My mood isn’t any better the next morning, but May wakes me up and has me shower and dress. I get to choose anything in the armoire and I select a knee-length, bright blue dress. I look around for a bra and panties, but they aren’t any, and May just shrugs.
“They have their preferences. You’re a human house girl, so you can wear what you like. No uniform. You just have to be bare beneath the dress and you can’t wear shoes.”
“Do they have like…a foot fetish?”
“No.”
“May,” I grab her arm. “Are they going to…am I going to be raped?”
“What? No!” She practically squeaks the words. “What in the world made you think of that?”
“I don’t know,” I lie through my teeth. I’m scared because on my planet, rape was rampant. After the second interplanetary war, it became unsafe for lone people – males and females – to go out alone after dark. Unless you were stupid, you’d take another person with you when you went out. Always. Sometimes even during the day, bad things would happen.
It’s hard for me to accept that life on Taneyemm might be that different.
“No one is going to touch you without your permission, but darling, you’re probably going to want to be touched at some point. The dragons have their ways of getting what they want.”
“Have you ever been with a dragon man, May?”
“That’s a story for another day,” her words are firm, but her voice is sad, and I follow her to the kitchen.
There are several other people there from different planets: a Martian, another human, and a few whose planets of origin I don’t recognize. I don’t want to be rude and ask, so I try not to stare.
“This is Riley,” May says, and everyone nods politely at me.
“Everyone sort of keeps to themselves,” she says. “We aren’t an overly friend group, but you can ask anyone for help and they’ll do what they can. Right, guys?”
Everyone nods and gets back to work. May grabs a bowl and spoons some food in it.
“There.” She points to the corner and I take my food and go eat. It’s some sort of rice and meat. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever had, and my stomach has calmed down enough to eat. My ass still burns anytime I move, but that pain will go down.
I hope.
When breakfast is over, May shows me around the first floor and has me help her with minor housekeeping chores like dusting and mopping. At lunchtime, I have to help her bring lunch to the King and his associates.
We carry the trays in silence, but my hands are shaking.
“You need to calm down,” May whispers. “I know it’s not very fun. I know you’re scared, but if you let them smell your fear, they’re going to use it against you.”
“I’m sorry,” I whimper, but I know she’s right.
“Didn’t they teach you anything on that ship?” She asks, then she marches forward into the room ahead of me.
She’s completely, 100 percent right.
They did teach me and I’m completely fucking this up. I know how to be a seductress. I know what dragons expect. I know what they do to play. I know all about them. I learned to dance for them. I learned all of it.
My panicking because the King turned out to be a huge dildo doesn’t make my situation any better. It only makes things worse, so it’s time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself and start fixing things.
I can start with the luncheon.
Two deep breaths, then I walk through the door, and damn. It’s a good thing I’m not wearing panties because they would have hit the floor. There are six hot, tall, handsome, big-dicked dragons in suits sitting around a conference table and the King is at the head. He doesn’t stop talking or bother looking at me when I enter the room, but two can play that game.
I carry my tray to the buffet table and set it down. Then I pick up one of the plates and carry it to the man closest to me. May is serving the first man on her side of the table, so I know exactly where I’m supposed to be. We’ll each serve three men and we’ll take care of the King together.
The man smiles in appreciation as I set his plate down, but says nothing. I return with a napkin and place it carefully in his lap. He glances up at me, surprised, and I wink at him playfully.
Then I move on to the next person, and the next. Each dragon seems quite happy with their meal and with my tender touches. When I place the napkin on guy number three, I touch his leg just a little. He meets my smile and smiles back. He’s handsome.
They all are.
Maybe if the King decides I’m too fat for him and his house, after all, he’ll let me go. Maybe he’ll give me to a different house and a different family.
Maybe I’ll have a chance to find love after all.
I push the thought away and bury it because if there’s one thing I learned on the ship, it’s that few Taneyemms are willing to marry outside of their race. Royalty is an exception. Royals see marrying outside of their planet a sign of wealth and good fortune. Others don’t always have that same opinion. To some, marrying someone from another planet is impossible because the non-Taneyemm partner rarely makes as much money.
If you want a big family, you need big money.
May has finished serving her three guys and now it’s time to serve the King. He’s almost finished talking, and as soon as he sets his hands on the table, we move forward. That’s the signal that he’s ready for his meal.
May places his plate in front of him and I arrange his napkin gently in his lap. I don’t wink at him or meet his face. May moves back to the buffet table, but the King grabs my wrist as I pull away and holds me until I look up at him. His face is hard and unreadable. It scares me a little.
I try to keep breathing as he watches me, but the murmuring and chatting from the other men fades into the background as the King’s gaze centers on me.
“Riley,” he says.
“Your majesty,” I say in response, but he doesn’t smile or relax. I’m not sure what sort of power play he’s trying right now, but I don’t like it. If I was turned on before, I’m certainly not now.
What does he want from me?
“Come to my chambers after the meal. May will show you the way.” He releases me, and I don’t look at him as I hurry back over to May. My feet manage to hold me up as I take my place beside her.
May doesn’t speak, but her body tenses beside mine. I’m guessing this isn’t normal behavior for the King, but who knows what’s normal?
I’m finding that despite the fact that I spent four years learning the language of the dragons, understanding the way a house servant is supposed to behave, and the proper way to prepare roast chicken, I didn’t learn the most important thing of all.
How to understand the man I’m serving.
It’s only been a day, but he’s still a complete mystery to me. The men finish their meal and their business dealings, then they leave. As each man leaves, he bows to May and me. They each kiss our foreheads and thank us for the service, as is Taneyemm custom. The King simply glares at us from his seat at the table. When the other men have gone, he stands and leaves.
