Bound, Spanked and Loved: Fourteen Kinky Valentine's Day Stories (91 page)

No matter how much he tried to keep her at arm’s length, she’d draw him still closer.

For the first time since he’d taken the alluring human, Lukanos wasn’t sure he knew what he was doing anymore.

Chapter Nine

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“W
hat’s this, sir?”

She’d been sitting out on the deck, listening to a book Lukanos had given her—a general science tome that had her continually dropping her jaw. She couldn’t read it, of course, so he had rigged it up to a translator. It was slow listening to the text read back to her, but it worked, and she loved every minute of it.

Humankind was so
very
far behind, despite the strides they’d already made as a species in the sciences. The sense of arrogance some human scientists felt. If they only knew what she knew now. It almost made her feel hopeless—that she’d already learned more than any scientist had in the past two hundred years of human history, and yet, she’d have no humans to share it with. The melancholy threatened to set in each time she thought of that, about her sense of being alone. The only time she didn’t feel that was late in the night, in his arms, listening to him breath, burrowing closer to his big body, sighing to herself with a strange contentment until she drifted off to sleep.

That sense of sadness though was ever present during the day, if only in the shadows of her consciousness. But then she’d hear another revelation, and the sense of wonder banished all of those negative thoughts.

The afternoon light was just beginning to wane. He’d collared her and chained her to her chair as he was wont to do when taking her outside, the thick gray cloak he allowed her wrapped tightly about her form. The day was cool, but not uncomfortable, and she was grateful for any time outside.

Her Master—she’d been thinking of him as that more and more as time went by, and lately, it held a note of respect, even admiration—came padding out onto the deck, looking mouthwatering in nothing but a brief set of tights that she thought might be an analog to underwear. The bulge of his genitals caught her eye immediately, sending an anticipatory shiver down her spine as it always did. Would he take her today? Maybe he’d do it right there in broad daylight? The image of her kneeling before him sprang into her mind, his fist in her hair as she sucked him, while from above he growled commands at her in his native tongue, their meaning clear regardless of language.

She stopped the playback of the audio, looking up at him. “So, we were right about that! It
is
possible, with enough power—something we never really believed we’d be able to generate safely. We still have—
had
—arguments about it all the time.”

He tilted his head. “Oh, you mean the Gate system? We didn’t actually build the Gates themselves—no one does. They’ve been here much longer than any of the species populating our galaxy now. But we
did
learn how to use them once we perfected the matter-antimatter reactors. Without those, we’d never have been able to satisfy the power demands required to open a transit—your species calls it an Einstein-Rosen bridge, I believe.”

“Oh my fucking...God,” she breathed, her hand to her mouth. So much knowledge. It was like she was a kid again.

“You asked what this is? It’s the answers to your questions. As you say, you’re a scientist.” Lukanos fitted the silver metal halo about her skull, two pads clasping her firmly just over her temples. “This... should stay on. I had to find a children’s version—the adult one is too large for humans. Let’s hope it works.”

“It’s... it’s okay, sir. What is it?”

He clicked something on the side of the headset and she gasped.

“How is this...oh my God, how is this...possible?” Her voice was almost a squeal as the images cascaded through her mind, in a projection that was more than 3D—it felt like a whole new world in itself.

“Interfaces with the optical nerves and projects the image for you. The closest thing we equate it to seeing thoughts... in a way. We’ve never really tested it on humans, but your basic brain structure is essentially identical to ours, so it should work—with a hiccup or two.” He gave her a wan smile, touching her cheek. “This is patched into our neural net. You can think of it as an immense number of brains linked together, sharing thoughts, synthesizing ideas. Only it’s computers and brains, working in concert. The net I hooked this into consists of the three planets in our star system, plus a handful of other outposts within one parsec. Should be enough to keep you entertained for a while.”

She squealed, jumping up into his arms. “Thank you! Thank you! Oh God, this is
incredible!
”

It was as if everything were new again. Her thirst for knowledge had been with her as long as she remembered, and this—this was the moment when it all seemed worth it.

