A Hero’s Welcome (7 page)

Chapter Eight

Joe looked down at the thin gold metal bracelet fastened around his ankle. Damn! He
hadn
’
t noticed it.

Droids? Guns? Were these women capable of such technology? And yet they lived in modest homes with no electricity, no running water and no bathrooms.

Very interesting.

“These droids? What are they? What do they do?”

“They are machines. Trackers. Electronically programmed by the Queen. If you wander out of range the droids fly in and disintegrate you.”

Lovely.

“How did you invent these droids?”

“They were given to us.”

Now he was getting somewhere. “By whom?”

“The ancient gods.”

“What are you saying? You just woke up one day and found all this technology?”

“Yes.”

Joe blinked in surprise. “I was joking. Are you serious?”

“Yes, very.”

“How long ago?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Long before I was born. The Queen is the only one allowed to control these matters.”

Oh boy. This was getting a little scary. What else had these women found besides guns and droids? A nuclear bomb? He’d better get the heck out of here, find his brothers and warn them that these females weren’t as innocent as they appeared.

Well, maybe innocent wasn’t quite the word.

“Can’
t this bracelet be unlocked somehow?”

Annie shook her head. “
Cath
has the key. And so does the Queen.”

“Obviously I’
m supposed to stay here. With you. Why?”

Pink color rose in her cheeks.
“I’
m supposed to break you in today.” Her voice sounded husky and thick.

“Break me in? In what way, Annie?”

He
couldn
’
t help but to grin as she looked away from his direct gaze. Her eyes slowly traveled to his rod. The pink tip of her tongue slipped out and she licked her bottom lip. He wished she
wouldn
’
t do that. It was a sexy gesture. Too sexy for her own good. His penis hardened under her intense gaze.

Her eyes widened with lust.

“Don’
t hold anything back, Annie. I need to know what I
’
m up against.”

“This cabin is where
Cath
trains her slaves. She has graciously given it to us so I can show you the basics of what will be expected from you.”

She watched him, anxious for a reaction. He forced himself to keep his face a passive mask. She
didn
’
t need to know the full brunt of raw anger burning in his guts. The bitch named
Cath
didn’t have a gracious bone in her body. Something else was going on here. Something that was troubling Annie.

He watched as she padded over to a door near his bed. A door he
hadn
’
t noticed before. She opened it, allowing full view of the contents.

Joe let out a slow whistle as he viewed the array of whips, chains, feathers, ball gags, dildos, double dildos and many other accessories hanging on the door. This bondage stuff had never been his cup of tea. Despite that fact, a strange zip of excitement knotted his guts and he found himself wondering what the rest of the closet contained.

“They will be coming tonight.” Annie said as she wiped away the last of her tears.

Alarm zipped up his spine. “They?”

“The Queen and
Cath
. They will watch us…together and then they will expect you to service—”

“The hell I will!”

“You must!”

“Listen, Annie. It’
s been swell hanging out with you, but I
’
m a one-woman kind of guy. I can
’
t perform in front of an audience. Call it stage fright. I won
’
t do it.”

“You have no choice. And you must not let them know you can speak. Under any circumstances. Never let them know you’
re intelligent. At the very least they
’
ll
cut out your tongue.”

“What’
s the worst case scenario?”

“You will be killed. By your trainer.”

He just had to ask,
didn
’
t he?

“You’
d kill me?”

“This is our tradition.”

“You
didn
’
t answer my question, Annie. Would you kill me?”

“No.” Her quick whisper was reassuring to say the least.

“And when you refuse? What will happen to you?”

“We will both be killed. As we make love to each other. In front of everyone.”

“What a nice way to die.”

“This is not a joke!” she snapped angrily.

“You look cute when you’
re mad,” he teased.

She said nothing as she inhaled angrily. Her full breasts pushed seductively against the tight top she wore.

Despite his need to escape this place he found himself wanting to cup her soft breasts. Wanting to bury himself inside her heated cavern. This sexual awareness for Annie might have something to do with being constantly aroused by that machine at the Sperm Bank or maybe sex drugs, but deep down he didn’t really think so. He’d been sexually aware of her the instant he’d seen her standing over him in the hub’s square the other day. Despite the fear of
Cath
that brewed in her eyes, Annie had stopped her from going at his balls with the knife.

He owed Annie. But he didn’t owe her his life. He’d have to figure out a way to gain her trust so she could help him get out of here. And he’d have to do it before tonight.

“Obviously I have no choice in this liaison. But you’
ll
have to untie my hands. My feet. I can
’
t perform this way.”

The stunned look on her pretty face made him grin.

“You agree?”

He nodded. He had one day to figure out how to get the ankle bracelet off. And then he was
outta
here. Queen bitch and
Cath
bitch be damned. Droids or no droids. He was history. Hopefully not literally.

“They’
ll
expose you to group sex, orgies, domination, torture, orgasm denial, anal sex…” she said as she began grabbing items out of the closet.

He
didn
’
t miss the uncomfortable looking ball gag in her hand or the ball weights. A harsh looking whip was gripped in her other hand. A butt plug was already set on the night table.

Shit! Was she serious about all this stuff? Was he nuts to be getting the slightest turn-on about Annie dominating him? Despite trying to stop it, his penis was tightening, aching with need as he watched the seductive sway of Annie
’
s behind beneath those thin see-through shorts.

Suddenly he wanted Annie beneath him. Wanted to sink into her heated cavern.

“This penis leash will be your best friend.” She held up a strange looking contraption that looked much like a miniature harness. “All the male slaves wear them whenever they are taken outdoors.”

