by Sophie Stern
“That’s an interesting attitude for someone who has a punishment coming,” I comment, keeping my eyes on the controls.
“What?” She squeaks, and her eyes go wide. I bite back a chuckle.
“If I remember correctly, you were a bit rude to me in the kitchen,” I look at her pointedly. “And naughty girls get punished.”
“What are you going to do to me?” She asks, licking her bottom lip.
Making a hasty decision, I hit the buttons for autopilot and look away from my computer screens. There are several that give me all of the flight details I need to keep the ship going, but they’ll run just fine on their own while I play with sweet Fiona.
“I think the question is, little one, what are you going to do to yourself?”
“What?” She looks confused, and I motion for her to stand up. She does quickly, and I take her in with my hungry gaze. She looks wanton and horny, but only a little bit nervous. It’s time to change that.
“Take off your shirt,” I tell her, and she pulls it over her head and hands it to me. I fold it before placing it on one of the counters. “Now turn around,” I tell her. She hesitates for just a second, but obeys me.
Her heart-shaped bottom is ripe for the picking, and I intend to have my fill.
“Now that’s a beautiful view, sweetheart,” I tell her.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Now bend down and grab your ankles.”
“What?” She squeaks.
“Fiona,” I use my stern voice, the one I know gets her excited, and she instantly complies. Good. She bends in half and I’m surprised at just how flexible she is. Her palms reach the floor and she flattens them in front of her. Her legs are spread just slightly, which means I have the perfect view of her glistening pussy.
“Is this okay?” She manages to ask.
“That’s perfect,” I tell her. “You look incredible. I can see your pussy, Fiona. I can see you’re wet for me. Even the idea of being punished turns you on, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” she squeaks out.
“Yes, you’re a naughty girl. You wanted me to think you were sweet and innocent, but you’re really bad, aren’t you?”
“A little.”
“Now tell me why I’m going to punish you.”
“I was rude to you in the kitchen,” she says. “I didn’t need to be rude. I could have just as easily been polite.”
“Why were you rude, Fiona?” I ask. She hesitates, which makes me wonder what she’s going to say. I assumed she was going to tell me she got overexcited or lost control of herself in the craziness of searching, but that’s not what she says.
“I was upset,” she says. “I was thinking about how I have to leave when this is all over.”
“And that’s not what you want?” I ask. I’m a little taken aback, a little surprised. I shouldn’t be, but I am. I don’t really want her to leave, either. I want to spend more time with her, want to get to know her better, but that’s not really fair of me to ask. It’s not fair for me to ask her to stay. It’s not fair for me to ask her to be mine. She barely even knows me.
“I don’t want to leave you, Quinn,” she admits. “I didn’t think I would like being with you here on the ship, but it’s different than I thought it would be. It’s exciting and fun and you make me feel so good, Quinn. You make me feel incredible.”
“You make me feel good, too, human,” I step up behind her and place my palms on her bottom. I run my hands over her soft skin and she lets out a tiny mewl. Goosebumps form on her skin and I know she’s getting even more aroused, even more excited. She has no idea what I’m going to do next and that’s good.
Nervousness is half the fun of a punishment.
I run my nails over her smooth skin and she shivers, but holds still.
“Good girl,” I murmur.
Then I step back and spank her.
The first swat surprises her. The second one stings. The third one elicits a squeak and the fourth one brings out a growl. I don’t speak as I punish Fiona’s bottom. I don’t say anything at all as she protests loudly. Instead, I focus on making sure I turn her pale skin a bright, beautiful pink, and then I stop.
She doesn’t move.
I run my hands over her tender skin. Then I run my nails over her bottom and she cries out when I do that.
“Quinn! It hurts!”
“It’s a punishment,” I remind her. “But don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”
“But, I…”
I slide my fingers between her thighs and sure enough, they’re completely wet. She loved it. She loved being punished. She loved the way I touched her, hurt her. She can pretend she didn’t all she wants, but Fiona got wet from me playing with her.
“What did you want to say, Fiona?” I ask, slipping a finger inside of her. “Tell me, princess,” I murmur.
Her answer is a soft groan and then I add another finger, stretching her tight channel. I pump in and out of her, setting a fast rhythm. Fiona is still bent over with her legs spread, giving me plenty of room to play with her sweet, soft pussy.
“You’re so fucking perfect, baby,” I flick her clit lightly before continuing to finger her. “Your pussy is so wet and creamy. You’re making me so hard, Fiona. You took your punishment like a good girl and now you’re going to get a reward.”
Her answer is indiscernible as I play with her, as I get her wetter and wetter, and then, Fiona comes.
She cries out as she does, cries out my name and a bunch of other words I don’t understand, and then, before she can collapse from exhaustion, I sweep her into my arms and kiss her gently, softly.
“Please,” she whispers. “Fuck me, Quinn.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
Chapter 23
Fiona
Quinn and I pass the time after we leave Dreagle with sex, sex, and more sex. A day passes, or maybe two, before anything happens. In fact, it’s so long before anything bad happens that I start to hope nothing bad will happen. I start to hope that maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to make it to Sapphira without hindrance.
