Tamara gasped. His simple touch brought back the feeling of the worms in full
force.
His grin widened. “It’s not well known but the effect can last for a couple of days and this proves my point about recreating the sensations.” He bent his head to a nipple and gently licked it before sucking it into his mouth.
Tamara hissed with pent-up need. Despite all the orgasms she’d had, Gage’s actions
instantly brought back her desire. Before she could reach for him, he stood and moved to the foot of the bed.
Gage threaded his powerful arms under her legs and pulled her down. That’s why
the restraints that bound her wrists were so long, she realized. They weren’t so she’d have some freedom of movement. They were designed so she could be stretched, her arms high over her head. Her butt rested on the edge of the bed and Gage stood
between her legs. She felt his cock through his pants as it touched her cunt. With a twinge of disappointment she realized he could now fuck her, just like every other man she’d ever known.
He surprised her when he went to his knees. He trailed soft kisses down one leg
before moving her foot and fastening something soft around her ankle. He did the same to the other leg. She flexed her muscles but she couldn’t move.
The stroke of his finger on her clitoris was so soft it felt like a gentle wind.
“Gage…”
“Relax, darling. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“That’s more frightening than rape.”
“Why, because you might like it? You’ve discovered the wonders of orgasms. Don’t
you want more?”
Gage bent his head and licked her clitoris. Tamara bit back a moan. One lick and
her clitoris ached for another touch. She didn’t want to believe him. If she let him pierce her numbness, would she become dependent on him? She fought to hold on to that thought as Gage gently inserted a finger into her vagina at the same time he sucked her clitoris into his mouth.
She couldn’t stop her muscles from clenching on his finger. Heaviness built in her
pelvis. She tried to squirm and he placed his other hand on her belly, holding her still as he sucked on her clit. His assault was relentless but gentle. Tamara felt moisture gathering in her vagina as his finger slowly circled deep inside.
The suction of his mouth soon had her moaning and she nearly screamed at him
when he pulled back and blew on her nub.
She raised her head a little and looked down the line of her body at Gage’s head
buried between her legs. She was helpless but he seemed to be worshiping her
womanhood and the sight was deeply erotic. She felt his tongue against her clit and his finger in her cunt and she felt connected to him in a way she didn’t understand.
As if sensing her confusion, he raised his head a little. His blue eyes darkened as he inserted another finger into her vagina.
She couldn’t hold on. The sensations were too intense. They felt good. Why fight
them? Her head fell back. Gage’s fingers went in and out. She tightened every muscle she could as she tried to hold him deep inside. His hard, warm fingers seemed to touch an emptiness she’d never needed filled before.
He continued his relentless assault. Licking and sucking at the same time his fingers moved in and out. Tamara lost herself in the pleasure building in her pelvis. His touch was so different than the touch of the other men. Gentle but firm, not painful. Erotic and intoxicating. She rode the rush higher and higher until she thought she’d reached escape velocity. Her buttocks clenched as the tension continued rising. Her breath came in short pants until finally every muscle in her body tightened before exploding in a
rush. The orgasm was violent but pleasurable. The release of the tension he’d wound tight left her gasping.
Gage crawled up her body as she lay boneless and breathless from her release. She
felt his rigid cock. The touch woke every nerve ending. She held her breath, waiting for the pain to come. Instead Gage lightly kissed both nipples and rolled to the side. He snaked his arms around her and pulled her close, dropping a light kiss on her forehead.
His gentle actions nearly undid her.
“Only pleasure darling. No pain. Only pleasure. You will surrender to me.”
Tamara eyed the large bulge in Gage’s pants.
He noticed her gaze and said, “Yes I want you. That doesn’t mean I’ll take you
before you are ready.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Have I hurt you?”
“The corset bruised my ribs.”
Gage laughed. “But it heightened your pleasure at the same time, didn’t it? Bruised ribs can’t begin to compare to the pleasure I’ve given you. Pleasure you hadn’t expected and had never experienced before.”
