Captives of New Pompeii (8 page)

“Then she is with you now?”

“Affirmative.”

“I’ll notify the ambassador.”

Caleb put an emergency-only interrupt on his
com channel before he turned from the panel. “You do realize this
gives you another option.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your husband knows we’re together, alone in
my cabin. He will likely presume the worst. You can have all the
fun of torturing him without the guilt of actually sinning.”

She let the robe swing open the shrugged it
from her shoulders. “And why would I want to do that? I’ve been
alone for a whole lot longer than this voyage. I’m ready to
sin.”

Her beauty stole his breath, but the pain in
her eyes held him back. She wasn’t ready for him, not really. If
she fucked him now, the only person she’d be hurting was herself.
She was doing this to punish her husband, and her husband didn’t
give a shit about her.

Without a word he took off his jacket then
pulled his shirt off over his head. Her gaze followed him, wide and
limpid, aware. She might not be ready for his cock, but she needed
release and she needed it badly. Not just a quick orgasm, she
needed to purge her soul of years of pain, to unburden herself from
all the disappointment.

“That’s some tattoo.” Her voice broke and
her lips trembled. What an odd reaction to his ink. She said
nothing more, so he didn’t pry. They had more important things to
discover than the reason for her aversion to body art.

“Undress slowly. I want you naked and on
your knees.”

Her eyes widened and her lips parted. He
thought she’d object, but she didn’t. She kicked her slippers to
the side and hooked her finger under the thin strap holding up one
side of her nightgown. The midnight-blue silk brought out the blue
in her eyes and made her skin look especially creamy. Who was he
kidding? Women like this spent a fortune on procedures and products
that kept them looking good.

She paused with both straps around her
elbows and slowly turned around. Drawing her hair over her shoulder
she exposed her back. Then she lowered the gown to her hips, giving
him an unobstructed view of her elegant spine.

“Keep going.” The silk hissed as it slid
down her legs to pool around her ankles. Holy fuck, her ass was
tight and round, her legs long and sleekly muscled. Why would Xyell
ever leave her bed? Heat flooded his groin and hardened his cock.
This was going to be a lot more challenging than he’d thought.
“Turn around.” His throat was so dry he barely formed the
words.

After a distinct hesitation, she obeyed. Her
hair covered her breasts and she kept her face averted, so he let
his gaze descend along her body. Nice tight abs and gently flared
hips. Her mound was bare, which he liked. He’d enjoy all that
smooth, soft skin beneath his lips and against his pelvis as he
thrust into her.

But not yet, perhaps not tonight.

“Move your hair and lock your hands behind
your head.” That wide-eyed innocence stole over her expression
again, and he wanted to laugh. She was so far out of her depths it
wasn’t funny. “If you can’t obey without hesitation, this isn’t
going to work.” He moved closer, invading her personal space
without actually touching her. “My lovers must submit. It’s the
only way I can be truly satisfied. Do you still want to do
this?”

“Yes.” Her response came quickly, but he
didn’t miss the tremor in her voice.

“Show me.”

She raised her arms and entwined her hands
behind her head. “Very good. Now these are the rules. You ask
permission to speak. You ask permission to come. If you come
without permission, I will punish you.”

“Punish me?”

Fear burst through her uncertainty and she
started to lower her arms. He placed his hands below her elbows,
preventing the retreat. “I will elicit intense sensations, but I
will only hurt you if I see that pain will amplify your pleasure. I
will give you a safe word, but you must understand that I need you
to trust me. If you are unable to trust me, again, this won’t
work.”

She lowered her gaze to his chest and
pressed her lips together. They trembled anyway. “I’m afraid.”

“That’s natural for your first time. I’ll go
slowly.” She nodded and hesitantly met his gaze. “It’s best if you
choose the safe word. It’s easier to remember that way.”

“Pompeii,” she whispered.

The choice troubled him. Her mind was still
filled with connections to her husband. This was why he avoided
married women. He hated complications. Refusing to dwell on the
obstacle, he moved behind her and inhaled her scent. Clean, light,
surprisingly feminine.

