“Fuck off. I don’t need your permission, bastard.” The men stared at me in shock, and I realized I’d been speaking English. I immediately switched to Gran and told the Captain off.
His Warriors lit up with amusement, but Cronin didn’t think it was so funny. Chilla put a hand on my shoulder. “There is a time and place for such language. Not now.”
Her warning had tactfully reminded me of the official nature of our meeting, and how I was showing disrespect in front of the Captain’s Warriors, a major no-no. I was so happy to be in Cesar’s arms, so happy we finally made it back, I couldn’t control my mouth. The liquor wasn’t helping.
“Please accept my apologies, Captain. I am very pleased to see my friends again. With your permission, may I spend time with my friends while we are in system, after negotiations?” I lathered on my most humble sex-slave demeanor and slipped away from Cesar’s hold on me to bow in submissive deference to his supreme bastard Catness.
Chilla stepped up to Cronin and rubbed her hip against his shoulder as she swirled her fingers in the fur down the back of his neck, a seductive massage. “Allow me to serve you, Captain. I will tend to your needs while Angel visits with her friends.” The concubine was a godsend. I loved her as a sister. If I had any real attraction for females, I’d consider marrying her.
The Captain growled with a hint of pleasure in his voice. He always loved it when she tickled his fur like that. He nodded to me, an unspoken agreement that I could have Cesar, for the moment.
I slipped back into Cesar’s arms, giddy with joy. “I’m yours, for now. Let’s get this trade business done so we can spend some quality time together.”
He glanced back and forth between me and the Gran, then let his gaze trail down the barely-there clothing I wore. “It’s so good to see you again, Angel.” I knew he meant what he said, but tension underlie his words, some kind of reservation.
The men watched me with knowing smirks. I didn’t give a shit who knew how much I wanted Cesar, needed him. All that mattered was that we were together once more. They’d better get used to seeing me in Cesar’s lap. I scooted into my lover’s embrace and settled in with the warm lump of his cock pressing up into me.
Negotiations became a grueling back and forth of petty details. Cesar and the industrialists he represented held stock piles of minerals and metallic ore to be bartered. In exchange they wanted Gran space navigation charts, jump patterns, and jump drives.
Captain Cronin had a hard time understanding why Cesar placed so much value on these simple things. He was willing to exchange a single jump drive, because he had the spare parts available, but he didn’t want to give up jump navigations. He thought jump patterns held too much strategic military value.
Cesar argued their jump-navigational needs were for him and his industrialist partners to cross the galaxy without getting lost or falling onto the pitfalls of black hole time distortions, gravity wells, and other issues with large celestial bodies – like excessive radiation.
Cronin argued that he needed permission from his superiors to give up this kind of sensitive data. He could not justify compromising the security of the Gran Empire for profits.
Cesar argued these were purely civilian transactions, non-military, and his group of industrialists – a fancy name for pirates – were at odds with the Earthside Defense Council, and would never give up their navcharts and jump patterns. Cesar claimed their navigation data would never fall into the hands of the military. They needed this data to branch out into ever farther galactic mining operations, and continue profitable trade with the Gran.
I could see Cronin’s greed getting the better of him. Cesar offered a significant chunk of wealth for what the Gran considered a pittance. One jump drive and some jump navigation would cost him very little. The bastard Cat was getting filthy rich off the deal.
After hours of chatter, demanding my constant translation of every word every man and Cat had to say, they finally settled on a deal. The Captain didn’t bother waiting to get permission from his superiors. I suspected he never needed it. Cesar made arrangements to meet in the same place in one week with a freighter loaded in tons and tons of mineral ore.
I didn’t look back once as Cesar pulled me with him to the shuttle bay and straight up the steps into his waiting shuttle. I had on week with the man I loved, and I wasn’t letting that son-of-a-bitch Cat ruin it with his control-freak shit.
I had a moment’s consideration for Chilla, and the torture she’d endure without me to help keep the Captain off her, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity she’d graciously gifted me. Though my absence would cost her much pain, I reminded myself that she’d signed up for it. She was a willing participant of the Captain’s depravity.
Chapter 12
The moment we stepped off the shuttle into the bay of the Shadow cruiser, Cesar pulled me down the hallway and straight to his cabin. Inside, he locked the door and turned on me. “What the fuck is going on between you and that Cat?”
His eyes were filled with malice … towards me. “I … I serve him.” I suddenly felt filthy and hated myself for the things Cronin made me do with him.
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. I know what I’m seeing. He’s got you dressed in next to nothing, just like that slick little female who was all over him. What the fuck is he doing with you?”
I knew exactly what he was alluding to, so I went straight to the point. “I can’t have intercourse with the Captain, Cesar. It’s not physically possible.”
“I saw the scars on her hips. Is that what he does to her … and to you?”
I felt like Cesar was shredding my soul with his malicious tongue. I could hardly speak. I unstrapped my top and undid my belted skirt to stand naked before him. “If you think he’s done something to me, take a look for yourself.”
He looked me up and down, then walked around me in a circle, checking out every inch of my body. “I’m supposed to believe all you do is serve his food, rub his feet and pick the fleas off his mangy hide?”
