, forgive me if I am out of bounds, but I thought this would be beneficial to you.”
“I need a drink,” the King says. “Leave us.”
“As you wish,” I turn and watch as Lee bows to the King, then leaves the room without so much as a goodbye.
So much for having a new friend.
I go back to staring at my feet and wishing I was working in a factory instead of being humiliated.
It would be so much easier.
Chapter 7
The King pours himself a drink. I don’t know his real name. Apparently, very few actually do. Most call him The Dark Dragon. I always thought it was a bit harsh, but now? Now I’m not so sure.
He sips his beverage and stares at me. I try hard not to stare back at him, but after a few minutes, I lose that battle and look.
He’s about the same height as Lee. His dark hair is short, cut close to his head, and his green eyes sparkle like emeralds. He’s a green dragon. I wonder if his eyes change color when he shifts. His muscular chest shows even through his shirt, and my eyes wander lower.
His pants are very, very tight, leaving little to the imagination. How big is his cock? Am I going to get a chance to taste it? Try as I did, no one on the ship would let me blow them. They all wanted me to save it for the King because they thought it would fetch me a higher price.
A few said my first time should be “special.”
Most just wanted the money.
“Care to take a picture?” The King asks, and I immediately raise my eyes back to his. He’s staring at me with a look of complete boredom on his face and I realize he’s like a spoiled brat who just got a birthday gift he didn’t like.
Wisely, for once, I decide to stay quiet.
“Ah, now she holds her tongue,” he clucks, and sets his drink down. He walks back over and looks me up and down. Even in my dress, I feel naked beneath his gaze. “Let’s get something straight, darling,” he whispers in my ear. “I don’t want you.”
He doesn’t want me.
“I don’t need you.”
He doesn’t want me.
“I wanted a beautiful little slut to be my plaything, to be my toy, and fucking Lee brought me you.” He says the “you” with such venom that I suddenly feel nauseous. I expected a lot of things from my new life on Taneyemm, but disgust was not one of them.
My newfound curves suddenly make me feel awkward and embarrassed. I exercised almost every on my journey, so my body is now strong and muscular, but I’m still soft. My breasts are bigger than they’ve ever been and my hips have filled out.
I look healthy, or so I thought. Maybe the King is right.
Maybe I’m just a cow.
He doesn’t want me.
“Why don’t you return me?” I whisper. May
be he should just give someone else a chance on me.
He laughs, but he still doesn’t want me.
“I don’t think so. I think having you could prove to be useful. You do speak Drakonai, after all. Perhaps my men will speak more freely around a house slave than they will around me, especially if they don’t realize you can speak.”
He doesn’t want me.
“Yes, I think I’ll keep you, but fuck you? Darling, you will never see my bed.” He walks by me and pinches my nipple as he does. “Fucking virgin,” he mutters, and then he leaves the room.
As soon as the door closes I pick up the glass he set on the desk and throw it at the back of the door. It falls to the floor and shatters, but before I can start screaming obscenities, he marches right back into the room and pushes me forward over his desk. He flips my dress up and starts raining slaps on my backside. His spanking is hard and fast and painful.
Sexy?
Not so much.
“You are a naughty little girl and naughty girls get spankings,” he says firmly. His voice is not kind. His hand does not feel nice. I do not feel loved or cared for or cherished. I feel like a cheap whore who couldn’t keep her client satisfied, and as he spanks me, I cry loudly. By the time he’s done, my body is slack against the desk.
“Stay until May comes for you,” he says, and then he leaves again, and this time, I don’t dare move.
***
“He really did a number on you, didn’t he?” May says softly when she enters. I finally turn around to see her. She has a kind face. She’s older than me, if I had to guess. I’m 28, and I think she must be at least 10 years older.
May is the same height as me and a bit heavier. She’s got the full, lush curves of a woman. Even though the King called me fat, I wouldn’t say that about May. She’s no thin waif, but she’s not fat.
She defines curvy.
Her dress is sleeveless, like mine, but it ends just below her knees. The fabric clings to her body and if I didn’t know better, I’d think she was going to a special event. She’s barefoot, so I suspect this might just be what she wears around the house.
“I’m Riley,” I manage to say.
“I know, honey,” she helps me stand and pushes the fabric of my dress down. I hiss as it hits my sore backside, and May winces in understanding. “It’ll hurt for a few days,” she says, “but the worst is over.”
She takes my arm and guides me from the room.
I don’t bother looking back.
We enter the hallway and she walks with the confidence of someone who knows what’s up.
“How long have you been here?” I ask.
“20 years.”
“Where are you from?”
“Somewhere far away.”
“Do you miss it?”
May stops and turns to me. Her hand finds my face, but her touch is gentle and understanding.
“These are dangerous questions, Riley. You need to be sure you can handle knowing you can’t ever go back before you ask if you miss it, okay? I know you’re asking about me, not you, but it’s a fine line, honey. The Taneyemm,” she lowers her voice, even though we’re alone. “They aren’t bad, but they’re different. Sometimes different is hard. Sometimes it’s very, very hard.”
We walk the rest of the way in silence. She leads me up four flights of stairs and I wonder exactly how big this place is. We go down another hallway with a few turns before we end up in a small bedroom. There’s a bed in one corner, a large armoire, and a window.