Still, as giddy as she was, lapping up the equations, histories, and theories like a crack addict fresh out of twenty day rehab, something... was off. Missing.

It’s called your heart.

He set her down, then took a seat next to her, staring off into the distance. He’d been doing more of that of late. Though the view
was
stunning—his house perched upon a forested hill overlooking a vast valley, the city barely visible near the horizon, the green and purple foliage of
dinhal
trees surrounding his home on three sides—she knew better. He’d been distant, even cool, of late. He barely used her, and when he did, it was quick. She’d even once caught him with his head in his hands, but he quickly recovered, barking at her to stand at attention, and scolding her for entering his room without permission.

Something was very wrong.

And though she didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, he’d become, well, the center of everything. When he was unhappy, she was unhappy. Depending upon him for everything, she’d come to crave his presence, his touch, even his affection. She’d have gladly serviced him much more than he demanded, and she’d even made a few clumsy—and very embarrassing—attempts to flirt with him, to tempt him into taking her. But of late, even that was no use.

She already struggled with the confusion of her own feelings, emotions she’d never have expected to feel for a being who uprooted her from her entire life.

Such as it was. He probably did you a favor.

How was it possible that a trained scientist was so unsuccessfully grappling with something much more profound than a schoolgirl crush? Worse, it was directed at a man she should hate, a being who’d turned her existence upside down in an instant.

What was happening here?

Chapter Ten

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T
he commport burst to life as Lukanos cleaned up the remnants of dinner, Alisse already upstairs on her cot. He’d found her crying again that morning, curled up on his bed, his pillow clutched to her face. Though he’d affixed her chain and cinched her collar tightly—something that used to have her pretty pink nipples standing up, and her eyes sparkling eagerly—it was as if he wasn’t even there. She was almost... listless.

The signs had been everywhere and yet, he tried not to see them. He knew what they meant.

“Lieutenant, I’m sorry to bother you.” Captain Maerata’s lips twisted a moment. “If it’s a bad time, I’ll try again later.”

“No, it’s fine, Captain. What...what can I do for you?”

He thought of Alisse again, and all the things he’d like to do for her—and
to
her—if only that last, and most difficult—divide could be bridged with her. He feared it would never be, no matter how patient he was, no matter how much time he gave her.

“I’ve been given new orders. It’s to be Terra again, training new teams.”

“I’m not surprised, Captain. Admiral Kosha always did have a soft spot for you.”

If it were any other Survey Team Captain whose subordinate had violated the Directive in so blatant a manner, they both knew Captain Maerata would be lucky to see service on a garbage scow for the rest of his career.

“How is she? Really.”

Lukanos sighed, leaning an arm against the wall, shaking his head at the commport screen. “I wish I knew. We barely speak anymore. She obeys quickly enough, but it’s rote. She’s going through the motions. I thought hooking her into the neural net would change things for her—and they did for a few days. But now, she’s as down as she ever was. I just... don’t know.”

“I think you’re lying to yourself about that, Lieutenant. You
do
know.”

Lukanos needed to change the subject, and fast. “You going to the Induction tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there. Willix would kill me if I didn’t make it. I’m going to bring Alisse with me. See what she thinks. I’ll need to make her a little less conspicuous though, I suppose.”

“Why do that to yourself, Lukanos? She won’t take that last step, if she’s not ready. You know this.”

“Maybe it’s a fool wanting to at least be near something he knows he can never really have.”

“My transport leaves for Gate rendezvous within the hour following the Induction. Looks like I’ll be the only one embarked until touchdown on Terra. If...” Maerata cleared his throat, staring at him for a long moment. “Well, thought you might want to know.”

“Thanks, Captain. Safe travels if I don’t see you tomorrow.”

He switched off the commport, leaning against the counter, cursing under his breath. If only...

“You’re being
stupid
, Lieutenant,” he hissed out loud. “Go to bed.”

