Planet of Pain (12 page)

Just the thought of it was enough to make Jo shiver with dread. Linda hadn't had a choice about where she'd been assigned or the missions she flew; it was sheer bad luck she'd flown on the Zeta raid. But if she hadn't it might be Jo and Bel who were suffering at the admiral's hands.

Though she knew it was selfish and despicable, Jo couldn't help feeling relieved that it was Linda who'd been taken, and not them.

 

 

 

 

As A-shift followed Sergeant Vaughan along the corridor, Stella was the only captive present who didn't look depressed. Cassie and one of the others were almost in tears, and even Bel – who was tougher than anyone else Jo knew – was looking pretty down-in-the-mouth. Though Jo was trying to put a brave face on it, she was secretly dreading the thought of ten hours of sex.

Vaughan began knocking on doors, and one by one they were delivered to their clients. Jo prayed silently that her name would be called later rather than sooner, one man being infinitely preferable to four. And fate was kind to her. She was next to last, and as she followed the sergeant into the cabin assigned to her she came face to face with a young officer.

‘She's all yours, lieutenant,' Vaughan said. ‘I'll be back for her an hour before shift change.'

‘Right… fine… um, thanks, sergeant.'

Vaughan departed. The young man's cheeks were flushed and his hands shook as he keyed the door lock. Jo realised he was more nervous than she was, and the knowledge calmed her faster than a triple shot of Old Glen on an empty stomach. This could work to her advantage.

‘Hi,' she said, taking the initiative. ‘My name's Jo.'

‘Hello. I… I'm Danny.'

He held out his hand, jerked it back, then stuck it out again. They shook hands, ludicrously polite considering the circumstances. Jo looked around his cabin. It was exactly like Captain Taks' room: bed, table and chair, locker, shower/toilet cubicle. There was a poster on the wall, an artist's impression of Saturn and its rings, with one of the satellites – Titan, she thought – in the foreground. On the table was a framed photo of a somewhat younger looking Danny with a smiling couple, presumably his parents.

‘I don't suppose you have anything to drink, do you?' Jo asked.

‘I've got coffee,' he said. ‘Would… sorry, did you mean booze?'

‘Coffee's fine,' she said. ‘Thanks.' She wasn't thirsty, in fact: she was just trying to break the ice. Getting him to talk seemed like a good idea, if he was to do anything besides fidget and stare at her for the next ten hours. He wasn't bad looking, and the idea of sex was nowhere near as daunting as it had been just a few minutes before. Besides, she reminded herself, she was on a mission.

He took two cups of KwikFix from the locker and pulled the tabs. Steam rose in seconds, and he handed one to her.

‘That smells good,' she said. She took a sip, burnt her tongue, and made a face. He was watching her anxiously and she rolled her eyes. ‘Hot,' she said ruefully. ‘I never learn. I like your poster, by the way. Is that Titan in the foreground?'

He nodded. ‘I went there once, a few years back. You know, with my parents. Have you seen it? Saturn, I mean?'

‘No, I've never been to the Solar System. I never even left Alonzo Station till I joined up. I'm a pilot. Well, I
was
a pilot. Prisoner of war now, I suppose.'

‘I'm a navigator,' Danny said. ‘Grade three.'

Grade three meant he wasn't long out of training, just like Jo. The conversation dried up and they concentrated on their coffees for a while. Danny kept sneaking glances at her, but dropped his gaze whenever she looked at him directly. Either he was painfully shy or this was all pretty new to him. Either way she was the one in control here, no doubt about it. He took the empty cup from her and deposited it with his own in the waste chute, and she could see him steeling himself to ask her something.

‘Do you… do… did you want anything else?'

That wasn't what he wanted to ask her at all. Nerves were getting the better of him, and though she sympathised she found it hard not to smile at his gaucherie. ‘No thanks, I'm fine,' she said, and added gently, ‘Would you like me to take my things off, Danny?'

