He was beautiful. She’d certainly noticed that in their time together up until then but she hadn’t really examined him as closely as she’d wanted to. Moving behind him, she pressed herself against his back, the heat of his skin burning into her. Her cheek rested on the muscle there as she breathed him in.

  Her heart leapt and she took a deep breath before reaching around to undo his belt, zipper and button. Moving to face him, she got back to her knees to help him out of his pants and underwear after he’d toed off his shoes and socks.

  When she looked up again his cock was at eye level and she had to swallow her amazement. My. She did love his cock. Fat and wide.

  His chuckle was dark and seductive and it made her giddy with excitement.

  “May I?” She looked up the line of his body.

  “Oh yes, please do.”

  She slid her palms up the hardness of his calves and over his knees. Her thumbs slid in the line of his leg where it met his body. First her hair slid over his cock and then her cheek.

  His scent was hot and spicy, elemental like him. Wrapping her hand around him she angled his cock to take the head into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the ridge of the crown. She hummed her satisfaction at the salty taste of pre-cum that’d beaded on the tip.

  The weight of his hands resting on her shoulder was just right. Reassuring and strong.

  Her mouth engulfed him as her palm cradled his balls. The surface of his cock changed the closer he got to climax. Ever harder, the skin tightening and vibrating with energy under her tongue.

  She loved to hear the intake of his breath when she flicked the tip of her tongue against the sweet spot just under the head.

  His hands moved from her shoulders and up into her hair. After she’d gotten a rhythm down, he began to guide her movements. Slow at first, gauging just how much she could take, and then pushing her limits more and more as time went by.

  Sera knew if she thought about him pushing her down onto his cock she’d gag or lose her rhythm. Instead, she let go of her worries and began to float, letting herself flow through the experience. She let him control her movement and the depth of his thrusts.

  “That’s the way. You’re making me feel so good. You’re so beautiful there, like a dream.” His voice was soft but laced with command and her body responded, nipples hardening, pussy softening.

  What did she look like to him? On her knees, cock in her mouth, serving him, pleasing him. She hadn’t wondered that, hadn’t wanted to, in so long. The feeling of rightness settled into her.

  Tears washed through her and he stopped, pulling back and kneeling before her. She answered the call to her link. “Se…Sera, are you all right? Honey, did I hurt you?” Silent with his voice, his hands still on her head, smoothed over her hair.

  She wiped her eyes, laughing. She sent back to him, “I’m sorry. I’m fine. Really.”

  Standing, he pointed imperiously at the bed, back in charge. “Up and on the bed right now.”

  Quickly, she obeyed and he followed. Laying next to her.

  “You’re crying. Are these breakthrough tears?” Hearing his voice in her head was so intimate, a brush against her soul.

  Sera was no stranger to tears during or just after sex. The kind of deeply emotional tears that happened after something Ash had done touched her or moved her in some way. Sometimes the emotion of feeling that deep connection when he topped her would make her cry.

  She nodded and thought back, “It just felt right. No pain. I’m not sad. Well, I learned some things tonight that have made me re-evaluate what I’ve believed for the last ten years. But I’m really okay. And you haven’t fucked me yet and I’m going to die if you don’t.”

  He looked surprised for a moment and then laughed. Leaning in, he kissed her shoulder before flipping her onto her stomach.

  She yelped when the first crack of his palm landed on her ass. One side, then the other.

  “On all fours. Head down, ass up. Now.” His voice sounded through the room, the command in it like a whip. She shivered as she obeyed.

  His fingertips traced up her thighs and over her ass, bringing gooseflesh in their wake. “You’re so beautiful.” This delivered just before another crack with his palm. But the man knew his spanking and his placement was percussive and aimed just so, carrying the vibrations from his hand up to her clit.

  The fire on her thighs and ass emanated outward. She squirmed back against him with small sounds of entreaty.

