by Sophie Stern
People just do whatever you want them to?
Focused on rubbing my feet and watching the dancers, I don’t notice when I’m joined by someone very tall, very dark, and very handsome.
“May I?” A deep voice says. I look up and see Dane.
The King’s friend.
Time to make a good impression.
“Um, of course,” I say. One thing Jenika taught me is that if a dragon offers to do something, you let him. Taneyemm men don’t offer to do things out of the kindness of their hearts. They might have ulterior motives, but you still always say “yes.”
He sits next to me and the scent of his cologne wafts over to me. Dane is in the corner now and I’m on the outside portion of the bench, the part that’s closest to the walkway. We’re both tucked away, but we can see part of the room. I stop looking at the dancers, though, and now I look at him instead. Dane lifts my foot and places it in his lap, so close to his cock that if I just moved, I’d be able to feel it.
I wiggle my toes.
“Feisty, are you?” He laughs and begins to rub my toes.
“Oooh,” I let out a moan and my head falls back. All thoughts of teasing or taunting vanish as he massages my feet. “That feels so fucking good.”
He laughs and continues touching me. I let out another moan as he rubs my foot a little bit harder.
“You know,” he says, his voice low. “If you keep making those noises, someone might get the wrong idea.”
“What idea is that?”
“They might think I’m over here fingering you beneath that lovely gown.” I glance up and realize that my gown has indeed poofed up around us. Anyone walking by will definitely get the wrong idea, especially with my sex noises.
“Sorry,” I whisper. “Can’t have that happening.”
“Can’t we?” He asks, and his hand moves up to my thigh.
Dane looks into my eyes as his fingers roam around my soft legs. Ruby did a great job removing my hair permanently. I don’t worry about stubble or strays as he touches me. I know I’m soft everywhere, but I’m surprised at just how much I enjoy him touching me as his hand continues to move up.
“You’re the King’s friend,” I murmur.
“And you’re his human, aren’t you?”
I nod, gulping. This is far too intimate for someone I’ve just met. Oh, I wanted to fuck someone tonight, wanted to feel them plunging deep inside of me, but not the King’s friend. That’s pushing things a little too far.
Only as Dane touches me, I realize I don’t want him to stop. It feels too good and I’m too needy to ask him to stop. His hands feel like magic against my skin. They feel good.
They feel naughty.
“Tell me, love, why hasn’t he fucked you yet?”
“How do you know he hasn’t fucked me?” My voice comes out in a sort of low whine, heavy with my arousal.
“If he was fucking you, you wouldn’t tolerate me touching you here.”
“Is that so?”
Dane nods, slowly. He doesn’t drop his hands, though. He keeps moving his fingers in soft, massaging circles. Slowly, he moves up my dress.
“If he was fucking you, he wouldn’t let you out of his sight.”
“That’s not true,” I comment. “He fucks lots of women. He doesn’t care about them at all.” It hurts a little that Zeke doesn’t want to fuck me, but do I really want to just be one more girl who throws herself at him?
“They aren’t you,” Dane says simply, and for the first time, I get the impression that he actually thinks I’m worth looking at. Dane looks at me like he could eat me alive and enjoy every second of it.
“He says I’m fat,” I finally manage to say, and Dane laughs.
“Does he now?” He chuckles. “Sweetheart, you haven’t got an ounce of fat on your damn body. He can’t appreciate your curves? That’s no worry. I know someone who loves curvy little humans.”
“Who is that?”
His fingers inch up my thigh, slowly, steadily moving higher and higher. Dane’s eyes never leave mine as he gently rubs my skin. At some point, I must have stopped breathing because Dane stops moving his hand for a second and smiles.
“Take a deep breath, sweetie,” he whispers.
I can only nod, but I do what he says. I breathe. Inhaling slowly, then exhaling. Once he’s convinced I’m not going to pass out, Dane’s fingers resume their slow journey upward, toward my core.