He nodded, relief and trepidation showing in equal measure in his somewhat fevered eyes. Jo undressed without looking at him, so he would be free to watch her. When she was naked she turned to face him, feet together, arms away from her body in a look-at-what-you've-won pose. He gawked at her, his eyes almost popping out of his head.

Taks had told her she was lovely, but that was just a line – empty words that had barely registered with her. Mundell and the gang had ogled her and called her pretty, and cute, as she remembered, and it hadn't meant a thing, whereas Danny's open-mouthed admiration was honest, free of artifice or ulterior motive, and she found it truly touching. ‘Now you,' she said.

He undressed with clumsy haste, and as he discarded the last of his things she took his hand and led him to the bed. They lay side by side, and she guided his hand between her legs, parting her knees to give him access to her. She was certain now that he was a virgin, for she had to show him what to do – the poor boy didn't even know where her clitoris was. He was tentative at first, as though afraid he might damage her, but quickly gained in confidence with her coaching. He put his fingers inside her, shaking his head in wonderment at the miracle of her anatomy.

After a while she held his cock and began to masturbate him. Sensing that he was already close to climax she worked him slowly, watching his face, but restrained as she was it was barely half a minute before he ejaculated, his semen shooting up into the air.

Afterwards he lay still, his eyes closed and his hand resting on her hip. His breathing slowed to normal, and he opened his eyes and looked at her. ‘You're wonderful,' he murmured.

His voice was thick with spent passion and affection. She let him rest for a few minutes more, then began to stroke his inner thigh. His lethargy vanished in a second and his cock stiffened again. He sat up, and Jo turned onto her back and took him aboard. It would have been easier with her on top, but she thought it would be good for him if he could make the running. She raised her left leg and wrapped it around him, putting her heel in the small of his back. It took a while for them to find the rhythm – he kept wanting to push when she pushed – but eventually they synched.

He was very gentle with her, insistent and needful. She stroked his hair and kissed her neck and she found herself murmuring endearments… and meaning them. He came with a muted cry and she hugged him tight. He belonged to her now. He would have other women, vagaries of war permitting, but she would always be his first.

As they lay together afterwards Jo wondered how to broach the subject of General Nielsen. Nina had stressed the need for subtlety and extreme caution. None of them were in any doubt what would happen if their questions raised suspicions they were spying, or planning something. Danny might be naïve about sex, but that didn't mean he was a fool. Jo needed to be very, very careful. And then, just as she was wondering if she even dared broach the subject, Danny brought it up himself, right out of the blue.

‘Have you heard?' he said. ‘We've captured your General Nielsen.'

It caught her out and for a second or two she just gawped at him.

‘Erm… no,' she said, collecting her wits. ‘That's good news, isn't it? For you, I mean. Bad news for our side I suppose.'

‘They reckon the war won't last much longer.'

‘Let's hope not,' she said. ‘I wouldn't want to be in the general's shoes, even so, locked up in some prison or other.'

‘I think he's on the flagship,' Danny said. ‘That's what I heard, anyway.'

‘The flagship? That's a coincidence. They're the ones who captured my captain and me:
Dauntless
.'

He smiled and shook his head. ‘
Destructor. Dauntless
is just a cruiser.'

‘Oh, right,' she said, returning the smile. ‘I get muddled up with all these ship names. But I bet they'll send the general to Paradise. No one ever escapes from there.'

‘I don't think so. That's in the opposite direction.'

‘Opposite direction?'

‘To gamma sector. That's where the fleet's headed…' His voice tailed off, as if he'd realised he'd said too much. She knew she had to make light of it and change the subject as quickly as possible.

‘I expect they'll do a prisoner exchange,' she said casually. ‘That's what happened to a friend of mine: Gemma. She got captured and they exchanged her for a League fighter pilot. Gemma's boyfriend is a navigator too, funnily enough, just like you. He's got fair hair though, not dark like yours.' It was all nonsense – she was just saying whatever came into her head to distract him. She propped herself on her elbow and ran her fingers through his hair. ‘You've got great hair,' she said, and smiled shyly. ‘Great everything, in fact.'