“Yes,” she sighed.
“Then trust me when I say I won’t take you before you’re ready.”
“And if I’m never ready? You promised you’d let me go.”
Gage’s smile widened. “You’ll be ready before the week is out. I guarantee that.”
Faced with Gage’s confidence, Tamara almost crumbled. He was so cocky, so sure
of himself. How could anyone be convinced that they’d always win? Hadn’t he ever
lost?
Tamara took a deep breath. It felt like the world had disappeared and only the two
of them were left. Only this moment was important. Could she continue to deny them
the pleasure he promised? Just as she was about to ask that question, the ship’s alarm went off.
“Fakzi, protect Tamara!” Gage yelled as he raced out of the room.
“Fakzi, I need to be free. I don’t want to be trapped if we’re in danger.”
“I will protect you. If need arises I will free you, or you may free yourself, but there is no need just yet,” Fakzi replied as he crawled into bed next to Tamara. “I will keep you safe.”
She felt Fakzi’s soft fur and warmth.
Tamara wanted to scream but the target of her anger was gone and she wouldn’t
take her frustration out on Fakzi. She decided to stay in bed and think of a way out of this mess.
*
Gage exploded on to the command deck. Red-alert lights flashed in the dimmed
command center. Three crewmen manned the scanners. One at communications, one at
weapons, and one at the helm. David stood in the center. The area was one of contained tension. “Report!” Gage shouted.
“There are three needle-class ships trying to box us in,” David said.
“Where did they come from and how did they find us?”
“No idea. They’ve launched missiles.”
“Evasive action.”
A jarring thump rattled the ship, followed quickly by another one.
“Two glancing hits,” reported the crewman at the communications station.
“Any communication from them?”
“Nothing. I tried hailing but got no response.”
“Captain, our shields are down five percent from the glancing blows. Whatever
weapons they’re using will break through after a few more hits.”
“This is a Mercury . Even against three, we outclass them. Power up our
missiles.”
“Already done, Captain.”
“Fire at will.”
The first shot missed.
“Damn they’re fast, Captain. Those aren’t standard engines for that class ship.”
“We’ve got the best technology in the galaxy. Think faster.”
“Aye-aye, Sir.”
Another glancing blow caught their shields, followed quickly by a second hit. The
second hit was direct. The lights flickered and the ship shook. A third hit caused sparks to fly.
“Shields are down fifty percent, Captain.” The weapons master’s voice cracked as
he tried to shout above the noise caused by various electrical devices discharging and the alarms that had started ringing. The sparks had triggered a few small fires and the smoke alarms contributed to the general mayhem.
The weapons master remained focused. While his first missile had missed, the
second caught an enemy ship broadside. Fire rippled through the inside of the ship
before the vacuum of space extinguished it. In deadly silence the ship slowly floated apart in thousands of pieces.
The second ship fired another missile. It was a direct hit but the Mercury’s shields held. Before the ship could fire again, Gage’s weapons officer fired and the second ship blew apart. The third ship turned and fled. He was out of range before the weapons master could fire another shot.
“Communication from the escaping ship, Sir,” the communications officer said.
“Hold for a moment. Scan for more ships.”
“Nothing, Sir. We’re clear.”
“What’s the damage?”
“Our shields have taken some heavy hits. They’ll take at least four hours to repair.
No hull breaches though. Lots of little electrical fires and repair work.”
“Can we fly?”
“Captain,” David said, “we don’t know if the hyperdrive can handle the damage.”
“That’s not what I asked. Can we fly?”
“Yes, Sir. Not at full power but we can fly.”
Gage walked over to the pilot’s station. “Move.” The pilot jumped out of his chair.
Gage sat down and started pressing buttons. He spent five minutes working the
calculations before he nodded and stood.
He motioned to the pilot. “The course is laid in. Take us to hyperdrive and let the autopilot control the ship.”