My hopes are in vain.
Our constant lovemaking is interrupted by an alarm blaring. I don’t realize what’s happening at first, but Quinn does, and he jumps out of bed. He pulls his pants on and races out of the room while I’m still fumbling with my shirt.
Red lights are blinking in the hallway as I race down to the control room. Quinn is already there when I arrive and his grim stature lets me know the worst has happened. They’ve come for us.
I don’t know how long we’ve been off Dreagle, but Quinn was right: they found us.
He warned me it wouldn’t be long. He warned me the journey to Sapphira wouldn’t be easy or simple, but I thought he was exaggerating. I thought he was making things seem harder than they actually would be.
By the time we get to the control room, we can see two intergalactic police cruisers on the scanner. A message comes through on the computer: one I don’t understand.
“What are they saying?”
“They want me to slow down so they can escort us back to Sapphira,” he says through gritted teeth.
“And that’s a bad idea?” I ask. I wish I knew more about the political state of Sapphira, but I don’t.
“Let’s just say they aren’t real cops,” he says. “They think they are and they might be on the governmental payroll, but they’re not going to do anything when I say there are drugs on this ship except arrest me.”
“Even though it’s not your ship?”
“They’ll spin some story about how I planted the drugs.”
“What are you going to do?”
“This ship is a lot faster than theirs,” he says simply. “Sit down.” He uses his Dom voice: the one I’ve come to associate with his bedroom orders, and I immediately comply. I plop into a chair and grip the armrests tightly. Something tells me there’s no way to prepare myself for what’s about to happen.
Then Quinn pu
shes a button and the whole world seems to spin. I realize we’re going faster than I could possibly imagine, faster than I ever thought a ship could go. I feel dizzy and the monitors begin to shake. After a minute, I close my eyes and try to think about other things.
I try to think happy thoughts about escaping, happy thoughts about making it to Sapphira and landing without any trouble. I try to think happy thoughts about Ezra being able to help us.
It only makes me dizzier.
Finally, I opened my eyes. We’re still going fast, everything is still shaking, but I turn my head enough to look at Quinn, to really look at him.
In the face of danger, he’s calm.
He hasn’t cracked, hasn’t backed down. When the bad guys came, he thought quickly and figured out a way for us to escape. He figured out a way for us to stay alive without sacrificing what we’ve found.
He’s got it all together. He’s grounded, rooted. Quinn might think he doesn’t know what kind of man he is, but I do. He’s a good man, a brave man. He’s the kind of man who couldn’t let a human girl be sold to the highest bidder. He’s the kind of man who didn’t leave it up to chance.
He’s the kind of man who gets his hands dirty when he has to, and he’s the kind of man I want to be with.
Forever.
The realization hits me and finally, I understand what people mean when they say they’ve falling in love. I finally understand what people mean when they say love hits you and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t explain it, can’t predict it.
It was never like this with Darin.
I never felt anything like this before.
“Are you all right?” Quinn yells over the sound of the engines, which sound like they’re going to explode. They’re normally silent, normally so quiet I can barely hear them, but now they’re like a train roaring. He doesn’t turn to look at me. He’s still facing the controls, checking different computer screens and scanners, trying to keep everything working correctly.
“I’m all right,” I manage to say once I’ve caught my breath. “But that was fast.”
“Like I said,” Quinn yells again. “Fast.”
I don’t know what other special features this ship has that might help us get safely to Sapphira, but I do know one thing: Quinn is not someone who should be messed with. He’s not someone who should be taken lightly. He’s not someone the rest of the world should fuck with because once he makes up his mind to do something, he’s going to make it happen.
“All right,” he pushes a few controls and suddenly, I can feel us slow down. The engines quiet once more and he looks calmer, more relaxed. “Time to talk to big brother.”
“Are you going to send him a message?” I ask, curious at how this is going to work.
“I’m going to talk to him directly.”
“I’m guessing you don’t do this often.”
“It’s not safe from Dreagle. It’s too easy for messages to be intercepted there.”
“And out here?”
“Still not safe, but it’s time. Stay in your seat, okay? I don’t want him to see you.”
Before I can ask why Quinn doesn’t want Ezra to see me, he opens up the communication line and a blue face appears on screen. It’s his brother, obviously. Aside from the blue skin tone, they have similar facial features. Their noses look alike, and they share the same grim expression.
“Brother,” Ezra speaks first and Quinn nods. Ezra’s expression is dark, like there’s no hope left in the world. “You’re on your way.”
“I am,” Quinn says. “The green fox flies at midnight.”
“What?” Ezra looks just as confused as I am.
“The blue bear growls at midnight,” Quinn tries again.
“Dude,” Ezra glares at his brother, and I choke back a laugh.
“The-”
“Please!” Ezra speaks loudly. “For the love of dragons, just stop. Nobody likes your code words and Earth slang but you,” he growls at his brother, and this time I have to cover my mouth to keep my laughter from reaching Ezra’s ears.
It’s too little, too late, though, because Ezra’s eyes suddenly go wide and he looks instantly suspicious.