The music fades and the crowd disappears. Here in the corner, no one can see us unless they’re very close. We’re behind some potted plants on a little bench. I can still peek out and see the crowd, but the corner is dark. We’re hidden.
And Dane, King Zeke’s best friend, is touching me.
My pussy is soaked with the idea that he might slide his fingers into me. I’m dripping wet as he moves higher and higher.
“I can smell you, human,” Dane says. He leans forward and sniffs the air. His other hand cups my cheek, and I lean into his touch. He’s so different from Zeke that for a moment, I wonder how they became friends.
But then Dane’s fingers reach my panties, and I catch my breath.
“The King’s virgin human,” Dane chuckles. “Hiding behind a plant at the party with the bad boy of the group. Who would have thought?”
“I thought the King was the bad boy,” I say. I almost forget and use his real name. Luckily, I catch myself in time. The last thing I need is for Dane to tattle on me.
“Oh, honey, he’s got nothing on me.”
Then he plunges two fingers into me, deeply, stretching me, and I open my mouth to cry out.
Only I don’t make a sound because at the same moment, Dane’s lips press against mine and he’s kissing me. And oh, Dane can fucking kiss. He doesn’t waste time playing. There’s no sweet tracing of my lips. There are no soft, teasing pecks. No, he plunges his tongue into my mouth and shows me that when Dane wants something, he gets it.
His fingers play with my pussy, sliding out to tease my clit before he thrusts them back in again.
In and out.
In and out.
He stops kissing me and bites my ear, whispering to me.
“Fuck, Riley, you’ve got a tight pussy. You have no idea how I want to pull you into my lap and fuck you right here.”
“I…” I can’t even think straight. An orgasm is coiling inside of me, threatening to explode. My whole body is wound tight and Dane could be the one to set me free.
I’m tired of being the only virgin on Taneyemm. Jenika and Hal convinced me that it was some sort of special prize, something to be revered, but it’s not. Once I’ve passed this stage, the “first time” stage, I can really come into my sexual awakening.
I can start to have some fun.
Right now? Right now feels pretty fun.
“What do you think about that, Riley? Do you want me to fuck your sweet, tight little virgin pussy?”
I open my mouth to say something, but he kisses me again, and then I’m coming. Oh, fuck, I’m coming. I can’t make a sound as my body shakes because Dane has my mouth covered. He doesn’t let up, kissing my mouth and stroking my clit until he’s pulled every quiver, every shake, every ounce of pleasure from me.
And as the haze of lust begins to lift, and my eyes meet his, there’s a hint of something there, only it’s not lust.
It’s…humor?
Is something funny right now?
Then I hear it. Slow, loud clapping. Turning my head to see where it’s coming from, I see him.
Zeke.
He’s standing a few feet away, far enough that I didn’t notice him, but that he had a perfect view of everything that just happened.
And the King?
He looks fucking pissed.
“That was quite a show, Riley.”
I don’t say anything. What is there to say? I’m his human, but I’m not his concubine. I wasn’t aware I had to get his permission before I slept with someone or touched someone. I don’t have to get his permis
sion.
And despite the fact that Zeke has no interest in me, he suddenly seems very pissed about the fact that Dane and I just…whatever.
“I think she looked gorgeous,” Dane says. He strokes my cheek again, offering me a little bit of comfort. I’m sure my cheeks are flushed: a combination of arousal and embarrassment. Dane’s look tells me without words that everything is going to be okay, that I didn’t do anything wrong, that it’s going to be fine.
I don’t even know Dane.
But somehow, I trust him.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now, Dane?” Zeke clenches his jaw. I’m surprised his teeth don’t crack as he grinds them loudly. “Do we need to take this outside?”
Really?
What the fuck kind of schoolyard fight is this?
What’s he going to do – breathe fire on Dane?
Dane just chuckles and gets up. He offers his hand to me and I take it. Once I’m standing, Dane picks up my shoes and gives them to me. I accept them carefully, not sure what to say now. If Zeke wasn’t here, I’d invite Dane out. Maybe I wouldn’t take him back to my room, not with Zeke’s chambers right there, but we could go back to his place. Surely Dane has a room in this giant castle.