“Captain, we don’t know if it is safe.”
“Well it’s certainly not safe here. Do it.”
“Yes, Sir. Engaging—”
Gage didn’t wait for the pilot to finish.
“David you know what I want. Comm, send that message to the briefing room,”
Gage said before he left the command deck.
Gage entered the briefing room and slammed the lights off. They didn’t need any
more of an energy drain. He flicked on the comm viewer and accessed the message
from the enemy ship. He paled. What did it mean?
Gage stood and stared out the briefing room viewport. He frowned. Three ships
clearly outclassed by his. Why would they attack? What had they hoped to gain? Who
knew their flight path? They’d taken his ship by surprise. They could have destroyed it before he even knew they were there. But they hadn’t. They’d tried to box him in and failed. The message was an explanation of sorts but what did it mean?
How had they been found? It could only be a leak from his ship or from command.
Neither possibility was thrilling. It meant someone was working against him. He had
been betrayed. Gage paced for a few moments then he stopped. He threw his head back as if sniffing something rotten. “How did they know where we were? Only space command knew our route. Who told? How did they find us?” He said, grilling David
when he entered the room.
“Gage—”
“No. You know we hid our route well. There was no ion trail. There was no hint.
There was no way we could have been followed.” Gage’s voice was tight with anger.
He ran his hand through his hair and paced back and forth. “Who betrayed us David?”
“I checked the comms. The leak didn’t come from us.”
“Are you positive? Can you say with one-hundred-percent certainty that Tamara
didn’t send the message?” Gage demanded.
“No message was sent from this ship. Gage you’re not thinking clearly. You’ve kept
her captive. How could she send a message?”
“She was free for a brief period. And why did one of the ships send that message to us?” Gage asked as he pointed to the comm.
David viewed the message. “What the—”
“Who knows where we are? Who has access to those ships? They’re the needle
ships that were confiscated from Captain James three months ago. Who knows we have
Tamara?” Gage’s blazing eyes pinned David.
“No message left this ship, Gage.”
“If you’re sure the leak didn’t come from us then it had to be at Space Command.
Damn. No wonder our job has been so hard lately.” Gage sighed and resumed pacing.
“You think Fells—”
“Maybe. All we have is Tamara’s word that he’s dirty and the few pieces of
information I managed to put together. Have you found out anything else?”
“Not yet.”
“It had to be him, because if it wasn’t, then who? He’s our best lead, the best we’ve had in a long time.”
“Does he know you have Tamara?”
“I haven’t told command but she was using her real name. He might know.”
“Her presence might explain why he wanted our ship attacked. If it was him.”
“Yes but it doesn’t explain the message. Take care of repairs and try to find more
information about the attack. I need to get some answers from Tamara before we decide on our next move,” he said as he strode out of the room and headed toward his suite.
She was lying! He decided to conveniently ignore the fact that he hadn’t yet told
Tamara he was a cop. His deception didn’t endanger his ship. Her actions had.
*
Gage burst into his bedroom and immediately attacked.
“You’re still lying to me! You haven’t told me everything but you will!”
Tamara stared at Gage. She didn’t dare move. His anger was a palpable thing,
terrifying in its intensity.
Gage stalked toward her. “Who is Bloody Simon and why is he sending a message
to you?”
Tamara paled. She’d hoped to never hear that name again and how had Gage found
out about Simon?
“Simon?” She decided to pretend ignorance. She didn’t want to talk about Simon.
“You need to watch the message vid we just got.” Gage freed her from the chains
then he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed and over to the comm. He flicked on the comm.
He watched Tamara closely as she viewed the screen.
A wiry man with dark hair and darker eyes came on screen. An evil smile lit his
face as he said, “Suzette or Tamara, whatever your name is, you remember me, Bloody Simon, and all the fun we had. Prepare yourself. I’m coming for you.”
“No…” she moaned and her knees gave way. Gage caught her before she could hit