by Anna Adler
She was seized with an irrational desire to kiss him. He was so close and his mouth looked so tempting…and she was thirty-four, embarrassingly single, and alone for too many years. Despite craving companionship, she didn’t want a Silenian man. Aliens and hybrids were all she cared about, but she couldn’t get personal with them, either.
She leaned closer until she felt his warm breath fanning her lips. Chase went still, his breathing tense, expectant.
“Come closer,” he repeated in a low voice.
He’s not yours. Don’t get carried away.
Holly withdrew. “I’m going to release you now.”
Chapter 5
Chase flexed his stiff limbs after Holly untied him. He felt great. He hadn’t had a warm meal since leaving Jax’s ship, and the prospect of getting proper food from now on put him in a good mood. He was eager for the next step in his training. And hell, he had enjoyed getting to touch Holly’s hand, even if it was only with his mouth. He looked forward to an opportunity to do it again.
Next, Holly took him to a gym where she ordered him to do a series of moves on each device.
“This will be part of our everyday routine, too,” she explained. “It’s important you stay fit and healthy. We want those muscles to look their best.”
Chase agreed. It felt good to get moving and lift some weights. He worked himself into a sweat. Holly observed him and instructed him, casually tapping her rod against her leg. She looked so good in her sexy uniform. And damn, that look in her eyes… She acted aloof, but he could swear her gaze reflected both passion and yearning, as if she wanted to consume him.
Anytime, beautiful.
He went all out when doing his repeats, wanting to impress her. After Holly deemed he had exercised enough, she reattached the leash on his collar and took him to the adjacent room; the showers.
So far, Chase didn’t appreciate the cleaning routine at the pet training center. When Rawley was still his trainer, the asshole would hose him down in his cage once a day. Although it didn’t last long and the smart floor sucked up the moisture within a minute, the procedure left him fucking annoyed. Entering the showers with Holly was a welcome turn of events.
“Are you going to bathe me, Mistress?”
He remembered the stories Jax had told him about how Alyssa had insisted on bathing him every day in her luxury bathroom, using soft sponges and bath foams. It sounded like paradise, except Jax had been in chains and he hated it. Chase had squirmed with envy when he’d listened to the story.
The lucky bastard.
“We’ll use the shower, but yes, I’m going to wash you,” Holly replied.
Chase said a silent praise to whatever cosmic deity saw fit to send him to this woman. He followed her briskly. Holly led him to a shower unit with a pair of manacles hanging from the ceiling.
“I won’t put up resistance, Mistress,” he said. “Word of honor.”
Holly flashed him a grin. “I know you won’t, Chase. You’re such a good pet. But you need to remember that you’re dependent on your owner.”
She pointed at the manacles with her rod. “Stand here. Attach those to your wrists.”
Chase obeyed. Holly’s praise made warm pleasure spread in his chest. She untied the loincloth from his hips and tossed it on the floor, where a passing cleaning robot picked it up and scurried away. Holly placed her rod on a shelf.
“Wait here.”
Of course, he would wait. My wrists are cuffed, so what else could I do?
Holly left him and disappeared through a door. Minutes ticked by. Chase quickly turned impatient and tested his chains. He could submit happily as long as Holly was present, doing things to him, but being left alone in chains didn’t sit well with him. Too many bad memories. The chains didn’t give in and he yanked harder.
“What’s the matter, pet? Calm down.”
Holly’s determined footsteps approached. Chase relaxed, her presence soothing him.
She stood before him in a black, full-body wetsuit. Other than her attractive cleavage, the suit left only her head, her hands and her feet exposed. Her hair was up. Chase noticed she wore deep red nail polish on her toes, the color of blood. The outfit hugged her every curve, giving him a whole new glimpse of her figure.
Suddenly, the restraints felt like a good idea. Chase’s heart pounded as he stared at her. If it weren’t for the chains, he’d be all over her. He’d be misbehaving, big time, and it would piss her off. He swallowed.
Holly faced him. “Let’s get you cleaned up then.”
She chose a handheld showerhead and rinsed him with warm water then moved to stand behind him and shampooed his hair. Chase tilted his head back to give her better access.
“That’s it,” Holly purred.
Her deft fingers massaging his scalp relaxed him all the way down his spine. Then she ran more water over him to rinse it. Next, she poured a foamy substance on her palm as she moved in front of him.
“Hold your head still.”
Chase remained motionless as Holly gently spread the foam over his chin, cheeks and neck. A blade gleamed in her hand.
“Be very still now,” she said softly.
Her voice was hypnotic and Chase almost sunk into a trance as she shaved his jaw with deft hands. No woman had ever done something like this for him. It felt more intimate than sex. And if being shaved by her did this, he wondered what sex with Holly would feel like. His pulse throbbed in his groin.
“What else is included in the training, Mistress?” he asked in a murmur, trying not to move his mouth too much.
“Your tone implies a specific thing, pet.” Holly replied, focused on her task. “Go ahead and ask.”
“Will there be sex?”
“Hmm. Are you inexperienced?”