Not this guy.

“Annie, when are you getting me out of these restraints?”

She stopped sorting through the closet and glanced over at him. His guts clenched at the seriousness in her voice.

“I’
m not allowed to. Not until they come.”

“I can’
t go anywhere. You said the bracelet will prevent me from escaping. I need to walk around. Go outside and breathe some fresh air. Work on a tan.
Gotta
look good for the ladies tonight. You
’
re welcome to tag along. Keep an eye on me.”

Hesitation nibbled along that pretty frown.

“You already know I won’t hurt you. Remember I’ve already had a couple of chances and I didn’t. Don’t you trust me yet?”

What did he have to do? Throw himself in the nearest sacrificial pool? Oh boy, he hoped they didn’t have one around here.

To his surprise she nodded her head yes and in a moment she was jamming the key into the other wrist cuff. It fell open.

She slid the key into his leg restraints.

Joe could barely contain himself. A minute later he was free. Well, as free as a male slave was free in this situation.

Power ripped through him and he inhaled a deep breath. Slowly, he moved his legs up and down in an effort to get the blood moving.

“Thanks, Annie. I do appreciate it.”

To his surprise a warm hand slid under his armpit and she helped him into a seated position. Dizziness swept through him. He
’
d been expecting it from all this lying around, so he
wasn
’
t surprised. He forced himself to fight it and a minute later it dissolved.

When he climbed out of bed, he discovered he
wasn
’
t much taller than Annie. And she was still afraid of him. Proof being as she slowly backed away from him.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’
m just not used to seeing a male slave loose.”

Joe grinned and reached out his hand to her. “C
’
mon
, let
’
s go for a walk.”

A confused smile flittered across her full lips as she stared at his outstretched hand.

“Back where I come from men and women hold hands when they go for a walk. It’
s a sign they like each other.”

“You…like me?”

“What’
s not to like? C
’
mon
, place your hand in mine.”

Slowly she did as he asked.

His stomach flittered happily and sparks shot through his lower belly the instant her warm trembling hand slipped against his palm. She was still afraid of him. But in time he could tame her into trusting him.

Suddenly he wished he had more than one day with Annie. Getting to know her would have been fun. Showing her Earth’s traditions would be interesting. Making love to her would have been heaven.

Although the thought of fucking Annie senseless seemed to be square on his mind, he didn’t have time for sex right now. He needed to keep his mind off the sex and concentrate on finding a way out of here.

When the door opened and he felt the hot sunshine heat his face, emotions wriggled through him like a black cloud. Happiness. Sadness. Fear. If he
couldn
’
t figure a way out of here today, he
wouldn
’
t be feeling sunshine on his face again.

He
’
d be six feet under. Cold as a slab of concrete.

Or if he somehow lived, he
’
d end up servicing a whole town of dominating women. Either prospect seemed very unappealing to say the least.

Like he’d just told Annie, he was a one-woman man. Always had been. If he had to die fighting for his principles, so be it. It just
didn
’
t sit well that Annie might die alongside him. He had to figure out a way for him to escape without getting her into trouble.

“This hand holding. It feels nice.” Annie said as he tugged her down the steps into the small dusty clearing in front of the grey log cabin.

He gazed at her and noticed the surprise and curiosity lurking in her pretty blue eyes. Obviously she wanted to learn his traditions. And he wanted to teach her. Surely he wouldn’t be breaking protocol if he just showed her a little of Earth’s ways?

“Lovers have lots of traditions.
”

“Lovers?” she asked.

Hot blood surged in his loins at the sweet innocent way she said the word.

“Men and women who have sex with each other and like each other are called lovers.”

“Are we lovers?”

Damn. How the heck did he answer that question?

“It seems we are.”

“What other traditions do lovers have?”

Oh shoot. She just had to ask, didn’t she? And why the heck was he suddenly feeling so damn nervous?

“Um…well…they live together, care for each other, play house…kiss…um…”

“Show me how your people kiss?”

Was she teasing him or what? By the trusting look in her eyes, she wasn’t.

He turned toward her, took her other hand in his and brought her soft body against his. Her body felt warm against him. She made him feel safe and comfortable and oh so damned horny he wanted to shove his thick shaft straight into her
cunt
and listen to her scream with pleasure.

Oh man! Why was he reacting so strongly to a woman he hardly knew? Was it the Florence Nightingale syndrome? Or something else? Was he hot for this woman because she was
the one
?

He almost laughed out loud at that thought. Finding his
soulmate
light years away from Earth sounded a bit corny, didn’t it?

He let go of her and slid his hands around her waist and proceeded to slowly slide them downward to cover her silky curvy ass. Pressing his fingers into her soft ass cheeks, he pulled her hard against him. She quivered violently when he pushed his rigid desire against her abdomen.

Her heart beat hard against his chest and he felt himself drowning in her sexy scent. When his head descended toward her mouth her breath hitched with a sexy mewl.

He captured her mouth in a tender kiss. Her lips melted against his. She tasted of strawberries. Sweet and delicious.

The taste of her softness set his lips on fire, set his head to spinning with a fevered passion and he couldn’t resist dipping his tongue into her mouth and exploring her hot cavern.

Her hands were exploring him as well. Sliding over his tingling skin. He gasped into her mouth when her fingers came into contact with his sensitive nipples. She tweaked and pulled until pain and pleasure intermingled in a fascinating chorus.

She trembled against him when he became more aggressive. He smiled to himself at the erotic sound of her moan. When it came right down to it women were alike everywhere. Sweet and seductive and more powerful than good liquor.