Pet's Pleasure (17 page)

Bekion wanted to join her mirth to ease the tension. It took all his composure to keep from showing his anger.

Aya.

That had to be the maid Tinette heard gossiping. Despite her apathetic attitude and her general inclination to ignore everything around her, Tinette was aware of the palace goings-on. She knew every servant’s face and name and details about each person’s family. Tinette ensured loyalty that way.

Bekion rarely changed staff. Only one girl fit the definition of a maid Tinette didn’t know. Thanks to her inability to keep her mouth shut, her time in the palace had ended.

Tinette said, “I shall see you at dinner.”

Bekion smiled after Tinette until the door closed and then he slumped against his desk. His infatuation with Starling would get him into trouble. He had to find a bride and quickly. Focusing on begetting heirs would stop him from thinking of the softness of Starling’s skin and her mewing cries of ecstasy at his hands.

He clenched his fists when his groin tightened. Thoughts of Starling—sweet, open and responsive Starling—tested his resolve. Remembering her sounds of pleasure kept him from seeing her as a pet. Those sounds mirrored a
jattikan
woman’s so well.

“Vieve,” he rasped after hitting the button on his arm cuff.

The woman spoke through the intercom, “Oh, good timing, Bekion. The infirmary says the nanites created the excretion when they rejected a chemical in Starling’s moisturizer. It would have given her a very nasty rash. Furielle reports she will be changing the lotions Starling uses.”

Bekion wanted to be swept up in Vieve’s happy tone. Mention of Starling only reminded him why he called his secretary. “Send me a girl.”

“I’ll send Aya. You haven’t had her yet.”

“Get rid of her,” he barked. “No questions. Just do it.”

“She’ll be gone within the hour. You know I want to ask. For my own curiosity.”

“She annoyed me.”

“I hadn’t realized you’d seen her since the first time.”

“Vieve!”

“Sorry. Sorry. I’ll send another then. She’ll be waiting in your outer chamber.”

“No. Send her to me here. Now.”

“So eager, Bekion. And it’s barely after lunch.”

“Vieve, I grow tired of your taunts. Do as I say without comment for once!”

“As you wish, Sire. I will send a girl to you presently.”

Her cool tone made Bekion regret yelling but his current mood couldn’t handle her brand of humor. He didn’t want a palace maid. He wanted Starling.

Chapter Twelve

Starling watched Bekion leave with his guards. He didn’t say goodbye to her. He also skipped lunch with her. In fact, he had missed breakfast and lunch for the last three days. This behavior started after they got caught together. He was acting guilty again. To atone for that guilt, he avoided her. She recognized the pattern easily and didn’t like it.

After everyone else filed out of the room to do their different tasks, Starling walked over and confronted Furielle.

The woman gave Starling a questioning look over the edge of her book. “What’s wrong?”

“Furielle, is there anything around here that vibrates?”

That got Furielle laughing so hard she nearly fell off her seat.

Starling put her hands on her hips, annoyed at Furielle’s amusement. “I’m glad you find that funny. Now answer the question.”

Furielle took several deep breaths and wiped tears from her eyes. “If you are using it for what I think, there are plenty. Their use is not for pets. I also don’t think Bekion would appreciate me supplying them to you. He seems as though he would prefer to do it himself.”

“But he doesn’t!” Starling threw her arms in the air and made an annoyed sound. “Every time—every single
fucking
time—I think we’ll actually get somewhere, someone barges in on us.” She pointed at Furielle. “Don’t laugh, damn it. You did it once too.”

“So I did. I apologized. The door wasn’t locked. Perhaps you should—”

“Don’t say it. Bekion has locked the door and still we get interrupted.”

“He is a king. He’s not allowed to have privacy.”

“I bet if I was
jattikan
, we wouldn’t be having these issues.”

Furielle set aside her book. “If you were
jattikan
, Bekion wouldn’t need to hide his relations with you. He would continue even if interrupted.”

“Voice of experience?”

“He once negotiated a peace treaty whilst I was beneath him. We were behind a screen but that didn’t help my wounded pride. I knew then that I was merely an outlet, not an object of affection.”

“That’s so sad and normally I would suggest a bitch-fest about stupid men and the things they do, but I’m too damn horny to give a shit. Give. Me. Something. Anything. I don’t care so long as it gets me off.”

Someone knocked at the door.

Starling and Furielle exchanged a look before Furielle opened it. She curtsied. “Lord Schel, good day to you. King Bekion is not here.”