Chase was a little confused by this. “No.” He hadn’t had real-life sex often, but he used the virtual sex programs like everyone else.
“We’d train you in sex only if you had no previous experience,” Holly explained. “Your future owner will guide you if necessary. Silenians like to seduce and train their own pets in bed. So no, sex is not included in your training.”
That was a bit of a downer, but Chase was so comfortable, feeling Holly’s hands on his face and the razor blade gently gliding along his jaw, that he didn’t mind. Maybe he could persuade her to change her mind.
“So you think I have the skills to please my owner,” he said. “Are you sure you shouldn’t test me first?”
She grinned, but said, “I’m sure, pet. Your owner is going to be one lucky woman.”
Yeah, he was going to make someone happy and lucky. Hopefully someone beautiful and determined, like Holly.
“Do I get to have a say in who owns me?” he asked.
“No,” she replied. “I thought you knew that.”
“Yeah, I know. Just making conversation. My owner is going to own me for the rest of my life, isn’t that right, Mistress?”
“That’s right.”
Contentment flowed over him at the thought of being owned until the end of his days, living in a safe haven where he would be showered with pleasure and attention. He liked the idea that a woman wanted him so badly that she would never let him go.
“What about…offspring? Will my owner want to have children with me?”
She shook her head. “No. Silenians won’t breed with pets. The sex will be purely for pleasure.”
Chase felt disappointment at this, but didn’t dwell on it. Silenia wasn’t a perfect world; he couldn’t expect all his hopes to be fulfilled. So he was to be a sex toy but not a breeding stud. A new worry emerged in his mind.
“How do you prevent the owners from getting pregnant by their pets?” he asked, frowning.
Have I been sterilized?
He had been unconscious for an unknown period of time when he first arrived. He must have undergone a medical examination, but he had no memory of it. They could have done anything to him. A chill spread in his gut.
“Eve
ry Silenian is on birth control,” Holly explained. “Men and women both. It’s the law because the birth rate is regulated. You don’t have to worry about anything. It’s your owner’s responsibility to make sure she can’t get accidentally pregnant.”
“So I haven’t been made infertile?”
“No, of course not. No pet on Silenia has been tampered with.”
That was a relief. He may never father children, but he didn’t want to lose the ability.
“You don’t have to worry about diseases, either. Every human and pet on this planet is clean, yourself included, though you will have to submit to regular health check-ups.”
“Sure thing, Mistress. Will I get to be conscious next time?”
Holly chuckled. “If you ask nicely.”
She finished shaving him and rinsed his face. She applied liquid soap on a large, fluffy sponge and began to rub his arms and his chest. Chase groaned with pleasure.
Yes. Yes. More of this.
His hands were chained above his head, but since they weren’t pulled tight, he could stand at ease. He closed his eyes and enjoyed Holly rubbing the soft sponge on his skin. Her movements were seductive. She wasn’t just briskly cleaning him; she was massaging him without hurry, making certain he enjoyed her handling.
If only his buddies back on Jax’s ship could see him now. He suppressed a chuckle. They’d think he was nuts, but they would be envious as hell. He had this beautiful woman cleaning him with such care. She even sponged between his legs, not at all shy of his raging erection.
“Are you gonna do this every day?” he asked her.
“As often as I deem necessary,” Holly replied. “Your future owner will clean you as well. You have to get used to it.”
Chase didn’t care much for this prospect of future owner. He liked Holly.
“How long do I get to be with you, Mistress?”
“You mean, how long will your training last?”
“Yeah.”
“The duration of the training depends on the pet. The difficult cases can take up to a year. In your case, I think a month will be sufficient.”
“I’m gonna enjoy every moment of that month.”
She smiled.
“Why was I given to a male trainer at first?” he asked. “Aren’t there other female trainers?”
“We have equal numbers of male and female trainers,” Holly replied. “But the female trainers are mainly working with the female pets. The men work with male pets.”
“Why is that, Mistress?”
“The female pets feel safer in the hands of other women.”
“Wouldn’t the male pets prefer female trainers, too?”
“No. Our experience shows that male trainers are more efficient in handling male pets. You are an exception.”
“So…you haven’t trained other males before?”
Good. She’s all mine!
“I have,” Holly replied. “There have been other exceptions where I needed to step in.”
Damn.
His new excitement went out like a candle and jealousy crept up on him. “Are you training another male right now?” The thought of Holly seducing another man like this rubbed him the wrong way, as if someone was running a cheese grater over his gut. He wanted to be the sole focus of her attention.
“That’s none of your business.”
He glared at her. “Are you touching another male the way you’re touching me?”
She stopped washing him and glared back. “Watch your tone, pet.”
“Answer me,” he demanded.
Holly lashed out in an instant. In one sharp move, she grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. “It’s none of your business who I touch,” she hissed. “You will not behave territorial about me or any other woman.”
Conflict churned inside him. He wanted to argue.
“Pets don’t question their owners like that,” she went on in an icy tone. “Do you understand? Your task is to accept and to submit.”
Chase knew he was being an idiot. She was a trainer—of course, she had touched others. He was so excited about her that he didn’t want to share her, but he would have to come up with different means if he wanted her exclusive attention. Open rebellion was a bad idea.