Hell, he probably has a whole suite like Zeke does.
“Riley, it was a pleasure,” Dane says. He kisses me on the cheek, then pushes past Zeke. Dane disappears into the crowd of people and I’m left with one very angry, very red, very about-to-go-nuts dragon.
I didn’t do anything wrong, but I suddenly feel very much like the naughty schoolgirl whose professor is about to spank her. I gulp, but don’t say anything.
Never show weakness to a dragon.
Instead of crying or acting embarrassed, I meet Zeke’s gaze head-on. He stares at me, his eyes flashing, like he thinks I’m going to break or cry, but I won’t. I’m stronger than that.
Zeke didn’t want me. Wouldn’t have me. I found someone who did, if only for a little while, and it felt so good. It felt so good to be needed, desired, taken. It felt so good to be possessed by someone, even for just a few minutes.
Dane made me feel beautiful, like I was floating, like I was a princess.
And now Zeke is trying to make me feel like a whore.
“Go to your room,” he says through his teeth. I don’t think he even moved his mouth at all when he spoke.
“What?” I ask, completely confused. “Why?” I motion at the crowds of people. Some are still dancing, but most are just drinking at this point. “The party is still going on.”
“Go to your room now.” Zeke punches the wall as he says now, and suddenly, I’m not feeling so brave anymore. Suddenly, I’m not so happy I taunted the dragon.
Suddenly, I’m not so pleased Zeke caught me with someone else.
Chapter 12
Storming into my room, I tear the beautiful dress from my body and let it crumple to the floor.
Then I crumple to the floor, too.
How could such a special moment turn so ugly? I don’t even know what went wrong. Everything had been so special, so perfect, so romantic.
It had been raw.
For just a moment, I felt desired. Zeke is constantly parading the thin, scrawny girls he likes through his chambers and compared to them, I really am a giant. Dane didn’t seem to care about that, though. He really seemed to care about me, about how I felt, about what would make me feel sexy.
Having the guest of honor finger me in a corner?
That was pretty unexpected and pretty fucking fun.
I might not have lost my virginity tonight, but I sure had a hell of a time right up until Zeke walked up.
Fucking Zeke. I shouldn’t let him get to me, but as I sit in the middle of my bedroom floor on my hands and knees, I let myself break down and cry.
How can someone so beautiful be so mean? So cruel? I kept telling myself it was a misunderstanding: that he’s not that bad of a guy. Now I think I was wrong. He is a bad guy. He’s mean and he’s uncaring and he’s a slut.
How could I ever have thought that being his would be special?
Did I really think I wanted to be his wife?
Spending so much time on the ship really messed with my head. All this time, I thought we would come to some sort of understanding. I thought the King of Taneyemm would see me and be so impressed that I could speak his language and understand his culture, that he’d want to keep me.
But he didn’t.
He didn’t want me.
Finally, I stop crying long enough to climb into my bed and pull my blanket over myself. I sing an Earth lullabye my mother used to sing, then I drift to sleep. Maybe things will look better tomorrow.
***
When I wake up, things don’t look better. My dress is gone and there’s a breakfast tray on a rolling cart.
Who was in my room?
Was I sleeping so hard that I didn’t notice them enter? Ignoring the food, I go into the bathroom and throw up. Yeah. Definitely shouldn’t have had so much alcohol.
After a hot shower, I pull on a plain dress. I don’t wear panties, of course. Can’t have the help actually feeling like real people.
Then I go out to see what Zeke needs from me this morning. He’s not in the bedroom or the kitchen. When I glance at the clock, I realize it’s not as late as I thought. It’s still early, in fact, so where is he?
He could have gone to his office and gotten started dealing with official business, but I decide to look in the game room instead. Sure enough, he’s sitting in a chair by the window and he’s reading a book. For just a moment, I stand there and look at him.
