Alien Indiscretions (27 page)

Diltan’s smile for Wal was filled with pride, far more than when he’d talked about his own successes. “Wal was stunned when the Court General asked him to consider becoming a judge, but he merited the honor. His pursuit for real but compassionate justice has taken him all the way to the highest court on Kalquor.”

Wal said, “Sometimes I still wonder if I’m equal to the task, but no one has told me I need to step down yet.”

“They’d be fools to do so,” Rolat declared with warmth.

“Absolutely.” Diltan’s tone filled with conviction.

Wal ducked his head and smiled. Cissy could tell their approval meant a lot to him. That they gave it unstintingly made her happy for some reason.

Moments later, they were at the beach-level entrance to the cliff where the three men lived. The sudden stab of anxiety told Cissy how at ease she’d become during their walk along the beach. She hadn’t noticed she’d been conversing so comfortably with even Diltan, not until that casualness was gone.

By the time the transport opened to Clan Diltan’s door, Cissy was downright nervous. As Wal ushered her into the home, she wondered why she felt so jumpy. She’d already had sex with them after all. Damned good sex in fact, the best in her life. Yet there was something dark and knowing lurking in their smiles that told Cissy they were up to no good.

“Lights up three-quarters,” Diltan called as they entered the first room.

Cissy’s unease disappeared as her surroundings lit up. Her mouth dropped open and she gasped.

“Wow. Wow!”

Cissy let go of Wal’s arm and stepped away, turning in a slow circle to take in the immense space. It made her think of the ballroom in a fairytale castle. The stone walls, no doubt the rock of the cliff they were inside of, were polished to a marble finish. The floor beneath her feet was the same, though it was of a slightly deeper gleaming gray, as if it had been stained. Pillars on either side created alcoves where seating arrangements waited in rich gold and deep purple hues. Over those were huge paintings, the real things rather than vid projections.

The ceiling was similar to the lighting panels Cissy typically saw in Kalquorian walls, but it lit in complicated patterns that was as artistic as it was functional. There was even a raised platform along the far wall where a band might play. It was a grand and gorgeous space suitable for Cinderella’s ball.

Cissy couldn’t believe her eyes. She felt as if she should be wearing a silk and taffeta gown, hoping that Prince Charming might choose her from other maidens and waltz her about the room. Suddenly self-conscious, she looked down at her the scuffed boots, jeans, and flannel shirt she’d thrown on earlier that day.

Talk about underdressed
, she thought.
Fairy Godmother, where are you and the mouse-drawn pumpkin?

She choked out, “You live here?”

To his credit, Diltan sounded a little embarrassed. “This room is much grander than the rest of our home. It’s done this way because we throw the occasional get together in this room.

Cissy gazed at him in wide-eyed disbelief. “Get together, huh? Just you and your one thousand closest friends? No wonder you can hardly stand the sight of grubby little old me.”

Diltan paled. His slight smile soured in an instant. He even looked angry. “You have a habit of dressing beneath yourself, but I would not call you grubby. Not by any means.”

Cissy was newly startled when Rolat patted Diltan’s crotch. “From the feel of things, my Dramok likes the sight of you just fine.”

Wal chortled, the smile doing its usual magic of transforming his face into something beautiful. Diltan, who stood between the two, shoved them both aside and walked up to Cissy.

“Ignore them. Let me show you around and prove we’re not as snobby as this room says we are.”

He offered Cissy his arm. She took it with a lifted brow and grin. Diltan returned the smile, making something in her chest tight.

She drew a deep breath.
Oh, you merciless bastard. You are so charming when you want to be.
He’d actually looked affronted when she’d put herself down.

Diltan gave her a tour of the home. The dining room was as grand as the greeting/party room. “Well, it is part of the public area of the house,” he explained when Cissy rolled her eyes at him. “We have dinner parties from time to time. Our private rooms are a better reflection of the men we are.”

The rest of the home was indeed less intimidating to Cissy, but it was still luxurious. What Diltan referred to as the common room was outfitted like a family room on steroids. There was a huge lounging couch, three vid-enabled gaming tables, a massive vid and entertainment system, a bar, and even a small kitchenette ... and they already had an immense full kitchen near the dining room!

