Chapter Nine

 

Water poured down Cam’s body but she barely noticed. All of her attention was focused between her legs. Her back was against the tile and her legs were spread open over Kievan’s broad shoulders as he swirled his tongue teasingly over her swollen clit. She moaned and tried to push toward him. He kept her firmly in place but thrust his tongue deeply into her drenched pussy.

“Honey,” she whispered.

He fucked her with his tongue until she trembled, then moved his mouth and sucked hard on her clit. She came immediately and he lapped her gently with his tongue until her body relaxed.

She opened her eyes to smile at him but he was already moving, sliding her body down his until he could enter her in one quick, hard thrust. Still overwhelmed by his size, she cried out but he didn’t pause, stroking into her again and again with long, hard strokes. She grabbed his shoulders and held on as her body tightened and the pressure started building again.

“Come for me, sweetness,” he ordered, and reached down to sweep a firm finger across her still sensitive clit. Her body arched and she obeyed helplessly, shuddering around him as he groaned and followed her, surging deeper with one final thrust. His forehead dropped to hers and she wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him.

Eventually his arms relaxed and he let her slip to the ground, steadying her until her trembling legs would hold her. Picking up the cleansing cloth, he started washing her again. She winced as he passed the cloth between her legs.

“Are you sore, pet?”

Cam blushed. “A little,” she admitted. “I told you it had been a while and you’re…not small.”

His lips curved before he bent his head and kissed her. As soon as she parted her lips, his tongue swept into her mouth. The intimate taste of her body mingled with his delicious essence sent a shiver of renewed excitement down her spine. He stroked her mouth slowly with his tongue until she melted against him, her hips pressing into his rapidly hardening erection.

When he lifted his head, he smiled down to her flushed face.

“Little flower, you make it very difficult for me to give you a chance to heal.”

“I’m not that sore,” she whispered hopefully.

He laughed and shook his head. “After I leave, you will take a healing bath and then rest.”

“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly.

With swift efficiency, he finished washing her and wrapped her in a towel. He added a handful of crystals to the water steaming in the sunken tub. A delicious herbal fragrance drifted up from the surface. Kievan removed her towel and lifted her gently into the tub.

Cam sighed with pleasure as the hot water surrounded her, already soothing the lingering soreness. “Mmm, this feels good.” She looked at him from under lashes. “Are you sure you can’t join me?”

“No, sweetness. Stop trying to tempt me.” He pointed to the dais holding the lounge chair under the overhead light. “That light simulates sunlight. Rest there after your bath.”

“Okay, honey,” she agreed. His lips quirked and he turned to leave. “Don’t I get a goodbye kiss?”

His kiss was hard and swift but she was still breathless when he finished, her hands clinging to his shoulders.

“Sweetness,” he whispered, dipped his forehead to hers, and left.

 

After a long bath and an even longer nap under the warm sun lamp, Cam returned to her bedroom. She shared lunch with Sonda and Leeda, listening with fascination as they told her tales of their home planet of Gliese and their trading adventures. After lunch, she spent the afternoon on the language lessons. Whatever the head device did to enhance her learning process continued to work, and by late afternoon she was ready to try reading an actual book, albeit a children’s book, on the reader. The fanciful tale kept her amused and it wasn’t until she closed the book and glanced up that she realized that the central atrium was dim.

That was odd. Usually by now she had received instructions on what to wear. Was Kievan letting her choose tonight? Frowning she turned to the closet, trying to find something that would please him without leaving her feeling completely exposed. Of course, compared to the chain outfit, everything else was modest in comparison. She finally settled on a long blue dress. The gown left one shoulder bare, clung to her body from breasts to hips, and then flared out into a full skirt. The cut was relatively modest but the fabric alternated between solid blue silk and sheer panels that revealed flashes of creamy skin.

