“Um…he kisses my other foot?” Lissa sounded worried.
“Of course not, my dear. He kisses your panties.”
“He…he does?” Lissa swallowed audibly. “I mean, of course he does. Saber,” she said, snapping her fingers. “Kiss me…kiss my panties, I mean. Show the proper respect.”
This time Saber was more than glad to submit. Leaning forward, he pressed his cheek to the small triangle of green and white lace and inhaled deeply, filling his senses with her intoxicating female fragrance. Gods, if only he could kiss her without the panties in the way! But this was better than nothing.
Slowly, tenderly, he placed his lips at the very center of the white lace. Behind the thin barrier, he could feel her soft pussy lips parting for him as he pressed carefully forward. He knew if he could just slip the flimsy barrier to one side, he could have his tongue buried to the hilt in Lissa’s sweet, wet cunt.
“Oh…” The soft exclamation fell out of Lissa like a sigh and Saber felt one soft little hand slip into his hair. Gods, he was dying here. Being so close to her and not being allowed to taste her was sheer torture. His exposed cock throbbed for release between his thighs but there was nothing he could do about it—nothing at all.
“Very nice.” Lady Sha’rak said, breaking the moment. “Of course, if the company at the party is extremely posh and important, you can always direct your slave to tongue you in order to show extra reverence and submission. I recommend wearing split panties just in case. Do you have any? If not, I can loan you some.”
“I…I…split panties?” Lissa seemed to be at a loss for words and Saber thought that even if he had been allowed to, he couldn’t have spoken either. Was their hostess actually saying that he might get his wish after all? To taste Lissa, no matter how briefly, was what he wanted most in the universe. But how would she feel about it? Would she hate him for it if he had to do it? Or would she display the same eager curiosity she had when she was stroking his shaft? He risked a quick glance up and saw that she was looking down at him, her cheeks stained scarlet with mortification.
“Mistress,” he murmured, and pressed another slow kiss to the white lace that was now becoming damp from her honey.
“Saber,” she whispered and caressed his hair tentatively. The simple, hesitant gesture sent a shiver through Saber’s entire body and he felt the fire within him re-ignite with a sudden blazing rush. He was just about to lean forward again and push the panties to one side when Lady Sha’rak’s strident voice burst his fantasies of finally tasting Lissa.
“Enough obeisance! Order him to rise.”
The sharp command made them jerk apart and Saber looked up at Lissa again.
“On your feet, slave,” she commanded, obviously trying to copy Lady Sha’rak’s demanding tone. “And…and keep your hands behind your back.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Saber got awkwardly to his feet. Rising, he stood as he had before with his legs spread and his arms behind his back, feeling both vulnerable and foolish.
But despite his negative emotions, he was also hotter than he had ever been in his entire life. Was he starting to enjoy his submission to Lissa? It seemed like a foreign concept but he honestly found he kind of liked taking orders from her—especially orders with a sexual overtone.
“Very good, though he could have been faster.” Lady Sha’rak nodded.
“Thank you.” Lissa looked at her. “Now what?”
“Now you’re going to stroke him again. And again and again and again. But you will never—never let him come.” Their hostess gave her a cruel smile. “This, my dear, is the true torture. Your slave will never dare to disobey again once you master the technique of delayed gratification.”
Oh Goddess! Saber looked up at the padded ceiling. He already had the worst case of the blue balls he’d ever had in his life—how was he going to survive this torture? And yet, he had no choice. As Lissa’s small, soft hand encircle his aching shaft once more, he set his jaw and forced himself to hold still and take it.
What else could he do?
* * * * *
Lissa looked at Saber from the corner of her eye as she pulled out yet another ancient document to look at. Lady Sha’rak was out in the town, running errands before dinner. After the lengthy training session she’d put Lissa and Saber through, she had declared there were some things she simply must get before the party. To Lissa’s relief, she had taken Llewelyn with her, promising to be back in time for dinner. Now that they had the entire floor to themselves, it was the perfect opportunity to search the ambassador’s private library for the missing scrolls.
