by Sahara Kelly
She waited for him to speak, but he didn’t.
Realizing she still had him under hypnosis, her joy diminished. He hadn’t taken her of his own free will, she had mesmerized him into it. Guilt stabbed at her, but she refused to listen to the voices in her head that told her what she’d just done went against everything she’d been taught.
“Ric, listen to me,” she said, fixing her voice in the soft, melodic tones she’d used to put him under. “I want you to close your eyes now and sleep. When you wake tomorrow, you will remember nothing of what happened. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” His eyes closed and his body loosened its hold on her.
Mia chewed her bottom lip and contemplated adding one more command to Ric. Would he ever want her of his own volition? What they’d just shared was indescribable. How could she ever go back to having sex with another man when she’d just gotten the best she’d ever had?
And he had indicated he’d been due for some sexual relaxation. Surely she could help him out a little.
“Ric, can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“When you hear me ask, Ric, do you think I’m beautiful, you will immediately fall into a deep hypnotic state again, and will remain so until I tell you to wake. Is that understood?
He paused for a moment, and she wondered if he’d take the post-hypnotic suggestion. Being a M’Loran it should work on him, as it did for so many others when she gave them the subdue code. Ric was no different than any of them.
She asked him again. “Ric, did you understand the phrase I gave you?”
“Yes.”
“When you hear that phrase, you will fall into a deep sleep. You will respond only to my commands. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“Go to sleep now. You will wake naturally, feel refreshed and remember nothing.”
She watched as his breathing slowed and his body relaxed. Once she was certain he was in a natural sleep, she slid off the bed and grabbed her things, not wanting to be found in his room when he woke up.
Picking a comfortable chair in his living area, she closed her eyes and tried to rest. But guilt haunted her, prevented her from sleeping.
What had she done? Never in her professional life had she hypnotized a subject for her own personal gain. So why now, and why with Ric? And just because she’d done it once didn’t mean she had to do it again.
She simply wouldn’t use the suggestion she’d given him, that’s all. Once was bad enough. She’d never do it again.
No matter how much she wanted a repeat performance of tonight. Already her body ached for him, wanting him inside her again, needing to feel his strong arms around her, his cock pounding away until she had no memory of any man before him.
That’s what she wanted, but she wasn’t going to have it again. She’d already had her thrill, at the cost of her integrity.
Chapter Six
Ric stood over Mia and watched her sleep, innocence and beauty bathing her small face. She had surprised him last night, in more ways than one. Sex with her had been not only a physical release, but an emotional joining that he’d never experienced before.
And when she gave him that phrase to remember, he wondered if she’d be using it to repeat their intimate encounter. No. That wasn’t going to happen. They had work to do and sex only complicated their relationship.
Then again…he was long overdue for relief. What the hell? She started this sex-by-hypnosis game. He might as well play along.
“I was right about not being able to be hypnotized,” he said, trying to keep a straight face.
Mia cracked one eye open, groaned and turned over. She’d been sprawled on his resting chair, her body open and inviting. It took all the restraint he had to keep from picking her up and carrying her back to his bed. But he wasn’t supposed to remember what they’d done. Hopefully he wouldn’t trip himself up by saying something.
Lying had distinct disadvantages. Which was why he didn’t do it very often.
“It’s time to wake, Mia.”
“Go away. I’m tired.”
“You had plenty of opportunity for sleep. I recall retiring very early last eve. Now get up.”
“Maybe you got sleep, but I didn’t,” she grumbled, her face buried in the cushions.
She made quite a sight this morning. She’d dragged a coverlet from the top of the lounger and pulled it over her. Right now she was face down, nearly on her knees, her ass pointed directly at him.
His cock saw that as an invitation and sprang up to pounce. No, not now. Not until he figured things out. Bad enough he’d had to lie his way through last night and pretend to be hypnotized.
Not that it had detracted from his enjoyment. Instead, it only added to her allure. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what attracted him, considering her body type wasn’t at all what he preferred.
He finally came to the realization that she was an innocent. Oh, she hid behind a false bravado of the tough police officer, but he already knew better. She might be good at her job and show no fear to prisoners, but when it came to relationships and intimacy, Mia Logan was frightened.
That fear made her unique to him. M’Loran women were not vulnerable. They didn’t have the innocence that Mia did. A M’Loran woman could easily survive without a man, without children, without anything but their weapons or their minds. They needed nothing, craved nothing and possessed very little warmth.
Pleasure Aides spent years learning to feign passion for the men they serviced, and they were trained damn well in the seductive arts. But deep down, every M’Loran male knew that fucking a M’Loran Pleasure Aide was for purely physical release. They may be trained in how to please a man, but none of the pleasure they gave was emotional.
Until now it hadn’t mattered to Ric.
And wasn’t that a dilemma? He was stuck with an unattractive Earth woman, a woman he’d fucked, lied to and decided he cared about in one night? And now he had to put her life in danger by dragging her into K’Mor country where she’d be surrounded by warriors who would rather kill her than greet her.
