Her Alien Commander (5 page)

Which brought him to the next item he needed to address. He had unfinished business with his little breeding mate. He already knew enough about her to be left with no illusions that she would submit willingly to his dominance. This was unfortunate since her compliance would be essential. He required an obedient mate and was determined to have exactly that, so he already appreciated that discipline would be a key factor in their relationship. Caria needed to learn her place, and fully understand the consequences of defiance.

“Caria, wake up now.” He laid his hand on her thin shoulder and gave her a light shake.

Caria shifted on the sofa and rolled onto her side, away from him. She muttered something in her sleep, and he feared it might have been an unwary ‘fuck off.’

“Caria, wake up.” He shook her again, harder now.

Her eyelids fluttered and she briefly turned her head to look at him, then curled back into a ball. “Leave me alone.”

Not happening
. Phahlen administered a sharp slap to her rump, which brought the slender woman up onto her knees with an indignant shriek. He stood over her, arms folded, his expression unrepentant.

“You hit me,” Caria accused. “You had no right—”

“You are mine, remember. I have every right.”

“But you said…”

He lifted one eyebrow and waited for her to finish her point. She appeared to think better of it. Instead, Caria settled back into the hover-sofa and glared at him. Phahlen managed to keep his expression neutral, though inwardly he smiled. Her rebellious nature would get her into so much trouble, at least until she learnt to curtail it. He would enjoy teaching her.

“What I actually said, if you recall, was that I would treat you with respect and consideration, and that I would be fair. Is that what you were about to point out, Caria?”

“Yes. You did say that. You never said anything about hitting me.”

“I spanked you. There’s a big difference, and I’m glad you brought it up. I have no doubt at all that you’ll be spanked frequently whilst you learn to adapt to your new role here, so you need to understand my view on it.”

“And
you
need to understand my view, you thug. You can keep your hands off me, or I’ll—”

“Attempt to kick me in the balls? Again? You have an ungrateful streak, Caria, and I intend to cure you of it.”

“Ungrateful? You’re right, I
am
bloody ungrateful. Why the fuck would I be grateful to you? Those lizards were cruel little bastards, but they never threatened to rape me.”

“Neither have I. Nor shall I. Such an act would be both unacceptable, and unnecessary. I am confident that given time you will accept the situation you now find yourself in and I might even go so far as to hope you could find some pleasure in it. I certainly intend to do all in my power to ensure that it is so. As to the rest, I appreciate you acted in the heat of the moment back there on three seven nine, and of course you had no way of knowing I didn’t mean you harm. I can even accept that you probably didn’t comprehend the urgency of the situation or the extreme danger facing us both. For those reasons I would be content to accept your apology and your assurance that you will commit no further acts of violence, either against me or any other Vahlean. Then we can consider the matter closed.”

He could almost have laughed out loud at her stunned, incredulous expression. He doubted any such apology would be forthcoming.

“You can kiss my arse if you think I’d ever apologise to you.”

Just as he’d expected.

Phahlen shrugged. “Kissing your arse is not what I had in mind, Caria, though your bottom
is
where I intend to concentrate my efforts to rectify your unfortunate attitude.”

“
My
attitude? My attitude is not the problem here, you arrogant prick.” Her chin jutted at him, her beautiful azure eyes blazing as Caria warmed to her theme. She knelt up again, tossed her tangled locks over her shoulder and continued her tirade. “You think you can just announce that I’m to be some sort of baby-making machine, that it’s all been sorted out, agreed between your planet and mine? You think I’ll just smile sweetly and say
okay, thank you for saving me, shall I spread my legs for you now, sir? Is that what you had in mind?”

She’d stated the case somewhat starkly, but her assessment of the matter wasn’t far out all the same. “Yes, the actions I require of you are along those lines,” he agreed. “From your tone I take it you’re not yet ready to accept the reality of your situation.”

“Like I said, kiss my—”

He’d heard enough. Phahlen believed in action rather than words in any event and this discussion was at an end. He lifted Caria bodily from her perch on the sofa and slung her over his shoulder. He ambled across the room to the food station, but this time his instructions into the audio system had nothing whatsoever to do with nutrition.