And also, apparently, the perfect opportunity to ignore each other and pretend nothing had happened.
There had been silence between them since the ambassador had left and Lissa was upset and anxious—how did Saber feel about her now? Did he hate her for abusing his body so? For fondling him without his permission? They had been working for almost an hour and he’d been perfectly silent all that time. Though he said nothing, he still moved stiffly, as though he was hurting exactly where she had touched him. Oh Goddess, had she been too rough?
Lissa didn’t think she had been—Saber had certainly seemed to enjoy her hand on him while she was stroking his shaft. And to tell the truth, she had rather enjoyed it herself. She’d never seen male equipment before but Saber’s had been…nice. Well, more than nice, actually. He had been hot and throbbing in her hand and yet the skin of his shaft had been so soft—it was like stroking a heated iron bar with the texture of rose petals. To be completely honest, touching him so intimately had made her feel warm and tingly all over.
But Lady Sha’rak had forced them to continue the exercise over and over for a long time. Maybe Lissa had over done it. Had she done him some kind of lasting injury?
“Saber,” she blurted, unable to keep her worried thoughts bottled up any longer. “I…I think you should let me examine you.”
“What?” He turned to her, both eyebrows raised in evident surprise. “Examine me where? And why?”
“Where…where I touched you.” Lissa could feel her cheeks getting hot but she refused to back down. She pointed to the large bulge in his crotch where his cock was barely contained by the tight black slave trousers. “I…I need to see if I’ve hurt you or done you any lasting harm.”
“Hurt me? You think you hurt me?” His face held a mixture of laughter and irritation. “Why would you think that?”
“Because of the way you’re moving—it’s like you can barely walk. I need to see if I’ve bruised you or—”
“Lissa, I’m fine,” he interrupted. “I’m not hurt.”
Lissa frowned stubbornly. “I don’t believe you.”
“Too bad,” Saber shot back, with a frown of his own. “You’ll have to take my word for it because I’m not opening these damn trousers again. I barely got back into them last time.”
“That’s because you’re all swollen and hurting,” Lissa protested. “If you’d just let me see—”
“You think you can help me by touching me more, is that it?” His jaw clenched. “Sorry, but it’s not going to happen. It would only make the problem worse.”
“But—”
“Amalla.” He caught both her hands in his and looked earnestly into her face. “Please believe me, your touch didn’t harm me in any way. This is a problem I can…” He coughed. “I can take care of myself. As soon as I get these Goddess damned manacles off.”
“I’ll ask for the remote at dinner,” Lissa promised. “I’m sorry I didn’t think to before Ambassador Sha’rak left.”
“We were both distracted,” Saber said shortly. “Now, come on, we don’t know how long she and Llewelyn are going to be gone. We need to get this whole library searched by the time they get back.”
“We’ve been through hundreds of scrolls and documents, though,” Lissa protested. “And none of them is even from First World.”
“It’s valuable property—she probably won’t have it out in plain view.
” Saber went back to hunting through the triangular stacks of books and scrolls and data disks. “It’ll probably be hidden like—hello, what’s this?”
He took several thick leather bound volumes out of their triangular shelf and stared with some interest at what was behind them.
“What is it? Did you find something?” Lissa came up behind him and tried to look over his broad shoulder. He was so much taller than her she couldn’t see much but she did manage to catch a glimpse of a small opening that seemed to extend deep into the bookshelf.
“I did.” Saber pulled something out and then frowned. “There’s a false back to the bookshelf here and it has some documents. I don’t think they’re the scrolls we’re looking for, though.”
“Oh…” Lissa took the small triangular paper book from him carefully. There was a picture on the front of a large, muscular male with no shirt on. He was holding a small, slender female to him forcefully, bending her over one brawny forearm and staring deep into her eyes.
“Very strange,” Saber murmured, frowning at the picture.
