Tamara's Future (7 page)

anything to do with it.”

“Then who?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“I pay you for information. Seems like my money is being wasted lately.”

“This isn’t done. There aren’t many places to sell a holovas like the one that was

stolen. You’re the logical person to move it. Has anyone contacted you yet?”

“No one has contacted me personally but there’s a light link on some comm boards

about a very expensive piece of artwork that just came on the market. I think that’s it.

Nothing solid though, just tenuous rumors.”

“Follow up on them.”

“I can’t afford to purchase it, even at a reduced price.”

“Let me worry about that. The important thing now is to find out who took it. I’ve

heard rumors that the pirate is Lightgo. He collects expensive artwork but he doesn’t normally rob vessels, especially not luxury liners. So why would he do it? It doesn’t make a lot of sense but we need to know if it was him. Then we’ll figure out how to steal it back. No one interferes with my crews and gets away with it.”

*

The next day Gage walked into Tamara’s prison. Fakzi lay at Tamara’s back. The

liock stared at Gage for a long moment before he stood and stretched.

I hope you have thought about what you are going to do. She may not survive it. She is
emotionally fragile.
The liock sent the message along the mindpath he shared with Gage.

I would never harm her, Fakzi. I want to free her. Human emotions are not as clean as liock
emotions. We complicate matters when there is no need. Tamara’s mind is locked in a bad place. I

have to shock her. I have to move her beyond the numbness that cages her emotions. I will not
hurt her though she may not like my methods.

I could help.

Has she given you permission?

No, but she will.

Until she does, respect her wishes, Fakzi. Do not form a mindpath with her. She’s not ready.

*

Tamara blinked awake and looked between Gage and Fakzi. They seemed ready to

snarl at each other. Then a ripple went through Fakzi’s fur and he stalked off. He didn’t go far but he blended with the shadows in the room and became nearly invisible.

Tamara felt groggy. She’d been in such a deep sleep that her body didn’t seem to

want to work. Combined with her depression over her captivity, she had to fight to get to her feet.

Gage watched her struggle but he remained silent until she stood. Then he said,

“We’re currently flying a large, circuitous route through an uninhabited system. The flight will take about a week but it will throw off anyone who might be trying to follow us. So we have a week.” He cocked his head and flashed a smile. “We have a week together.”

Tamara swallowed. Gage exuded confidence and when he was like this he was

unstoppable. She’d seen him like this once before when he’d masterminded a heist that had become an instant legend. After she’d left him, she’d heard the tale repeated in numerous bars. She’d never told anyone that she’d seen it firsthand and the tales were not an exaggeration.

“I wish you’d told me your story when we first met but I understand why you

didn’t. I understand why you don’t believe sex can be pleasurable but I won’t accept that. I want to help you overcome your early training. I want to show you the other side of sex. I understand why you don’t trust men but you can trust me. We have a week. I

have a proposition for you. Of course you really don’t have the option of refusing my proposition.”

“What?” Tamara demanded.

“I’m going to spend the next week teaching you that sex can be every bit as

pleasurable for a woman as it is for a man,” he said.

Tamara could see his smug satisfaction but she didn’t understand it. “You’re going

to rape me,” Tamara said, her voice flat but not defeated.

“No, darling, I’m going to pleasure you.”

Tamara shook her head. “I—”

“Let me finish,” Gage said. “I’m going to spend the next week showing you what

your body is capable of feeling. I want to pierce your numbness and set you free. Before the week is out, you’ll beg me to make love to you. Love, Tamara, not rape.”

“That’s not going to happen. Then you’ll get angry.”

“If it doesn’t happen, you’ll be free to go.”

Whatever she’d expected, it hadn’t been his flat declaration that he’d let her go.

She frowned. Much as she might deny it, she trusted Gage to keep his word. He’d

said he’d let her go in a week and he would. There must be some catch though,

something she wasn’t seeing. She swallowed hard. Her throat felt tight as she tried to see the trick. Gage’s plans always had a trick that the mark didn’t see until it was too late. She’d never expected to be the target of one of his plans. It left her feeling anxious and nervous. She didn’t like the feeling. “And what if I refuse your proposition?”