He cupped her breasts and pressed against
her back. “Your hair smells like flowers.”

“Is that good or bad?”

Pressing her nipples to the point of pain,
he reminded her, “You must ask permission to speak. And right now I
want you to listen. Listen to the sound of my voice and pay
attention to your body. In fact, close your eyes. I want you to
feel, just feel.”

They were reflected in the mirror above his
built-in dresser. Her eyes drifted closed and her head rested
lightly on his shoulder. His hands appeared dark against her pale
skin. The contrast fascinated him. He moved his hands to the
bottoms of her breasts, squeezing gently while he enjoyed the sight
of the firm mounds rising from his palms.

He rolled her nipples, beginning with gentle
caresses and gradually increasing the pressure. She finally
squirmed when he pulled and twisted just a bit. She preferred a
firm hand, but her body responded better to pleasure than pain.
Understanding his course, he pushed onward.

One of his hands continued to stimulate her
breasts while the other drifted lower. “Spread your legs. Give me
access to your pussy.”

Her chest quivered beneath his hand, but she
moved her legs apart. He pressed his palm over her mound, slipping
his fingers between her thighs. Her folds were already damp and
incredibly hot. He parted her, allowing the air to caress her.

She fidgeted in his arms, restless and
needy. “Be still.” He lightly stroked her clit with his middle
finger and she startled. “Don’t tense up. Let the sensations flow
through you.” A soft, distressed sound escaped her throat and she
rubbed against his fingers, trying to bring his touch back to her
clit. “Not yet. You haven’t earned an orgasm. On your knees.”

Without hesitation, she slid down his body
and knelt in front of him. He imagined himself kneeling behind her
and thrusting deep into her slick passage. The image sent lust
stabbing into his balls, but he fought back the urge, knowing it
would be that much more intense when he finally fucked her.

She still had her hands locked behind her
head. The position raised her breasts and arched her back. “You can
relax for a minute. Lower your arms.”

Her hands unlocked and she lowered her arms,
pausing to roll her shoulders before resting her hands on her
thighs. He moved in front of her and unfastened his belt. Her gaze
moved expectantly to his fly, but he had no intention of taking off
his pants just yet. Instead, he drew the belt from its loops with a
slow, firm tug.

“Wha—” She bit off the word and remained
silent.

“Crawl over to the bunk then stand up and
bend over it, legs spread wide, forearms on the mattress.”

She didn’t look at him or argue. She crawled
across the floor, offering him a delightful view of her flushed
slit. Then she stood and bent from the waist, widening her stance
as he braced herself against the bed. Wow. This view was even
better.

“You will answer my questions honestly.
Don’t think about your answer just respond.” He rubbed one silky
ass cheek and then the other. “Have you ever had anal sex?”

She looked back at him, eyes wide with
concern. “Yes. Is that what you’re going—”

He swung his belt, lightly spanking her
across both cheeks. “You will only answer my questions.” Even with
the light swing her skin produced a fiery welt. He was going to
have to be so careful with her. “Did you find pleasure in the
act?”

“Not when Mikko did it, but…”

“Go on.”

“One of my other lovers used a toy that
drove me crazy.” Sadness crept into her voice as she added, “He
knew all sorts of ways to make me crazy.”

Rewarding her openness with a caress, he
stroked her ass cheeks and the backs of her thighs. “What happened
to him?”

“Mikko had him killed,” she whispered. “The
authorities said he was mugged, but I knew better.”

He brushed up the inside of her thigh and
gently teased her folds. “Why would Mikko send a man to bed you if
he’d been jealous enough to kill your lover?”

“It hadn’t been his idea then. I dared to
step out on Mikko, and my lover paid for it with his life.”

He let the details slide for now. They had
too many other hurts to vanquish. Moving to her side, he found her
clit from in front and gently circled the puffy nub. “Did you
intentionally put your lover in danger?”

“No.” She hissed out a breath and rotated
her hips, attempting to keep his fingers over her clit.

“Did he know who your husband was when you
fucked the first time?”

“Yes.”