“It looks like one of those books Kat and the other Earth girls like to read back on the Mother Ship,” Lissa said. “Kat calls them ‘bodice rippers’.” She opened the book and tried to concentrate on the strange, squiggly writing. Luckily the shot of translation bacteria she’d had before leaving the Mother Ship enabled her to read what was written aloud.
“He pulled her to him and Ka’tha had no choice but to come. She tried to protest but then his mouth was locked over hers, devouring her, taking what she had never intended to give. Ka’tha fought him, or tried to, anyway, but she could feel her will weakening as the savage kiss went on. Soon he had completely overpowered her and she was helpless in his arms.
“Admit it,” he growled. “Tell me I’m your master.”
“But you’re not,” Ka’tha protested. “I bought you. I’m supposed to be your mistress.”
“Not anymore,” he growled and took her mouth again, proving who was really the master.
“Oh, my.” Lissa looked up. “I think this is some of that, uh, male-dom pornography you said Llewelyn told you about.”
“I think you’re right.” Saber took the triangular book from her and flipped through it thoughtfully, stopping here and there to peruse certain passages more closely. “There’s no doubt the male is mastering the female—which is the exact opposite of how they do things here.”
“Kat loves those kinds of books,” Lissa murmured. “She says sometimes you just want a male to take charge.” She looked at Saber who was staring at her with one eyebrow raised. “Oh, um, I mean…that’s what she says, anyway,” she stammered, blushing.
“I have to admit, this kind of thing…” He nodded at the book. “Doesn’t seem nearly as strange as what we’re uh, doing now.”
“I guess…” Lissa looked down. “Do you hate me now?” she asked in a rush. “I mean, for what I did to you?”
Saber’s answer was quick and reassuring. “Of course not! You’re only doing what you have to.”
“But…” Lissa lifted her eyes to his. “I slapped you. And I…I tortured you. I didn’t want to but—”
“Of course you didn’t want to. Amalla…” He took one of her hands and raised it to his lips. “Didn’t I tell you I’d rather have pain from your hand than pleasure from anyone else’s?”
“But Saber…”
“And you didn’t really hurt me,” he went on. “In fact, having you touch me…feeling your hand on me…it was…” He cleared his throat and his voice dropped lower. “It was one of the greatest pleasures I have ever felt,” he murmured, massaging her palm gently with his thumb.
“It…it was?” Lissa looked at him, wide-eyed. His touch on her hand felt so right—it sent tingles through her entire body. She couldn’t help remembering how good it had felt when he dropped to his knees and kissed her through her panties, couldn’t help wondering if he’d wanted to do more…
Saber nodded. “I’ve dreamed of that, you know. Of feeling your hands on my body and knowing we were right for each other. Knowing that the kinship compounds they injected us with couldn’t stop our feelings, couldn’t halt our pleasure in touching one another…”
The kinship compounds. Of course, because we’re of the same clan. For a moment she’d almost managed to forget it. His touch was so gentle and his warm, masculine scent was so intoxicating. She would almost swear it was his mating scent but of course his body wouldn’t release pheromones like that for her—not for one of his own clan. Or at least it shouldn’t…
“Saber, we can’t.” Lissa drew her hand away from him and took a step back. “You know we can’t.”
“I know.” He turned away and put the forbidden book back in its hiding place. “But I can’t help wishing. I—”
“We’re back. Did you miss us?” Suddenly Llewelyn came into the room, a sarcastic smirk on his face. He was followed by Lady Sha’rak.
“Hello, my dear—did you have a pleasant afternoon?” she asked Lissa.
“Oh yes. We were just…” Lissa cleared her throat, glad that they had moved away from the section where the forbidden book was hidden. “I mean, I was just catching up on some light reading. Your library has so many fascinating books and documents in it.”
Lady Sha’rak gave her a pleased smile “I am proud of my little collection although it’s not nearly as complete as Lady Pope’nose’s. Still, it serves me well enough for sensation play and that’s what’s important, right?"