“Rope, please. Carbon compound, one metre in length.” The required item materialised in the next moment and he took it from the delivery hatch. He ignored her furious squirming, screeching, and beating on his back with her fists as he returned to the sofa. He sat down and calmly upended her across his lap.

Caria fought like a tiger. She struggled, screamed, flailed her arms, and kicked her legs at him, but none of it made the slightest impression. He was four times her size, and she was getting a spanking. He caught her legs under one of his to hold her still, and grabbed first one wrist, then the other. He secured both behind her back and held them there with one hand while he wrapped the rope around them. When he had her bound tight he produced a small laser scalpel from his pocket.

“I always spank on the bare, Caria. Without fail. On future occasions you will remove your clothing for me in order to facilitate that, but this time…” He regarded the all-in-one suit with regret. She really had looked very fetching in it, but the garment was to be a casualty of this moment. He would replace it for her. Eventually.

He plucked the fabric at the waist away from her body and sliced it cleanly with his blade. Caria let out a shriek that he was certain would have brought half the galaxy running if they had heard it. Phahlen blessed the soundproofing qualities of the
Empyrean
’s construction as he cut the lower half of her suit from the upper portion, separating the two parts. He opted to just rip the fabric from her upturned bottom rather than risk setting her on her feet again to slice the front of the garment and risking her getting injured if she were to fight him. In any case, he had achieved his objective. Caria’s beautiful heart-shaped bottom was bared for her punishment. He tugged the material lower to reveal a good length of her thighs too. He intended to give her sit spots some serious attention.

“Let me go! Get off me, you bastard.” Caria’s screams were subsiding, and he supposed that was because she now appreciated his superior strength and knew she would not best him by force. Still, her determination to defy his wishes was seemingly undiminished. And her propensity for name-calling was starting to grate.

“The sooner you surrender to this, to the inevitable, the better. You’ll be getting a spanking, a good, hard one. It will continue until you stop this struggling, and you’re ready to apologise—and mean it.”

“I’m not—Aaagh!”

The first slap landed full in the middle of her delightful cheeks. Phahlen’s hand print bloomed immediately, the vivid red outline stark against the creamy skin of her bottom.

“Stop, that hurts. You bast—”

Phahlen ignored her continuing flow of screams and invective, landing spank after spank across his defiant little human’s curvy behind. For such a tiny little thing she could certainly belt out some decibels. He wondered whether he should have gagged her after all, though that might have defeated his objective since it was contrition and an apology he required from her. Maybe next time…

She was determined; he had to allow her that. Phahlen admired the little female’s fortitude as he rained the slaps over her skin, and watched the area turn pink under his ministrations. Pink darkened to crimson, and still she continued to curse and wriggle.

Her struggles were futile, of course. Phahlen had her secure and she was going nowhere until he’d finished and had his way. He was in no hurry, and knew which of them would tire of this first.

Her squeals and sobs did start to subside at last, and he paused to rest his hand on her scorching buttock. “Are you ready to talk to me now?”

“I hate you.”

He hoped that wasn’t true, but he understood why she would think it right now.

“Noted. And your apology?”

“Fuck you.”

“Also noted.” He resumed the spanking, this time shifting his attention to her thighs. Caria’s shrieks found an additional octave or two as he applied his relentless palm to her tender sit spots. He had a feeling this would not take much longer now.

The insults ceased, and the only sound Caria made now was her sobbing. She still rocked her hips from side to side as though to escape the inexorable barrage of spanks, but soon even those struggles subsided and she lay limp across his lap, absorbing the punishment he chose to mete out.

Phahlen slowed the slaps, then stopped altogether. He rubbed her scarlet buttocks, applying little pressure but still relishing the heat that rose from her punished skin. His caress elicited little mews of pain from her though he noted she no longer sought to avoid his touch.

“Caria, are you ready to apologise now?” He kept his tone soft. Physically she had had enough, and he knew it. He had no desire to harm her and preferred not to resume the spanking if that could be avoided. His instincts told him she would respond better to a gentler approach. He covered her bound hands in one of his and squeezed.

