by Sophie Stern
Then I move on to the next person, and the next. Each dragon seems quite happy with their meal and with my tender touches. When I place the napkin on guy number three, I touch his leg just a little. He meets my smile and smiles back. He’s handsome.
They all are.
Maybe if the King decides I’m too fat for him and his house, after all, he’ll let me go. Maybe he’ll give me to a different house and a different family.
Maybe I’ll have a chance to find love after all.
I push the thought away and bury it because if there’s one thing I learned on the ship, it’s that few Taneyemms are willing to marry outside of their race. Royalty is an exception. Royals see marrying outside of their planet a sign of wealth and good fortune. Others don’t always have that same opinion. To some, marrying someone from another planet is impossible because the non-Taneyemm partner rarely makes as much money.
If you want a big family, you need big money.
May has finished serving her three guys and now it’s time to serve the King. He’s almost finished talking, and as soon as he sets his hands on the table, we move forward. That’s the signal that he’s ready for his meal.
May places his plate in front of him and I arrange his napkin gently in his lap. I don’t wink at him or meet his face. May moves back to the buffet table, but the King grabs my wrist as I pull away and holds me until I look up at him. His face is hard and unreadable. It scares me a little.
I try to keep breathing as he watches me, but the murmuring and chatting from the other men fades into the background as the King’s gaze centers on me.
“Riley,” he says.
“Your majesty,” I say in response, but he doesn’t smile or relax. I’m not sure what sort of power play he’s trying right now, but I don’t like it. If I was turned on before, I’m certainly not now.
What does he want from me?
“Come to my chambers after the meal. May will show you the way.” He releases me, and I don’t look at him as I hurry back over to May. My feet manage to hold me up as I take my place beside her.
May doesn’t speak, but her body tenses beside mine. I’m guessing this isn’t normal behavior for the King, but who knows what’s normal?
I’m finding that despite the fact that I spent four years learning the language of the dragons, understanding the way a house servant is supposed to behave, and the proper way to prepare roast chicken, I didn’t learn the most important thing of all.
How to understand the man I’m serving.
It’s only been a day, but he’s still a complete mystery to me. The men finish their meal and their business dealings, then they leave. As each man leaves, he bows to Mary and me. They each kiss our foreheads and thank us for the service, as is Taneyemm custom. The King simply glares at us from his seat at the table. When the other men have gone, he stands and leaves.
“Come on, let’s hurry,” May says. “I have a feeling he’s not going to want to wait for you.” We rush to the table and clear the plates and trays. May wipes down the table while I push the cart of empty plates, cups, and dishes back to the kitchen. One of the other house servants takes the cart and May comes back for me.
“Let’s go,” she says, and guides me down the hall.
I don’t speak as she waves through the maze of the castle. How long has she lived here that she can navigate so quickly? We arrive at his room and May straightens my hair and shoves me inside unceremoniously.
Then I’m alone.
I look around and realize I’m in a small foyer of sorts. The door from the hall didn’t lead directly into his bedroom. I’m not sure if this is good or bad. I suppose this means he has his own suites.
There are two suits of armor by the door. They each have a dragon insignia on the front. There’s an archway ahead of me and a small hallway. I guess that’s where I’m supposed to go.
I’m barefoot, so my steps are noiseless as I move down the hallway. The marble floor has been polished to perfection and I hope my feet aren’t dirty and smudge it up. The hall is silent. Where is he? Should I call out? Maybe I shouldn’t be too loud, not just yet. Instead of shouting, I take this time to look at the dragon portraits on the walls. Some of them look like they were painted on Earth. Others look like they’re scenes from the auction house or from the castle on Taneyemm.
Perhaps I stare too long because suddenly, I hear noises that I definitely did not hear a moment ago.
I start moving again down the hall until I come to a series of doors. Deep breaths. The first door opens into a small kitchen and I close it immediately. Why this guy needs his own private kitchen is beyond me. I doubt he’s ever made himself a glass of milk, much less an entire meal.
The next door is a guest room, followed by what looks like a game or movie room.
The last door, though.
The last door is one I don’t open because I know exactly what’s happening behind it.
The King is in there and he’s fucking someone – hard.
From my position in the hallway, I can hear every moan, every growl, every word. I can practically hear the sweat dripping from their bodies and I wonder exactly how much time I spent loitering in the hall that he somehow had time to start fucking someone.
Immediately, I start feeling hot. My whole body is on fire and my breathing becomes shallow as I realize what’s happening.
I’m so close to them.
Why would the King call me to him if he was going to be with another woman? Was that supposed to be me in there, but I was too slow?
No, that’s not it. He already said I’m too fat for his tastes, which hurts, but isn’t the end of the world. Still, am I supposed to…assist?
None of this was covered on the ship.
None of it.
Oh, Hal and Jenika knew the King had certain proclivities, but they didn’t mention what I should do if he found me to be distasteful.
I think they thought he would like my new, curvier body. I think they thought having a healthy appearance would make me stand out from the other girls, but is that the problem?