“Get up.” His voice was rough with the frustration boiling inside him. “We leave today.”
Mia sat up and threw off the covers. She yawned, dragging her hand through her spiky hair. “I’m starving. Let’s eat.”
They fixed breakfast and Ric smiled at the amount of food Mia ate, considering it was all foreign to her.
“This…what is this stuff again?” she asked, lifting up a spoonful.
“Mok.”
“Whatever. It’s like what we call oatmeal on Earth. And these eggs are fabulous.”
“Those are from the Orsk you ate last night. They lay eggs similar to your chickens.”
She finished two platefuls of food, then leaned back in the chair and let out a loud belch. “Sorry. I’m stuffed. I can’t believe I have such an appetite.”
“You will find your desire for food as well as other things will increase while you are on M’Lora.”
She arched a brow. “Other things?”
“Yes.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“No. We need to leave.”
She blew out a breath. “I need a shower, first. You do shower or bathe here, right?”
He rolled his eyes at her. “Yes, we bathe. I’ll show you how the cleanser works.” He beckoned her into the cleaning room.
“Nice,” she said, her eyes widening with what he assumed was appreciation. He supposed he had a decent sized cleaning room, with a wide shelf for women to do…whatever it was women did to themselves. Since he’d never lived with one, he couldn’t say. And Pleasure Aides never cleaned up in front of him after sexual recreation.
It never occurred to him before that women were more than a bit of a mystery. But based on Mia’s smile, he assumed whatever was in this room appealed to her. And it pleased him to see her happy for reasons he wouldn’t even attempt to delve into.
“The large chamber contains cleaning
agents. Step inside, press the button in front of you, and the chamber will do the rest. As far as your private eliminations, the shelf in the corner there—“
“I think I get the idea, thanks.” She began to undress and he stood there, waiting to see if she’d stop herself. After unzipping her pants, her fingers stilled and she turned to him, her cheeks reddening. “Get out.”
Ric turned around to hide his smirk and left the room.
While Mia was cleaning, he made a list of supplies they’d need for the trek across the planet. Not only weaponry, but sleeping apparatus, appropriate clothing and food. He scanned the market’s wares on his visual screen, recited his orders and advised when he’d be by to pick them up. By the time Mia surfaced, he was ready to go.
“That was fabulous,” she said, her skin sparkling and pink from the cleansing. Her hair spiked up and curled on the ends and she pulled her fingers through it in what he assumed was some sort of combing ritual.
“Glad you enjoyed it.”
“Oh, I more than enjoyed it. I stood there and this warm air blew over me, then this jelly like substance covered me, which was really weird but not unpleasant. And the jets! Oh my God, Ric, the jets shot out from all over the chamber and the scrubbing and cleansing and oh, wow it was like a million fingers massaging my body. Damn, it was good for me,” she finished with a wink.
His cock answered with a resounding twitch, remembering just how good it had been for him last night. “Are you ready to go? We have to pick up supplies first.”
She nodded and followed him through the entry door. “I assume we’re going to discuss the game plan on the way?”
“Game plan?”
“Yeah. You know, where we’re going, what the plan is to capture Vad. I need to know what kind of weaponry we’re going to use. Will there be time to give me a quick training on how to use the weapons?”
“You won’t be using weaponry.”
She halted in front of his vehicle. “Wait a minute. I’m not going in there unarmed.”
“You won’t be. I’ll be armed. Let’s get going.”
“No way,” she said, her feet planted firmly on the ground, her arms crossed and her chin lifted. “I’m not entering hostile land without a weapon.”
“You can’t use our firearms.”
“Is it forbidden?”
“No. You just don’t know how to use them.”
“I know that, you moron. That’s why I asked for training. I’m skilled in most of Earth’s tactical weaponry. I just need to know how to use M’Loran stuff.”
“No.”
“What is your problem, M’Loran? I’m a police officer, trained in all the unit’s weaponry, both simple and advanced. I’m perfectly capable of handling any type of weapon your planet uses, so what’s the big deal?”
“It’s complicated. I’ll explain when we get to the Enforcement Office.”
He was beginning to think she was going to stand there all day and argue with him, but she finally let out a huff and stepped toward the craft. He heaved a sigh of relief.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“We’ll load up with necessities for travel, stop off at Enforcement to obtain weapons, then head east toward K’Mor territory.”
“Why don’t you keep your weapons with you?”
“M’Loran law. No weapons in homes. There are scanners to check for that. Even the police officers and hunters, unless on duty, don’t keep their weapons on hand.”
“How long will it take to get to K’Mor?”
“We’re close to the border between the two lands right now. Within two cycles of the blue moon we will cross into the amber moon area.”
“And that’s K’Mor land?”
“Yes.”
“Do you travel there often?” she asked.
“No. Only a handful of times to capture a Molkor, and even then, quickly in and out.
“Molkor are the rebel mutants…half K’Mor, half J’Sol, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why are they considered mutants and not simply of mixed races?”