  Suddenly one of his hands moved up, wrapping her hair about his fist while the other sent fingertips sliding between slick labia, testing her readiness. She nearly laughed at the very idea. She’d been ready for days. She thrust herself back against his hand and earned a yank on her hair.

  “Tsk, tsk, sweet. This is my time.”

  Still, she didn’t complain when his fingers pulled out and she felt the fat, blunt head of his cock nudge against her gate. As he slowly pressed into her body her spine curved to take him in deeper. The wiry hairs on his thighs tickled the backs of her legs, still on fire from the spanking.

  A low moan came from her as he fully hilted within her body. The fingers of his hand at her hip dug into the flesh so hard she knew she’d be bruised the next morning. He dragged out of her cunt and pushed in again. Over and over. The way her body was positioned she could watch where they were joined, see his cock pull out, slick with her honey and then disappear inside again.

  Brandt looked down at the long curve of her back, the perfectly toned ass, still pink. He loved the way her superheated skin felt against his cooler flesh. Loved the sounds she made while he’d spanked her, loved her lascivious little squirms and squeals.

  He’d never had a serious relationship with a woman he’d topped before. It wasn’t so much that he’d been afraid to commit to anyone. But his life was complicated. He had a double life and that wasn’t something you could share with just anyone. And sure, he had a connection—physical and emotional—with Ash, but it wasn’t the same. He thought of Ash as a friend he blew off steam with sexually from time to time. Sera was, or had the potential to be, much more.

  The sight of her sucking his cock on her knees nearly did him in and then the tears. He knew that sometimes after a particularly emotional scene a sub might cry but after the upheaval of the evening with the Representatives he’d worried he’d pushed her too far.

  Her confession that things had felt so right when he’d been thinking the very same thing had done something to him, changed him deeply. Now as her pussy clutched his cock, not wanting to let him go each time he pulled out of her body, the feel of the silky hair wrapped around his fist—she moved him.

  His orgasm was close but he wasn’t going alone. “Make yourself come around my cock.”

  He felt the movement of her arm and then the brush of her fingertips to gather her honey. The pull of her pussy as she began to stroke over her clit, tug, tug, tugged against his cock. Deep within her cunt, her muscles began to flutter and clench as her climax got closer. Soft sounds came from her, drawing him in deeper.

  Her movements back against him grew more frantic and needy and he knew her time approached. He deepened his thrusts and quickened his pace. The sounds of her moans wrapped around the wet sounds of fucking and his own grunts.

  “Oh!” she cried out softly and her cunt spasmed around his cock like a greedy fist as orgasm slammed into her body.

  Not too many thrusts into her later his own climax followed, his head tipped back, a long guttural groan coming from low in his gut.

  He let it wash over him for long moments, his cock still spasming within her and her pussy still fluttering. Finally with a long sigh he fell to the bed, still inside her.

  A few minutes later Sera placed a soft hand on his chest as she got out of bed. He grabbed her wrist but she leaned down and kissed his fingers. “I’ll be right back.”

  Sera went into the bathroom and ran water, getting a wash cloth to cleanse him. She liked taking care of him. And it kept her from thinking too deeply on how good it had felt, his heart pounding against her back as he held her just moments before.

  She gathered herself and tried to put Sela back in place before going back into the bedroom. It was shaky at best as she caught the look on his face when she’d bent over to use the warm cloth on him.

  “Come, let’s go to bed. We slide through the Portal tomorrow on Nondal and then things will get busy.” Brandt’s voice was sleepy and lazy as he pulled her back into the covers and she settled in beside him. His arms around her, she felt safe.

  The brush of his thoughts brought her awake and she opened the link to the chip.

  “You were beautiful tonight. More than I could have ever imagined. Thank you.”

  Unable to respond, even mentally, she shook her head and snuggled against him, letting hope grow.

  CHAPTER TEN

  When Sera awoke, her muscles were pleasantly sore in the right places. All the physical exertion in the world could keep her body in shape but nothing took the place of a hard sexual workout. Stretching those deliciously tender muscles, she opened her eyes to find Brandt watching her, a smile on his lips.