Is the reason human girls are appealing because they’re always starving when they arrive on Taneyemm?
Maybe fattening us up is half the fun.
I take another step closer. I should announce myself. Obviously, of course. That’s what I should do. I could clear my throat, cough, any number of things.
I could do anything than what I actually do, which is quietly turn the doorknob and peek into the room.
There are candles all over the room. From my vantage point in the dark hallway, I can see into the room, but they can’t see me.
I’m sure the King could, if he looked right at me, with those dragon eyes of him, but at the moment, I feel invisible.
They’re on the bed, facing away from me. The King hovers over the woman. Her arms are tied and she’s splayed out on the bed on her back. His cock is bigger than I thought it would be. I can see him even from here. He’s completely naked and his body is broad and hard.
Muscular.
Tight.
He plunges into the woman and she cries out.
“Fuck me harder,” she begs. I push down the twinge of jealousy I feel as I think that should be me in there. He’s not mine. I don’t own him. The King didn’t want me and I’m okay with that. No, he wants the woman he’s with. His girlfriend, maybe? Maybe just a servant. I don’t know.
Was she tied up the whole time he was in the meeting, just waiting for him to return and fuck her?
Is this what the King does with his toys?
He reaches down and slaps her face. Her eyes pop open as she squeaks in surprise.
“Don’t speak,” he says harshly. “Don’t fucking talk to me. You’re here for me to use. Nothing more.”
“But-“
He slaps her again and I cringe, but the woman actually seems to like it. Is she getting off on this? Her moaning is loud and she’s yanking at the restraints like she wants to break free, like she�
�ll float away if he would let her.
The King thrusts into her over and over again and as I watch him move, I can’t fight my own arousal. I’ve never seen anything like this in real life before. I’ve never seen anything like this, period.
On the ship, during my training, I saw some movies Hal and Jenika showed me. They weren’t this raw and passionate, though. Actors on a screen can be sexy, but it’s hard to feel the raw energy that’s radiating from the King and his mistress.
My hand slips beneath my dress before I know what’s happening, before I realize just how wrong what I’m doing is. The King fucks his girl and I slide a finger inside myself.
Then another.
“You’re my little slut doll,” the King says, and the woman nods frantically. Her bright red hair is a mess across the pillow. A few stray strands are stuck to her face and she’s sweating as he fucks her harder and harder. “You’re mine. You don’t get to decide what I do with this cock when I put it in you, you understand?”
“Yes, your highness,” she says.
My hands rubs faster, faster as I watch her breasts bouncing wildly beneath his body. His skin glistens with a thin sheen of sweat as he groans and finally comes inside of her. The woman cries out beneath him with her own orgasm, and I’m left panting and breathless in the doorway.
I didn’t come before they did and suddenly, I’m well aware of how volatile my position is.
I drop my hand and start to move back into the hallway. I’ll announce my presence in a minute.
“Enjoy the show, Riley?” The King says loudly, and my heart drops as I realize he knew I was here the whole time.
Chapter 9
How did he know? What the hell? I’m embarrassed he knows I watched. I’m humiliated. He already made it clear he didn’t like fat human virgins. Why am I even here?
Was this whole thing a setup?
I move back into the doorway and push the door the rest of the way open. There’s no use pretending now.
“Who the hell is she?” The woman sees me and cries out in anger and surprise. I don’t bother saying anything. It doesn’t matter, anyway.
The King unties her arms and moves off the bed. He picks up a robe and throws it at her.
“Get out.”
“What?” She turns to him now. “I thought we were going to spend some time together.”
“No. Leave.”
She storms past me in a huff, shoving me with her shoulder as she does. It hurts, but I don’t protest as she pushes me out of her way. I deserve it. I’d probably feel embarrassed too, if some random person saw me sleeping with my boyfriend.
The King ignores me for a moment, but remains naked. He walks over to the side of the room and pours himself a glass of liquor. He does not offer me a glass. He drinks it slowly and I take this opportunity to look around the room.
A giant bed sits against the left wall. Straight ahead, against the back of the room, is a bar with two stools. Beyond that, the entire wall is made of clear glass so he can look out into the night sky. The right side of the room has a sitting area with couches and a fireplace.
“Come on in,” he says. “You’ve already seen the most important part of the room.”
I come inside hesitantly and close the door behind myself. It clicks loudly in place.
“What do you want from me?” I ask slowly.
“I want you to be my servant,” the King says, turning around. He looks me up and down. His eyes fall on my breasts for a long moment before returning to my face. “You will work in my chambers as originally intended.”
“W-What changed your mind?” I ask.
“You should not ask stupid questions,” he says, and sets his glass down.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I put my hands on my hips, all embarrassment forgotten. What the fuck? “What’s with the attitude? You called me here, remember?”
“What I remember, Riley, is that you don’t have a home to go to. If you want this house to be a permanent placement, I suggest you put aside your willful attitude and try to play nice.”
Deep breaths.
Deep breaths.
I can’t blow this.
As much as I think the King is a huge snake, he’s right.
