“When I do this,” Seth whispered. “I’m thinking about what it would be like to thrust into you. I’m thinking about how hot and tight you are, about shooting into you and exploding over and over until neither of us can move. That’s what I want to do to you right now.”
“I’m thinking about it, too,” Calla said, mesmerized. She couldn’t quite remember why they weren’t already doing that... What was she trying to prove anyway?
Seth seemed to read her thoughts, because his eyes lit with triumph.
“Tell me to come to you, Devora,” he said. His soft, smooth request wove through her consciousness, and he watched with anticipation as she twisted in desire. “Tell me you want me inside of you. Tell me there aren’t any others who can fill you like I do.”
“Oh, Seth,” she moaned. “Oh, Goddess, I’m so close.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Seth muttered. He fell on her like a man starved, his mouth crushing against hers. One strong arm was braced above her head, and the other worked its way underneath her body. Then he was pulling her to him and thrusting into her flesh.
The shock of contact swept through her, and she came in a burst of pleasure so intense she screamed against his mouth.
As Devora convulsed around his taut flesh, Seth surged forward in search of his own pleasure. The feel of her tight body gloving his was like hot silk, and every stroke brought him closer to the ecstasy he knew was waiting for him. Then he pressed home one last time and orgasm ripped through him. He cried out, then collapsed against her.
She held him tightly, wrapping his body with her arms and legs.
After a minute, she asked him quietly, “So, who won the contest?”
Seth laughed, amazed at the feeling of contentment and joy that filled him.
“I think we both won,” he said finally, kissing her soft, swollen lips gently. “Or at the very least, we both got the prize.”
Later that day, as she was preparing their evening meal, Calla reflected on how much her life had changed since she’d joined Seth. Four months had passed since they’d left the mining station. They were the best months of Calla’s life, so pleasant that she felt guilty at times. Jess’ survival was hanging in the balance and what was she doing?
Falling in love. And it was love–she had resigned herself to it by now.
Travelling with Seth from outpost to outpost might have seemed tedious to a more experienced woman, but to Calla each day was a new adventure. They’d visited twelve groups of miners so far, their homes ranging from one-man operations to a corporate mine employing more than 100 managers and a thousand slaves.
The corporate outpost had been the hardest stop for Calla, both logistically and emotionally. Each time they arrived at a station, she anxiously scanned the faces of those around her, seeking Jess. Several times she’d shown his picture to groups of slaves, always careful to keep her activities a secret from Seth. So far he suspected nothing, but she couldn’t afford to take anything for granted.
The corporate mine had been too large for her to question the slaves; even if she’d had the time to talk to all of them, the security was too tight. She’d taken another route instead, cozying up to the personnel manager while Seth was taking a tour. She’d created a cover story, telling the manager that the slave, Jess, had been sold by accident.
According to her story, Mistress Jenner had regretted selling him within days of his departure. Devora, as Mistress Jenner’s friend, had agreed to keep an eye out for the young man during her tour of the asteroid field. She would, of course, offer generous compensation for Jess’ return.
The manager had looked through his books, scanning the transactions to see if he had any workers who fit Jess’ description. He even had a series of holos of each “unit,”
as he called the slaves. Calla scanned the most recent purchases carefully, but none looked like Jess.
“I didn’t think we’d have the unit you’re looking for,” he told her after she’d examined the last of the holos. “We buy most of our units in lots, so unless it’d been resold to a wholesaler, odds are we wouldn’t see it. I think you’ll have better luck checking with smaller operations.”
His callous attitude toward the men who lived and died under his care horrified Calla, but she was careful to keep a casual smile on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was arouse suspicion by betraying her emotions. You’re a free woman now, she reminded herself. The fate of slaves is unimportant to you.
But the faces of the captive men, filled with fear and trepidation, haunted her. Most of them would be dead within a year, none would ever leave the asteroid belt. Death, Calla thought sadly, would be merciful for these men.
And now Jess was one of them.
Seth gently guided the sleek ship toward the remote asteroid, eyes scanning its surface for a place to land. He’d heard from some miners at his last stop that there was an encampment here, although no mining claim had ever been registered. They’d warned him not to go there because the miners were crazy. According to Seth’s sources, they’d spent too much time in the middle of nowhere; they were paranoid. Once they’d even fired on one of the harmless peddlers who worked the asteroid fields, carrying supplies and trading among the camps and stations.
To Seth’s mind, it sounded like they might be exactly who he was searching for.
Intelligence reports indicated that a group of extremists was hoarding weapons in preparation for some kind of holy war against the Saurellians. The whole thing sounded ridiculous to him, but his source insisted that the threat was real. The whole purpose of his mission was to find these people, and return to his superiors with a report on how to control the threat they represented to the Saurellian occupation.
As he approached the asteroid, however, he felt a twinge of unease. He didn’t like the idea of bringing Devora to a potentially dangerous place. Having a willing woman with him seemed like a good idea when they’d left Discovery station, but now he was less sure of his decision. He had long since realized she was the best thing that had ever happened to him; he was happier with her than he’d been since he was a child. He didn’t understand why, but even the thought of her in danger was enough bring cold sweat to his skin.
He didn’t have any other option, though. He’d seen the way men’s eyes followed her at their stops so far. Women were hard to come by in the mining fields; he had little doubt that if he dropped her off at even the most civilized of posts she wouldn’t be safe.
He’d allowed her to move about freely at their previous destinations, but this time he was going to have to keep her on a short leash. Otherwise he could lose her, and that simply wasn’t an option.
“Are we almost there?” Devora called up to him from the base of the ladder. “Do you mind if I come up? I’d like to watch as we approach.”
“That’s fine,” he said lightly. “Make sure you stow everything first. I don’t know what the gravity will be like on this thing, so we could get bumped around a bit until the ship compensates for it.”
She still always asked permission to come up into the cockpit, although he’d long since stopped worrying about her moving or damaging anything. She was a puzzle, Seth mused. Half the time she was a self-confident seductress; the rest of the time she was almost pathetically eager to please. She took care not to intrude on his space and was constantly doing little things to make him more comfortable. Most of the pleasure workers he’d known in his life were prima donnas. They might do almost anything to bring physical pleasure to their clients, but they wouldn’t dream of cleaning. At times he had to force Devora to stop working. It was strange… it wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy being cared for, but she did more than her fair share. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t part of their contract.