“Is someone with you?” He asks. “Have you been taken, brother?”
“I’m fine,” Quinn says, shooting me a glare. “I picked up an interesting passenger. Don’t worry. You’ll like her. We’re halfway home.”
“And you’ve got it all sorted?” I assume he’s referring to the hidden cargo, and Quinn nods.
“Everything’s ready on my end,” he says.
“I won’t let you down,” Ezra says, and then the monitor goes black.
Chapter 24
Quinn
Ezra is waiting when we land in the field just outside of town. I didn’t have to tell him which field to meet us in. We both remember where we found Hayden that fateful day so many years ago. It seemed fitting we would end our hatred of Hector LeBlaie in the same place it began so long ago.
Fiona and I climb carefully out of the ship. I still haven’t given her any proper clothes, mainly because I don’t have any. We tried a pair of my pants, but even the ones with the stretchy waistbands are too big for her tiny stature. Socks and a t-shirt it is.
Ezra smiles as we reach the bottom of the ladder.
“Hello,” Fiona says shyly, but my brother just steps forward and wraps her in his arms.
“Welcome to the family, kid,” he says. Then he hugs me, too, which surprises me. Ezra isn’t much for emotion of physical affection. “I like her, but she’s too good for you.”
“You’re telling me,” I mumble. Then I pull away. “You brought everything?” I ask.
“Everything,” Ezra confirms. He hands me a sack and I head back up the ladder. “Stay with Ezra,” I call to Fiona, and then I climb inside.
***
Three days later, I walk through the center of Diamond with a smile on my face, like nothing can take me down, like nothing can hurt me. I make it three blocks before the police arrest me for stealing and interplanetary terrorism. After spending two days alone in a jail cell, I’m allowed to see my lawyer, who argues there is no proof I’ve done anything illegal.
“He’s being charged with stealing a ship,” one of the police officers explains slowly, as if my lawyer is stupid, as if he’s never defended a client before.
“And who saw him steal this supposed ship?” Gaz is the best attorney on the planet, possibly in the universe. Ezra filled him in long before I was arrested, so he knows everything: the whole sordid story. The best part is that no one wants Hector to pay more than Gaz. He’s got his own reasons for that.
“I did,” Hector strides into the room with the head of the police department. I’m not surprised those two are in cahoots. It makes sense Hector would have one of the most powerful men in Diamond in his pocket. “He took my ship and despite multiple requests to return it, chose not to. He took it off-planet instead.” His eyes narrow at me, but I see something beneath the anger.
Fear.
Do I know his secret?
Was I able to figure out why that ship in particular was so important?
“My client did no such thing,” Gaz says. “In fact, we have proof he has been on Sapphira for the last four weeks consecutively.”
Is it my imagination, or does Hector pale a little bit?
“Impossible,” Hector says, but Gaz hands the police chief a holodrive.
“Play it,” he says simply, and after staring at the little disc in his hand for a moment, the police chief presses his thumb on the top. Instantly, a hologram chart of my banking habits begins to play.
There are charges from my account made at local diners and shops every day over the last thirty days. There are even several pictures of me, taken from security films, or so it would seem.
“This can’t be right,” Hector says, and shoots the uniformed police officer a glare. The officer looks nervous, but shrugs.
“We’ll have to h
ave our team analyze this,” Chief Mortimer says, handing the holodrive to the officer. “But at first glance, it appears to be legitimate. If this is correct,” he shoots a pointed look at his officer. “We’ll have no grounds on which to hold Mr. Fox.”
“Impossible!” LeBlaie says again. This time he shakes his finger at me, but doesn’t say anything else.
“If everything checks out, you’ll be free to leave, Mr. Fox,” the police chief says to me. Then he leaves with Hector.
“Well?” Gaz says once we’re alone. “What do you say? Am I the best? Or am I the best?”
“You’re certainly something,” I admit. Then, not knowing if the room is bugged or being watched, the two of us wait in silence for over an hour. We both know they’re going to do a rush job on analyzing the content of the drive. We also both know it’s going to check out completely because I’m one of the best computer specialists on the planet. After awhile, the chief himself returns with my release paperwork.
“Mr. Fox,” he says. “Your lawyer’s holodrive checked out. You’re free to leave.”
“About fucking time,” I groan, rolling my eyes with exaggerated frustration. Gaz and I stand and I look at the chief. “Good luck finding whoever took that jerk’s ship.”
“Actually,” Chief Mortimer has the decency to look a bit sheepish. “The ship has been located.”
“Is that right?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Turns out, the ship was never out of the docking bay. It was simply moved to a different docking slot and the correct number was never updated on the ship’s records.”
“So this guy has been searching for me for a whole month and his ship wasn’t even missing?”
“I’m afraid so,” Chief Mortimer says.
“All’s well that ends well,” Gaz offers up, and the chief shakes his hand. Then Gaz and I head outside and get into his hovercar.
“Tell me something,” Gaz says as he drives off. “How long did it take you to forge that holodrive?”
“What makes you think I forged it?” I tell him.