“Come on, let’s hurry,” May says. “I have a feeling he’s not going to want to wait for you.” We rush to the table and clear the plates and trays. May wipes down the table while I push the cart of empty plates, cups, and dishes back to the kitchen. One of the other house servants takes the cart and May comes back for me.
“Let’s go,” she says, and guides me down the hall.
I don’t speak as she waves through the maze of the castle. How long has she lived here that she can navigate so quickly? We arrive at his room and May straightens my hair and shoves me inside unceremoniously.
Then I’m alone.
I look around and realize I’m in a small foyer of sorts. The door from the hall didn’t lead directly into his bedroom. I’m not sure if this is good or bad. I suppose this means he has his own suites.
There are two suits of armor by the door. They each have a dragon insignia on the front. There’s an archway ahead of me and a small hallway. I guess that’s where I’m supposed to go.
I’m barefoot, so my steps are noiseless as I move down the hallway. The marble floor has been polished to perfection and I hope my feet aren’t dirty and smudge it up. The hall is silent. Where is he? Should I call out? Maybe I shouldn’t be too loud, not just yet. Instead of shouting, I take this time to look at the dragon portraits on the walls. Some of them look like they were painted on Earth. Others look like they’re scenes from the auction house or from the castle on Taneyemm.
Perhaps I stare too long because suddenly, I hear noises that I definitely did not hear a moment ago.
I start moving again down the hall until I come to a series of doors. Deep breaths. The first door opens into a small kitchen and I close it immediately. Why this guy needs his own private kitchen is beyond me. I doubt he’s ever made himself a glass of milk, much less an entire meal.
The next door is a guest room, followed by what looks like a game or movie room.
The last door, though.
The last door is one I don’t open because I know exactly what’s happening behind it.
The King is in there and he’s fucking someone – hard.
From my position in the hallway, I can hear every moan, every growl, every word. I can practically hear the sweat dripping from their bodies and I wonder exactly how much time I spent loitering in the hall that he somehow had time to start fucking someone.
Immediately, I start feeling hot. My whole body is on fire and my breathing becomes shallow as I realize what’s happening.
I’m so close to them.
Why would the King call me to him if he was going to be with another woman? Was that supposed to be me in there, but I was too slow?
No, that’s not it. He already said I’m too fat for his tastes, which hurts, but isn’t the end of the world. Still, am I supposed to…assist?
None of this was covered on the ship.
None of it.
Oh, Hal and Jenika knew the King had certain proclivities, but they didn’t mention what I should do if he found me to be distasteful.
I think they thought he would like my new, curvier body. I think they thought having a healthy appearance would make me stand out from the other girls, but is that the problem?
Is the reason human girls are appealing because they’re always starving when they arrive on Taneyemm?
Maybe fattening us up is half the fun.
I take another step closer. I should announce myself. Obviously, of course. That’s what I should do. I could clear my throat, cough, any number of things.
I could do anything than what I actually do, which is quietly turn the doorknob and peek into the room.
There are candles all over the room. From my vantage point in the dark hallway, I can see into the room, but they can’t see me.
I’m sure the King could, if he looked right at me, with those dragon eyes of him, but at the moment, I feel invisible.
They’re on the bed, facing away from me. The King hovers over the woman. Her arms are tied and she’s splayed out on the bed on her back. His cock is bigger than I thought it would be. I can see him even from here. He’s completely naked and his body is broad and hard.
Muscular.
Tight.
He plunges into the woman and she cries out.
“Fuck me harder,” she begs. I push down the twinge of jealousy I feel as I think that should be me in there. He’s not mine. I don’t own him. The King didn’t want me and I’m okay with that. No, he wants the woman he’s with. His girlfriend, maybe? Maybe just a servant. I don’t know.
Was she tied up the whole time he was in the meeting, just waiting for him to return and fuck her?
Is this what the King does with his toys?
He reaches down and slaps her face. Her eyes pop open as she squeaks in surprise.
“Don’t speak,” he says harshly. “Don’t fucking talk to me. You’re here for me to use. Nothing more.”
“But-“
He slaps her again and I cringe, but the woman actually seems to like it. Is she getting off on this? Her moaning is loud and she’s yanking at the restraints like she wants to break free, like she’ll float away if he would let her.
The King thrusts into her over and over again and as I watch him move, I can’t fight my own arousal. I’ve never seen anything like this in real life before. I’ve never seen anything like this, period.
On the ship, during my training, I saw some movies Hal and Jenika showed me. They weren’t this raw and passionate, though. Actors on a screen can be sexy, but it’s hard to feel the raw energy that’s radiating from the King and his mistress.
My hand slips beneath my dress before I know what’s happening, before I realize just how wrong what I’m doing is. The King fucks his girl and I slide a finger inside myself.
Then another.
“You’re my little slut doll,” the King says, and the woman nods frantically. Her bright red hair is a mess across the pillow. A few stray strands are stuck to her face and she’s sweating as he fucks her harder and harder. “You’re mine. You don’t get to decide what I do with this cock when I put it in you, you understand?”
“Yes, your highness,” she says.
My hands rubs faster, faster as I watch her breasts bouncing wildly beneath his body. His skin glistens with a thin sheen of sweat as he groans and finally comes inside of her. The woman cries out beneath him with her own orgasm, and I’m left panting and breathless in the doorway.
I didn’t come before they did and suddenly, I’m well aware of how volatile my position is.
I drop my hand and start to move back into the hallway. I’ll announce my presence in a minute.
“Enjoy the show, Riley?” The King says loudly, and my heart drops as I realize he knew I was here the whole time.