  “Good morning, darling,” she purred, moving to rub her body against his, sleep-warm and very hard.

  Slowly, lazily, his palm stroked up the curve of her thigh and came to rest on her waist. “Good morning to you, sweet. I’ve become quite spoiled waking up next to such a beautiful woman every day.” Part of their cover was that she’d just begun to see him a few weeks before so things were new between them.

  “Mmmm.” She sighed softly as she reached down and found his cock beginning to show signs of life. “I think I see the truth of that statement. I rather like spoiling you.”

  Forty-five minutes later, Sera rolled off Brandt’s body and lay on the mattress, breathing hard.

  “Well, that was a lovely wake up call, I must say.”

  He laughed, planting a kiss on her forehead before getting out of bed. She levered to rest on her arm and watch him walk naked to the comm unit on the other side of the room.

  “We’re due to arrive at the Portal a bit after breakfast. Let’s get ready, shall we?”

  Ash was already waiting in the dining room, reading through some files when they walked in. Seeing her, he whistled low and raised an eyebrow.

  They’d decided a barely there gown of gold would be a great entrée into Nondal. There was no back at all, the waist low slung and the skirt was a series of light panels that moved around her like the tide as she walked. The color highlighted the honeyed tone of her skin and hair. She was every inch the kind of woman who could hold the attention of a rich and powerful man like Brandt Pela.

  “My! Well, Sela, the Nondalese aren’t going to know what hit them when you walk down the gangplank at the Portal. You look beautiful.”

  She inclined her head a bit, hoping she wasn’t blushing. “Thank you, Ash.”

  Brandt stepped in neatly. “Have the Representatives made any noise this morning?” Brandt sat, thanking Sera for the cup of kava she’d poured for him.

  A sour look marred Ash’s face. “I awoke to a message from my father and another from my uncle demanding I remove the travel restrictions at once.”

  Sera bet that only served to make him more intractable. “And did you?”

  Ash winked. “Hells no. We’ll see them when we all disembark. Before it’s time to dock, they’re confined to quarters.”

  She felt the ping and opened her link. They conversed about what the plan would be when they arrived on Nondal. Although Nondal, like every other Federation Universe, held to standard time, their daylight hours were longer because the universe was further from the core and closer to their system’s sun. Plenty of time for mixing with the other concubines. Stander would undoubtedly bring at least one with him and if anyone knew any dirt, she would.

  Nondal was on the border between Federation and Imperialist territory. It wasn’t a capital Universe but fell under the jurisdiction of the Licht Family who held this part of the Known Universes. As a frontier ‘Verse, it was much heavier inclined toward trade and more apolitical than those ’Verses closer to the central core of the Federation.

  Sera agreed with those who said the reason was because Nondal was structured far more closely like an Imperial Aligned Universe. There was no democracy at all. Strict class structure with all the power at the top and none at the bottom, little freedom of the press and a lack of basic information for most of the population.

  Nondal was ideal for anyone hatching up ways to trade information or sell it to the highest bidder. It was one of the last stops before the Edge and then Imperial territory. It also served as a departure point to catch a Portal to Ceres, a resort-themed Universe ringing the next Familial quadrant. Nondal was a tourism destination in and of itself for wealthy Federation citizens who came to catch the space light phenomenon—beautiful colored explosions of gaseous compounds that turned the evening sky brilliant shades of every color imaginable.

  Anyone could be there for any reason. And because of that, it was the perfect cover.

  They also had an invitation to a dinner party at the home of a prominent Nondalese businessman the following evening. A ranking Family member. They’d loosely decided that while Sera attempted to flatter her way into the confidence of various powerful men present, Brandt would poke around a bit to see if anyone made him any offers. Meanwhile, Ash would try to hack his way into the Familial computer servers. There was a hub in the home they’d be visiting. Fortunately, they were all three quite handy at a great many things so the plans could be loose enough to change if need be.