*****

T
he Three Sisters were out again, the arc of smoky orange moons like dimmer, less bombastic cousins of the gorgeous setting sun back on Terra.

They laid in silence now upon his bed, the night deep and dark around them. He’d taken her before bed, slow and gentle, savoring every sigh, every tiny squeeze of her yielding sex. He’d met her gaze as he moved within her, and they stayed that way, in silence, until her moans overtook her, until oblivion pulled him under. He’d touched her face before leaving the clutch of her burning core, and she’d given him a bittersweet smile, grasping his hand and pressing those soft, swollen lips to his fingertips, one by one.

Now, his seed dripping down upon him from her well-used sex, she sprawled upon him, her chin propped on his chest, the starlight caught in the liquid forever of her eyes, the brilliance of the night sky doing nothing to banish the sadness he saw in her gaze.

“What do you think when you see all those stars up there? Those moons?”

She didn’t answer right away, instead laying her smooth cheek against his skin. “I think of... all I know. And all I don’t yet understand.”

“No matter how much I try, some things I’ll
never
understand. No matter how much knowledge I acquire, some things in this universe are still a mystery to me.”

She murmured, then kissed his chest. “Now, you know how I feel.”

It’s time to ask it, you oaf. Just get it over with. End the torture.

“Knowing what you know now, if you had the chance, the choice—would you do this all again? Would you be here? With me?”

For a long moment, she was silent, and he thought perhaps she’d fallen asleep. Then she stirred, gazing up his body at him, her eyes unreadable, almost black in the shadows of the bedroom.

“I think for this knowledge? To experience what I’ve experienced?” She looked up at the trio of moons decorating the heavens. “I think I’d do just about anything.”

And with that, he had his answer.

“Get some sleep, girl,” he whispered, pressing a long, soft kiss to her hair. “Big day tomorrow.”

Staring at the night sky, the emptiness within him yawned open, endless, engulfing.

Heartbreaking,

Lukanos smiled up at the impassive, uncaring, ever-watching stars, tears tracking down his cheeks.

Chapter Eleven

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H
e’d wrapped her in a light blue cloak so heavy it felt more like armor than clothing. Pulling the hood over her head, she was nearly lost in the shadows of it. Was he protecting her from them—or was he protecting them from her?

He led her by the hand through the press of bodies, the crowd funneling into an auditorium of sorts, all around them the short, staccato cadence of their alien speech. Few spared more than a glance at her, perhaps mistaking her diminutive stature for that of a child. Making their way up stairs, then yet more stairs, he ushered her into a gallery, high above the main floor.

“What is happen—?”

“No,” he said, in his native language. She’d learned at least that much in her time with him.

Forcing herself to be content with watching, the ceremony went on, two people, a man and a woman, at the center of it. Soon enough, she realized this must be some sort of marriage or commitment ceremony. She hadn’t delved much into their culture yet on her daily sojourn through the neural net, but she intended to soak up that knowledge soon enough. Perhaps she’d better understand the gorgeous, infuriating man she called Master—of only in her mind, thus far.

But that’s what he was to her, spoken or not.

And you’re still okay with that?

She was more than okay, and only recently had she been able to admit that to herself. She really
was
his, and property or not, she’d come to accept it.

There was a huge problem though.

She wanted more.

And the hulking man who held her heart in his hands? She still didn’t know.

You have to tell him, idiot.

Somewhere inside of him, was the key. The way into his heart, the door into his soul. But what if this was as far as he ever wanted to go with this? She’d feared—more than once—that he really did only see her as a toy, a plaything. If that was true, then she was doomed, her need for something more an everlasting dead-end.

It had weighed on her, heavily. She’d pulled away from him, needing something—anything—that might let her hope there was more to his affection, to the way he took her, the way he used her. Lust was never an issue—there was more than enough to last three lifetimes between the two of them.

No, the issue was that she needed... she was still afraid to even think the word.