The Commander's Slave (7 page)

That was a tempting train of thought,
unfortunately derailed by his kindness today. She had tried not to
notice, but it was obvious he cared very much for his men. The
demise of his planet also hurt him deeply. That, too, was
obvious.

Perhaps if she could have put him in a
convenient little box--expert lover but ultimately just an
exploiter of women--she would be much happier. But the Tangus of
the boudoir was rounded out by Tangus the leader, Tangus the
sensitive, and she was lost.

Here was a man worth centuries of
searching. Hard, yes, capable of ruthlessness, but also of deep
emotion and firm purpose. Dare she hope that they had some kind of
future together?

She nibbled her bottom lip while she
followed that theory to its end.

Surely the fact that he had even
bought her in the first place indicated that he was attracted to
her? And their intimate encounters since that time reinforced the
view.

And why would he invite her on a tour
of the ship and supply her with clothes if there wasn’t a trace of
feeling budding within him, as well? Despite her amnesia she was
not naïve enough to think that he had felt anything for her when he
first bid those fifty quatroons, but surely she couldn’t be
mistaken about his growing gentleness and consideration towards
her? On the bridge he had appeared possessive in the face of
Daurent’s cheerful gallantry, a reaction that both puzzled and
warmed her. Maybe that proved that he wasn’t immune to
her.

As for her amnesia, maybe that, too,
wasn’t such an obstacle after all. Of course there was the
possibility that she was nobility of some sort, part of a ruling
family, an important player in the politics of her planet, but
statistically, she had to admit that was highly unlikely. It was
more probable that she was a scientist or someone’s assistant or
even just a crewmember on the ship that had crashed.

In the daze of the wreck and the grief
at not finding anybody else alive amid the hot corkscrewed panels
of metal, she had not taken much notice of her clothing ... her
uniform? She had still not recovered fully when the group of Helson
natives had found her, stripped her, and bundled her into more
restrictive clothing, discarding hers by the wreck and forcing her
on the four-day march to Hell’s Market. So now, there was no trace
of her former life, either physical or mental.

Still, she thought with amusement,
there weren’t many adult women who came without some kind of
emotional baggage, usually the result of bad past experiences. And
if she had no bad experiences to remember, then she came with
little baggage. Simple!

One problem out of the way, she
decided with determination. But onto the next, more difficult one.
How was she to convince Tangus that she herself desired something
more than the heated magic they shared in the dark chamber
together? That she was an intelligent woman who would go crazy
constantly locked in the confines of a pleasure chamber and that
she valued his conversation and consideration as much as his sexual
prowess?

Maybe a good place to start would be
to show that she was not immune to his touch. That she was willing
to fully participate in their lustful encounters.

Maybe it would show him something if
she
was
prepared to initiate their next encounter?

A wicked smile spread slowly across
Asha’s face.

* * * *

Damn Daurent and his come-hither eyes,
Tangus thought in fury as he stalked into his quarters. Who did he
think he was, staring at Asha so lasciviously? He was entranced by
her body, the grace with which she walked, her regal, sculpted
features.

But what did his first officer know of the
real
Asha? The firebrand who cried out her passion with such
abandon, the ... the ....

Tangus abandoned his search for an
object to hurl at the wall and collapsed at his desk
chair.

If truth be known, he didn’t know much
more about the captive himself. Even her name was manufactured. He
didn’t know where she was from, where she was going, or how she had
ended up on Helson V. In fact, he could only be sure of two things:
one, she had been a virgin the first time he mounted her, and two,
she was the only woman he had ever known who could drive him to
ecstasy with not much more than a look.

Three things.

There were hints of course. The quiet
while he related a quick history of the Seti’s last, calamitous,
conflict suggested patience and reserve. And he certainly couldn’t
deny her passion, he thought with a quirk of his lips.

The way….

Under other circumstances, he would be
honored to be noticed by a female as magnificent as Asha. There
were always difficulties with cross-species courtships, but nothing
he was sure he couldn’t handle. He had already established they
were physically compatible and wasn’t that the greatest
hurdle?

And what man didn’t think of leaving
his legacy through future generations? He was sure she would make a
strong, loving mother, fiercely defensive of her children but
gently wanton with her mate.

I feel….

Tangus shut his eyes tightly against
the visions intruding into his brain. No, he couldn’t keep thinking
that way. Perhaps if the home world still existed, if he could
still harbor some hope for the future, then he could afford to
indulge himself. But he had to keep remembering that Asha was
merely a means to an end. That was the reason he had purchased her.
She was to be the first in a line of Fusion women who kept the Seti
name alive, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted by useless
monopolistic fantasies. In fact ….

He pressed the intercom button.
“Daurent?”

“
Yes,
commander?”

“
Let Doctor Zehnda know he
has an upcoming appointment. Tell him to bring his xenogenetics
sampling kit to my quarters tomorrow morning.”

Tangus could hear Daurent’s questions
in the hesitation that followed. “Yes, commander.”

“
Tangus out.”

He exhaled and leaned back in his
chair. Now, if he was thinking as clearly as he’d hoped, he’d grab
a bite to eat himself, go over the latest tactical reports and get
some sleep.

...about
her....

And there were still some elements of
the classic Rheni Gambit he wanted to research, the weather
conditions at the time and how that had played into the master
strategy. Those were the good old days, he thought with a grim
twist of his lips, before the advent of interplanetary war and
massive vacuum-muted killing.