“Of course.” Lissa wished she could ask exactly what sensation play was, but she’d been pretending to understand for so long it would look suspicious if she asked now. She supposed she’d have to find out at the upcoming party.
“So.” Lady Sha’rak clapped her hands. “I’m exhausted from shopping all afternoon. What do you say we have a nice light supper in the relaxation grotto?”
“That sounds lovely.” Lissa smiled. “I’ve been curious about your grotto ever since you first mentioned it. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to see it with you and Lady Pope’nose.”
“It is a gorgeous space. You’d swear you were actually in a cave out in the wilderness—a very nice one, of course.” Lady Sha’rak smiled. “Come, let’s get you into some relaxation robes and I’ll have Llewelyn inform the chef that we’re going to eat in the grotto.”
Lissa followed their hostess, trying to keep a polite smile on her face. But inside she was torn. The things Saber had said to her, the way he had looked…could it be that he truly still felt for her as he always had? But no…
Stop it! she told herself fiercely. I absolutely cannot fantasize about Saber like this. We’re here on a mission and after that we’ll go our separate ways. Saber will go back and succeed his father as the Over Chief of the Touch Clans and I’ll go back to being the head priestess on First World. We’ll never see each other again and that’s good—it’s right. The right thing to do.
But why did doing the right thing make her feel so desolate inside?
Chapter Thirteen
Relaxation robes appeared to consist of four sheer panels of silky, peach-colored fabric that hung from Lissa’s shoulders and straight down to her ankles. The panels were joined at the shoulders and split in the front and also the back so that when she moved, Saber could see her naked flesh from all angles.
The hard bulge of his cock throbbed again and he wished for the hundredth time that he could make the damn thing go down. But though hours had passed since the tortuously pleasurable session of “delayed gratification” Lady Sha’rak had put them through, he was still hard enough to fuck a hole through a brick wall. And of course, seeing Lissa in such a skimpy outfit didn’t do a thing to help his condition.
If only I could slip off and take care of myself a few times this wouldn’t be so bad, he thought while bowing low and getting his “mistress” settled into the low, padded lounger beside Lady Sha’rak’s.
But of course that was impossible. Every time his hands got
anywhere near his naked shaft, he received a sharp shock. Only to his fingertips, though—his cock was completely unaffected by the shocks. Meaning that while his fingers stung, his shaft never went down. It was beginning to drive him crazy—he only hoped that Lissa remembered to ask for the remote that went with the touch-me-not manacles at the end of the night. If he had to go to bed like this, he couldn’t be responsible for the consequences.
To take his mind off his throbbing member, Saber studied their surroundings as he prepared to serve Lissa her supper.
The relaxation grotto looked like a cave, just as Lady Sha’rak had promised. It had stone walls and a high stone ceiling with cool blue-green recessed lights that gave it a mysterious but relaxing atmosphere. Soothing music was being piped in from somewhere and there were several round pools set around the perimeter of the large room that added the soft sound of water, which echoed in the cavernous space. One of the pools was filled with bubbling pale green liquid that released an invigorating herbal smell. Another had calm, dark blue waves lapping against its smooth stone perimeter. A third seemed to be filled with some kind of pink foam that emitted a slightly floral scent.
The padded loungers were right in the center of the space between the pools and surrounded by flowering plants. A low buffet table had been set up beside them, which meant Saber didn’t have to reach far to find choice tidbits and fruits to feed his lady. He tried to sniff everything before he offered it to her, wanting to make sure it would be to her liking. As with the breakfast that morning, it was much simpler fare than the formal dinner that had been served the night before. Lissa seemed to find almost all of it pleasing.
Saber was hungry himself but not starving. Before leaving, Llewelyn had shown him where a stash of protein bars for busy slaves were kept. Saber had eaten several and was glad he had—dinner looked like it was going to be a long, drawn-out affair.
Eyeing Lissa’s luscious, exposed flesh, he just hoped he could get through it without bursting out of his too-tight slave trousers.