Gage shook his head. “Sorry, darling. As I said, that is not an option. I’m sure you’ll survive one week of pleasure,” he said, walking toward her.

He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out something.

Gage walked back to Tamara and held up a black cloth. “Stand up straight.”

Tamara stared up into Gage’s eyes.

“Come on, darling. Don’t make me ask again.”

Tamara swallowed. His eyes were still warm but she knew she wouldn’t win this

battle. Better to let him think she was defeated. She stood and then frowned. What was this garment? It didn’t look very sturdy. It had lacing and wasn’t very long.

He put the garment around her torso and did something at her back. “We’ll finish

in a moment. First, let’s get you in position.” He pushed a button on the wall. The chains attached to the metal on her wrists started to rise, pulling her arms over her head. Gage’s hands on her waist held her steady while she was stretched almost onto her toes.

“That’s enough for now. Let’s get you dressed.”

He rearranged the garment around her.

“What is that?”

“An old garment. It’s called a corset.”

A corset. Of course it was a corset, she realized as he pulled it tighter. A special corset. The breast area had cutouts for her nipples. Gage would be able to see them. He swung her around so her back was to his chest. Reaching around her, he placed her breasts so the nipples went through the holes. Then he pulled the laces.

“Gage…”

“I want you to forget your past and focus on your breathing. Focus in the present.”

He pulled the laces tight and worked his way down her back. She thought it was tight enough when he went back and pulled some more. He was right, breathing would be hard. The holes for her nipples bit into her breasts as he tightened the laces even more.

“Shallow breaths, darling.”

Her arms were already going to sleep. The combination of the tight corset, exposed

nipples and raised arms was agonizing. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Are you really in pain or just uncomfortable? I’ll lower the chains in a few

moments after your corset is fastened right. It’s easier to fix it this way.” Tamara thought she’d pass out. The shallow breaths allowed by the corset just didn’t give her enough air. After an agonizingly long time Gage finished.

“Ah, darling, you look stunning. I like the look.”

Beads of sweat dotted Tamara’s forehead. She was going to kill him the first

opportunity she got. He could be such a sadistic bastard. Gage pulled her close for a quick kiss before he moved away to lower the chains.

Tamara tried to gasp as sensation returned to her arms. Instead she fell to her knees.

Her head bent almost to the ground. The corset didn’t allow her to relax but kept her spine straight. First the cage, now this. Was Gage trying to kill her? She wouldn’t be able to hold out for long if he kept up this campaign.

Gage spread his arms wide. “Come to me, darling.”

Tamara looked up at the chains and raised an eyebrow.

Gage lowered his arms and flicked a switch on the wall and her wrist restraints

clicked open. “Come to me.”

She shook her head.

“You really don’t have much choice, you know.”

“There’s always a choice,” she said. She wasn’t going to walk blindly into anything.

Tamara tried to flee. She knew it was futile but she couldn’t stop her reaction. She had to try to escape. She didn’t get far. Gage caught her before she even reached the door. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her tightly against him. She threw back her head but she was too short. Her head thumped against his chest rather than his nose. She reached back and up to claw at his face but he caught her wrist before she could do any damage and he easily caught her other hand and held both. She squirmed and fought for breath. The feel of his cock rising against her back caused her to still. She didn’t want to stimulate him. Her situation was already too dangerous.

He bent and kissed the side of her face. “Sorry, darling, but this is for your own

good. Consider it shock therapy.” He half dragged her to the table then he picked her up and laid her on her back. He pulled her arms above her head and fastened restraints around her wrists.

She twisted and nearly rolled off the table. Her nipples grazed his shirt and she bit back a moan. Her nipples ached for a touch, even the touch of his shirt. Gage placed his large hand on her abdomen and forced her onto her back. He quickly fastened a belt around her waist and before she could scream a protest, he bound her ankles.

