His by Right (9 page)

            Her mind was whirling from what Gleeth told her. Worse, her heart was bleeding from the realization that she truly was a
product.
A thing to be owned and sold at their whim, with absolutely no regard for her feelings or desires.

            Letting out a scream of anger, Meredith took off at a run for her room where she collapsed on her pallet and sobbed until exhaustion eventually pulled her into an restless sleep.

Chapter Fourteen

Intent

            Bajud banged on the panel beside the door. Neeveer wasn't answering. Neither was he allowing anyone inside his private chambers. But that wasn't stopping the assistant from trying to reach the man.

            "Open up. I am not leaving until I find out what is happening with you. We are worried. We all are worried."

            The door turned into mist. Not waiting for the man to change his mind, Bajud hurried inside. The man was standing beside his bed. A case was lying open in front of him. Something glimmered within the metal container, but Bajud focused on the commander.

            "I allowed you to enter for one reason," Neeveer spoke before the younger man could comment. "I also know why you are here."

            "Then you know what I am going to ask." Bajud stood on the other side of the bed to face the man.

            The faintest smile crossed the commander's face. "And you know what I am going to reply."

            "You are going back to that ship. Yet again!"

            "I must."

            "Why?"

            "Do not try to talk me out of it," Neeveer warned. His tone of voice was harsh. It was a direct order. Bajud shook his head.

            "I cannot talk you out of going, but I deserve an explanation. This behavior is not you. I have never known you to throw yourself into this kind of situation. These repeated visits to a whoreship is totally—"

            "Listen to me, Bajud. I do not expect you to understand, but I expect you to accept my decisions."

            The assistant clasped his hand in front of himself. The posture of obedience. Neeveer sighed loudly, then slowly closed the container.

            "I have found her."

            Bajud remained silent.

            "I have found my
seela.
"

            Bajud felt shock stream through his body. "On the whoreship?"

            Again, that barely perceptible smile appeared like a faint shadow across the commander's face. So faint and brief, the assistant could almost believe he imagined it.

            "I was also in disbelief."

            "Is she Alcatian?"

            "No, but she is humanoid. She is compatible." Neeveer hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Maybe that is why I experienced the ultimate joy with her."

            "Because she is not Alcatian?"

            "Why are you so skeptic? There have been others who have found their
seela
with other species."

            "The others are not you," Bajud argued. "They are not commanders of an interplanetary peace-keeping vessel." He dropped his hands, his stance softening. "I never thought you would find her, although it explains why you have gone against orders."

            "You will not take this from my quarters." The harsh tone had returned. It was another direct command.

            Bajud dropped his eyes, until they rested on the container. "What do you plan to do?"

            "I am going to claim her."

            "Claim her? How?"

            "I have marked her. She is mine by right."

            "She is another species. What if she does not accept the
seela
? What if she refuses you?"

            "If it is meant to be, she will come to me."

            "She is on a whoreship."

            "I have put my plans into action."

            "You are putting your command in jeopardy."

            "My command only. Not this ship. Not the crew. Not our jurisdiction." Reaching out, Neeveer grasped the metal container and hoisted it under his arm. It was then Bajud realized the man was wearing his full attack uniform. He gave the commander a worried look. Neeveer turned for the door.

            "Neeveer."

            "Await for your orders in the control room," the man instructed, and walked out of the bed chamber.

Chapter Fifteen

Gift

            "Krarrrasta, why won't they let us roam around the ship? I mean, after all, they always seem to know where we are every moment, anyway. Plus, there's always this if they think we're getting into places we shouldn't." Meredith held up her arm bearing the neon pink cuff.

            The alien adjusted itself on the pillows. "You have asked that question repeatedly, and we always give you the same answer. You are beginning to irritate us."

            To Meredith's surprise, the creature got up and left the lounge, followed by two more, until there was only herself and two others left in the room.

            "Hey, I'm sorry," she apologized to the remaining products.

            F'Orlo bobbed her body. "You are at that stage. We understand. Do not worry about Krarrrasta. Some of us have less tolerance than others."

            "Stage? What stage?"

            "You are melancholy."

            "So what? Don't you miss your world? Your friends and family? Your old life?"

            "I do on occasion. It was bad in the beginning, and gradually became tolerable. But now, as my time here draws to an end, I find myself growing more and more anxious to get back to the way I was before I was abducted." F'Orlo waved a limb. "I guess I am like you, only melancholy in reverse."

            Meredith snorted. "I haven't heard that term in ages. Yeah, I guess melancholy pretty much sums it up. I miss my home. I miss being able to do things like go to the movies or read a book." She gave a humorless chuckle. She'd listened so often to the short selection of music her ear button provided, she knew all the lyrics to the songs by heart. When she tried to request new music, she discovered those were the only pieces the ship could provide. She figured it was because they was too far out of range of the planet to pick up any additional tunes. It was the same for her selection in food. As much as she hated to admit it, she was getting pretty sick of prime rib.

            "I even miss stuff like doing laundry and paying bills. I wonder if anyone ever found my car. Have they stopped looking for me? What's happened to my apartment, and all my stuff?"

            "You miss him."

            "Miss who?" As soon as she asked the question, Meredith knew who the alien was referring to. "Okay. You got me there. But it's really not him I miss. I miss the orgasms."

            F'Orlo made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a fart. "No. You miss Terr Boh Deek."