I couldn’t help but snicker. “They don’t have fleas, Cesar. The Gran are a clean race. I wasn’t even with Captain Cronin once we reached our destination. I only traveled with the Captain to make the trip for this negotiation. I was with the Emperor and his children, a guest in their home. I have been treated very well. This clothing is what the females wear. You saw how Chilla was dressed. This is appropriate in Gran society.”
The lies flowed easily. My deepest fear in life was to be rejected by this man. I would tell any lie necessary to keep him from judging me, from knowing the truth he abhorred. I didn’t care how much of the real me he knew. I didn’t care about the lies. I only cared that he was here for me when I needed him, for as long as we could be together.
Cesar looked at me with something akin to distrust. He must have sensed my deception. I reached out to touch the lovely stubbles on his face. “Unless you have a miracle up your sleeve to negotiate my release, I only get one week with you, until the next 90 day cycle when I return for another trade negotiation.” I leaned into him and pulled down the zipper on his suit, loving the sensation of his strong, warm chest on my fingertips. I stroked the contours of his muscles, relishing the power of his body, a power I needed inside me, smothering me, loving me. “I don’t want to waste another minute of our time together.”
He dropped his head against my forehead and his beautiful dark eyes looked deep into my soul. “I know you’re not telling me everything. I know you’re hiding something, but I don’t care. I want you. I need you. I’ve missed you, Angel. That’s all that matters now.”
His words were music to my ears and sent my heart soaring with joy. The terrible burden of being without him lifted and I felt so free I could fly, like anything was possible with Cesar in my arms. I kissed him and he tasted wonderful, just like I remembered in my dreams. My hands worked frantically to remove his suit and experience every inch of his beautiful body. My tongue fought for dominance and when I lost the battle I
sucked his tongue deep into my mouth, needing him inside me in every way.
I stroked his beautiful erection and spread my legs to rub the tender head of his cock in my wet, ready folds. It had been so long since I’d made real love, over three months. I pushed Cesar back against the wall little by little and climbed up on him, letting his cock slide up and down my slippery pussy lips. I teased him in, barely an inch and then dropped from his chest and landed on my knees. Without warning I sucked his glorious cock into my mouth and savored the rich, smooth feeling of his hard meat and soft skin.
I sucked his cock and gently stroked his beautiful balls. He had me so wet with his moans of pleasure, I fingered myself with one hand as he buried his fists in my hair, pulling me down onto his cock. He fucked my mouth, just the way I wanted him to. I pushed past my gag reflex for Cesar. He was a large man – for a human, and I choked as I let him into the very back of my throat, giving him my complete love and devotion as I took all of him inside me.
My lips against his pubic bone, my tongue worked overtime to suck hard as I could. I swallowed every drop I could milk from my lover and rubbed myself off a glorious, wet orgasm with two fingers stroking my clit furiously. I came with a deep shudder, filled with pleasure and the endless joy of being with him. I came for Cesar, from my love for him.
His hands relaxed and unfisted from my hair as I gradually came up for air and licked the last drops off the head of his cock and my lips. “I love you so much, Cesar.”
Ooops … I hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
He looked down at me, and though I didn’t truly expect him to say the words, I could still hope. We’d only known each other a few weeks before I was taken away by the Gran. Our relationship was more physical than anything else.
He pulled me up off the floor and into his arms to kiss me on the forehead. “If only that was true, Angel.”
He confused me. “It’s true. I love you. I’ve been waiting to be in your arms again since the minute they took me.”
His eyes searched my eyes. “You barely know me, Angel. I’m not a hero. We got lucky I found you when I was trying to get to Jason. I’m not the man you think I am.”
I wasn’t the woman he thought I was, but I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut about it.
“You do realize I’m not Jason? We are nothing alike, Angel. He was an idealist. He died for his ideals. I’m more … practical. I take what I can, when I can, including the ore that’s securing this deal with the Gran. We stole an ore freighter from the DC. As much as you want me to be someone else, I’m not a way for you to reconnect with my dead brother.”
I’d hurt Cesar once before when I transposed my love for Jason onto him. I’d even called him by his brother’s name. But that was a lifetime ago in my heart. “I’m done making that mistake, Cesar. It’s your name that gives me hope. It’s your face and warmth that keeps me sane when I’m surrounded by aliens who think they own me. It’s you that I love, Cesar. It’s you that I pray will be waiting for me the day I find freedom from this collar.”
I rubbed the metal ring around my neck, wishing I could cut it off and run and hide away with Cesar in his Shadow cruiser, where the Gran would never find us.
I reached down to find his cock had hardened again. The man had no need for drugs to get it up. I was still amazed by his stamina. I climbed up onto his chest, my breasts in his face, and his hard, wet cock pushed against my entry. I silently vowed to give him all my love and devotion, to explore the limits of his stamina.
“If it’s really me you love, Angel, then I promise to do everything in my power to get you free of this Cat.” He thrust his engorged cock inside me with a tender, stretching push and tears blurred my vision as I cried with the heavenly sensation of being filled by the man I loved. I gradually slipped down, inch by glorious inch, struggling to take all of him, to accept his cock and the hope-filled promise of a future together.