She studied herself in the mirror, twirling to let the skirt drift out around her ankles, and decided she looked pretty good. After carefully applying a hint of makeup, she sat down to read another book while she waited. The book didn’t hold her attention for long. She kept looking up, expecting to see J’Ssett standing at the door waiting for her. Her stomach started demanding food but she didn’t know if she should order or wait. Kievan always seemed to want to feed her. By the time she heard a noise in the center room, she was pacing restlessly.

Eagerly, she opened the door, only to see J’Ssett escorting Xanthe out of the central room. The other woman was dressed in a short, translucent gold gown that left very little of her tall, slender figure to the imagination. She turned when she heard the door open and smiled condescendingly at Cam.

“My turn tonight, new toy.” Xanthe smirked. “Apparently our master is no longer pleased with your…services.”

The spike of pain that hit Cam almost made her dizzy. She stared at the other woman, still trying to believe that Kievan had chosen her. Had he really tired of her so quickly? J’Ssett sent an apologetic glance in Cam’s direction and herded Xanthe to the outer door. “We must go now.”

“Of course, I’m sure he’s eager to see me.” Xanthe managed a parting shot before the lounge door closed behind the pair.

Sonda and Leeda appeared. They had obviously heard the conversation and humiliation swept over Cam, along with the feeling of betrayal. She realized her hand was digging in to the doorframe and forced her fingers loose. Before she could hide in her room, Leeda moved to her and took her hand.

“You care for him, don’t you?” she asked softly.

“No, of course not,” Cam instantly responded. “How could I care for the man who made me a slave?”

Leeda didn’t answer; instead she reached up and placed her other hand gently on Cam’s cheek. That was when she realized she was crying.

“I’m an idiot,” she announced as Sonda joined Leeda, and the two led her back into her room, pushing her gently onto the couch and curling up on either side.

“You’re not an idiot,” Sonda responded. “We both thought there was something different about you.”

The past verb hurt and Cam leaned her head back against the couch, trying to stop the tears that were starting to flow with increased speed. The delicate bracelets on her wrists suddenly felt like heavy shackles instead.

“I am an idiot,” she repeated. “A man who owns many women is never going to be satisfied with one. It was just that he told me that for right now, I was the only one. I didn’t realize that right now was such a short time.”

Her chest hurt and she rubbed it with the palm of her hand, trying to ease the pain even though she knew it wasn’t physical.

“He likes women,” Leeda agreed slowly. “But these quarters could hold many more women.” She took Cam’s hand again. “And until these past two nights, he rarely had a woman more than once a week.”

Cam stared at her. “But he’s so…demanding.”

Leeda flashed her a quick smile. “You seem to have that effect on him.”

Depression settled back over Cam. “Apparently not any more. He has obviously decided that he prefers a variety.”

Leeda’s hand tightened on Cam’s. “I don’t think so. Remember that he is Sardoran—their mating contracts are always for one man and one woman.”

“The Sardorans kicked him out,” she muttered.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sonda said. “Except for the fact that he has no clan brothers, he acts exactly like every other Sardoran I have ever met.”

“You’ve met other Sardorans?” Cam asked, curiosity making a small dent in her misery.

Both women nodded.

“They do a lot of business with the Gliesh merchant houses,” Leeda explained.

“What kind of business?”

“Warrior contracts mainly.” At Cam’s puzzled look, she continued. “They provide protection, claim enforcement, things like that.”

Cam remembered Kievan’s scars and her heart seized at the thought of him in battle. She instantly berated herself. Why did she even care?

“I’m sure he just wanted Xanthe for tonight,” Sonda said.

Cam knew the words were intended to be reassuring but the full impact of her statement hit Cam like a brick.

“Oh my god,” she said. “That means he could call for me tomorrow and I would have to go.”

The Gliesh women exchanged an uneasy glance and nodded.

“I can’t do it,” Cam whispered.

“You don’t have a choice,” Sonda said gently. “None of us do.”

Cam imagined waiting in her room for Kievan to decide if he wanted her. Of being forced to be with him, knowing that his touch meant nothing. Of her place in a rotating line of women. She closed her eyes in despair as the full horror of her situation washed over her.

