One Four All (9 page)

“Fuck, yes, this is gonna be a tight fit,” Red groaned as he inched his way inside her. “I gotta go slow, sweets. Fuck,” he repeated in a hoarse voice, “I gotta go very slow.”

As Red began to fill her, Lira sucked on Tanner’s tongue, digging her nails into his shoulders, holding on for dear life. Even though the man held himself still for the moment, the pressure of two men inside her at the same time was more intense than she’d imagined.

Tanner tore his mouth from hers. “Breathe,” he instructed her, his voice a mere rumble. “Breathe, Lira.”

Eyes closed, she clung to the sound of him with the same ferocity that she gripped his shoulders. As promised, Red took his time. At last, he’d seated himself deep inside her. He wrapped his arms around her, and his hands joined Tanner’s on her breasts, his fingers sharing her taut nipples. “Good God, woman, you’re a tight fit,” he breathed against her neck. “One of the wonders of the world.”

A quiet moan escaped Lira’s lips as both men moved, one thrusting up as the other moved down. Unearthly was the only word that came to Lira’s mind. She had no other way to describe the gift of pleasure the two men gave her. Red slid a hand down her belly to her clit, and he began to caress her, his fingers circling her almost painfully swollen nub. Tanner’s hands remained on her breasts, and Lira knew it was time for Wat. She turned her head and rested her cheek on the captain’s broad shoulder. The third man knelt right there, watching the three of them through half-closed eyes, both hands stroking his long, hard cock.

Lira reached a hand to him and cupped his heavy scrotum while he brought the head of his penis to her kiss-swollen lips, rubbing himself against her mouth. She licked him, tasting his sweet salt, and, with a soft, kittenish mew, opened for him. The man tried to hold back, Lira could tell, but she took him as deep as she could, pressing her tongue against the thick vein on the underside of his shaft. Lira began to suck while Wat rocked his hips back and forth. She watched him place a hand on Tanner’s shoulder for support and then she closed her eyes and gave herself over into the possession of her three chosen ones.

Tanner’s mouth settled on her left shoulder, and Lira felt his teeth nibbling on her skin as he thrust into her. Red nuzzled the back of her neck, keeping his movements restrained but persistent, while Wat twined a hand in her long, wet, tangled tresses, groaning aloud as he guided her over his length. Her movements were restrained by the three men invading her body, Lira could only receive. This act was the ultimate in trust. It was what she had to do, what she wanted to do for her three chosen ones. These men were her destiny.

Between cocks and hands and lips in her, on her…sweet gods in heaven, within a few short, heady moments Lira found herself careening, helpless, toward orgasm. Her cries were muted by Wat’s thrusts. In a haze, she tasted his sweet salt as he came with her. Tanner and Red thrust deep, and Lira could feel her inner muscles clasp them both. If it had been possible, she would have screamed out loud when she heard the two big men growl low in their throats. They buried themselves inside her, climaxing at almost the exact same instant.

Wat was the first to rouse, and he pulled his softening cock from Lira’s mouth. She swallowed and waited, relying upon Tanner to support her as Red withdrew from her, taking care to keep his movements slow and easy as he’d promised. Tanner was the last to let go of her body. As he did so, his finger brushed her clit, and his lips touched hers, which stirred her once more. Yes, Tanner Kepp was the man who would hold them all. He would be her pillar of strength. The other two men would follow his lead, and she could trust him, them, with her life and the lives of any children she might one day bear.

“C’mon, honey,” said Tanner, rising to his feet and pulling her after him. He used a wet cloth to wash her and then wrapped a thick towel around her, drying her with gentle caresses. “Let’s get you back into your room. It’s close to dawn, and you need some sleep. We’ll discuss how to get out of here later.”

“Mmmmmm,” was the only response Lira could muster.

Tanner lifted her in his arms and carried her back into the bedroom. Wat retrieved her veil, and he and Red shook the fabric out. Lira knew she should cover herself and return to her own bed, but she found herself reluctant to leave. Now that she’d bound herself to the three men, she dreaded the thought of being apart from them.

“Don’t worry.” Tanner kissed her, his lips firm and warm and reassuring against hers. “We’ll get you out of here.”

“Yeah, darlin’,” Red added, “you’ll be going home real soon.” He elbowed Tanner out of the way, taking his turn with her mouth.

All Wat said was, “Mine,” and he grinned as he gave Red a shove and kissed her, licking her lips with a warm, wet tongue. Shoulders shaking, Lira covered her mouth with her hands and began to laugh. She was still grinning when the men draped the black veil over her head and arranged the material so that it covered her entire body. Arms surrounding her, they escorted her to the connecting door. Tanner’s voice brushed by her ear. “Pleasant dreams, sweetheart,” he murmured.

“Doubtless they’ll be very pleasant, Tanner,” she whispered. Lira slid the door open on silent hinges, stepped across the threshold, and closed it behind her. Her feet made no sound on the soft carpet, and she didn’t remove the veil until she’d buried herself in the thick down quilts. Lira stuffed it into a pillowcase and curled onto her side. Her body tingled and burned, reminding her exactly how and where the big men had possessed her. These sensations, both the pleasure and the tiny bit of soreness, confirmed for her that these men were what she’d hoped they’d be,
hers
. She fell sound asleep without a single regret.

Chapter Nine

“I need to get out of here so I can use the com without any listening ears,” said Kepp as the men dressed.

Red and Wat glanced up. “Leave through the back entrance,” suggested Red, “you’re less likely to be stopped. Don’t you have a secure frequency?”

“Not sure it’s secure enough.”

“Here,” said Wat, searching through his bag. He tossed Kepp a small, wrapped pack. “I brought a burn set. If you want to reach the commander, it should have plenty of range.”