            "It's been
days
, F'Orlo."

            "We may be out of his system. Or too far away for him to reach us by regular starship."

            "Will we ever come by this way again? Do you know if this thing follows a specific route?"

            "I cannot tell you if we follow specific route, but I can tell you I have had clients return to me after extended periods. So I suppose the answer to your question is yes. We should return to that quadrant again sometime in the future. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you when that will be."

            "Merry."

            She glanced over her shoulder to see Gleeth standing in the doorway. "Let me guess. I have a client."

            "Yes."

            Meredith groaned slightly as she stood, making it obvious she wasn't quite in the mood for a sexual go-round. As she watched, Gleeth did its millipede thing that resembled crossing its arms and impatiently tapping its foot, only with tentacles.

            "You are deliberately being slow," the creature accused.

            "I'm tired."

            Gleeth cocked its head to the side. "Too tired to service your client?"

            Meredith momentarily wondered what would happen if she said yes. Would they give the client to another product to be serviced?
No, that won't happen. I'm the only humanoid on the ship. But I bet everyone would be pissed to have to give them their money back. Do whoreships even give refunds? What about a rain check? If they offer bonuses, it's possible they may give out IOUs. Maybe they offer a separate service for those left in the lurch, like two blowjobs and a lap dance in exchange.

           
"Merry!"

            Gleeth's harsher tone broke through her reverie as she started to follow the alien out the door. One thing, however, was certain. The other day when Jeed Adru said it was too tired and would not service the clientele, the little alien was literally locked in its room and starved until it relented. What was it Gleeth had initially told her when she realized what she was expected to do?

           
"What if I refuse to do what you say?"

            "Then you will get very hungry."

            "They weren't kidding."

            "What kidding?" Gleeth repeated, and Meredith realized she'd spoken aloud.

            "Nothing."

            Again, Gleeth made a little sound that signaled to her the alien was quickly reaching the end of her rope.

            "Of all our clientele, I never thought I would see the time when you would not be excited at the arrival of Terr Boh Deek."

            At the sound of his name, a flush of heat rose through her. Without responding, Meredith brushed past her and sprinted to the pleasuring rooms, her heart pounding with the news.

            He was here.

            What had F'Orlo said? That the reason he hadn't come back again was because they might be outside his area of space? If that was true, his return spoke volumes. More than that, it sang songs in her heart.

            He was here. He had traveled countless miles, crossed an ocean of space, to come back to her.

           
But what if all that isn't true? What if he hadn't been back was because he was just too busy? Maybe the job was taking up too much of his time. Or he had to take the misses and the kids to the park.

           
"Shut up," she growled at the little demon sitting on her shoulder.     

           
Or maybe he found some prime pussy elsewhere.

           
"Just shut the fuck up."

           
No matter what the reason or excuse, the end result was he was back. Her excitement and her run left her breathing heavily, and she paused a moment to calm herself before climbing on top of the padded table. Once she was settled, she tapped the cuffs at her feet to shut them, and waited for the wall panel to open.

            There was no movement.

            She wriggled her hips, shaking the table slightly. "C'mon! What's the holdup?"

           
Hey, I'm sorry, sir, but it appears my fucking couch is on the blink!

           
She was about to call out to whoever was watching or listening, and let them know there appeared to be a malfunction in the equipment, when the panel started to rise.

            And stopped.

            "Merry."

            The voice came either from within the room, or from inside her head. She couldn't tell which, but she answered. "Yes?"

            "We are also releasing your hands. Place them at your side."

            "What? But—"

            "The client requests you be unrestrained."

           
They can do that?

           
Obediently, she lowered her arms and laid them straight by her side as she suddenly felt her ankles being released.

            Finally, the table resumed sliding into the next room. This time, when the wall lowered itself, it stopped millimeters short of closing over her throat, leaving only her head in the other room. Visions of an ancient guillotine briefly crossed her mind, but she quickly banished them. She waited for the puff of air that came when the client entered the other room as her fingers nervously twisted lengths of fabric on her shift.

            She was going to be able to touch him. Actually touch back.
Oh, God, what am I going to feel? How much more alien is he?

           
A breath of coolness wiped the soles of her bare feet. She knew she was nervous. Nervous excited. Nervous wary. Nervous afraid.

            A large hand picked up her right wrist and laid it on something smooth. Something warm and solid. She involuntarily flexed her fingers, and the smoothness reacted with a little shake. Meredith gasped and jerked back her hand, but the Alcatian placed it back where it had been. He moved closer, and she tentatively began to explore.

            She felt muscles. Muscles that moved, muscles that trembled as her nails lightly skimmed over them. There were other muscles that were like rock. The skin was hairless and scaleless, but at times she touched wetness. Turbo Dick was sweating?

            He moved closer to the table until he was bent over her. She found his shoulders, like enormous logs, and slid down one arm. Now that she had an idea where she was, she brushed across the immense chest, searching for a nipple, but was unable to locate it.

            A hand took her left one and held it lightly. Meredith paused in tracing his pecs to open her fingers and check it out. Three, four fingers...and a thumb. A large hand. She laced her fingers between his, closing the two together. Her hand felt small and vulnerable in his immense grasp.

            He moved away. She felt the table jiggle slightly, and the legs swung apart, leaving her ass hanging dangerously off the edge. To keep herself from sliding off, she raised her knees and braced herself with her feet against the splayed sections.