For the first time in years, I have a window.
“The bathroom is down the hall,” she says. “Try not to leave the room unless you absolutely have to.”
I turn back to her, confused.
“You aren’t going to lock me in?”
May shakes her head.
“Trust me. You won’t risk running away if you know what they’re capable of.”
“What do I do now?” I sit on the bed. It’s soft and a little bouncy. I’m exhausted and to be honest, I’ll probably just go to sleep.
“It’s late,” May says. “I’ll come get you in the morning. For now, you should rest as much as you can. Tomorrow will be a big day.”
“Thanks, May.”
She nods goodbye and leaves, closing the door behind her. Now I’m alone. The first thing I do is go to the window and stare. The glass is perfectly clear. There are no smudges or scrapes and I almost feel guilty pressing my hand to it.
I have to, though.
It’s dark outside, but there are lights sprinkled throughout the grounds. They light several paths that lead in different directions. I think they’re garden paths, but it’s too dark to tell.
Figures move slowly in the dark and a shiver runs down my spine as I see one begin to change shape. I’ve never seen a dragon shift from human form before. I think that’s what’s happening.
It’s too dark to see the details, but it doesn’t take long before the shape leaps into the air and I see its bright, colorful wings flapping. The lights reflect off the wings and I see sprinklings of different colors. I wonder what this dragon looks like in the daytime.
He or she must be beautiful.
And then the dragon turns.
My heart stops.
Can it see me?
Can it hear me?
Am I talking to myself?
Am I breathing too loudly?
I stare, and the dragon flies over to the window. His snout and eyes stare straight into my room and my jaw hits the floor.
Those eyes are so bright and sweet. This is definitely not the King. No, this is a kind dragon. This is a good dragon. I press my hand back to the glass and the dragon licks the glass with its long tongue.
Then, after it blinks a few more times, the dragon flies off into the darkness.
What a weird fucking night.
Chapter 8
My mood isn’t any better the next morning, but May wakes me up and has me shower and dress. I get to choose anything in the armoire and I select a knee-length, bright blue dress. I look around for a bra and panties, but they aren’t any, and May just shrugs.
“They have their preferences. You’re a human house girl, so you can wear what you like. No uniform. You just have to be bare beneath the dress and you can’t wear shoes.”
“Do they have like…a foot fetish?”
“No.”
“May,” I grab her arm. “Are they going to…am I going to be raped?”
“What? No!” She practically squeaks the words. “What in the world made you think of that?”
“I don’t know,” I lie through my teeth. I’m scared because on my planet, rape was rampant. After the second interplanetary war, it became unsafe for lone people – males and females – to go out alone after dark. Unless you were stupid, you’d take another person with you when you went out. Always. Sometimes even during the day, bad things would happen.
It’s hard for me to accept that life on Taneyemm might be that different.
“No one is going to touch you without your permission, but darling, you’re probably going to want to be touched at some point. The dragons have their ways of getting what they want.”
“Have you ever been with a dragon man, May?”
“That’s a story for another day,” her words are firm, but her voice is sad, and I follow her to the kitchen.
There are several other people there from different planets: a Martian, another human, and a few whose planets of origin I don’t recognize. I don’t want to be rude and ask, so I try not to stare.
“This is Riley,” May says, and everyone nods politely at me.
“Everyone sort of keeps to themselves,” she says. “We aren’t an overly friend group, but you can ask anyone for help and they’ll do what they can. Right, guys?”
Everyone nods and gets back to work. May grabs a bowl and spoons some food in it.
“There.” She points to the corner and I take my food and go eat. It’s some sort of rice and meat. It�
�s not the worst thing I’ve ever had, and my stomach has calmed down enough to eat. My ass still burns anytime I move, but that pain will go down.
I hope.
When breakfast is over, May shows me around the first floor and has me help her with minor housekeeping chores like dusting and mopping. At lunchtime, I have to help her bring lunch to the King and his associates.
We carry the trays in silence, but my hands are shaking.
“You need to calm down,” May whispers. “I know it’s not very fun. I know you’re scared, but if you let them smell your fear, they’re going to use it against you.”
“I’m sorry,” I whimper, but I know she’s right.
“Didn’t they teach you anything on that ship?” She asks, then she marches forward into the room ahead of me.
She’s completely, 100 percent right.
They did teach me and I’m completely fucking this up. I know how to be a seductress. I know what dragons expect. I know what they do to play. I know all about them. I learned to dance for them. I learned all of it.
My panicking because the King turned out to be a huge dildo doesn’t make my situation any better. It only makes things worse, so it’s time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself and start fixing things.
I can start with the luncheon.
Two deep breaths, then I walk through the door, and damn. It’s a good thing I’m not wearing panties because they would have hit the floor. There are six hot, tall, handsome, big-dicked dragons in suits sitting around a conference table and the King is at the head. He doesn’t stop talking or bother looking at me when I enter the room, but two can play that game.
I carry my tray to the buffet table and set it down. Then I pick up one of the plates and carry it to the man closest to me. May is serving the first man on her side of the table, so I know exactly where I’m supposed to be. We’ll each serve three men and we’ll take care of the King together.
The man smiles in appreciation as I set his plate down, but says nothing. I return with a napkin and place it carefully in his lap. He glances up at me, surprised, and I wink at him playfully.