Steampunk Desires: An Erotic Romance (The Complete Collection) (2 page)

They made their way counterclockwise around the outside of the large area. "This is the common area," Edwin explained. "When you're not working, you can relax here, enjoy the company of your mates, read a book," he gestured to a stack of books neatly stacked in a wooden rack to their right. Several similar racks dotted the walls.

"Food and drink are free; we believe that in light of the importance of the work we do here and the physical intensity it takes to do that work, food should be widely abundant," Edwin continued, gesturing to a large buffet set up along the wall furthest from the stairs on the far end of the common area. "Feel free to eat or drink as much as you want, but don't let it interfere with your job."

They came to a hallway at one of the sides of the common area and proceeded down it. To the right, portholes at head height allowed them to look out and see the dock; to the left, many white doors.

"These are the cabins," Edwin continued. "Yours will be further down the hall; we'll get to it momentarily. The women's quarters are to starboard; the men's are to port on the other side of the ship. In between, you'll find the propulsion rooms. We'll visit there next." They continued down the hallway for what seemed like a long time; they must have passed a hundred cabins before they came to a wide hallway on the left that extended clear to the other side of the ship. It was lit with bare incandescent bulbs, strung along the ceiling. They turned and followed the hallway. Halfway down, they came to an alcove with a door to the left, that is, aft, and one to the right. Edwin opened the door on the left, and they entered.

Inside were rows and rows of simple cots. Next to each cot were several sockets in the floor and a nightstand with a bound book, a fountain pen, and a clock. Some of the beds were empty and well made, but most had a man and a woman in various stages of foreplay or copulation. Moans came from everywhere, and the place reeked everywhere of sex. Each couple had a cable sticking into one of the plugs that extended from their brass socks. If a man was alone, he wore a brass sock on his phallus; otherwise, the sock was inserted into a woman's vagina, and the only indication that it was there to the onlookers was the cord that made its way to the plug in the floor.

Edwin led Eleanor down one of the rows for a better look. "You see the plugs on the floor? See the gauges next to them? Have a look." Eleanor looked at the gauge, which read about ten percent. "They're just playing around at this point, just got started," Edwin said. He glanced around, then took Eleanor by the arm and hurried her over to a couple that was in the throes of orgasm. The gauge was off the scale; the needle pressed hard against the right side of its glass enclosure.

"See the difference?" Edwin asked. Eleanor nodded.

"When you come in, sign your name on the register next to the bed in one of the columns. There are two: one for you, and one for your partner. In some cases, there might be more than two of you, and so you'll just draw a vertical line like this to group with the next row down," he said, demonstrating. "Record the time, too. It's very important that you do this; it's how we keep track of everybody's contribution." His tone lowered into a warning. "Make no mistake. I'm a fun-loving guy and an easy boss, but I do demand that everybody earns his or her keep. If you're slacking off consistently, I'll know," he said, raising his eyebrows for emphasis, "and I don't take kindly to stowaways." Eleanor nodded, understanding. "Each person is expected to orgasm at least twice a day," he said. "If you get off more, great; you only have to get off fourteen times a week. If you get done early, you can take the day off. Most of the crew, though," he said with a chuckle, "does much more than that. I'm sure you can guess why." Eleanor grinned.

The two made their way out of the propulsion room and crossed the hall to the other door. Inside, it looked the same, but there were no men; there were only women in here, and sometimes three or four would be together sharing in orgasmic bliss.

"This room is for the lesbians," Edwin explained. "It and the gay room are new additions. It used to be that we could only harvest energy from male-female combinations, but Harriet has outdone herself and figured out a way to store the energy from men and women individually. It turns out that there are several benefits to having them separate, she tells me, but if you asked me to explain it, I'd look like a rat in the stewpot." Eleanor looked at him quizzically. "I'd have no idea what to do," Edwin explained wryly.

They left the room and made their way back starboard, then continued their forward journey. At length they paused before one of the doors. "Cabin 513," Edwin announced. "Ah, yes, this is your room." He opened the door for her and let her step inside. It was sparsely furnished but sufficient: a bed and a nightstand were all of the furnishings, and a washbasin stood opposite them. An electric lamp sat on the nightstand, and it illuminated the tiny room with ease.

"Not much to it, but we live simple lives," Edwin said. "Sleep, screw, eat," he said, looking apologetic for the coarse remark. Eleanor took it in stride. "We're going for a communal atmosphere here," he continued, "so that everybody feels comfortable with everybody else. We know there will be quarrels occasionally, but we shoot for harmonious company. Jealousy has no place here," he warned. "Everybody here is free to play with anybody else. No means no, and don't be uppity; you wouldn't want to be stuck by yourself the whole voyage! It's pretty simple," he said, "and if you have any problems, you can always come to me. My stateroom is in the last hallway opposite the gay room, but I'm usually in one of the common areas. There is another common area at the forward end of the ship, very similar to the one we toured earlier. Any questions so far?"

Eleanor thought about it, but he'd really explained things well. One thing did come to mind, though. "If we want to tour the ship, may we?" she asked.

"Only with permission from those higher-up than me," Edwin replied gravely. "The propulsion crew tend to be a smelly lot on account of all the sex," he explained, "and we don't want to offend the paying customers. That reminds me," he said, remembering, "Cleanliness is next to godliness. After you fornicate, always clean yourself. You can get water from the common area using one of the jugs. I'd recommend you use the forward common area for it. The basin is heated, one of Harriet's lesser-known miracles, and as soon as you put water in it, it will warm it up for you. Always drain it when you're finished." Eleanor nodded. "If there's nothing else, let's go view the demonstration."