Leeda had been watching Cam’s face. “You do care for him, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t,” Cam answered again, but Leeda’s knowing eyes kept watching her.

“Dammit, I suppose I do,” Cam finally admitted. “I don’t think it would hurt like this if I didn’t.” She hesitated. “It’s just that he can be so sweet—bossy and dominating —but sweet. When he holds me, I feel so safe.”

“Holds you?” Sonda asked.

“When he puts me in his lap and feeds me, or when we’re sleeping,” Cam explained absently as she played with her wrist cuffs. Why hadn’t she been able to tell that his actions were only about sex? Curled up in his lap last night, she had felt at home in a way she hadn’t felt since her mother died.

“You sleep with him?” Sonda asked.

That question drew Cam’s attention and she frowned at the other woman.

“You know that I sleep with him. You have seen me come back in the mornings.”

“He has never slept with any of us,” Sonda said quietly. “It was unusual that he decided to keep you all night but we assumed that he wanted you nearby in case he wanted your...body.” Her cheeks darkened. “We didn’t realize that you actually slept in the bed with him and that he held you.”

“It was not well done of him,” Leeda said firmly. “He knows women. He knew that he was creating intimacy between you.”

“Intimacy?” Cam choked. “What is sex if it isn’t intimacy?”

Leeda frowned at her. “There is a difference. No matter how pleasurable, sex by itself doesn’t necessarily create intimacy. Don’t you know that?”

Cam blushed. “I never had much time for dating so I don’t exactly have a lot of experience. I have had sex with exactly two men and I dated each of them for a long time first.”

The cousins groaned in unison.

“Is that bad?” Cam asked.

“No,” Leeda responded gently. “But it means that this situation is going to be especially hard for you.”

Tears filled Cam’s eyes again as she recognized the truth in Leeda’s words. Her previous relationships had been based more on friendly affection than passion but she had been close to each of them. And although she had been with them for far longer, neither of her previous lovers had stirred one tenth of the emotion she felt for Kievan. It was no wonder that she saw him through that lens. If only he didn’t keep acting as if he cared for her as well. The tears overflowed.

The two women stayed with her until she cried herself to sleep, still curled on the couch.

 

Bright light flooding the room startled Cam awake.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kievan roared. He was standing in the door to her room, eyes blazing white, and she stared at him, still disoriented from the sudden wakening.

“Why aren’t you in my rooms?” he demanded, and her disorientation disappeared in a flare of anger.

“Why would I be in your rooms? You made another choice for tonight.”

He didn’t even seem to hear her.

“You come to me when I want you,” he said. The roar had vanished but the cold, deadly tone was even worse.

“No, I don’t,” she replied defiantly. He stared at her for a second and before she could continue, he moved. Cam found herself thrown across his shoulder, his arm clamping her legs to his chest and her head hanging down his back. He strode out of her room and across the main room without stopping. She managed to raise her head enough to see Sonda and Leeda watching with wide eyes and Xanthe smirking.

“Put me down,” she demanded, but he didn’t pay any attention, stalking down the corridor to his rooms. His hard shoulder dug into the soft skin of her stomach and her head spun from being upside down. She clenched her fist and pounded it on his back but his only response was a stinging smack to her butt. Subsiding, she gritted her teeth until he strode into his rooms and dropped her on his bed. Immediately she tried to roll to her feet but he covered her with his body so that she couldn’t move.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” he demanded again. His face was close, his eyes white and angry.

“Just how much sex do you need? I’m not coming to you after you’ve been with another woman.” She pushed furiously against him but he didn’t move an inch.

“You forget that you don’t have a choice in the matter. You will come to me whenever I tell you to, my pet.”

“You didn’t tell me to,” she yelled.

His fingers dug into her shoulders. “I told Xanthe to send you to me, but it was still my order and you obey my orders.”

“Xanthe didn’t tell me anything.” She was still yelling but she felt his fingers loosen at her words. “But even if she had, I wouldn’t have come. I’m not fucking you when you’ve been with another woman.”