She ran her hand down over his chest, and his stomach. His cock twitched and she grasped it gently. ‘Especially this,' she murmured, squeezed harder, and his cock began to stiffen. She'd been worried it was too soon, but Danny was turning out to be quite the stud. ‘God,' she muttered, ‘I could eat you alive.'

She leaned over and took him in her mouth, feeling him swell and become hard on her tongue. She sucked him vigorously, wanting to take his mind off his indiscretion, and it seemed to work, for they never said another word about it.

 

Danny looked up at the wall display for the third time in as many minutes, and Jo found his obsession with the clock quite touching. Barely two hours had passed since she'd arrived, and they had oodles of time left to further his education.

Without a word he got up and pulled on his clothes, avoiding her eyes. As he checked the time yet again there was a tap at the door. He unlocked it and a man entered quickly, another lieutenant, a year or two older than Danny. He was slim with a narrow face and calculating eyes.

‘Schaeffer,' Danny said, ‘I don't… I'm not so sure about this.'

‘Don't go lily on me now, Norcott,' the newcomer said. ‘We had a deal. Or maybe you've changed your mind about the shift change?'

‘No,' Danny said quietly. ‘I have to switch. I don't have a choice.'

‘Okay then, the others are waiting in my cabin. Go and send the first pair up.'

Jo had him pegged instantly as a slick operator. For a mere lieutenant he was immaculately turned out; creases in his trousers, shiny shoes, sharp haircut, the lot. He even sported one of those antique gold wrist watches she'd planned on getting Mike, till she discovered it would cost her a year's pay.

‘No more than two at a time, remember,' he said. ‘I don't want some nosy duty officer wondering about excessive traffic.'

Danny took a deep breath, nodded, and headed for the door. He paused there for a moment, looking embarrassed. ‘It'll be okay, won't it?' he said. ‘I mean, she'll be okay?'

‘Relax, Norcott, it's just sex. She's a whore: it's what she does.'

Danny nodded unhappily and went out, and with a snort of derision Schaeffer locked the door, staying by the panel.

‘Two at a time?' Jo said. ‘Just how many have you got lined up?'

‘Enough,' he said, glancing at his expensive watch.

‘They teach pimping at the League Academy?' She had absolutely no idea why she said it. Probably she'd grown overconfident with Danny, who was a pushover, though she already knew this man was a different animal altogether. Perhaps it was all the suppressed frustration at being a prisoner. Or maybe she just resented the fact he could afford the damn watch and she couldn't. Whatever, the words were out before she knew it, whereupon Schaeffer stepped closer and slapped her across the face, sending her sprawling on the bed, shocked and appalled.

Someone knocked: three taps, then a pause, then three more taps. It sounded like a code. Schaeffer opened the door and two men – one fat, one skinny – came in. Jo lay on the bed rubbing her cheek.

‘What's wrong with her?' the fat one asked.

‘Nothing, she's fine,' Schaeffer said. ‘You know the price? Thirty for straight sex, forty for a blowjob, fifty for her ass.'

‘Sounds pretty steep. I might get her for free tomorrow if my name gets drawn.'

‘Maybe you will, but then again, maybe you won't. This way it's guaranteed.'

The fat man nodded thoughtfully, his eyes all over her. ‘What's she like? Is she tight?'

‘Don't ask me,' Schaeffer said. ‘I don't fuck whores. Are you interested or not?'

‘Maybe. If I get to examine the goods first.'

‘Be my guest.'

The newcomer sat on the bed next to her. He squeezed her breasts, one then the other. He pushed her legs apart, inserted two podgy fingers into her vagina, and frigged her briefly. Finally he rolled her over onto her stomach and spread her buttocks.