“Then it wasn’t your fault. He knew what he
was risking when he went to bed with you.” He draped the belt over
his shoulder so he could use both hands. Slowly pushing into her
from behind, he gave her two long fingers to squeeze while he
caressed her clit with his other hand.

Her hips rocked, driving his fingers deeper.
“Please let me come.”

“Not yet, but soon.” Her inner muscles
fluttered and then resumed their firm clasp around his sliding
fingers. He drew out suddenly and retrieved the belt, swinging it
with careful force. The leather slapped hard enough to make her
jump but well short of real pain. “That was Mikko offering you to
his guard. Feel the heat, the pain. Let it build.”

“I don’t want to think about that,” she
cried.

“Trust me, Laetif. Open your mind and give
your emotions free rein.”

“I hate him. Oh God, how I hate him.” She
shook with suppressed emotion, powerless and trapped.

Caleb moved his hand away from her sex,
straightening so he had more control over the belt. “Feel it.” He
swung—a moderate snap.

She screamed, the sound strangled and
clenched.

“Say it. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

“I want to hate him! I need to hate him, but
I can’t forget the man I married.” Great racking sobs interrupted
her words. “I hate who he’s become, but I ache for the man he used
to be. More. Please, I need more!”

He swung the belt again and again, careful
not to hit the same place twice. He tempered his strength and
controlled each swat, unwilling to cause any lasting harm. She
screamed and wept, releasing her emotions in cathartic waves.

Finally he tossed the belt aside and stood
behind her. She moved her legs farther apart, obviously expecting
him to fuck her. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and pressed
his chest against her back. “You’re safe now,” he whispered. “There
are no games here, no emotional manipulation. I will always be
honest with you.” She rested against the bed, limp and fragile. He
caressed her sides and her hips, careful not to rub against her
sore behind. He soothed her, relaxed her and prepared her for a
different kind of tension. “I want to watch you come. Will you do
that for me?”

“Yes…Sir.” She added the title after a short
pause, making him smile.

“Then turn over. See if you can sit. If it’s
too painful we’ll have to be creative.”

Slowly, carefully, she turned over and
lowered her weight to her ass. “Oh wow, heat just exploded through
my…” She closed her eyes and shivered.

“Did you come while I spanked you?” He’d
been focused on her emotional barricades and hadn’t realized she
was responding sexually.

“Yes. I think it would have been even better
if I hadn’t been so upset.”

“We’ll have to find out. Next time.” He
grinned.

“Next time? I’m not sure my ass will heal
before we dock in Fedoros.”

The reminder sent an odd wave of regret
through him. Wasn’t he the one who’d made her promise she’d have no
regrets? He better pull his shit together. He hadn’t even fucked
her yet.

She spread out on her back and raised her
arms over head. “Now what?” Her gaze had turned dark and smoldered
with heat he’d never seen there before. God, she was beautiful!

He raised her ankles to his shoulders and
smiled when she blushed. He’d been looking at her pussy ever since
she took off her nightgown, but she’d been facing the other
direction for most of it. “Your body is amazing.” Pushing two
fingers into her snug heat, he watched her face as he gently fucked
her. “Now take anything that’s left over, every scrap of anger and
every twinge of pain.” He moved faster, thrusting deeper. “Let them
build inside you. Feel it gather and tighten.”

Reaching around her hip, he used his thumb
on her clit, and she went wild. She canted her hips and rocked into
the steady glide of his fingers. Her inner muscles rippled and
clung, drawing him deeper and warming his skin.

“Look into my eyes. Let me see your
pleasure, let me share in your release.” She cried out softly as
the intensity built. Her back arched and her hips bucked, her feet
scrambling for purchase against his shoulders. “Let go, Laetif.
Turn loose of all those emotions and fly!” He gently squeezed her
clit and watched her last barrier fall.

She cried out, bowing clear off the bed as
her cunt tightened around his fingers. Her delicate features tensed
and her lips trembled. He kept the spasms going with his thumb,
circling her clit with slow, steady pressure. Pleasure clouded her
eyes, making them rich and smoky. He savored every nuance,
mesmerized by the beauty of her uninhibited response.