Eleanor left her small handbag on her bed, she clearly wouldn't need it, and the two proceeded back to the bipolar propulsion room. Albert and Agatha were already there, waiting.

"Ah, good," Edwin said as they approached. "All signed in?"

"We figured we'd wait and walk Eleanor through it step-by-step," Agatha said. Eleanor smiled appreciatively.

"So, I sign here," Agatha said, signing her name in one of the columns, "and he signs there." She handed the pen to Albert, who signed his name. "Albie gets to do time duty," Agatha needled him, grinning wickedly, and he rolled his eyes as he recorded the time.

"Now, we put the sock in." Agatha handed a brass sock to Eleanor, who looked at it closer now that it was in her hand. It was cool and heavy, perfectly smooth, made of polished brass. The back end was hollow to let Albert's dick in. It really did look like a big, rigid sock, Eleanor thought. The cord, looking like a thin piece of rope with a plug on the end, dangled from the side near the back of it. It must be terribly uncomfortable, she thought.

"Feels great," Agatha said emphatically, reading her mind. "Wait'll you try it. It's marvelous!" She inserted hers with ease, standing on slightly spread legs, pushing it in with slow, steady force, gasping a little as she did. "I'll never get over that feeling," she grinned as the sock disappeared inside of her, only the cord showing. It stayed in without her holding it. Given its weight, Eleanor was surprised.

"Yeah, it surprised the hell out of me, too," Agatha said. "I kinda freaked at first; I couldn't figure out how to get it out!" Eleanor's eyes went wide. "Turns out you just gotta get off, and it turns loose."

"What if you don't get off?" Eleanor asked nervously.

"Leave that to me," Albert chimed in for the first time, grinning. "You'll get off; don't worry."

"Yeah, this guy could get a rock off," Agatha said bluntly.

"But what if you don't?" Eleanor persisted.

"Eh, if you push on it, it'll come out. See?" Agatha flexed her abdomen, and the sock fell out. She caught it, and then put it back in. Eleanor nodded, relieved.

"You should try it," Agatha prodded. "Go ahead, just slip it in."

"Eh, let's let Albert get her ready first," Edwin said. "She's still a virgin, after all, and it could hurt."

"Oh, right, one of those," Agatha said, shrugging. "Hey, Albert, you gonna fuck me, or what?"

"If you'll quit talking!" Albert jabbed with a wink to Eleanor, who smiled at the good-natured humor.

Agatha made a lip-zipping motion, threw away the key, and positioned herself on the bed.

"Oh, yeah," she said, sitting up. Albert crossed his arms and rolled his eyes in mock frustration. "Always plug yourself in, or you don't get credit." She reached down and plugged the cord into one of the sockets on the floor, then laid back. "All yours, Albie baby," she cooed teasingly. Albert groaned.

Eleanor and Edwin took a seat on a neighboring cot and watched. Albert bent over the bed and nibbled the folds of skin on her vagina. "Oh, you tease!" Agatha spat, feigning a smack at him, and Albert recoiled, grinning impiously. He crawled up in the bed next to her and grazed his fingers down her body, softly stroking her neck, her left nipple, her side, her belly, the ridge between her abdomen and thigh. She gasped, her eyes half-closed. Albert, meanwhile, had started to get hard.

"What about his arousal?" Eleanor whispered to Edwin. "He's not wearing a brass sock; how does his energy get collected?"

"He's touching her," Edwin whispered back. "I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it collects his energy through her somehow. If he were just masturbating, he'd have to have his own." Eleanor nodded.

Albert and Agatha, meanwhile, had begun kissing, both their breathing heavy. He sucked her lip; she nibbled his. The two were perfect for each other, each of them masters of what they did, both attuned to the other's needs. Their hands explored each other’s bodies. She fondled his nipples; he fondled her clitoris. Their bodies writhed together, the temperature rising. She squeezed his well-formed ass, and he inserted himself into her.

Missionary-style, they rode each other, electric sensations coursing through their private parts, through the sock, and registering on the gauge. Already it was at three-quarters. He pulled out abruptly, and she gave him a dirty look. He sucked one of her labia, pulling it into his mouth and chewing gently on it, making his way towards her clitoris. Her breathing came in gasps of anticipation. He wasn't playing fair, she groaned to herself. Screw it! It was fun! She closed her legs on his head and thrust herself towards him, burying his face in her sex. His tongue flicked out and attacked her clit. The gauge on the floor read ninety percent. He could taste her arousal; it aroused him, and his dick throbbed, oozing pre-ejaculate.

Neither could stand it anymore. He gently bit her clitoris, and she cried out in ecstasy. The gauge ticked hard to the right of its enclosure, and she contracted hard in orgasm. The sock tried to come out, but Albert anticipated it and pushed it back in; he wasn't done, yet. Agatha groaned, her voice incomprehensible as he continued to nibble her clit.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Agatha cried out, and the sock shoved itself out, bonking Albert in the nose before falling to the floor. Albert covered his nose, wincing, as Eleanor and Edwin started in horror. Agatha brought a hand to her mouth and covered a laugh. "Albert, I'm so sorry!"

"Argh," Albert replied, his eyes watering. "I give you an orgasm, and you assault my face with a brass sock! I see how it is!"

"Well you shouldn't have gone for seconds!" Agatha retorted in mock defensiveness.

Albert grinned ruefully. "Eh, maybe not," he said, chuckling. The others chuckled, too, relieved that he wasn't hurt. Agatha sat up and hugged him.

"Always a pleasure, darling," Albert said with mock pomp but sincere intent.

"The pleasure was all mine," Agatha chortled.