Page 13

CHAPTER 13

R ona gritted her teeth and hissed as she lowered herself into the tub.

Her butt was still tender from the spanking Murdok had given her, and the hot bath water made it sting.

But the pain was as fleeting as the tiny bubbles drifting through the air, and once she got more of her body beneath the water, a pleasant warmth suffused her skin and melted deep into her aching muscles.

When she was all the way in, Rona sighed with satisfaction and leaned back against the sloping side of the tub, her face framed amid cloud-like piles of suds.

The air was fragrant with the scent of neroli and white musk.

Yup. A girl could definitely get used to this.

Her shower last night aboard the Talionis had felt good, but this, this was downright opulent.

The bathroom was bigger than her entire dwelling back in the village, and a thousand times nicer.

The walls were paneled in black marble veined with creamy white.

The floor was covered in matching tiles.

There was a full sized mirror on the wall nearby, and it was equipped with a hidden thermal system that kept it from fogging up, even in the presence of the steaming hot bathwater.

And the best part of all…

Rona was all by herself.

The Mercs were in the equally magnificent bedroom, talking.

The hotel Aeron had selected for them was the best in town, and their suite was the nicest the hotel had to offer.

It was reserved for wealthy businessmen and offworld dignitaries, but the clerk wasn’t about to argue with three hulking mercenaries.

Especially not when Aeron had flashed his cash.

He’d given the clerk a tip so huge the poor man had nearly fainted.

And Rona had nearly puked.

Just giving away money like that.

It was unconscionable.

She didn’t make that much money in a year at the mine, working her damn fingers to the bone.

Of course, Rona had received a tip of her own.

She glanced over at the pieces of parchment lying on the counter by the sink.

Those were the shares of stock Aeron had given her.

She’d had a chance to count them after they’d finished checking in to the hotel.

A hundred shares in total.

Even at their currently diminished value, they were still worth more money than she’d ever had at one time.

After the mission was over and the price went up, she would be rich.

Filthy, stinking rich.

She would never have to work again.

She could leave the village.

She could leave the whole damned planet.

Go anywhere she wanted.

Do anything she wanted.

It made her heart race just thinking about it.

It also made her feel a bit like a whore.

Up to now, she’d had no choice in the matter.

She’d practically been kidnapped, taken from her village so the Mercs could breed her against her will.

Now that there was money involved, the situation had a different flavor.

She still didn’t have any choice about the breeding, but she did have a choice when it came to accepting the money, and it made her feel a bit dirty.

What was she going to do, though?

Turn it down? Yeah fucking right.

She’d have to be braindead to do something like that.

She would just have to learn to live with the shame.

Maybe, when this is all over, I can hire a gigolo , she thought.

I’ll spank the shit out of him, make him grovel and beg, then I’ll use him as a footstool while I sit back and sip my champagne .

Hell, maybe she would hire three.

It was gonna be hard to find three who were as big as the Mercs, though.

Rona sighed and swiped her arms through the mountains of suds, making the tiny bubbles hiss.

She laved the deliciously warm water over her arms, washing away the sweat that had accumulated on her skin following the chase.

She rubbed her breasts too.

The right one still ached a little from where that asshole in the alley had squeezed it.

She wished she could wash away the memory of that man’s repulsive touch.

And that man knew Tulliver.

Damn it.

That was the thing Rona had been the most worried about here in Jeriko.

Getting spotted by one of Tulliver’s friends.

And like a fool, she had caused it to happen.

She should have just stayed with the Mercs.

She shouldn’t have tried to run.

At least she was safe now.

There was only one way in and out of this lavish bathroom, and it was currently being guarded by the three deadliest bodyguards on the entire planet.

If Tulliver sent someone after her now, they would have to contend with Aeron, Murdok, and Zeth.

Rona was tempted to go and check on the Mercs, make sure they were still waiting in the bedroom, but she didn’t want to attract their attention.

And she didn’t want to get out of the bath.

God, it felt good. Really, really good.

She would have liked to dunk her whole head beneath the water, but there was the cut on her neck to worry about.

Murdok had bandaged it for her shortly after they’d checked in, and she didn’t want to get the bandage wet.

She was surprised how gentle the big, mean Merc had been with her.

The anger he had displayed in the alleyway seemed to have burned itself out, and his sole concern had shifted to making sure she was unharmed.

Of course, he had inspected her naked body again, even more thoroughly than he had done in the alley.

The bright lights of the bathroom had allowed him to examine her even more carefully, but he had discovered no additional injuries…

aside from the ruddy handprints his spanking had left on her backside.

Rona blushed now as she recalled that shameful punishment.

Her blush doubled as she remembered the even more shameful way her body had responded.

Those same inappropriate reactions were happening to her again.

Her nipples were budding with arousal, and between her legs, her desire was pooling.

Even under water, she could feel it leaking out of her.

God, what is wrong with me …

?

Actually, she had a pretty good idea.

She’d heard about this kind of thing.

It was called Stalk-Home Sindrone.

A condition where hostages develop a special psychological bond with their captors.

Like most old Earth terms, the name didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Maybe it was because after the captors let their hostages go, the hostages would stalk their captors home.

That was the best explanation Rona could think of.

The word “sindrone” was easy to figure out.

It was a sinful compulsion that droned inside your mind and refused to go away, no matter how hard you tried to ignore it.

In other words, exactly what Rona was experiencing now.

The warm, ticklish feeling was no longer just between her legs.

It was spreading throughout her entire body, and it was growing stronger by the moment.

Rona bit her lip and stifled a moan.

She knew it was wrong, but she wanted to touch herself.

She wanted it so bad it almost hurt.

Better to get it out of her system now, while she was alone.

Rona lifted herself partway out of the tub and peered over the piles of fragrant suds.

The door to the bathroom was still closed, and if she listened very carefully…

yes… she could hear the Mercs in the bedroom conversing in low tones.

But if she could hear them, that meant they could also hear her.

She would need to do this quietly.

Quickly too.

She sank back into the water and got to work.

With one hand, she grabbed her breast and began to massage herself.

Her nipple was erect and springy with arousal, and when she pinched it, it sent little tingles of pleasure rippling through her chest.

She spread her legs and sent her other hand down between them.

Her clitoris was every bit as hard as her nipples, and ten times more sensitive.

She closed her eyes and let the images wash over her as she touched herself.

Murdok spanking her in the alleyway.

Aeron anointing her with his cum.

Zeth’s midnight kiss.

Within a matter of seconds, Rona was completely lost in her fantasy.

So lost, in fact, she didn’t even hear the door to the bathroom opening, or the footsteps of the solitary figure who stepped inside the bathroom with her.