In fact, there were many other things
to concern himself with--future developments of their moon base,
cheaper female acquisitions, crop grafting. So he was surprised to
find control again taken out of his hands, after he opened the door
to the adjoining chamber, and asked, “Would you like to see my
quarters?”

He stepped aside, breathing in her
scent as she brushed past him.

* * * *

Tangus was suddenly full of unexpected
surprises and Asha couldn’t refuse his latest offer. Would she like
to see his quarters? And get an insight into this enigmatic man? Of
course!

What had she been expecting, she asked
herself as she entered? Of course he was neat, although the scatter
of book-rods on the desk indicated someone who followed several
ideas simultaneously. And the space was well-appointed although
sparser than she was expecting. No velvet anywhere, a wide but not
extravagant bed. One wall was dominated by a large star chart
display but there was nothing of any personal value. She saw no
little mementos, no pictures of friends or family, just his
unmistakable personal scent filling the room.

“
Disappointed?” he asked,
coming up behind her.

She turned, her lips quirking and she
saw him narrow in on them, his dark eyes clouding into opacity. A
jolt of power shot through her.

“
Certainly it’s not as
sybaritic as I was expecting,” she half-whispered, licking her
lips. As if mesmerized, he watched the moist tip of her tongue
emerge, then retreat.

Did she dare act on her impetuous plan? Did she have enough
courage to finally take
him
to bed? Taking a
breath, she lifted her hands, locking them behind his neck. “Thank
you.”

“
For what?” Automatically,
he moved to stroke her back, grazing her with his rough
hands.

“
For the tour. For the
clothes. For proving that you’re not such a callous brute after
all.”

“
You’ll find,” he replied, kissing one side of her mouth,
“that I am,” then the other side, “a
very
callous
brute.”

But she wasn’t listening. Tightening
her hold, she pulled his mouth down on hers, opening her lips so he
could taste her while coyly toying with his tongue at the same
time.

There was a moment when he hesitated,
when she was afraid he would reject an advance that he had not
initiated, before he tightened his grip. Swiftly, he captured her
tongue in his mouth and sucked on it, the gentle pulling action
starting a heat in her groin.

“
You don’t know what you do
to me,” he grated against her ear when he drew back for breath. He
kissed her earlobe, then followed it with another kiss to the side
of her neck. “When you’re around, I stop thinking.”

Asha arched her neck, gasping when he
bit at the sensitive skin between neck and shoulder. With eyes
closed, she reached for one of his hands, bringing it around from
behind her back to grasp a burgeoning breast.

Tangus didn’t need any more
encouragement. Still kissing her neck, he slipped his hand under
her tunic so he could stroke her bare breast and tug at a
fast-hardening nipple.

They kissed again, all hands and hot
tongues, before Tangus picked her up and carried her to his bed. It
creaked beneath their combined weight.

“
I would like to pleasure
you,” Asha whispered. Quickly, before he could grab her, she got
off the bed and began disrobing, pausing every little while to
watch his reaction. A smile curved her lips when she saw his
hardening penis strain against the material of his
trousers.

Her top discarded, Asha bent and
stepped out of her pants then, still out of reach, she began
running her hands up and over her breasts, plucking at her own
nipples and moaning with pleasure.

Tangus’ response was electric. He
jackknifed into a sitting position, reaching for her, but she
danced out of range.

“
Tell me what you want me
to do ... master,” she teased.

“
Come here,” he
growled.

She shook her head. “Not yet. Perhaps
you should take your shirt off while I ... touch
myself.”

Tangus’ eyes, already dark, blacked in
an instant, glittering like volcanic glass, but he did as he was
told. In front of him, tantalizingly out of reach, Asha sank to her
knees and spread her thighs. Watching her lover, she licked her
finger then trailed it down her body, between her breasts, leaving
a glistening trail that he followed hungrily with his
eyes.

With deliberation, Asha continued her
finger’s journey, through tight copper curls, and gasped as she
inserted it into herself.

That was too much for Tangus. No woman
had ever behaved so provocatively in front of him before, displayed
such wanton pleasure, and it was more than he could stand. He
swooped down, grabbed her, and took her to his bed, ripping the
rest of his clothes off in a frenzy before possessing
her.

“
You’re a siren,” he told
her hoarsely, his hands trembling as he stroked her hair. “There
are legends about them on every planet. Beautiful women who coax
you to your death.”

Asha thrust her hips towards him,
beginning an insistent rhythm.

“
No, not yet,” Tangus
gasped, but it was too late. With a violent convulsion, he
orgasmed, crying out into the air while she continued her merciless
gyrations beneath him.

When he was spent, he looked at her,
his expression sheepish.

“
I don’t ….”

She placed a fingertip against his
lips. “I’m not expecting anything from you. Sleep. We can talk
later.”

It was only when his breathing had
steadied and the first spasm of sleep tightened his hand against
her that Asha said softly, “I love you.”

Chapter
Five

Tangus awoke early, the comfort of his
bed disturbed by a new sensation. He frowned, wriggling a trapped
hand, before recollection crashed down on him. Startled, he opened
his eyes to see a golden head nestled into the crook of his arm,
long copper tresses fanned over his bare biceps.

In the middle of the night, he had
woken her and they had mated again. Despite the wordless
communication, he recognized that this time it had been a meeting
of equals, not of master and captive, and he cursed himself for a
hundred types of fool for thinking he could make it anything
else.

His mind returned to the thought of
finding her people. He had lost his own family in the Lasc Prein
attack on the Seti home-world, but surely Asha must still have
some. Was there a parent or relative searching the galaxy for her?
And what were the chances of him finding them?