“I understand, Mistress,” he replied, trying to sound as sincere as he could. “I apologize.”
“Your owner will sleep with other males,” Holly went on coldly. “The man she marries will be a Silenian man. Some owners only have sex with their pets, but most Silenians have multiple lovers. You have no choice but to accept it.”
A sick feeling twisted in his gut as he considered what this implied about Holly.
Shit. Is she married?
His heart sank. He didn’t want to fix his hopes on her if she already had someone.
“You’re right, Mistress. I apologize,” he said, hoping to appease her.
Holly released him and stepped back. “You’re still new to Silenia and you find many things confusing,” she said. “But you will keep your reactions in check.”
“Yes, Mistress, forgive me. May I ask…one more question?” He simply needed to know.
“You may ask questions, pet,” Holly replied. “As long as you remember your place.”
He kept his gaze averted, hoping to convey his submission. “Are you married, Mistress?”
Her expression hardened. “My status is none of your business. Don’t ask me that again.”
Fuck, she’s taken.
Chase swallowed. Even if she wasn’t married yet, she might be engaged or sleeping with someone. The thought of her showing affection to someone else tasted bitter.
Get over it, Decker. She’s only the first woman you met here. Don’t get carried away.
Holly resumed washing him and Chase tried to take a mental step back and view Holly only as a first crush before he would meet his owner.
He cleared his throat nervously. “Permission to speak, Mistress?”
Her expression softened, her warmth returning. “You have permission.”
“Where are all the other pets? I haven’t seen anyone since I was brought here.”
“You won’t be seeing them during your training. It would distract you. You will only be interacting with me and the occasional caretakers.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
“Being isolated creates a stronger dependency on the trainer, doesn’t it?”
“You’re smart.”
Her comment made him proud, soothing away part of his disappointment. Smart wasn’t the term anyone would usually use to describe him. “I want to understand how this works,” he said.
“That’s good. Understanding Silenia will keep you alive.”
“I haven’t seen anything outside this facility yet. Will I get to go outside?”
“The desire to get out of this facility is yet another motivating factor for you to cooperate. So no, you won’t go outside before your training is concluded.”
“The training seems pretty simple so far.”
“I’m sure it does…because you’re not trying to resist it.”
“What would happen if I resisted?”
“Anything and everything that would cause you to break. Don’t fight, Chase. I wouldn’t want to see you go through that. It would…kill your spirit.”
Chase sensed something in her eyes and in her voice. Genuine concern. Fear.
“Don’t worry, Mistress,” he said. “I’m here for a reason. I want to be trained.”
She smiled. “You’re very unusual, pet. But you’ll get what you want.”
Holly finished sponging him. She rinsed him off, after which she fetched towels and dried him. Chase willed his arousal away, too bothered by Holly’s relationship status to feel horny. She released him from his cuffs and handed him a fresh loincloth. Once Chase wore the cloth, she attached the leash to his collar and ordered him to follow. He was confused to find himself led back to the cage.
“Mistress?
Are we already done for today?”
“It’s my lunch break,” she said. “I’ll be back afterward.”
Holly left him in his cage. After a minute, Chase stretched down on his back. He folded his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling, chewing on his thoughts.
He realized he had misspoken when he met Holly yesterday. He wasn’t here simply to get laid—he was here to find a mate. If he only wanted sex, it shouldn’t matter who Holly saw on the side, but Chase realized he was possessive. It didn’t make sense to be both submissive and possessive, but he didn’t want his Mistress seeing anyone else. He wanted her passion all for himself, and he wanted it for life. He had been alone for too long to go for anything less.
A few hours ago, he had been eager to push Holly to realize all his fantasies. Sex, chains, corporal punishments, the whole deal. But if she had a relationship, or even other pets to train, it made him rethink the situation. He wanted her, but he was probably nothing more than a job to her. Judging by her reaction to the marriage question, she preferred someone else and he didn’t stand a chance in her affections. The thought produced a lonely ache inside him.
Chase decided he wasn’t going to try to have sex with Holly. He would accept and enjoy her handling, but he wasn’t going to encourage her the way he’d been doing before. He would enjoy her company, but his focus should be on learning the ropes. He would be the obedient pet. He was already too attached to her. If he let this go any further, he would only get hurt once the training ended.
Sometime later, Holly returned, followed by a bot carrying a tray full of food. “Ready to continue, pet?”
Chase rolled onto his feet. “Yes, Mistress.”
Chapter 6
Holly was bewildered. Chase had been under her care for two weeks. Every day after their work was over, she went back to her office as if in a dream, changed clothes and walked home through the city. She tried to push him out of her mind—he was her job, not her male pastime—but even while having dinner, showering and going to bed, her thoughts kept returning to him. She hated Silenia for what it did to the aliens and the hybrids, but Chase touched something different inside her…the deepest, darkest wishes that had made her become a pet trainer in the first place. He was here of his own will, so she didn’t have to feel sorry for him. His eagerness to submit made her want to own him for real.