Schel said, “I know. King Bekion is more than likely speaking with his mother at this moment. I’ve come to speak to Lady Starling.”

Starling came forward. “Hi.” She didn’t get too close since she didn’t have fond memories of the man.

“I have something for you.” Schel moved to the side.

She stared at the person standing behind Schel. A smirk curved her lips. “That’ll do.”

“Who are you calling
that
?” the man who stood behind Schel asked.

The man was tall but still too short to be a
jattikan
, which made him human. A very fine specimen from the black community. Starling would put the man at a little over six feet. That made him chest level with Schel and Furielle.

Starling shook her head at him as she tried to focus on the conversation rather than the man’s looks. “Sorry. Private joke. I’m Starling Moddel. And you?” She held out her hand.

“Webber Logan. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. “I’m from Virginia.”

“Florida.” She stepped back. “Would you like to come in and chat for a bit?”

Or do more
, she thought, letting her gaze roam over his muscled arms. Lord, she must be desperate if she entertained the idea of jumping a man she’d just met.

Webber deserved partial fault. He was a bona fide hard body. He had the physique of someone who did a lot of cardio with some weight training thrown in, like a basketball player or dancer. She could see him doing that and much more.

He would make a great backup dancer in a music video with his fallen-angel good looks. Hell, he could be the front man. One wink from those dark eyes would have women throwing panties his way in an instant. Starling wanted to be the first.

Webber said, “Don’t mind if I do.”

He entered the room and Schel followed.

Furielle scrambled to find Schel a seat. “Forgive me for not being prepared to receive you, my lord.”

Schel said, “Don’t worry yourself. I was charged to deliver the human and make sure he and the other get along. Where is Nausic?”

“Retrieving lunch for Lady Starling. He should return shortly.”

“Best tell him to fetch more for King Bekion’s latest acquisition.” Schel sat on the chair Furielle offered him, lifted the tablet he carried into his sight line and proceeded to ignore everyone in the room.

Furielle nodded and went to the communications console.

Webber sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. He said in English, **That guy is a real piece of work.**

Starling said, **Oh, I know. When I first met him, he dragged me around by the wrist. If I hadn’t been running, he would have dragged me literally, I’m sure of it.**

**So who’s this King Bekion I keep hearing about? I take it we belong to him?**

She nodded and gestured to the room around them and the door that led to the inner chamber. **These are his rooms.**

**That doesn’t tell me about the man himself. Nice guy? More of an asshole than dumbass over there? What? Details, please.**

**Let’s sit. Nausic, our guard, should be back with lunch soon.**

**Good. I’m starved.**

Starling led Webber to her table—another gift from Vieve. It was a replica of the table she had in the dining hall and both resembled the ones Bekion used but in miniature.

She and Webber sat across from each other. **Bekion is actually a fairly decent guy. He treats me like a person more often than a pet. It’s only on rare occasions that he gets a bug up his ass and decides I’m not worth his time.**

Webber grinned. **Oh ho. I hear some malice there. What’s the deal? The big guy not seeing to your womanly needs?**

She snorted. **He can’t. Human-
jattikan
relations are seen as bestiality.** She curled her lip on that last word. Saying it made her want to throw something.

**And?**

**What do you mean
and
? That’s all there is to it.**

Webber rested his arms on the table and leaned in to her. **Then why do you look like you’re about to jump me and ride me like a bull at the rodeo?** He laughed when she shifted her gaze away. **Don’t sweat it, sweetness. I know how I look. And if you were my kind of date, I would have ditched the babysitters and ran for the nearest bed two seconds after the door opened.**

She frowned at him. **Your kind of date? You’re gay?**

**And how. You’re cute and all but you’d need a flatter chest and a joystick to get me going.** He shrugged. **I have a fairly good imagination though. If we go doggy-style, I could probably get us both off with no problems. Want to give it a go?**

She couldn’t believe it. Of all the men they could have gotten her, they chose one who was gay. It had to be her luck at work. Nothing else would account for it. She was doomed to be celibate for the rest of her life.

Amusement bubbled up inside her. She threw back her head and laughed. It was too rich. The situation couldn’t have been funnier unless they’d managed to get her someone impotent.

Nausic entered the room. “I’m glad to see you in a good mood again, Starling.” He placed a tray on the middle of the table. “What is so funny?”

She shook her head and reverted to
jehlvan
when she said, “Nothing. Nothing. Nausic, this is Webber.”