Plus the men had suites of their own, like self-contained apartments of three or four rooms each. There were no beds in the men’s private suites, so Cissy was not surprised to see the separate sleeping room. It too was immense, with separate dressing rooms and lavatories for each man ... plus an extra for their missing fourth clanmate.

The home boggled the mind with its endless string of rooms and the series of balconies that overlooked the ocean. Cissy had seen inns on Earth with less space.

Her favorite room by far was an atrium located in the center of the house. It had a glass-like ceiling that could be retracted to open to the sky above. Much like the spa area of the Matara complex, it boasted a pool and carefully tended plots of flowers. Large circles of lavender and blue grasses dotted the tile flooring, inviting lounging. Cissy could imagine lying down in the softly scented bits of lawn to read or just stare at the clouds passing overhead.

The home of Clan Diltan was by far the grandest thing she’d ever seen. Even though she was the cousin to the Empress, Cissy knew she was out of her depth with such men.

She gave the three a wry smile. “You were right to court Tasha. She’s a much better choice for a life like this.”

Diltan fixed her with a stern look that made her stomach do flip-flops. In a no-nonsense tone he told her, “You can stop that right now.”

Cissy shook her head at him. “No, you have no idea. This is a place for someone ladylike, someone who knows what fork to use for salad course at high tea. I’m not that woman. I’ve always been a tomboy and a loudmouth. I got the most beatings at our school of any kid.”

Rolat scowled. “They beat you?”

Cissy nodded. “A couple of times for not behaving as a lady should. I got into some fights. If anyone messed with Tasha, I’d pound on them or–”

She stopped. Cissy had once done something much worse than beat up a classmate for picking on her sister. Something terrible, something she dared not speak of.

She rushed through the rest of it. “I made them pay. Long story short, I don’t do classy well. It’s not me.”

Rolat didn’t look put off at all. “A protector for your sister. I see nothing wrong with a strong woman not afraid to speak her mind or defend those who she loves.”

Diltan surprised Cissy by agreeing. “Neither do I. Although I have certain ideas on propriety, particularly when it comes to behavior around the kind of men I work with, I know real class has nothing to do with how you dress or use your manners. It has everything to do with how you take care of those you love.”

Wal gave her his devastating smile. “Absolutely,” the quiet Imdiko said.

They were being so nice, even Diltan. Okay, especially Diltan. Cissy knew she had to let them off the hook.

She looked around the atrium with appreciation, even though she knew such settings were wasted on a rough-around-the-edges girl like her. “Your home is beautiful, but I’m not made for this. Thank goodness we aren’t formally seeing each other as far as the lottery is concerned. You don’t have to blow one of your five chances on me.”

It was Wal who said, “I think that determination has yet to be made. Shall we move on?” Without waiting for Cissy to answer, he took her hand and tugged her out of the atrium and towards yet another room.

Cissy allowed herself to be led, though she couldn’t help but wonder why they insisted on bothering with her.

Cissy stopped and stared at the room the men ushered her into next.

What the hell is this? Some sort of torture chamber?

Wal cracked up, his laughter echoing in the space. “From the look on your face, I accept your earlier statement that you never entered the pleasure club on your transport.”

Cissy blinked. This was the home version of a pleasure club? She tried to see the various tables, benches, and devices as a sensual playground, but the items were too foreign ... too scary.

She told the men, “I’m almost afraid to ask what all this stuff is.”

Rolat stepped beside her and looked about the room. Pleasure registered on his face, as if remembering many happy times. Then again, he was head of Kalquor’s prison system, and Kalquorians were known for brutal punishments of felons.

The Nobek’s voice was easy as he said, “There is no reason to fear us. Anything you do not wish to try, we will respect.”

Wal put his arm around her shoulders, tugging her close to his body. He guided her towards what looked like a low padded balance beam, except it had tethers on its supports. With his arm holding her so firmly, Cissy felt both safe and vulnerable under his power. A thrill ran through her, sending a ticklish excitement straight to her pussy.

The Imdiko smiled, as if he knew the effect he had on her. “Here, let me explain the toys we have.”

“Toys, my ass,” she muttered.