I don’t have any right to be here. None.
Nope. I’m a sad, lonely little orphan girl who thought she was getting a new chance at a good life. In reality, I’m just a scavenger.
A vagrant.
In reality, I’m one pissed-off dragon away from being sent to a different planet where I would be raped.
Or killed.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” I jump at his voice. He sneaked up on me and I was so lost in thought I didn’t realize it. Now he’s right behind me. His body is hot and close to mine. I can feel his heat, smell his scent. He smells like sex and bad choices: two things I could use at the moment, even though I know he doesn’t want me.
“I-I was thinking that I’m lucky to be here,” I whisper. “And I don’t want you to send me away.”
“I’m not going to send you away, Riley.”
“But you said-“
“Shh….”
Suddenly, his front presses against my back, and I can’t breathe. He’s so close to me, touching me. His hands are on my hips and he pulls me back against him. I can feel all of him: every inch.
His cock is hard again and it’s pressing into my ass through the thin fabric of my dress.
“There are a few things you need to learn about life on Taneyemm,” the King says. His hands softly stroke my sides as he talks and I think I could get used to this.
“What do I need to learn?”
“I’m in charge, Riley. I’m always in charge. That little act you pulled at lunch? That’s not me being in charge. You thought you could take control of the situation, little human. You thought you could tease me, taunt me with something I couldn’t have. Well, let me tell you, I can have whatever I want.”
One of his hands cups my breast as he says it and he tweaks my nipple. I jump in surprise, but his other hand is still tightly on my hip and he wraps it around my waist, holding me in place.
“You don’t want me,” I whisper. “You said so. Only yesterday, you said you don’t want me.”
“I’m still in charge. I might not want to marry you, Riley. I don’t want to marry anyone. My Kingdom has this ridiculous rule about Kings being married once they’re a certain age, and my time is almost up. I don’t want a queen, Riley. You know that’s what you’re supposed to be, don’t you?”
I nod.
“When you said you were a virgin, I knew what that fucker Hal had been going for. Him and Lee planned the whole thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“A good King marries a virgin queen, darling. It’s the way things must be done.”
“But why?”
“Tradition.”
“So you don’t…think I’m weird?”
“I think you’re very aroused, Riley. I think you liked what you saw. That doesn’t make you weird. That makes you sexual. That makes you exciting.”
I shake my head, but he bites my neck. I’m wet. I’m wet and achy and I know he can smell my need.
“Tell me, Riley. Tell me you liked what you saw.”
Now both of his hands are on my breasts and he’s kissing my neck from behind, slowly licking up and down my soft skin.
I’ve never been with a man like this before. Women? Yeah, I was with Ruby and Jenika during my training. They showed me how to please a woman, how to taunt one for an audience. They showed me what it took to push a woman over the edge, but a man?
They wouldn’t let me touch a man.
Being with a woman feels right, it feels good. Touching a woman is a soft, sensual experience I enjoy. It’s something that makes me feel sexy and happy.
Being with a man, though? This feels like coming home.
“I’m waiting, Riley. I can smell you. Your pussy is wet and it wants me. You want me. N
ow tell me why you watched me fuck her.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I whisper.
“Oh, of course not,” his voice is placating and teasing, but I can’t think straight with his fucking hands on me. The King moves his hands up and down my front, lingering over my breasts, playing with them, toying with me.
He grinds his dick against my ass and I realize that I want him to take me there. I want him to play with my ass, to lick me, to slide his cock inside me and make it hurt. I want him to own me, dominate me, brand me.
I want to be his.
I have wanted many things in my life, but the realization that I actually want to be with him is hard for me to swallow. There are so few redeeming qualities about the King, but I think there’s something there others don’t see.
Can’t see.
I don’t think he’s this hard-ass he wants everyone to believe he is.
Surely there must be some good in him.
“I opened the door because I was looking for you,” I finally whisper. My voice feels loud in the quiet room. “And I heard you fucking that woman. I heard her cries and it made me feel breathless.” I’m still embarrassed to be speaking this openly, this bluntly to him. Still, there’s a little part of me that will do whatever he wants, give him whatever he wants, if he’ll just keep touching me.
Now his breathing deepens and he pinches my nipples harder. I’m rubbing my thighs together, grinding against his body. I reach for my pussy but he quickly pins both of my arms behind my back, so they’re pressed between our bodies. Then the King slips beneath my dress and strokes my pussy softly with his hand.
“You’re fucking soaked, Riley. Are you sure you’re a virgin?”
“Born and raised,” I joke, but he doesn’t seem amused.
“Tell me why you watched me, Riley. You’re a bad girl, darling. You’re a very, very naughty girl. I thought virgins were supposed to be these sweet little angels, but not you, Riley. You’re not sweet. You’re bad.”
“I watched your cock sliding into her pussy,” I tell him, and I stop struggling to break free. Instead, I give into the moment. My head leans against his chest and he supports my body fully as he plays with my soft folds. They’re slick. His fingers slide right through and I want them to center on my hard bud.