Nausic nodded but didn’t look at Webber. “So I was told.”

“Webber, this is Nausic, my personal guard.
Our
personal guard now.”

Webber moved his gaze over Nausic in an appreciative way.

Starling said, **Don’t even think about it. Gay relations are illegal too.**

Webber sucked his teeth. **How the hell can they call themselves an advanced race and they’re so closed-minded?** He sighed before turning his attention to the food tray. **What’s to eat?**

Starling lifted the food cover and handed it to Nausic. **All of my favorites.** She explained each of the foods.

She had lapsed into English without thinking. It felt good. She spoke English to the translation tablet but those were simple phrases, not conversation. Even if Webber couldn’t be a sexual partner, he filled another need—companionship. She finally had someone to talk to.

* * * * *

Bekion’s day couldn’t get much worse. He prayed for strength.

Tinette asked in an innocent voice, “Why that face, Bekion?”

He changed his request to patience. “Mother, I could overlook it once but not twice. How do I explain to Supreme Emperor Udo that I now own
two
Earth-origin humans purchased from a poacher, probably the
same
poacher?”

“Simply, my love. You tell him you captured the poacher, had him executed for his crimes and then gave shelter to the humans he’d taken. And yes, he is the same. He still had the payment voucher I gave him. I guess he couldn’t find a bank to cash it without proper identification. That money returned to the treasury so technically we did not purchase your first pet. No laws broken.”

Bekion said in a deadpan tone, “That is little consolation.”

“One human remained aboard the ship, which is why you do not have more. It’s a shame really. I would have liked a whole herd. The ones from Earth are so cute. Yesterday Starling had tea with me. She emulates our culture quite well. So cute.”

Bekion gave his mother a hard look. He hadn’t heard about Starling having tea with Tinette. Even if Starling didn’t mention it, Nausic should have. But that didn’t cause Bekion’s sudden apprehension. “Executed?”

Tinette said happily, “Yes. The captain and his entire crew, earlier this morning. Beheading.”

Bekion made a mental note to have all execution writs cross his desk from that moment forward. An entire ship’s crew shouldn’t be put to death in his palace without him knowing.

He asked, “Where is the one, then?”

“I had Schel escort him to your chambers so he could meet Starling. They are the same coloring. I hope that endears them to one another.”

“He? It’s male.”

“Isn’t that lucky? She will have an acceptable mate now.”

Something in the way Tinette said
acceptable
made Bekion think her suspicions about his true relationship with Starling had returned. The tea session had probably been Tinette’s way of ascertaining the truth for herself. He doubted Starling would have given anything away intentionally. Tinette, however, had mastered the art of hearing unspoken words and reading body language.

Her talents didn’t work on Bekion because Tinette had trained him in the same talent, so he knew how to conduct himself. He wouldn’t rise to her baiting. And arguing with her about the matter would justify her current line of thinking.

Bekion said in annoyance, “Fine. I would like to meet this new pet I now own.”

“I would like to see him as well.” Tinette linked her arm with Bekion’s. They walked down the hall together back to Bekion’s chambers.

He didn’t want his mother with him. She slowed his progress. He needed to get back to his chambers quickly. Another human was visiting his Starling. Not only was the other human from Earth and Starling’s coloring, it was male. Bekion didn’t want to think Starling would fall into bed with the male right away but she’d already professed to loneliness.

Couple that with his negligence the past few days and the two of them had to be in bed together already. He had to stop them. Starling belonged to him.

Tinette said, “Bekion, my heart, slow down. There is no need to hurry. Nausic and Schel are with them. I’m sure they’ll keep the male from hurting her if it comes to that.” She pulled on his arm, making him walk at a slower pace.

Bekion wanted to shake her off and run to his room. He checked the urge and prayed for calm. His imagination ran wild without justification. Starling wouldn’t fall into bed with the first man she met who happened to be from her planet. She wouldn’t.

And yet he couldn’t be sure.

Every time his thoughts moved his feet faster, his mother pulled him back to a more languid pace. It had never taken him so long to reach his chambers before. He needed to see that reality didn’t match his imaginings.

He almost sighed in relief when they finally arrived. The door opened from the inside. Nausic stood in the entryway with his head bowed.

Bekion asked, “Where are Starling and the other?”

Nausic stepped to the side and gestured behind him. “They are eating lunch.”

Lunch.

Completely innocent.

Nothing to worry him at all.

Bekion entered the room. “Starling, I hear I have a new—” The words stalled on his tongue.