Diltan’s evil chuckle raised the hair on the back of her neck. “Some of them are for that, yes.”

Cissy shot him a dirty look. He looked amused at her reaction.

Wal directed her attention back to the balance beam, which was about at the level of his waist. “The spanking bench. As you’ll note, your ankles would be tied to the supports. The loops on the other side are for your wrists, or you can hang onto them if you feel you can be trusted to submit to discipline.”

Cissy swallowed. She liked spankings ... she liked them a lot. Being bent over the bench had plenty of appeal, though she wasn’t so sure about the implements hanging on the nearby wall. The black leather-looking thing was most definitely a whip. The flogger was nearly as intimidating. There were straps of different widths and thicknesses, paddles of wood and leather, and something that looked like a riding crop with a small, flat spatula head. Ouch.

She realized the men watched her, gauging her reactions. Could they tell that she found the bench itself arousing? That the whip flat-out scared her?

Wal moved her along to a pillar with tethers, enough to bind more than one person to it at a time. “This is used for bondage, also to mete out discipline. I think you’d look lovely stretched along it, surrendering to a light flogging.”

“Light?” Cissy flushed to hear how breathy her voice sounded.

Wal glanced at Rolat, who nodded. The Nobek said, “Just enough to leave some pretty pink stripes on your back, ass, and thighs. Maybe while you wear a clit stimulator with a vibrating dildo shoved inside your pussy.”

That sent a stab of pure want through her body. Cissy almost moaned at the idea.

There were more objects to be trussed to, along with devices that would fuck a person in ways Cissy had never imagined. There was a basin which filled with a water-like liquid that Wal told her was safe to have sex in with no worries for bacteria or infection. A massage area. A corner of the room had balloon-like coverings that reminded Cissy of the bouncy-houses that used to be featured at kids’ parties on Earth. She giggled to think of bad, bad Rolat or snooty Diltan careening off the black walls and floor while trying to have sex. Did they have that kind of playfulness?

Most of the room was dedicated to pleasures of the darker variety, however. Cissy had to admit it turned her on to think of being strapped to most of the apparatuses, made helpless while the men played with her.

She snorted disbelieving laughter to think of where she’d come from to end up here. “Back on Earth, we were told sex was not for any reason but to produce children. It was a sin that could damn your soul to engage in it for pleasure’s sake.”

Diltan made a face, showing Cissy what he thought of that line of reasoning. “Sex is more than breeding. It is discovery. Closeness. The opportunity to learn about each other physically and emotionally.”

Cissy swatted a manacle hanging from a chain attached to the ceiling to set it swinging. So much of the stuff looked suited for a dungeon. “Yes, screaming in terror is an emotion,” she cracked.

Rolat gave her a knowing half-smile. “You’re not afraid. Oh, I see some reluctance here and there, but mostly you’re excited.”

“Says you.”

“Says your scent.” The Nobek’s half-smile became the full item.

Wal chuckled. “You are aroused, little one. It’s impossible to miss that aroma, especially since I grew so familiar with it last night.”

Cissy squirmed. They could smell the honey seeping from her sex? As if she didn’t feel vulnerable enough.

Diltan leaned up against a padded gadget that looked suspiciously like stocks. He folded his arms over his chest and gave her a smug look. “Aroused or not, I bet she doesn’t let us try the first thing in here.”

Damn it, she hated it when he got that superior expression. “Sure I’ll try something. Or is that wishful thinking on your part? Maybe you’re the one who is intimidated by the idea of getting me in a compromising position.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. His attitude stated she should make a decision.

Cissy snorted and looked around the room. Now that the time had come to choose something to try, the room looked an awful lot like a torture chamber again. Everything she considered was scarier than the last.

Rolat wandered over to something close to the middle of the room. The toe of his boot nudged a huge cushion with handles. “Why not this? You seemed interested in it when we showed it to you.”

Happy to turn her back to Diltan, Cissy went over to Rolat. The cushion was a red wedge-shaped device meant to drape one’s body over. The handles were perfect to hold onto if one needed to brace herself. It sat upon a mat that her boots sank into. The whole setup seemed soft, comfortable ... and without anything that suggested helplessness or pain. It looked harmless enough.