“That’s a really good look for you darling. I like you spread out before me, your

nipples begging for a touch.” He laughed and pulled something out of his pocket.

“Do you know what these are?” Gage held up a small glass jar with bits of fuzz

inside.

Tamara frowned. Gage turned the jar a little. She gasped. They had to be Darinthian worms—mechanical oddities created on the pleasure planet of Darinth. She’d heard

about them but never seen any. Few people had seen them. They were rare and

extremely expensive.

“Where did you get those? They’re banned everywhere except Darinth.”

“Ah, I see you do know what they are. Actually, the mechanics are perfectly legal.

It’s the aphrodisiac that goes in them that is banned,” Gage said. “A friend got me a few of them. He was hoping I could smuggle them for him. I’m still debating that deal.

Women will pay thousands of credits for these little beauties. You’re about to sample them for free. You should thank me darling.”

“Gage, don’t do this!”

“As you’ve already discovered, some men don’t worry about their partner’s

pleasure. But any man can do the same thing as this device and when you trust me, I’ll be more than happy to demonstrate that fact. Just remember, as you’re lost in pleasure, that I can create the same sensations. But right now I think it is important that we remove me from the scene and these beauties will allow that to happen.”

Tamara was frantic. She couldn’t let Gage do this. “Please, Gage. Please don’t do

this.”

Gage paused then shook his head. “They aren’t dangerous. I’m not using the drugs

so they won’t hurt you. Tamara, it is the only way to introduce you to pleasure. We both know you won’t accept it from me. I understand why but I won’t let you stay locked in the belief that sex is just pain.” Gage used tweezers to remove one of the worms from the glass jar.

He was careful not to touch it. Human heat started the little machines. He used a

finger to tap Tamara’s nipple. Between the cold and his touch, her nipple extended. He carefully placed the first worm and then did the same to her other breast. Tamara looked down. The machines were called worms because they seemed alive. They were

warm and they circled her nipples like fuzzy rings. Within moments, Tamara felt a

thousand tiny little pricks stimulating her nipples. She tensed and bit her lip to stop the scream that bubbled up in her throat.

Gage placed his hand on her throat. He slowly stroked back and forth. “Relax

darling. Don’t fight the sensation, just flow with it and imagine how they’ll feel when, in a few days, I place them on your clit instead of your nipples.”

“Gage, don’t leave me like this!” Tamara didn’t want to be alone with the worms.

He planted a kiss on her forehead. “You know I can’t stay. This is something you

need to experience on your own. You need to feel pleasure. Don’t fight it, Tamara,” he said. “Fakzi, with me.” Fakzi slowly rose from the shadows and the two of them left the room.

Tamara closed her eyes and struggled against her panic. She’d been in tight

situations before. She could survive this. She had to survive. Gage hadn’t taken all her choices away. She could fight the worms’ effect or she could ride it. She wouldn’t be defeated by this.

Tamara could feel the fur that lined the outer skin of the little devices. The machines had thousands of tiny points that vibrated and just barely pierced her skin. They seemed to be stroking her nipples. The strokes were so soft and faint that she was

startled when her pelvis clenched. Her back arched as if a wave of electricity had passed from her nipples to her cunt. Her empty, aching cunt, she realized as blood flowed to her nether regions.

She struggled to make sense of her body’s response. The worms’ touch was so soft

yet she felt each of their movements deep inside. And the touches didn’t stop. They just kept going and going. Tamara desperately wanted to scream but all she could do was moan. The corset didn’t have enough give. She couldn’t get enough air to scream.

Instead her abdomen and pelvis clenched as sensation overwhelmed her.

With the passage of time, the touch seemed to intensify. It seemed harder and more

relentless. Sweat beaded her forehead. Her focus had turned inward. Her pelvis

clenched as she had another orgasm. How could nipple stimulation alone create such