Long seconds passed and she lay still, silent over his lap but for the continuing sniffles. Phahlen was patient. He could wait. At last his perseverance was rewarded.

“I’m sorry.” Caria whispered the words, and he had no illusions about what it had cost her to utter them at all. He had spanked her contrition from her; she was saying what he wanted to hear because the alternative was more pain. But she had done it, and he was almost satisfied.

“What is it exactly that you are sorry for, Caria?”

“For kicking you in the nuts.”

“Right, thank you for that. Anything else?”

“For swearing at you?”

“Is that an apology, Caria, or a question?”

“It’s an apology. At least…”

“Hush, Caria. Quit while you are ahead. If you are good you can get up in a minute, but first, I want you to listen to me.” He rubbed her bottom again, by way of a reminder of her current predicament. “Are you ready to listen, Caria?”

“Yes,” she whimpered. If a residual note of defiance still lingered, Phahlen preferred not to acknowledge it right now. There would be plenty of opportunity to nurture a more appropriate attitude, and he knew they’d be repeating this exercise often in the coming months. She would learn, eventually.

“Good, I’m pleased. So, first, you will never—and I mean never, for any reason at all—attack me. Are we clear on that now?”

Caria nodded.

“In words, please. Say it, Caria.”

“Yes, I understand. No hitting you.”

“And you are not to attack any other Vahlean either. We won’t tolerate violence, or insubordination.”

“I didn’t… I mean, I was just—”

“You called me a bastard, an arrogant prick, and I seem to recall you invited me to kiss your arse on at least two occasions. That will stop. There will be no swearing, no name-calling, and when I instruct you to do something you will obey. Are we clear on these matters also?”

There was silence from Caria. It was a sullen, pouting sort of silence, and Phahlen wondered if perhaps he might after all need to impress upon her the consequences of defying him. “Caria, we could always continue if you still feel uncertain about just how you should speak to me…”

“No! No, please, I… I’ll be polite.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. Now, there is just one final matter I want to clarify. Would you spread your legs for me, please?”

She lurched on his lap, her entire body tensing. “No, please. Please don’t do that. I’m not… not…”

“Hush, I know. I will not hurt you, I promise.”

“I can’t. Don’t make me do that.”

“What did we just discuss, Caria? I require you to obey, so please do as I ask. Now.”

“Please…” She was crying again, sobbing in earnest. An uncomfortable thought occurred to Phahlen.

“Are you a virgin, Caria?”

She shook her head.

“Words, Caria. Answer me.”

“No, but, I haven’t… I mean, I never… I hardly know you, and—”

“Shy? Is that it?”

“I suppose so. I can’t help it, and I didn’t mean to be rude. I just, just…”

“Okay, I get it.” Phahlen could have kicked himself. He was well aware of the predisposition among human females toward modesty, a phenomenon virtually unknown among Vahleans.
He supposed the quaint little trait might have offered some evolutionary advantage to the females of this particular species aeons ago, but it was of no earthly use to Caria in her current situation. Two possible solutions presented themselves. The ship’s medic was due to arrive within the next few cycles to perform a medical assessment. He would confirm Caria’s physical suitability for the role Phahlen had planned for her, and he could easily implant a modesty inhibiting hormonal device
that would alleviate any such difficulties for Caria. That might be a kindness, but he was loath to resort to artificial methods when a natural solution existed. Human females were far more susceptible than their Vahlean counterparts to the liberating effects of a decent bolt of lust. Arousal and desire would eradicate the problem, he had no doubt of it, but first he needed to get her there.

Phahlen took a deep breath. “Caria, you are going to close your eyes if that makes it easier, and try to relax. I just promised not to hurt you and you will learn that I always keep my word. Now, open your legs for me, girl.”

She remained still, her natural reticence warring with her desire not to attract further punishment. Phahlen waited for her to make up her mind. He smiled as she shifted on his lap, slowly parting her thighs. He might have liked a little more from her in the way of eagerness but would settle for what she offered him this time. In any case, he had what he wanted from her—a beautiful view of her sweet pussy.