Kepp caught the pack with one hand and grabbed his shirt with the other. “Thanks. I’ll have to get as high as I can.”

“Up on the outer walls or the roof,” said Red, “you should be able to jack into a communications satellite from there.”

“If not,” added Wat, “let me know, and I’ll see what I can rewire.”

Kepp walked to the vid screen. “Any movement yet?” He motioned at the view of Lira’s suite.

“Nothing.” Red smiled. “I don’t think she’ll be stirring for a bit, not after last night.”

“You don’t think we were too much for her, do you?” asked Wat, tugging his shirt over his head and shaking out his long dreads.

Red winked at him. “You were. I know I wasn’t. I fit inside that woman like a wet dream. Damn, man, makes me hard just thinking about it.”

“I’m glad you said that.” Wat grinned. “I’m usually the one obsessing about sticking my dick somewhere warm and wet.”

Kepp’s mind roamed the luscious silk of Lira’s skin, the feel of her inside and out. He felt his cock stir to half-mast, but he pulled himself back and rolled his eyes. “Knock it off. This isn’t about sex. What we did last night was promise to get her out of here in one piece. To protect her and die for her if need be. It works both ways, and Red,” he pointed at his friend, “you know the facts as well as I do. Her body is her bond. Last night, according to the laws of Zhinshu, she made a promise to lay down her life for any one of us. If she fails in her duty to us as her chosen consorts, her throne and her life are forfeit.”

“Shit,” teased Wat, “and here I thought it was all about the best fucking blow job I’ve ever had.”

Red laughed. “Well, it was, mostly, but even you aren’t that single-minded.”

“Nah.” Wat stretched. He stuck his combat knife in its sheath and clipped it to his belt. “I knew what I was getting myself into. She’s something, isn’t she? Guess I’m a married man now, till she says otherwise, just like you and Kepp. Balls deep, remember?” He nodded at the screen. “The maid just went into her room. You mind taking first watch, Red? I’m starved.”

“My pleasure.” Red sat by the vid screen. “Bring me back something good.”

Wat nodded. He vanished down the hallway.

“If I can’t get a signal,” said Kepp, “I’ll try to talk my way out the back and get clear of any interference. A single thing happens you don’t like, buzz me on the perdi.”

“Got it, captain.” Red rubbed his chin. “Hey, Kepp, how soon you think we can get her out of here? I’m not liking the odds much if we overstay our welcome, which I’m pretty sure we’ve already done.”

“Yeah,” replied Kepp, “this place isn’t my cup of tea. If I can reach Commander Grange, I’ll try to convince him to send a heli-jet today. Worse comes to worst, we might need to bust a few heads.” He pointed to the vid screen where they could see the maid heating up the water in the bathing pool. “Once she’s up and dressed, see if you can get her to leave the room. I’d feel more comfortable if she was out in the open where there are witnesses. The thought of her stuck in this isolated section of the compound makes me nervous.”

Kepp explored the long hallways, searching for a staircase. None of the staff had been forthcoming with a map of the compound. He found the servant’s stairs and climbed, assuming they would lead to the uppermost floors and the roof. He was right. He found the door to the roof latched but not locked. Kepp stepped out onto the flat surface, making sure to leave the door cracked open behind him. He picked up a loose pebble and jammed it into the frame as a safeguard. It wouldn’t do to be locked up here.

Feet apart and combat ready, he swept his eyes over the entire roof. He stood on the highest section. Far below, he watched Wat stride across the green lawn toward the rear gate. His friend called out something to the guards, probably something bawdy, because Kepp could make out the sound of their answering laughter. Wat would keep them entertained, and they’d never think to look up.

Kepp was about to open the burn set when he caught the tiniest flash of reflected sunlight a couple of floors below. Another guard, one of Speth’s companions, stepped into view, his hand resting on the butt of a pistol. He stood along a walkway two hundred yards to Kepp’s left, high up on the wall that faced the sea. Kepp was grateful the man had moved out of the shadows to check on Wat’s activities. Fortunately, he looked down, not up. Staying out of sight, Kepp hunkered down to watch, wondering what the man was doing up there. He saw him glance over his shoulder and back to Wat, then over his shoulder again. What the hell was the man looking at? There shouldn’t be anything behind him but waves breaking against the sea wall.

Back bent, feet quiet, Kepp ran towards the door and around the far wall where he crouched low, keeping out of the guard’s field of view. Taking care not to set any roof tiles clattering, he crept over the lip of the wall and onto an overhang where he could look down on the sea.

For a few moments, he saw nothing but waves crashing against the breakwater. He studied the channel and the far shore, a wild and uninhabited area of Zhinshu. Dangerous currents competed and clashed in the waters between Land’s End of Kuhbak and the maritime border of Zhinshu. Gulls circled high over the center of the blue channel. Kepp noticed a fishing boat moored about a quarter mile away. That made no sense. Any seagull worth his weight would be above the fishing boat, not over the center of the deep water channel. As he scanned the area, Kepp caught a hint of movement beneath him. He peered down over the edge. A shadow appeared on the narrow strip of beach between the two breakwaters. Kepp squinted against the morning sun, wondering if it was a trick of the light. No, the shadow was no illusion. A man stepped out from under the rocky cliff. Even from this height, Kepp recognized him.
Speth
.

As Kepp watched, Speth waved a yellow flag to signal the fishing boat. A man shinnied down a ladder, untied a zodiac, shoved off, and headed their way. Kepp didn’t hear the hum of an engine.
Must be an electric motor.
He watched the solitary sailor maneuver the small, underpowered craft through the currents and thread the boat through the breakwater with caution, like he was threading the eye of a needle. When he reached the lip of the rock shelf, the man slipped out of the craft. He waded through the shallows. Speth joined him, and together they dragged the boat over the rocks, up the beach, and out of sight.