  After breakfast, they slid through the Portal and docked. Their baggage was sent ahead to the shuttle that would take them to the City and they moved to disembark.

  The Representatives stayed well away from Ash as they boarded the shuttle. They’d make their visit to the Nondalese governor and leave for Ceres later that day. Sera couldn’t wait for them to be gone. They both stank of trouble.

  The trip to the City was relatively quick but as they walked onto the concourse and were greeted by several Nondalese, the Representatives moved ahead of the three of them and turned. Everyone stopped, waiting for a goodbye.

  “I understand your agitation when we questioned your plans for marriage now, Ash.” The troublemaker from the night before had the audacity to leer at Sera, who with iron will, cast her eyes down according to her social place as a concubine.

  “Is that so?” Ash’s eyes narrowed as he moved closer to Sera.

  “I see she bears your mark. You but only had to say you were involved in a triad. But you certainly know you can keep a concubine after marriage.”

  Sera’s stomach sank. How could she have been so stupid! The tattoo must be showing because the dress was so low in the back. She was an utter fuckup!

  Ash put his arm around Sera’s shoulders. “My relationship status is none of your business, Representative. Yes, I’m in a triad with Sela and Brandt. This was information we wished to share on our own terms.”

  Great. Now she’d have to be Ash’s concubine too. Just when she had absolutely no reserves against him. She kept her eyes lowered.

  The Nondalese governor chuckled and reached out to clap Brandt’s shoulder. “She’s a lovely one. Sometimes a little sharing is in order. Nothing to hide. We’re on the frontier but we’re modern enough the closer you get to the sky you know.”

  The closer you get to the sky was a way of denoting class rank on Nondal. The upper classes lived in the top-most levels of the domed cities with more sunlight and where the air circulators were. They literally got first dibs on fresh air and light.

  Ash turned his body away from the Representatives and Sera heard a few people gasp softly at the slight. His arm remained around her shoulders and Brandt’s around her waist.

  “Shall we go then? I take it we’ll be in the guesthouses on the top deck? Sela has never seen the space lights. I told her about the rooms with glass ceilings so that one might lay in bed and watch the sky that way.” Brandt took the change in plans smoothly. The man was a professional after all. Sera was grateful they were both so fast on their feet. She wouldn’t have been so quick to gloss over her mistake. She’d make her apologies via the link when they got to their quarters. She couldn’t bear to deal with it just then.

  “Yes, of course.” One of the Nondalese spoke to two men waiting off to the side, ordering them to take the bags to their accommodations. “Right this way, Mr. Walker, Mr. Pela.” Like she wasn’t even there. She’d have been offended if their stupidity hadn’t suited her needs.

  Sera was finally able to look around and hopefully hid her revulsion. The lower concourses were dark and the air close and stale. They loaded into an open elevator to take them to the upper levels of the city. Their liaison entered a code into the panel and they began the ride up toward their rooms. The higher they went, the nicer the walkways were, wider, cleaner, the storefronts cheerier and better stocked.

  “Here we are.” They got out at the very top level.

  Sera looked out over the city, Nondal Major. It was an architectural marvel really, the way it was spread out. The dome was created with a semi-porous substance much like glass that let in light and also served as a filter. The radiation levels were deadly to citizens who lived without protection of the domes.

  Despite the danger, Sera knew there were some who’d left the cities behind and lived out in the open. They’d taken the risk to be rid of the stench of the lower levels and the lack of freedom. The luckiest ones had special filters in their homes that didn’t cut the risks completely but lowered them.

  Knowing what she did about Nondalese culture, Sera didn’t blame those who’d choose shorter lifespan in the open air over the stifling conditions in the lower levels.

  By contrast to those lower levels, their accommodations were quite luxurious. Nicer than any hotel she’d ever stayed in before. And true to Ash’s word, the ceilings in the bedroom were glass.