I kissed his lips as my pubic bone kissed his. “I promise to do everything in my power to ensure you never forget how much I love you, Cesar.” I had one week to prove my love for him. One week to earn his trust and love in return.
The End
This is the end of episode three but there’s more to come in Angel’s dramatic space adventure saga. Enjoy the next episode June 2015!
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Enjoy an exclusive excerpt of Angel 6.0 Pursuit, Episode 4, coming in June 2015:
Angel 6.0
Episode IV
PURSUIT
"How divine is the pursuit of lovers, how accursed is the pursuit of empires."
― Travis Luedke
Chapter 1
“What is Angel worth to you?” Cesar didn’t mince words when it came to negotiating for my purchase from the tall, alien Cat who owned me. “Name your price.”
I translated Cesar’s words into the growl-click-snapping language spoken by Captain Cronin, Commander of the Gran Traders Guild cruiser. Cronin scratched at the short fur on his chin in an alarmingly human gesture as he listened to me. He’d been mimicking my mannerisms for months now. He rose from his couch-lounger and looked down on me sitting in Cesar’s lap, a position I was loathe to quit.
At over two meters tall, covered in caramel and black striped fur, Cronin looked like a lanky, muscular, Cat standing upright. Though alien in every way, the Gran were very similar to us. We breathed the same air, ate relatively similar food – omnivores – and shared similar anatomical features. We were so similar that Captain Cronin had found a perverse pleasure in playing games of pretend with me. He considered me a female of value, and wouldn’t give me up easily.
Cronin pointed at Cesar’s hand on my hip. “I gave permission for your visit with him out of respect to your wishes and needs. I demand respect in return or I will not give permission the next time we meet. Tell your male to appreciate this privilege, or he will be denied in the future.”
“I thought you expected me to breed? If that’s what you want, I need more personal time with Captain Cesar.”
Though Captain Cronin didn’t like the possessive nature of Cesar’s hold on me, Cronin wanted me to birth more special humans like me. I’d tried to tell the stubborn Cat that I’m sterile. All clones are sterile. Cronin only listened when it suited him – or maybe he’d figured out the truth by now.
So far, the lie had worked in my favor. I played the breeder role to get what I wanted – Cesar. But if Cronin was wise to my ruse, then we needed to get down to business and get me out of this damned slave collar wrapped around my neck. “Cesar asked for a price, will you not give him one? Are we not here to make profitable trades?”
Cronin growled and flicked his claws through the air in dismissal. “Now is not the time. I have need of your services, and the Emperor needs you.”
That was only partially true. The Emperor didn’t really need me – it was Cronin who loved having me at his beck and call, playing the role of a good little concubine.
Instead of translating Cronin’s posturing to Cesar, I pushed harder. “I think you would be wise to avoid problems with my male. He is especially … attached to me, and he wishes to purchase me at a fair price. We have made good trades today. It is only fair to consider another trade in the spirit of good relations between humans and the Gran.” The Captain’s idea of fairness didn’t quite match up to human standards, but greed was a universal language. Cronin’s greed was my path to freedom.
Cesar watched me closely. I could feel the nervous tension coiled in him. He didn’t like me keeping him out of the loop as I spoke the growl-click-snap language of the Gran. “Angel, what’s happening here?” I squeezed Cesar’s hand in reassurance and waited for the master of my world to answer me.
The Captain stared me down with his domination game. I usually submitted and looked down like a good little concubine, but after spendin
g a week in Cesar’s arms, mostly in his bed, I dreaded leaving again for another ninety days. The things Captain Cronin would do to me as we crossed the galaxy to his home system … the thought turned my stomach.
Cronin licked his sharp teeth and bored into me with his most intimidating all-powerful Supreme Catness stare. “Our business is concluded, Angel. The Emperor has made clear his wishes to spend time with you upon your return. We will not discuss your sale today.”
I wanted to kick him so hard in the balls that his stomach turned inside out on the floor while he puked up his last meal. The Captain was getting rich off me, off my time spent with the Emperor of the Gran. He stood to profit heavily by renting me out to the Emperor. The Captain and his Trading Guild cronies used me every which way, for trade, profits, and political maneuvering. Beyond that, I suspected the real problem lay in the Captain’s ever-worsening addiction to amixa, a potent Gran mating pheromone. He used the drug daily, which meant he needed a concubine to attend him daily.
I was Captain’s Cronin’s freebie. He owned me. Fucker. He didn’t have to pay me, like he paid his other concubine, Chilla. She had negotiated a hefty price for joining him on this trade meeting voyage.
Cesar cleared his throat, impatient with my lack of translations. Gritting my teeth to suppress my fury and frustration, I translated the Captain’s refusal. Cesar’s jaw tightened and his intense eyes watched me, searching for the truth. “That’s bullshit, Angel. Why the hell does the Emperor want you? I thought you visited him this last trip?”
“Yes, I did. Him, his wife, his son and daughter. I told you I was an honored guest in their home. The Emperor wants to learn more about humans, to exchange ideas and culture. He wants me to learn about the Gran, to create a better understanding between us. It’s … complicated.”