“I wasn’t fucking her,” he growled.

His words caught Cam off guard and she stopped fighting and stared at him. “What?”

For the first time, his face calmed a little. “I had to go to the fight pit. I took her with me. That’s all.”

“Really?” she whispered.

“Really.” All of the anger had left his face now and his eyes were back to their usual gold.

A wave of relief swept through her but then she remembered the terrible evening she had just spent and she scowled at him. “How was I supposed to know that? All I saw was J’Ssett taking Xanthe to you.”

“And when you saw her leave, you assumed I wanted her in my bed,” he stated.

“That’s what she implied.”

“I will take care of her,” he promised. His voice was cold and she shivered, but then he ran a gentle finger down her cheek and she forgot about the other woman. “You’ve been crying. Did it matter that much to you?”

She aimed her eyes at his shoulder, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m an idiot,” she muttered.

“Sweetness, I told you that you would be the only one.” He kept stroking her cheek and his voice was as gentle as his touch.

“For right now,” she reminded him. “You said for right now. I thought right now was over.”

“Little flower, you will know when that time comes.”

His words should have been reassuring but instead tears flooded her eyes. “I can’t do it.”

“Do what?” he asked, still gentle.

“Be part of your harem. Share you with other women.” Her voice was shaking. “When we’re over, please let me go.”

His hand stilled. “You would rather go to another master than share me with other women?”

Cam stared up into his face and thought about it. Leaving him would tear a hole inside her, but the evening’s agony was still fresh in her mind. She already cared too much; staying with him under those circumstances would rip open that wound every day.

“Yes,” she finally whispered.

He nodded, his face unreadable. “Very well. When the time comes, I will not force you to stay with me.”

Relief that she wouldn’t have to see him with other women warred with the pain of knowing he would let her go. She lowered her eyes, unwilling to let Kievan see her confusion. Rolling off of her, he sat up against the headboard and pulled her gently into his arms. Despite everything, his arms were warm and protective and she felt safe there. As she snuggled closer, the blue silk gown fluttered around them and he smiled.

“I like that dress on you.”

“I didn’t know if I should pick one out or not.” Her earlier annoyance resurfaced. “I didn’t know anything. You just left me waiting in my room—alone and hungry.”

“Hungry? Why didn’t you eat?” He frowned at her.

She shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. “Because we have been eating dinner together. I was waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Cam looked at him in shock. She had never expected him to apologize. “There was a problem with the fuel supplies and I worked later than I intended. When J’Ssett reminded me about the games, I sent for Xanthe. I always intended for you to come to me afterward but I should have let you know.”

Cam raised her face and kissed him, slowly and sweetly, happy to be cradled in his arms. He was smiling when their lips parted.

“Now, let’s get you some food.”

He started to stand but she put her hand on his arm and he halted.

“Kievan,” she asked uncertainly.

“Yes, my pet?”

“Why didn’t you take me with you? Are you ashamed of me?”

He sighed and settled back down, tucking her head under his chin. “I could never be ashamed of you, little flower, but you have to behave like a properly trained slave when we are in public. I wasn’t sure you were ready for that.”

It was a reasonable statement but she didn’t think he was telling her everything. “Is that the only reason?”

“No. The fight pit is a brutal place. Do you want to see two men fight to the death?”

The very idea horrified her. “No.” She paused and then rushed on before she changed her mind. “But if you wanted me there with you, I would go.”

“Sweetness,” he whispered and kissed her, not slowly and sweetly but long and hard. She was breathless when he raised his head and stared at him with heavy eyes.

“And that’s the other reason.”

“What?”

“You are very beautiful, my pet. I’m not sure that I’m ready to share you with anyone else.”

Her cheeks flamed and she buried her head in his neck.

“Thank you, honey,” she mumbled against his skin.

She felt the vibration of his laughter and then he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the table.

“Now I’m going to feed you,” he said firmly.