“M’Loran races are pure. There are K’Mor, and there are J’Sol. Our two races were not meant to breed together. Too much potential for volatile results, and as you can see my people were correct. Hence, any child of K’Mor and J’Sol mating are considered mutant.”
“And that’s what Vad is.”
“Yes.”
Mia glanced at Ric. He clenched the wheel of the hovercraft, his gaze focused straight ahead. A slight tic formed at the right side of his mouth. The man was tense. But why? “Something wrong?”
He stared straight ahead. “No.”
Yes, there was. She could read his body language and it told her he held something inside—something that bothered him. What was it? And why did she care? So he’d been fantastic in bed last night. It certainly hadn’t changed his disposition. He was still grumpy and unpleasant.
They arrived at a large, stone building that was rectangular in shape. It looked very similar to a shopping center on Earth. When they stepped inside, M’Lorans were everywhere. So were humans and many other interplanetary species she didn’t recognize.
Ric led her into what looked like a clothing store, barked orders in M’Loran to the female standing behind a high counter. Everything was so big on this planet, Mia felt like a midget. The woman presented Mia with a wrapped package, then they proceeded to what she assumed was a check-out counter.
“What am I holding?” she asked Ric, struggling to keep up with his long stride.
“Clothing for you. You will need other things to wear.”
“A M’Loran woman’s clothing won’t fit me.”
“They’ve been adjusted to fit your body.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“UlRic Lor!”
Ric stopped and turned, as did Mia. Two M’Loran women approached and spoke to him in his language. The women stared at Ric, wide-eyed, although Mia couldn’t figure out why for a few seconds. Then it dawned on her. Of course they’d be surprised to see him in human form.
The women smiled, even giggled and shot curiously interested looks in Mia’s direction.
“Speak English so my partner here knows what you’re saying,” Ric said to the women. “It’s impolite to speak in our native language in front of other planet’s visitors.”
The women nodded.
“When will you be visiting us, UlRic?” one woman asked, licking her full, painted lips.
“Yes, when? I was very distressed when you did not make your sex appointment with me,” the other said, eyeing Ric as hungrily as Mia had eyed her breakfast this morning.
These were Pleasure Aides. Mia fought the jealousy surging through her. Just because she’d fucked Ric once didn’t mean she owned him.
“I’m sorry I missed the recreation,” Ric answered politely. “I had been looking forward to it and was disappointed we couldn’t have sex.”
Mia felt like crawling under one of the shelves. Nothing like discussing sex in the middle of a crowded shopping center.
“You know you are one of our favorites,” one woman said, sliding the tip of one very long fingernail across Ric’s chest. “Your fucking abilities are legendary.”
Ric threw his head back and laughed. “You’re good, M’Konu. I will anticipate our next sex together.”
Mia looked around for some kind of weapon to knock Ric over the head with. How could he treat her like this after what they’d shared together last night? Granted, she didn’t have anything exclusive with him, but—
Oh. Right. He didn’t remember last night. Shit. Right now she wanted to scream at him and the two women lusting after him that he’d been fucked quite well last night and wouldn’t be needing their services.
What was wrong with her, anyway? She’d gotten what she wanted, and should be satisfied that she’d gotten that much. And it would never happen again, so she might as well forget about being jealous. Ric
wasn’t hers and never would be.
“I must go. We are on a hunt.”
The women nodded and turned to leave, but one said, “When you and the boy there are finished with the hunt, come see me.”
Boy? The woman thought she was a boy? “Now wait just one damn minute!” Mia started, but Ric grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the exit.
Mia steamed. Boy, indeed. She glanced at the leather jacket compressing her barely-there breasts, then further on down at her skinny legs and small height. Then she looked up at the woman scanning Ric’s items. The M’Loran female had to be a good six foot five or so, with wide shoulders, ample hips and legs nearly the height of Mia’s entire body.
No wonder they thought her a small boy. She couldn’t compare to the M’Loran women’s Amazon stature if she tried. But the Pleasure Aide’s comment still stung, dammit. She’d never felt inferior before. In fact, on Earth she was considered attractive. Here, she felt ugly.
She might be a good foot smaller than those women, but she bet she could still kick their asses.
She steamed silently while they finished shopping and put their supplies in the vehicle. They flew a few seconds only, then Ric sailed toward a rectangular opening and into a parking area of sorts. He barked orders to a M’Loran guard, who nodded and began retrieving their supplies from Ric’s craft.
Ric motioned her into a tunnel near the parking area. They stepped downstairs into darkness and he grabbed her hand.
“My eyes are more accustomed to seeing in the dark than human eyes are. Just hold on to me and you’ll be fine.”
The warmth of his hand in hers set her on fire, remembering how those hands had caressed her last night. Why did she have to think about that now? This whole hypnosis thing had been a nightmare from the beginning. How could she let her libido overtake her common sense?
Now she’d had a taste of something wonderful, and she wanted more. Problem was, she wasn’t going to get more. And it was a certainty that Ric wouldn’t be suggesting they have sex any time soon since he wasn’t the least bit interested in her that way.
In less than a minute a door slid open into a basement structure, bustling with activity.