Zeke really is handsome.
If he wouldn’t open his mouth so damn much, maybe it would be possible to love someone like him. He’s got a chiseled jaw line and his abs look like they were carved from stone. Back on Earth, before the wars, he could have been a model or an actor. Kings are supposed to look this delicious.
Kings aren’t supposed to make their servants feel so lost.
“Good morning, Riley,” he says, not looking up. “I trust you slept well.”
“Yes,” I tell him. “May I get you breakfast, my Lord?”
“I’m fine, Riley.” I nod, but continue standing in the doorway until he looks up. For just a second, he looks amused. The twinkle in his eye reminds me of Dane last night, but I push the memory away. That will never happen again. Zeke basically chased Dane away, canceling any chances I have with the dragon man.
“Do you need something, Riley?”
“No, sir,” I say, and turn to leave, but he motions me over instead.
“Come, sit by my feet.”
By his feet?
Zeke rarely comes in this room and he’s never asked me to sit with him, near him, or on him. Why now? Still feeling a bit groggy and tired, I decide to just do what he wants. Maybe if I’m extra good today, he won’t punish me for what happened last night.
I make my way through the room, past several bookshelves and a large sofa, and settle at Zeke’s feet. I sit there in silence for a moment. Then I lean my head against his leg and breathe a sigh of relief.
Somehow, sitting here with him while he reads is really relaxing. I close my eyes and just allow myself to calm down. Yesterday was horrible, but today could be very different. Every day is fresh, right?
Zeke starts petting my hair. For a moment, I tense, then I remind myself to relax. It’s just touching. It’s not sexual. It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.
The King ignores me completely as he strokes my hair, running his finger through my long locks. Suddenly glad I wore it down today, I snuggle in a little closer to him, and I think he chuckles as he touches me.
For someone who acts completely disinterested in me, Zeke sure seems to like touching me. I can’t complain because I like it, too. Women are great, but the touch of a man just lights me up. I find comfort in Zeke. I find contentment. I felt amazing last night with Dane, but Zeke makes me f
eel even better.
After awhile, he sets the book down and pulls me into his lap. Zeke just stares at me. What the hell is going on? I try to wiggle down, but he holds me tighter.
“Let me go,” I whisper. “I’m too…”
Fat.
Big.
Heavy.
“It’s fine, Riley,” he holds me still, but doesn’t speak for awhile. When he does, his voice isn’t angry or upset. He just sounds curious. “You wanted to sleep with Dane.”
Does he expect me to say something to that? If yes, what? What does he want from me? What does he want me to say?
Am I supposed to admit I had feelings for another man?
More importantly, why would he care? It’s not like Zeke wants me.
I’ve underestimated the King, though, because he just waits. Is this how he’s become such a great dragon warrior? He waits his victims out? I’ve heard rumors of his ability to wait for the opportune moment. No, the King isn’t rash and harsh like me. He doesn’t run his mouth at the wrong moments.
I blush when I remember my first night at the castle. He pissed me off and I threw the tumbler at the door. When Zeke pressed me down on his desk and spanked me, he was completely self-controlled. He didn’t hit me too hard or too long.
He knew exactly what he was doing to get the reaction he wanted: my tears.
“Yes,” I finally admit, and let out a breath when I do. Why was that so hard to say? Zeke doesn’t have any hold on me. We aren’t in a relationship, so why was it so embarrassing?
“Why? You don’t know him,” Zeke traces the skin on my arms with his finger. His eyes hold mine. “He won’t marry you.”
“I don’t want to get married,” I roll my eyes. “I want to get laid.”
Before I know what’s happening, Zeke has me straddling him on the chair. My legs are on either side of his, my dress is hiked up to my waist, and his hands are holding my back firmly in place. My chest is tight against his, and I know he can feel my nipples.
“Is that what you want, little Riley?”
“I’m not little,” I protest, but he doesn’t laugh. Zeke just holds me, and then I feel it.
I feel him.